The Andromeda's humanoid hologram appeared in front of her captain obediently. "I'm certain. The message was audio only. We only picked it up when we exited slipstream into the system." The slipstream, that mysterious method of travel that required a mix of intuition as well as skill to travel at its super-light speeds in order to reach one's intended destination.

Fortunately the Andromeda had an extremely talented pilot in former less-than-legal cargo-hauler Beka Valentine. The spunky blonde stood confidently at her position handling the ship's navigation with a smooth, professional flair. "What do you say, Dylan? Should we go investigate?" She waited for his expert opinion. He had years of military experience and she trusted his opinion implicitly. Except when it interfered with her own treasure hunts.

Dylan shook his head, casually flipping the hair away from his deep blue eyes. "We need more than just a generic call for assistance to keep us away from our mission. Remember, what we do affects not just us, but the future of the Known Worlds." For a moment the weight of that responsibility caused his brows to crease, but he knew better than to dwell on his own personal pain when there was a universe in need of saving.

Suddenly, the Andromeda A.I. let her image fill the three main screens on command. "Dylan! I'm receiving a follow up message from the fourth planet in the system. It seems the planet's leaders are aware of us and want to invite us down to meet them."

"Us?" Dylan perceptively caught the qualification.

Andromeda's humanoid avatar Rommie entered Command. "Apparently. They've extended an invitation to the entire crew to enjoy their facilities for rest and relaxation purposes. We've been invited on a vacation."

"All right!" exclaimed genius engineer Seamus Harper, toolbelt at the ready. "I'm always ready for some R&R!"

"Cool your heels, Seamus. It's Dylan's call," cautioned Beka.

"Indeed. But Dylan, what do we know about these people? And what happened to their distress call?" The ship's resident monster monk, Rev Bem, as always offered good advice.

"A very good question, Rev." Dylan acknowledged the sage counsel. "Andromeda, can you see if we can get a visual link to these leaders. I like to know as much as possible before I enter any situation."

"At least someone is keeping his wits about him," approved muscular Nietzschean mercenary Tyr Anasazi, giving the over-eager engineer a disapproving look. But Harper was used to Tyr's expressions and had accepted that, for the most part, the Nietzschean's bark was worse than his bite.

"Communication established," the Andromeda A.I. confirmed before her image disappeared from the main screens to be replaced by…

An incredibly attractive and well-endowed redheaded woman. "Captain Hunt," she purred, "A pleasure to finally meet you. Your reputation precedes you."

Though Dylan knew that was true, he wasn't easily overwhelmed by flattery. "Thank you, Miss…?" He probed her for information that could prove useful.

"You can call me Ginger."

Dylan raised an eyebrow at her suggestive tone, but was unmoved. "Very well, Miss… Ginger. What can the Andromeda Ascendant do for you?" Rommie stood not far from Dylan, arms crossed as if waiting for the answer to that exact question.

"Oh, Captain, must we talk business at such a distance?" Ginger pouted. "We would like to offer you all the comforts of our world. What you can do for us in return… is strictly voluntary on your part of course. Please come down and visit and we can discuss… details… later."

Harper, who had been silenced by the stunning beauty of Ginger, suddenly found his voice again. "C'mon, boss, they look like REALLY nice people. People we would want to meet." His eagerness became wheedling, "Besides they seem like they'd make a great addition to the new Commonwealth..."

Harper had hit Dylan's weak spot, but the captain wasn't convinced. Still, Ginger jumped in at the opportunity. "Yes, Captain, we would be interested in discussing your new Commonwealth of planets. I think you'll find that we would make an excellent candidate for future membership."

Dylan, though cautious by nature, was still optimistic enough to allow people a chance to prove their intentions. Beka watched her captain wrestle his thoughts into a decision.

"Very well, Miss Ginger. We'll take you up on your kind offer of hospitality. Let's hope we can... help each other." Dylan stared at the image on the screen intently.

"Excellent, Captain. We await your arrival in the Grand Plaza." After flashing the Captain a ceremonial gesture of forming two of her fingers forward into a 'V' symbol, the image of the lovely Ginger disappeared much to Harper's dismay. Still he had a wardrobe decision to make - which Hawaiian shirt would make the best first impression? Harper headed off to his quarters.

"And who will be staying aboard the Andromeda to rescue you during this little visit?" sneered the suspicious Tyr.

