Part 34

'Up against the wall!' the soldier yelled and Zal found himself pushed hard towards the stone wall. He immediately corrected himself and put his arm around his wife Junia, as she cradled their baby. Little Zalazny clutched her hand refusing to let go, showing little reaction otherwise to anything going on around him as he simply stared coldly ahead.

'What's going on?' Zal yelled, seeing the effect their ongoing treatment at the hands of the Neitzscheans was having on his once lively son. 'You are defeated by the Commonwealth, it's over!'

'Shut up,' the Nietzschean soldier returned with authority, his weapon aimed.

'There are women and children here, what are you people? Animals?' Zal stressed clearly angered with their treatment. He had only had five minutes with his new baby daughter when the soldiers had turned up all shouting and guns on show before marching his family out to the main area, where he found Trance, Naomi and her little baby already waiting. 'Shay was right about you people, so right,' he sneered.

'I said shut up!' the soldier was losing patience.

'Zal,' Junia hissed. 'Please, don't make this harder for us.'

Zal controlled his emotions and focused on his daughter's smiling face, instantly finding it relaxing. He turned to Naomi, seeing how frightened she was as she cuddled her little boy, and knew he had to relax and stay strong for them all, and then hoped the Commonwealth would discover them soon.

--

The force field's hum had nagged at her conscious for too many days. The alien tested the strength once again knowing it was taking all the ship's power to contain her, but she also knew it could not remain like that, soon at some point they would have to divert power back to systems they would need.

Fake Trance glared at the emptiness of the area where she had been left, but her eyes inwardly stretched outwards, using her senses she utilised the power from the force field to build up her range and her eyes suddenly opened.

'Seamus Harper,' she whispered. 'He's close, he's onboard,' she realised and tried to focus her energies more, it was taking all her strength but she knew she needed to know. 'And he's weak,' she then sensed with a slight smile creeping across her face.

Suddenly she felt the force field around her weaken and she immediately removed herself from its effect. Closing her eyes; her mouth silently spoke words before she took a sharp intake of breath and finally focused on her surroundings, she was still in a normal holding cell but she waited expectantly, before the hologram appeared before her.

'Trance, or whoever you are,' Rommie spoke officially. 'We have had to divert power to critical systems, especially med deck,' she began.

'I know, because of Harper,' Fake Trance guessed.

Rommie tried not to show her surprise. 'Yes, he has been injured, badly,' she continued. 'We can not hold you in this cell, and we realise this, your powers are unknown, but Harper is seriously ill and needs urgent medical care,' Rommie paused for a moment, as if questioning herself before continuing. 'We know our Trance has the knowledge and care to administer medical care and without her here, we are severely lacking any skilled medical officers.'

'You need my sister,' Fake Trance simply said, almost leading the hologram.

'That would be ideal but if you have any knowledge to help,' Rommie asked.

'I'm not my sister,' the fake Trance returned calmly, almost knowingly. 'I will get her if you free me, for Harper, I will return my sister to this ship; I do not want any harm to come to him.'

Rommie eyed her suspiciously. 'Be quick,' she simply said before disappearing from view.

Fake Trance showed genuine concern before slowly smiling, and then she gathered her strength, feeling the last of the binds keeping her on the ship vanish, and she too disappeared.

--

Dylan, Rhade and Rommie listened intently and then a silence descended over the room as thoughts were gathered.

'Will he be ok?' Dylan asked.

'Harper is in a critical condition; it's too early to say,' the voice of Andromeda returned over the coms.

'I want all available medical staff to return to the Andromeda,' Rhade ordered.

'Trance's sister has offered to bring us the real Trance, she cared for Harper last time, she could help him again,' Andromeda responded.

'We have a big enough medical team now, Andromeda, so don't rely on that creature, we can't afford to be blindsided trusting that alien forgery, we may not be able to contain her but we equally do not need to play her little games either,' Dylan stressed and then turned to Rhade. 'Is Beka being prepared to return to the Andromeda?'

'Next available transport, she's still drifting between being awake and unconsciousness but she's not staying awake for long, I'm worried about her,' Rhade frowned. 'I wish I could be in two places at once but I feel I need to be by her side,' he then offered.

'I'll travel with her, Rhade, you should stay here, you have enough to do here,' Dylan got to his feet.

'But,' Rhade began to protest.

