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Last update: 07.01.02 Josiah felt the blood rushing through his veins as adrenaline heightened his senses and powered his muscles with additional strength. Death was awaiting him, beckoning him to cross the line he had so long evaded. Not that Josiah Sanchez was afraid of dying. He could look back on a life that left little out, both good an bad things. But in the end, his heritage had claimed a price that was higher than he had been willing to pay. He had left behind his Pride and the way of the Nietzscheans, became a priest. But instincts and a life time of training had proven too much. Disgusted at his own inability to turn the other cheek, at odd with the universe in general and himself in particular, Sanchez had abandoned his new occupation, travelling the planets until he had bumped into Nathan Jackson a couple of years ago. After some difficulties, the Nietzschean and the former slave had soon become friends, and so far their bond had survived. However, now it seemed that they had both reached the end of the line, and that wasn�t acceptable for Josiah. His extraordinary hearing picked up a motion and carefully pried over to the other end of the large room. With a smile, he saw Ezra, who looked distraught and unsure about what to do. �C�mon, son... give yourself a push. Follow your heart,� he muttered under his breath, feverishly working to get rid of his ties. JD felt the sweat trickling down his face slowly, forced into inactivity by the barrel of the laser rifle that pointed at him. He stared at the weapon, fixing it with his eyes as if he could command it by that not to fire. The teenager trembled slightly, fear and adrenaline eating away the calm facade he had tried to maintain. Gone was the enthusiasm and cheer, the confidence. �Don�t worry, kid. Chris knows what he�s doing,� he heard Wilmington whispering. The Commander heavily leaned against the wall, clutching a nasty looking wound that went square over his chest where one of the pirates had almost sliced him in half during the fight. Nathan tried his best to stop the bleeding, but the growing puddle of blood under Buck�s body scared JD. Josiah hid a satisfied smile and slid out of his ties. Carefully, he reached for the spring knife he had stored in the leather cuffs that hid his bone spikes. He nudged Vin to come closer and began to cut through the bounty hunter�s ties. He only had one try in this. Failure meant death, and Ezra had no intention to die. The scolding reprimands that had dominated his thinking were replaced by determination and concentration on the task. There was no way back now. Chris knew that he didn�t want to go out without a fight. He felt the nuzzle of the gun pressed against his neck. Rough hands dragged him to his feet, jerked his arms behind his back in a painful move. The High Guard Captain tensed slightly, preparing himself for attacking his tormentors to give his friends the much needed chance for escape. Metal clattered on metal when Ezra tossed his backup gun over to Vin. Startled, the guards turned around but they didn�t stand the slightest chance against the rapid, precise fire from both Vin and Ezra. Chris took the chance and slammed himself into one of the men who held him, desperately trying to regain his freedom. Colonel Anderson was fighting a loosing battle, and he knew it. The damned Nietzschean gambler had doublecrossed him. Anderson clutched the throbbing wound on his upper arm and aimed for Ezra. �Two can play, bastard...� Chris slowly climbed to his feet, trying to regain his balance after the struggle. He knew that the others were taking care of themselves. JD had wrestled the gun from one of the guards and protected Buck. Josiah had tossed his knife over to Nathan and the black healer operated it with the precision of a surgeon. Vin�s well aimed shoots maimed down Anderson�s men rapidly. The Colonel, Chris noticed, was injured and aimed at someone at the other end of the room. Ezra. The gambler had a daredevil grin on his face and was obviously oblivious to the lethal danger that unfolded. Anderson pulled the trigger and Larabee didn�t think twice but jumped the pirate leader. �Ezra!� He heard the yelled warning and saw the threat at the same moment. Ezra reacted out of instinct, firing and rolling to cover at the same instant. He crashed hard into a pillar and suppressed a yelp when his left shoulder plopped out of its joint, leaving him dizzy for a moment. Screams filled the air, the panic of the settlers was almost solid, a wild animal roaring through the room on a frantic and destructive path. Ezra pressed his useless left arm tightly to his abdomen and robbed away from the place where he had dropped, knowing that it wouldn�t provide protection if Anderson would decide to fire again. It was pure luck that Larabee�s action had tipped the pirate out of balance and sent the shot off target. High Guard Captain Chris Larabee wasn�t a happy critter. He lay curled up in a ball on the cold metal floor, desperately trying to stop the pain that seared from the bullet hole in his side through his entire body. Ezra�s shot had hit him instead of Anderson. �That�s what you get for playing hero,� he thought before the world turned into a sea of agony and darkness. �Chris!