"The Andromeda is perfectly capable of looking out for herself while we're planetside. And we were ALL invited down to the planet. Should be safe enough with Andromeda up here to guard us, shouldn't it, Trance? Or do you have an alternate suggestion?" Dylan turned to the young smiling purple girl in the corner.

The elfin pointed ears and tail of Trance Gemini twitched with mischief as she smiled at Dylan. "Not at all. This seems as good a choice as any." Though she played the innocent, Dylan knew there were deeper hidden depths to this mysterious girl. But he trusted her instincts as much as he did Rev Bem's wisdom. If she felt it was safe to go down, that was a good sign. Unless it was all part of her hidden agenda. And while that agenda had gotten them into more than one dangerous scrape, the results had proven valuable.

"Pack your bags, folks. We're going on vacation." Dylan announced to the mostly happy crew.

"Woohoo!" shouted Trance and Beka who immediately headed for the Maru discussing the merits of what to bring.

Tyr merely rolled his eyes and went to sharpen the necessary weapons.

Rev Bem approached Dylan. Though it had taken some time for Dylan to stop flinching at the presence of a member of the deadly Magog race, he now welcomed the kindly monk knowing his true heart was more beautiful than his beastly exterior could show. "Dylan, perhaps I should stay behind. I don't want my appearance to startle anyone."

"Nonsense, Rev. You've worked as hard, if not harder than any member of this crew. Your charitable and spiritual help has been an invaluable part of the recruitment process for the new Commonwealth. You deserve R&R as much as any of us, and you ARE coming with us. I'll accept no argument in this matter, mister!" Dylan put on a mock-stern look. "Besides, there's the issue of this mysterious problem that caused them to send the first message. I need you at my side, Rev."

Rev nodded his acquiescence in the face of Dylan's sensible arguments. "Then I'll just go pack a few of my books and other items."

"Pamphlets, Rev," Dylan teased. "Everyone loves your pamphlets helping recruit new members of The Way!"

Rev growled jokingly in his gravelly voice, "Indeed so." And exited the command deck leaving Dylan alone with his ship.

"It could be a trap." The Andromeda A.I. appeared again onscreen.

"Or it could be a genuine request for help," suggested the Andromeda hologram who appeared by Dylan's side.

"Or it could be an opportunity to expand our alliances," Rommie added, standing loyally by Dylan's other side.

Surrounded by his ship's opinions, Dylan reminded them that Trance with her inestimable abilities had recommended they go. While this didn't comfort the concerned ship, Andromeda could see that Dylan's mind was made up and that they couldn't argue with.

"Fine. Now, where did I leave that basketball? Never know when I'll have the chance to shoot some hoops!" He sounded boyishly excited.

"It's in hydroponics," answered the A.I.

"Perfect, I'll pick it up on the way to the Maru." On his way out of the command deck, Dylan stopped to tease his ship affectionately. "Now behave yourself while we're planetside. I don't want you to redecorate again while I'm gone."

"But Dylan, I LIKE redecorating," pouted the Andromeda hologram.

"Andromeda…" Dylan warned.

"Fine," the hologram conceded as Dylan left command. "But changing the wall colors isn't redecorating - it's just a touch up." She smiled to her selves who looked back at her disapprovingly. "What?" Rommie turned to follow Dylan out the door.

The Andromeda crew piled their bags into Beka's own beloved cargo ship, the Eureka Maru. Not as pretty as the Andromeda, the Eureka Maru had still proven its value in its initial rescue of the Andromeda when it was trapped at the event horizon of a black hole and on multiple occasions since. And while Beka complained that all too often it was her ship utilized for the most dangerous and suicidal missions the crew took on, there were moments like this, when the crew was together, traveling to a potentially adventurous destination that Beka felt like the mother of an extended family she'd adopted. Since her own family was even more disreputable, she took particular pride in watching over this group.

"Settle in, gang." Beka adjusted the piloting controls. "Next stop, Vacation-Land."

"Sounds good to me!" grinned Harper. He turned to Trance. "And if you need anyone to help you lather on the suntan lotion, you know who to call."

But Trance was used to Harper's lechery. "Yes, I do. But this time, Rev, you'll really need to trim those nails." Rev bared his fangs at her playfully. They were all definitely looking forward to this break. Even Rommie seemed curious about what was awaiting them down on the planet.

Soon enough, the Maru landed just outside the Grand Plaza. The clear skies smiled down on them welcomingly as the Andromeda crew, clutching their bags, entered the massive outdoor grounds. Waiting there were five people. And to Harper's extreme pleasure, they were all beautiful women!

