Child of the Sun Chapter 11, an andromeda fanfic

Author's Note: Italics signify thought or emphasis.

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"Beka, is there a reason the Maru hasn't left yet to pick up our crew members?"

Beka rolled her eyes, jumped up briefly to shoot an advancing figure, and ducked back down behind the table she had knocked over to use for cover.

"Well, yeah, Dylan," she answered. "There're actually a few dozen reasons."

There was only the sounds of the Magog and the High Guard squad in the hanger with her fighting for a few seconds. Then Dylan's voice came back.

"Sorry about that, Beka, they knocked out Rommie's sensor in that area temporarily, I've sent two more squads your way. They'll be there in a couple minutes."

"Thanks, Dylan," she said, relieved. "Sorry I won't be able to help Rhade."

Beka stood again and shot two more of the "new and improved" Magog.

Curse Harper and his time machines! Beka thought.

She noticed that a few of the disgusting creatures were trying to pry open the Maru's door.

"Hey!" she yelled, taking out a second gun and taking several consecutive shots at the offending Magog. "Get away from my ship!"

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"Dylan..." Trance trailed off.

Her daughter was once again in trouble. She seemed to be as much of a trouble magnet as everyone else on the ship. If it hadn't been for the current situation, Trance would have grinned at the thought that her daughter fit right in. But, to be fair, it had actually been Trance that Pish had been after, and it had been Rommie who had found the Nietzschean outpost on long-range sensors. Alura just happened to get caught up in both happenings.

Dylan was frowning at the displays in front of him. Trance knew that the automated slipfighters that weren't already in the fight with the Magog had a very slim chance of actually making it down to the surface of the planet, and none of the other craft on the Andromeda could be risked flying through the firefight still raging.

"I'm thinking, Trance," he said in an apologetic tone.

She moved over to him and touched his arm, taking some of his tension away. Dylan smiled sadly down at her and lifted one hand to touch the side of her face gently.

"They'll make it," he assured softly, though Trance wasn't sure if she needed the reassurance any more or less than he did.

Harper cleared his throat and the two broke apart, though they didn't move more than a few inches away from each other.

"Uh, Trance?" The red-and-gold Avatar looked at the young engineer. "You remember how you said not to fix Alura's core?"

Trance nodded, guilt flooding her. The Dance meant a lot to Alura and she still had trouble dealing with her own selfish action.

"I... uh... kinda didn't listen. I know I said I wouldn't, but I had to do it. I didn't tell Alura, though."

"Are you trying to tell us that the Dance could be flown down to pick them up, Harper?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah, boss," Harper confirmed. "I have to hook up the core and put Danny's emitters on one of the control panels, but it shouldn't take more than ten minutes if Rommie and one of the bots help me."

"Do it, Harper," Dylan responded immediately.

Trance moved toward Harper, "Is the emitter in Alura's room? I could get it while you get started, it might save a little more time."

"The last time I saw her take it out it was in the drawer under her bed," Harper answered as he walked out of command, Trance following. "Meet me in hangar one."

Trance nodded and took off for Alura's room at a run, but not before saying, "Thank you, Harper."

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When Trance came back to the command deck five minutes later, Dylan waited expectantly.

"Harper should have it up in no time. Danny was very surprised to be activated by someone other than Alura, but he understands the situation and he's directing Harper in the quickest way to get everything set up."

"Good," Dylan said, turning his attention back to the screen showing the slipfighters fighting the Magog swarm ships.

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"I think that does it," Harper said.

Danny took on a look of concentration that Harper found eerily similar to Rommie's and a faint hum sounded in the air as the ship's systems powered up. Lights came on and a gentle waft of fresh air assured Harper that life support was back online.

"Everything but slipstream is up and running, thank you, Mr. Harper."

"Sure," Harper said. "I don't think slipstream will be necessary right now, I can look at it after. Now we just have to get someone to pilot you down there, maybe Kenyon's free..."

"That will not be necessary," Danny said authoritatively.

Harper frowned at the AI.

"One of my sensors is continuously locked on Alura. I can find her on my own."

Harper shrugged, "You'd know better than anyone. Come on, Rom Doll."

Rommie knew she would have been blushing if it were physically possible when the other AI gave her a quizzical look at the nickname. Was the Dance's AI one of those who strictly followed the no-involvement rule when it came to his crew? She didn't think so, but there was a difference between simply worrying about your crew and the emotional depths she now had, especially in this form. For some reason, she didn't want the other ship thinking badly of her, so she pretended not to see the look, following Harper out of the Dance.

