Chapter 6: In Death's other Kingdom

Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

(Unknown)

Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death.

Harold Wilson
(1916 - 1995)

The pain was the first thing she felt, but one could expect that after being shot with neuro-paralizer. The body felt numb and somehow not hers, but still painful. Beka couldn't open her eyes—not that she really wanted to see what was happening. She would welcome the darkness of sleep. Or unconsciousness. Whatever.

Maru got shot at plenty of times, but this time the shots were deadly and precise. They immobilized the ship, left it floating like a useless piece of junk. Beka was furious then—not because something might happen to her, but because someone has shot at her ship, damaged it hard and literally raped it by coming aboard. She was shooting to kill and this time there was no Saint Captain Hunt to tell her otherwise.

But there were too many of them.

Harper. She ordered him to hide. She pushed him into the stash, a hiding place between the walls, designed to be undetected by the best scanners available. He would be safe there, and when everything will be over—

That was the moment she got hit with the neuro-paralizer and collapsed, clouded in blackness.

She woke up to the pain. Her stomach was turning with nausea—the side effect of the paralizer. Or the pregnancy.

Fear lightened her head, as the thought of the baby getting injured run through her mind. It was an instinctive reaction, something deeply hidden. She wasn't aware—not before—that she would consider the child a part of herself. No matter how and by whom it was conceived. It was hers. She struggled to move, her eyelids flickered.

She wasn't surprised to find that her wrists and ankles were strapped to some sort of a stretcher-like contraption. She was stunned to see a Perseid, grey and worn out, leaning over her. With a syringe.

"A tad more time, Goldilocks," she heard someone say, but she didn't see the speaker.

"The effect is wearing off," the Perseid noticed.

"So I see," that voice again. "Do something with it, you are the doctor, aren't you?"

Beka tried to move her arms once more, but the straps held her firmly.

I hope Harper is fine. He has to be. And the Maru. Harper and the Maru…

The darkness flooded her once more, numbing the pain.

xXx

"Three ships," Rommie was pointing at the screen. "Apparently old and damaged, as they are leaving behind a trail of protons. Not much, but I was able to trace their routes."

"Three routes," Dylan looked at the screen, pondering.

"Leaving us a trail…" Rhade took a step forward, to get into the Captain's peripheral vision. "On purpose?"

"My though exactly," replied Dylan. "They want us to chase phantoms."

Rhade nodded. He seemed perfectly calm right now, but Dylan knew better. After all the Nietzscheans were masters at hiding their feelings. And that outburst of anger on the Maru… It kind of frightened Dylan. Kind of.

"Trance," Dylan turned to face the golden medic. She has just returned from the Med. where Harper was still unconscious, under the influence of a sedative. She looked a bit pale, if gold can be pale.

"Dylan," she replied. "I don't think I can."

Rhade was looking from one to another, not entirely sure what was going on. True, Trance was a very mysterious… being. Her abilities were unusual to say the least. But Dylan must have known something more, something that made him ask her for help. Suddenly Rhade felt out of place, caught between them. He backed a little, catching the look of Andromeda's avatar. Rommie was not puzzled at all.

"You told me once," Dylan leaned down and whispered to Trance's ear—though Rhade's hearing did catch the words, "that you liked this future better. Prove me that it's really better."

Trance bit her lip. "What if I'm wrong?"

"You're not," Dylan was firm. He had to be. Trance nodded. "Which of these three?" Dylan asked.

Trance walked to the navigation console. Her hand hung above it, in a moment of hesitation. She closed her eyes and entered the data.

"The fourth," she whispered with a faint smile.

xXx

"Remarkable. The physiology is Vedran, isn't it? Truly remarkable. I didn't think it be possible," that voice again, hovering above her head. Beka always thought that death is much more quiet. At least the pain stopped. Though she was feeling a queer sensation around the navel.

"Awfully resistant to your sedatives, doctor. Can't you give her something stronger? Her waking up in the middle of the… procedure… would be most unfortunate, now wouldn't it?"

"Ah yes. But anything stronger might harm the fetus. Would your employer like to risk that?"

"Good point, doctor. Proceed."

xXx

"The Venedo drift," Rhade stated, as Andromeda maneuvered to stay undetected by long-range sensors. "And a former High-Guard outpost."

