A/N: I named him 'Veghn' after my favorite character in the TV show 'The Magnificent Seven' and then later found out that on the show his name is spelled 'Vin', which pissed me off. Oh well, I like my spelling better, because I went through a few drafts: Veghn, Ven, Venn, Vehn and Vin. Anyhow, we finally get to meet Veghn! HOORAY! Why is he silver? I just picked my favorite color besides purple, so there is NOT a method to my madness! Maw-ha-ha! :P Now this is when that little extra scene at the end of Chap7 becomes important, y'all!
prin69: as a fellow blonde, I resent that comment! just kidding. lol, hiding from the fam, I do that all the time! yeah, Jade is me. so glad you liked it!
Jamieson Z: ha, and all my beta readers at school thought I made it too obvious when I was talking about the sister in the previous chapter! :jumps up and down pointing: I'M RIGHT YOU'RE WRONG! sorry 'bout that... anyhow, so happy you liked it! no guarantees on anything Jade happening soon, I'm mostly going to focus on Gaheris/Trance trouble (and there will be trouble. Mwa-ha-ha! :P)
Now, the reviewer counter says three more people reviewed, but it wasn't showing up on the screen at the time I uploaded this. I'll try to reply to those other ones ASAP, so be patient, I'm not forgetting you!
Chapter 17
He was silver. He had pointed ears. He had a tail. Not your typical Nietzschean child, but Gaheris couldn't have been happier if he was the Progenitor was reincarnated. He knelt next to Trance, who was holding the baby and still reclined on the medical bed.
"Veghn Rhade, out of Trance by Gaheris," Gaheris whispered as he held the child's tiny hand, and Veghn's tail flicked. Gaheris was fascinated by the tail, which was purest silver, and the end looked like it was dipped in black paint. His eyes were not the customary blue of most newborns, but were a deep chocolate brown, like both Gaheris and Trance's brown eyes. He also had pointed ears on either side of a face that made Gaheris feel like he was looking at an old holo of him when he was a baby. Minus the silver, duh. His face wasn't just one solid color of silver, but had patterns of darker silver that looked exactly like Trance's dark red streaks.
Veghn blinked his large, intelligent eyes as the door to the Med Bay hissed open, and he didn't seem frightened at all as everyone crowded around to try and get a better look.
"Ow, Rhade, you're on my foot!"
"No, I'm not!"
"The other Rhade!"
"Beka, your elbow is in my face!"
Finally everyone got situated in a ring around the bed Trance was in.
"He's silver," Harper said in shock.
"He looks like you, Rhade," Dylan said.
"He's silver," Harper repeated.
"He's cute," Beka corrected, whacking Harper on the back of the head.
Gaheris couldn't stop smiling as everyone crowded around, complimenting his son on everything from the flexibility of his tail to the color of his eyes. Veghn discovered a new game: see how many times he could 'accidentally' hit Harper in the face with his tail before getting in trouble. Veghn's laugh was light, innocent, carefree.
It was too good to last.
Andromeda's hologram appeared. "Captain, we are receiving a transmission from the small ship."
Gaheris had forgotten all about the other ship.
"It's my people," Trance whispered, and the color drained from her face, making the red streaks stand out even more.
Veghn seemed to sense something was wrong; he looked anxiously from his mother to his father and back again. The black-tipped tail stopped halfway to hitting Harper again, and if Veghn could talk, Gaheris had a feeling that he'd ask what was going on. The puzzled look on his face said as much.
"Onscreen," Dylan told the hologram, and an image of a woman with pointy ears and a blue complexion appeared on the small viewscreen in the Medical Bay.
"Captain Hunt," she said in short, clipped tones. "I respectfully request to speak with Trance Gemini."
"I'm here, Nara," Trance said as Gaheris helped her up so that she could walk over to the viewscreen where the woman could see her. "I'm ready."
They stood outside the airlock to the Hanger Bay in strained, uncomfortable silence. Nervousness was so think that you could almost see it hanging in the air like a smothering blanket. Veghn had his arms and tail wrapped tightly around Gaheris's biceps, and he buried his face in the white blankets Trance had wrapped him in.
The green light came on next to the airlock. "Pressurization complete," Rommie said, but no one made a move toward the airlock.
"I don't think you should go," Telemachus said, breaking the brittle silence.
"I know," Trance replied softly. "But I have to."