Harper exited the hangar, and as soon as she was in the corridor with him, the door closed. Rommie connected with the Andromeda's controls and opened the airlock so the Dance Among the Stars could retrieve its captain.

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Alura absent-mindedly stroked her brother's curls with her free hand. Drago was sitting on her lap, playing with her bone blades on the arm that was wrapped around his stomach. Telemachus sat beside her, his left thigh touching her right one. Right now it was his "watch," and his head was tilted back, studying the sky. If anything appeared to be drawing nearer, they would both get up and find a place to hide Drago, but so far nothing had approached.

Alura felt Telemachus tense beside her and raised her head to see what he was worried about. A ship was diving toward them, shaking off the Magog swarm ships that tried to pursue it. For a moment, Alura was shocked, but then she smiled. Harper must have finished the replacement core on his own. She decided to worry later about why he had kept it hidden from her. Right now, the Dance was coming to save them.

She faced Telemachus and his eyebrows lifted when he noticed her smile. Alura almost felt like laughing. The man could say so much with a simple look. And she was getting very good at reading them.

"It's the Dance."

Telemachus breathed a sigh of relief and stood. Alura was only slightly surprised when Drago reached up with his arms to the other male. Telemachus lifted the boy and set him on one hip, holding out a hand for her to pull herself up.

"Thanks," she said. She seemed to be saying that a lot today. For a moment she wondered if the words had lost meaning to him.

But Telemachus nodded as he had each time, his gaze meeting hers warm, almost... caring? They could hear the Dance's engines now, and all three of them watched as the ship landed fifty feet away. Alura turned to the two males, but Drago looked perfectly willing to stay in Telemachus' arms.

"Will you carry him for now?" she asked Telemachus.

"Of course," Telemachus smiled at her and then at Drago.

Drago smiled back, happy to stay where he was for the moment. Alura turned and led them onto the Dance, Danny opening the door for them when they were within five feet. Alura felt her spirit lift as she walked into the first corridor of the ship. The lights were on and Danny appeared in front of her. Everything was as it should be. Except, of course, that she and Danny were out of uniform. But for now, there wasn't much she could do about that.

"And who do we have here?" Danny asked in a delighted tone, referring to Telemachus and Drago.

He had originally been a much larger ship, and even his current shell was meant to hold more than one person. He had surely missed having a crew of more than one.

"This is Drago," Alura shared a significant look with the holograph, "I'll be adopting him. And this is Lt. Commander Telemachus Rhade, a member of the Andromeda's crew and my friend."

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Telemachus wasn't surprised to find that he was disappointed at just being labeled as her friend. But really, what else did he expect? They had been getting closer as they worked together and occasionally shared meals, but neither one of them had said anything about feelings. For a moment Telemachus allowed himself to dream, remembering the look Alura had given him when he had tried to force her to take the second slipfighter and leave him behind. It had seemed that she had wanted to say something, but everything had been happening so fast, he had no real way of knowing what it might have been.

He shuddered when he thought of what could have happened to her and to Drago if he hadn't noticed the falling swarm ship. Telemachus smiled reassuringly when Drago peered at him, a concerned look on the young boy's face. How had two such caring, good people come from the same bloodline as the ruthless Tyr Anasazi? But he wasn't really concerned about it, after all, he knew it was pointless to dwell on things you couldn't change like what family you came from. His own wasn't always the cream of the crop either.

Danny's face changed from jovial to serious. "Alura, we have four incoming swarm ships."

"Lift off and head for the Andromeda, pick off the ones that get too close with the shock charges."

"Aye... ma'am."

Alura sighed and ran one hand over the top of her head stopping at the band holding her ponytail. Her gaze turned to Telemachus and his eyebrows raised.

"I am trusting you with this," she said to him softly.

"You can trust me with anything," he told her, meaning it.

Alura nodded, "You can call me by my title until we get back to the Andromeda, Danny."

"Aye, Commodore," the holograph responded, a much happier look on his face.

Telemachus watched in faint surprise as a blur passed over Danny's body, his clothes changing from plain black to a style of High Guard uniform slightly unfamiliar to him, the piping and insignia silver. Alura had been a Commodore of the Commonwealth High Guard. It explained the commanding air she sometimes fell back on, the confident, assured way she moved and the weapons she carried. Of course the High Guard would have wanted to advance their weaponry over time, though force lances changing that much in twenty-odd years when they hadn't changed in the three hundred Dylan had been "asleep" was a little strange. But why had she hidden all of this from them? Surely Dylan would have been even more welcoming if he had known she was Commonwealth.

