"So, what, you're from the future...?" John asked Dylan, following the Captain along the
Andromeda's corridor on a rather vague tour.
"I'm not sure." Dylan answered. "F what you've told me so far, it seems like we're from two
very different places"
"Very similar, too, from the sound of things." John replied. Dylan nodded, though didn't answer.
He was referring to the violence and war that they'd seen taking place. They both knew what it
was like to be hunted by malicious aliens, having little respite from the relentlessness of a
treacherous universe. It was something that they had in common, at least. "You've got an idea of
how to sort this thing out, right? I mean, we're pretty sure we ended-up in our own part of the
galaxy; Pilot said that he recognised the surrounding star systems." John continued.
"Pilot?" Dylan asked, not recognising the term in that context, "You mean your ship's navigator? I
took it that you did most of that"
"No...Pilot's the big blue alien with four arms that sits inside Moya and makes sure she runs
properly." Crichton explained. Dylan gave him a quizzical look as he continued, "I just plot the
wormholes. That's what everyone's after, anyway. All up here." he tapped his temple.
"I'm sure Harper will be interested to hear what these wormholes are, and how they work"
"Harper...he that shrimp who tried to chat-up Aeryn?" he indicated back over his shoulder at the
following group, some of whom seemed deep in conversation. Dylan followed his point, then
chuckled slightly.
"Yes, that would be Mister Harper. Just try not to kill him, or you'll possibly have an upset
Android on your case." he replied amiably.
"Android?" John echoed. "Don't tell me you got Brent Spiner on this tub..." Dylan, not
understanding the reference, simply replied,
"Rommie is the 'Avatar' of the Andromeda. An android with the core personality of the ship's
AI"
"That chick's a robot?" John turned and looked back at the tailing Rommie, who simply regarded
him casually. "Cool"
"There are a lot of things on the Andromeda that might surprise you, especially given your current
situation." Dylan added.
"Yeah, we've seen some pretty weird and wonderful things too." John nodded, as though trying to
match his nostaliga. Dylan gave a friendly knowing smile and led him into Command.
Not far behind, Aeryn had 'inserted' herself between Tyr and D'Argo to prevent them
ripping one another's limbs off. Behind her, she'd noticed Harper following with a somewhat coy
and boyish look in his lustful eyes.
"So, where are you from?" she asked Tyr, attempting not to be friendly but to ascertain the man's
motives. Eventually she'd end up fighting with him or against him, so it was far better to know
more, she reasoned silently.
"I am a Nietzchean of the Kodiak Pride, and my name is Tyr Anasazi." he glanced over at
D'Argo. "You'd do well to remember that, considering how ever more likely it is that it will be
the name of your eventual executioner"
"Nietschean?" Aeryn asked, before D'Argo could cut-in with a retort. "Never heard of them"
"We're a simple people. We believe in genealogical perfection, and strive to achieve it by
whatever means possible." he again looked at the Luxon behind Aeryn, adding, "Including the
subjugation of lesser races." this time D'Argo gave a louder snort, and Aeryn's pulse-pistol
touched Tyr's side. He attempted to look as though he hadn't been surprised, when in fact Aeryn
had managed to do it so quickly without him noticing.
"What were you saying about 'lesser races'?" she asked simply.
"And I could swear you sounded part-Nietzschean." Tyr gave a slight smile in the corner of his
mouth as he looked down on her. "A pity, for certain, that you aren't." giving a dark glare, Aeryn
put away the pistol and subconsciously moved slightly faster after Crichton.
"Dylan, thanks to Harper, I've restored targeting sensors and sublight engines. However,
there seems to be a problem. I'm unable to locate the nearest slip-point." Andromeda announced
over the comms channel, just as the last of the group reached the Command deck.
"You mean it's out of range?" Bekka asked.
"I mean there aren't any. I can't find any evidence of slipstream travel anywhere in the local star
systems"
"How's that possible?" Trance asked innocently from the back of the group.
"It's not." Dylan answered. He shot a look over at Crichton, who in that single moment seemed to
briefly understand.
"I guess now's not the greatest time to point out that there's an extremely large blip on the
sensors, eh boss?" Harper said, pushing a few controls on his nearby panel, changing the main
viewer to that of the Andromeda's scan-radius. Sure enough, a blinking symbol flashed-up on the
fringes of their range.
