Or the alternate title “The Truth will set you free”
Disclaimer: The characters of Hercules and Iolaus belong to Renaissance Pictures while the characters of Dylan Hunt and the crew of Andromeda belong to Tribune Pictures. No money is being made from this story. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.
Summary: Will Iolaus tell Dylan what really happened to him during the 300 years Dylan was frozen?
Author’s note: This story is a crossover between the popular TV show Andromeda and Hercules the Legendary Journeys and I pose the question: Is Dylan Hunt really Hercules? In this story, I assume that Dylan Hunt is Hercules. This IS NOT the story canon of Andromeda but only comes from my overly vivid imagination. This story is a sequel to my other Andromeda/Hercules crossover The Longest Day on my website (www.members.tripod.com/h_yvonne/ )
CHAPTER 1
Dylan Hunt sits down at his console as he drinks down his last cup of coffee and gives Rommie the first commands of the day.
“Dylan, what commands do you have for me today?”
“Nothing special, Rommie..what’s the crew up to today?”
“Tyr seems rather agitated. He’s been in communication with his wife, Freira. I don’t know why. I think something may be wrong but it is not my place to interfere. Trance, and the others are worried about Tyr.”
“Harper has spent a lot of time preparing more upgrades to my avatar. He wants to change my hair color. I honestly do not understand the practicality of my avatar having different hair colors for each day..just like the artificial tear ducts he has placed in me. I am an android and my duty is to run the ship..sometimes I don’t understand Harper at all.”
Rommie continues her report on the crew’s morale by giving a status report on each crew member:
“Beka is preparing the Eureka Maru because she gets the feeling with Tyr being so agitated about his wife and all..he will probably want to fly the Eurka Maru out to check up on his wife and take care of family business. Knowing the Nietzcheans, Beka is upgrading all weapon systems on the Eureka Maru. “
“Rev Bem is in complete seclusion. He has not been seen in several days. He has had several transmissions to other Wayists and he has been talking to one main priest on Raisa. Rev Bem describes it as a “serious spiritual situation’ and that the only solution is through prayers and meditation.”
Hercules/Dylan sighs as he regrets what he has lost to time“You know Rommie..with such a diverse crew and each person with his or her own agenda it’s difficult to know what’s going to happen next. I like to be in control of my ship and my crew..but I realize that this is not the Commonwealth and I do not have that kind of authority over them. I’m lucky that they have agreed to man the Andromeda this far!” Dylan sighs as he misses the more predictable days of the Commonwealth or of Starfleet.
Hercules/Dylan continues his nostalgic jaunt into the past “I know Rommie..they are a good and dependable crew..they’ve saved our necks many times and thanks to them..several planets have signed on to the New Commonwealth charter.how many at last count Rommie?”
“50..Dylan..50 planets at last count.” Rommie accesses her database “Still Rommie..I miss the good old days..I miss the old crew..I had many friends on that old crew..I still feel so obsolete sometimes..so out of touch..the other day when Harper and the others were discussing stocks and bonds..I realized I had no idea what anybody was talking about..I felt completely like fish out of water..I really need to catch up on these 300 years..”
“Dylan..I suggest you rest..you have been spending all your waking time either:commanding the Andromeda in the Captain’s chair; recruiting prospective planets for the Commonwealth charter; learning about this crew by going on away missions with them; or reading these old history archive pads..”
“I can’t Rommie..I can’t rest until I catch up..you should have seen the look on Iolaus’ face when I visited Raisa on my last mission..he looked so tired..I could see the effect of the last 300 years on Iolaus..it breaks my heart that I have no idea what he was up to the last 300 years..can you get anything on the Eureka Maru database on Iolaus’ whereabouts the last 300 years?”
“Iolaus became Captain of the Washington Ascendant..the Washington Ascendant was then boarded by Nietcheans by according to my records most of the crew had jettisoned into life pods onto the planet surface and escaped unharmed. Once the Nietzcheans boarded, Iolaus set the ship on auto-destruct. The Nietzcheans then had to use escape pods to escape the explosion.”
