AN: Greetings, everyone. I apologize for the amount of time it's taken me to get another post up. Unfortunately, while I am enjoying being at school, the move put me a bit behind on working on this story. However, here is the next post, and I am already working on the one that will come after it. Please enjoy.

Chapter Fifteen: The Power of Programming

"Dylan," Beka's voice came over the comm. "We'll be dropping back into normal space in five minutes. You might want to come to command."

"I'm on my way," he replied. With Rommie in tow, he picked up the pace, and jogged most of the way back to the command deck. "Have we received the specs on our target yet?" he asked when he arrived.

"They're coming in now," Tyr replied from weapons control. He raised an eyebrow as he scanned the data rolling across his screens. "It seems that all of your planning may prove to be unnecessary, Dylan," he said.

Dylan gave him a questioning look.

"Our target," the Nietzschean explained, "is a Drago-Katsov weapons station. It serves as the central control system for an entire asteroid belt full of missile platforms and mine fields. According to our scans, it's less than seven light years out from Terezed."

"Well, that explains why they wanted it taken out in the first place," Dylan put in.

"But not why they wanted the existence of the Omega Directive that was supposed to take it out left unknown," Rommie finished. "Maybe it's just me and my warship's way of thinking, but I'm starting to get some bad vibes here."

"Yes, this is definitely beginning to feel a bit fishy," Dylan agreed. "Tyr, have you been able to convince Andromeda to give you back fire control?"

"No," the other man replied simply. "I've done everything except get on my knees and beg. She's ignoring me with a stubbornness that I almost – almost – find admirable. If it weren't for our current situation, I would applaud her. But right now, I simply want to –"

"Thank you, Tyr," Dylan put in quickly. "I think we all get the idea."

"Ok, guys, hold on," Beka interrupted. "Transiting back to normal space in three, two, one... now!"

Dylan got a firm grip on his command station as the ship started shaking around him. Once again, the viewscreens flashed white, and when they cleared, the starscape of normal space was before them.

"Anything on sensors, Rommie?" Dylan asked.

The android was silent for a moment as she studied the sensor readouts. "The Eureka Maru is still ahead of us, approximately three light seconds out. All of her weapons systems are armed, and she's proceeding at maximum speed."

"And our target?"

She shook her head. "All I'm seeing is the marker that Ree loaded into our targeting systems. We're still too far out to see anything with normal scanners."

"And I've just lost engine control," Beka chimed in. "Looks like now that Andromeda doesn't need me to guide her through slipstream, she's decided to fly herself."

"Great," Dylan muttered. "Rommie, launch a full spread of sensor drones. Let's see what we can see."

"Launching. They'll be in position in thirty seconds."

"Let me know when we start getting a feed. Distance to target?"

"Just under one light minute. We'll be in combat range in about ten minutes."

"Well, if no one has any objections," Tyr started, "I'll be in my quarters. It seems that Andromeda has everything well in hand. I'm wasting my time standing here."

"I do object, Tyr," Dylan replied. "We might still need you before this is all over."

The Nietzschean smirked. "Do you really think that this ship will decide to go against her programming and return control to us, Dylan?" he asked in a mocking voice. "She's a machine. She has made her will known, and since you are so loath to start forcefully rearranging her systems, there is nothing we can do to change that. Besides, it's a Dragan target; shoot first and ask questions later would be the preferred protocol, if you ask me."

"I'm not asking for you opinion, Tyr," Dylan ground out softly. "But I am ordering you to man your station until I dismiss you. Is that clear?"

Tyr looked like he was going to argue, but instead, he tilted his head to one side and gave a little grin. "Perfectly," he murmured, his eyes never leaving Dylan's.

"Dylan," Rommie interrupted. "We're receiving the feed from the sensor drones. Target specs are coming up on the screens."

Dylan watched as a blue computerized image of an asteroid appeared on the main viewscreen, while real life images of the same target materialized on the secondary viewers. Moments later, black spots in the rough shape of craters started dotting the computer image as the drones downloaded more data.

"What exactly are we seeing here?" he asked.