"Three hundred years ago," Dylan muttered.

"Aquilla," added Rommie. "I docked here. Once. It has changed."

It did. Once one of the most remote High-Guard outposts was no longer within the borders of the Commonwealth. The docking bay remained virtually untouched, able to take in a cruiser similar to Andromeda herself, but the rest of the outpost differed substantially from what both Dylan and Rommie recalled. It was larger, less stylish and certainly not a very pleasant place to spend time in.

"Maru is still not operational," reminded Rommie.

Dylan's lips curved in a smile that had a streak of viciousness. Very un-Dylan-like. Trance gave him a worried look.

"Andromeda," the Captain raised his voice. "I think it's time you docked at Station Aquilla for the second time."

xXx

Angus was just about to dug his teeth into a boiled Tangu, when he heard the rumor. Not very uncommon for the Venedo, but still intriguing. He took a leave when the boss and the doctor dealt with their captive—he didn't mind killing and torture, but slicing an unconscious woman open was not his cup of grog. It would be much funnier if she was conscious.

No fun, always no fun. They wouldn't let him hit her, he had to use the neuro-paralizer. Spoilsports.

Ah, the turmoil. Angus caught one guy, limping towards the docking bay, and asked him—politely—what was going on. After the series of 'please-don't-kill-me' he received an answer.

A large ship, a ship like almost nothing they have seen, was docking at Venedo. A High-Guard ship.

Now, this meant trouble.

xXx

"I'm sure there are some urgent matters that need to be taken care of," Dylan looked at Rommie with one brow raised.

"I believe I'm having a relapse of my anti-proton converter palpitations," she answered, cocking her head a little. "I will need some time in the dock to have it fixed. And in the mean time, the crew can…"

"Look around," Dylan finished.

"Do some shopping," added Rommie.

"I could use some fresh air," Harper walked onto the bridge. He tried to walk straight and he mostly succeeded. "What? I'm coming with you." He pulled out a gauss gun to demonstrate. "You're not leaving me behind. Not when she's…"

"Mr. Harper…" Dylan sighed. "Do you think you're in a condition…"

"I am in a condition to shot something. With all due respect. Boss."

Rhade eyed the short engineer. Under normal circumstances he would add some politically incorrect remark about Harper's height. Or the condition of his tiny muscles. But these were not 'normal circumstances'. Circumstances would never be normal, unless they get Beka back. Unharmed.

For if she gets harmed…

"Captain," he coughed to get Dylan's attention. "For all we know, Harper is the only one who had seen the assailants."

The engineer shot Rhade a surprised glance. You didn't expect that coming, did you, midget?

"A couple of Lancers walking around the drift searching for something would arise suspicion," Rhade continued. "The kidnappers may panic. We got their attention by docking. Let them focus on the ship. Let them think we really were in dire need for repairs." He paused for a moment, then looked at Harper. "They didn't see you were on the Maru, did they."

Harper nodded, still quite shocked. "But I saw them, all right. Especially the big one…" and he bit his tongue, not finishing 'like you'. Rhade appreciated that, if little.

"Walking with Harper you won't look like an assault party, Captain, Sir," Rommie noticed, then felt silent under her Captain's glare.

"With Harper and Trance," added Rhade. The golden nymph looked up, not much surprised. She showed a force lance, strung to her belt.

"Someone may need medical attention," she quickly explained. "The time is running out, Dylan. We need to go."

The Captain nodded his head. "All right, Mr. Harper. But if anything gets… Unpleasant… Do try to keep out of harms way. Please."

Author's ramblings: An update, as promised. I know not much is explained. And Beka's fate is still in limbo. But I can assure you that in the next two chapters one point of the story will be resolved...

From this moment on, as You can see, I've taken some liberties with the Dromverse. There will be new places, new technologies. I don't think I'll come up with new races, though the Tengu thing Angus was about to eat is a sort of a large rat-like creature. Not very nice to look at but I've heard it was tasty. It tends to inhabitate the low levels of drifts and likes filth.

JamiesonZ: I am obsessed with The Conquerable Man. The last update was fantastic!

Many thanks to all the reviewers!