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Disclaimer: If I owned Andromeda, Dylan wouldn’t be smooching those extra girls in nearly every episode. Since he still is, I think it’s safe to say I DON’T OWN THEM!
A/N: This is my first Andromeda fanfic, so please pardon the stupidity of it all. Enjoy!
Dreams Come True
The Command Deck trembled as Magog swarm ships assaulted the Andromeda Ascendant.
"Andromeda, offensive missiles, all tubes," commanded Captain Hunt. "Fire!" he ordered. The missiles thrust out of the great warship, hurtling towards the seven enemy targets. The swarm ships were completely destroyed.
A shout of joy reigned on deck as the Commonwealth crew of the Andromeda cheered their victory over the Magog attack.
"Good work," praised Dylan.
When they were finished, the repair crew left for their quarters. Rommie was passing a hallway going to her quarters when she heard an odd noise. She used her sensors to check for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing came up. It was just Dylan's room on privacy mode. Further speculation, however, proved otherwise. His door was ajar. The android crept down the hall and turned into the next corridor. She found the Dylan's force lance was jamming the door. She studied it for a moment and realized it was in its holster attached to the captain's belt. Rommie turned her attention to the noise once more. Now, she was able to define it, it was a woman's moans. Rommie abandoned her intention of infra-scanning the room and ran to her quarters thirty paces down the hall.
An odd and unwelcome sensation gripped her, sending a few of her circuits haywire as she sealed the doors to her quarters.
Holo-Rommie appeared, apparently having been affected by the haywire.
"What happened?" asked the hologram, crossing her arms as was her signature stance.
"I don't know," said Rommie, uncertainly. "One moment I'm investigating weird noises then my circuits go haywire."
"Care to elaborate?" asked Holo-Rommie.
"I passed by the adjoining hallway and heard strange noises. My sensors didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary so I went to see what it was. His forcelance was jamming the door and..." she trailed.
"And what?" pushed the hologram.
"The noise was coming from an engineer Dylan had in his room," said Rommie blankly.
"Good grief!" exclaimed the holgram version of the warship. "Andromeda!"
Andromeda's main AI appeared on the screen seemingly annoyed but curious as well. "What is it this time?"
"Haywire circuitry in Rommie," replied the hologram.
"Then go get Harper to fix it," said Andromeda, annoyed they had disturbed her for something so trivial.
"It's not that simple," was the hologram's reply. "It's he emotions you allowed her to have. The ones you developed for a certain High Guard named Captain Dylan Hunt. She's in love with him."
He had been making love to a lot of his female crew members in the past two weeks. However, he never took it too far. He'd just left early and let the crew mate gather their wits the next morning.
Dylan gazed up at the stars through the pressurized glass of the ship. He was lying on a bench, lost in thought. His mind raced through thoughts of Andromeda, his crew, Sara and finally on Rommie. He had no idea why he remembered Rommie everytime he tried to remember who he had let into his bed the night before. He only knew that she had never been one of the women invited to his quarters.
Beka's self-conscious cough brought him out of his daze. He sat up and looked at his best pilot.
"Nailed another one, haven't you?" was all Beka said.
"What do you mean?" asked Dylan, completely unaware of what Beka knew.
"Knock it off, Dylan. I know you've been letting all sorts of girls from the crew into your room. Hell, half the crew knows!" said Beka pointedly.
Dylan had no idea. "D-does Rommie know?"
"As of an hour ago, no, as of now, yes," replied Beka, turning around, ready to leave Dylan alone to think.
"Wait, I need somebody to talk to," pleaded Dylan.
Beka turned back to him and sat in the vacant space of his bench. "Shoot."
"You know, I can't recall which of the crew I've landed in my bunk in the past two weeks," started Dylan.
Beka was silent for a moment then said, "Do you have someone on your mind?"
"Yeah, I just imagine being with her every night. Having my way with her the way I have it with those from the crew. I realize how stupid and obsessive it sounds, but I can't help it."
"Rommie?" guessed Beka.
"Yes, curse Harper for making her that body," said Dylan.
Beka rose from her seat and said," You really ought to tell her how you feel," before leaving.