With a suddenness that startled them all, Andromeda's AI appeared on one of the secondary viewers. "This is the asteroid on which the missile command center is supposed to be based," she answered. "But it's showing signs of devastating battle damage." Her eyes narrowed. "Captain, I believe the target has already been destroyed."

"Looks like somebody beat us to it," Tyr said, the disappointment evident in his voice.

"The damage is approximately three years old," Andromeda continued. "The signatures of the weapons that were used are consistent with High Guard heavy yield offensive missiles."

"The kind that come standard on a Golden Dawn-class frigate," Dylan put in. "The Valkyrie already destroyed this target. She just doesn't remember it."

"Oh, she remembers it," Rommie added suddenly. "The Maru is vectoring away from the asteroid and is headed for a cluster of new targets that has just shown up on my screen. Their energy signatures are consistent with Drago-Katsov facilities."

"She's not here to start a battle," Dylan exclaimed, "she's here to finish it!"

"Adjusting course to match," Andromeda stated.

"Andromeda, you're not still serious about helping her on this one, are you?" Dylan asked in disbelief. "If we start attacking these targets, we'll bring the whole Dragan fleet down on top of us, not to mention the nearby Terezed system. You'll start a war!"

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I have my orders. The Omega Directive states that the entire installation must be wiped out."

"Dylan, I'm getting more information on the destroyed target," Rommie put in before Dylan could answer. "I don't think it was a missile command center at all. An analysis of the debris left on the asteroid shows that the materials used are not consistent with military grade construction." She looked up at the Captain, a surprised look on her face. "The target may have been Drago-Katsov, but it was also civilian."

"That's what I was afraid of," Dylan muttered to himself.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second!" Beka exclaimed. "You mean to tell me that the government on Terezed issued an Omega Directive against a civilian target?"

"That seems to be the case," Rommie replied.

"And they wouldn't be the first," Tyr replied.

Dylan turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Tyr looked at him as if it were obvious. "Well, Nietzscheans have been destroying civilian targets belonging to rival prides for centuries. But even before they turned on one another during the Nietzschean Tactical Offensive, it was not unheard of for Commonwealth battle groups to drop out of slipstream, annihilate a civilian drift or mining colony, and then disappear just as quickly when they realized they'd hit the wrong target."

"Bad intel," Dylan finished. "Commonwealth vessels never attacked civilian targets unless it was by accident – unless they'd been given bad intelligence."

"Are you saying the Valkyrie Hammer was given an Omega Directive on a Drago-Katsov civilian installation because the government on Terezed made a mistake?" Beka asked.

"More than that," Dylan continued. "I'm saying that the government on Terezed made a mistake, called the Valkyrie off, and then tried to destroy her to hide the evidence of their blunder. They're the ones who boarded her all those years ago. They wiped her memory and killed her crew so that no one would ever know what they'd done."

"And now Ree is hoping to finish her mission," Rommie put in. "And she's about ready to start on that. She'll be in weapons range in two minutes."

"Any idea of what the new targets that she's heading for are?" Dylan asked.

"There are six different structures on four different asteroids," Andromeda interrupted before Rommie could answer. "They're showing the same type of construction as the installation that was destroyed. I'm seeing medium-sized generators, living quarters, basic laboratories, astronomical observation platforms..." She paused. "It looks like an educational facility."

Dylan exhaled slowly, and he suddenly looked old and tired. "The Valkyrie Hammer was ordered to destroy a school," he said softly. He looked up to where Andromeda was watching him from one of the secondary viewscreens. "Andromeda, you have got to help us stop Ree before it's too late. I know she's only following orders, but those orders were, and still are, wrong. A mistake was made three years ago, and blowing this place into space dust isn't going to change that."

"Captain, I –"

"It's a school, Andromeda," Dylan said firmly. His voice was level, but there was no mistaking the tone of conviction in it. "There are children down there. People who have done nothing to deserve an Omega Directive issued against them. Help us stop Ree before more mistakes are made."