At the center was Ginger, the seductive redhead who'd invited them down to the planet. She extended a hand to Dylan, who shook it briefly. But before she could introduce him to the rest of her companions, they each moved to greet different members of the crew.

A dark-haired young woman in comfortable workout gear moved quickly over to the similarly casually-attired Beka and pulled her aside into conversation, pointing out the location of various of the city's facilities. Beka smiled at Dylan as she let the girl pull her away.

An elegantly dressed brunette approached Rommie, circling her appraisingly. "Oh, yes, I think we'll get along very well," said the lady, guiding her towards some of the shops circling the plaza.

A tall Amazonian, dark-skinned woman dressed provocatively in simulated animal-skin clothing started to move towards Tyr, who automatically straightened his back and showed off the genetically modified bone blades thrusting out from his forearms as he untied the cord pulling back his long braided hair and let it hang down dramatically. But then the woman took notice of Rev Bem and changed her direction. Tyr was not amused. But Dylan was.

However he, too, was quickly distracted as Ginger offered to show him some of the sights of the city. He shrugged at his crew. "When in Rome…" Trance just waggled her fingers good-bye at him as the final member of their welcoming committee moved to join her and Harper. This girl seemed younger than the rest and Trance liked her immediately. So did Harper. And the girl, long blonde hair tied up into two ponytails seemed extremely pleased to have met two new companions. She took them each by the hand and started to pull them out of the plaza. The two youngest members of the Andromeda crew were happy to run off and play.

And then the plaza was empty. Except for a few shadowy shapes hiding behind the decorative pillars nearby. Or perhaps those really were just shadows.

By the time Beka had seen the third gym in a row, she expressed to her guide a desire to check out some of the market areas. The girl looked disappointed. "You want to shop? If I'd known that, you should have gone with Posh." She tried to come up with an alternate solution as a good hostess. "How about… the beach for some rallyball?" She looked at Beka hopefully. And Beka hated to disappoint her.

"I think Harper and Trance probably headed to the beach. God knows if there's surfing, that's where he'll be. Okay, lead on." Beka smiled.

The girl looked satisfied, then curious. "So this Harper, he surfs?" Beka, bemused, just followed onward.

As Rev had managed to discourage the tall woman's fascinated attention by indicating he preferred to visit their religious institutions, she walked with Tyr through the streets of the city. While she certainly didn't mind snatching glimpses of him through sideways looks, she didn't think he'd turn out to be her type until talk turned to weapons. And then she knew where to take him. She grabbed his extremely muscular arm and they turned down a side street and headed for the sound of distant screams.

Ginger showed Dylan the architectural achievements of her people and he was duly impressed. In return he described to her what seemed like fables of his homeworld of Tarn-Vedra. Streets seemingly paved with gold, the grand statue of his hero Sani nax Rifati. Ginger had heard Dylan was immeasurably older than he looked, but even she had a hard time believing anyone could remember Tarn-Vedra before it had been cut off from the slipstream. Still she was happy to keep in his charming company and gladly slipped her arm through his, leaning gently against his steady body as they looked at the view of the Stadium.

For his part, Dylan still waited for an explanation of what Ginger wanted from him and his crew. But none was forthcoming. The attractive couple walked on, darting figures slipping past and behind them.

While Rommie never considered herself a clotheshorse, she admitted it was rather fun to shop with Posh and her endless credit supply. And though she offered to carry her own shopping bags full of acquisitions (hey, she'd also bought a few outfits for Beka and Trance, this wasn't a solely selfish experience), Posh told her not to be silly and her servant relieved Posh and Rommie of their latest purchases.

"Shoes next, darling?" asked Posh.

Rommie admired the new pendant adorning her neck in the mirror Posh had loaned her. "Mmmhmm," she agreed absently. Did that stone bring out a sparkle in her eyes? Harper was good.

As Beka had suspected, Trance and Harper had indeed gone to the beach. But Harper wasn't surfing. Instead Trance and their hostess ("Call me Baby" - well, Harper was happy to oblige) had buried Harper in the sand and giggled the entire time. And when Baby had suggested looking for seashells along the seashore, Trance had happily complied, leaving Harper alone. Except for the local equivalent of sand crabs which were getting increasingly friendly.

