Through the Looking Glass

Chapter 12: The Road Not Taken

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
-Robert Frost, Ancient Earth Poet.

She was insane.

That was the only thing in Beka's mind that could even pinpoint the moment she had agreed to this. She had to be crazy. Maybe her daughter's craziness came from her but whatever the case was, she did what she had to do to get out from under the Nietzschean's grasps.

Well all except one of them anyway...

"Your ship's really..."

"Say it and you can walk."

Telemachus folded his arms on the back of the pilot's chair above Beka's head.

"You'd throw me out into space for insulting your piece of..."

"Uh uh!"

"...metal?"

"This ship isn't just welded metal for your information, it's my home. Not like you could relate at all but it is. I was born here."

"On this ship?"

"Yes, on this ship. I opened christmas present here, hunted for easter eggs, and at the Salvage Guild’s Debutante Ball it's where I...nevermind..."

"What about...E-Em...why'd you name her that?"

"Was Emily born here? Yes she was, helped by a strange purple woman."

"You let a strange purple woman midwife my child?"

"MY child. And it was either that or do it on my own. And in regards to MY child's name, I liked 'Emily'...what's wrong with it?"

"It's unbefitting a Nietzschean."

"She's not Nietzschean."

"She's not human either."

"Well that's her name, deal with it. Why do you care anyway? Hell, why are you even here?"

"That was the offer, I care because she's MINE...and I think I'll call her 'Em'."

Beka sighed and rolled her eyes.

Telemachus's offer.

Yep, she was insane.

Completely insane to accept it, but it was the only way that wouldn't have had them all carted off to Enga's Redoubt and into slavery. She had always hated not having the upper hand but where Nietzscheans were concerned you could guarantee to be on the receiving end of anything and everything they did.

"Well...I suppose it could start to feel homey in time, a little paint here and there..."

"You know it would have been nicer if they had dropped us off a bit closer," Beka commented changing the subject.

"The Drago-Kazov never let prisoners go so as far as anyone's concerned you dumped your cargo, we picked it up, and I vanished into parts unknown."

"Well maybe I'd be a little more grateful then if you guys hadn't of beaten the hell out of my ship."

"I'm surprised it's still in one piece."

"Harper's worked miracles before..."

"Speaking of the little stowaway..."

Beka put the Maru on autopilot and backed the chair up without warning causing the Nietzschean behind her to be jolted out of his resting position.

"Hey!"

"I want you to leave him alone," said Beka standing up and pointing a finger in Telemachus's face. "He's had enough to live with..."

"The little Earthling that could."

"And I didn't give you permission to snoop through crew records either."

"I’ve also noticed another interesting member of your crew..."

"Once again: why are you here. Why would you want to be here?"

"As I said when pitching you my offer, I'm bored. Bored of my pride, bored of the missions, bored of our enemies, it's the same old things over and over and over again. I wanted something new. Have for a long time now, and then you showed up in my life again."

Beka crossed her arms as he continued.

"So I thought to myself 'how could I use this opportunity?'"

"Typical."

"Just remember that if it wasn't for me you wouldn't be free and clear on your way to Olivares Trust right now. Just like if it wasn't for me you would have been beaten and bloodied somewhere on Avilan and you wouldn't have had that wonderful little child of OURS."

"Could you be any more full of yourself?"

"Just wait until I'm warmed up."

Beka could feel the heat from his body from their close proximity. She hadn't realized how close they had been standing or how up in his face she had gotten until that moment. She didn't want to hate him. She really didn't. A part of her still wanted to cling to that old memory of him, keeping her down, protecting her. If it ever was protection... But in a way Telemachus had once again let her get away from his Pride. The only difference this time was that he stuck around. But what worried her and became her main concern was, for how long?

"And when you're done playing house, then what?"

"I've been meaning to ask, what's with the hostility?"

"Well what'd you want me to do? Strip down on your bed and spread my legs for you?"

He smirked. "Hell of a way to welcome a guy."

"You're a Nietzschean. A Dragan. I don't trust you."

"There's more than that."

"There's always more."

"What are you so worried about?"

"You're going to hurt her."

"I told you..."

"Not physically," said Beka, "You Nietzscheans probably don't care anything about emotion but we do. And there it is. Emily's only half-Nietzschean, she'll never be good enough for you and I don't want my daughter getting attached to you only so you can leave and break her heart because all this was for you was a reprieve from your boredom. You're her father, and she's been thinking about you for probably longer than I even know about. So what’s going to happen when you turn out just like everyone else who didn’t want her?”

Beka couldn’t help the disappointment that settled into her stomach as he gave her an unreadable look and brushed passed her. She could feel her throat start to burn as well as the corner of her eyes start to prickle. What was she really expecting from him anyway?

"I told you before," said Telemachus stopping at the door and turning to take one last look at Beka. "I won't hurt her."

He could feel Beka staring into his back long after the door between them was shut. He knew he had a lot to think about and possibly do but that was life and something told him that it was important that he be where he was now.

He growled lightly as he stretched his shoulders. What was it about that woman that could make him feel so many different things at once? Feelings he couldn't put names to but felt like he should be able to. She invoked the strangest things and he wanted to know why. Though in order to explore things more fully she would need to get over her suspicion of him and his motives. Which brought him to the main cause of them all.

Emily.

Her child. His child.

And that was the thing that Beka didn't seem to understand.

Emily was his daughter. His immortality. And for some strange reason her half-breed status really meant nothing to him. That was what he didn't understand. The Drago-Kazov didn't care for their half-human offspring, so why did he?

Certain things had always felt different and as time went on he found himself becoming increasingly aware of them. His mother had always told him that those feelings would pass and subside but they never did. His ancestor, Gaheris Rhade had been Majorum some sixteen generations ago. Surely whatever traits of the dead pride had been bread out of him when the family had went to the Drago-Kazov. How that happened though...he didn't know. No one seemed to.

His real family was dead. His genetic link to the past, gone. He was taken in by Kallianax Nez Pierce as a favour. As a sterile female, she raised and protected him as her own.

But even so, it was times like these where his upbringing warred with these mysterious traits and told him that they were wrong, that he shouldn't feel them.

He shouldn't want the fiery redheaded kludge.

He shouldn't want his child by her.

But he did and that worried him. There were times when he felt like two different people...

Telemachus growled irately. He wasn't in the mood for an identity crisis today.

It was then he finally noticed where his feet had taken him and found himself starting to smirk as his mood picked up upon discovering what would make him feel better.

It was about time he became acquainted with the engineer.