Inside Tyr’s heart
By Skylark
Disclaimer: The characters of Andromeda belong to Tribune Entertainment and the character of Q belongs to Paramount entertainment. No money is being made from this story. I will put the characters back once I am done with them.
Summary: Tyr begins to worry that he is no longer a Nietzchean. And he has some sort of identity crisis. This story is a crossover piece with Star Trek as the omnipotent character Q makes an appearance in this story. I’ve always thought that John de Lancie was an excellent Q so why not use him in this story! Somehow it’s Q that saves the day..read the story and find out to answer the burning question of the day “Can Q actually do a good deed?”
Author’s note: I wrote this story right after seeing “Cui Bono”, an Andromeda episode guest starring John De Lancie, Q in Star Trek. I hope you enjoy this little story. I wrote this story because I felt that lately Dylan has been getting too many of the rescues. And after Tyr lost his bone ridges, I felt that the series did not spend enough time delving into Tyr’s character to answer the questions viewers might have such as “How does Tyr feel now that he has no bone ridges? Who is this new Tyr and how is he different from the old Tyr? I figured that the answer to this question would be fascinating to write about and it was a lot of fun writing this story. I hope the reader has as much fun reading this story as I have writing it.
CHAPTER 1
“I’m worried about Tyr..” announces Trance to the Q, an omnipotent being who has the power to destroy or create entire universes at the whim of a thought. Q decides to take the form of a human dressed in regal robes as he addresses his fellow omnipotent being, Trance.
“So Trance..does the crew of the Andromeda know that you are not what you appear..that you are in fact omnipotent..with the power of the universe at her fingertips..” asks Q.
“Q, are you listening to a word I’m saying? You know it’s very annoying when you ignore me..” exclaims Trance angrily as she stamps her purple foot on the ground.
“Now, Trance dear..pouting does not become you..of course I hear every word you say..why do you worry yourself over these puny humans anyway? Forget about the Andromeda and her boring wearisome crew..come join me and we can blast into oblivion some planets together!”
“No, Q..I have promised to give up the ways of my old life and start anew. I don’t want to destroy anymore. I used to be a goddess who enslaved millions. I destroyed hearts, souls and civilizations. I’m tired of all that. I want to start over again on a clean slate. I want to help the universe now..not destroy it anymore. Destruction of entire species or being an omnipotent goddess is just not fun anymore..I’ve been doing the same dreary thing with you Q for eons..it’s time for a change!”
“Alright..Trance..you do have a point..so what about these boring humans that bothers you so?”
“It’s Tyr. He’s been depressed lately. So far, the Andromeda crew have no idea who I am. Dylan has his suspicions that I am not human but that is all. As long as I have the same agenda that he has, Dylan will not try to push the point. I’ve rescued the Andromeda on any number of occasions. When Dylan was taken prisoner and the crew couldn’t find him, I located Dylan for them out of a number of hundreds of planets, I pointed out the exact planet where Dylan was being held. I rescued Dylan and the crew from the vortex of time; I rescued them from the Magog; in fact I’ve rescued the Andromeda from every major crisis it has ever got into for the past two years.”
Q interrupts “Are these humans so stupid that they don’t realize they have a Q on board directing their every action?”
“No, they suspect that I have the ability to see the future, but that’s all. I let the crew think that Dylan is in charge. I let them think that it was Dylan’s skill that got them out of the vortex. I put the idea into Dylan’s head to fly the ship near the sun’s atmosphere to hide in its corona…and then slingshot us out of the vortex..I let them think that it was Dylan’s clever rescue operation that saved Tyr and Harper from the Magog..I let Dylan save Tyr from those insane refugees we took on board a few days ago..you see that’s the problem..I let DYLAN do too many of these rescues and well Tyr feels…left out..”
Q frowns in puzzlement “I don’t understand Trance, what’s the problem? Isn’t your cover intact? So what’s the big deal?”
“Listen to Tyr’s mind and you’ll see what I mean.”