When Beka and her guide, Sporty ("Of course," thought Beka) arrived at the beach, they rescued Harper from the crabs and Harper was thrilled when Sporty suggested they go surfing. She borrowed boards for them both from what looked like the local uninhabited lifeguard shack. As Sporty closed the door of the shack, Beka thought she caught a glimpse of somebody moving past the window. But it could have just been a reflection from the sun.

The Andromeda crew gathered at dinner that night to compare notes. Their hostesses, once they reunited the crew, may have gone off to do the same as they left them alone to eat the sumptuous meal laid out for them.

A happily sunburned Harper recalled the nearly perfect waves. Dylan praised the level of cultural sophistication. Trance said she thought the natives were 'fun'. Beka found them a bit tiring. Rev appreciated the appearance of the spiritual centers of the populace, but there was something about them that he couldn't quite put his pointy finger on, that seemed… empty somehow. Yet he'd met a few supplicants who he found to be intensely devout. A dolled-up Rommie felt the locals were obviously a generous people.

"Easy for you to say," teased Beka, "in that new getup."

Rommie subconsciously reached for the pendant at her throat, then reached down to smooth the silk-like material of her new dress. "Well, I did get new outfits for you and Trance, too." Rommie didn't like it implied that she was being narcissistic. She was very sensitive about her appearance.

"Yes, and the next grand ball I go to, I'll be sure to wear it, Rommie." Then Beka reached out a hand to reassure her android friend that she wasn't being serious.

Trance injected, "Well, I LOVE my new dress. And I love that my tail will fit in that cutout in the back!" Trance's tail waved in excitement and pleasure behind her. Rommie grinned with satisfaction as she knew how Trance was so tired of having to tailor all of her outfits to that particular extra appendage.

Only Tyr was quiet. Until the rest of the crew realized this and turned to him. Dylan broke the silence. "And so, what did you find to occupy your time, Mr. Anasazi?"

Tyr looked uncomfortable. "We kept busy." But now the others were curious and stared at him until he offered a few details. "We… challenged our prowess against the other locals." Expectant silence. "In various tests of strength, quickness and coordination."

Beka had an idea and smirked. "Really? Funny, we didn't do anything like that, did we gang?" Trance and Harper shook their heads solemnly, happy to see Tyr put on the spot for once.

But Tyr wouldn't be baited anymore. "We kept busy."

Dylan tried to inject some seriousness into the conversation. "And your assessment of the locals, Mr. Anasazi?"

"Limber."

This caused Harper and Beka to chortle with barely-repressed laughter. Even Trance and Rev seemed amused. But it wasn't getting them anywhere. They still were no further along in understanding what had brought them to this planet.

"Say," interjected Beka, "did anyone else notice that on this planet women seem to outnumber men at least two to one?"

Harper raised his hand like an obedient schoolchild. "Me! Me! I noticed and I liked it!" Beka, Rommie and Trance all rolled their eyes simultaneously. But Dylan folded his hands together in thought about the ramifications of this.

"Any thoughts on that? Other than from Mr. Harper?" Dylan quickly cut off the inevitable reply.

"It's unlikely," noted Tyr, an expert on genetics, especially his own. "Unless the population has been genetically modified to select for certain characteristics such as gender, the odds of this being a natural occurrence are extremely small."

"Agreed," concurred the well-informed commander. "So what would be the purpose of having a predominantly female population? Anyone besides Harper?" The engineer looked crushed that his contribution would go unheeded.

"A larger breeding pool?" Tyr suggested, showing his own bias.

"Possible," agreed Dylan. No one else had any other viable theories at that time. "So until they tell us why we're really here, I think this will have to remain conjecture for now."

No one but Dylan seemed deeply concerned about the situation as at the moment they seemed to be in no danger. But a good captain was always hyper-vigilant. And if Dylan was anything, he was a good captain.

As they finished their meal, their hostesses returned to invite them to an evening event being held in their honor to introduce them to more of the general populace. Rising from their meal, the Andromeda crew followed the women to the strains of music starting up around them.

The music was jumping as the Grand Plaza filled with dancers happy to celebrate a beautiful evening. The stars twinkled brightly high above the paper lanterns that dotted throughout the area, providing a warm glow to the revelers' festivities.

Dylan, while enjoying himself and even allowing Ginger to pull him onto the dance floor, kept careful track of where his crewmembers were at all times.