How did he feel about the android avatar of his ship? Everytime she was near him, his heart would race and get caught up in his throat. Each time he saw her, even in the distance, his breathing grew labored. He would have dreams of touching her, caressing her intimately if he ever slept and Rommie was the only one on his mind when he would be toying with his crewmember. There were times he even imagined her in the place of all of them each night. Suddenly, realization hit him. He loved her. He LOVED her! He had loved her as Andromeda, even before Harper made her a body. He had fallen even deeper in love with her when Rommie had made an appearance. She was the representation of the AI Dylan loved.
"No," he scolded. "We can't. We couldn't. Even if she loved me back. We're High Guard officers. There are protocols. Even of I threw them out the window, I couldn't let her run the risk of being grounded to scrap metal or having to self-destruct on my command if it ever came to that.”
Rommie relived every time Dylan had crossed intimate paths with another woman. Nothing compared to what she had discovered tonight. Dylan had charmed dozens of women because he had to, but this time, he was doing it of his own free will. That was what had hit her the hardest. All those lies she'd fed herself to keep it together were torn down. She had told herself that he cared for her. That he actually loved her.
She found herself willing to overlook everything because she loved him, all of him, with every fiber that made her mechanical being.
"I never knew you to contemplate nature," said Trance, approaching her.
"Never did, until now," said Rommie, sounding fairly distant.
"Is this about Dylan?" asked Trance, noting her distant attitude.
Rommie remained silent. She knew Trance didn't need answers.
The doors of the Obs Deck opened. In walked Beka, Harper, Dylan and Tyr.
"Care to join us in a friendly game of strip poker?" offered Beka.
Trance and Rommie agreed and sat at the table with them.
Harper whipped out the cards and they played. It took a half hour for them to realize that they were all in their underwear.
God, she is beautiful. So perfect... thought Dylan, taking a glance at Rommie.
Rommie chanced a look at Dylan moments after, fritzing her circuits with the sight of his perfectly shaped muscles and toned chest. The haywire lasted a mere three seconds and thankfully hadn't attracted any unwanted attention.
Dylan had seen Rommie's shoulders jolt a little and instantly grew worried for her.
After they had put their clothes back on, they all went to their respective quarters.
"Fine," she answered, feeling him halt mere inches from her back.
He silently brought his hands up to her shoulders and started to knead them slowly. He worked her shoulders down to her spine.
Feeling Dylan's hands work their magic on her, Rommie relaxed, forgetting everything else. She found her uniform inhibiting his relaxing massage and promptly unzipped the top of her uniform and took it off, giving him access to her bare skin.
Minutes passed and before she could protest, he had whirled her around to face him. His hands framed her face as he lowered his lips to hers.
They were scant centimetes away when she jolted up and out of bed, leaving her blissful dream behind. Someone had knocked on her door. Rommie stood and groaned in frustration then opened the door. It was Dylan calling her to Command.
Rommie was lost in thought about her dream. She finally realized that even though he had slept with half the female engineers in the crew, it didn’t matter to her. She loved him no matter what.
In Command, Dylan made an announcement. “Commonwealth is holding a grand ball in celebration of us next week. Formal attire and meet in the Maru at six in the evening.”
This addressed, the crew was given their free time for the day.
Damn, she is gorgeous, thought Dylan, staring at Rommie from the corner of his eye.
At the mansion of the ball, the crew of the Andromeda was greeted with utmost respect.
During the party, many people representing several different species came to congratulate Dylan on his fine restoration of the Commonwealth. Others approached Rommie to complement her on the stunning size and power of her main system as the Andromeda Ascendant.
She stood there and enjoyed the light breeze as someone approached. Dylan came up to her and said, “What’s a pretty girl like you doing up here all by your lonesome?”
“Sweet, but I’m no girl,” replied Rommie.
Dylan laughed, “Why, of course, you’d prefer me to call you a warship.”
Rommie had to smile at that.
Music played softly in the background.
“May I have this dance?” asked Dylan, offering his hand to Rommie.
Rommie agreed and they danced. Soon, the music became a slow song and the two High Guards got closer. Rommie gave a sigh of contentment.
Hands around Dylan’s neck, Rommie was able to read his vital signs. She found that his heartbeat and pulse rate were speeding up. His breathing was getting ragged and he was beginning to sweat.
Rommie raised her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. “Are you okay?” she asked, worried she had done something to upset him.
However, before Dylan could give her an answer, they heard a force lance arm and fire. With her android strength, Rommie pushed Dylan aside and caught the blast in her forearm, bearing some of her circuits to the human sight. The force of the laser blast froze Rommie’s movement for a moment, in which the masked shooter caught her in a net. Dylan, unarmed, tried to free her, but was caught as well. The net emitted electric currents and knocked out the two captives.