Telemachus followed automatically when Alura started moving again. He had just started to tire when Drago squirmed to get down. He set the boy gently on his feet and watched with a grin as Drago followed directly on Alura's heels. Drago had bonded with both of them in the time it had taken to get off the planet he had more or less been held captive on. Telemachus was glad to see that the bond was stronger with Alura, especially considering her plan to adopt her younger brother. But he too felt protective of the boy, and he had a moment of panic when he realized that Alura could now leave the Andromeda anytime she wanted. There had to be a way to get the two of them to stay longer.

"Show me the firefight," Alura ordered as she reached command deck. The screen changed accordingly and Alura frowned. "Load all missile tubes with seekers, fire on my mark, scatter pattern Delta. Normal view."

Telemachus was surprised as he looked around the command deck. There were four chairs along the back wall. The other walls, which were actually just one large, curved wall, were entirely made up of screens, both of the viewing variety and diagnositic, but there weren't any control panels anywhere. Alura was standing in the middle of the large empty space that made up the floor, her legs spread shoulder width apart and her hands on her hips. The Dance moved quickly closer to the fight, and Telemachus stood beside Alura, Drago clutching her leg on the other side, watching the screen with wide brown eyes.

"Fire," Alura commanded.

"Aye, Commodore," Danny responded. "Firing."

Telemachus watched as the missiles fired seemed to fly erratically away from the Dance. But each one swirled and dipped until finding a swarm ship target. The explosions that resulted were small but effective, freeing the automated slipfighters that had been dueling the swarm ships to go after new targets. With the slipfighters no longer being outnumbered, the swarm ships' advantage had disappeared.

"Back to the Andromeda, Danny."

"Aye, Commodore," the holograph answered once more. His face was not as happy this time.

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As soon as the Dance Among the Stars was back in Andromeda's largest hangar, Trance left the room. Dylan almost followed, but he realized that Trance could probably get more information out of Alura on her own. And he knew that she would share what he needed to know with him. She always did.

Dylan was feeling slightly anxious even though the confrontation with the Magog was now going more in their favor. Beka and the three High Guard squads with her had managed to expel the Magog in hangar three, and the Andromeda was once again a Magog-free zone. The slip fighters now heavily outnumbered the swarm ships and their enemies were leaving the fight in droves. But something was still nagging him.

He flashed back to when Trance had told him that the Dance would be able to pick up Alura and Rhade, and he realized that she had been both relieved and worried. Of course. Now that the Dance was functional, Alura had no overwhelming reason to stay on the Andromeda, and Trance knew it. Dylan felt his heart clench. If Alura left, would Trance go with her? Was the only reason Trance stayed with him because of the fight against the Abyss?

The thought hurt. Since Alura had come on board, he had more and more looked forward to a time when they wouldn't always be on the run, a time when they could indulge in a personal life. Dreaming of that time was pointless if Trance wouldn't be here with him to share that new life. When had she become so important to him? The answer, of course, was simple. She had always been important. It had just taken the thought of losing her to make him truly acknowledge it.

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Alura turned to Danny when they had landed inside the hangar. "If anyone but Telemachus or myself comes onboard, I need you back in the other outfit. And only call me Commodore if no one else will hear you."

The holograph inclined his head and Alura sighed in relief. She had thought she would have another fight on her hands about hiding who they were. Danny was proud of them, as well he should be. He had been a magnificent ship before the attack from the worldship, and she had been a highly decorated Commodore with a fair-sized fleet before it had been wiped out. He didn't see the good in hiding that information. But Alura knew it wasn't as simple as that.

"Will we be leaving the Andromeda soon?" Danny asked as Alura turned to leave the command deck.

Alura glanced at Telemachus and saw that he was waiting to hear her answer, a tense look on his face.

"I don't know, Danny. That depends a lot upon Dylan."

Out of the corner of her eye Alura noted that Telemachus had relaxed slightly at her answer, and Danny nodded in front of her.

"Well, before we do leave the relative comfort of our host, slipstream needs to be re-engaged and the EM weapon husk ripped out. Mr. Harper didn't have time to do everything."

"Fine, I'll look it over tomorrow and we'll figure out how to proceed."

"Very well, Commodore." Danny smiled, "It was an honor flying with you again."

Alura smiled at her ship's AI and left command deck, Drago and Telemachus following. When they reached a supply closet, Alura opened it and walked in. She took another force lance off a shelf and grabbed a small viewing device. She knew her mother would want some answers, and the video files she had might help a little. Leaving the narrow room, she resealed the door. She glanced at Telemachus. He too would have questions.

