See Prologue for Ratings and Disclaimer.

Well the response to the last chapter was better than I had hoped, and with any luck, this one will explain some questions and not put anyone off! I should mention that when I originally had the idea of this storyline between Trance and the Rhades, I had planned to write it as its own entity.But as I was currently working on this one at the time, I thought it might be an interesting addition and bring in a new element, and hopefully you'll agree it was a good choice...or maybe an "okay" choice. I guess I'll just have to wait and see!

There are some direct spoilers for TUM in this one, but since you're reading this, I'm assuming you have at least a working knowledge of that episode...and if not, well...it should still make sense. Oh yes, and this chapter is randomly dedicated to Hermiod - that little Asgard is just too fantastic for words! (sorry Thor, not trying to cheat on you or anything)

Any and all mistakes (that are not QuickEdit-induced) are mine alone.

PART EIGHTEEN - His Own Story

"But so much as happened, there's so much for him to understand, so much for him to know…."

Trance stared at the man in front of her, the man so far away in his thoughts. She felt as though she could read his mind, and indeed she knew what was going on in his head. Gone was the being who thought only of himself, replaced by the man who would do whatever it took to bring order to chaos. If she were honest, that transformation had taken place long ago. She made a decision, right then and there.

Stepping forward quickly, she pressed her lips to his cheek, ever so lightly, absorbing his essence. Whispering without a sound, yet heard all the same, she spoke to him. "You'll see them all again, you'll see her again. This I promise."

She pulled back quickly, and addressed his last comment aloud. "Make sure that he does. It's up to you now."

Before his very eyes, he saw the blue hues claim her, his last way out pulled through space and time. He closed his eyes, concentrating on fighting the inbred survivalist nature of his very being, knowing what had to be done.

Making a final decision, he turned and walked down the corridor that was so familiar, and yet so far removed from himself. Her words, strange as he'd heard them, gave him the strength he needed. If only they had been true…he wasn't a fool, but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

-o-

The fight was drawn out, sorrow filling the hearts of both men as they knew what must be done - yet the goal was different for each of them.

"…The Commonwealth is no place for the strong…."

He was convincing, but Trance knew the words from his lips were a lie, at least now that the years had passed. She watched without being seen, holding open the tidal forces of the tesseracts, out of phase just enough to go unnoticed. She had to see this through. She claimed it was vital to her mission, but she already knew how it would play out. No, she watched for him, for all that he was giving up.

"…Pessimism is not a survival trait…."

She saw the struggle, his mind working against itself. He was a little too convincing, it was his Nietzschean instinct refusing the commands he ordered - to let the other win.

But then she saw it. The momentary hesitation, the tiny, nearly imperceptible, almost insignificant jerk to the right. It gave the other the second chance he needed as he spin out of the way of the blast. It was over now, she'd seen it already. The avatar closed her eyes against the final blow, opening them again only when she heard the sound of his fallen form hitting the deck.

The other man ran to his friend, disbelief crowding his features. "Gaheris, what have you done!"

Trance saw the pain on his face, the myriad of feelings. Physical pain, mental pain…of what he had done, what he had sacrificed, what he had lost in that one instant…. But there was something else there, too…hope. Hope that his act of genetic defiance would do what he himself could not.

But he was wrong, it wasn't defiance at all. His personal survival had been overruled, it was true, but in doing so he had done the best he could to ensure the survival of the Universe itself - what better proof of a true Nietzschean was there?

She owed it to him to show him that his sacrifice was not in vain. She would see that new personal mission through to its end, and prayed that he would be none the wiser.

"…I'm proud of you…you should be…."

It was done, he was done. But not forever. He'd proven his value, his genetic worth - that would be her excuse. But it was not her primary reason. Trance brought her fingers to her lips, stroking gently to gather the priceless code that clung there, the code she had insured would be deposited there only moments before.

There was one more phase to this plan, one more assurance to guarantee their greatest chances of survival against the coming darkness. She allowed the tesseracts to swallow her essence and began to sift through the infinity of it all. Two-hundred and seventy-one linear years from her present location, that's what she was looking for. That, and a planet that had not been colonized in this present time, but in a few years would come to be known as Tarazed.

Yes, he had proven his genetic worth…his personal worth…with this sacrifice. She only hoped genetics would have enough influence on development, that the environment would work in her…in his…favour.

She found the time and the place, now she needed only find the woman - it took her mere fractions of a second. With the help of a simple bio-technique, her plan was complete.

And she hoped she was never found out.

-o-0-o-

Captain Dylan Hunt stared at the golden woman as if she had suddenly gone nova before his very eyes, his brows reaching up to touch his hairline. "Uh…excuse me?"

Trance Gemini looked down, sorrow clouding her unusual features. She was not joking. Before he could demand an explanation, she spoke, softly and full of regret.

"I knew Gaheris. I can't tell you how. But I had a hand in his final acts."

If possible, the Captain's eyes grew even wider, this time the disbelief joined with anger. "You convinced him to betray me!"

She looked up sharply. "No! No…I convinced him to betray himself." The man before her frowned. "To let you kill him."

His frown deepened. "What?" His mind ran with the possibilities, the memories. He didn't understand.

She let out a breath, one she didn't need, and turned away, wandering slowly to the far side of the room. He kept a small plant there. Gingerly, she stroked the leaves with her fingers and answered.

"The time of Telemachus Rhade's conception was no coincidence, Dylan. It was intervention."

He paused for a moment. "Yours?"

She turned to him slowly and inclined her head. She did not speak, but it was answer enough. She allowed him a few moments for the revelation to sink in before explaining further.

