Summary: Dylan and Gillian's relationship moved to new level, old enemies return, a new beginning for Tyr... and more. Now complete.

Rating: G

Pairing: Dylan/ofc

"Gillian 4 Windmills Of Your Mind"
By Cherubino

Round like a circle and a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on the ever-spinning reel
Like a snowball down the mountain, or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning, spinning reels around the room
Like a clock that's hands are sweeping past the minutes on its face,
And the world is like an apple rolling silently in space.
Let the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind.
"Windmills of your mind", rendition by Sting.

In her unstoppable curiosity regarding everything Andromeda Gillian stuck her nose into every nook and cranny, and in one of the storage areas she found a real treasure -- a baby-grand piano and a stack of sheet music. She arranged for it to be brought to the Obs deck and now she sat down at it and touched the keys. It has been a long time since she played last, but she remembered -- Major and Minor, black and white, happy and sad, just like her life. Wouldn't have it any other way. In the music sheets she found one of her favorites, The Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. Amazing how a piece of music thousands of years old could still evoke such strong emotions. She played it for a while and than switched to lighter, happier pieces. Gillian was so engrossed in her music she didn't hear Dylan come in. He placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"I didn't know you could do this."

"There are many things we don't know about each other, the whole point is to learn, to discover together."

She leaned back on him, enjoying the warmth and quiet intimacy of the moment.

"So, was music a career ambition or a hobby for you?"

"Actually neither. My father insisted I learned to play as a finger exercise."

"???"

"Piano scales dramatically improve hand dexterity. Very important for a surgeon."

Dylan was about to say something when Beka's agitated voice came from intercom:

"Gillian, I need you in Tyr's quarters, this is an emergency!"

* * *

Fifteen minutes earlier Beka was on her way to the Mess Hall when something caught her attention. She just passed Tyr's quarters and his door was ajar. Now, Tyr never ever left his door open. Something had to give and after short argument with herself Beka the Curious won over Beka the Cautious and peeked inside. The lights were on low so she couldn't see much but she heard strange noises coming from the direction of his sleeping chamber. She just decided to venture a little further when she heard a soul- tearing scream. After a short pause it was followed by another, and than yet another. These sounds related such agony that Beka became genuinely scared. She commanded the lights on full and ran into Tyr's bedroom. He was sprawled on the floor, one hand clutching on to the sheet he was tangled in, the other grabbing his shoulder, blood seeping from under his fingers. He was drenched in sweat and his skin had a grayish tint. Suddenly he let out another scream, his body arched and bucked off the floor, muscles straining in agonizing rictus. That was when Beka paged Gillian.

Gillian ran in with Dylan close on her heels. She was momentarily stunned by what she saw, but recovered quickly. This was not the time to react, but to act; so she took the hypo injector out of the emergency kit and carefully approached the Nietzschean. Dylan frowned:

"You shouldn't come close, he may hurt you. Let me do this."

"No, he will not hurt me, but I don't know how will he react to you. I think it would be better if you waited in the other room."

Both Dylan and Beka refused to move. They wanted to be close in case Tyr does something irrational, so Gillian proceeded. She kept talking quietly, trying to keep him calm, like she would a scared child. Suddenly he turned to her and croaked:

"I can't take the pain any more. Help me."

"Why didn't you call me right away?"

"I was embarrassed. I didn't want to look weak."

"Stubbornness is not a survival trait, Anasazi. You should know better. Take a deep breath and try to relax a little, I am going to give you something for the pain and than I'll take you to the Medical and we'll see what's wrong. " He closed his eyes nodding his acquiescence.

"Andromeda, please send a stretcher to Mr. Anasazi's quarters."

"On the way."



* * *



Gillian took one look at Tyr's shoulder and closed her eyes. "By the Divine!"

"What?" Dylan and Beka looked puzzled. Gillian turned to Dylan:

"Back on Andalla, when the two of you were taken by that . creature, she made Tyr fight for her entertainment. She thought herself a restorer of Gladiators. The monster he fought with managed to wound him. He dismissed the injury; he was more concerned with getting you and everyone else out. He was sure his nanobots would take care of it. He never brought it up again and I thought he was Ok. How could have I been so negligent!"

Dylan put a hand on her shoulder, "Gillian, I was in the gym and the steam room with him many times since then and I saw no sign of injury. You didn't know and I am sure that even he didn't know until recently."

Somewhat calmed, Gillian continued to examine her patient. Five gushes left by the creature's talons were inflamed and oozing blood and some sort of greenish-gray substance. She collected a sample for further testing and proceeded to carefully lance, clean and seal each wound.

Forty-eight hours later Tyr's condition didn't improve much. The fever wouldn't go down, he drifted in and out of consciousness and was still in a lot of pain. Gillian looked at the tests that she finished running, rubbed her eyes and turned to Rommie:

"I was hoping I was wrong, but this is the third time I re-ran the same test and the outcome is consistent with the other two. I need you to send a message to Harper and Trance. They will have to cut their vacation short; I can't handle it without their assistance. Also, please inform Captain Hunt and Captain Valentine of the test results."

"Done."

Few minutes later Dylan and Beka walked in. Both saw that Gillian was dead on her feet, two days without sleep took their toll. Hearing them come in, she started to speak:

"The situation is much more serious than I thought. The wounds were infected with time-released venom that not only caused the fever and pain, but also disabled Tyr's immune system. The nanobots responsible for his body's healing and internal defenses are malfunctioning and I don't have enough knowledge of nanotechnology to correct the problem."

"Harper will come up with something and Trance is pretty resourceful too. I am sure between the three of you you'll find a solution to the problem." Dylan's confidence was comforting, but Gillian had her doubts. Before she could say anything, he continued: "Why don't you get some rest before you make yourself sick. Maybe things will look better tomorrow. "

"And who is going to stay here and take care of my patient? You?" She didn't mean to snap at him, but she was too tired.

"No, not him. Me." Gillian looked at Beka completely surprised. She never thought Captain Valentine would volunteer as a nurse and she wasn't sure in her abilities. Her ambivalence probably shown on her face, because Beka gave her a half-smile and said, "Who do you think took care of my father when he would go on his Flash binges? Believe me, I have had more practice nursing than I cared for. I'll baby-sit Anasazi, go and rest."

"C'mon, Beka will be fine here, plus Andromeda will monitor Tyr as well. We'll know right away if anything is wrong."

"Ok, ok, I am going. Beka, please make sure to keep me informed."

Beka gave her a mock salute and pushed her out of the Medical. Dylan followed, not trusting Gillian completely. When it came to her patients she was more than stubborn.

* * *

Tyr was awake but reluctant to open is eyes. He remembered the last time he was in similar situation. This time was not much different -- or wasn't it? Something within his body didn't feel right, but he didn't know what and that worried him. At least the pain was manageable now. He heard a faint movement and felt a hand on his forehead. It was not Gillian and neither it was Trance. It smelled like . like Beka. He was surprised she was here and somewhat glad. "Rebecca? Why are you here?" He asked, "where is Dr. Ratischer?"

"Hello to you too, Tyr. Gillian is hopefully resting, she was with you for two days straight and Dylan almost reserved to the method you used last time to get her to sleep a little." Tyr chuckled. His friend was stubborn as a mule and as protective as a mother-bear of her cubs when it came to her patients. He wanted to say something but his throat was too dry. Beka understood:

"Thirsty?"

He nodded and she put her arm under his neck and carefully brought him up a little and placed a cup to his lips. He drank greedily. When he finished, she gently laid him back down and went to the other side of the room.

"Two days?"

"Yes. Two days. Do you remember anything that happened to you?"

"I recall finishing my shift and going to my quarters. For some reason I felt overly tired, so I decided to go straight to bed. I remember waking up overwhelmed with pain, Gillian, going to Medical and than nothing until now."

Beka was standing next to him now and he felt a wet cool cloth moving over is face and body, carefully avoiding his shoulder. He liked the sensation and the fact that Beka was doing it came as an added bonus. However he also felt exposed and vulnerable, and that he didn't like, so he stopped her hand with his.

"So, do you know what is wrong with me?"

"I leave it to Gillian to explain."

"Very well."

Beka hesitated a moment and than asked, "Why did you stop me? Did I hurt you?"

"You did not hurt me, I just was not very comfortable with you ministering to me."

"You are not uncomfortable with Gillian helping you?"

"It is different with her."

"How?"

Tyr turned his head to better see her face and winced from sharp pain the small movement caused. He waited for the pain to subside and asked:

"Did she ever tell you how we met?"

"No, not really."

"To understand our relationship you would need to know how did it begin."

Beka settled back in her chair and looked at Tyr: "I am not going anywhere. If you feel up to it, I really want to hear this story."

"Alright, Captain Valentine. It all began about ten years ago, when I got out of the mines. I took one of the shuttles that belonged to the mining company and headed for the Aurum system. Auris-Prime was a place where a mercenary could find employment and I needed funds badly. I guess solar storms are really a bad omen for me. Just as I was approaching Auris I was caught in one of Gargantuan magnitude. My shuttle was no match for it and I was forced to crush-land on one of the neighboring planets. That miserable piece or rock didn't even have a name, just a number. I hoped to sit the storm out, repair my ship and be on my way, but as our resident Magog would say, the Divine works in mysterious ways. It is so happened that not long before my arrival, this planet was raided by Drago-Katzov. Whoever survived the raid was bent on revenge. I walked into town with no intentions on interactions with the local populace. All I needed were spare parts and some food, but in a few moments I was attacked. The mob didn't care that I was not Drago-Katzov; all they cared about was the fact that I was a Nietzschean. Outnumbered and outgunned I was severely wounded. My attackers prematurely decided that I was dead. I waited for them to leave and crawled to a secluded alley behind small bodega. Only then I allowed myself to pass out.

I regained consciousness sometime later from a flashlight beam in my eyes. A young woman, small and so slight in statue that at first I took her for a child, looked at me with concern. I sensed no danger from her but still I tried to look as menacing as I could when I asked:

"What, came to finish the job?"

"No, actually I was trying to help you."

"Why?"

"I am a doctor, that's what I do."

I believed her. She was the straw of hope and I grabbed it. She took me to her home and tended my wounds. She helped me bathe and fed me and never even told me her name, nor she asked for mine. A human helping a Nietzschean without an ulterior motive. That evoked certain feelings within me, feelings I didn't know I was capable of experiencing towards anyone outside my pride. When we exchanged names, I thought that I should remember hers.

I was exhausted, feverish and still in pain. Finally I fell asleep, but not for long. Another solar storm came that night and my nightmares returned. Again and again I saw my mother being murdered, again and again I was drowning in blood, the blood of my people, the blood of my family. I knew I was dreaming but as usual I couldn't will myself to wake up. Suddenly the terror stopped. I felt safe and protected; someone was embracing me, holding me like a mother would hold a child. I opened my eyes and saw her, sitting next to me, my head on her shoulder, her arms around me.

"Do you know I could have killed you just now?"

She smiled, "but you didn't. I am sorry if I violated your space, but you were screaming and I felt such pain in your screams I didn't know what else to do. I just wanted you to stop hurting. Do you want to talk about it?"

I barked "No!" and detached myself from her. I turned to face the wall hoping she would leave, but she just sat there, stroking my hair. Just like my mother did when I was little. So I told her about the darkest night of my life. And finally I was able to cry. And she cried with me, for the people she never knew. That night a bond formed between us that was stronger than blood.

My body was drained by the labor in the mines and the time I spent in the desert, so I didn't heal as fast as I would have under normal circumstances, so I spent almost a month with Gillian. I knew that the longer I stayed the greater was the chance I was discovered, so we made arrangements for me to leave the planet on one of the cargo transports. One of the crew decided that he'd make more by turning us in, so when I was leaving Gillian's home we were arrested. She was taken immediately, I managed to get away only to be captured later. She didn't know I was taken. I escaped but failed to break her out of that prison. She thought I betrayed her. When I was ready to try again the place was swarmed by Magog. I was told she had died in the attack so I stowed away on one of the remaining transports and got away. Ten years later I saw her here and you know the rest."

Tyr looked at Beka and saw a suspicious glimmer in her eyes. "I never thought you were so emotional, Captain Valentine," he commented, a hint of a smile on his lips.

Beka swallowed the lump in her throat. For the first time in her life she didn't know what to say. Somehow she didn't feel like making one of her signature snappy comebacks, so she just took his hand and squeezed it lightly. He held on to her hand for a moment and than let go.

"Rebecca, there is something I have been meaning to tell you. Don't interrupt me, just listen." Beka nodded and he continued: "I owe you an apology. Actually it is long overdue, but I guess later is better then never. I am sorry for insulting you that night. Human women, at least the ones here, on Andromeda, are unique and I was wrong in my generalizing. As Gillian once told me, it is not right to transpose one's prejudices towards the species on to the individuals. Would you."

Tyr paused and Beka waited for what he was about to say when holographic Andromeda appeared next to them. "Captain Valentine, it is time for Mr. Anasazi's medication. You have volunteered to relieve Dr. Ratischer, you shouldn't neglect your responsibilities."

"I've got to get Harper to adjust your timing routines, Rommie, because they sure are off." Beka muttered to herself getting up and going over to the table where Gillian left a number of loaded hypo injectors and instructions for her. She gave him his shot and sat back down. The moment was lost and they spent some time in silence. Soon the sedative took effect and Tyr fell asleep.



* * *



"Look, even super-geniuses like me have their limits!" Harper sounded exasperated. He spent past few days in Medlab, together with Trance, Gillian and Rev. He was able to tweak Tyr's nanobots enough to stop them from attacking his body from within, but that was it. He couldn't restore their original function and he couldn't stabilize them. If things were to stay in their current state, Anasazi would have the body of a human. Plus the existing nanobots will eventually deteriorate so he will have to have them replaced regularly. For him would mean dependency and vulnerability.

