A/N: Hey, kids! I know, I know, I'm terrible about updating even worse than I am at updating in general. Here's two chapters for your pains and patience. This one's really short, though. Read, enjoy, and review!
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Beka knew she shouldn't, but she was gloating madly when the Andromeda Ascendant received official recognition from the Knights of Genetic Purity, which consisted of a warrant signed by the Patriarch himself and the most hotly-worded death threat she'd ever seen. And Beka Valentine had, one way or another, seen a lot of death threats. "We're officially one of the big dogs, Telemachus," she said when the admiral seemed rather less joyous than her over the news. "We'll be the talk of the Known Worlds before supper. You wanted support for your cause… okay, so you'll be getting a lot of crazies and more death threats, but you'll also get a lot more people willing to throw their lots in with you now."
"Just remember we were here first," Harper put in.
Telemachus kept his own counsel as he relayed the news to Tyr Anasazi, who had relocated to a different ship soon after the signatory ceremony. The First Regent didn't like the idea of serving on an ally's flagship, and Beka couldn't blame him. Hell, she would rather be in the Maru, despite the fresh coffee and clean linens available daily on the Andromeda, but she knew that passing Genites would fire her little ship out of the sky the first chance they got. It would take more than a passing Genite to take out the Andromeda, though she would rather not find out how many it would take.
Dylan had had an especially hard time wrapping his mind around the superiority of Genite technology. Oddly, the Andromeda herself took the news easier than her captain. For Dylan, the Andromeda Ascendant had represented the pinnacle of High Guard technology, and hadn't he been hearing that civilization had fallen hard since the Long Night? For Andromeda herself, technology was almost a living entity that would never stop evolving as long as someone had dreams and delusions of grandeur. She was still in the top hundredth of a percent of the most powerful warships in existence; only a very few Genite crafts could best her, and it would be a bloody, destructive battle on both sides.
A few days later, Tyr sent his congratulations and an invitation for Beka to join him for a day or two on his flagship, a cunning ship of a new Sabra-Jaguar design (which she knew annoyed him) called Ego. No one on the Andromeda expressed more surprise than Beka herself, but neither could anyone think of a good reason for her to refuse. He was hardly planning to kidnap or kill her; the last thing Tyr Anasazi could want right now was a splintering of fledgling alliance. Everyone knew the Andromeda was its most powerful weapon right now, and Tyr was clear-sighted, if nothing else.
The prospect of spending any amount of time around Nietzscheans made Beka a little nervous, and she hoped whatever business he had with her would be concluded quickly. Not one to mince words, she told him exactly that when he met her in Ego's hangar.
She was carrying a single bag, black with grey straps across her shoulders. He met her alone and, typical male Nietzschean, didn't offer to help her with her bags. "What, no helpful 'bots to attend my every whim? Tell me again, why did I agree to come here? And don't tell me it was for the pleasure of your company. I can think of three things I would rather do than spend a day in all-Nietzschean surroundings, and they all involve death or Flash."
He smiled. "No 'bots, I'm afraid. Ego is rather more utilitarian than the Andromeda, though I can hardly imagine you have anything similar on the Maru." He eyed her ship askance.
"Hey! No smart-alec comments about my baby, or I'm out of here." She shifted her bag. "So why am I here? And why am I not staying aboard the Maru during my little vacation?"
"Perhaps we had best discuss the details of your stay elsewhere. My quarters should suffice."
Beka, quite mystified by this point, followed her host's lead, trying to glare minimally at her Nietzschean allies. It was clear that they were expecting her but that they weren't sure why they were expecting her. No one quite whispered kludge at her, but some of them were aching to the moment their leader's back was turned. Beka wanted to laugh.
They arrived at Tyr's quarters, spacious but Spartan. She glanced curiously at an easel set up in one corner and strained her eyes to peek at the canvas. She thought she might give her eyeteeth—a phrase that didn't make much sense when she thought about it—to see what sort of artistic endeavors Tyr spent his time on when taking a break from universal domination. She was sure it was landscapes.