Trance waves her hand and then Q and Trance enters Tyr’s mind and hears Tyr’s thoughts in Tyr’s voice.
“I am, Tyr Anastasi out of Barbarosa, of the Kodiak pride. I am a Nietzchean of the Kodiak pride. I am a Nietchean..aren’t I? I used to be so proud of my accomplishments. I killed without thought. Someone would hire me to kill someone and I would do it. Poison. Ambush. Trap. Punchkick. I always killed without a trace. I always worked alone and got the job done until I came on board the Andromeda. Nowawadays it’s Dylan this and Dylan that. Dylan stole the remains of the Progenitor and locked them up from me. Dylan gives all the orders and I am nothing but his lap dog. Where is my pride? Where is my dignity?
Dylan is the one who always has to rescue me. Dylan rescued me from the Magog. Dylan rescued me from those mad aliens the other day. Those mad aliens kept sticking an electric prod in my neck paralyzing my whole body. Dylan rescued me from the Vortex when those vile aliens took over my body and took over my mind. When I came to, I had no idea what had happened to me. I felt so helpless..that’s it I hate to feel helpless..like a damsel in distress that always needs rescuing..damn it I’m a Nietzchean..of the Kodiak pride. I am Tyr Anastasi out of Barbarosa..what does that mean nowadays anyway? Why is it that Dylan has to rescue me all the time anyway? How can I let a Kluge rescue me?
Tyr looks at his missing bone ridges. Am I really a Niezchean anymore? Those aliens of the Vortex not only stole my body and my free will but they also stole my bone ridges. It’s my bone ridges..those distinctive markings that mark me as a member of the Kodiak pride and marks my genetic lineage..now those ridges are gone..What am I? Have I become a Kluge? Have I lost my strength? Am I still a man? Do I need Dylan to rescue me and coddle me? What happened to my manhood?
To Tyr’s disgust, tears roll down his eyes. Tyr takes his fist and angrily wipes the tears away. He takes a barbell and starts to furiously bench press to prove to himself that he still had his physical strength. The barbell goes up and down. Tyr’s muscle bulge as he exercises on the barbell machine. Sweat pours down like rivulets down his face as he exerts his great energy into the barbell. Is that all I’m good for now..lifting barbells..can I no longer fight my enemy by myself? Without my bone ridges and my Nietzchean manhood what good am I ? What do I tell my son? That his father is a Kluge? Have I become a living embarrassment to my son? To myself? Tyr continues to wallow in self pity.
Why can’t I have my independence back? Have I become soft? Have I forgotten the Nietzchean way? What has happened to the brutal Tyr of yesteryear? When did I become Dylan’s puppet? Why is it that Dylan gets to pull all the strings? Why is it that Dylan always gets his way? How can I let a Kluge dominate my life? Have I become such a nobody? The other day a female Kluge, Beka Valentine flipped me. She flipped me and took me off guard during our exercise drills. Have I truly lost my touch? I can’t even defend myself from my enemies anymore? I am so ashamed.
I don’t care that Dylan regards me as a friend. I don’t care that Beka counts on me to back her up. I don’t care if Harper is grateful that I have saved his life so many times that I can’t count the number on my fingers anymore. I just want my old life back. I want the old Tyr back. The old Tyr only cared for himself. Only did things that was good for Tyr. The old Tyr never cared about others or about the “good” of the universe. Have I become the Kluge of the Commonwealth.
Dylan’s Commonwealth is such a joke. Dylan spends over two years risking his life and ours to establish this Commonwealth, the cradle of civilization as he calls it. He’s a fool. After the long night, he can never bring back the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth died 300 years ago. Dylan is just a fossil from another time. He thinks like an obsolete computer program. And despite it all, I go along with all of this idealistic crap. What’s wrong with me? The old Tyr would never ever have risked his life on such foolish fallacy. What have I become? What am I? Have I become so useless that I need Dylan and his Commonwealth dream to validate my existence? What do I tell my son? That his father was an utter fool?
