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I am Tyr Anasazi, of Kodiak pride. Although we were once the honored caretakers of the Progenitor, today the Kodiak are destroyed, the survivors scattered to the galactic winds. Precious few of us are left to have much hope of continuing the clan name beyond this generation. That realization sets off a slow burning in my belly over the betrayal we have suffered.
Watching my mother's slow death changed me in ways I could not begin to understand at the time. But one thing I understood immediately: My sheltered life as the firstborn son of an alpha male in one of the oldest prides had been shattered.
Fearing for my life, I stowed away on the first non-Nietzshcean ship headed out of the star system. When they eventually found me, they put me to work doing tasks even the drones should have objected to. Still, it made me strong, and I learned much about the universe and the beings around me.
So was born my realization that, in order to attract the attention of a woman willing to mate with me and bear my children, I needed to make a name for myself among the stars. By the time Jeren Tek hired me as part of his crew, to salvage the lost starship Andromeda Ascendant, I'd been well on the way to establishing that reputation. Enough so that I was leader of my own mercenary band, small as it was. But now, they are all gone. And, once again, so is the life I knew.
All because of one man – Dylan Hunt.
I know Hunt's mission to restore the Commonwealth is nothing but pure folly. He's one man, with one ship. And he's fighting against centuries of lawlessness and fear.
But I give him credit. The man is tenacious. And he can be very persuasive. There are also times, rare moments, when I could swear the man must have Nietzschean blood in his veins. He can be as ruthless as any of my people when the need arises.
The point of all this, you ask? I'm not even sure, really.
Often of late, I sit and stare out into space, wondering what I'm doing on a ship whose mission is to restore the very Commonwealth my people sought to overthrow three hundred years ago.
Where once I was the master of my own destiny, now I have placed myself under a human's command. A human!
As if that were not insult enough, I find myself breathing the same air as a Magog. He claims to be a Wayist monk, and I will admit there is something different about him. Something unlike other Magog I have encountered on my travels. But I do not trust him. Hunt seems to, though. I wonder sometimes how the man has survived this long, being such an idealist. And it's something he still clings to, even after being betrayed by one of his own crew.
As a child, I heard tales of the great Rhade, who labored long and hard to earn the trust of a High Guard captain, setting the stage for the great rebellion. Imagine my surprise upon meeting said captain – alive.
After all these months, I still cannot say what keeps me here. I'm free to go at any time. And yet…
The records show that Rhade and Dylan Hunt were not just captain and first officer. According to both record and legend, Hunt considered his Nietzschean companion to be his best friend. They shared much together.
And yet, ultimately, Rhade's loyalty was to his pride, to his people. And those were the ties that bound him, leading him to betray his captain, a man he had called a friend.
Those events took place over three hundred years in the past. But not so to Dylan Hunt. They are fresh in his mind, and in his heart. And sometimes it shows in his eyes when he looks at me. I know he measures me against Rhade. And I wonder how I fare in the comparison.
It shouldn't matter. Every fiber in my being screams that I should avoid friendships with these people – and with Dylan Hunt in particular – at all costs. But the man commands respect, at the very least.
And frankly, if anyone can set into motion the chain of events necessary to rebuild the Commonwealth, I believe it is Dylan Hunt. To be a part of that, to have some role in such an undertaking, could gain me the attention of the best females.
So, for now, I am content to remain here. Until and unless a better opportunity arises, this is my best option. After all, life on the Andromeda is not so very bad. I come and go as I please throughout the ship. I have spacious quarters. And best of all, I don't need to worry about where my next meal is coming from.
As for what the future has in store for me, that remains to be seen…
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