“That can’t be right. Iolaus told me that he was injured during the war with the Nietzcheans..that he was so badly injured that he had to be healed by Aphrodite and then he was transported to Raisa where he now resides as Cupid.”
“That is partially correct Dylan..but he has left out a lot..I know from historical records that Iolaus was uninjured when he jettisoned out of the Washington Ascendant and landed on the planet of Iberia with the rest of his crew.”
“Iberia? Did you say Iolaus landed on the planet of Iberia?”
“Yes, Dylan why do you ask?”
“That’s the planet that sustained a massive Magog attack! And where there were NO survivors!” Dylan exclaims.
“That’s correct. The planet Iberia at the time that Iolaus landed succumbed to two invasions in a one year span..first the Nietchean slavers and then the Magog attack. According to historical archives..no one survived the Magog attack. The Magog ate all the humans on the planet before they laid their eggs..it is recorded as the most bloody and most gruesome attack on humans by the Magog of the last 300 years.” Rommie reports.
“How did Iolaus survive?”
“Perhaps Aphrodite saved and healed him like he told you!” Rommie reasons.
“That’s not the story he gave me!…he told me he was injured while still fighting off the Nietcheans who were boarding his ship..he didn’t mention anything about crash landing on Iberia..oh my god..that historical archive that the alien downloaded into Harper..it contains a visual record of the Nietzchean and Magog invasions..doesn’t it?”
“Yes, Dylan..and I have accessed it..it is not very pretty..on the whole very grisly..I do not recommend that you see it..I can give you a short summary of the more pertinent points if you wish..it would be less traumatic for you and more efficient..you can find out the historical ramifications of this attack and its effects on..”
“No..no..Rommie..if anything..I NEED to see this tape..I left Iolaus alone..don’t you understand..we pledged in our childhood to always watch each other backs..forever..back to back heroes..I wasn’t there to save him..I was frozen in some ridiculous black hole..helpless..betrayed..and Iolaus ..I saw his eyes..Rommie..those blue eyes that usually sparkle with life..they looked..empty..hurt..I know Iolaus tried to spare me the grisly details..but I HAVE TO KNOW..it’s my fault..if I’d been there to watch his back..” The tears that Dylan/Hercules has been holding back begin to fall.
“Before you watch the tape, Dylan..there’s something you need to know..” Rommie begins.
“No..Rommie..don’t tell me..I have to experience the carnage for myself..it’s the least I can do for Iolaus..my lifelong buddy..my brother of the heart..this is the first time he has undergone something so cruel and so invasive without me being there..we’ve always shared our worst battle experiences together..we did everything together..we founded Starfleet together..we founded the Commonwealth together..now 300 years separates us..I’ve lost everything to time..Sarah..my crew..Iolaus..”
“Dylan..I think you are being too hard on yourself..Iolaus cannot blame you for getting stuck in the event horizon..some phenomenon in this universe is even beyond the control of a demigod..” Rommie reasons.
“As usual..Rommie..you make everything sound so logical and so clear..my head tells me you’re right..but my heart..my heart bleeds..bleeds with the wounds of all the dead..of all the dead of the last three hundred years..in my heart..I hear the voices of the dead screaming my name accusingly..’it’s your fault..where were you when we needed you?’ I hear these voices in my sleep..in my waking hours..and especially when I think of Iolaus..I know he’s not dead..but..I wasn’t there..I broke our oath..it’s like I killed our friendship..Rommie..it’s a feeling of dread I can’t explain..”
“If you feel Iolaus blames you, then you do need to see the tape..you need to see what really happened..it might surprise you Dylan..but in this case.. I think the truth will set you free..” Rommie turns and exits the room. “Watch the tape, Dylan..and understand.”
“Wait..Rommie..what do you mean..the truth will set me free?” Dylan exclaims his azure eyes open wide with fear and wonder at this riddle. Okay..watch the tape..I’ll watch the tape..it’s not like Rommie to be so damn cryptic..
Dylan places the tape into the PADD VCR and turns the play button on. Dylan sits back and braces himself for the worst. Hercules watches as Iolaus desperately tries to abandon his ship while the Nietzcheans board it.