Andromeda was silent for a long moment, her brown eyes unblinking as she regarded Dylan. When she spoke, it was so sudden that it almost made him jump. "Restoring control of critical systems to the command crew," she said. "Captain, we may not be able to make a wrong into a right, but we can stop it from getting any worse. Let's go get her."

Dylan nodded. "Thank you, Andromeda." He looked to the rest of his crew. "Tyr, bring all offensive batteries online. Beka, full speed ahead; drop us in on the Maru's tail. Let's bring it, people!"

"You're not actually going to shoot at her, are you?" Beka asked. "She's in my ship!"

"Not unless I have no other options," Dylan replied. "Rommie, open a channel to the Maru. I think it's time Ree learned where we stand on this matter."

"Channel open."

"Ree, this is Captain Hunt. I am ordering you to stand down your attack on this installation, effective immediately. Power down your weapons and your engines, and prepare to be taken back onboard the Andromeda Ascendant. Respond."

The image of Ree's face appeared on the main viewscreen. "I thought we'd been through this already, Captain," she said. "There is an active Omega Directive against this target, and my orders are to destroy it. Your orders are meaningless; an Omega Directive outranks –"

"Yes, I know," Dylan returned heatedly. "But just in case you haven't already figured this out, your 'hostile' target is a school. And your almighty Omega Directive is a mistake that was made three years ago. A mistake so monumental that your own people tried to destroy you so that they could cover it up."

"That is irrelevant, Captain," the avatar returned. "I have my orders, and mistake or no, they still stand. Andromeda Ascendant, you will fire at these coordinates on my mark."

"I'm sorry, Ree," Andromeda replied. "But unlike you, I don't think innocent lives are irrelevant. I have returned control of myself to the Captain. Please, stand down, or I will be forced to attack you."

Ree hissed in anger, her black eyes flashing with dark anger. "As soon as I'm done with the Nietzschean rodents, I'll come back for you, traitor!" She lashed out with a fist, and the screen fizzled into static.

"Hey, easy on the gear!" Beka exclaimed. "That's my ship!"

"If we're going to stop her, we have to act now," Rommie interrupted. "She's fifteen seconds from reaching maximum effective missile range."

"All missile batteries are primed and ready," Tyr said, his finger literally poised over the button.

"Andromeda, prepare to issue a change in chain of command sequence, as well as High Guard fleet formation orders," Dylan snapped.

"Sir?"

"Your programming almost got the better of you," he replied. "Now we're going to use it to trick her."

"Issuing change in chain of command sequence. The Valkyrie Hammer is acknowledging. The Andromeda Ascendant is now the flagship of High Guard Battle Group One-One-Alpha. What fleet formation do you wish to use?"

"Just give me the standard follow-the-leader stuff," Dylan ordered. "Beka, hard one-eighty. Get us out of this system."

"Order issued."

"Coming about."

"Dylan!" Rommie exclaimed. "The Eureka Maru is firing. She's launched a full spread at the main facility on the first asteroid."

"Tyr! Switch to defensive missiles! Shoot them down!"

"Switching!"

"We're too late, Captain," Andromeda reported. "Her missiles are already out of range. However..." She paused for a moment, then smiled. "It seems that our tactics confused her for just long enough. She launched her missiles too late. They're detonating in open space."

Dylan heaved a sigh of relief. "And the Maru?"

"Following us out of the system, astern and starboard."

The Captain wiped sweat from his forehead with one hand. "Send out some retrieval drones to bring her in. Good work everyone."

"Well," Tyr said slowly as he deactivated the missile batteries, "it looks like your plan worked after all, Dylan. How did you know that Andromeda would side with us?"

"I didn't," he replied. "All I could do was trust that she would make the right decision, before it was too late."

The Nietzschean crossed his arms. "Don't you think that was a bit risky, considering the stakes involved?"

"Maybe," Dylan answered. "But then, what good is faith in your friends, if you already know everything?" He glanced over his shoulder at Andromeda's image on the screen and smiled.

Andromeda smiled back.


AN: Well, that's the conclusion of one plotline. But make sure and keep an eye out for the Harper/Trance plot conclusion, as well as the "resolution" posts for the both of them.