Here’s the sad part. Without Dylan and the Andromeda, I don’t have a place in this universe. Without a pride or a clan, a Nietzchean, if that’s what I still am, is a total washout..has been..nobody in this universe. I have no where else to go. I am all alone in this universe. I have nobody’s shoulder to cry on. Besides Nietzcheans don’t cry. Tyr looks at his boneless arms and exclaims..I am no longer even a Nietzchean. I let some invisible alien take me. Violate me. If I’m not a Nietzchean anymore, then I am nothing but a play thing of Dylan. Without Andromeda, I have no home. Nothing to call my own. I am nothing. I JUST AM NOTHING..
Tyr crawls down on his knees with tears streaming down his face as he yells What am I? Why do I exist? When was the last time I rescued myself? When was the last time I did anything right without Dylan’s help? What am I? Somebody give me a sign and tell me what to do. Tyr takes out his boot knife and puts the knife next to his throat as he contemplates the unthinkable. Why do I bother to exist? Is my life worth anything anymore? Why don’t I just end it all here? Nobody will miss me. Nobody will even care.
Hysterical laughter. Insane Laughter as Tyr puts the knife away from his throat. Yeah if I die here, Dylan will care. Dylan will have to rescue me AGAIN. He will take me to sick bay and that strange purple alien, Trance will find a way to resuscitate me. No I will not give Dylan the satisfaction of rescueing me AGAIN. I will not give him that satisfaction. More Insane laughter. Tyr holds his sides as he keeps laughing and laughing at nothing in particular. His boot knife has small drops of his blood as he was able to barely cut his throat. Tyr tastes his blood and savours the coppery flavor.
Oh..there was a time when I drank my enemy’s blood. When I could escape from any situation. I survived the slave camps. I crawled myself across the desert with no water. No, nowadays I would need Dylan to rescue me. I am so sick and tired of it all.. Oh Progenitor, I just can’t stand this feeling of unworthiness in y our eyes. I’m so sorry I lost my bone ridges…ironic isn’t it? I used to see myself as the defender..Dylan’s defender..Beka’s defender..I felt so sorry for these weak Kluges so I took it upon myself to defend them and now..they are the ones defending me..I’m so tired of being nothing..of having no value..What do I do? How can I exist if I am no longer a Nietzchean? The essence of a Nietchean is survival..self-preservation…but these days I’m nothing without that old fossil from yesteryear, Dylan.
CHAPTER 2
Trance turns off her mind link to Tyr’s inner demons and turns to Q “So you see Q, I have to do something about this. . He’s dying on the inside and I have to find a way to make him feel worthy again. He’s so damn hard on himself.”
“Trance..that’s so easy..create a situation where Tyr needs to save the crew. Create a situation that only Tyr not Dylan saves lives..and then poor Tyr will feel like a “man” again!” With a wave of his hand, Q sets his plan in motion. A foul smell arises as Q exits the scene in a swirl of smoke. Trance crinkles her nose at the fowl odor. “Q, What have you done? Q Answer me.”
The only anwer she gets is a disembodied voice “Trance, my sweet, it has been fun..you care so much for these puny humans..I don’t see why you find them so fascinating..especially that disgusting animal..Tyr..but as you will see..Tyr will have to save the day..Ta Ta!”
On command deck, Trance, Dylan, Beka and Harper feel their eyes grow heavy as a mysterious raft of grey smoke wafts its way through the ventilation corridors. The whole Andromeda crew with the exception of Tyr falls down unconscious.
Tyr crinkles his nose and he heads for the communication device located near his door and he croaks “Emergency..anyone smell that smoke? Dylan? Trance? Anyone can you hear me?”
The only voice to respond is the computer, Andromeda whose hologram materializes in front of Tyr’s surprised form “Tyr, the whole crew, Dylan, Beka, Harper and Trance are now lying unconscious on Command deck. I am currently venting out this mysterious smoke but in order to completely vent out this smoke I need someone to pilot the slipstream drive. You are IT.”
