Well it's a start. This isn't the world I woke up to this morning, but there's no point in thinking about that now. Better here and now, than shredded into a billion atoms by a black hole.

I can shape them into something approximating a good crew I'm sure. Captain Valentine is smart, and right on the ball. I foresee a few morality clashes and power struggles in the future, but I am the Captain of the Andromeda and I think she'll respect that.

I'm not sure what the story on the Magog is, and I'm willing to reserve judgment. However I'll tell Rommie to keep him under surveillance at all times just in case.

Apart from being light-fingered, Harper's got a smart mouth. Rommie seems to think he's an excellent engineer. He couldn't have overridden her controls so fast if he wasn't. But who changes lifestyles just for fresh coffee?

As for Trance, well, sweet kid if a little…odd. Deceptively quick in more than one sense of the word, but she appears to have sound standards. Definite potential there. Not sure why she said what she did in the Stasis Chamber though. Must see if we can track down her species - that might answer a few questions. Someone I should definitely watch, if only to see how she achieved the 'coming back from the dead' trick.

Tyr. Tyr is going to be a problem. A Nietzschean on his own, without binding oaths of allegiance to the Commonwealth - at least not yet. And after what just happened, could I even trust them? Looks like Nietzschean culture hasn't changed much though. I'll just treat him like Rhade until I get a grip on him.

Rhade...my friend, why? I heard your words. I just can't comprehend them.

And Sarah. Gods, Sarah. I don't even miss you yet because I can't believe you're gone.

.

.
Trance Gemini:

Poor Dylan. All alone in a different time. He's all curled up around the edges. Like a sensa fern when you move it too suddenly. And then you have to feed them up on light and water and nutrients to get them back to happy. Still, he has Rommie and we're going to bring back the Commonwealth and I think maybe Beka can cheer him up. She's good with green things when she doesn't yell at them. I'll have to look out for that and make sure she doesn't.

Tyr is exciting but a little too violent for his own good. He likes Harper though, I can tell. That's another nice combination.

Green and green makes deeper green. Red and blue makes purple. Pretty. This is going to be fun!
..

Great. The Nietzschean is coming along.

Not that it's entirely a bad thing. Despite Captain Dutiful's optimistic outlook, there's a lot of people out there who're going to be very very unhappy with his plan. Any extra firepower we have will help and Tyr strikes me as a one-man army. He isn't exactly hard on the eyes either.

Heh, down Beka. Bad Idea Alert. OK, so it's been waaaay too long. And he is a Nietzschean after all. If I was going to go for anyone, our new recruiter has the prettiest baby blues - and I wonder just how high those High Guar...oh yeah, time to change the subject.

I can understand Dylan's reasoning about including the Nietzscheans in the New Commonwealth (great, I'm already thinking of it in capital letters) but that's going to cause problems. Hopefully having a Niet on board won't flip Harper out - he's not exactly their number one fan. But who could blame him?

<sigh>

Don't go borrowing trouble Beka. Worry about it if it happens. Just keep an eye on Harper.

.

Oh boy. Those crew quarters! Cleaner than a blakjack addict's wallet! Constant hot water. Laundered sheets. Fresh coffee. Someone pinch me cos I think I died and went to heaven - minus the harem girls and grapes.

Never mind - I've got the ship. And what a ship! Definite Work of Art. Instant Object of Lust. Can't wait to get my hands on her.

And the A.I. - ooooh Rommie baby! I think, no, I know I'm in love! So you seeing anyone at the moment? Not for at least three hundred years, huh? Well, I'm more than happy to make up for that. I think we're gonna be seeing a lot of each other.

Not that her accessories aren't half bad. Just big. Really really big. Not that this is of the bad, eh Harper? So I got this thing for big guys. Greek Gods. Yeah, it's a failing in what's an otherwise perfect psyche, OK?

As for Mr Superman - we can deal. He just better make sure he doesn't pull any of that "more genetically superior than thou" crap. Sheesh, big deal. Everyone's genetically superior to...OK, not going there. Who's the genius 'round here anyway? Mr-Chip-on-His-Shoulder sure ain't. Though if you were a chip, they're pretty nice shoulders to be on. Sorta the color of mocha coffee. Mmmm. Wonder if they taste li...argh bad! bad! The Harper is bad! Definitely not going there!
.

