A/N: Song by Jimmy Buffet

L.C. Brotherton: hell, I wouldn't know! I'm 13, ok, and I don't even have a bf yet. (I do have a crush, through) all I could think of was to start almost al over again. oh, I wish Sam would type all my chapters for me, but this is the last one she DID type, so now I have to get off my lazy ass and actually type. :( oh, well.

Beka Valentine Rhade: I tried that already, but I don't really want to do that with the whole Veghn thing going on. That's a great idea though! hey, there's this funny one-shot by my buddy Maglenan Princess where Rhade gets Beka pregnant. It's called 'Ice Cream' and it's really funny! oh, that's not good about the assignment; I bet you did good on it, though! what was it on?

eris: hey, that is a GREAT idea! :gives eris e-hug: that's what I'm gonna do! Harper will come up to Rhade and tell him that! oh, you are the BEST! thanx TONS! but I think I'm going to drag out the angst until the last chapter, then it turns into a tragedy. dun-dun-dun! :P

prin69: I is evil person. this is my way of getting back at you for doing all that evil stuff in 'Home'. just kidding! I just didn't know what to do w/ it, so that's all I could come up with.

Iara: at this point, so do I! it depends on what my muse Mr. Smuggles tells me to do.

Vee017: :cries: Rhade is completely faultless! :whacks self on head: oops, sorry, just me instinctively taking the Rhade-side. you're right, but Rhade thought that he was ready, but I guess that the memories were just too much to bear. this is when the ten years comes back and bites me in the ass for just picking a random number. thanks tons for the long review: I loved every sentence!

Maglenan Princess: love ya, sam!

Jamieson Z: you're back! ;gives Jamieson Z e-hug: aw, man! at least you have the break for a little longer; enjoy it while you can! yeah, the 'Tuna' call-sign backstory is actually true. I was explaining it to my one friend, Casey, and she wanted to know if 'Loves to Eat Tuna' was a possible name! no joke! honestly, no idea if they'll end up together by the end of EotP, but I don't think so. like I told eris, Beka/Rhade is mostly going to be angst from this point on until the tragedy at the end. :gasps: I sis such an evil person! if you all knew what I'm going to do... :evil grin:

Chapter 26

Apollo was waiting for them as Gaheris led Trance out of the Chambers of the Suns and Moons. Apollo took Veghn from Gaheris's arms and looked at the Nietzschean male questioningly. Gaheris nodded, and Apollo's cheerful face fell. He put a comforting arm around Trance.

"Come on," he said softly. "You can all stay in my quarters."

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Trance had remained silent all through dinner, picking at it occasionally with her fork. Apollo was telling Veghn a story, being interrupted frequently by questions from the child.

"Trance, you should eat," Gaheris said in a low tone.

Trance smiled weakly. "I'm not hungry." She pushed her plate away, walking over to the large window, Apollo's quarters were on the outside of the station; so beyond that window was empty space. The rooms were sparse and clean, with plants scattered around and small, simple viewscreens projecting images on the walls.

Gaheris decided to finish his meal first. Not eating for four years kinda makes you not want to miss meals. Veghn was laughing as Apollo finished up his story.

"Can you do anything else?" Veghn asked, looking at Apollo with big brown eyes.

Apollo put his chin in his hand with an expression of exaggerated thinking.

"Hmmm," he mused, and Veghn laughed. "You have to close your eyes, okay?"

"Okay!" Veghn shut his eyes and covered them with his hands.

Apollo snuck around the child and pulled out a dark case. Gaheris looked at it, but he couldn't tell what it was. Apollo sat on the floor and opened the case, revealing an old Earth acoustic guitar. He strummed a few chords on it, and Veghn couldn't keep his eyes shut any longer. He opened his eyes and ran over to Apollo.

"Daddy, come sit!" Veghn ordered. "Mommy, you too!"

Gaheris and Trance smiled and walked over to sit with him, Gaheris hoisting Veghn into the air and setting him on his lap.

Apollo played a short, fast song that sounded like it was from an Earth region Gaheris couldn't remember.

"Mexico," Apollo answered, smiling in a very Trance-y way at Gaheris.

"Can you read my mind?" Gaheris asked.

"Sometimes I get flickers," Apollo replied. "But I'm not a full-fledged Avatar yet; I haven't had my Rite of Ascension yet. It should be soon, though."

"That's when you'll learn what Avatar you are?" Gaheris asked. He gave Trance a hug for no apparent reason.

Apollo nodded. "This is a song I've written for the crew of the Andromeda." He strummed a note or two and began to sing.

Gaheris held Trance and Veghn close to him.

"Enduring echoes call out from his past"

Gaheris could see things in his mind. Dylan was working with Harper on something in the Machine Shop.

"Time ain't for savin'

no, time's not that."

Jade and the other pilots were sitting around a table.

"Chasin' false echoes

like lost legionnaires."

Telemachus and Beka were standing alone, together in the Obs Deck.

"He waltzes on memories

while he fades like a flare."

Apollo put his guitar across his lap as silence filled the room.

A/N: this was going to be the end of 'Echoes of the Past', but it was too hard to continue directly from that point like I normally do w/ a sequel. Song by Jimmy Buffet, and the song line refers to the sentence(s) directly above it. In case you're confused, I'll say what each line is supposed to refer to.

"Enduring echoes call out from his past" Gaheris

"Time ain't for savin', no time's not for that" Dylan/Harper/Rommie

"Chasin' false echoes like lost legionnaires" Jade/Exile Squadron

"He waltzes on memories while he fades like a flare" Telemachus