Rommie let out a groan as her eyes fluttered open. She immediately scanned her surroundings for anything she could identify their location with. She found nothing, except that the cell was welded shut. “We’re stuck in here. Every nook and cranny of this prison cell has been melted to ensure that we don’t get out.” She unzipped the back of her gown and stepped out as the satin fabric slipped down her body. She zipped up the half-closed top of her High Guard uniform.
“Do you always have your uniform on?” asked Dylan, raising an eyebrow at the uniform that no one but them knew was beneath her dress and secretly ogling at the curves that this particular uniform was accenting.
“Never leave the ship without it,” said Rommie. “Problem is, I didn’t bring my force lance. It would have been too bulky in this thing.” She jabbed her boot at the dress in a crumpled heap on the floor. As she began to assess the situation, her face hardened into High Guard mode. “So what are our choices, Captain?” Her hands joined behind her back.
Dylan flinched inwardly at the sudden change of her behavior. He rather enjoyed the easy-going party-Rommie he had danced with earlier, but now was not the time to contemplate when he liked her best. “We sit and wait,” he said, adapting his High Guard attitude as well.
“Aye, Captain,” said Rommie, taking a seat against the wall. Dylan came and joined her.
“I’m sorry, Beka, I cannot. I lost contact with both Dylan and my avatar before you started pacing a hole into my deck,” replied Andromeda’s main AI.
“Calm down, Beka,” soothed Tyr, rolling Beka’s shoulders in a massage.
“Yeah, Valentine,” joked Harper, trying to lighten her mood.
Rommie looked up, checking her timer. “Three hours since we woke up, but seemingly twelve hours since we were abducted.”
“Damn!” cursed Dylan, standing up and slamming his fist into the metal wall.
Rommie just stared at Dylan. She had never seen him this frustrated before. He began beating at the wall harder and harder. Rommie knew he would hurt himself sometime soon and used her both her arms to restrain him. She waited for Dylan to calm down before letting go of him. Rommie examined his hand. “Stop trying to do that, it scares me. You’re gonna kill yourself that way.” She ran her fingers over his bruised-near-bleeding knuckles, scanning them.
Dylan gave Rommie’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I didn’t hurt myself,” he said. “I’m fine.”
Rommie, who had been secretly enjoying the opportunity to run her own hands over Dylan’s, reluctantly let it go as Dylan stood up.
He leaned on his palms against the steel wall across the room. He straightened up and began to pace.
“You know, you just might find our way out yet,” said Rommie, trying to make Dylan’s stone-cold expression lighten up.
Dylan’s face sobered, but grew hard again when he realized something. “I think I get why we’re here. Whoever captured us is after the Andromeda. They know that they’re a bit blinded by the worry of our disappearance. Dammit! Who would do this?” wondered Dylan, pacing some more.
Rommie whipped a pencil-like device out of her boot and started working on her damaged arm, which had gotten worse since the restraint she had pulled on Dylan.
Dylan’s attention was diverted from his train of thought when he saw Rommie fumbling with her circuitry in her arm. He immediately felt ashamed for losing his control earlier and further pulling at the severed circuits in her arm. He crept over to her. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I will be,” said Rommie, putting an immense amount of concentration in her circuits. Her humanoid parts were reacting to Dylan’s proximity.
As she tucked the pencil back into her boot, the opposite wall turned into a video screen. It flickered to life, displaying Remiel, the android and sole avatar of the Balance of Judgment.
“Remiel!” gasped Rommie in utter shock. She thought they had seen the last of him when Dylan shot him off the airlock of the Resolution of Hector.
“It’s nice to see you again,” greeted Remiel falsely.
“It’s never easy,” muttered Dylan.
“Of course it isn’t, Captain Hunt,” said Remiel.
“Alright, what do you want this time, Remiel?” demanded Dylan. “The Andromeda? A Nova bomb? Me dead?”
“None of those,” said Remiel. “I want you,” he declared, eyes fixed on Rommie.
Rommie seemed to shrink back in fear.
Seeing Rommie seemingly afraid, Dylan stepped forward. “Well, you can’t have her!” he shouted at the screen.
“Well, I will have her, whether you like it or not,” said Remiel threateningly.
“I won’t let you hurt her,” Dylan said, stepping in from of Rommie. “You’ll have to come through me first.”