Tyr runs to command deck to take over as navigator of the ship as the only pilot still left conscious. Tyr walks over the unconscious bodies of his fellow crewmen. Dylan lies slumped over the command panel. Tyr gently moves Dylan’s body into the Captain’s chair as Tyr begins the countdown to slipstream.
“Andromeda, on my mark..Five, Four, Three, Two, One..activate slipstream drive” yells a competent and clear headed Tyr.
Andromeda’s voice says “Activating slipstream and venting all decks of this mysterious smoke”
Tyr takes the helm and drives the Andromeda through the slipstream vortex. He expertly handles the ship under his firm hands turning left and right at the appropriate moments within the vortex, his eyes never wavering from the screen, not even once. Andromeda vents the mysterious smoke and the command deck atmosphere becomes clear of smoke.
Trance shakes her head and awakens first. Tyr walks to Trance and in an authoritative voice demands “Take Dylan and the others to sick bay and resuscitate them as soon as possible.” Trance shakes her purple head and takes Dylan and the others one by one out of the command deck and places each officer on a hospital bed. Tyr personally carries Dylan on his shoulder in a fireman’s lift as he exclaims to an unconscious Dylan “What have you been eating lately..you are heavier than you look! You weigh a ton!” Tyr’s rippling muscles strain under the weight of Dylan’s unconscious body as Dylan lays limp across Tyr’s shoulders..Dylan’s chestnut hair falling over his face obscuring his pale face.Of course the unconscious Dylan offers no reply to this witty riposte.
On each bed, each officer is given an oxygen mask to breathe in to rid their bodies of the noxious smoke. Trance stands over each crewmen with a worried frown on her purple face. Tyr walks over to comfort Trance. “Don’t worry Trance..Andromeda says that she has cleared the last of the smoke from her ventilation systems..Dylan and the others should awaken soon..fit as a fiddle..”
Trance gives Tyr a hug “You are the hero you know. You saved this ship and its crew from a possible horrible death. You saved my life too. Thank you so much for everything.”
Tyr returns the hug and says “Thank you too”. What Tyr does not say is what is written in his heart. Finally, it was Tyr that saved the ship. Finally it was Tyr that rescued Dylan. It was Tyr that had to carry Dylan’s limp body to sickbay. It was Tyr who drove the Andromeda through slipstream allowing Andromeda to rid herself of the noxious poisonous smoke that rendered everyone else but him..unconscious.
Tyr looks down on the hospital bed where Dylan is lying. Dylan’s face is still too pale. Dylan, a man of action and energy, looks so still on the hospital bed. So out of character for Dylan to be lying so still and looking so vulnerable. The only sign of life from Dylan is the steady rise and fall of his chest indicating that he is still alive. Tyr impulsively takes Dylan’s pulse and finds Dylan’s pulse to be weak and Dylan’s heart to be racing too fast. Tyr remarks calmly without looking up “He’s in shock and if you don’t treat him soon with antishock medicine..he will die.”
One by one Tyr takes the pulse of each of the other crew members and finds the same symptoms..weak pulse and racing hearts. “They will not last long..give me some of the medicine and I will help you resuscitate them. Hurry. Trance. Now.”
In that authoritative voice that brooked no argument, a voice of command, a voice of someone in control of his faculties, a voice of someone in control of the situation and in control of the destiny of not only his crewmates, but also the destiny of Andromeda and the Commonwealth as well especially if Tyr does not resuscitate Dylan in a hurry. Tyr takes the injection needle and finds a vein in Dylan’s arm and then Tyr fills the needle with a purple liquid and injects Dylan. Tyr then injects each and every one of his crewmembers as well.
Tyr stands aside as he waits for the injection to work. Dylan is the first to flutter his eyelids and wake up. Confused azure eyes try to focus on the surroundings around him as Dylan awakens to a pounding headache. He licks his dry lips and asks Tyr for water which Trance hands to Dylan. Dylan drinks the water gratefully as the water races down his parched throat and eases his aching head somewhat. Dylan takes a look around and sees Tyr with a worried frown on his typically serious face and asks “What happened?”