"Any identification, Rommie?" Dylan asked, wondering just how much worse his day could get.
"No, but that's not surprising considering what else has transpired today." she answered from
over next to Trance, who seemed to be feverishly pressing buttons as though in an effort to distract
herself.
"Captain D'Argo." Pilot's voice broke-through over the comms on D'argo's tunic.
"What is it, Pilot?" he asked quickly.
"Moya has detected a Skarran destroyer at extreme range, closing quickly." Pilot announced in a
state of obvious distress.
"Skarrans would be...?" Dylan looked over at their guests.
"Big, lizard-like bad guys. Think Darth Vader bad, only worse." John answered. Seeing Dylan's
rather blank expression, he added, "Evil, conquer-the-galaxy types"
"Sounds like my kind of race." Tyr commented softly.
"Rommie, let's go to battlestations: I want to be prepared to welcome these Skarrans warmly"
Dylan ordered.
"Missile tubes loaded." Rommie replied. John glanced over at her.
"So you people are pretty well-off on the weapons front, right?" he queried.
"I'm the most powerful ship in the Systems Commonwealth, if I say so myself." she answered
with a sense of pride in her tone, arms folded and looking over at him with something not
dissimilar to egotism.
"How's your ship for armaments? Can she match these Skarrans?" Dylan asked.
"Moya's a transport. Unarmed." John replied. Aeryn and D'Argo seemed to glare at him for
giving that titbit of information away. "Though her starburst is to die for." he added quickly.
"Unarmed...a rather gutsy method of intergalactic transportation." Tyr nodded. Most of the
visitors seemed to glare at him.
"Dylan, the alien ship appears to be locking it's weapons onto the Moya." Rommie announced.
"It's Moya. Just Moya." Crichton corrected. He turned to Dylan. "Don't suppose now's the time
to ask for a favour"
"Rommie...lock-onto the newcomer, and open a communications channel"
"You're going to try to talk to them?" John asked, a little confused.
"You're frelling insane." D'Argo added.
"Now I know you're one of Crichton's species." Aeryn put-in.
"Hey!" John yelled back at them, then looked over at Dylan again. "They're not going to stop for
a friendly chat, they're here to board and capture Moya." his voice betrayed a lot more urgency as
the Skarran ship closed-in.
"No response to our hails." Trance said. It seemed to sway Dylan's favour a little.
"Alright, let's get their attention. Rommie. Tubes one through fifteen...Fire!" he called. On the
screen, a stream of yellow orbs reached-out from the Andromeda and struck the incoming ship.
The attack seemed to do more damage than intended, and within seconds, the Skarran ship was
breaking apart. There was a brief silence as Moya's crew took-in the fact that the Andromeda had
wiped out a Skarran ship with a fraction of her firepower.
"Somehow it just doesn't seem fair on the bad guys." Bekka remarked. John looked as though he
wanted to say something, but couldn't.
"Don't get your hopes up." Rommie said from her station, "I'm detecting what appear to be small
fighters, moving in on the Leviathan. I won't be able to stop them in time"
"We've got to get over there and stop them getting to Pilot. I doubt Rygel and Scorpius can handle
them alone." Aeryn warned.
"Get going. Tyr, Rommie, go with them and help out." Dylan said.
"We don't need help with our own ship." D'Argo answered, obviously taking a dislike to the
request that the Nietzschean join them.
"D, you saw how they dealt with the Skarran destroyer. I think they can help with the Skarrans
themselves." John suggested. The Luxon seemed dissatisfied, but accepted the point nonetheless.
"Just stay out of my way..." he warned, then started off towards the hangar, where their transport
pod was parked.
"I'll go too. Maybe this Pilot of theirs will know some way of finding a slip-point." Bekka said.
Dylan nodded as she joined the others, and Trance seemed to want to tag-along.
"And if you'll excuse me for just a couple of hours, I'll be fixing the mess someone made of
Rommie's systems." Harper declared, starting for the other exit. To his surprise, Chiana followed,
leaving Dylan and John in Command.
"Well, I guess we should compare notes on our respective concepts of 'home'." Dylan said.
"I guess we could do that. Unless you have cable, that is..."