Trance was over at one of the many bars circling the area trying a tropical drink with a flower in it that one of the locals seemed to be enjoying herself. Beka was out in the center of the Plaza dancing up a storm with a handsome dark-haired young man who seemed to command their area of the floor. He was striking in his white suit, but Dylan was confident enough to not fear any competition in attracting women's attention. As he clearly had with Ginger. Beka kept a surreptitious eye on the commanding couple in between her dance moves.

Rev stood off to one side speaking energetically to two robed companions. Harper's spiky blonde hair could be seen jumping up and down in another part of the dance floor along with a pair of long blonde ponytails and a single dark-haired ponytail. Rommie sat at a nearby table, stunning in her new clothes surrounded by Posh and similarly swanky friends, heads bobbing casually, unconsciously to the beat of the music.

Suddenly Dylan realized that Tyr had disappeared. While Dylan knew Tyr could take care of himself, he decided to do a check-in with the rest of his crew. He excused himself from the lovely arms of Ginger and moved over to Rev's side. Rev stepped away from his conversation with his two companions for a moment.

"Rev, did you see where Tyr went?" Dylan questioned.

Rev nodded sagely. "I saw him walking off to the edge of the Plaza with his new friend, Scary, a few moments ago. I assumed they were seeking some privacy. He didn't seem coerced in any way."

Seeing Dylan in confab with Rev, the extremely close-knit Andromeda crew had quickly moved to join them in case they were needed.

"That's for sure," added Harper, "He couldn't wait to get out of here with his Scary babe."

"Jealous?" teased Trance.

"Not at all," the petite engineer smiled over to where Baby and Sporty were waiting for him on the dance floor.

"Well, for the moment, I think we'll have to assume he's enjoying the evening in his own way. But I'd like you each to keep checking in with me at regular intervals." Dylan decided.

"Hey, boss, if I happen to get… busy… for a few of those intervals…" Harper's eyes were locked on the girls waiting for him. "Can you not send a search party to the rescue till the morning?"

Dylan looked bemused. But Beka gave the naïve young man a reminder: "And if they all turn out to be killer robots?"

"Then I'll die a happy man." Harper wasn't worried. But then, he rarely was.

As the crew talked, four of their hostesses slowly gathered together themselves. Ginger leaned in to speak quietly with the others. "Anything?" she asked.

The other three women seemed inordinately pleased. Definitely, they agreed. This crew could be their salvation. They'd already provided over one hundred samples in the short time since they'd arrived. But one hundred was not enough. And the women hoped the help they needed would be given willingly, but if not, it would have to be taken by force. But that was a last resort.

Ginger looked around the area. "Where is Scary?" she wondered.

Baby smiled knowingly. "Where else? She took that Tyr to her favorite place." She winked at the others who grinned back. "Well, as long as she's getting her job done while she's enjoying herself."

And strange, not-quite-formed figures flitted about the area trying to stay hidden from the guests in the flickering light.

Later, after some more dancing with her amazingly talented dance partner, Boogie, Beka excused herself to return to Dylan's side. Dylan slipped away from the charming Ginger as his first officer approached. Trying to appear inconspicuous, Beka pulled her captain off to one corner of the dance floor and as they danced together (Beka, comfortably, casually; Dylan less so - even out of uniform, he was 100% formal High Guard officer) she expressed some concerns that were developing.

"Dylan, is it just me," Beka asked as she shook her hips side to side in time with the music, "or are we not meeting ALL of the inhabitants of this planet?"

"Could you be more specific?" Dylan asked as he spun her around in a circle.

Beka nodded her short blonde head back and forth. "Well, maybe Trance needs to check my eyesight, but all day I've caught glimpses out of the corner of my eye of… okay, I'm not sure exactly what of. I think they're people, but it's like, they're not quite there or I can't quite see them."

As if in response, Trance bopped her way across the dance floor towards the duo. "Hi guys! This is such a fun party, isn't it? Hey, Dylan have you tried the hylamelon nectar over at the bar yet? It's really good!" Trance knew better than to ask Beka, whose family member's addiction was a sensitive subject, and who chose in response not to drink any alcoholic beverages.

Dylan was glad to see Trance was having a good time, but wanted to confirm his and Beka's suspicions. "Trance, Beka was just telling me about... people or figures or creatures she seems to be seeing out of the corner of her eye. I have to admit I've seen them everywhere, too, though like Beka, I can't seem to get a good look at them." Trance seemed to look randomly out into the plaza at the partygoers enjoying themselves. Suddenly she pointed to a corner.