Gillian delivered the news to him feeling like an executioner. Tyr took the information in and asked her to leave, he needed to be alone. He threw out anyone who attempted to talk to him and locked himself in Medical. He was overwhelmed by the feeling of despair. He was Homo Sapience Invictus, things like that just didn't happen to him! He roared and smashed his fist into the wall making a noticeable dent. And bruising and bloodying his knuckles. He twisted his mouth in mirthless smile. Only a few days ago he wouldn't even have noticed the impact and the damage would have been repaired by his body in minutes. Now he didn't even know his own body any more. His endurance, his tolerance for pain, his resistance to sickness, many other things that together constituted his superiority have changed. He roared again and started throwing things around. In the matter of minutes Med Deck looked like it's been hit by a tornado. Suddenly Tyr felt totally exhausted and had to brace himself against the wall. He couldn't remain upright so he slid down and sat on the floor. He covered his face with his hands and remained motionless for a while. He didn't move even when he heard someone come in. Few seconds later something cold and wet landed on the floor next to him.

"Wrap your hand in it or it will swell." Tyr recognized Harper's voice and looked up in surprise.

"Leave, boy. Or I."

"You what? Kill me? Nah, you are too busy feeling sorry for yourself. 'Me, Supreme Being, now having to learn how to live like human!' You are pathetic, Anasazi! To think that I actually believed your "While there is life, there is hope" crap.

"So, you have a problem. Who doesn't? You are still alive, aren't you? You have friends even though the Divine knows you don't deserve to have any and they really care for you. Your stomach isn't filled with Magog larvae like yours truly is. You have a way to control and possibly improve your condition, so why the hell you are acting like that? You said you care about Gillian, why did you hurt her feelings just now? She spent days by your side saving your miserable life -- again! -- and more days trying to find a cure for you. How dare you treat her the way you did? How dare you treat any of us the way you did? Get yourself together, Anasazi!"

Harper was screaming in Tyr's face, angry with the Nietzschean. As much as Seamus hated to admit it, Tyr was his 'tower of strength'. Tyr was not allowed to fall apart, it was his, Harper's prerogative. Tyr was supposed to be the one grab him by the scruff of his neck and shake sense into him. Having to reverse roles was tough, but Harper felt he owed Tyr that much. That's why he risked his hide and went to talk to him.

Tyr looked at Harper and for a moment Seamus was scared by the amount of pain and anguish that filled his dark eyes. He spoke quietly, almost inaudibly: "Thank you, boy. I needed that." He attempted to get up but failed and when Harper offered his hand he accepted. Seamus just managed to maneuver him up when Dylan walked in. He took in the devastation in Medical but made no comment and turned to Harper and Tyr:

"Mr. Harper, Rommie needs you in engineering. Why don't you go and I'll take Mr. Anasazi to his quarters." He carefully guided Tyr through the hallways. When they reached Tyr's quarters he brought him in and settled him in the chair, sensing that trying to put the Nietzschean to bed would be overstepping the boundaries. He went over to the cooling unit and took out a few ice cubes and wrapped them in the towel. Handing the makeshift compress to Tyr he said:

"There is nothing wrong with receiving help from those who care about you. You just have to learn to accept it."

"Thank you, Dylan."

"You are welcome." Hunt walked out, leaving Tyr alone with his thoughts.



* * *

Tyr found Gillian on the Obs Deck. She was playing something familiar to him and after a few more bars he smiled in recognition. How fitting! "Appassionata" by Beethoven, a piece full of passion and anger. She stopped abruptly and said without turning her head:

"It was not a public performance."

"You were not supposed to know I was here."

"I could feel you staring at me, Anasazi."

"It is not like you to be so.contemptible."

"Guess I learn from the pros."

"Look, I am sorry for the way I behaved. What I said was."

"What you said doesn't matter. What you did does. We all could say things we regret, our mouths often outrun our brains. But you shut everyone out, nullified our efforts to help you. Do you know that Rev and Trance spent days in the lab doing research? Do you know how many hours Harper went refusing to rest so he could try one more thing? Don't apologize to me, I accept you the way you are. Ask their forgiveness. Accept their help."

"You know, Harper and Dylan said the same things. Actually I said it all to myself. Although not before Harper gave me a verbal beating of my life."

"And what did you do to him?"

"Thanked him for it."

"You are learning."

"So, do you forgive me, Kludge?"

"Yes, Uber, I forgive you." Gillian went over and sat next to him. She took his face in her hands and looked him in the eye: "I promise I will do anything and everything to help you."

"I trust you. As Little Professor eloquently put it, you keep saving my miserable life over and over again. Would you do me another small favor?"

"What?"

"Play something for me."

Gillian smiled and nodded and went over to the piano. She shuffled the music sheets for a while until she found what she was looking for. Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto # 2.

"I think you will like it."



* * *

Tyr was on Obs Deck long after Gillian finished playing and left. He was rethinking his life. Beka walked in with a cup of coffee and a book and saw him here. Not wanting to intrude and hoping he didn't notice her she started to leave but his soft voice stopped her:

"Rebecca."

She turned around.

"Could I please talk to you?"

"Sure. What's up?" She was nervous, she had no idea why but she was, so she attempted to hide it behind fake cheerfulness.

"Would you mind if I asked that we.spend time together?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I enjoy your company and would like to spend time with you. Does that offend you in any way?"

"No, it's just."

"Are you still upset with me about that evening?"

"No, I accepted your apology and I meant it. It's just that it was unexpected, that's all. But yes, I would like for us to spend time together."

"Good. I am pleased. Enjoy your reading." He trailed his fingers over the back of her hand that held the book, stood up and left.



* * *

Gillian woke up at 0200 hours to find the bed empty. Again. It was happening every night since their return from Pellius. She was hoping that Dylan would talk to her about whatever was bothering him, but he didn't. She got up, put her robe on and went looking for him. The first obvious place was his office, but he wasn't there, so she went to hydroponics. She heard the dribble of the basketball even before she walked in. The ball almost hit her in the head when she entered. Dylan was clearly startled by her presence.

"Didn't expect you here. What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same question, only I did expect you to be here."

"Is Andromeda as usual keeping track of me?"

"I know you well enough, I don't have to ask her where you are." She came closer to him. "What is wrong, Dylan?"

"Nothing," he smiled, but the smile looked artificial. "Why don't you go back to bed, I'll be there in a little while."

"I am not going anywhere until you talk to me. Andromeda, engage privacy mode, authorization Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gillian Ratischer." Before the ship could reply Dylan requested: "Andromeda, belay that order. Gillian, I told you that nothing is wrong. Don't you know when to quit? There are things that I need to work out on my own, so please stop prying. You can't solve everybody's problems."

Gillian felt like she was slapped in the face. She willed herself to remain calm and said: "Very well, Dylan, I will stop "prying" as you so eloquently put it. But I want you to do yourself a favor and talk to someone before things get out of hand. You have to remember that by neglecting your health, be it physical or mental, you face potential harmful consequences not only for yourself but also for your crew. You are responsible for the lives of others, Dylan, never forget that. Good night." She walked out of Hydroponics and headed straight for her rooms. She didn't feel like returning to Dylan's bed.

Few moments after Gillian left Rommie walked in. "Dylan, Dr. Ratischer is right. You haven't gotten a full night's rest since your return from Pellius. And when you do sleep your heart rate is increased, your breathing is erratic and perspiration level is elevated. All these are signs that you are having nightmares. Do I take that your time on the planet is the source of these nightmares and you don't want to discuss it?"

"I can't discuss it. I can't remember what happened to me. I know the end result but who did it and why I can't recall."

"Dylan, selective amnesia is a defense mechanism. Your mind couldn't deal with what happened, so it blocked the memory."

"I understand that."

"So why didn't you tell to Gillian what you just told me?"

"I was embarrassed. I felt that if she learns that I couldn't deal with it, she would think less of me."

"But you didn't feel that she would think less of you after what you just said to her? I am sorry, Dylan but I fail to see the logic in that. You seem to care about her a great deal but every time you do something to jeopardize your relationship. I don't recall you ever acting this way with Dr. Reilly."

"It was different with Sarah. I am not saying I didn't love her, but it was all very toned down. Gillian on the other hand makes me feel things I didn't know I was capable of feeling. With her I loose my head."

Rommie folded her arms on her chest and cocked her head. "Dylan, should you really be telling all this to me? I have a feeling that someone else needs to hear it, and soon."

Dylan looked at Rommie and suddenly hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Rommie!" He almost ran out of Hydroponics. At the door he turned and tossed her the ball. She caught it and smiled.

Finding his quarters empty Dylan proceeded to Gillian's. He pressed the access button a few times but got no answer, so he requested a lock override and walked in. The room was dark and after brightly lit hallway he couldn't see her, but he was sure she was here. He heard a soft rustle of fabric, probably her robe or a sheet, and than she said, "lights on, low." The room filled with soft light. Dylan saw that Gillian was sitting with her back to him, looking at the stars in the viewer. He ran his hand through his hair. She asked in a flat voice:

"Why are you here?"

"I came to my room but you weren't there."

"Did you really expect me to be?"

"No."

"Then I ask you again, why are you here?"

"I came to apologize."

"Don't bother."

"Gillian, please listen to me!" She turned and now he could see her profile. "You didn't deserve what I said to you. I was not angry with you, I was angry with myself. I was afraid that if I admit that I have a problem you would think less of me."

She now turned completely and Dylan saw that she was crying. "Dylan, we are lovers and I was hoping we are friends. If you cannot trust me, whom do you trust then? I am not asking you to reveal a tactical secret or break diplomatic confidentiality. I do not interfere in the affairs of Captain Hunt, but I want to be involved in the life of Dylan Hunt. I would never judge you, Dylan; and I would never think less of you, because I love you."

Dylan went over to her, kneeled and rested his head on her lap. Gillian ran her hands through his hair. "It is three in the morning. Time you went to bed."

"Ok, I just need a quick shower."

He showered and returned to bed. Gillian put her arms around him and he held her tight. She traced her finger along a faint scar on his chest, a memento of his trip to Pellius. He shuddered and covered her hand with his to stop the movement. Suddenly a realization came to her: "Dylan is this about Pellius? About what happened to you there?"

He laughed, no humor in his laugh. "It's about the fact that I can't remember what happened to me there. And when I go to sleep I have nightmares but I can't remember about what. So I stopped sleeping, because I couldn't take it any more."

Gillian tightened her hold on him. "And you were afraid to tell me that?"

"More embarrassed than afraid. And lately you had your hands full."

Gillian felt a pang of guilt. "I am sorry love, I didn't realize I was neglecting you."

"No, you weren't. I know how important your work is to you, and I know how close you are with Tyr. It was hard on you."

"Right now we are not talking about me."

"No, we are talking about us. I realize now that in a relationship there shouldn't be 'you' or 'me' but 'us'. Whatever we do affects us both. I don't want to cause you any more pain. I love you." He turned her face to him and kissed her. His kiss was more expressive than anything he said. For a moment they were completely lost in each other and than both started laughing when they heard Andromeda's voice: "Privacy mode engaged, authorization Andromeda Ascendant."

"You know, Captain Hunt, your ship sometimes takes too much on herself."

"I couldn't agree more. Authorization confirmed, Captain Dylan Hunt. Thank you, Rommie! Now, where were we?"



* * *

Today was a rare day when Gillian welcomed her shift in Command. Usually she hated them and complied only because she understood the necessity of it. Just like she insisted that all crewmembers be trained at least in emergency medical procedures, Dylan wanted everyone to have working knowledge of Command and its operations. But today, after spending hours convincing the crew that regular physical examinations were not her whim but a standard and necessary procedure, she needed the quiet. She had a lot to think about.

Several hours into her shift the communication console beeped. Gillian looked at the sensors and pushed the internal commlink:

"Bridge to Captain Hunt. We are receiving an incoming transmission form Jaguar-Sabra home world. Archduke Charlemagne Bolivar is requesting communication with you. Should Andromeda patch it to your quarters?"

"No, I'm on my way to the bridge."

Moments later Dylan walked in, followed by Beka. "Andromeda, put it through please."

The view screen lit up and Bolivar's face appeared.

"Dylan, it is good to see you! Beka Valentine, I hope you are well!"

Dylan's tone was rather cool: "Archduke Bolivar, what can we do for you?"

"As of yesterday, I am a proud father of a son given to me by Elssbett, and to honor this momentous occasion Jaguar-Sabra prides are having a celebration in three days hence to which you are cordially invited. Your entire band of merry men . and women is invited, actually. This event will be open for our other non-Nietzschean alliances, so Dylan, don't pass an opportunity to make your pitch for Commonwealth. The details and dates will follow shortly. "

Dylan was about to say something when Bolivar's gaze fell on Gillian.

"Say, Dylan, and who is this lovely lady?"

"This is our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gillian Ratischer. She only joined the Andromeda's crew recently."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Doctor. If these people mistreat you in any way, please consider working for me. I am in dire need of a personal physician."

"I am sure your highness that the pleasure is all yours. As for your offer of employment - I am a surgeon, so unless you want something removed or amputated." She made an apologetic gesture with her hand. She heard Beka in the back making noises, trying hard not to laugh at her last comment.

Bolivar took the joke in stride, " I do believe Dylan you have a very good taste in women. Captain Valentine, my wife, now Dr. Ratischer. You have to tell me how you do it.

Well, I am off. Good day." And the communication was terminated.

Gillian was still digesting what she just heard when she saw Dylan trying to tiptoe out of the Command. In her most honeyed voice she said:

"Captain Hunt, will you meet me on Obs deck at 1900 hours? I believe we have something to discuss."

"Yes, Ma'am." When he left, hologram of Andromeda appeared and turned to Gillian:

"You must tell me what you find out. I have been in suspense about him and Elssbett Mossadim for almost a year now. Any longer and I will blow a fuse." At this moment Beka fell on the floor laughing.

"I feel sorry for poor Dylan. Outnumbered and outgunned.Gillian, please go easy on him, we may still need him alive."

"Rommie, is he still there listening?"

"No, Gillian, he went straight to his office."

"Good. Look, I have no intentions of giving him hard time; I just want him to think I do. I will never hold him responsible for things he did before we met. But, I have an idea. Beka, are you willing to play a part?"