“How sweet,” comment Remiel. “The chivalrous knight protecting his maiden. Getting past you will be child’s play for me. ” Remiel’s magnified eyes taunted Dylan just before the screen went blank.
Rommie was curled up on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest, sobbing slightly.
Dylan seethed for a few seconds more and knelt down beside her. “It’s gonna be okay,” soothed Dylan, rubbing her undamaged arm to comfort her. He knew it would be hard on her because she had thought that she had gotten rid of everything that held a semblance to Gabriel.
“I know it’s hard, Rommie, but I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” vowed Dylan.
Rommie looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Do you still love him? Gabriel, I mean,” asked Dylan, serious.
Rommie tipped her chin back to face the floor and rocked herself on her ankles.
Dylan mentally kicked himself for asking the stupid question. He wanted to take the words back.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” apologized Dylan, facing the floor in shame.
“It’s okay,” said Rommie, giving Dylan’s slumped shoulder a squeeze.
Suddenly, a hole in the cell wall appeared, allowing half a dozen guards to enter.
“Get the girl,” said the commanding guard. He and the other five men advanced on Rommie, force lances ready to knock her or Dylan out.
As they approached, Dylan spurred into motion. He leapt at four of the men and knocked them down. Rommie split kicked at the two remaining guards.
Dylan picked up the guards’ holstered force lances. “These are Commonwealth property. Let’s go.” He and Rommie made a dash for the closing hole.
Outside, they found themselves in a base. There were rooms of ammunition everywhere.
“What has he been up to?” wondered Rommie, eyeing the stocks of ammunitions.
“He’s probably going to do something that serves his idea of a Commonwealth. My guess is that Remiel abducted us to try and get the universe’s best android and starship under his banner. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sank so low as to revive Gabriel’s personality just to win you over,” said Dylan.
Rommie sensed the poison behind the words and felt another jolt. This time, it proved more noticeable. Sparks were emitted from her wounded arm.
“What happened?” asked Dylan worriedly.
“It’s nothing, I’ve got it under control,” said Rommie hurriedly.
“It can’t been nothing, you’re sparking. That’s not just something that happens everyday,” argued Dylan. He knew there was more to it.
Rommie remained silent.
Suddenly, they were barricaded by guards. They drew the force lances they had picked up and tried to defend themselves. The two High Guards were about to reach a hangar deck when a guard shot a net at Dylan, reeling him in.
Remiel arrived. He turned to Rommie, who was halfway out the door when Dylan was captured. She turned around to see Dylan in Remiel’s grasp, a force lance held to his throat.
“Come back, Rommie. Come back to me, or your knight in shining armor dies right here, right now,” threatened Remiel, gripping the force lance harder.
“No, Rommie, turn around and run,” rasped Dylan. “Save yourself.”
Time seemed to freeze as Dylan said those words. He wanted her to be safe. As captain of the Andromeda, Dylan had the authority to tell her to fight these guards down. It was possible if she risked every circuit in her android body for it, but Dylan was telling her to leave, to let Remiel kill him. She couldn’t let Dylan die. It was in her programming to stay and protect her captain. He forbade her to get herself killed in the line of duty.
Rommie closed the door to the hangar and disarmed the force lance she held in surrender to Remiel.
“That’s my girl,” said Remiel.
“Shut up,” she spat as the guards took them to their cell. To ensure their secure captivity, the guards bound Dylan and Rommie to metal slabs on the wall opposite the other.
“I told you to get out of here,” said Dylan.
“And do what? Let the Commonwealth’s only chance at survival go down the drain for a stupid android?” replied Rommie. “Not in my AI programming.”
Remiel came in a moment later, carrying a force lance. He stepped toward Dylan. “You’re going to be punished for that little stunt you pulled. No one escapes me, no one,” said Remiel. He charged the force lance at level eight and delivered the electric current to the metal Dylan was chained to.
Dylan cringed as the electricity coursed through him. He kept himself composed, as was his training as a High Guard.
Dylan, thought Rommie. She saw the amount of power Remiel was pumping into Dylan. “STOP!” she cried.
“I don’t think you’re in the position to demand now, Rommie,” he said, menacingly pointing the force lance at Rommie.
“What more do you want from us?” asked Rommie, tears forming in her eyes.
“I told you already. I want you, of your own free will,” said Remiel nonchalantly.