"You mean like that one?" But it was too quick for Dylan or Beka to follow. "Or that one?" They missed that one, too. It seemed only Trance was quick enough to catch them.

"What do you see, Trance?" quizzed Dylan.

"Well, they're there, but not yet," answered Trance unhelpfully. But before Dylan could ask the girl to try to clarify, Rommie approached them.

"Rommie, can you pick these beings out and analyze?" The all-purpose android studied their surroundings but was unable to get a fix on the odd party-crashers.

Rev soon joined them as his two robed companions moved off into the night. "Ah, I see you've noticed them, too." Rev, ever conscientious, seemed a bit concerned. It figured that with his incredibly enhanced sight and hearing he would have noticed these others.

"Rev, have you found out anything about these creatures?" Dylan looked around but couldn't seem to see any of the shadowy figures when he concentrated on areas directly. Yet he did seem to occasionally catch one from the corner of his eye.

"Only that the locals seem reluctant to talk about them. They don't deny them outright, but they seem… almost superstitiously wary of them. And, if I'm interpreting correctly… guilty."

Beka, always concerned about the safety of her crew. "Dylan, do you think they could be dangerous? I mean, are these the local lepers they're trying to hide from us? And if so, are we really safe here?"

Dylan looked across the floor to where Harper danced with Sporty and Baby. He saw Ginger not far behind them. "I think it's time to find out." The stalwart captain deliberately made his way over to Ginger.

"I think it's time we talked about why we're here." Ginger looked sadly into Dylan's eyes, then resigned, nodded and gestured for him to follow her. Her co-hostesses and the Andromeda crew both watched as the two left the party. Except Harper, who danced on, happily oblivious.

Figures from all sides gathered and watched and waited. And Tyr and Scary were still nowhere to be found.

"Ginger, I must compliment you on your lovely planet and its people," Dylan began as they settled onto a couch in one of the cabanas off to the side of the Plaza.

"Thank you, Captain." But Ginger knew this was just his opening salvo.

"Please, I've told you, call me Dylan." He smiled charmingly, an expert at soliciting information.

"Dylan, then. Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked, playing along.

"No, I'm fine, thank you." He took a deep breath, there was just no delicate way to ask this and he knew it was time to be direct with her. "Ginger, my crew and I have seen some things that I'd like to ask you about."

Ginger steeled herself. She knew this was going to be her one chance to ask for his help, but if he refused, was she strong enough to take what she needed for the sake of her people's future? Could she truly rely on the generous reputation of the man sitting next to her? She looked deeply into his kindly blue eyes and took a deep breath.

"Dylan, I hope you will be willing to help us. You're our only hope." Ginger leaned forward and to Dylan's surprise, kissed him passionately. As his curiosity was being satisfied, he was unaware that the cabana he was in was slowly being circled by other interested parties.

In the meantime, several of Dylan's pro-active crew were on a fact-finding mission of their own. Even Harper, who had been pulled away from his dance partners long enough to have the situation explained to him. With Dylan and Tyr gone, Beka assumed command and the others were familiar with following her lead from their years serving together aboard the Maru.

"Let's try being helpful," Beka suggested. Harper immediately latched onto that concept with several ideas of how he personally could be helpful with Baby and Sporty imparticular. As the others ignored him, Beka elaborated. "Let's tell them we're having a great time…"

"Well, we are," argued Trance.

"Fine. So it should be an easy con." Beka smiled charmingly, her pirate nature reasserting itself. "We'll tell them we're ready to help them..." Trance swiftly moved her tail to cover Harper's mouth until he threatened to bite it, but at a look from Beka the two cut out their playing around. "Let's see what they really want." She looked at her crew. "Ready?"

"Steady." Harper added.

"Go." Said Beka. And the game was on.

The four split to find their friends and express their willingness to help the locals with whatever had caused them to send out a distress signal in the first place, but in return they just received concerned looks. They couldn't figure out what they were doing wrong. Until their friends started to back away from them. And then the rest of the partygoers backed away. And the music stopped.

"Well, that can't be good," noted Harper.

Beka, Trance, Harper and Rev realized they'd wound up in the center of all the people in the middle of the Plaza. Those strange half-solid figures they'd been seeing glimpses of during the day were now starting to work their way through the crowd toward them. And this made the crowd extremely uncomfortable. But all the locals did was look on sadly as the Andromeda crewmembers were surrounded by a large group of the figures who continued to pour into the Plaza in seemingly endless numbers. There was no way out. And they were pushing closer. The four crewmembers stood together, back to back as the others encroached. By now Rommie had seen the change in the party's mood and was rapidly approaching to protect her crew. But would she be too late?