Alura looked down at Drago and smiled. "Ready to go see the Andromeda?"

Drago nodded enthusiastically. Alura led the way out of the Dance. To her surprise, no one was waiting for them in the hangar.

"What do you want to do first?" Telemachus asked her.

"We'll head to my room. I need to put away Drago's knife and my weapons. Then I'll probably need to have a talk with my mother."

"Is Telemachus coming with us?" Drago asked as they moved down the corridors in the direction of her room, looking up at the Nietzschean male.

"If you'd like him to," Alura answered when her pleading gaze was met by a reassuring one from Telemachus.

"Yes," the boy responded simply.

The three of them walked down the corridor that led to Alura's room together, Drago asking questions about the Andromeda's capabilities. Telemachus responded to the queries Alura didn't know the answer to. When Drago told Alura that he would someday get a ship like this one for her, Telemachus smiled, holding back a laugh that would have injured the five-year-old. As they rounded the corner, Drago made a sound somewhere between a gasp of surprise and a laugh.

"She looks kinda like you, Alura."

"That's Trance," she informed the boy. "My mother."

In a slightly lower-volume voice Drago added, "I like your colors better."

Alura smiled at her brother.

"I do, too," she whispered conspiratorially.

"I prefer them as well," Telemachus added, receiving a surprised but pleased look from Alura.

Drago just looked happy that he was with two people who agreed with him so readily. Alura ached momentarily for him. In her reality, the adults that had surrounded him had always challenged everything he said to "make him stronger" but he had at least had her until his death at the hands of the crone. Letting go of her memories of the past that never happened here, and that she had just made sure would never happen; Alura turned her attention down the hall.

Trance was standing just outside the door of Alura's temporary quarters, obviously waiting for her. Alura stopped and her two companions did as well, turning their attention to her. She had a feeling she knew what Trance wanted to talk about and she wasn't looking forward to it. She tried to hide her nervousness from the two males.

"Telemachus, would you stay with Drago while I talk to Trance?"

"Of course." His eyes asked her if she would be okay. She smiled softly to let him know she'd be fine.

Telemachus reached down and lifted Drago, setting the little boy on his shoulders, a small leg hanging down on either side of his neck. Drago laughed, but when Telemachus moved down the hall without Alura, the young boy looked back.

"Are you coming, Alura?"

Alura smiled reassuringly, "I'll be there in a couple minutes, Drago. Ask Telemachus to show you the Andromeda's AI."

The little boy's face lit up, and he grinned happily. Telemachus nodded to Trance as he reached Alura's door. Trance smiled gently up at Drago, but almost immediately returned her focus to her daughter. Alura walked slowly toward her mother.

Trance opened her mouth, but Alura held up one hand.

Gesturing to her now-closed door, Alura said softly, "This isn't a conversation I want little Nietzschean ears to overhear."

Trance followed Alura another twenty feet down the hall before her daughter stopped walking.

"Is Nietzschean hearing really that good?"

Alura shrugged dismissively. "We would have been safe five feet closer, but I didn't feel like taking the risk that he'd come out looking for me and I wouldn't see him until it was too late."

Trance nodded her understanding. "What are you going to do about Drago?"

Alura stiffened. "If Captain Hunt has a problem with him being on board, we'll leave. The Dance is mostly fixed now, so transportation and housing is no longer an issue. Drago and I will survive together. He died today in my reality. I won't abandon him now."

"Of course not. I just thought maybe you'd take him to his mother or another relative."

"His mother died when he was only several months old. Her own Pride killed her because she tried to escape with him. They wanted to control his upbringing, and even before she tried to free him they never let her see him. And after today Drago is the last blood link to the Orca Pride, they were wiped out. I am not giving him to another Pride to be raised as a lesser person. I would die first."

"Is there something I should know about him?"

Alura's eyes closed and she bit her lip. "Can I trust you not to say anything to anyone else on the ship?"

Trance led Alura into a nearby room and sealed the door. "Andromeda, engage privacy mode." A soft beep was heard, and Trance assured her, "As long as it doesn't jeopardize the crew, I will keep your confidence."

Alura nodded. It would have to do. At some point she would at least have to confide in Dylan, he was the Champion of Light after all. And she had already decided to tell Telemachus everything. As long as she and Drago were on the Andromeda Ascendant, it would benefit Drago to learn what he could from another Nietzschean. She just hoped there was some way she could pay him back if Telemachus did agree to help her.

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Preview: Alura tells Trance the truth. Dylan finds out who Alura's father is.