"I watched Gaheris sacrifice everything. Twice." She turned back to the plant - aware, but blissfully ignorant. How she wished to trade places with it. "And then I watched him do what we thought no Nietzschean could ever do - he sacrificed himself; for you, for everyone he ever loved, because he knew he had failed, he knew it was not in his power to succeed."

Dylan's eyes were wide again - if he hadn't already been sitting, he would have done so, rather ungracefully. His thoughts had briefly focused on her use of "we," but moved on as she spoke of a more significant matter. There was something in the back of his mind, some nagging bit of understanding that was beyond him, that would not be deciphered.

"I told myself we needed him," she continued, and he could hear the regret and the guilt in her voice. "And we did." Her eyes found his once again. "I determined Gaheris was not the one to lead the mission, but I knew he would need to play a part in it. Telemachus is invaluable to our mission - to your mission. They all are." Her gaze wandered again. "But that's not why I did it."

Dylan wasn't sure he could speak even if he had anything intelligent to say. He just waited for her to go on.

"I owed it to him to make up for the enormous sacrifices he made for me, for the Universe. I wanted to make up for the lifetime of sorrow and pain he experienced." She took a step toward the Captain, her composure faltering slightly, urgency invading her voice. "Instead, I gave him two."

She was waiting for something, and so he asked the question. "How so?"

The avatar closed her eyes and sighed once more. When she opened them, they mirrored the exhaustion she felt I in her mind. "Dylan…you know his history, you've read the reports, you've talked to him about it personally."

Dylan flinched involuntarily, remembering the conversation he'd had with Telemachus shortly after he'd joined the crew. It had been one he'd rather forget. He wasn't sure how Trance knew about it, but he wasn't surprised that she did.

"It's more than one man should endure," she chose her words carefully, deliberately boring into his eyes with her own - she was speaking of him as well. "And he went through it twice. In both cases, I am partly responsible."

Dylan sighed deeply, he though he knew where this was going. "And this latest event hit home, didn't it?"

"Yes. Even if he was unaware of what he was implying, by announcing his true connection to his ancestor I was forced to confront what I had denied to myself - my involvement in his suffering." Her voice raised an octave, she was visibly distraught. "The torture he was put through…it would not have happened without my help."

Dylan pushed away from his chair and walked towards her, reaching out and placing his hands on her shoulders. He stooped slightly so he could come level with her eyes.

"Trance, listen to me. I won't pretend to understand all the facts, or even a small part of whatever it is you're telling me. But I can tell you this. From what you have told me, you had no choice. What you did needed to be done if we're to have any chance at surviving. And if what you said about my former First Officer's true motives is right," he was still having trouble getting his head around it himself, "Then I can tell you this: Gaheris Rhade would never have blamed you. And you know neither would Telemachus."

She looked down, nodding imperceptibly. "It's what I've told myself ever since. I've accepted it and I've tried to move on."

He heard the exception in her voice. "But…" he prodded.

"But Telemachus will not allow me to forget it. He thinks I'm keeping something from him, and he's right. He doesn't trust me, and he wants me to know it. For that reason I haven't been able to let go of the responsibility that has resurfaced."

Dylan searched her eyes, deciding to go with the obvious. "Then why not tell him?"

Her eyes snapped wide and she jerked back, out of his reach. "Dylan, he can't know. I can't tell him, and neither can you." The sense of urgency had returned to her words.

It was the Captain's turn to sound tired, worn. "Why not, Trance?"

She shook her head imperceptibly. "I can't tell you why, you wouldn't understand. I don't even think I fully comprehend the reasoning. But Rhade cannot know any of this. I've already told you more than I should have. If he finds out, there will undoubtedly be repercussions, and I cannot predict what those consequences will be, or in what direction they will steer the Universe. The others have blocked me from seeing that future, as punishment for my independent action."

Dylan could almost swear he saw fear in her eyes as she made that last statement, but he supposed for a being who was used to seeing all possibilities, that reaction was understandable. Slowly he stepped back toward her, his hands finding their place upon her shoulders once more, trying to comfort her and knowing full well he was failing miserably at it. He spoke softly. "Very well, if that's what you want, I won't say a word." He chose to ignore the comments about "others" and "punishment" for the time being, figuring he'd had enough mind-blowing revelations for one day.

She shot him a grateful look, but he wasn't done. "But Trance," his voice was decidedly more forceful than it had been before - he wanted her to remember that he was supposedly in command here. "This stand-off isn't good for you, and it isn't good for him. So tell him, don't tell him, do whatever you want. But deal with it."

She nodded slowly. "I will." As an afterthought, and barely above a whisper, she added, "Thank you."

He didn't acknowledge the sentiment, believing she didn't want him to. Instead, he intoned, "Dismissed."

Her grateful look returned once more, and without out a word Trance exited the room.

As soon as the door slid shut behind her, Dylan sighed heavily and leaned back, using the desk as a brace. A million thoughts swarmed his consciousness, his mind running a light-year a minute. He didn't know what to think, and frankly thinking was the last thing he wanted to be doing at this point. He closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face, feeling the beginnings of a headache starting to set in.

Of their own free will, his eyes roved the room until they found what they were looking for. Likewise, his body propelled him in the direction of the object, his hand reaching out to the frame once he was in reach.

Maybe I did know you as well as I thought, his mind spoke to the very serious image of Gaheris Rhade, standing next to his own laid-back demeanour. From the picture, one would never have guessed the human and the Nietzschean were so alike.

Suddenly, a somewhat familiar phrase broke through his thoughts, brought on by a memory of the relatively recent past.

"Every man is the hero of his own story…."

To Be Continued...