She dropped her bag and made herself comfortable on his bed—or attempted to. Tyr didn't go for feather mattresses, and she ended up half-sitting, half-lounging. He leaned against a wall, and for a moment, silence reigned. Her host proceeded to tap the side of his neck and mutter something. Apparently he'd admired the High Guard sub-vocal communicators so much that he'd had one installed himself. He nodded and faced his guest. "We are as secure as possible for this vessel. I have a very serious request to make of you, Captain."
She swallowed and shifted nervously. She'd had no idea why Tyr could want to see her alone—well, one thing did come to mind immediately, but she didn't think he would jeopardize his position as First Regent by dallying with a human woman—but she thought she might know now. There was one secret of his she held, and she was sure he'd do anything to protect it. "It's the, um, the little guy, isn't it?"
He looked mildly surprised and nodded. "It is. You may refuse, and if you feel uncertain of your ability to carry out my request, I strongly suggest that you do so. I won't take your failure well."
"Don't keep me in suspense, Tyr. Spit it out already."
"My son is currently aboard a small medical vessel in my fleet, but the Matriarch and I both desire him to be removed to a less conspicuous location where the Genites will not think to look for him. We have a planet picked out, and no one outside the three of us knows about this. I would like you to deliver the boy and the Matriarch to the specified location where they will live in much greater safety than I can offer them here. Of course, you will be richly compensated."
Beka cursed silently. He had worked this out well in advance, and he knew just how to manipulate her. While Beka wasn't exactly the mothering type, he had guessed that she would have a hard time abandoning his young son to his fate in the hands of the Genites, and he had worded his request to imply that she would be doing just that if she refused. Plus, it was hard to resist 'rich compensation' from Tyr Anasazi. She doubted it would come in the form of currency, which was always handy but not something Nietzscheans possessed in great supply. He was talking about something even more important and more nebulous: his protection and his aid as she waded through the politics of rebellion. She even thought she could trust him to a surprising extent to keep his word.
She tried to make her voice casual. "And what, there aren't any Nietzscheans around you slick enough to pull this off?"
"No." He held her gaze steadily, and she found a faint flush rising in her cheeks at the compliment buried somewhere in that simple word. No Nietzscheans, but Beka Valentine was a different story. Well, shucks, whoever said flattery wouldn't get you everywhere?
"Theoretically, Tyr, how would I explain my absence to Telemachus and company, not to mention my crew. Harper and I have been working together the longest of any of 'em, but Trance and Rev will be also be suspicious if I go haring off by myself. And I assume you do want me to do this on my own?"
He nodded. "You assume correctly. As for your story, I have a few possibilities in mind. However, I see no reason in indulging your curiosity unless you accept my offer."
"Can you at least tell me where I'd be taking 'em on this field trip?"
"The mission is strictly need-to-know. As you haven't yet accepted the mission, there's nothing further you need to know."
She sighed. "I thought you were the one asking the favor, here. Fine, I'll do it. You could hardly have doubted it."
Now that she had accepted his mission, she saw that he hesitated. Typical man, wanting one thing and changing his mind the next. She had the feeling that Tyr didn't hesitate often, so it must be something particularly grave. "I hope you realize what this will entail, Captain. If you succeed—and I have little doubt you will—you will hold extremely valuable knowledge which you may sell at any moment to the Genites or any other interested party. I assure you that you could find several before dinner. While I do not suspect that you are the sort to engage in casual treachery, I am not so confident of your loyalty to trust that you would keep this information secret under extreme duress."
He didn't need to elaborate. She was under his eye now, once and for all. "Right. We're tied till death do us part but without the side benefits." Ha ha, Valentine, good one. She was well aware that her wit was especially atrocious when she was nervous, almost as bad as Harper sometimes.
He looked surprised at her light dismissal and a bit annoyed. Well, he could deal. She was saving his kid's life at great risk to her own, and Tyr was the kind of man who could do with some tweaking now and again.