Dylan removed his lips from Ginger's gently. He tended to have that affect on the women of many planets, but there was a time for that later. Right now, he needed to take care of business.

"Ginger," he took both of her hands in his, "I need you to tell me what's going on. Who are those figures we're seeing everywhere - the ones you can't quite see, but can't quite miss either?"

Ginger looked sad, but accepted that it was time for her to take a risk and trust someone with their secret. And that someone was Dylan Hunt.

"Those are... our people. Who were and will be." Dylan waited for a further explanation. Ginger continued, "You've probably noticed our propensity for naming ourselves related to our personalities… that's no coincidence." She paused, nervous.

But Dylan was reassuring. "It's not?" He encouraged her to continue.

"No. Our names... they're who we are." She looked to see if he understood. He didn't.

"I'm sorry," Dylan apologized, "but I don't understand."

"Our names are more than descriptions... they're definitions. They're who we are. Without them, we become like those others you've seen… The Incomplete and The Lost. Those who have lost their personalities or never had them. They need to be Named with their own unique personality. They need to be Re-Imagined. Because if they're not... and soon... we'll die out." Ginger looked pleadingly at Dylan who was clearly moved by her people's plight. "We've lost the ability to come up with new Names, new Characteristics for our people. We need your help Dylan, all your crew's help and all their imaginations and histories can offer or we're doomed. Dylan, please..." Ginger looked ready to cry. "Please help us. Help us to live."

Dylan is touched by her honesty and vulnerability and hugs her supportively. "Of course we'll help you. We'll give you as many Names as we can come up with and I have an idea of how we can help you come up with more for yourselves, too."

Ginger looked up into Dylan's sky-blue eyes, unable to believe his kind generosity. "Dylan, you ARE the man we'd heard you were. I can see how you're going to be able lead a whole new Commonwealth." Dylan smiled modestly at her praise. "And I hope, once we help rebuild our planet's population, you'll consider having us as a member."

"You just concentrate on helping your people. We'll talk about the Commonwealth later. Now, how do we begin?" He stood up and extended a hand to help her rise from the couch. But before she could respond a harried figure ran inside the cabana.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt you, Ginger!" It was Sporty, not at all out of breath from the exertion of her arrival. "But the Incomplete - they've surrounded the Andromeda crew in the Plaza! I'm afraid they may try to take Names by force!"

Dylan could tell this was a very bad thing and at a nod from Ginger, Dylan and Sporty broke into a sprint to head back for his crew. Dylan just hoped that that threat of force wouldn't be of the deadly variety. As they made for the center of the Plaza, Dylan shook his head. "It's never easy," he said. And they ran.

Dylan and Sporty pushed their way through the crowd toward where the Andromeda crew were trapped. They made their way to the center to find… too many crewmembers. Beka, Trance, Harper and Rev were standing beside figures who looked strangely familiar and all were grinning. Even Rommie had two new friends she stood beside a bit bashfully.

"Dylan, glad you got here," Beka looked smug. "Can I introduce you to Pilot and Pirate?" The two stood next to Beka, both blonde and confident, one wearing an eyepatch.

"And can I introduce you to Surfer and Super-Genius?" Harper put his arms around his two new friends, one in a wetsuit and one with a toolbelt. Both blonde and cocky.

"This is Purple," Trance held hands with her similarly-shaded twin.

Dylan, bemused and relieved that his crew was in no immediate danger, turned to his spiritual advisor to meet his new friend. Would it be Wayist? Sagacity? Temperance? Err, no. Rev managed to look embarrassed without being able to blush.

"That's Furry," Trance offered helpfully.

"Furry?" asked Dylan, trying not to grin and failing.

"Yes, well, apparently, they're attracted to various qualities, not necessarily the obvious ones." No one wanted to be rude enough to point out that 'furry' in regards to Rev wasn't exactly a subtle one.

Finally Dylan turned to his glamorous ship's avatar and her two oddly metallic looking companions. Rommie did blush but Dylan affected not to notice as she introduced Robot and Warship.

At this point, they were joined by Ginger, Posh and Baby. Sporty moved to stand beside them. Ginger continued as her people's spokeswoman.