* * *

Dylan was already on the Obs deck when Gillian came in. He thought if he goes full speed ahead he'll gain advantage of the situation, so before she said anything he practically yelled: "Ok, ok, so I slept with Elssbett Mossadim! Before she became Bolivar's wife!" Gillian said nothing so he continued: "And I only kissed Beka once or twice. Well, there was this time when I walked in on her in the shower . err out of the shower. ahm. well she was in the towel anyway." He started stammering and blushed, but Gillian was merciless. She looked at him with complete surprise in her face and said:

"Dylan, I of course appreciate the honesty, but I had no intentions to discuss your prior relationships. All I wanted to talk about was what I should wear to the Bolivar's affair. I have never been to a ball before, so I needed your expertise on the conduct at such events." She looked at him and at this time she allowed a smile to appear in her eyes. The realization of being had dawned on Dylan and he said quietly in almost purring voice:

"Very nicely done, Doctor Ratischer. Tell me, was it a private joke or the whole crew enjoyed the show?"

"Well, you didn't give me a chance to engage privacy mode."

"Not that it was your intention anyway, right?"

"Now you'll never know." She started to inch carefully but quickly towards the exit.

"Just wait 'till I get my hands on you!" Dylan saw that Gillian was attempting a hasty retreat and quickly cut off the way to the doors. His face was severe but his eyes were laughing.

"So, my Chief Medical Officer thinks she can play jokes on me? Well, now she will face the consequences. But I prefer to deal with wayward officers in private. Now, what should I do with you? Ah, I have an idea." With that he picked her up, slung her over his shoulder and took off almost running. He noticed on the way that Beka was standing in the hallway, saluting him, wrapped in a towel. Rommie looked amused, Harper was laughing so hard he was in tears and Tyr managed to keep his face composed but his entire body was shaking from concealed laughter. Dylan paused, put Gillian down for a moment and said in his best commanding voice:

"Today the joke is on me, but we'll see who gets the last laugh. I am sure there are plenty of ducts to be cleaned and floors to be washed with toothbrushes, so I suggest you make yourselves scarce before I begin giving out these assignments." The audience disappeared in a matter of seconds; Dylan picked Gillian up again and marched to his quarters. Entering he said: "Andromeda! Privacy mode, authorization Captain Dylan Hunt."

Once inside he put Gillian down, plopped on the couch and buried his face in his hands. She went over to him and sat down. Now she wasn't sure this whole thing was that funny.

"Look, I hope I didn't hurt your feelings, I . we certainly didn't mean to. It's just that you looked so nervous when Bolivar started listing your 'conquests', I couldn't resist. I guess my fondness of practical jokes is another thing you didn't know about me."

Dylan was silent and Gillian became edgy. He wouldn't say anything or look at her, so she put a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Dylan? Are you alright? Look, I am sorry, ok? Really, really sorry."

Suddenly he turned, grabbed her hand and pinned her body to the couch. He then kissed her breathless and laughingly said:

"I was a king of practical jokes when I was a cadet. You, my dear, are still wet behind your ears when it comes to pranks. So, next time do yourself a favor and consult the specialist."

"Are pranks your only area of expertise, Captain?"

"Well, there are few other things I prize myself on."

"Do they include." And she whispered something in his ear.

"Why don't you be the judge of that!" And he picked her up again and carried her to the bedroom.



* * *

"Rommie! Rommie, where are you?" Beka was frustrated. Where was this usually omnipresent ship when she really needed her?

"What can I do for you, Captain Valentine?" Holo-Rommie blinked behind Beka's back, startling her and thoroughly enjoying it.

"I . I need something nice to wear to this Nietzschean thing we are all invited to."

"You mean that you are not going to give me and Dylan a headache trying to convince us that leather pants, boots and a gun belt are perfect attire for a formal dinner? What gives?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"I keep more secrets than I actually care to, so."

"Ok, point taken. You see, Tyr asked me to be his escort at this event and I want to look nice."

"A-ha. I see."

Beka threw her hands in the air: "Forget it, sorry I asked. I guess I'll just won't go."

"Calm down, Beka, I was joking. Let's go find you a dress, shell we?" And Rommie pulled hesitant Beka with her.

Trance and Gillian joined them in the wardrobe room and girls had their fun trying on dresses. Afterwards Trance went to her garden in Hydroponics. Dylan wanted to present Elssbett with flowers and Trance was really excited to put her talents to work. She planned to make a growing arrangement so it could be later re-planted. She hated cut flowers.

She was humming happily and trying different combinations of plants and branches when suddenly one of the flowering bushes that were recently brought aboard Andromeda started to shimmer and change shape. Trance looked at it as the shrub became translucent and formed a cloud of sparkly dust that slowly took shape of a woman. Tall woman in shiny tight catsuit and veiled face. The purple girl stood there, speechless, looking at the apparition. The creature circled her and purred:

"Hello, pet. Forget me so soon?"

Trance was desperately trying to squeeze a sound out of her throat but was almost paralyzed with fear. She was patting her hand on the wall behind her looking for a comm button when her visitor said:

"Don't bother. I will sense anyone approaching and simply turn back to a tree. Now, pet, answer me. Why did you leave me? You didn't like my gardens?"

"I. I didn't like the games you were playing."

"These were not games, pet. I needed those people so I could live. You know what I need to sustain me. So, few had to die for me to continue. Big deal! Your brothers and sisters play with worlds and nations, are they any better them I am?"

"I don't play with worlds, I play with flowers. What do you want here Isis?"

"Ah, you remember my name. I don't use it any more; after fifteen thousand years it bores me. I call myself Chameleon. Rather fitting, don't you think? And it's not what do I want, it's whom do I want. I want the one they call Dylan. He got away from me last time. I don't like when men refuse me and I hate when they run away."

"So what do you need me for?"

"You know I can't perform my rituals here. I have to be on the ground; I need the power of soil with me when I take my due from men."

"You mean when you mate with them and suck their energy from them, don't you?"

"Crudely put, but yes. And there is where you come in. You all are going to the Jaguar home world tomorrow, is that correct?"

"Yes"

"Good. The Royal Palace is built on the grounds that have extensive caves underneath. The entrance to these caves is at the duck pond, under the Tea House. You will lead him there, and the rest is up to me. Remember, I want Dylan, but anyone will be fair game. And as an added incentive - if you fail to deliver, I'll kill the little Jaguar prince and make sure everyone will see a certain purple alien do it"

"Why don't I just throw you out the airlock, Isis?"

"First, I told you, I like to be called Chameleon, and second - go ahead and throw me out, I will simply come back. You can't kill me. You can't run away from me. You just have to obey me."

The creature began to shimmer and dissolve in the air, taking once again the shape of a tree. The transformation was almost complete when Trance heard:

"I hope you know what is going to be the centerpiece of your arrangement?"

Trance slumped down and cried. She had to do it. It was either Dylan or the child. And she knew that Isis would not stop until she gets what she wants. But there had to be a way out of this situation, right? There was a possibility of a perfect outcome, even if the chances were ten million six hundred and seventy two thousand five hundred and eighty seven to one. More or less.

Rommie plastered herself to the outside wall of Hydroponics. If she had a heart it would have been in her throat. She has heard the entire exchange and now she had to do something. She couldn't put her Captain, her crew or the innocent child in danger. She couldn't even tell anyone what she heard - there was no guarantee that this creature couldn't read minds. "I am a warship, I can do anything." She thought and left the deck

PART 2

Captain Hunt was sitting in his office going over the details of the upcoming visit to Jaguar Prime. For the umpteenth time he checked and re- checked the assignments, dress code, rules of conduct, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. His vision began to blur and when he heard the access chime he was actually happy to be interrupted. Without looking he said, "Come in!" and put down the flexi he was reading. He was surprised to see Tyr walking in and sitting down in the chair opposite of him. Dylan waited a few moments, but the Nietzschean remained silent. Finally Dylan broke the pause:

"Something on your mind?"

Tyr cleared his throat. Dylan thought that if he didn't know better he would believe that Anasazi was nervous.

"Captain Hunt, I have come to ask your advice."

'I didn't know better' crossed Dylan's mind, but out loud he said: "I don't know what an inferior being like me can help you with, but ask away!"

"It is rather delicate matter and I would appreciate you treating it seriously!" Tyr was becoming agitated and Hunt quickly retreated: "I am sorry, I did not mean to offend you in any way. What can I do for you?"

"I need your expertise on human women."

"Human women as the females of the species or you have a particular woman in mind?" Dylan had an idea where Tyr was going but he wanted to hear it from him.

"A particular woman."

"Does she have a name?"

"It is irrelevant."

"On the contrary, Tyr, it is very relevant. Unlike with Nietzscheans, there are no universal standards when it comes to winning attention of a human woman. The "Veni, vidi, vici" approach does not work."

"I came, I saw, I conquered. Caesar was smart, but I guess you are right, this tactic will not work with Captain Valentine."

"Ah, so it is Beka you want to talk about."

Tyr's facial muscles tensed for a moment and he nodded.

"Well, as difficult it is to build a successful relationship with any woman, Beka is a special case. She had a difficult life, she does not trust easily and she does not forgive and forget. She may appear flirtatious and "easy" but believe me, she is not. In many ways she is like you."

"So, how shell I proceed?"

"You need to understand how human relationships work, or rather how women want them to. For Nietzscheans it is all about DNA, lineage and progeny, correct?"

"Yes, the relationship starts when a female chooses her male and mates with him. She then bears him children."

"For humans children are not the prime objective, not at first anyway. When two people meet the male courts the female. If the courtship is successful and they both are interested in each other, they than step up to the next level - the physical relationship."

"You mean sex?"

"Yes, Tyr, I mean sex. But I am not talking about sex as in Harper's need to get laid." Tyr smirked and shook his head at this comment. "I am talking about sexual relationship that signifies certain degree of intimacy between two people. And continuing with it, if they are able to sustain this intimacy and become comfortable with each other in other aspects of their lives, they may consider marriage. Usually it is the male who proposes marriage to a female and if she accepts than they become a family. Only then husband and wife will consider having children some day. Now, understand that I have given you an ideal picture, there are of course variations and deviations, but that's the gist of it. So for you I would suggest - start working out together again. Cook her dinner."

Tyr interrupted, "Last time I cooked her dinner she ended up not talking to me for a month."

"When was that?"

"The same time you came from a supply trip bruised and battered and insisted that nothing happened to you."

Dylan let the last comment go and nodded: "Oh, that's why you too were all tense around each other."

"Can we get back to the courting thing?"

"Ok, ok. I would say - cook her dinner and make up for whatever happened last time. I would suggest you make it tonight, because tomorrow we are due on Jaguar Prime."

"About that, Dylan."

"Tyr, you are going. I need you there. You just have to be more careful than usual." Dylan tactfully avoided mentioning Tyr's medical condition. He also decided not to tell Tyr just yet that Gillian was hoping to confer with Jaguar medics on the planet hoping they may have the cure or more effective treatment.

Again Tyr tensed but nodded his agreement. Giving Dylan a half-smile he said, "Actually, what I was about to say was that I asked Rebecca to be my official escort to the ball. She has been avoiding me ever since."

"All the more reason for you to seek her out and talk. Good meal and good wine usually work miracles. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back." Hunt went back to his living quarters and returned a minute later with a bottle. Smiling, he handed it to Tyr.

"Three-hundred-years-old Vedran Chardonnay will definitely impress her."

"It must be very valuable to you, Captain. Why are you giving it away?"

"My people are valuable to me. And why would you think it was the last bottle?"

Tyr looked at Dylan. "Thank you."

"You are welcome. And I expect updates."

Tyr didn't reply to the last remark but he left smiling.



* * *



Gillian walked in to the gym and saw Beka attempting to kill the punching bag. Gillian smiled. She knew very well what was going on, but she was not about to interfere. If Beka wanted her help she would ask.

"I think the bag is really, really sorry for whatever it did."

"Not. As. Sorry. As. I am." Each word Beka punctuated with a punch or a kick. The last one almost threw the bag off the hook.

"What are you talking about?" Now Gillian was confused.

"I am talking about this whole Anasazi business."

"Ok, back up and start form the beginning."

Beka stopped brutalizing the equipment and sat down to stretch. Gillian joined her and Beka started talking.

"It's like this. First, months ago, he sort of hits on me only to say that he'll never ever be interested in human woman. Than he is just being indifferent, until this whole thing on Pellius happened. And than, I don't know, he goes all soft on me, he wants to spend time with me, and next thing you know -- I am his 'official escort' to this damned ball. What gives?"

"What gives, Captain Valentine, is that Tyr has feelings for you. Actually he was attracted to you for a long time. His own rules and prejudices stopped him."

"So what, now that he is not that superior any more he thinks I'm good enough?"

"No, now he realized the finality of his life and he does not want to waist any more time. Beka, what he feels for you is as close to what we call "love" as he can possibly get. Just give him a chance. He'll put his foot in his mouth not once because Nietzscheans are different from us and he does not know how to behave with you."

"I don't know how to behave with him either."

"The question is -- are you interested in the "with him" part?"

Beka paused for a moment. "I've been thinking about it for a long time. I wasn't sure, but that night when this whole thing happened to Tyr and I sat in Medical with him we had a talk. Actually he talked and I listened. I hope you don't mind but he told me how you two met, how you helped him. And I saw a whole different side to him. I guess nobody but you had seen it before. So I would have to say yes, I am interested."

"Then just act like you would with a man you are interested in. Just remember that he would be much more sensitive and fragile then human man. "

"Tyr Anasazi? Fragile?"

"Remember that Nietzscheans don't have relationships like we do. All he knows about is choosing and be chosen by a female, mating and having children. I imagine he would be very insecure in a real relationship. He knows you are not interested in his lineage or the quality of his DNA, but he has no idea what makes you tick. Be patient, be careful and caring but not wimpy and clingy and I am sure it will work. And by the way, the dress Rommie suggested for you to wear tomorrow will make any male drool!"

"Hey, wait and see what Dylan has to say about your choice! Although I doubt he will be able to speak for a while!"