� Vin�s expression hardened when he saw the Captain collapse. Fear tightened his throat, quickly turning into a burning anger when he heard Colonel Anderson�s mad laughter. Tanner�s gun spat death and the pirate spun around when the high energy projectile slammed into his chest. Anderson was dead before he hit the floor. �Captain Larabee?� Ezra�s hoarse voice shattered the silence that lay over the community room. He slowly walked over to where two motionless bodies lay on the ground. Fear soared that he had killed Chris. He quickly fought down the notion. No one had forced Larabee to throw himself into the way, and if the foolish High Guard Captain was dead... dead because he had tried to safe Ezra�s life... The gambler swallowed, staring down at the dark clad, inert form in shock. �Chris?� Vin kneeled down next to his friend, checking for a pulse. He felt the feeble throbbing of the heartbeat. �Nathan!� Chris fought through a thick layer of cotton that wrapped around his brain and dimmed everything. He could make out muffled voices and tried concentrated on them, but with growing awareness, another sensation assaulted his nerves. Pain. On the fringe of consciousness, the Captain shied away from the waves that ripped through his body with crippling, nauseating intensity. "Captain Larabee?" Ezra kneeled down next to Vin, unsure of what to do. Larabee's face was pale, much too pale and the breathing was shallow and rapid, whisking in the oxygen into laboring lungs with an effort. Guilt bubbled up in the con man. 'Third kind, look what you have done.' As if he had heard the self-recrimination, Chris suddenly gasped sharply and his eyes snapped open. He gazed from one to the other dizzily. "B...Buck?" It was barely above a whisper, but Vin heard it nevertheless. "He'll be okay. Nathan's with him." Larabee sighed in relief, battling the darkness that threatened to claim him again. "Ez...ra." "Captain?" His cool facade didn't betray the sudden burst of anxiety that ravaged through the gambler. "Don't you... ever... run out off me again!" Chris's face was covered with a fine sheet of sweat as he fixed eyes with the Nietzschean in a silent battle of wills. Ezra felt Larabee's look piercing straight into his soul. He wanted to escape from that stare, wondering for a moment what the Captain had in store for him. Sure Larabee knew what Ezra had done, the man was no fool. Don't you ever run out of me again. Not a request, but a warning. 'Leave me and those who are under my protection in battle once more and you'll be dead'. Ezra's poker face fell into place firmly, covering any emotion. The High Guard Captain had seen straight through him, and while he wouldn't be court-martialed this time, any further transgression would be futile. With a brief nod and a mock two finger salute, the younger man acknowledged the unspoken threat and moved out of Larabee�s rapidly narrowing field of vision. From a safe distance, Ezra watched how Chris slipped back into unconsciousness. "Nathan," Tanner growled, shooting Ezra a dark look that made the gambler forget about the incrucinating, pulsing pain rummaging through his shoulder. What else could possibly go wrong today? Jackson signaled JD to continue the pressure on Buck�s wound, then went to help Larabee. The Captain was in a bad shape, but not as bad as Nathan had expected after seeing Ezra�s unlucky shot. �He�ll live,� the healer said after a brief examination. �But we better get him to the Nightingale soon.� Within a short time, the flying hospital was filled with people. With the help of one of the outpost�s doctor for help of the serious cases and Josiah�s extensive experience on the lighter injuries, the initial confusion and panic amongst the settlers soon was replaced by gratitude and relief that the danger was over. �This were the last ones, Mr. Jackson,� Ezra informed him. The gambler had taken care of the evacuation of the settlers, hoping that it would distract the others from pondering over his involvement into the outbreak too much. With all of the pirates dead and the surveillance tape manipulated, there was nothing that would hint to him Ezra winced slightly as he moved his shoulder, quickly suppressing the sound and replacing the pain filled expression by his poker face. �How�s Mr. Larabee faring?� �He�ll survive. High Guard technology works miracles,� Nathan informed him, exchanging a quick look with Josiah. �Let me have a look at your shoulder...� �No!� Ezra made a step back, knowing that he couldn�t just possibly let the healer treat him. Jackson would find out, and then? It was pure luck that Ezra had come around before the black man had been able to start in-depth examinations on him when he had been rescued from the �Lion�s Den�. �I don�t need your help. My shoulder is just fine.