“You have me, just let Dylan go, please,” she begged.
“Rommie, NO!” shouted Dylan.
“Quiet!” roared Remiel, drawing a force lance and shooting Dylan in his leg.
“Stop it, Remiel. I’ll be yours, just let Dylan go,” Rommie continued to plead, tears falling from her eyes.
Dylan was shocked. Rommie, his warship, was actually going to sacrifice this much to save him? She was begging for his life! Dylan had never known Rommie to beg. She was always composed and in control of things.
Remiel left the room after having the two High Guard officers unchained. He had to weigh his chances with Rommie.
“Dylan,” said Rommie, “are you alright?”
“Yeah,” he said, gasping for breath. The pain from his wounded leg was getting to him. He tried to get up and cross the room towards Rommie. When he thought he could support his weight, he collapsed from the painful spasm the wound caused.
“Dylan!” cried Rommie, crawling over to Dylan’s side. She scanned his wound. It was deep. Blood was gushing out of the ruptured skin rapidly. She grabbed Dylan’s discarded jacket and tore off a section of cloth and bandaged the wound. After attending to his wound, Rommie just knelt there, scanning Dylan for any other injuries he might have. She started to fidget, which was not a part of her AI programming.
Dylan reached over and took her hands in his. “Rommie, we’ll be alright. We’ll find a way. Beka’s probably already on her way.”
“I hope so,” replied Rommie, fear evident in her voice.
“I still cannot locate either of them,” said Andromeda.
“I just picked up on a high voltage regulator in use somewhere nearby,” said Holo-Andromeda, appearing next to Beka and bringing up a map on screen. “It appears that they’ve been using a level eight force lance discharge against fellow force lances set at a standard level power regulation.”
The screen showed a use of roughly one hundred fifty in synchronized formation.
“How come we never picked this up before?” asked Harper.
“We’ve never been this close. There are way too many force lances in use for it to be good. High Guards work in pairs and even with a maxed Commonwealth High Guard list, they could never reach a synchronized formation like that,” said the main AI.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” said Beka. “It’s no coincidence. Dylan and Rommie have to be there somewhere.”
Beka and Tyr boarded the Maru, leaving Harper and Trance in charge. “If we disappear from signal contact, call for back-up from the Commonwealth and charge in, guns raised,” said Beka before departing from the launch bay of the Andromeda for the hour-long ride.
“Yes?” she replied, trying to keep her composure and her voice at a professional level, but failing miserably.
“Just checking if you’re still in there,” said Dylan passively.
She nodded and turned to look at him. He looked back. “Rommie, I’m in love with you,” he blurted out.
Rommie was caught off guard. “You’re in love with me?”
“Crazy as it sounds, I’m in love with my warship,” confessed Dylan sheepishly. “It’s okay that you don’t feel the same, I understand. I mean, you’re my ship’s avatar, and perhaps aren’t comfortable with the idea that your captain is…” Rommie cut him off with a kiss that spoke louder than any words she was intending to say.
When she pulled away, it was Dylan’s turn to look shocked. “Insanely in love with you,” he said, finishing his hanging sentence. He suddenly realized that Rommie looked oddly flushed.
“No, that doesn’t discomfort me at all. I was just worried that the idea of your ship’s avatar being insanely in love with you,” said Rommie.
Dylan smiled. “How long?”
“Since the first time you walked onto my deck,” replied Rommie.
“Why the hell did we wait three hundred years for this?” said Dylan, not really asking, as they leaned into a passionate kiss.
“They’re just down the hall,” she said.
Tyr led the way, blasting at the guards as they approached. Beka drew her gun as well and started firing.
Dylan immediately leapt to his feet to protect Rommie.
“Come on, Captain Hunt, I’m an android, you’re human. There’s no way you can fight me,” said Remiel.
“Maybe not, but I’ll try anyway. I won’t sit by and let you hurt her again,” said Dylan.
“Why, because you love her?” laughed Remiel. “That’s a joke, Captain. A human and an android! Really!”
“To you, it might be, but then again, I don’t give a damn about you!” said Dylan, jumping it Remiel.
The two of them wrestled. The fight only proved the truth behind Remiel’s words. Dylan was vulnerable due to his humanity.
Rommie tried to help Dylan, but Remiel overrode her circuits through the patch of exposed wiring in her arm.
