Reviews:

Prin69: WHOO-HOO! Part of the reason I updated so fast was because I couldn't wait to read your funny reviews! :P yeah, I did read it. It's so very sad. :( Hear that, magpie dreamer? UPDATE SOON! Review again!

Vampiregirl081: I love Gaheris! Ok, I have to tell you this story from school. I was sitting at break trying to figure out my algebra homework when everyone stopped talking suddenly in one of those weird silences that happens every once in a while, and the whole room was quiet. I dunno why, but I have this phobia against silence, so I just yell REALLY loud: "I LOVE GAHERIS!!!!!" The peeps I got to watch Andromeda laughed (I have to tell you my tale of conversion some other time!) and other people stared, so I used the Forrest Gump line: "And that's all I have to say about that." :P And it's all true! Really! If you ever chat with DaNcInG PrInCeSs, ask her! (She drops by on every so often!)

Jamieson Z: is that where it came from? I KNEW I couldn't come up with that all by myself, and it was REALLY bugging me that I couldn't remember! Thanx! I tried to update ASAP... and I did it! I'm so proud of me! I'm so glad you like it!

Iara: I don't mean to sound like a bitch, but you always say the same things in your reviews! Tell me about yourself; you've reviewed since 'Illusions' and have never told me anything about your bad day, or your bad week, or if you're like me, your bad year... talk to me! :blinks innocently: Please?

Oenone: I have that all planned out, and it hurt my head too. :P omg, I am such a sped. (for those of you who don't know what a sped is it's someone who takes special education because they are not smart) I had to read your review twice because I got confused. I was going "but they're both hot..." before I finally got it! :puts head in hands: after typing all this I'm allowed to act like a sped!! :P when are you going to update your fanfic? I don't like being in suspense and it's been so long now that I can't even remember what it's about!

Dancing Queen: :Jade gives Dancing Queen a hug: You're back! I was afraid you got tired of me and stopped reviewing! I even accused Samantha (DaNcInG PrInCeSs) if she was you because she goes under different screen names a lot and makes me look stupid because I reply to them! Where you able to find 'Illusions'? What did you think? I'm sooooo glad you're back!

A/N just to clear up some confusion: Andromeda hasn't exited Slipstream since Telemachus first put them in it back when he took over the Slipstream Core, blah, blah, blah. Karaki is the woman who was in Command and had to take over Slip piloting when Telemachus was fixed. OK, on to:

Chapter 2

"You'll forgive me if I don't salute," Karaki said, eyes watching the Slipstream and piloting carefully. "But I'm rather busy."

"We are almost there," Andromeda's viewscreen added.

"Where?" Telemachus asked, taking up his customary post at the weapons control station.

"Hashae Nebula," Karaki replied shortly. "I hate Slipstream."

"Why are we going there?" Telemachus asked, looking puzzled. "Isn't that where the Omega Blue research station is?"

"You set the coordinates, sir," Karaki said.

Telemachus's lips formed a thin line. "Ah."

"Transiting to normal space," Andromeda's viewscreen said. There was a lurch as the ship exited Slipstream. "Incoming missile," Andromeda said.

"Turn us around!" Beka ordered. "I don't care where we end up, just get us the hell outta here!"

Karaki flipped the Andromeda 180 degrees and opened a Slip portal, jumping in.

"Why are we running?" Telemachus demanded.

"Did you see what they fired?" Beka countered.

"No, I didn't," Telemachus retorted.

"Point Singularity Bomb," Beka responded.

Telemachus's eyes widened and he gripped the sides of his console. "Oh, sh-"

Andromeda shuddered, and the Slipstream began wavering and... disintegrating?!?

"Holy fucking mother of the fucking Divine!" Karaki yelled. "What the fuck is fucking happening!?!"

"PSB on steroids?" Beka responded tersely, holding tight to her console.

Andromeda bounced wildly off what remained of the Slip tunnel, accompanied by alarms and sirens ringing through the halls.

Telemachus's attention was attracted by something on his console. He tapped it and blanched. "Beka..." he said slowly. "Tell me that PSB isn't following us through Slipstream."

"That's impossible," Beka said, scanning her own console.

"Better believe it," Karaki responded grimly. "And it's catching up."

"Gimme the Slipstream controls," Beka ordered. "Now!"