Tyr responds “You and the rest of the crew were rendered unconscious by a mysterious gas that came on board the ship..fortunately I was not affected and I was able to drive Andromeda into slipstream and vent the gas from the ship. The others should be awakening soon. No fatalities.”
Dylan gives Tyr a curious look and postulates “I guess that Nietzchean blood protected you from the affects of the gas! Good work Tyr!” Dylan tries to get out of the hospital bed, but a wave of dizziness comes over Dylan as the world spins and tilts out of control. Tyr puts his hand on Dylan’s chest and guides his weakened captain back into bed. “I’m afraid, sir that you are in no shape to take command yet, Captain. You still need rest.”
Dylan still seeing several Tyrs in front of him tries in frustration to focus but is unsuccessful and only manages to increase his headache. Dylan holds his head in his hand as he exclaims “It feels as if a thousand little men are hammering inside my head..I feel awful..and there is this bitter taste in my mouth like tin or metal..Agh I hate being sick almost as much as I hate the Magog “ as the Captain reluctantly lies down back into his bed.
Tyr feels sorry for the Captain and for the first time in a long time, he feels his manhood come back. Tyr was the only one unaffected by the gas. Tyr was the one who saved not only his Captain’s life but also that of this fellow crewmates. Still saving Dylan’s life probably meant the most of all. For once it wasn’t Tyr lying injured and helpless in a hospital bed. Tyr remembered the day when he awoke to find out that he had Magog eggs in him and Dylan calmly announcing that they would have to operate to remove those eggs. Now, the tables were turned. It was Tyr the strong silent hero standing over Dylan’s bed seeing Dylan weak and helpless for the first time. Tyr smiled at the thought of his masculinity and strength.
Dylan sees the smile and is mystified “Tyr, what’s so funny?”
Tyr caught off guard replies quickly “ Ah nothing sir..just an inside joke..ah a Nietzchean joke..nothing you’d understand sir..no offense of course.”
Dylan of course was offended but he was just too tired to argue with his strange weapons officer so he let the remark go “You know Tyr..since you are the only one left standing..I leave you acting Captain of the Andromeda..”
Dylan yells to Trance to bring Andromeda to his bedside. Andromeda, the avatar, the warship, the living embodiment of the war ship appears “Yes Captain, what are your orders?”-/
“It’s just that until I recover, Tyr is the acting Captain of the Andromeda and you are to follow his orders explicitly is that clear?”
Rommie nods her head in an affirmative and answers “Yes Sir” and she turns to Tyr and asks “Captain Tyr, what are your orders?”
“Take the ship to the nearest inhabited planet so that we can get some medical supplies to help Dylan and the others recover from this gas attack. That’s an order.”
“Aye Captain..setting coordinates now” Rommie closes her eyes briefly as she commands the ship to follow Tyr’s orders.
Tyr heads back to command feeling very proud of himself. Although he still had doubts about his new existence without his bone ridges and he still had questions about who he is..he feels much better than he has for a long time. Taking command of the Andromeda was just the aphrodisiac he needed to restore his self confidence. “Heck”thought Tyr “Commanding Andromeda is better than sex!” Tyr puffs out his chest and focuses his attention on directing Andromeda to the nearest planet to help rescue Dylan from the latest incident.
As Trance watches a proud and confident Tyr leave sickbay take up the helm of the Andromeda, Trance whispers her thank you to Q “Thank you Q…sometimes you can be such a softy too.”
A warm chuckle floats in the air as a disembodied voice says “Anything for my little Trance..remember my offer my dear..anytime you want to leave that dreary ship..just call and the universe will be our playground once again..Toodles..see you in a few centuries..”as the disembodied voice fades.
Trance feels an invisible kiss on her cheek as she touches her cheek reverently. “When the Andromeda’s mission is over Q, I’ll take you up on that offer and when all the dragons are slain and the castle is put to order Q, I will join you in your quest to explore the universe, not destroy it”
THE END