'She'll have to put up with me, they need you down here to ensure we get no surprise visits, and no more complications, we owe Edenia a hassle free retreat after everything that's happened here,' Dylan stated.

'Ok, but tell Beka this was your idea,' Rhade complained.

'Rhade, your in charge now, you know your duties and its sacrifices like these that you have to take,' Dylan offered.

'Don't lecture me,' Rhade warned. 'You were more than prepared to oversee the tidy up down here until things got more interesting up there with Harper,' Rhade stated knowingly.

'Just concerned for my friend,' Dylan acted surprised by the accusation and then smiled, Rhade knew him too well. 'I don't think I have to tell you not to assume anything when it comes to the Nietzscheans?'

'I know their tricks, don't worry, I'll ensure every last one of them is gone before I declare this victory and city to be under our protection,' Rhade assured him.

'Good,' Dylan saluted and then left the room.

--

The transport ship could be seen, and the shuttle had landed just outside the building as Zal was pushed ahead towards it. He glanced back at Junia and Naomi, both clutching their children with concern, Zelazny no longer seeming to register anything around him and then Trance being led behind them, they were obviously prisoners and he tried to hide his own concern.

He knew this was somehow due to Harper, but chose not to say anything to the others, even though he half guessed they knew this too. The Nietzscheans had been defeated but hadn't left without some kind of prize and he was angered by the fact it was his friends and family.

A sudden bright light caught them all unawares and before anyone could react Zal was confronted by the other Trance and he immediately froze.

'Trance, other Trance that is, hi,' he stammered quickly.

'Move aside,' the fake Trance ordered and Zal stepped to one side without question, hope rising inside even if it was the Trance he didn't trust.

'Halt!' the Nietzschean soldier demanded but Trance ignored him and proceeded past the Junia and Naomi towards her sister.

'You must go, I will stay but you must go, Harper needs you,' Fake Trance announced and moved to join hands with her sister, intending to share the power she would need to return.

'No!' Trance stepped away from her sister, and then glanced at Naomi. 'Let me take the baby too, he's ill,' she stressed and Naomi moved quickly to hand her baby to Trance until a quick thinking soldier pulled her and the baby back.

'No!' Trance stressed desperately and tried to move forward but another soldier took his cue from his comrade and grabbed Trance.

'Harper needs you!' Fake Trance insisted strongly. 'And I need him alive,' she added looking into her sisters eyes before glancing back at the baby, knowing the child was important to her sister.

Trance was taken aback as she stared back at her sister. 'You have power now but you're weakening, I can see you are weak,' Trance realised having seen deeper into her sister's eyes for only a second.

'Help him.'

'I'm not going without the baby,' Trance insisted. 'Please.'

Fake Trance showed her frustration as she turned to Naomi but the soldier armed his weapon and placed it to Naomi's head.

'Take him, don't worry about me,' Naomi sobbed.

Fake Trance was about to comply but heard her sister tell her not to, caught in the dilemma fake Trance simply turned around and before her sister could protest she made the connection with their hands. 'I'll take care of the baby, just help Seamus,' she stressed as Trance was transported back to the Andromeda.

Just moments after seeing her sister transported to the Andromeda fake Trance fell into the arms of the surprised Nietzschean, who picked her up and proceeded to put the fake Trance into the shuttle with the rest of the prisoners.

--

'Trance!' Rommie was first to speak up, her hologram appearing close to where Trance had appeared.

'I need to go back,' Trance panicked. 'I can't leave her to look after the baby!'

'Trance, Harper needs you,' Rommie spoke firmly and for the first time Trance focused on the med bed before her, and the crowd of medics around it.

'He seems to be in good hands,' Trance observed.

'He needs you,' Rommie simply said and Trance frowned slightly as she looked at the conviction in Rommie's expression.

'I can see more than enough medical staff taking care of him,' Trance gestured unsure, a slight concern began to rise within her. 'I am no longer the sole medic, I'm not even part of your crew anymore, Andromeda,' Trance spoke with her fear rising. 'What did she do to you?'

'I, I don't understand,' Rommie frowned, and then flickered. 'We have more than sufficient medical staff looking after Harper,' she realised.

'My sister is up to something and it can not be good,' Trance simply answered.

'She was a prisoner, I was holding her captive using all available power,' Rommie remembered.

