A/N: I was reading over my old fic and realized that I had never updated this as promised! Please accept my deepest apologies... and to show that you've forgiven me, read and review!
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The Drago-Kazov ships had descended upon Perses like a swarm of locusts. Always the people hoped they would stay away and knew in their hearts that they would return. Whether slaves or munitions or natural resources would bring them back was impossible to tell and pointless, but they would come. The Persese fought magnificently when they landed, and the Dragans had been startled by the ferocity and capability of their former slaves. This courage was the only strength the Persese had, for the Dragans were armed with ships, weapons, and surprise. And intimidation, more effective than ever against these people who feared them as much as they hated them.
After the Dragans had seized what they could collect in a short time, they sped off into the stars. Classified information had prophesied this battle, and the Dragans would not come into it unprepared. They had brought down the Systems Commonwealth at its full power and grasped control of the ruins left over. They had lost much of their power in the first days of chaos and in-fighting, but they had remained the strongest entity in the Known Worlds for three hundred years. The Drago-Kazov Pride would not fall now.
Secret couriers sent messages prepared long in advance from far reaches of known spaces to great centers of power. Replies were unnecessary; their supposed allies would be in place when the war began or they wouldn't.
The Than had proved a disappointment but not one unexpected. The insectoid creatures with their anonymous lineages and dusty recollections of greatness had always opposed the goals of the Nietzschean people—most of all, those of the Drago-Kazov Pride. One of the Commonwealth's Triumvir stood firmly in their path, and that was an issue. Another was wavering and the third in Dragan pockets.
The Collectors, apparently, had failed to persuade Tri-Lorn to join them in their crusade against Dylan Hunt. The Dragans had uncovered an encrypted message to the same Captain Hunt assuring him of Tri-Lorn's loyalty from the man himself. It was vexing to discover that the Triumvir was a man of his word.
But worse than the Commonwealth elements faithful to Dylan, led by Tri-Lorn, was the Nietzschean Alliance, led by Tyr Anasazi. Humans had bizarre whims, and there was no helping that. Nietzscheans, on the other hand, acted out of reliable self-interest, and only a fool could believe that opposition of the Drago-Kazov Pride was self-interest. Never had so many Nietzscheans acted so foolishly since a fleet of Nietzscheans loyal to the old Commonwealth had attacked the Dragan space ports and nearly destroyed them during the last year of the Uprising.
The renegade Kodiak had deceived them all with dreams of a united Nietzschean empire under Dragan control. The Dragans tended to gloss over this part of the story and focus on the betrayal that had taken place soon after Tyr faked his death. That was also when he had proved traitor the Spirit of the Abyss, and no one with any sort of survival instinct defied the creator of the Magog. The orphan had gathered the other Prides to him, and as one, they had expelled the Drago-Kazov Pride from their union. Long-standing allies had spit on them, and their messiah had disgraced them.
There was nothing left but for the Dragans to crush these traitors and teach the galaxies this lesson once and for all. They would do it with the strong right arm of the Special Collections Division, grown corrupt of late and easily maneuvered. The human clichés had proved correct in this instance; knowledge was power, and power had corrupted. And after Tyr's betrayal of the God of the Magog, the enigmatic Spirit and the Dragan Alpha had found a common enemy to join them in an alliance for a short time. Finally, Kalderans had taken up arms due to a long-held fear and hatred of any resurgence of large government, especially one resembling the Systems Commonwealth.
So the Dragans had pillaged Perses and then slipped to Allpoints, the strategic location agreed upon on past meetings with the Collectors. They had anticipated a gathering of ships there but couldn't have guessed the number that would await them. As they had built their alliance, Tyr had wasted not a second building his own, and most surprising of many surprises that day was the arrival of the Andromeda Ascendant.
Telemachus stopped, out of breath and finished with his tale. "We've known what was to come for a long time and guessed what we couldn't know. We saw the Collectors gain control of the Commonwealth and knew that the Dragans would not hesitate to contact them once we broke our alliance with them. It was never meant to last.
"The Than had noticed a similar trend in recent events and hesitantly extended the figurative olive branch with the support of the tattered remains of the All-Systems University. Together, we made contact with Tri-Lorn, who has become one our most staunch allies."
Trance leaned over and whispered something in Harper's ear, who looked more shocked at her quiet words than at Telemachus's account of ultimate betrayal. "Trance, I can't," he exclaimed in a breathless voice.
"Harper, I've never been more sure of anything except once—when I saved your life from the larvae," she replied, uncaring of who heard. "I will not ask you to believe them, merely to reserve your judgment for a later day." The engineer granted this favor and subsided. He hadn't promised Trance not to glare and did so with vigor, favoring Telemachus and Tyr with the majority.
Dylan was less easily persuaded. "I've trusted you more than I've trusted anyone, Trance, but I've been in this situation too many times now to take anyone's word that it's all gonna be okay. God, is this one of the universe's running gags?" he asked disgustedly. "That was a great story, Rhade, but I don't buy it."
Telemachus cocked his head at Tyr and then gave Dylan a bitter smile. "Then look at the evidence. Look outside."
Without breaking eye contact with Telemachus, Dylan ordered Andromeda to bring the battle up on the viewscreen and report her sensor readings. Rommie crossed her arms as she recited her sensor data. "The ships accompanying those which broke into my hangar are currently firing upon a fleet bearing Dragan designs and displaying well-known Dragan tactics. The Magog are firing upon everyone, but their attack has hurt the Collectors and the Drago-Kazov ships much less than the others."
She paused, and Telemachus was amazed to hear a resonance of deep emotion in her voice. "Commonwealth ships are attacking each other, and several are aiding the Dragan ships in an attempt to break past the seemingly protective ring that has encircled us." On screen, neon weapons-fire and exploding starships confirmed Andromeda's words.
"Either this is the real deal, or it's the best scam I've ever seen," Beka commented. "And I've seen a lot." She looked at Dylan. "The mysterious golden one likes their story, and Harper's oh-so-reluctantly on board. Andromeda just confirmed most of what he said, and, uh, I think I believe it too. I don't like it, but I don't think I have much choice. It's up to you what happens next. Listen, I know you're tired of these Nietzscheans and their triple-crossing, but maybe they somehow got themselves on the right side this time."
Beka managed a thin smile. "If not, you still got this bad girl on your side," she nodded at Rommie, "and this one, no matter what." The look she gave him was beyond friendship and love to a bond forged in trials and ice and fire and shared hopes for a fundamentally different universe.
Dylan gazed at the faces of his crew for a long moment before he spoke. He seemed to be memorizing this place and time and the faces gathered therein. "For now, Tyr, we want the same shape for the universe. For now, we fight together."