Beka and Gillian laughed and headed for the showers. Beka stopped by her locker and exclaimed: "What's this?"

Gillian came over and saw a small envelope that had "READ ME" inscribed in almost calligraphic letters. Gillian laughed: "Ok, Beka in Wonderland, read it!"

"Wasn't it Alice who got to wonderland?"

"Nitpicker! Just read the note!"

Beka opened the envelope and the note inside read: "Go to your quarters."

Valentine looked puzzled. "Any ideas what is it about?" Gillian had a very good idea what it was about and she knew Tyr's handwriting, but she didn't want to spoil the surprise.

"Nope. You just have to do what the note says and find out in due time. Well, I'm off, I have to relieve Trance in Medical."

"Oh-kay, I will see you later." Beka went on to her quarters, shaking her head. When she got there she saw another note sticking out of the bouquet if fresh flowers. The note read: "Be on Obs deck at 1900 hours". 'But my shift starts at 1900 hors' Beka thought when her comm link beeped.

"Yes, what is it? "

"Boss, do you mind switching with me for the morning shift? I got something to take care of tomorrow, so I'll cover for you tonight." Harper sounded genuine so she decided that no fowl play was involved and agreed, but not before checking with Dylan first. When she went to her closet to get dressed, one of her favorite outfits, a strappy black top and black silk pants was brought up front and yet another envelope pinned to it. The envelope held a small vial of perfume and another note that read: "Please wear me tonight." Beka wanted to be angry but couldn't. She realized by now who was the invisible visitor leaving her notes. What she didn't know how did he find out that "Alice in Wonderland" was her favorite book when she was a child and even now.

When Beka walked in to the Obs deck it looked exactly the same as it did the night Tyr asked her to dinner the first time. Only this time she was nervous. She hated herself for it, but couldn't help it. Tyr walked towards her and took her hand. He led her to the table, pulled out her chair and opened elaborately folded napkin and placed it on her lap. He than took a seat opposite of her and opened a bottle of wine and poured. Beka opened her mouth but he raised his hand preventing her from speaking:

"Rebecca, before you say anything -may I tell you something?'

"Of course."

"I wanted to thank you for coming here tonight. It means a lot to me that you are willing to give us a chance." Beka was actually touched. She saw and felt the tension in him and she understood what Gillian meant when she spoke of his sensitivity.

"I have to be honest with you, Tyr. I have forgiven you for what you said, but I am not an easy person to have a relationship with. I don't know how is it going to work out but I am willing to try. And the fact that you are a Nietzschean and I am human is going to complicate things even more."

Tyr looked at her and said: "I never had to stop and think about my life, I felt I knew everything I needed to know, I knew what to do at all times - establish myself within the pride, mate, have strong children and become an Alpha. After the destruction of Kodiak everything still was clear-cut - avenge the deaths of my people, find new pride, establish myself, etc. But I ended up here, on Andromeda and for the first time I began to understand that there other things in life then what I had planned, or rather what was programmed in to me by centuries of genetical engineering. And now, my first real taste of humanity, however bitter it is, allowed me to understand how many things I took for granted. I want to learn to live and enjoy living instead of simply surviving. Your "aliveness" was what attracted me to you in the first place. You are a survivor but you live and enjoy life. Can you help me, Rebecca? Can you teach me to live and love?"

Beka was sunned. She had always known that there was much more to Tyr than his tough exterior and menacing looks, but the depth of his feelings shocked her. She was at loss at what to say so she took a sip of the wine.

"Isn't it Dylan's sacred Vedran Chardonnay?" She asked him, still trying to absorb what he just said. He understood and went along with her:

"This wine was a present from Captain Hunt, however I didn't know it was sacred."

"He only opened it once before when we signed up the first or the second world. Right before your stunt with Orca."

"You have a good memory, Rebecca."

"It's a survival tool, don't you know that? Anyway, why do you cal me Rebecca? I used to hear it only when I got in trouble, it sounds strange."

"It sounds musical to me. I will stop if it is unpleasant to you."

"No, don't. I kind of like it. It's different form what everyone else calls me."

"That is what I want - to be different from everyone around you. One thing you should know about Nietzscheans is that we are very loyal to those we choose to be. I want to be your friend or possibly more, but whoever I am to you, you will always have my loyalty, my care, and my protection. I will never abandon you, Rebecca, remember that."

Beka was feeling overwhelmed by the emotional charge of the evening. She didn't know how to reply, so she simply said "Thank you, Tyr," and touched his hand.

They proceeded with dinner and quiet conversation. Beka found out a lot about Tyr and she herself opened a little bit to him. They did have a lot in common and soon they were joking and laughing and enjoying each other's company. When Beka finished her dessert and looked at the time she realized she only had a couple of hours before her shift so she stood up:

"I better go, I have to be in the Command at 0700 hours."

"I'll walk you to your quarters."

"Don't worry, it's not like I could be jumped by bandits here."

"And still, I'll walk you home."

They left the Obs deck and after a short walk ended up at Beka's door. Impulsively she put her arms around Tyr's neck and kissed him. When they pulled apart, he took her face in his hands and said:

"Rebecca, we shouldn't be doing this now. I may loose control, my desire for you is great."

"So, we are both adults. Are you afraid I am pushing you into something you are not sure about?"

"Rebecca, I was never more sure about anything in my life. However right now I am not as I should be, and I don't want you to think that you are my cancellation prize, that I want you because I can't have Nietzschean female any more. I want to come to you when I am whole again and show you that I am worthy of you."

Beka ran her hands over his face, through his braids and rested them on his broad shoulders. Her blue eyes were oceans of emotions. This was the last thing she expected to hear from any man, especially Tyr.

"Anasazi, if you set out to have me surprised you have succeeded. Nobody has ever said anything like that to me. Thank you." She kissed his lips lightly, "Good night."

Tyr took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on its palm. He held it to his face for a moment and than released it. "Good night, Rebecca."





* * *

Trance was pacing her room. There has to be something she could do. She had to find the way without telling others. She pounded herself on the forehead with her fist, 'Think, think, think!'

Holo-Rommie appeared in her room. "Trance, we need to talk. Don't ask any questions, meet me in engineering in five minutes."

When Trance walked into engineering. Rommie waited for her there and handed her the VR goggles. "Put these on and join me in my mainframe, we need a safe place to talk." Trance complied and in the matter of seconds she found herself in Rommie's inner sanctum. The AI looked at her with concern.

"Trance, I know what is going on. What can we do to stop the Chameleon?"

"We can't stop her. She is from the species I know very little about. All I can tell you is that she feeds on the energy of her victims. She uses any method available to coerce the man to become intimate with her and then she just sucks the life out of him. She is bent on getting Dylan because he was the first one in a very long time who was able to refuse her. Her tactic is always the same -- convincing, seduction or torture into submission. To survive, Dylan will have to go through the same circles of Hell he's already gone on Pellius. He has to continue to refuse her. Once he succumbs - he is dead. I don't now if and how we can help him."

"Well, we sure as hell are going to try. We can't tell anyone until the last minute, can we?"

"No, Rommie, we can't." Trance looked crestfallen. Rommie took her by the shoulders:

"Well then, we just have to be extra careful. You'll do everything she told you to do and I will make sure that Dylan and the crew are protected. We are to stay on the Jaguar Prime for at least three days for the duration of the festivities, and Bolivar indicated that there maybe few governments interested in talking to Dylan afterwards, so we'll have time to prepare. Your goal is to stretch the time as much as possible; we have other people and our hosts to think about, this creature is planning to set up camp right under the palace gardens.

Trance, we've been in worse situations then this one. Right now it is up to us to fix it. I will indicate to Gillian that she should stay as close to Dylan as possible. She knows that there may be an attack on him; he has as many enemies as he does friends, and she knows he will never agree to have a security detail attached even if Bolivar offers one. I'm sure she wouldn't mind looking out for our Captain."

Trance couldn't help but smile at the last comment, "They sure are good for each other. I haven't seen Dylan so happy in a long time. Ok, let's get to work!" She exited the VR and left the engineering, heading for the Hydroponics.



* * *

Dylan, Tyr and Harper waited for the ladies in Hangar Bay 2, ready to board Pegasus. Dylan wore the dress uniform, navy-blue with burgundy trim; the only adornment was the Commonwealth insignia on his lapel. Tyr had on his signature long coat and leathers; the only concession he made for this occasion was a black shirt instead of his usual chain mail. Harper actually wore a suit. No one knew how much coercion, sweet-talking and finally threats it cost Rommie to get him to wear it, but the final result was worth it. Black long-coated two-piece with stark white turtleneck made him look good. Even Tyr commented that the expression "Clothes make the man" was meant for Harper, but then added "Out of a boy", which made Harper huff and puff his indignation and everyone else laugh.

Finally the "Four Graces" as Harper dubbed the women of Andromeda entered the room. When Beka saw the reaction to their appearance she made a not so quiet side comment "Ladies, watch out for the drool, we may get wet!" Indeed, the girls presented a lovely vision. Rommie's dress was pale gold and white brocade, off the shoulders with tight bodice and full skirt. Trance's was white organza, light and flowing like a cloud. Beka looked positively stunning in baby-blue sequined ankle-length backless gown that came low in the front in soft cowl-like folds. Gillian chose a boat-necked dress in navy-blue silk that shimmered slightly under the light. The fluid material moved with every step she made, not clinging but outlining every curve of her body; and generous side slit allowed just a peek of a lacy garter on her stockings. The high-heeled shoes and long gloves were made of the same material. She wore a single strand of pearls around her neck, teardrop pearl earrings and three-band pearl bracelet with a clasp in the shape of the Commonwealth crest. Dylan recognized the bracelet as a High- Guard comm device designed for female officers for just such occasions and saw that Beka had one also, hers was done in silver.

Dylan came over to Gillian and took her hands in his. "You look beautiful. I think you are one of the few who mastered the art of understated elegance." He saw that in her right hand she held a folded fan. Pointing to it he asked, "Do you think the palace will be hot?" Before she had a chance to answer, Tyr spoke up:

"Actually, Captain, this is not an accessory, but a weapon. Quite deadly one, I might add.

Since our sidearms and forcelances will not be allowed in the palace I applaud Dr. Ratischer's ingenuity. I personally saw it in action once and I was impressed. To use such fan is a difficult skill to learn and invaluable one to posses."

Dylan looked at Gillian: "You never cease to amaze me. Shell we?" And he took her by the elbow to help her to board the Pegasus. The others followed and Dylan took the pilot seat. Rev remained on board to keep an eye on things and be ready should the need arise.

While in flight, Tyr pulled Beka close and whispered "You look incredible, Rebecca, but you will make my life very difficult." She feigned innocence and asked, "Why do you say that?" He growled softly and shook his head. She knew very well that he might end up fighting half of the male guests because she was bound to attract attention.

Upon the arrival Dylan and the others were met by the Master of Ceremonies. Their belongings were taken to the suites assigned to them and the Archduke's aid came to escort them to the ballroom. They were positioned in the line of arriving guests and slowly moved forward.

When Trance saw the flower arrangement she prepared being brought in, she became so fidgety that Tyr asked her sotto voce "Is your tail itching again?" She snorted indignantly, but calmed down and everyone laughed remembering how she was on Svarog's Anvil after she lost her tail. Gillian raised her eyebrows in an unspoken question and Dylan whispered "I'll tell you later."

Finally they approached the Archduke and his wife. Dylan had Gillian at his left side and Rommie at his right, Tyr led Beka and Harper escorted Trance. Dylan greeted and congratulated the couple on the arrival of their first son and introduced Rommie first. She quickly stepped aside to allow him to present the others. When he introduced Gillian she dipped in the classical royal-court-style curtsy. Rising, she looked at Bolivar and said:

"It's an honor to make your acquaintance, Archduke, Duchess. Congratulations on the arrival of your heir." Elssbett bowed her head slightly and Bolivar took Gillian's hand and kissed it, lingering over and holding it a little longer then necessary, rubbing his thumb over the her palm. Letting go he said: "The honor and the pleasure are mine, my dear. As I told Captain Hunt before, he does have excellent taste in women. We shell talk later." Dylan proceeded to introduce the rest of his crew.

When the formalities were over and the guests were invited to drinks before dinner, Beka came over to Gillian and pulled her to the side: "Dylan may not be Nietzschean but he almost growled when Bolivar held your hand. Are you trying to make him jealous? "

Gillian smiled and said "No, not him. Her. I saw how Elssbett was undressing Dylan with her eyes and I wanted to repay in kind. Watch, the duel is only starting." Beka just shook her head.

Gillian was talking to Harper, Beka and Tyr. Dylan's attention was occupied by some dignitaries Bolivar introduced him to. The Archduke himself strolled over to Gillian and started small talk, politely including the rest of the group into the conversation. The exchange of pleasantries seemed fairly benign, Bolivar didn't attempt anything salacious and Gillian didn't want to provoke him unnecessarily. Suddenly Harper exclaimed: "Hey, why is that guy wearing a robe?" Tyr answered without looking, "Boy, many cultures have some sort of a robe as formal wear. Even you should know that!" Harper replied: "No, it looks like a silk housecoat of some sorts, like you would put over pajamas!" The group looked and Gillian said, amazed: "Harper, this is not just any robe he wears, this is a ceremonial Kimono!" Seamus looked closer and said, "Hey, he carries a fan, just like yours!" Now this exchange got everyone's attention and Bolivar signaled the strange-looking man to approach. Dylan noted the commotion and joined the group. The man in question made his way to Archduke and bowed. He looked different from everyone in the room. He wore a long black silk robe that Gillian called a Kimono that was held by wide, intricately folded and tied belt with strange writings. His skin had yellowish-olive tint, his eyes were dark, almost black and slanted. Long jet-black hair pulled back and braided. He sported Nietzschean bone blades, but his were thin and their tips were barbed. Bolivar turned to his guests from Andromeda and said: "Allow me to introduce our Chief of Security and my right hand, Hirohito Koyasaba." The man turned to them and bowed again. He looked at Gillian and noticed her fan. He raised his eyebrows in silent question. Gillian looked at him, than she placed her arms in front of her, hands pressed together in a prayer-like manner and bowed to the strange-looking Nietzschean, saying something in an unfamiliar language. He looked pleasantly surprised, the others were watching in shocked silence. Koyasaba bowed and answered, choosing Common, so everyone would understand:

"You know the way of the Samurai, child?"