.
Andromeda Ascendant:

***re-routing repair droids to radiation dampers***

***revised Security Assessment:
Anasazi, Tyr:
Level 1. Maximum surveillance. Qualified and proven threat to security. Unknown trustworthiness. Reference Nietzchean parameters.
Personal observation: Expert hand to hand and tactical fighter. Excellent physical condition and response. His thinking appears archetypal of the Nietzschean belief system.
Maintain rating.
***
Bem, Rev:
Level 1. Maximum surveillance. Probable threat to Commonwealth citizens. Unknown trustworthiness. Reference Magog parameters.
Personal observation: Competent navigation officer. Highly uncharacteristic socialization and composure for species. Further investigation into his religious beliefs should be helpful. Treat with extreme caution and maintain optimum surveillance.
Maintain rating.
***
Gemini, Trance: Level 2. High surveillance. Possible threat to environmental systems. Unknown trustworthiness. Unknown species. Unknown capabilities.
Personal observation: Expresses high ideals. Unknown and unprecedented physiological characteristics. Enthusiastic and optimistic personality. Observed to improve mood of crewmates.
Implement.
***
Harper, Seamus: Physical - Level 2. High surveillance. Qualified and proven threat to control and engineering systems. Unknown trustworthiness. Personal observation: Adept engineer, capable of improvising. Overconfident but amusing personality. Will be interesting to interact with him further.
Implement.
***
Harper, Seamus: Virtual - Level 1. Maximum surveillance. Qualified threat to internal systems. Unknown trustworthiness.
Personal observation: Reference Physical Security Assessment for subject.
Maintain rating.
***
Valentine, Beka: Level 2. High surveillance. Qualified and proven threat to control and engineering systems. Unknown trustworthiness. Personal observation: Capable and proficient. Good people skills but unknown moral standards. Should make an excellent second officer.
Implement.
end Security Assessment***

***course correction 0.0000045 degrees***

***re-routing repair droids to Deck 9***

The others may not think of you as a danger, but you don't fool me Nietzschean. I see the way your eyes appraise your companions, probing for weaknesses.

Trance has already been dismissed as a threat - a decision that is accurate on the physical level, but foolish on others.

Myself you have categorised as an irrationally 'enlightened' Magog battling against his instincts and genetic nature and thus doomed to failure. A potential murderer. A judgement as tainted by your own culture as by my own, and one I refuse to accept.

The A.I. you accept as a high level risk especially in combination with Captain Hunt, and I have no doubt you are already plotting on how to use their ignorance of this era to your advantage. It will be interesting to see if in time a man of such obviously high ideals and ease of command as the Captain will be able to win your loyalty.

Of my other crewmates, your attraction to Captain Valentine is understandable. She is a strong woman - proud, independent, a warrior at heart. You would not choose her to bear your children, but neither would it be below your dignity to share her bed. I saw the way you looked at her on the Observation Deck.

I also saw the way your eyes casually flicked past her more than once to Harper. What has he done to invite your attention? You have been misled by Trance's bubbly naivety, so why not Harper's loud and self-centered brashness? Physically he must hold small appeal to a Nietzchean. Ah, but mentally...yes, and in some ways that is even more perilous than infatuation of the flesh.

No, the others may not think of you as a danger, but I will be watching you.

..

.
Tyr Anasazi:

Perhaps it is time for something new. But believe me, I will be watching you very closely, Captain Dylan Hunt commander of the Systems Commonwealth starship Andromeda Ascendant. And if you prove to be as big a fool as my previous employers, I shall have little compunction in eliminating you.

Your pet A.I. may prove troublesome, but in the end she, or rather it, is nothing but a highly complex machine, a mechanical servant. Her limitations are more clearly defined than that of any human - a great weakness as well strength.

Your little ragtag group of recruits pose their own problems.

What is the purple girl? I have not seen her species before. She appears to be no obvious threat, but defenselessness is often a good camouflage.

The Magog I would gladly kill. It is foolish to suppose he can withstand the demands of genetic imperative. And if he can, it is even more foolish to accompany one who can override his survival instincts. And I am not a fool.

I shall not be so precipitate as to underestimate the competence of either Captain Valentine or her engineer. Yet if I am to join this crew for time enough that I garner fame and honour sufficient to restart my clan, it would be sensible of me to choose a companion to....relieve my tensions. Only the Maru's human crew are acceptable as such.

The fiery Beka is the obvious choice for bedsport. Strong, courageous and calm under pressure, she also has a statuesque blonde beauty that would place her as head concubine of any clan leader. Not that I believe she would accept anything other than partnership with the mate of her choice. Negotiating an alliance with the lovely captain may not be sexually rewarding in the long run, but I believe the entertainment experienced from her pursuit would be worth the effort expended.

Her engineer would be a more wary but perhaps more satisfying prey. In a clan Harper would be considered the runt of the litter and put down. His slight stature does him no favors in the eyes of most Nietzscheans, though his scruffy prettiness would be enough to attract amorous attention from some. 

He brags. He is loud. He talks too much. And even to his superior officer is disrespectful. These things may be condoned somewhat in light of his intelligence. And despite the florid extravagance of his boasts of genius, close observation has confirmed that he is indeed such. His bragging effectively serves to deflect attention from his true caliber and minimize belief in such. A clever ploy and one I might have succumbed to with small resistance had he not so cavalierly offered me the disc of "Janes' Encyclopedia for Basic Armed Combat Maneuvers". Such a move would be interpreted as a mating overture from one of my own people, and as such, immediately captured my attention.

However Captain Valentine is the safer, though slightly less attractive, option. I shall make my advances on that front first and see what results.