Oenone: oh, see, I'm lucky! Dad likes Andromeda so he buys the seasons as soon as they come out on the DVD box set, which is way-cool-awesome. (Pennsylvania slang, don't mind me!)
Prin69: THANKS! The reason everything is 'flowing is cause I'm writing this in a notebook, and sometimes to speed up updating, I just split a chappie in half. (Like this one! Chap 9 in the notebook has part of what's going to be chap 10!)
Iara: THANKS!! I think Liara is cute, too, but my vote doesn't count 'cause I invented her! :(
Author's Note: I just thought I'd letcha all know: WE HAVE A CLASS PET!!!! Our 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Engler said, "Do you want a pet?" so now we have a class pet, Saucy (I wanted to name it Beka!) the guinea pig!!!! He loves carrots and eats like a squirrel! (Ex: nibble-nibble-nibble, chew-chew-chew, nibble-nibble-nibble, chew-chew-chew!) ok, on to the story! :P
Chapter 9
"Can you crack this thing's codes?" Beka asked as Harper found a place where he could jack into the systems. The Rose was rather like the Maru in terms of size, but it had less weapons and a larger cargo pod.
"Course I can," Harper replied. "Watch the genius at work." He slid the connector into his dataport and entered the VR matrix of the Rose's systems.
Harper landed in the shimmery red of the VR and looked around. "Ok," he said. "Let's see records from say... the last two weeks."
An image of a tall, dark-skinned woman in a black jumpsuit leaned toward him. "Authorization code?" she asked in seductive tones.
"Authorization, uh," Harper looked at what was obviously the Rose's AI in open-mouthed awe. What a babe! The Rose was slim, with long, flowing black hair. Her complexion and facial features were that of a Mexican señorita from Earth.
"Oh. You don't have one," the AI pouted. "No one has talked to me in almost a week; if you will tell me where my crew is, I'll let you into my records." She bit her lip. "Please, señor?" she asked, sounding hurt and rejected.
Harper blinked and swallowed. "Uh, your crew?"
"Yes, my crew," the Rose snapped, losing all hint of innocent-little-girl. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, dark eyes flashing. "Let me put it another way, Señor. Tell me where my crew is, or I'll fry you and the blonde hotshot who's fiddling around in one of my storage areas."
"Listen, I hate to break it to ya," Harper said, backing away from the angry AI. "Your crew is dead."
"Impossible," the AI said reflexively. "You're lying." She curled a fist. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't eject you from my systems now," she said though gritted teeth.
"Uh, cause I'm a good-looking engineer and you're a hot babe." Harper spread his hands as if that explained everything.
The Rose snorted. "That is not a reason."
"You want a reason?" a voice asked from the side. "How about because it's true?" Beka's face appeared next to them, magnified.
"Boss?" Harper asked in surprise. "How'd-"
"Found some nifty gadgets in a storage area," Beka explained.
"What are they? How do they wor-"
"Focus, Harper!" Beka snapped, knowing once Harper got started on a new gadget, he wouldn't stop.
Harper turned sheepishly back to the Rose. "Ahem. Like I was say-"
"How did my crew die?" the Rose asked softly.
"Can I finish a sentence?" Harper demanded. Both Beka and the Rose ignored him.
"A biological weapon," Beka told her. "We found you, but were too late to save the others."
The Rose wailed, a long, drawn-out cry of sadness, and with a violent shock, Beka and Harper were thrown out of the system.
"That went well," Beka said sarcastically.
Telemachus felt the brief lurch that meant the Collector ship had transited out of Slipstream. His skin had reddened, and felt as if it was on fire, a slow burning in his flesh. He smiled suddenly, remembering back to when, on Terazad, he had been maybe five years old and one of his younger half-Nietzschean cousins had gotten sunburned. She would run screaming and crying across the yard if anyone so much as tapped her in the wrong spot until one of the adults would put lotion on her.
Telemachus wondered how his family was doing, back on Terazad. The Collectors were probably comparing him to Gaheris in all the news-holos. His family was probably ashamed of him, his friends turned against him... all because of one man, Pish Tryan.
The object of his thoughts walked into Telemachus's cell, followed by two huge guards. Heavy Worlders, Telemachus thought.
"Rhade, are you enjoying your accommodations?" Pish asked conversationally, then answered his own question. "No, of course not. I see Omega Blue is eating at you? Sad." He smirked. "Are there any, mmm, burning questions you want to ask?"
"Why aren't you affected?" Telemachus snarled, remembering Rommie had said it was highly contagious.
Pish frowned. "I'm not entirely sure what you- oh, I understand." He smirked again. "I dose myself in antidote whenever I am exposed. You however, are not so lucky, are you?"
Telemachus growled and narrowed his eyes in response.
Pish smirked again, (Telemachus was getting rather tired of that smirk!) and shook his head in mock sadness. "Yet another example of eloquently speaking Übers."
Telemachus gave Pish what Harper had dubbed 'The Look,' and few words he had heard both Beka and Harper use abruptly sprung to his mind, but he settled for spitting on Pish's shoes.
In two quick strides, Pish was in front of Rhade, dealing the Nietzschean a stinging open-handed slap across the face. He nodded to his guards as he exited the room.
Apparently that was some sort of signal to his guards, who gleefully moved in and proceeded to beat Telemachus into unconsciousness.
Author's note: Once again, sorry for the short chapters, but I wanna upload ASAP!