No sooner had Rommie begun to shut down did Tyr and Beka crash through the doors, guns raised. Tyr wasted no time and basted several rounds at Remiel. The android’s main circuits in his chest, were a mess of cut and sparking wires.
Beka went over to Dylan. “You okay?”
“Fine. ‘Can’t say the same for Rommie though,” replied Dylan. “Let’s go.” He lifted up the shut down Rommie and followed Tyr and Beka out of the room.
In the hall, a screen flickered to life. It was the Remiel. “Good show, Mister Anasazi, but it will take more than that to escape.”
Internal defenses were activated.
“Tyr, take Rommie. The two of you prep for departure. I’ll hold them off,” said Dylan, handing Rommie over to Tyr with extreme caution.
“With what exactly?” asked Beka.
Dylan grabbed her gun and shot a panel in the wall. It opened and revealed a large supply of force lances. “With these,” he said, stocking up on ammunition. “Get moving!’
Guards came from behind them. Tyr and Beka headed in the opposite direction while Dylan started exchanging fire with the guards.
“Commonwealth is on its way, hang in there,” replied Beka.
Dylan heard the distinct roar of the Maru’s powerful engines as it took off. He put the communications device on his belt and grabbed his force lance. He shot back at the guards. “Damn, why does this always have to happen?” He took out two guards. “Come on, Hunt, think.”
Dylan spotted a passageway and made a run for it, tossing a set force lance at the guards behind him. It exploded as he ran out the door.
As he ran through the halls, searching for a way out, Dylan heard more gunfire and a loud voice that said, “We are Argosy Special Forces. You are under arrest for kidnap, attempted murder, treason and piracy. Surrender your weapons now.”
Dylan was delighted to know that fate had finally come to its senses and helped him. He ran down the hall to meet the rescue team.
The guards were lowering their weapons and submitting to arrest.
“Captain,” greeted the officer.
“Officer, this facility is run by an AI called the Balance of Judgment. The avatar is called Remiel,” said Dylan.
“We will destroy it promptly after we depart,” replied the officer.
“No, disable it and capture the AI,” ordered Dylan.
“Sir, yes, sir,” saluted the officer.
Dylan walked out to the hangar and found a Slipfighter docked. The hatch opened and out climbed Rommie, arm completely repaired.
“I see Harper did a good job of fixing you,” commented Dylan, observing her arm as he neared.
Rommie smiled, “As always.”
Dylan halted a few inches away from where she was leaning against the Slipfighter.
“No, Harper didn’t find that,” said Rommie, answering Dylan’s unasked question right before he leaned in and kissed her. She moaned softly. When they pulled apart, she said, “I’m getting quite addicted to kissing you, Dylan Hunt.”
“You’re a phenomenal kisser yourself, Rommie,” said Dylan, planting a brief kiss on her lips. “I think we can have it arranged to satisfy your addiction.”
“Is that so?” mocked Rommie, pulling him into another kiss and letting Dylan carry her as he expertly boarded the Slipfighter.
He managed to set a course for the Andromeda on autopilot without releasing Rommie’s lips.
Beka sighed in relief. “Good thing these High Guard people are spit-and-polish punctual or Dylan would’ve been toast.”
“I second that,” agreed Tyr.
“Beginning docking procedures,” came Andromeda’s voice over the communications link.
“We should fix ourselves,” suggested Dylan, untangling his hand from Rommie’s hair.
“Yeah,” she agreed, getting out of Dylan’s lap and settling down in the seat behind the pilot’s chair.
The Slipfighter completed its docking procedure and the hatch opened automatically. The two occupants exited the craft. The whole crew, including Andromeda’s main AI and hologram, met them in the hangar deck.
“Welcome back, boss,” said Harper.
“You had us worried,” said screen Andromeda.
Dylan smiled and said, “Thanks for the concern. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll change out of this old tux.” He headed for his quarters without another word.
Suddenly, a surge of pain came from his leg. “Damn,” he cursed under his breath. “I’d better get Trance to take a look at that.” He hobbled out of his quarters to the med deck to see their resident medical officer.
“Hey, Trance,” he greeted, limping into the room.
“You’ve been shot!” she exclaimed.
“I can see that,” he replied dully, “could you fix it up already?”
Trance commenced treating his wound immediately.
Twenty minutes after entry, Dylan came out of med deck as good as new. He headed to his quarters then to Command.