� Nathan only shrugged. �Okay, okay... Suit yourself.� Ezra glared at the healer for a few seconds, daring him, but when Nathan made no intentions of using his medical skill on him, the gambler turned to leave with carefully measured steps. The ailing joint would have to wait until he was alone. Nathan took his chance and reached for the man�s shoulder before Ezra had a chance to react. With a swift move, Jackson set the joint. Ezra yelped in pain, spun around and was about to hit the healer when he realized that the pain had subsided. He stared at the black man with a mixture of shock and surprise. "Just as I thought," Nathan smiled and shot Josiah a 'told you so' look before he left the gambler standing in the middle of the room. The preacher just shrugged and returned his attention to Buck Wilmington, who had followed the scene with interest. Hours later, the situation on the base had calmed down. The remnants of the fight had been cleaned out and most of the injured had been allowed to return to their homes. By the time the Mary of Medici and the small convoy of ships that accompanied her had returned to Four Corners, word of the new force in the sector had already spread. That it reached the Andromeda Ascendant, High Guard and the Commonwealth's last outpost in the universe, was only a matter of time and chance. "Dylan," Andromeda approached her Captain. "There's a news report from a mining outpost called Four Corners mentioning a High Guard vessel defending a settlement against pirates..." Captain Dylan Hunt tensed. Ever since he had been rescued from the fringe of a black hole two years ago, he had hoped that he and the Andromeda weren't the only leftover of the once mightiest fleet that protected the colonized space. But again and again, with every snippet he learned, his hopes were rapidly shredded to tiny fragments. He ran a hand through his dark blond hair and steeled himself for another disappointment. "Do you have a name or designation of the ship, Rommie?" "Yes," Andromeda smiled. "It's the Mary of Medici under the command of Captain Chris Larabee. I've cross-checked my data base and there really was a High Guard scout ship with that name under the command of Captain Christopher Larabee, but she and her crew were presumed lost during a rescue mission." "You mean that someone found the Mary of Medici and assumed her Captain's identity?" The from on Dylan's face deepened. "Probably. But there's also another possibility." "I don't believe in fairy tales," Hunt discarded the idea that maybe someone else from his time had survived the 300 years. "Well, it's a chance," Rommie had carefully examined the data, compared it with High Guard data and had come to the conclusion that both ship and crew were either the genuine thing or a really professional fake. "Only one way to find out," the Captain smiled sadly. Re-building the Commonwealth had become a fight against windmills; with every step ahead another setback sneaked up behind the event horizon. And now this... He was sure that the man was a fake, but if they could recapture the Mary of Medici, at least the escapade wouldn't be in vain. "Tell the others to meet me on the bridge and set a course to Four Corners." Chris Larabee sighed deeply and stared at the unopened bottle that stood on his desk. Not enough that Buck had dragged along that Nietzschean gambler who had almost caused the death of the entire team, but the cherry on the icing was that Josiah was Nietzschean, too. Though, Chris had to admit, he liked the man and his attitude. And that Nathan - after all, former Nietzschean slave - had formed a tight bond of friendship with the disavowed priest, impressed Larabee. Still, the presence of Nietzscheans aboard the Mary did nothing to improve his dark mood. He stared at the picture of a young woman with dark, long, curly hair and smiled sadly. He traced over the outlines of her face, memories washing over him as he embraced her with his eyes. Next to the woman stood a small boy with the same dark hair as his mother's. Adam. Chris whispered the name, almost choking on the two syllables when he remembered how his little son had said good bye at the space port. Brave little man he was, Adam had not cried when Chris and Buck had left for a mission, but smiled and raised his tiny hand and waved farewell. A week later, all that was left of the two most precious people in his life were charcoaled remains, half molten into the metal floor. The High Guard ships stationed at the port had been too late to rescue their own, kept busy in skirmishes far away while the main enemy flet ravaged behind the line without mercy. He took in a quivering breath, trying to banish the horrible images that forced their way to his consciousness. Sarah and Adam hat been his life, his source of tranquility and happiness. Chris Larabee had stopped to exist the day they had died. He reached for the bottle, opened it and took a deep gulp. |