CHAPTER 2
(300 years ago..on Iolaus’ ship..the Washington Ascendant)
“Captain..the Nietzcheans have us surrounded..we have run out of fuel and our weapons array is offline..”
Iolaus looks at his control console and sets the ship to self destruct. He then orders his crew to get into their life pods and abandon ship.
“Abandon ship..this is the Captain’s orders..Abandon ship! You have 20 seconds..before this ship auto destructs..I’m setting the timer now 20..19..18..”
“Captain..the Nietzcheans have boarded the ship..”
“We don’t have time to deal with them now..everyone to their lifepods!”
The entire crew abandons ship and jumps into their life pods where the entire crew crash lands on the planet of Iberia. Little do they know that in the space of 8 months..Iolaus would lose his entire crew to the Magog and Nietzchean slavers.
(On Iberia)
“So we’ve captured ourselves a feisty one..he’s the last of the humans to be captured! I’ve never seen any human evade us for so long..his tracking and hunting skills are remarkable for a puny human..he thinks like a Nietzchean..” The Nietzchean slaver grabs Iolaus by his long blond hair and forces Iolaus to his knees.
“Well..Captain..we’ve captured and killed most of your crew..it’s too bad..they would have made good slaves..but none of them were willing to give us pertinent information on Commonwealth stealth positions or how many ships the Commonwealth has left so we had to kill them..being human..and non genetically enhanced..they did not last very long. The human species is inferior that way..we Nietzcheans are the superior race..we have DNA to enhance our strength..our cunning..our intelligence..there will come a time when every human will be a slave to the Nietzcheans..” boasts the slaver.
Iolaus spits at the feet of the slaver. “I will never become your slave..I would rather die first!”
The Nietzcheans savagely pulls Iolaus’ hair again and once again forces Iolaus to his knees. Iolaus never lets our a scream of pain for he does not want to the slavers to see him weak. Iolaus’ face sweats as he grimaces from the pain..his blue cerulean eyes tightly closed as Iolaus tries to center himself elsewhere using the meditation tricks he learned in the Far East to distance himself from the pain.
One Nietzchean remarks to another “He is not only strong for a human..he is also brave even by Nietzchean standards..first he outmaneouvers us for as long as he has..and the only reason we captured him is he was trying to save the other slaves..had he wanted to..he could have hidden in these hills for years and none of our trackers would ever have been able to find him. I admire his ability to remain invisible at will!”
At this point, Hercules stops the tape for a nature call and Hercules laughs as he thinks..that’s Iolaus..defiant to the very end..and the best hunter and tracker of all Greece..Artemis was right to call Iolaus..her “Golden Hunter”..but oh Iolaus what price you had to pay..I should have been there beside you..”
Hercules decides to skip lunch since watching the tape had pretty much made him lose his appetite. Hercules hears a knock at the door and when he opens it he sees a tray of lunch set out for him with a rose and a card.
Dylan,
I know you are watching those horrible tapes and you always skip meals when you try to catch up on the last 300 years. You need to eat. Rommie says you don’t eat or sleep. I worry about you. So EAT! I made this sandwich special for you.
Trance
Trance always seem to know..who is she? How does she predict the future? How did she know which planet I was imprisoned on? She guessed out of 385 planets she pointed to the planet I was on and when asked how she did it she simply says “Because it’s pretty..” Trance is a lot smarter and possibly older than she looks. Is she some kind of Guardian angel? Nah..who would want to watch over me? Hercules dismisses the idea as he takes the sandwich Trance made and for Trance’s sake he decides to take a bite. The sandwich tastes delicious as usual but the thought of Iolaus suffering at the hands of the Nietzcheans makes Hercules’ stomach turn and his appetite turns to nausea as Hercules feels physically sick at the sight of food. I guess I can eat later after I watch the tape. Hercules puts the tray on his work desk and walks back to the tape dreading what will come next. Hercules turns on the play button and continues to watch in horror. Outside of Dylan’s house, Trance shakes her head as she knows her Captain is going hungry AGAIN. She cries ‘Michael..what else can I do for him?’
Michael answers ‘Have faith my child..it will all work out’
Dylan presses the continue button on his PADD VCR and continues to watch the carnage.