Dylan, Trance, Telemachus, Beka, Rommie, Harper, and Gaheris (carrying Veghn) walked out to the other ship. The ship's airlock hissed open, revealing the blue female from the viewscreen and a green male standing behind her.
"Trance Gemini," the blue female said coldly.
"Nara Taurus," Trance responded in kind. She looked at the green male. "Greeting, Apollo Seveniyah."
The green male Trance had referred to as Apollo inclined his head.
Gaheris had never heard Trance so formal, and wondered whether all her people were like that.
Nara looked at Gaheris, and the bundle of white blankets he was holding. All that could be seen of Veghn was one pointed, silver ear. "That is the child," Nara said, more a statement than a question.
"He is my son," Trance said, obviously a ceremonial answer.
"By the laws of the Home you are to be given a chance to explain yourself," Nara said.
"I have no explanation," Trance responded, calmly lifting her head as if daring Nara to refute that statement.
"Then you give us no choice," Apollo said sadly. "We must request you accompany us to the Home, where your fate will be judged."
Trance nodded. "I understand, and will not impede the journey in any way."
"Which is the father?" Nara asked, looking from Telemachus to Gaheris and back again.
"I am," both said.
"Telemachus, no," Trance said firmly. "We already discussed this. Please don't make it any more difficult than it has to be. Your being with me will not protect me in any way; it will only make matters worse."
Telemachus, obviously unhappy, nodded. "Pick your battles, Rhade," Beka told him. "You can't win this one."
"Trance Gemini, you will take your... mate and child on board our ship," Nara ordered.
"You will be given time to say your farewells," Apollo added, looking at Nara, who grimaced and nodded.
Trance looked at Telemachus. "Rhade, I appreciate what you are trying to do," she said, grasping his shoulders. "But please, listen to me and Beka. I know your Nietzschean over-protective-family gene is coming into play, but it won't help me any." She smiled sadly. "Promise you won't follow."
Telemachus nodded firmly. "I promise."
"You will find your sister again, Rhade," Trance told him. "I can feel it. Don't give up hope for those slipfighter pilots; once Andromeda is fixed, go after them, not me."
Trance looked at Harper. "You've been like a brother to me, both when I was purple and now that I am older. She pressed his hand to her cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.
She turned to Beka. "Beka, you took me in on the Maru and gave me a home for that part of my journey. You were the only one to trust me when I came back from the future." For the briefest of moments Trance's eyes flicked to Telemachus. "Do not let their shortcomings convince you that things would be the same."
Beka grimaced. "I'll think on it," she told Trance, grasping the other woman's forearm. "Don't you go and leave me and Rommie the only women with the senior officers."
Trance smiled. "Rommie, Andromeda," the hologram appeared next to the android, and the viewscreen image came on an opposite wall. "Be strong, and remember you are more than just a warship."
"Dylan." Trance stood in front of him and looked into his eyes. There were no spoken words, but Dylan could hear her as clearly as if she had spoken. The Andromeda will be fixed soon. Telemachus will attempt to convince you to follow me because I may be gone for a month or more. Do not, because if you do the perfect possible future will be lost to us forever. Follow the slipfighter pilots. I don't know how, but somehow they are the key.
"No pressure," Dylan smiled and hugged Trance. "Please, come back soon."
Trance smiled and turned to face everyone. "If I... do not survive, my people will send a messenger, and most likely another," she hesitated. "Another avatar to guide you." Tears pooled in her brown eyes, but did not fall.
"Time to go," Nara sad sharply.
Trance bit her lip. "Good bye, Rommie, Harper, Rhade, Beka, Andromeda, Dylan." She no longer did anything to hide the tears streaming down her face. "Good bye," she whispered.
Gaheris used his free arm to pull her into a hug, and Trance cried into his red leather uniform jacket. He did not give everyone his or her own good bye message because it was obvious Nara was getting impatient. He simply stood in front of all and saluted. "Good bye, my friends." His eyes roamed over all present, burning them into his memory. He opened his mouth to say something more, but Nara gave him a sharp poke in the back of the head with her tail.
"Time's up," she announced.
Trance and Gaheris turned and followed Nara and Apollo onto their ship. Veghn turned so he was looking over Gaheris's shoulder, and sadly waved a tiny hand good bye.
A/N: Once again, this would be another chapter typed while my mother thought I was doing an English paper. REVIEW!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!! Just hit the Trance-colored button...