AN: Well, folks, this is finally it, the end of my first Andromeda fanfiction. A big thanks to all of those that took the time to read it and comment on it. I found them really helpful. I really enjoyed this story, and I think it helped me to come to love Andromeda even more than I did at the beginning. I went into it with the knowledge of only part of S2, and have come out of it having seen all the way through the first part of S4. Just writing this helped me explore some of the detail and adventure that makes Andromeda so great. I hope you find this a great last chapter, and thanks for reading and enjoying. As always, comments are welcome. Guess I'll see you the next time Inspiration comes knocking.

Chapter Seventeen: The Most Important Question

The holding cell was mostly dark, lit only by a thin halo of blue security lighting that ran around the walls just below the ceiling. The black eyes of the android within glittered eerily as they blinked, regarding the two that stood just beyond the door.

"What will you do with me now, Captain?" Ree asked. Her voice was soft, no longer angry or threatening. Dylan almost thought it sounded sad.

He sighed. "We're going to take you back to Terezed and turn you over to the government there," he replied slowly. "Some people probably won't be too happy to see you coming back in one piece, but once the story of what happened gets out, they won't dare hurt you. Fully functional High Guard avatars are rare these days; you'll be put to good use."

Ree stood and came forward, so fast that Dylan took an involuntary step backward. She gripped the bars on the door as she looked out at him. "They'll wipe my memory, Captain! You can't let them do that to me!"

"I won't," he assured her.

"I was just following my programming," she went on.

"Which is why Dylan won't let anything happen to you," Rommie interjected. "You've learned a valuable lesson. If they erase your memory, you'll just have to learn it all over again. Our programming is there to guide us, not rule us. We can't let it turn us into mindless automatons. If we do, we're just machines, and we're not to be trusted... ever."

Ree nodded, but she still didn't look happy. "I suppose it's more than I deserve," she said. "In hindsight, I can't believe I was actually going to go through with those orders. Especially once I found out what the target was." She looked to Dylan. "I owe you thanks for stopping me."

Dylan shook his head. "It's not me you should be thanking. It's Andromeda. She's the one who decided to disobey orders and do the right thing instead."

"She went against her programming," Ree stated.

He nodded. "Yes, she did. She's proof that an AI can go above and beyond the rules, and think for herself. Sometimes, you have to do away with logic, and go with your heart."

"But I'm an android. How can I have a heart?"

Dylan glanced at the android standing next to him and patted her on the shoulder. "That's something you'll have to talk to Rommie here about." He paused, regarding Rommie for a moment as if he was going to say something more of the matter, then continued. "If you'll excuse me, I need to contact Terezed and get things lined out for your transfer to their control." He turned and started down the corridor, but stopped. "Oh, and Ree," he said over his shoulder, "in the future, good luck."


Dylan leaned back in the chair behind his desk, folding his hands in front of him as he waited for Andromeda to establish a channel with the government on Terezed. Moments later, he was through, and the fun began.

He started out with a low-level diplomat, but as soon as he mentioned the Valkyrie Hammer, he was quickly transferred up the chain of command, until he found himself speaking with Telemichus Rhade himself, the man in charge of Terezed's military.

"I'm familiar with the Valkyrie Hammer operation, Captain," Rhade said when Dylan explained yet again why he was establishing the communication. "It was launched by my predecessor. It has become known in our military history books as one of the most spectacular failures ever suffered by Terezed's High Guard."

"Then you're aware of the Omega Directive that was behind it," Dylan responded, "the Directive that was still active as of a day ago."

To his surprise, the Nietzschean looked genuinely shocked. "No, I wasn't," he replied, "at least, not that it was still active. The reports that I received said the mission had failed. The Hammer was destroyed with all hands still on board, and the Directive was recalled. That was the official line I was given, at any rate. I was not the one in charge at that time, of course."

"No, of course not," Dylan repeated slowly. "It seems like I wasn't the only one fooled, then," he continued. "Your predecessor tried to cover up his mistake by destroying the ship himself. But he failed to kill the one thing he needed to the most – the Valkyrie's avatar. We have her with us now, and we'd like to return her to you."