"I had taken but a sip from the river of knowledge, Koyasaba-San. I had been allowed but a glimpse at the mountain of wisdom. I had the honor of meeting Hiroshi Yamamoto of the Samurai Pride."

"I know of Hiroshi. I mourned his passing in the destruction of my pride."

"I mourned the loss of the Samurai as well, Koyasaba-San."

"What is your name, child?"

"Gillian Ratischer."

"Have you ever done the Dance of the Fans, Gillian?"

"Yes I have."

"Would you join me tomorrow for a demonstration in the Martial Arts Exhibit?"

"I wouldn't dare to compare my feeble skills to yours, Koyasaba-San. I am afraid I will shame you."

"If you learned from Hiroshi you cannot shame me. Do it to honor his memory."

"Very well. I will do the Dance of the Fans with you tomorrow."

"I shell send the ceremonial attire to your suite in the morning." He bowed again and departed.

Tyr looked at Gillian in total astonishment. "I thought the Samurai Pride was a legend, a myth, nothing more." Before she could answer, Bolivar said: "No, they are not. Very secretive and reclusive, just like the ancient Samurai worriers of the Earh's Japan, they kept their existence heavily veiled. Some left the home world disagreeing with the ways of their elders and that saved them. The sun in the solar system of Samurai Prime went Super-Nova destroying the whole galaxy. Well, that was entertaining." He turned to Gillian and took her hand. Everyone noticed that Dylan's arm immediately went around Gillian's waist pulling her close. Bolivar smiled and said: "The dinner should be announced shortly, and the dancing will follow. I hope your dance card isn't full yet?"

"I shell save a dance for you, your Highness." Gillian smiled and lowered her eyes.

"Please, call me Charlemagne." She looked at him: "But that would be Move Ton, your Highness! We are not that closely acquainted to be on the first- name basis with each other." He stepped closer and whispered theatrically: "Maybe we should get to know each other better then?" Gillian felt Dylan's fingers dig into her side and the look that Tyr gave her burned her back. She was about to say something when they were approached by Elssbett:

"The dinner is about to be announced, shell we go?" The Duchess was hot happy to see the way her husband was looking at Gillian, so she ran her hand over Dylan's arm and purred: "I was looking forward to seeing you again, Captain Hunt. Our last encounter was quite . memorable." Dylan cringed and Gillian laughed inwardly. At this moment the Master of the Ceremonies announced dinner, so Hunt carefully detached himself from the Duchess and turned to Gillian: "Shell we?"

At dinner Gillian was seated between Dylan and Tyr. Dylan's attention was monopolized by Elssbett who just happened to sit on his right, which left Gillian completely available to listen to Tyr's prolonged lecture on unhealthy habits of baiting one's lovers or Nietzscheans. Beka added her two cents and Gillian became peeved: "Neither one of you has to watch your lover being pawed by the woman he had a one-night-stand with!"

Beka tried to calm her down: "You know she means nothing to him, he is just being polite."

"And you think that this . this peacock means anything to me? I just want to give them all a taste of their own medicine, nothing more."

When the dinned was over, Dylan took Gillian by the elbow and quietly said: "Walk with me."

"I am sorry, but I was planning to dance. We will have plenty of time to walk later if you wish."

"Very well then, dance with me."

He led Gillian on to the dance floor. The dances were formal ballroom variety, waltzes, foxtrots and many others. Dylan handled them pretty well, but when the band played tango he bailed. Smiling apologetically he explained that he could never master the intricate routines of the tango. At this moment Bolivar approached Gillian and asked her to dance with him. She knew Dylan wanted to talk to her but to refuse their host would be rude so she accepted. Bolivar was a very skilled dancer and soon she noticed that the floor was clearing up and soon only two couples remained - them and Tyr and Beka. The band flowed from one tango melody to another without skipping a bit and their dancing turned into a performance. When they finally finished, Bolivar kissed her hand and said, returning her to Dylan's side:

"Well, that was surely. invigorating. We shell do it again sometime. You know, it usually takes two to tango, if you catch my drift."

"We will see, your Highness." And she curtsied and turned to Dylan. He didn't look happy.

"Gillian, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you enjoy making me angry or jealous?"

"No, but I do enjoy giving Elssbett hard time."

"And that would be a good idea why?"

"Because her paws all over you did not make me a happy camper!"

"We've already discussed that and you know she means nothing to me. Not any more."

"Does she know that?"

Dylan sighed in exasperation. "What if she challenges you?"

"Then I will accept the challenge, wipe the floor with her and give her to her own husband as a present from a winner. How is that for keeping with Nietzschean tradition?"

"Very well, Dr. Ratischer. I see that you did your homework." Gillian whipped her head back and saw Elssbett standing behind her, smiling. "I have to say, you give as good as you get. I am sure the fight with you could provide interesting. After all, Koyasaba does not invite just anyone to perform with him."

"You give me too much credit, your Highness. Koyasaba-San invited me only because I trained with Hiroshi Yamamoto."

"Samurai don't train just anyone. You obviously were worthy his attention. How did you know him anyway?"

"Hiroshi-San was a friend of my father. He came to live on Maghira Drift right after we moved there. He only followed the way of the Samurai in his martial arts training and teaching. In other aspects he was living just like anyone else. He and my father had the hots for the same woman and she wouldn't choose. So Hiroshi-San challenged my father for her. Dad agreed, but since he was challenged he could pick the weapons. He chose chess. The arbiters had to agree, Hiroshi didn't say "fight", he just said, "challenge", so chess it was and Dad won. Hiroshi-San was not a sour looser and they became good friends. Dad always laughed that Hiroshi saved me from becoming a total brat. Unfortunately, I only had two years to learn form him. The message arrived that his father was dying and wanted to see his prodigal son. Hiroshi-San left and we never saw him again. Forgive me, your Highness", Gillian turned away and wiped moisture from her eyes.

"Nothing to forgive. And please, call me Elssbett. We can stop our games now and spend time with our respective mates, but before you go, I have to tell you something." She leaned in and whispered something in Gillian's ear, causing her double over with laughter.

"Elssbett, this is priceless! Thank you!" And they bid their farewells. Dylan looked worried:

"What did she tell you?"

"Oh, nothing, dear, just girl stuff."

Her innocence didn't fool him for a second. "Nietzschean princesses- assassins don't usually do "girl stuff", what was that she told you?"

"Dylan, didn't your mother tell you that if you frown too much you'll get wrinkles on your forehead? You have to learn to relax, dear. Come, let's get some fresh air." She pulled him on to the vast veranda just outside the ballroom and they sat on the marble bench. Dylan took her gloved hand and played with her fingers. He said nothing for a long time and just looked her, and then he bent his head down and kissed her gently.

"You know, this is the quietest moment that we have had since the day we met."

Gillian smiled: "You are probably right. Andromeda is not a quiet place. But I like it. I never wanted quiet to begin with." Dylan looked pensive, so she asked: "Is there something on your mind?"

He laughed, "Do you realize that it is exactly what I usually say? Anyway, yes there is something on my mind. Actually there are a lot of things on my mind. I want to tell you so many things, I want to tell you how I feel about you, I want to tell you how much I love you and care about you, I want to tell you that you made me feel things I have never felt before, but I don't know how to say all that."

Gillian silenced him with a finger on his lips, "But you just did."

He looked at her, surprised and relieved at the same time.

"Yes, I did, didn't I? You know, now I now that the way we live our lives we can't afford to hold things back. I almost died on Pellius and if I did you would have never known how much you mean to me. My own insecurities and stubbornness almost prevented me from being with you. I do not intend to make that mistake twice." With that he pulled out a small velvet box and turned to Gillian. Standing on one knee in front of her, he opened the box and taking a deep breath asked:

"Gillian Ratischer, will you marry me?"

She took the ring out of the box. Sapphire and diamonds set in platinum, an exquisite blend of taste and style. Holding it she looked in his eyes and said, raising him from his kneeling position:

"Yes, Dylan Hunt, I will marry you." And she put the ring on her finger. He pulled her close and kissed her until she was out of breath.

"You made me the happiest man in the known world!" He started kissing her again but someone's growling interrupted them. Looking around they saw Tyr and Beka on the bench few yards away. Beka was almost panting and Tyr's breathing was hard as well. He growled again and said:

"Rebecca."

"Tyr!" Beka sat up straight and looked in the direction of Dylan and Gillian.

"What?"

"Shut up and kiss me!"

He obliged and now he was making noises resembling the purring of a cat. A very large cat. Dylan and Gillian looked at each other and decisively walked over to them. Approaching the bench Dylan cleared his throat, partly to attract attention, partly to cover Gillian's giggles, because she saw that Tyr's eyes were open and he knew they were coming. Pulling Beka away Tyr looked up at the two intruders and said in mock irritation:

"Anything we can help you with, Doctor, Captain?"

"Actually," Dylan answered, "there is something you can help us with."

"And that would be?"

"A celebration of our engagement!"

Tyr carefully detached himself from Beka and stood up, glowering at Dylan:

"Are you saying you proposed to Dr. Ratischer?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I am saying!"

"And you didn't ask for my blessing first?"

"Tyr, what's gotten into you? They are getting married, be happy!" Beka was puzzled by his behavior, but Dylan and Gillian knew his game well.

"Captain Hunt, I am sure you know that I consider Dr. Ratischer family."

"Yes, Tyr."

"I am sure you know how Nietzscheans feel about their families."

"Yes, Tyr."

"So I am warning you, Captain Hunt, you better take good care of your woman and make her happy, otherwise there will be no place in the world that will protect you from me. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Tyr."

Tyr's stone façade broke into a wide grin: "Congratulations, Captain. You were chosen by a great female. I wish you long years together and many strong children." He turned to Gillian and pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the ground: "Congratulations, Kludge."

She kissed his cheek: "Thanks, Uber."

Dylan laughed: "Put my woman down, Anasazi!"

No one saw Beka slip away, but now she returned with a bottle of champagne and four glasses:

"Hey, this calls for a toast! But first, let me see the ring." She looked at it and turned to Dylan: "I commend your good taste, Captain Hunt."

"Well thank you, Captain Valentine!"

The four raised their glasses and Beka said: "To our first Commonwealth family-to-be!"

They drank and Dylan pulled Gillian into a kiss. Seconds later he broke away, put their glasses down on the bench and said: "If you excuse us, we have some urgent business to discuss." He picked Gillian up and carried her off in the direction of the suites.

Beka laughed: "Yeah, I bet it was really urgent!" Tyr looked after Dylan and she saw that his eyes held such longing that Beka felt her heart constrict. She placed her hand on his: "Tyr, you'll find a woman for yourself someday too."

Tyr pulled her close. "I already have. I just need to prove myself to her."

When she realized what he was saying her entire being filled with joy and anxiety. Joy from his confession and anxiety because she was terrified of relationships and commitments and she knew what Tyr wanted was just that - a committed relationship.

"And how does she prove to be worthy of you, Tyr?"

"She doesn't have to. She simply must be true to herself."

PART 3

The great hall was prepared and decorated for the martial arts exhibition. Weapons of all sorts and varieties hang on the walls between the pride banners of Sabra and Jaguar. As a gesture of respect, flags and national insignia of esteemed guests were also displayed, symbol of Commonwealth among them, on the place of special honor, right next to the crests of the ruling families. A number of huge clear cubes made of glass-like material hung suspended on invisible cables on various heights. In each cube a pair of children or teenagers dressed in Sabra and Jaguar traditional colors, ages ranging from five to fifteen, performed fighting or complex acrobatic routines or sparred with different weapons. The display was truly impressive.

Dylan sat with Beka, Trance and Harper. Gillian was getting ready and she asked Rommie to help her prepare. Tyr was invited to participate in sparring competition, and no matter how much everyone begged him to decline he refused: "The Kodiak do not back out of a challenge." Gillian left her Med Kit with Trance and told Tyr that if he gets as much as a scratch she would restrain him and keep him confined to his room for the duration of their stay. He just laughed. Tyr would never admit it but he liked having people care about him.

The gong announced the beginning of the sparring competition. This round no weapons were allowed, it was pure hand-to-hand. The skills of the contestants were extraordinary but no one could come close to Tyr. Three or four pairs were on the floor at any given time, but everyone's eyes were constantly on him. His movements were fluid, flawless; he possessed almost animal grace. Chest bare, braids tied back with a leather thong, skin oiled and glistening -- his looks made many hearts beat a little faster. But Tyr Anasazi was displaying for one woman and one woman only. He felt Beka's eyes on him, turned to her and smiled, bowing slightly. He saw her smile back and than her eyes became wide and he saw fear in them. He already felt what she just saw, that one of his defeated opponents brought his bone blades in fighting position and was about to attack him from behind. In one swift motion Tyr turned and caught the youth by his blades. He growled at the young Nietzschean: "Right move. Wrong man. A worrier must know his opponent and his surroundings. If you took your time and looked, you would have seen your reflection in the glass and you would have heard that your boots squeak when you run. In battle such negligence will hinder your survival. Right now only your pride will suffer." And he sent the man flying across the floor.

The contestants were given a little break and Beka came down to Tyr. She sat down next to him and handed him a towel.

"Tyr, I have to say I am impressed. I always knew your skills were great, but today I realized just how great are they."

He took her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. She was surprised -- she didn't think Tyr was into public displays of attention. He saw the question in her eyes and said grimly: "I noticed quite a few unattached males look in your direction. I want everyone to see that you are with me."

"Tyr, I am human. These are Nietzscheans. Who would be interested?"

"I am Nietzschean, and I am very much interested. The Jaguar do not oppose humans as much as many other Prides do. I do not wish to have to kill for you, Rebecca." Beka sat quietly for a while and then took Tyr's shoulders and pulled him into a kiss. Few seconds later she broke off and said just a trifle louder than she normally would: "And I want everyone know that *you* are with me. I do not wish to challenge every female in this room but I will if I have to."

