"Any opinions Rommie?" Dylan asked after the last interviews.

"Yes, Captain, based on my research, I would have to say Science Officer Third Class Ma’ctor is lying." Rommie relied, looking not at her Captain but Captain Ran’t.

"Very well, Andromeda." Beckoning a crewman, he sent the crewman to bring Ma’ctor to them. Turning to his allies, Ran’t stared at them. "I truly hope you are wrong Andromeda but I fear you are not."

"If Rommie is right, Ran’t, what will be his punishment?" Raa asked.

"Well that depends on his role and level of involvement in this crime."

"What?"

"Well the most major charge is not the attempted murder of your friend, Tyr. Whoever committed this crime did so against the express wishes of our Council. That is treason. The fact that they are willing to sabotage the treaty, violate the bond given to you when you received our holy tree, to do so when the Andromeda has two of our holy trees, that they broke the Council’s edict, and that they have harmed a delegate of your ship, all are treasonous acts. For this there is only one punishment, Death. A traditional death, but only death. Their names shall never be immortalized in song or praise. Their families will never receive ship benefits. They will be a shameful blot on their families. Would that satisfy you, Raa? To know that if they have children, those children will be ashamed to tell people who their parent is? If they don’t have children it will be rejoiced. If they made a contribution to the gene banks of our world, it will be left to spoil and be destroyed? Our children will learn and add another name to the Shameful List. A List that only exists so that all the children can learn what such deeds cost a Valu. A list where a person doesn’t even have a name just a number describing the time and place that the incident took place. All good they will have done will be recorded in only one place, the Hall of the Shame. For what if later we learn that they did a shameful thing in order to do right, should we not then allow them to have what little honor is left to them, though it will never erase the shame. Shall this satisfy you, Raa?"

"Yes, exquisitely. Whereas Tyr and I are always in competition, we are still Nietzscheans. It is a punishment that we would not expect from others but it is very Nietzschean of you."

A knock on the door interrupted Ran’t reply, "Come in Ma’ctor."

* * *

Harper flung himself on his bed and wiped the tears of frustration from his eyes. Closing his eyes, he waited for it to begin. He didn’t have long to wait.

Curled up in bed with the voices running around his mind, Harper fell asleep.

* * *

Trance danced into the Medbay, "Hey Harper, glad... Rev?"

"Ahhh, Trance. Welcome back, I’m afraid Harper needed to do something. Our Tactical Officer is awake and I do believe your patient wishes to go."

"Yes, Red (yes I mean Red) Bem. I would." Tyr sat up and nodded to Trance.

"Well, let me check." Trance stared at the dials. "I guess so."

"Good." Tyr got up and slipped on his leather pants.

"If anything feels wrong you gotta come back," Trance yelled through as Tyr walked out.

Tyr headed down the hallway, pausing at the intersection; he turned left towards the crew quarters. Strange. I connect Seamus with green, the color of new life to us. Standing in front of Harper’s quarters, he pressed for admittance. No answer. He tried again and again, then assumed that Harper must be asleep. Frowning, he wandered down the hall to his own quarters, wondering what Harper would consider romantic

* * *

"Ma’ctor, why did you lie?" Ran’t asked quietly.

"Captain? Why are you accusing me of lying?" Ma’ctor asked.

"Because I believe you are. Tell me everything, for anyone who covers this up, or hides this from my eyes shall be placed on the Shameful List. Do you wish that to happen to you?"

Ma’ctor gulped, "Please, Captain, Youme’x... said that it was the right thing to do. He said... that it would be honorable. All I had to do was mix a batch of Peace. He offered me... justice. Justice for Ban 12. I thought I was doing what was right. Sometimes the Council... will put out an edict saying one thing as a blind for something else. I thought I was doing right. I believed Youme’x. Captain, I am loyal to my ship, to my family, to Valu."