"Gladly," Karaki said with some relief as she handed the controls to Beka.

Andromeda rode the wave created by the approaching PSB warping the quantum strings.

"It's catching up," Telemachus announced tersely. "Five light seconds until impact. Four. Three. Two. One-"

A huge explosion tore through Andromeda, throwing them out of Slipstream and catapulting Beka over the piloting station to land headfirst on the deck.

Telemachus was hurled back from the weapons control station to impact against the wall. Something cracked in his lower back, and he collapsed into unconsciousness as numbness swept through his legs.

Karaki flew straight forward to hit the viewscreen in front of her. The last thing he saw was everyone who had been in Command lying on the deck, some in growing pools of blood. Something imploded in her head, and her last memory was of a white explosion on a black background.

"Code Blue." Andromeda's voice echoed through the corridors. "Officers down in Command. Code Blue. Code Blue..."

-----

Trance's breath caught in her throat suddenly. "Gaheris, go to the Slipstream Core!' she ordered frantically. "Dylan, send Beka and Rhade to Command!"

Gaheris left without question. Two years of serving with her added to four more years of watching had taught him not to ask.

Dylan, however, raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked after he ordered Andromeda to tell Beka and Telemachus to report to Command.

"I can't tell you that," Trance replied evenly. "But lives will be saved."

"Trance-" Dylan was interrupted by Andromeda jumping out of Slipstream then almost immediately back in. "Like I was saying-"

Andromeda shuddered and shook violently.

"What the hell is going on?" Dylan demanded, picking himself off the floor where he had been thrown. Sparks issued from the wall behind him.

"The Collectors fired a Point Singularity Bomb," Andromeda's hologram said calmly, appearing before Dylan. She paused as new data came in. "And it's following us through Slipstream."

Dylan paled. "Oh, shit."

-----

"Damn, Rhade, you sure did a job on these doors," Harper muttered to himself, nano-welder in one hand and Sparky Cola in the other. He slipped his goggles back over his eyes and readied the nano-welder for another pass. He completely ignored Andromeda jumping out of Slipstream, then immediately back in. What Harper couldn't ignore was Andromeda shuddering and shaking, which resulted in him being tossed into the opposite wall. Harper's first thought was: What the hell? His second was that he was luck the nano-welder hadn't chopped off any of his fingers. The nano-welder was to his right, slowly burning a hole in the wall.

Harper expressed his first thought to the empty corridor. "Andromeda, what the hell is going on?"

"We have a PSB following us through Slipstream," Andromeda's hologram responded. "And it's gaining."

"Oh, FUC-"Harper started as a giant explosion ripped through the ship, leaving a hole clear out to space where the Slipstream Core formerly was.

All the air began hissing out, sucking Harper out into space. Harper screamed as he was sucked out. At the last second a hand grabbed his.

"Hold on!" Gaheris yelled, his other hand tightly gripping the catwalk above. "I don't know if this will be permanent!"

"What?" Harper yelled back.

"I'll tell you later!" Gaheris shouted. His muscles strained as he began pulling Harper back in. "Kick the button on you left!"

"What?"

"HIT THE GODDAMN BUTTON!" Gaheris bellowed.

Harper looked around wildly, finally seeing the red button to his left on the wall. He kicked out... but missed, stubbing his toe on the wall.

"Hurry!" Gaheris yelled.

"No, ya think?" Harper retorted, kicking out again and finally hitting the button. A heavy bulkhead slammed down in front of the empty hole. Gaheris dropped Harper hard on the deck.

"How'd you do that?" Harper demanded as soon as he had caught his breath. "I thought you were a ghost!"

Gaheris shrugged helplessly. "I don't know."

Just on impulse, Harper reached out and touched Gaheris's hand, feeling warm flesh. When he poked his shoulder, however, Harper's hand went straight through.

Andromeda's voice echoed through the corridors. "Code Blue. Officers down in Command. Code Blue..."

"I want to talk to you later," Harper told Gaheris, pushing himself to his feet and starting to run down the corridor.

"But we have to get to Command," Gaheris finished, effortlessly running beside Harper though his feet made no sound against the metal catwalk.

A/N: Aren't I an evil person? Review even if you just want to yell at me for leaving you off there!