Tyr threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Rebecca, you are priceless. I shell win this contest just for what you just said."

The second part of the competition was more dangerous. Any weapon except firearms was allowed -- the selection included daggers, knives, and all types of swords, shirikins, staffs and many more. The contestants were required to wear light body armor, but still there was not much room for error. This part of competition allowed only one pair of worriers on the floor. The looser would leave; the winner would be paired up with the winner of another pair and so on and so forth until only two people remain. The final match would determine the victor.

After many interesting matches the final pair was on the floor. It was Tyr against a Sabra male, Rohnan Mossadim, one of Elssbett brothers. They were equally skilled fighters. Tyr was armed with a mean-looking hunting dagger and his opponent selected Sais. They danced the intricate dance, circling and taunting each other, not making the first move but waiting for the other to show the impatience. Finally the Sabra lunged forward, bringing his weapons from the sides to the front above his head and down aiming at Tyr's chest but instead meeting his dagger. Parrying the potentially lethal strike Tyr hit his opponent in the solar plexus with the heel of his palm sending him stumbling backwards. The Sabra recovered and attacked again, Anasazi went on the defensive and for a while it looked like he may loose. Suddenly, when least expected, the tables turned. Blocking a strike at his neck Tyr managed to kick one of the Sais from Rohnan. Continuing, he swept his feet from under him and landing on top put his knife to the Sabra's throat. Rohnan appeared to be raising his hands to admit defeat and Tyr was about to allow him to get up when suddenly Sabra plunged the second Sai upwards under Tyr's body armor, slashing him across the stomach and ribs. Tyr grabbed the man's wrist and snapped it like a twig. Mossadim screamed in pain and Anasazi flipped him on to his stomach, grabbing his neck in a chokehold. Dylan rose from his seat yelling, "No, Tyr, don't!" and Beka just sat there, her face white and fists clenched. Tyr dropped his now unconscious adversary on the floor and stood up. Turning to Dylan he calmly said:

"Do not worry, Captain, I will not repay our hostess by killing her brother. But I am warning you, Duchess," he turned to Elssbett, "he will not be safe from me if our paths cross again." The arbiter came down and announced Tyr's victory. Anasazi bowed, than turned and left the floor, pressing his left elbow to his side to prevent the blood from seeping from under the armor. Beka came down and put her arms around him in congratulatory manner, whispering in his ear, "Ever pull a stunt like that again and I will kill you myself. Get to the locker room, Trance and I are coming to take care of this wound."

When Trance and Beka entered Tyr's changing room he was siting with his back against the wall, eyes closed and fists clenched. Under normal circumstances this stupid wound would have closed already. Now he was bleeding and in pain.

Beka came over and unfastened is body armor. Lifting his right arm, then left she took it off and wiped the blood from the wound with a cloth soaked in antiseptic. Tyr hissed when stinging liquid seeped into the open wound. When Beka finished she motioned to Trance to come closer. The purple girl was hesitant, so Tyr looked at her and said: "Do not worry, just come over and do your thing. I need this nuisance taken care of so I won't miss the Dance of the Fans."

Few minutes later he was patched up and bandaged. He had to wear a shirt to cover the bandages so Beka brought him a black long-sleeved jersey top. He put his leather longcoat on again and the camouflage was complete. Tyr thanked Trance for her assistance and offered Beka his arm. She gave him murdering look and said sotto voce, "You and I are going to have a talk later, if Gillian does not kill you first. In this I am willing to give her first dibs, after all as you said, she is family."

When they returned to the seats Dylan looked at Tyr with a great surprise. He didn't say anything, but Harper almost yelled: "What the hell have you been thinking?" Before he could continue Dylan clamped his mouth shut with his hand. "Mr. Harper, I don't think this is an appropriate time or place to discuss this incident. We will do it later in the privacy of our rooms." Harper nodded and Dylan removed his hand. Everyone was seated again just in time.

The floor was covered with tatami, the traditional rug used for sparring and fights. A barrier of thin clear polymer substance was erected around the tatami. It went up for at least ten feet so even the top rows of seats were protected. At the sound of the gong openings appeared in the eastern and western sides of the barrier and Koyasaba and Gillian entered the floor. Koyasaba was dressed in black hakama, an outfit that consisted of a wide pleated ankle-length pants and wrap-around top with wide flowing sleeves, held by a wide red belt. Gillian was dressed in identical hakama, only hers was red with black belt. Their hair was tied with silk bands and their feet were encased in soft leather boots.

Each had two fans, folded and hanged from their wrists. Koyasaba and Gillian stood at the center of the floor and bowed ceremoniously to the Archduke and Duchess, the audience and then each other. After the bows Koyasaba spoke:

"Your Highnesses, esteemed guests. You are about to witness an ancient Samurai art of weaponry and deceit in action as we present the Dance of the Fans. As calm waters of the pond on the night of the full moon create an illusion of the sky and we can not distinguish which moon is real and which is a reflection; just the same no one knows when the dance ends and the duel begins. The art of the fans does not allow substitutes. We asked Andromeda the Avatar to assist us in the demonstration."

At this moment a glass cube was lowered down from the ceiling. The front panel of the cube was removed and in the opening stood Rommie, dressed in a traditional kimono, blue with sacura blooms embroidered in pale pink silk, white socks and sandals. Her hair was swept up and held by two blue lacquered pins. Her face was made up in a Kabuki style and she held a tightly rolled silk gauze scarf in each hand. Koyasaba and Gillian turned to face Andromeda and bowed to her, coming down on one knee. Andromeda bowed to them and stood still for a few seconds. Suddenly she threw her hands up and the scarves flew to the ceiling, floating down as brightly colored gauze clouds. Koyasaba and Gillian instantly opened the fans, creating an illusion of a lightning striking from each hand and before anyone saw what happened, the scarves were no longer the clouds but thousands of tiny silk petals falling down like rainbow tears. The cube came all the way down and Andromeda stepped on the tatami. The cube went all the way up and disappeared under the ceiling. She took two handfuls of the shredded silk and let it flow down. Turning to the audience she said:

"As you can see, the fans are quite dangerous. Each section is a double- sided blade and the top edges are serrated for maximum effect. The performers wear no armor or any other protective gear, so it is their skill and their skill alone that ensures their survival."

She bowed to Koyasaba and Gillian and left the arena. Dylan looked very nervous. He was beating himself mentally for not inquiring properly what this performance involved and now there was nothing he could do. Rommie went straight to her seat in the audience and sat down between Tyr and Dylan and patted Dylan's hand. Harper leaned over to her and said: "You look fantastic your Gorgeousness! You should show up in robe more often!" He yelped when Beka and Trance simultaneously jabbed him in the ribs. Rommie looked at him and just shook her head. Tyr interfered: "Calm down, children. They begin."

Soft music, sounding like wind chimes and raindrops began playing. Moving with the music, Gillian and Koyasaba circled and weaved around each other, always face -to-face, never turning backs on one another. They looked like mating storks, wing-like sleeves adding to the illusion. Fans opening and closing, twirling and reflecting myriads of lights. As the tempo of the music gradually increased so did the speed of their movements. The stances became tenser, hawk-like, fans moved with greater speed, red and black silk flying in the air. Finally the speed increased to the point where all that audience could see was the black and red whirlwind and the lightning strikes of the fans. Every time the fans touched they made silvery clinking sound and the clinking became louder and louder when suddenly they stopped and both yet again went down on one knee, arms behind their backs and up. They opened the fans fully and to everyone's astonishment each fan released dozens of tiny darts that flew in every direction and imbedded in the clear material of the barrier. The chandeliers in the hall went out for moment. Each dart ignited on the contact and soon the entire wall was afire with bright sparkling lights.

When the fireworks burned out the lights came back up and the wall was removed. Koyasaba and Gillian stood up and again bowed to the Archduke and Duchess, to the audience and to each other. The entire hall was drowned in the thunderous applause. Koyasaba walked Gillian to her seat by Dylan. Before he left, he took her by the shoulders and said, looking deep into her eyes:

"I was not mistaken in you, child. I knew that if Hiroshi wanted to train you, it was for a reason and now I saw what it was." She opened her mouth to ask him about it but he silenced her with raised hand: "There is much you don't know about yourself, child. The time will come when you will need that knowledge and when that time comes I will find you. Until then - be strong and be happy. You chose a good mate with great destiny ahead of him. Do each other proud." When Gillian looked at him questioningly he said, suddenly laughing: "I am not a mind reader, dear child. One must be blind not to see the way you look at each other. Plus I know human tradition well enough to decipher the meaning of your ring." He took her hand and brought her to Dylan. "You should be very proud of your mate, Captain Hunt. She is a remarkable woman. One of the few gaijin who became true Samurai." He bowed and left.

Dylan looked at Gillian and said: "I don't know what I want to do more - kill you or kiss you."

"I'll take the kiss." He proceeded to kiss her breathless ignoring the audience, when Harper felt the light bulb go on in his head.

"Boss, why did he say "Mate"?"

Dylan broke off the kiss, turned to Harper and said: "Because I proposed to Dr. Ratischer yesterday and she accepted."

Harper, Trance and Rommie looked stunned and then all three started to congratulate Dylan and Gillian. Trance was bouncing with joy when suddenly she stopped and clutched her temples. Gillian asked worriedly:

"Trance, what's wrong?"

Trance quickly straightened and said, forcing a smile: "Nothing, I just overdid it on the champagne a bit. You know I tend to forget from time to time that alcohol and I are not exactly compatible. I'll be fine." Everyone laughed remembering how she acted after a bottle of Scotch "painkiller" when she lost her tail. Rommie wasn't at all convinced but she hid her concern for a time being.

The even was over and guests began to leave the hall. Dylan, Gillian and the others were on the way out when Archduke and Duchess approached them. Charlemagne took Gillian's hand and kissed it. "It was a very impressive performance, Doctor. You truly are a woman of many talents." Elssbett agreed and added, "We were hoping, Captain that you and your crew will agree to a private dinner with us tonight. No politics, I promise, just a friendly meal." They accepted the invitation and the royal couple departed.

It was still early and they have time before dinner. Someone suggested going for a swim in the pool. Everybody agreed, but Tyr declined. When Gillian asked why he fumbled with excuses and everyone else was suddenly in a hurry to leave. She came closer to him and then she saw a suspicious bulge under the left side of his coat. She looked at Tyr and he didn't meet her eyes. In a voice that breached no argument she said: "I want you in my suite in five minutes, is that understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Dylan, walk with me. Everyone else dismissed."

A chorus of voices replied: "Yes, Ma'am."

Leaving, Beka asked Rommie jokingly: "Rommie, could you check your database, maybe she is a High Guard also? He sure dot Dylan and Tyr at attention!"

Rommie answered deadpan: "No, I checked, she is not. But I like her style!"

Gillian walked with Dylan out of the hall. She made sure that Tyr was moving in the direction of her quarters and than turned to Hunt: "What the Hell happened to him? How could you let him get hurt! You know what could be the consequences of his stupidity, you are supposed to be the reasonable one!"

"Gillian, calm down, please. I cannot baby-sit him; you try and convince Anasazi not to fight when he is challenged!" He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her.

"You are right, I am sorry. C'mon, let's go see the damage. Good thing Trance was there."

"If not for Beka I doubt she would go near him. No matter what, the girl is terrified of Anasazi."

Tyr was already in Gillian's quarters, and so was Beka. Gillian told Tyr to get undressed and went to change. She came out carrying her Med Kit. When she saw blood-soaked bandages on his torso she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. She cut away the wrappings and looked at the wound. It was long and deep, and apparently the sealant wasn't strong enough to hold it. She looked at Tyr and saw that he was in a lot of pain. She proceeded with her examination. When she was done, she turned to him:

"Ok, my Little Spartan, the good news is it is only a flesh wound. It will take time to heal but no vital organs affected. The bad news - the sealant is not holding, so I have to stitch you the old-fashion way. It means limited movement; you'll have to be extra careful sitting down, getting up, etc. Now be a good boy and hold still."

Gillian took out a small syringe and injected its contents in small portions around the wound. Tyr grated his teeth and asked:

"What is it?"

"It's a local anesthetic. I can't risk giving you anything stronger and I don't want to cause you any more pain. Besides, no one here is strong enough to hold you should you decide to fight me."

Tyr nodded and Gillian proceeded to stitch him up. While she was working, Beka asked Dylan quietly: "Why did she call him "Little Spartan"?"

Dylan smiled: "On Earth, many thousand years ago in Sparta children were trained to endure pain from very early age. There is a legend about a boy who brought a fox to school and hid it in the folds of his coat. The fox bit and clawed at his stomach finally causing a bleeding wound, but the boy didn't make a sound."

Beka nodded. That did sound like something Anasazi would do.

When Gillian finished the sutures and re-bandaged him, she loaded the hypo- injector and gave him a shot. She explained that she injected him with a combination of antibiotics and that he had to be given this medication every four hours. Looking at Beka, Gillian said: "Care to play nurse one more time?" Beka laughed and agreed, making Tyr groan. She helped him up and took him to his rooms. Gillian whispered to Beka that the dose he just got contained a sedative so he would rest. They made it just in time, the second Tyr's head reached the pillow he was fast asleep. Beka smiled, pulled the blankets up and kissed his forehead: "Sleep well, my Little Spartan." She settled in big comfortable chair and picked up a book. To her surprise this time Tyr was not reading Nietzsche. The book was on the history of humanity. 'Tyr Anasazi, you continue to impress me' she thought and began reading.



* * *



When it became obvious that Tyr and Beka will not be attending the dinner with Elssbett and Charlemagne, the rest of the crew simply bailed. Harper wined about meeting the possible "love of his life", Trance claimed headache and Rommie suddenly needed to re-charge, so Gillian and Dylan ended up going by themselves, making excuses for everybody else.