"Yes I see, but your involvement in this can not go unpunished. You will serve onboard the Andromeda Ascendant as the Assistant Tactical Officer, subject to Tyr’s whims and wishes and orders. Your Captain will be Dylan and your superior will be Tyr. You will transfer as soon as possible. You are dismissed to get ready." Turning to Dylan, he smiled. "Ask Tyr and the rest of your crew to meet us by an airlock. Preferably a trash chute." "Ok." Dylan nodded at Rommie as she relayed the message through to the crew

* * *

Beka banged on the door again, "Get up, Harper! Dylan wants us out in the docking bay now!" A muffled crash in the room, told her she had finally woken Harper up. A rolling crash and things banging into the door, alerted her and she stepped back. The door opened with a rumpled and mussed Harper.

"What does his highness want now, Beka. I was in the middle of the most fantastic dream. A bunch of slim and pretty women all decked out in silks."

"I would think rather, Tyr, in harem boy pants, serving you fine chocolates."

"Tyr... nah. What does Dylan want?"

"Apparently, they found who tried to kill Tyr. I guess they want to hand him over to us. Come on." Beka turned, sure that the hints would have Harper following. Oh yeah, Harper has it bad for Tyr.

* * *

Docking bay 12

After all were assembled, Captain Ran’t stood between two lines. On his left, the Valu Youme’x, Shinya, Tomoko, and Ma’ctor. On his right stood the crew of the Andromeda.

"Today we lose two Science Officers. First, because of his being an accomplice to this crime, a crime of treason, a crime of murder, Science Officer Third Class, Ma’ctor is assigned to the Commonwealth Starship, Andromeda Ascendant. His Captain is Dylan Hunt; his superior is Tyr Anasazi of the Andromeda Ascendant. Give them ship-oath." Ran’t stepped back.

Ma’ctor headed over to Dylan, kneeling he laid his hands in lap. "To my ship, I give life. My life. My children’s life. To my ship, my home, I give faith. My faith. My children’s faith. To my ship, my crewmates, I give honor. My honor. My children’s honor. In turn, I accept this ship’s life, I accept this home’s faith, I accept my crewmates’ honor. We are one, what is done to me, is done to you. What is done to you is done to all of this ship." Ma’ctor reached behind him and pulled out a small sharp knife, slicing his palm diagonally, he laid the palm onto the ship. "No more does Ma’ctor of Brkisom live but rather Ma’ctor of Andromeda Ascendant." Ma’ctor stood and walked to the end of the line and stood, head bowed.

"Ma’ctor’s punishment is mild, for one reason. Ma’ctor believed Youme’x. Youme’x crafted a pretty and plausible lie. So to Youme’x goes the traditional death. Have you any words?"

"It was justice! They destroyed Ban 12. It was only one of many places that suffered under them!"

"Just as they cannot hold a whole species hostage for what one does, we can not either. Come forth as you are adjudged guilty by me and the Council." Ran’t nodded to his crew. As one they took three steps back. "You will be added to the Shameful Lists. It is only there you will be remembered and not even with your name." Ran’t’s hand flashed out. The claws that people assumed were there when they saw the fox like Valu showed as Ran’t struck. His claws ripped through the soft tissue of the throat and yanked once hard on the spinal cord, ripping it half out of Youme’x’s body. "Andromeda, that is a trash chute behind us, yes?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Shinya and Tomoko picked up Youme’x’s body and cycled it out the chute. Just before it expelled, a keening sound came from inside the tube. The chute cycled before Rommie could stop it.

"Captain, Youme’x was alive still." Rommie told Dylan.

"Ran’t?"

"Of course he was, Dylan, Andromeda. He got a traditional death. No honor. No glory. No chance to fight. No chance to live. This is the price of treason. Did you like it, Raa, Anasazi?"

"It was almost Nietzschean," Raa said.

"Good." Ran’t held his hand out, blood still dripping from the claws. Shinya came close and reaching for a bowl no one had noticed before, carefully cleaned off her Captain’s claws.

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