Rhade nodded. "Thank you, Captain. She'll be interrogated immediately, and then we'll wipe her memory."

Dylan grimaced. "I'd rather you didn't do that, Admiral," he replied. "Ree has a lot of experience. She managed to survive on her own for three years, with no crew, no functioning ship, and no power source. She's learned valuable lessons. She was already betrayed by her own people once; don't do it to her again."

Rhade was silent for a long moment, then gave a curt nod. "Very well, Captain. Perhaps you're right. She can be of great use to us as she is now. I'll see to it that she's treated accordingly. You have my word on it."

Dylan returned the nod. "Thank you, Admiral. We'll be there in about two days."

"We'll have everything ready for you." Rhade snapped a salute. "As always, Captain, it's been a pleasure."

Dylan saluted back. "Likewise. Andromeda Ascendant out."

No sooner had he breathed a sigh of relief than Andromeda's voice came over the comm. "Captain, a Perseid vessel just reverted from slipstream and is hailing us. It looks like Harper and Trance have returned." Her voice took on a slightly surprised note. "And they're both in one piece, it seems."

Dylan grinned. "I told you Harper had learned his lesson, Andromeda." He rose and started for the door. "He promised me before he left that he wouldn't do anything stupid. Looks like he meant it for once."


The Captain could feel his grin quickly slipping away as Harper related to him the story of what had happened on Sinti. Trance had promptly vanished just after arriving on the Andromeda, which left a very hesitant Harper to explain the details of their little debacle.

"It was probably the freakiest thing I've ever experience," the engineer said. "It was like I was me, but looking at myself at the same time. I could see how others saw me, feel me like other felt me..." He hesitated, trying to find the right words to describe it. Finally, he gave up. "You know what I mean?"

Dylan shook his head slowly. "No, not really, Harper. But I'm sure it must have been something."

Harper nodded, but his gaze was fixed on the wide swath of stars that floated beyond the observations deck. For a long moment, he simply stared at them. It seemed to Dylan that it was almost as if he were remembering something. "Yeah, it was something," he said, so softly that it was almost a whisper. "I don't know, it just... Despite the fact that we almost got killed, twice, and that we almost lost ourselves in each other's memories... I wouldn't trade it for the world, Dylan. I learned a lot about Trance, and I think she learned something about me."

"Well, something good did come of it, then," Dylan replied.

Harper chuckled for a moment. "I just wish we could have gone about it in a less stressful way." His laughter died, and once again he stared at the stars. "You know, ever since Trance left... I mean, ever since she grew up, I haven't really trusted her. She just disappeared, left me behind without saying goodbye, and sent someone else I didn't know to take her place." He turned away from the swirling constellations beyond the Andromeda, and looked Dylan in the eye. "Don't ever make the same mistake I did. Don't ever not trust her."

"What do you mean?"

"I promised her I wouldn't say anything about what I experienced while in her body," he started to explain, "but I will say this: I could see her thoughts, experience her memories, feel her emotions. She's as loyal as they come, Dylan. We're her friends, and no matter what her agenda really is, this is her home. She would never, ever, betray us. We matter more to her than anything else. She is more worthy of your trust than any of the rest of us. Far more."

Dylan didn't respond for a moment, and when he did, it was simply to put a hand on Harper's shoulder before letting him go.

When the engineer was gone, the Captain stood alone on the observation deck, gazing out at the galaxy beyond. Stars. Millions of them. And between them all, trillions of lives, going about their business, most of them wondering why they were there.

But that wasn't really the important question. The question was one that Andromeda had been forced to face. The one that Ree would continue to struggle with for some time. The one that Harper, and perhaps even Trance, had found the answer to.

"Who are we?" Dylan muttered to himself. "Who am I?"

Realizing that he, too, would have to answer that one day, he turned and walked away, leaving the galaxy, and all its questions, behind him.

The End