The dinner turned out to be quite pleasant. The news of the engagement reached Archduke and he and Elssbett extended their congratulations. Bolivar joked that if not for his flirting, no one knows how long would it take Hunt to pop the question. He said that they expected to be invited to the wedding. In the middle of the meal a nanny brought in the little prince. The child was absolutely beautiful; he had his father's features and his mother's coloring. Only a week old he looked like a two-months-old human baby. When offered, Gillian took him in her arms and felt something tag at her heart. 'Someday', she thought, 'someday we'll have a child of our own.' She looked at Dylan and read the same thing in his eyes. The boy cried demanding his mother and Elssbett took him to be fed. She had no qualms about putting him to her breast in front of others. The peaceful picture reminded Gillian of the ancient paintings depicting Madonna and her divine baby. Bolivar looked at her and said:

"Quite a Botticelly moment, don't you think?"

"That's exactly what I have been thinking, your Highness."

"I told you many times, call me Charlemagne."

"Alright, I will try. Your Highness." Bolivar groaned and everyone else laughed.

The rest of the evening went quickly and soon they said their good-byes. Dylan knew that he would be busy with diplomatic talks all day tomorrow and probably longer. He wouldn't mind extending their stay, especially if it meant getting new allies for the Commonwealth. Right now, however, he wanted to spend some time with his fiancée.



* * *

Stopping by the door of Gillian's suite Dylan asked, laughing:

"May I come in? Or you'd rather wait until the wedding?"

"Well, you already promised to make an honest woman out of me, so why wait?"

He leaned in and kissed her, punching the access code at the same time. When the door opened he lost balance and they tumbled in, giggling uncontrollably and trying to get up only to trip over each other again. Finally Dylan made it to the couch and pulled Gillian up and on his lap. She hugged him tightly and rested her head on his shoulder. They just sat there quietly for a moment. She sighed deeply.

"What's the matter?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"Nothing. I just want to hold you like that forever."

He smiled and turned his head just enough to kiss her temple. His lips moved down to the corner of her eye, her cheek, the outline of her jaw. Without stopping, Dylan adjusted his hold on her, picked her up and went to the bedroom. Depositing Gillian on the bed he said:

"Did I mention that I am completely and hopelessly in love with you?"

"Yes, but I like hearing it, so keep talking."



* * *

Dylan left Gillian's suite several hours later. He wanted to stay but they still had to keep up the appearances. He entered his quarters and headed for the shower. Relaxing under hot water he thought about his future and it looked bright. The Magog threat didn't go anywhere, there were still battles to fight and obstacles to overcome, but now his glass was officially half-full. He smiled to himself recalling that fateful conversation with Beka.

Dylan stepped out of the shower and pulled a thick white towel off the warmer to dry himself off. He had to admit, when it came to creature comforts, Bolivar was an expert. Suddenly he saw that the white terry colored crimson. He looked at his chest and to his astonishment the wound that he got on Pellius and which now was completely healed was again open and bleeding. Other injuries, old and new were also opening right before his eyes and dripping blood, but he felt no pain. The mirror was fogged up, and when he tried to wipe it he saw a reflection of a silhouette of a woman behind him. He froze. It was the woman from Pellius, his tormentor he couldn't remember until now. The same black-clad figure, the same veil but this time the veil was lifted and he saw that her face was that of a bird with human eyes. She beckoned him and he heard a voice in his head:

"Dylan! I am waiting for you, Dylan! You know you will come to me."

He felt sudden headache, so strong, his head felt like it was going to explode. Blocking it he turned, trying to see, to catch the intruder, but the silhouette melted into the wall and all was quiet again, the pain was gone, the wounds were closed again. But the towel he held was soaked in blood.

He showered again quickly, this time without an incident, and decided to go back to Gillian's room. He didn't want to wake her, but he didn't want to be alone after what just happened. Plus, she was there and maybe she'll come up with an explanation to this "visit". He dressed quickly and left. He passed Trance's room on his way and saw the light coming from under the door and heard loud voices. Listening carefully he recognized Trance. The second voice, he realized, belonged to Rommie. He came closer and caught a part of the conversation:

"Rommie, she is calling for me. I am not going to be able to hold off any longer. I have to do something, otherwise she will kill the little Prince!"

"We can protect him."

"No, we can't. You don't understand what we are dealing with. Honestly, I don't quite understand either, it is more like I feel what we can and can't do. And the probability of a good outcome right now are slim to none."

"Trance, I can't let you tell Dylan."

With that Dylan walked in. "Can't let her tell me what, Andromeda? And who is going to kill the Prince and why I know nothing about it?" He was furious. He had never expected Rommie to do something behind his back, especially something that would put other lives in danger.

"Dylan, what a surprise, what are you doing up?" Trance started her usual babbling but Dylan cut her off:

"I believe I asked Andromeda a question. I would like an answer. Now."

Rommie let out a sigh. She turned to Trance: "Tell him."

Trance proceeded to tell Dylan the whole story. When she finished he said: "Do you understand that what you did could and still can cause a disaster? Not to mention out and out war with Jaguar and Sabra when they realize what we did to them? They are not going to care about the reasons why you withheld information pertaining to the wellbeing of the Prince Bolivar!

Anyway, I'll deal with the two of you later. Right now we have more pressing matters to take care of. Here is what we'll do. Trance, you and I are going for a walk to the Tea House. Your "friend" had just paid me a visit and I want to take care of this creature once and for all. Rommie, I want you to alert Bolivar and Elssbett. Make sure you speak to them directly, no aids or secretaries. Do whatever it takes but speak to them. And not a word to anyone else. I wish Tyr was in fighting condition, but he is not so I am going alone. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Dylan."

"Aye, Captain."

They left and no one saw Harper standing hiding around the corner. He was on his way from an extremely pleasant rendezvous with one of the young women he met the first night at the ball and he wanted to talk to Trance. He had heard the whole thing and now he was in a quandary. Dylan's orders were not to tell anyone, but technically the orders were for Rommie and Trance, not him. He made his decision.



* * *

Gillian woke up from a sound of an access chime. She came to the door, pulling on a robe.

"Who is it?"

"Doc, it's Harper. I need to talk to you pronto."

She let him in and he told her whatever he overheard. She had to sit down for a moment. It couldn't be happening. Why did Dylan think he could handle the Chameleon - or Isis, whoever she is, alone? She had to help him.

"Give me a minute, Seamus, I am going to get dressed and talk to Beka." Five minutes later Gillian accessed Tyr's quarters. He was asleep and Beka was engrossed in a book. She looked up and saw Gillian and Harper and felt that something was up and that "something" was not good. Gillian quickly filled her in on the details and they decided to go after Dylan.

"Harper, I need you to stay with Tyr. We are going after Dylan. Get in touch with Rommie and let her know where we are. Our comm links are active but we may not be able to use them, I don't know how deep the tunnels go." Beka looked at Harper, "I am counting on you, Seamus."

"Ok, Boss. Good luck."

"Thanks." And she pulled him into a quick hug.

Harper sat in Beka's chair and closed his eyes wearily. He hasn't been on Pellius and he has never seen this Chameleon, but he saw what she - it - did to Dylan. He was worried.

"Help me up, boy." Tyr's voice brought him out of his reverie. Harper turned and saw that the Nietzschean was attempting to rise.

"You shouldn't ."

"I didn't ask you to be my keeper, I told you to help me up. I am not dead yet and I do not intend to lay here and wait for this . thing to feed on Hunt and then come here for more. I should see to its destruction myself."

Harper looked at him: "Would it kill you to say that your friends and your woman are in danger and you can't just sit and wait this one out?"

"I said what I said, boy, now help me up."

"Ok, big guy, let's go."



* * *



The royal gardens were well lit and Dylan and Trance had no problems reaching the Tea House. Behind it a thick curtain of bougainvillea hid the entrance to the catacombs. Dylan turned to Trance:

"Ok, this id as far as you go. I want you to return to the Palace."

"Dylan, please, let me come with you!"

"Trance, I am going alone. Just call her, tell her you brought me here and leave."

Trance approached the entrance and started to move the thick vegetation out of the way when they heard Gillian's voice coming form the caves:

"Dylan! Are you there? Dylan!" The voice conveyed such urgency that Dylan forgot the danger of his situation and rushed into the cave. Trance tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen:

"Gillian is in trouble, I have to help her!"

Seconds later Trance heard a crashing sound, stifled scream and then silence. She sat on the ground and covered her face with her hands. She was afraid to look in. Guilt and despair overwhelmed her. She didn't hear footsteps and a hand on her shoulder startled her. She saw Beka and Gillian looking at her.

"Gillian, Beka, what are you doing here? How did you."

"Trance, we know everything. Harper heard you talking to Dylan and he told us. Where is Dylan?"

"He heard you calling him and ran in and I couldn't stop him. I knew it wasn't you, it was she, that monster, but he wouldn't listen. And than I heard crash and scream and then everything went so quiet."

Gillian was confused: "Trance, back up here a little. Someone called to Dylan, he thought it was me, and he ran into the catacombs and from what you said he probably fell down somewhere?"

"Yes, that's it."

"Did you try to look in there? Did you try to help him?"

"I am sorry, Gillian, I was scared."

Gillian understood her, and so did Beka. She patted Trance's shoulder: "Don't worry, we are here and we'll take care of everything."

Trance stood up: "I am coming with you. This whole thing is my fault! I have to do something about it."

They approached the entrance cautiously and started to descend into the dark depths of the tunnels. Gillian cringed when she thought of Dylan falling down this path. The trail was steep and narrow and covered with sharp rocks. She was praying he wouldn't be hurt.



* * *

Dylan was slowly regaining consciousness. He felt the sting of cuts and the dull ache of bruises, but somehow he couldn't move to look at the actual damage. His eyes adjusted to the dim light and he saw that he was chained to the wall. His sweater was gone and he felt the dampness and chill of the catacombs. He heard footsteps and Gillian's voice said:

"Finally you are awake! I thought your head would be harder."

"Who the Hell are you?"

"Don't you recognize me, darling? Don't you recognize the woman you want to marry?"

"You are not my fiancée! Which corner of hell did you come from?"

"What, you don't remember me? As I recall we spent several lovely hours on Pellius!"

She approached him and held his head in her hands, looking him in the eyes. Suddenly the memory of everything that happened to him there came flooding his mind and body with pain. He closed his eyes shut and tried to move his head out of her grasp.

"You don't like me, do you? And I thought seeing me with your lover's face will make you more agreeable."

"You can put on any face you want -- you'll still be what you are, a monster. Why don't you go and crawl back to the hole you came out of and leave everyone alone!"

She slapped his face hard, dragging her nails across his cheek and leaving five bleeding trails behind. "Insolent human! How dare you! I was the goddess Isis for the ancient Egyptians, the Hecate for Greeks, and the Yaari Mahir for Vedran forefathers! How dare you calling me a monster!"

Dylan smirked: "I am sorry, you are not just any monster, you are a ten- thousand-year-old monster with delusions of grandeur." Than earned him another slap, this one split his lip. She came close to him and licked the blood off his mouth. He spat in disgust.

"What do you want from me?"



"You refused me. I didn't like it. Men do not have the power to refuse me. I want them -- I take them, seducing or forcing does not matter. I couldn't seduce you and I couldn't force you. At least in the beginning. If your lover didn't come for you I would have had another chance. And now I have you all to myself. And no one will do anything because they are oh so concerned about the little Prince."

"Think again, Chameleon!"

Gillian, Beka and Trance stood at the entrance to the underground chamber like three Furies. Gillian looked at the creature and said with sneer:

"This is my face you are wearing. I do not recall giving you permission."

Chameleon laughed. "You puny humans, you think you can stop me? He is just an appetizer; as soon as I am done here I will move on. It is time I let the world know I am back!"

Beka saw movement in the opposite corner of the chamber. Seemingly solid stone wall was opening slowly and she saw a hand, then an arm with prominent bone blades came out and pushed the stone further. 'Anasazi, you son of a gun! I should have hog-tied you and locked you up!' She started taunting Chameleon, drawing her attention form the happenings behind her, but the creature paid her no heed. Trances efforts were in vain just the same. Finally Chameleon became annoyed with them and with a flick of a hand created a power burst that threw both Trance and Beka against the wall, rendering them unconscious. Gillian finally noticed Tyr. By now he made his way through the opening in the rock and was trying to break Dylan's chains. Gillian turned to the creature.

"I told you I did not allow you to wear my face. What, you are so hideous that you are afraid to show what you look like?" She was stalling so Tyr can finish what he started.

"You annoy me, human! It is time I deal with you. She shimmered into her own shape and Gillian saw the veiled woman from Pellius standing in front of her. The veil slowly lifted off her face and human eyes looked at Gillian from a bird's head. It was really repulsive. The creature cocked her head:

"Do you like what you see? No? Pity, I don't really care, you'll be dead in a minute." She flicked her wrist but Gillian didn't feel anything. Again and again she tried but whatever hit Trance and Beka had no effect on Gillian.

Gillian came closer and closer to Chameleon. She looked into creature's eyes and saw fear. Probably for the first time the monster was afraid. Terrified of it's own sudden vulnerability. Gillian realized that she was feeling and seeing Chameleon's thoughts. She concentrated and tried to go deeper in her mind. She felt the fear grow and consume the creature that became less and less human in appearance, but took a lizard-like form. She heard it scream and felt another power surge coming from the monster and she raised her hands instinctively to protect herself. Something bounced off the palms of her hands and hit the monster and the thing suddenly screeched and exploded. The force of explosion threw Gillian off her feet and she hit her head on the stone and lost consciousness.

She came to some time later. Looking around she saw to her horror that the explosion caused several stalactites to come down. Some of them broke into pieces almost burying Tyr and Dylan under the rubble, and few were imbedded into the floor of the cave like spears. She turned around and to her relief both Beka and Trance were fine. They got up and rushed to help Gillian remove stones.

Soon they dug Dylan out. Banged up, bruised and sore he was still in one piece. Tyr was another story. One of the stalactites pinned him to the cave floor. The sharp stone went in below his right collarbone ripping through the muscles and sinews and came out between the shoulder blade and the spine. Right side of Tyr's body was still covered with smaller rocks that also served as support for the large stone protruding from his chest. The stalactite was heavy and if the stones were removed it would fall and rip Tyr's chest open completely, severing the arm at the shoulder.

