Down on the planet, Dylan Jharden, Tyr and Harper found themselves on a dirt street with crowds of people. Screams echoed off the mud huts and wooden stands that lined the street.
"So, where should we start boss?" Harper leaned towards Dylan so he could be heard over the talking and screaming of the crowd.
"I think we're about to find out." Dylan replied as he pointed toward a break in the crowd. The Nietzschean that they had spoken to earlier made his way through the crowd and carried a large gun. Several Nietzscheans followed behind him and charged their weapons as they approached.
"I am Akais," the lead Nietzschean spoke down at them, "you will follow me." He started in another direction, while his followers glared at Dylan. Dylan's crew looked at him.
"After you Mr. Anasazi." Dylan motioned with his hands for Tyr to follow Akais.
After walking for about ten minutes, the group came upon a large wooden platform. Ten chairs were waiting for them at a booth in front of the crowd, right next to the stage. The Nietzscheans sat down and motioned for Dylan's crew to do the same.
"I hope you find what you're looking for, captain. This planet is one of the finest female slave planets in the galaxy. And that's saying something." Akais yelled over the crowds with an evil smile on his face. Dylan felt sick, to look at be sitting next to him. He leaned in to respond, but Akais had stood up and walked over to one of the guards standing near the stairs of the platform. He muttered something in the guard's ear and turned to look at Dylan. The guard gave a quick nod and hurried away. Dylan slowly reached for his force lance and gripped it tightly.
Akais walked slowly back to his seat and sat down. "Do you have a species preference, fine captain?" He asked while looking at the platform expectantly.
"Actually, I was looking for a new avatar for my ship. A friend of mine told me that you recently came across a woman that would meet my standards." Dylan looked straight ahead, afraid that Akais would catch his bluff.
"Well, none of our androids are for sale," Akais looked at him curiously, "at least, none that still function. Each android has it's use, that is, until it runs out of power." Dylan looked at him.
"Power doesn't concern me, only how they look." Dylan cringed at his own words.
"You puzzle me captain. If I didn't know better, I'd suspect that you had other intentions." Dylan's grip tightened on his force lance. He did not want to fight this Nietzschean. "I suggest you watch your back, not all Nietzscheans on this planet are this willing to sell their slaves." Akais got up and charged his weapon. Dylan's knuckles were white with strain, as he forced himself to control his fear. "Enjoy the auction." Akais leaned in to Dylan, putting the barrel of his gun to Dylan's ear. He then walked over to the nearest mud hut and reached his arm in the door. He reached around inside the small hut, and pulled an android woman out. She looked a bit like Rommie; her eyes were cold brown, and her hair was knotted and frayed. She was not operational, but one of her hands pulsated in and out of a fist. He dragged her onto the platform and lifted her arm into the air. The crowd immediately started cheering and yelling out prices.
"You keep looking," Dylan whispered to Tyr. "I'm going to search the streets." He slowly got up and crept into an ally. He looked back to see if anyone had noticed his disappearance, but Akais and his guards were too busy cheering and watching the show. He sighed as he saw the android being thrown off the stage to the winning bidder. "Oh Rommie," he whispered, "Where are you?"
"Put that one over there." Trance pointed to a small round table in the corner of the room. "I need to prune it if I want it to bloom in time for-" She stopped and looked at her son, who was holding a small bonsai plant. He had deep blue skin that shimmered slightly when it caught the light. He had short hair that was lightly shaded with blue highlights and pulled back into tight spikes.
"In time for what?" Jakob put the plant down and looked at his mother.
"Nothing." She said, as she put her shears down and removed her gloves. "Have you spoken to Ethan today?"
"No, he doesn't like talking." Jakob stated frankly.
"Doesn't like, or won't? Trance asked him. She stood with her hands on her hips.
"Fine, fine! I'll go talk to him, but if something bad happens, it's your fault." Jakob pointed a finger at her jokingly, and strolled out of the hydroponics bay. Trance smiled at him and walked over to the bonsai in the corner.
"Andromeda, where's Ethan?" Jakob asked the empty corridor as he walked toward Ethan's quarters.
"He's in his quarters." The ship replied.
"Alright, will you warn him I'm coming?" Jakob asked as Holo-Rommie appeared in front of him.
"Sure Jakob." She said cheerfully, and blinked away. Jakob continued down the hallway and rounded a corner. Just as he was about to ring Ethan's bell, his doors flew open and Ethan ran right passed him.
"Gee, I didn't know you hated our talks that bad!" Jakob said as Ethan rounded the corner out of view. "And… you're gone." Jakob said quietly. "Ok, now what?" He asked himself.
"Ethan is headed to command, there is a particle anomaly to my port side." Holo-Rommie appeared again.
"Thanks Andromeda, I think I'll head there." Jakob turned to go to command. "But this time, don't tell them I'm coming."
In command, Beka was standing at one of the station punching in some numbers.
"Andromeda, are you sure it's not a malfunction?" Beka asked as she pounded harder on the keys.
"Beka, I am quite sure that all of my sensors are not simultaneously malfunctioning." Andromeda said mockingly.
'What is it Beka?" Ethan said as he entered command.
"Well, apparently there is an anomaly off our port side." Beka said as Andromeda looked at her matter-of-factly. "But it's a scientific impossibility."
"Why?" Jakob asked as he stepped through the doorway to command.
"Because at the same time, there is nothing there. But it has both weight and-" Ethan interrupted Beka and finished her sentence.
"-Density." He finished, as the others looked at him astonished. He stared, wide eyed, at the view screen, which displayed empty space.
"Uh, Ethan, is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" Beka looked around at the other puzzled faces in the room. "Ethan, what are you doing?" Beka asked as Ethan ran to the weapons console.
"Charging missile tubes one through six." He stated while punching in the keys on the console.
"Ethan stop!" Beka yelled, while moving around her own console to reach his.
" Firing." Ethan said just as Beka reached him and pulled him away from the keyboard. She looked at the radar panel and saw the six warheads blinking and moving towards the anomaly. They blinked for a few seconds, and vanished.
"Andromeda report." She said as she looked at the view screen.
"All of the missiles are gone." Andromeda stated blandly.
"Where did they make contact? Could the explosion be seen from the planet?" Beka asked. She did not want Dylan to find out that she had let something like this happen. Especially since he had specifically asked her to stay out of trouble.
"There was no impact at all." Andromeda said quizzically. "No detonation, no explosion. No anything. They just disappeared." Andromeda looked even more confused. "Beka, the anomaly is gone." She said finally.
"Gone?" Beka questioned. "Gone where? An anomaly that size can't just vanish." She looked at Ethan, who was standing there expressionless and limp.
"Nevertheless, it is gone." Andromeda said, looking, also, at Ethan.
Ethan," Beka started asking the question that everyone was thinking, "what have you done?"