'What happened to Harper,' Trance moved forward and finally took in the scene, catching her breath on the sight she saw through the crowd of medics. 'Magog?' she gasped.

'Rev Bem is explaining the situation to Dylan at the moment, it appears one of his charges found themselves planet side against orders, but I have evidence from one of our Commonwealth officers revoking that order on Rev Bem's say so, and sending him down,' Rommie frowned. 'Its being investigated but there are inconsistencies, and regardless of that Harper has once again been attacked by Magog but it's still too early to tell how bad is it.'

Trance knew exactly what Rommie was implying, it was too soon to know if any eggs were successfully planted. With a sigh she closed her eyes. 'It could be a lot worse than this, my sister could have masterminded this whole mess to her advantage and I don't know what that advantage could be.'

'Where is she?' Rommie asked.

'She swapped places with me, gave me the last of her energies to transport me here, I have nothing to return back, I'm too weak, I need to rest,' Trance sighed tiredly, a mere shadow of her former self. 'I would guess after I left she became a prisoner to the Nietzscheans,' Trance explained with some confusion in her tone. 'Why would she willingly do that, if she wants Harper why swap with me when he's right here and I'd guess going nowhere for a while?' Trance then froze and stared at Rommie. 'Oh no,' she almost whispered.

'What is it, Trance?' Rommie asked.

'She doesn't intend to take care of the baby in the way I was implying,' Trance began to stress. 'She must know, somehow, she must or why else has she done this?'

'Trance you are making little sense,' Rommie returned.

'Harper has a son, Naomi gave birth to their baby in the past week but the child is ill, weak, he needs immediate care but he's in Nietzschean hands now, with my sister,' Trance panicked.

'Trance, Harper has a son?' Rommie checked and Trance simply nodded. 'This changes things, we need to speak to Dylan, it might help explain why certain things have happened, if your sister indeed found a way to infiltrate my crew, and it seems even me.'

--

'Hey sleepy,' Dylan half smiled.

'Dylan,' Beka croaked, and she accepted the water Dylan offered, as he placed it to her lips. 'The Andromeda?'

'You're home, and far from Edenia,' Dylan confirmed, putting the glass down.

'Where's Rhade?'

'Still planet side, finishing off proceedings, we won,' Dylan smiled.

Beka moved to sit up, she looked drained and pale, her hair limp. 'Don't tell Rhade this but that's a relief, he was the one sending me back to sleep, he never knows what to talk about,' Beka smirked.

'How are you feeling?' Dylan asked, trying not to show too much amusement to her comments towards Rhade.

Beka frowned. 'I think this,' she gestured to herself. 'Its not so much the effect of the blast or damage to my body, I think my body just sensed a good opportunity for a deserved time out, it feels like I've slept for a year!'

'Maybe that's it, the medical staff never seemed overly concerned once you were out of danger, they just felt you really needed some rest,' Dylan offered.

'Can you blame me?' Beka scoffed. 'You try running after Harper and then trying to survive after years of luxury on this thing, it was hard returning to the old life again,' Beka reasoned. 'I'm not getting any younger.'

'But you are wiser,' Dylan noted. 'You've not asked about Harper and trust me, that's a good step for you, you worry too much about him, always have done.'

Beka narrowed her eyes as she looked at Dylan. 'What's happened?'

'What?'

'To Harper, what's happened?' Beka asked.

'Beka, concentrate on yourself for once,' Dylan stated, but was clearly uncomfortable.

'If he was alright you would have said just then, so tell me,' Beka demanded.

Dylan let his head drop, and he sighed running his hands through his hair before responding. 'A lot has happened, but he's onboard and he's in good hands.'

'Oh no, what happened?' Beka sensed it was bad.

'Magog, again,' Dylan simply said.

Beka digested the news and just remained staring at Dylan, showing no reaction. 'He's ok?' She asked with a hollow voice.

'He's alive, and he's in good hands,' Dylan confirmed.

'Good,' Beka remained passive. 'I should get some more rest, feeling a little tired again now.'

'Ok, yes, good idea,' Dylan stood up, knowing Beka wanted to be left alone, her non reaction was a sign that she wasn't ready to return to normality just yet, she needed to recuperate in her own time and he realised it might take longer than usual, but for once they could afford to wait.

--

TBC