“Andromeda, ship wide,” he said. A beep registered the activation of the ship wide Comm channel. “Alright, people, this is your captain speaking. We’ve got a week of uncharted time, and nothing to put in it, so I say you can all head off to see your families or friends. Just be back at the end of seven days. Andromeda will dock at a Tarazed dry dock. Rally over there,” he announced, checking a flexi that he had picked up from his quarters.
A unanimous cheer erupted on all manned decks and service tunnels.
Within the next twelve hours, the Andromeda released Slipfighters and the Eureka Maru into space. The crew set off for their own worlds to visit their families and relax.
The only ones left on Andromeda were Rommie and Dylan, being the only ones that did not belong in the present time frame. Even Trance had somewhere to go.
After the last of the crew left on board the Maru, Dylan retreated to his quarters, giving Rommie an excuse that he was tired from their abduction.
Rommie knew it wasn’t the truth, but went along anyway, grateful for the chance to interface with her other avatars.
“What happened to you two?” asked the hologram.
The main AI raised her question before Rommie could start explaining. “How were you abducted without any of the crew knowing?”
“I was up on the balcony and Dylan followed me,” explained Rommie.
“Who kidnapped you?” asked the screen Andromeda.
Rommie’s face blanched noticeably. “Remiel.”
“Oh God, don’t tell me you’re gonna get emotional on us again,” grumbled the main AI.
“Oh come on, don’t be so hard on her. She just has the emotions you partitioned off to her,” said the hologram in Rommie’s defense.
“Oh? Last week, you were blaming me for her being in love with Dylan,” argued the screen apparition. “She can’t possibly be in love with both of them.”
“Contrary to what you just said, I am not in love with Gabriel or Remiel. I just felt attracted to Gabriel and ended up having to kill him,” said Rommie.
“See what I mean?” piped up the hologram.
“Both of you, just shut up about that,” said Rommie, seeing the screen AI getting ready for another debate on the weakness Rommie’s emotions implicated. “Me being crushed by guilt of killing Gabriel hardly matters anymore.”
“What makes you say that?” asked Holo-Rommie, puzzled by the statement.
Rommie smiled. “You two are the ones that ‘watch over’ everybody,” she trailed.
Screen Rommie looked annoyed at her vagueness. “Spill it.”
“Dylan actually admitted he loves me,” Rommie gloated.
“Oh crap,” cursed the main AI. “She’s pulling the love-sick school girl again.”
“This time, I have to agree with the her,” said the hologram. “You could be getting us into major trouble. Remember our old pal the Pax Magellanic?”
“And what makes you think that your relationship with Dylan will work out better than the one with Gabriel?” added the screen.
“You’re pushing it,” gritted the hologram.
Rommie scowled at the other sides of her. “You guys can be so pathetic sometimes.” She got up and stalked out of Obs Deck.
“I know what happened with Gabriel wasn’t exactly what you’d call the best romance novel, but Dylan’s different. I just know it,” said Rommie to herself, stomping down the halls.
Screen Rommie appeared. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
“Leave me along, dammit!” Rommie yelled in frustration.
Screen Rommie blinked off.
Rommie continued to pound her way down the hall towards her quarters.
Soon after she entered and stood by her window, she heard a knock at the door. Knowing it was Dylan, she said, “Come on in.”
Dylan entered her room. She still had her back to him as he approached her. He asked, “Is everything alright?”
"Yeah, everything’s fine," she answered, sensing him stop inches behind her.
He raised his hands to her tense shoulders and started to roll them slowly, working out the tense ‘muscles’ her frustration had built. “Andromeda, engage privacy mode. I’d like a moment with your avatar,” There was a beep.
Dylan's hands worked wonders on her body, Rommie began relaxed, all other thoughts and preoccupations leaving her. She found her uniform hindering his relaxing massage and unzipped the top of her uniform and took it off in one swift motion, allowing him to touch her bare skin.
Minutes passed as Dylan’s massage relaxed her. Before she could protest, he had whirled her around to face him. His hands framed her face as he lowered his lips to hers. When their lips made contact, the kiss held just as much spark as the first time Rommie had kissed Dylan a mere fourteen hours before.
This is a dream come true, thought Rommie, remembering her dream only a week ago.
Their kiss deepened and became more and more passionate until they were tangled up in each other on Rommie’s bed a few hours later.
A/N: Please drop off a review. I know it sucks, but I just had to give it a shot. All criticisms are welcome, flames and all. Thanks.