Gillian took a quick look at Dylan making sure he was alright. She was about to send Trance for help when a group of palace guards came in. Gillian looked at them and told the man closest to her:

"I need your weapon."

"I am not about."

"I said I need your weapon, soldier. Or do you want me to take it from you?" The Nietzschean was outraged but he Bolivar came in and said:

"She will take it from you, Yassir, so you better do as you told."

The soldier complied and proffered his laser pistol to Gillian. She looked up at Bolivar:

"You do have impeccable timing, Charlemagne. Now tell this dolt of a guard to come here and hold this stalactite. If he drops it - I'll kill him myself, even though it would be against my principles."

"I swear, Gillian, if you weren't spoken for I would marry you myself." Dylan gave him a murdering look.

"Relax, Captain, I am not about to challenge you or to steal your fiancée. Yassir, Mahdi, assist Doctor Ratischer."

Gillian knelt next to Tyr. She positioned the men to hold the stone and carefully cut it with the laser few inches above the skin. Now they could remove the rest of the rocks covering his body. That done, she dug under his back to free and cut the other end of the stalactite form the floor of the cave. The soil under the wound was soaked with blood and it continuously seeped from the top side of the wound.

"Get the medical team here immediately and have your surgeon stand by." This time there were no arguments, only a quick "Aye" coming from the soldiers.

Less than an hour later the group was entering the palace medical facility. On the way Dylan made sure that the child was fine and the Jaguar and Bolivar were not about to declare war on Commonwealth. Apparently Bolivar lost a few soldiers on Pellius in the past year and was attempting to investigate this matter himself. So everything was resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties involved.

The medical team was ready for them. Gillian walked in and approached the chief surgeon, Doctor Pascal.

"Captain Hunt suffered minor injuries, I estimate two or three broken ribs, bruises and lacerations. However, he was in physical contact with the creature, so I want him under observation for at least twenty-four hours with full blood scan repeated every four and nanoscan every two hours. Mr. Anasazi needs surgery to remove the embedded piece of stone and repair the tissue damage. I cannot tell whether the bones have been damaged as well but there is such possibility. He also lost a great amount of blood. I suggest you use synthetic blood for the transfusions so no ethical issues are raised. His nanobots would have to be modified to speed up the recovery process. I would like to at least observe the procedure and I want Andromeda Avatar present at all times to monitor the surgery. I need it to be recorded for my future references caring for Mr. Anasazi's health."

Doctor Blez Pascal, an older Nietzschean with gray hair and wise eyes took Gillian by the wrist and carefully touched her forearm.

"What are you doing?"

"I am looking for the hidden bone blades, Doctor Ratischer. Are you sure you are not Nietzschean?"

Dylan whispered to Beka: "I am beginning to wonder myself."

"Doctor, this is hardly the time, but for everyone's peace of mind, no, I am not Nietzschean."

"Very well. Would you prefer to perform Mr. Anasazi's procedure yourself?"

"No, this is your turf and I do not want to impose. I would be happy to assist you, however."

"Very well. Come with me, please."

On the way Gillian turned to he colleague: "Doctor Pascal, there is something I need to discuss with you. It concerns Mr. Anasazi and it is quite a delicate matter. I hope Nietzschean doctors recognize the concept of patient's confidentiality."

"You may be surprised, but Nietzscheans have the same concepts of medical ethics humans do. What is it you need to discuss?"

While scrubbing, Gillian explained Tyr's situation to Doctor Pascal. He looked pensive for a moment and said:

"I believe I have the solution for his problem. We have been successfully testing new generation of self-sustaining and self-reproducing immunobots and internal repair nanobots. They should do the trick. He may require several doses, but I see no other counterindications."

"I would like Mr. Harper and Andromeda to look at them before they are administered."

"Of course. Are you ready, Doctor?"

"Yes, let's go."

The surgery turned out to be much longer then anyone expected. As per Gillian's orders Dylan was not allowed to leave the infirmary, so everyone else sat with him and waited. Beka was restless. She blamed herself for what happened to Tyr, she was supposed to look after him and she failed. She should have known he was faking sleep, she should have checked, she should have realized that Harper would not be able to handle him. She didn't realize that she was berating herself out loud until she felt Dylan's hand on her shoulder.

"Beka, you need to stop doing this. We are all responsible for what happened. Relax."

"Dylan, how can I relax when Tyr."

"Tyr is fine." Everyone turned to the sound of Gillian's voice. She walked in, taking off gloves and mask, her scrubs stained with blood. She caught the look on everyone's faces and shrugged apologetically: " I am sorry, I just thought you might want the news right away. The surgery was a complete success, and so was the idea with the new 'bots. It will still take a little longer then usual for him to recover, but in a couple of weeks he will be his usual Uber self." She smiled tiredly. "Beka, he is still unconscious but you want I can take you to him." Beka nodded, suddenly unable to speak. Her lips trembled and Gillian saw tears shimmering on her lashes. They left the room and Gillian stopped in the hallway.

"What is it, Beka?"

"Nothing, I'll be fine in a minute. It's just I didn't completely realize how I felt about him until I almost lost him."

"You didn't loose him and you will have an ample opportunity to beat him up for the stunt he pulled and to let him know how you feel about him. Let's go."



* * *

Several hours later, after a long hot bath and a nap, Gillian went back to the infirmary. She looked in on Tyr and saw that he was still out and Beka was with him. Gillian was very hopeful of the budding relationship. She thought that Tyr and Beka were perfectly suited for each other. She quietly checked the monitors and left the room.

Dylan was awake, but when he heard someone come in he closed his eyes. It was probably the lab tech, here again to stick him with a needle and get more blood for the tests. Few moments passed but nobody touched him. He waited.

"I know you are awake, you can open your eyes now."

He did and saw Gillian sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"How are you?"

"Sore. Tired. You know I hate needles and someone comes here every two hours to stick me. I hate hospitals."

"Stop whining, Dylan, you are acting like a three-year-old. You are in one piece, slightly inconvenienced, true, but alive and well. No need to be petulant."

"Yes, Mother."

Gillian got up and started pacing the floor. "You know, I can't decide what I want to do more -- hit you or kiss you! Dylan, how could you do this? I was terrified for you when Harper told me where you went. Thank the Divine he overheard you. Do you know it was him who brought the guards there too? How could you be so pig-headed? How could you risk your life like that?" Her voice was rising, and tears welled up in her eyes. She turned away sharply, and then she felt his arms around her. He was standing behind her, holding her tightly.

"I am sorry. I had to do something, under circumstances it seemed the best solution."

"Dylan, I could have lost you. I know that the situation was unprecedented and it could mean danger for people here, I know that this creature had to be stopped, but not at a cost of your life!"

"Gillian, my life is always at risk one way or another, it comes with the territory. You have to understand that. Every day brings new challenges. If you are sure you want to share my life, you need to accept that."

"The key word is "share", Dylan. You think that you are protecting me by hiding danger, but you only hurting me by it. If you had told me what happened we could have come up with a plan and no one would have gotten hurt. At least not as bad."

Dylan turned her to face him. His eyes related the emotions he had no words to convey. He kissed her face, tasting the salt of her tears. She hugged him and heard quiet "Oww!" His ribs were not yet healed and he winced in pain. She let go immediately.

"Dylan, you better get back in bed. You need to rest."

"Will you stay with me?"

"Sure. Want me to tuck you in?"

"Yeah. How about a story?"

She laughed and set about making a big production out of fluffing his pillow, straightening his bed and pulling his blankets up to his neck. He couldn't help laughing at it and that produced another "Oww".

Gillian looked concerned: "Do you want something for the pain?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. As long as you are here."

She settled in the chair next to him and took his hand. "Try and rest. I am not going anywhere any time soon."



* * *

Beka dozed off in her chair. She refused to leave Tyr even for a moment. He was still unconscious. Gillian warned her that he will be out for at least six to eight hours, and that it was a good thing. His body needed that time to adjust to the new 'bots and begin healing process. Still, Beka wouldn't go. She was afraid that if she should leave him something terrible would happen again.

Something disturbed her sleep. Beka opened her eyes and saw Tyr trying to move, head turning on the pillow, and sweat beading on his face. His shoulder and right arm were held in tight cast, completely immobilized. He now tried to rip it off. Beka looked at the monitor and saw that his body temperature was rising. She pressed a call button on the panel.

"Yes?"

"Get Doctor Ratischer in here, I think there might be something wrong with her patient."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Several seconds later someone walked in. When the person approached Tyr's bed Beka saw that it was not Gillian but the Nietzschean doctor.

"What seems to be the problem, Ms. Valentine?"

"He is feverish and restless. I think he is in pain."

"In Mr. Anasazi's case fever is to be expected. His body is carrying a double-load now. He is healing after a difficult operation and at the same time adjusting to the new nano-agents supplementing his immune system. I will adjust his medication and add an analgesic for the pain."

"Thank you."

The doctor looked at Beka: "Are you his mate?"

"No. I am his crewmate and his friend. Why would you think I am his mate? Aren't I just a kludge?" She knew her sarcasm was uncalled for but just couldn't help it.

"I saw you together yesterday at the sparring competition. You didn't act like friends. You acted like mates. And trust me Captain Valentine, you are no kludge. Neither are your Captain, your Doctor or the Engineer. I am sure if Captain Hunt was able to change Ellsbett's opinion on humans, the rest of you were pretty good argument for the rest of us. I personally will think twice before using the word "kludge" again."

"Thank you. I guess. But I told you the truth, Tyr and I are not mates."

"Well, maybe you need to re-evaluate your relationship?"

"Right now I am just happy he is alive and healing. I'll take it one step at a time."

"A wise decision. Good night."

The medication took effect quickly. Beka felt Tyr's face and it was cooler to touch and he wasn't restless any more. She took his hand in hers and pressed the palm to her cheek. She started talking to him. She didn't now whether or not he could hear her, but she felt compelled to speak.

"You know, Anasazi, I think you just made it your goal to confuse me. Before Andromeda, before you everything was clear. Snatch a job, do a job, have some fun, get some action and move on. No ties, no connections, complete and total freedom. And then this whole Commonwealth business. It is hard enough to figure out where do I fit in without thinking about you. But you just had to make it more difficult. You had to come on to me only to make this "never ever in the million years" statement. Ok, we talked about that. Bygones are bygones. Now you want to spend time with me but not sleep with me. What is it? What is this whole "prove yourself to me" business? Did you think you needed to win the stupid competition to impress me? Did you think you had to almost die to get my attention?" Beka was almost screaming now. "Don't you see that I care about you? That I love you?" Suddenly she stopped. She didn't just say that she loved him, did she? Yep, she did. And the scariest thing was she meant it. She loved Tyr Anasazi. By the Divine, what is she going to do now?

"So I did have to almost die to know how do you feel about me." His voice was barely a whisper but Beka heard him.

"You are supposed to be drugged and sleeping. Please tell me you didn't hear my ranting, not the entire thing."

"I heard enough. Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

Beka hesitated. "I was afraid. I am not big on feelings and emotions. But I - when I thought you were dying I understood that you may never know now. I didn't care about rejection, commitment and anything else any more. The only thought I had was that you may die not knowing that someone loves you. That I love you."

Tyr brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. He was still weak and in pain but he felt more like his old self now.

"Rebecca, what exactly happened to me?"

"Let's talk about it tomorrow. You need your rest."

"Please, I need to know what happened."

Beka gave him a brief account of the past events.

"So I am cured?"

"You are. Doctor Pascal said that your new nano-agents would be completely active in a few days. You will be once again Homo Sapience Invictus."

"Then I want you to think about becoming my mate, Rebecca."

"Tyr, are you proposing to me?"

"I guess I am. I am not asking you to give me the answer right away. You know that in Nietzschean culture it is the woman who proposes the union to a man. I need you to know that I would like you to choose me to be your mate. Think about it and give me your decision when you are ready."

"Tyr, I don't want to ruin your plans. Marriage to a human can not be good for you."

"Let me be the judge of what is good for me."

Tyr looked tired. The conversation obviously exhausted him. Beka touched his face gently: "I promise I will think about it. Right now I want you to sleep. Please."

"Stay with me, Rebecca. I need to know you are near me, at least for now."

"I am not going anywhere."

When later Gillian stopped by to check on Anasazi she saw him sleeping peacefully. Beka was sitting next to him. She mouthed "Everything is fine" and Gillian smiled and left the room.

* * *

Several days later the crew of Andromeda was back on board. They were happy to put this incident behind them and resume normal life. Well, as normal as it gets on this ship. The only thing that bothered Gillian was that she had no idea how was she able to do what she had done there. How could she read Chameleon's mind, why the creature couldn't hurt her and how did she kill it? Nobody could give her an answer to that. She mulled over it for a while, and then Dylan remembered what Koyasaba told her: "There is much you don't know about yourself."

"Maybe I should speak to my father about it? Maybe it is time I found my mother?"

"I would like to meet your father. After all, we are to be family."

"Next time we are near the Orion Belt, we'll pay him a visit."

Tyr approached Dylan: "Would you care to join me for a game of Go, Captain?"

"Excellent idea, Mr. Anasazi."

When they were seated and seemingly engrossed into the intricacies of the game, Dylan spoke:

"I never took time to thank you, Tyr."

"For what, Captain?"

"You saved my life. If you didn't break the chains, I would have been killed by the falling stalactites."

"Do not take it personally, Captain Hunt. By ensuring your well-being I increased the chances of my survival. That was the only reason behind my actions."

"Yes, Tyr, you are definitely cured."

Anasazi gave Dylan one of his patented looks and then suddenly smiled: "Yes I am. And I will tell you more, Captain Hunt. I am soon to be mated."

Dylan was going to ask whom to, but the alarm interrupted him. Rommie's voice sounded through the intercom system:

"Captain to the bridge. We are under attack."

Dylan ran to Command, Tyr followed.

"Battle stations! Andromeda, report!"

Yes, life was definitely back to normal.

END