When the Andromeda woke her several hours later, it took Beka a moment to realize that she was alone in Rhade's quarters and that she had been covered with the blanket she had brought the previous night. She was suddenly fully awake. Rhade was in no shape to go wandering in the ship, he wasn't even in any shape to get out of bed for anything more than moving around his quarters.

"Andromeda, where's Rhade?" she asked as sshe got up to put on her boots. The hologram appeared to answer her question.

"Lieutenant Commander Rhade is currently in Cargo Hold 1." Beka paused for a moment. The answer had been an unexpected one.

"What on Earth is he doing there?"

"Louisa Messereaux's body is currently in Cargo Hold 1."

"Oh no." Beka sat back down on the bed with a thump. A moment later, she rushed out of the room.

--

This was the second time he was looking at someone important to him through the glass of a cryostasis unit. This time though, the person was much more important to him. Gaheris Rhade may have influenced his life on Tarazed but Louisa had changed the way he looked at that life.

"You gave me peace." he said, his voice barely audible. "Now I can only hope that you are at peace." Gently he laid a hand on the glass. This was the closest he would ever be able to come to feeling any kind of contact with her. That knowledge felt like a dark cloud descending around his heart and he shut his eyes. He hadn't even realized that he had reached his limit until he had to either sit down or collapse. Leaning against the side of the cold coffin, he pulled his knees to his chest and tucked his arms in between the two. Exhaling, he felt as if he was suddenly drained, not even able to hold up his head.

"It's cold in here." he murmured to himself, repeating, without realizing, Beka's words to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the light in the room increase. He didn't look up to see the cause.

"Rhade, you shouldn't be out of your bed." Andromeda said. He didn't answer. He couldn't answer. "Beka is on her way."

"Don't." He didn't have to look at her to see that the hologram was tilting her head in silent confusion. "Don't tell her I'm here. If you have, tell her I'm on my way somewhere else."

After a moment of silence, "Very well." He could tell she didn't think it was a good idea. "You still shouldn't be here. You're still weak." Rhade chuckled at that, feeling hysteria creeping up on him. He lifted his head to look at her.

"You said that to Dylan once."

"Yes, and you and Beka failed to catch him when he fell." There was a small smile on her lips. Another moment of silence and then he slowly pushed himself up. Looking at the hologram with a 'satisfied?' expression he went to the door, looked back at the coffin then left the large room.

--

In no hurry, and truthfully, in no condition to hurry, Telemachus slowly made his way through the corridors of the Andromeda, making his way back to his quarters. Andromeda was right. He never should have left his room.

/Our people were meant to be living gods.../ He suddenly heard his own voice in his head, saying things he knew he had never said.

/Warrior poets who roamed the starts bringing civilization. Not cowards and bullies who pray on the weak and kill each other for sport. I never imagined they'd prove themselves so...inferior. I didn't betray our people. They betrayed themselves./ A second voice, then a third joined the first, all of them seemingly his own and all of them, joined by many others, lapping over each other creating a cachophony in his mind.

/There is no magic, just science you don't understand. -- Do you have a moment?/ This he remembered. On Tarazed. /Do you have a moment?--Beka you've got to finish wi--we're self-absorbed, not maso-why don't I head butt you to-where the hell is that spiky haired-wealth of knowledge ov-ame is never just a-'re getting married. You may no-/

The voices started running together, filling his mind until they were all he could hear. Not all of them were him but all were of his own voice. In pain and confusion, he subconsciously noted that he was clenching his eyes shut and pushing his fists on his ears so much that it hurt even though he didnt really feel it amidst all the other pain.

He didn't even realize when he collaped in the middle of the hallway, the darkness finally taking over him.

AN: You guys should be grateful school started. It always seems to give me inspiration, particuarly right during class. ;) Although, this did look longer in Apple works.