"My people," she began, "as you have seen here, the Andromeda crew has agreed to help us name the..." Ginger looked out the Incomplete and Lost figures around her and opted for a gentler description. "...those still awaiting their Names." The concerned crowd broke into smiles and the tension left the area.

"Dylan has said that he has an idea of how we can help make new future Names…" Ginger ceded her place to Dylan, who stepped up to address her people.

He gestured for Rommie to join him. She gladly stepped up beside him and stood at his side. "Many of you have already met Rommie. She is the personification of the ship that waits for us in orbit." The people smiled, waiting for an explanation. "Our ship, Andromeda, contains a database with stories and histories from thousands of different cultures. We can make a copy of those stories and they should provide you with enough ideas and Names to last you for many generations to come." Rommie smiled proudly, she could give back to her new friend Posh and all of her people in the best way possible - by ensuring the continuance of their race. How smart Dylan was!

The people were overwhelmed for a moment by the gift they were being offered. And then they began to celebrate. The music pumped out and everyone began to dance and party, only this time they were having a birthday party for the rest of their people.

Baby and Sporty pulled Harper back out on the dance floor and Surfer and Super-Genius joined in awkwardly. Trance danced with Purple and Furry who proved to be much more cuddly than Rev though no one threw that in the monk's face.

Boogie brought over his brothers Rhythm and Bounce to dance with Beka, Pirate and Pilot.

Rommie returned to Posh's table to her friend's warm welcome as Robot and Warship stood to the side and kept watch over her.

As Dylan watched his crew have fun, Ginger smiled at him from the dance floor where she helped her people celebrate their future. Suddenly Dylan realized Tyr and Scary had entered the Plaza. Both looked exhausted, but extremely satisfied. Tyr sent Scary off to dance with her friends as he walked over to where Dylan stood.

"Did I miss much?" Tyr asked, watching as the crew and their doubles frolicked.

Dylan looked at the Nietzschean appraisingly. "I don't think so. Sometimes one of a kind is more than enough." Tyr raised an eyebrow at Dylan. Then Scary came over and took Tyr off to the dance floor. The two made quite an… interesting couple, thought Dylan, before Ginger regained him as her dance partner and then all there was, was the music and the light of the stars above them and the joy of a hope fulfilled.

Back aboard the Maru a few days later, rested and happy, the Andromeda crew set course back for their ship. Tyr had maintained his mystery too long for the crew to stand, however.

"C'mon, Tyr, just give us a hint. Where did you and the Scary babe go all those times? Some secret loveshack romantic rendezvous?" Only Harper was brave enough to suggest the possibility, but the others waited for the Nietzschean's response. Whether he told them the truth or not, they were sure he'd have an interesting story. But as Tyr was thinking up lies or truths, Trance interjected mischievously.

"I know where Tyr went." She grinned and leaped out of the way as Tyr tried to grab her tail warningly. The rest of the crew turned to Trance.

"Yes. Purple and I went there, too. It was fun." Harper's eyebrows raised the most over this revelation. But Trance knew better than to give details without Tyr's permission. Finally resigned, he nodded at her.

"Well, it was a place that Scary liked to go to because it was so exciting," began Trance, drawing out the tale. But the crew had run out of patience.

"Trance, just tell us!" both Beka and Harper implored her.

"Tyr did say it was a place to test your reflexes and coordination…" Trance wouldn't be rushed.

"Trance!" the crew challenged. Even Tyr had a smile hiding around his lips at the girl's shenanigans.

"And it did help if you were limber... for things like the bungee jump..." she continued.

"Bungee jump?" Dylan asked it first.

"Sure, that was fun, though I had to tell them to watch the tail. But I liked the ferris wheel..." Trance smiled at the thought.

"Ferris wheel?!" Both Harper and Beka laughed simultaneously.

"But I think Tyr spent most of his time winning stuffed animals for Scary over at the carnival games."

"Carnival games?" asked Rommie.

"Well, yeah, they had all kinds of stuff to do at the amusement park…" Trance grinned broadly.

"Amusement park?!" The rest of the crew turned to Tyr, who shrugged casually, reached behind him and tossed something at Dylan. It was a small plush toy soldier. Dylan looked down at it and shook his head.

"You know, sometimes I think I'll never understand Nietzscheans... even if I live to be four hundred years old."

The crew laughed together and looked out the front window of the Maru to the sight of the Andromeda Ascendant welcoming them home.