Rhade took one more step, came to the end of the corridor, made a military about-face, and began striding back down the corridor in the other direction. He had been pacing the corridor outside Andromeda's primary surgery for over an hour, ever since he had brought the medevac vessel aboard her.

When the medevac vessel landed in the stacking area, Rhade had taken over piloting duties, while Jeri, along with Trance and Doyle, rode in the passenger area. Rhade had pushed the vessel's inertial compensators to their limits and the engines past theirs. His landing on Andromeda hadn't quite been a crash landing, but both Andromeda's landing bay and the craft's hull were going to be in need of repairs. When the vessel made its touchdown they were greeted by a pair of Andromeda's Marias, who took charge of Jeri's stretcher and carried her to surgery. When Rhade had attempted to follow, Andromeda's holographic self had quite firmly insisted that Rhade would be staying out of the operating room until she gave him permission to enter.

She had also suggested, although not so firmly, that Doyle take Trance to the hydroponic gardens where the girl could have a good cry. Trance was quite capable of dealing out violence when the need arose, but violence was as foreign to her true nature as vegetarianism was to a dire cat. This particular instance seemed to have hit her particularly hard.

Rhade had covered about a third of the length of the corridor when he heard footsteps behind him. Hoping that it was either Doyle or one of Andromeda's Marias, Rhade spun around. Somewhat disappointingly it was Dylan.

"Welcome aboard, Rhade," said Dylan. "It's been awhile. That was quite the landing you made with the medevac vessel. Andromeda says it was the most controlled crash she's ever seen."

"I was in a bit of a rush," answered Rhade.

"So I noticed," said Dylan. "According to Andromeda the medevac vessel will need a considerable repair job before it is serviceable again. I expect you to treat my vessels with more caution from here on out."

At first Rhade thought Dylan was joking, but after looking into his face he realized that Dylan meant exactly what he was saying. However, before Rhade could reply, Dylan continued.

"Now that you're here, I'm hoping you can help me with some of Andromeda's repairs. Her Marias are good, but there are some things that simply need an organic's intuition."

Rhade came as close as he had ever come in his military career to striking a superior officer. The woman who was for all intents and purposes his spouse was in Andromeda's surgery fighting for her life, and Dylan didn't even ask about her. Instead, he was complaining about Rhade's piloting. His fist was clenched and half raised, but before he could say or do anything he would later regret, Andromeda's holographic self materialized and placed herself between the two men. "Captain," she said to Dylan, "something's come up. We need to discuss it on the command deck. Immediately."

As soon as Dylan was out of sight Andromeda's holographic form reappeared in front of Rhade. Rhade had seen her angry before, but this time she looked absolutely furious. Her hands were clenched into fists and held rigidly at her sides while her teeth were clenched together. After a moment the tension left her image..

"I'm sorry, Rhade," she said. "Dylan's been under a lot of stress lately."

Rhade bit back a sarcastic retort. Andromeda wasn't the one he should be angry with. Instead he asked, "Can I see her now?"

The last of the tension left Andromeda's image. She was clearly glad that Rhade wasn't going to press the issue. "You can see her, but she's asleep. I'm keeping her sedated until she's further along in her healing."

The door to the surgery slid open. Rhade stepped inside, almost dreading what he would find. Jeri was lying on one of the medical tables swathed in tubes and wires, monitoring equipment, and other devices he didn't recognize.

"Life support," explained Andromeda. "The nanobots can repair the damage to her organs, but not while they're functioning."

"Will she recover?" asked Rhade as he looked down on Jeri's still form.

Andromeda's holographic form started to speak and then stopped. Rhade suspected she was conferring with her alter ego.

"It depends on what you mean by recover," she answered. "My sister self and I have her stabilized and, given time, her injuries will heal. But…" She paused again.

"But," repeated Rhade.

"Her heart stopped twice en route to me. Doyle was able to resuscitate her, but she's not a doctor. There was brain damage." ."

At Andromeda's words, Rhade felt as if his heart was going to be the one that stopped. "How much?" he demanded.

Once again Andromeda seemed to be conferring with her other self. "It's hard to say," she said after a few seconds. "It could be nothing more than minor memory loss of the moments right before her injuries or it could be far more serious. We won't know for sure until she regains consciousness."

Rhade's bone blades sprang erect. First Jillian and the children, then Louisa, and now Jeri. Someone was going to pay dearly for this. Dimly through the fog of rage he heard Andromeda calling out to him.

"Rhade. Rhade! RHADE! Listen to me." As Rhade struggled get his feelings under control, Andromeda continued. "I'm not going to lie to you and say that Jeri will make a full recovery—she might not. But I'm optimistic."

The killing rage that had threatened to take over Rhade subsided. He reached down and placed his hand on Jeri's hip. As he did so she stirred restlessly.

"You need to leave," said Andromeda. "She senses your presence and is trying to find you."

Reluctantly Rhade removed his hand. "You're sure she'll recover?" he asked.

Andromeda gave Rhade a brief smile "Sure? No, but if I was a betting entity I would bet that by this time next year Jeri will be back to waiting tables in the Oasis and the two of you will be deciding on what names to pick for your children. Now, however, you have to leave. As long as you're here Jeri will continue to try to find you. She needs to rest and so do you. I've contacted Harper and made arrangements for Elaine and the baby to be brought aboard me.

"There's nothing you can do for Jeri right now, so why don't you get some rest? I had some of my Marias prepare your old stateroom. I'll call you if her condition changes for the worse."

She opened the door, and Rhade, with one last look at Jeri, left for his quarters.