“I will whip you little human until you scream..and profess that I am your master..scream little man..scream!” The slaver takes the whip and puts several slashes on Iolaus’ back. Each time Iolaus is whipped, he feels as if his back is on fire, but he never gives the slaver the satisfaction of hearing him scream. Rather, he falls unconscious when the pain becomes too much for him.
The slaver stops in frustration as he exclaims “I am getting bored with this little game..you humans are the natural prey..we Nietzcheans are the natural predator..so be a good little prey and scream!” Not getting any response from his victim, the slaver realizes that Iolaus is unconscious as he tosses the unconscious body into the dungeon.
“Have it your way and rot for all I care! You will be getting no food or drink until you submit!” The disgusted slaver takes his bloody whip wet with Iolaus’ blood and walks away.
Many hours later, Iolaus awakes. His head is pounding as if someone is pounding an anvil in his head. Worse yet is his back..each movement brings a plethora of pain sensations..Iolaus is thirsty..his mouth feels as if it has wool in it..Iolaus gingerly touches his chest only to find to his relief no broken ribs. The stench of the dungeon overwhelms Iolaus as he becomes aware of his surroundings.
Iolaus notices that he is not chained and not in manacles. On the wall of the dungeon, Iolaus sees why he is not chained. There are skeletons of past victims who had all died gruesome deaths chained to the walls of the dungeons. Some victims have there heads smashed in..others have their rib cages smashed in..still others are missing body parts. Iolaus grimaces as he imagines what torturous deaths these past slaves must have endured. Iolaus is startled out of his grisly reverie by a voice. Immediately Iolaus turns around in a defensive stance and automatically reaches for his weapon but he forgets that it was taken from him when he was captured by the slavers. Iolaus’ hand reaches for his empty sheath as the stranger moves away but continues to speak in a soothing hypnotic voice.
“Sorry to startle you like that..let me introduce myself..I’m Tyr Anastasi, Son of Barbarosa..you needn’t fight me..I’m not a slaver..I was captured just like you..I am no harm to you..I am a prisoner..the slavers threw me in here..they were about to interrogate me..that’s all I know..” The only light in the dungeon is the moonlight shining through the dungeon windows. Iolaus squints as he can make out Tyr’s appearance in the pale moonlight..tall..dark..long braids..mail shirt..VERY TALL..VERY BIG..taller than Hercules..now that’s a Titan..
“I’m Captain Iolaus of the Washington Ascendant..” Iolaus tries to move closer to Tyr to get a better look at him and his whole world tilts as he gets a major dizzy spell.
“Whoa..you are injured..I have some supplies in my backpack..some herbs that will calm the fire on your back..those injuries on your back look infected..” Tyr takes out a poultice and a cool herb cloth and puts it on Iolaus’ back.
Iolaus can feel the cool soothing effect of the herbs on his tortured inflamed back. “It doesn’t look good..your back has green puss all over it..I’ll need to cauterize some of these wounds..I’ll use my weapon to heat my knife..”
“What..you still have your weapon and backpack..why didn’t the slavers take those from you?” Iolaus asks suspiciously still not willing to trust a Nietzchean..
“Because of this device..it keeps my backpack invisible..so when the slavers threw me in here..well they didn’t know I still had my supplies with me..” Tyr answers.
“Well if you had your weapon..why didn’t you shoot the slavers and escape?” Iolaus asks.
“I was sorely outnumbered. So I decided to play dead. I lay on the road unconscious..barely breathing..they saw that I was a Nietzchean so at first I ended up in an infirmary..but that didn’t last long..I was recognized and now I’m here. I am puzzled why they are taking so long to come interrogate me..something must be wrong..” Tyr carefully looks out the dungeon door and sees no signs of the Nietchean guards. A sense of foreboding and danger invades Tyr’s soul and causes the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. ‘Something is definitely wrong..I can feel it..’ as Tyr finds his knife in his backpack.
Tyr takes the hot knife that he has sprayed with his laser gun..the knife glows red in the dark dungeon cell..
“Alright..Iolaus..hold your breath..this is going to hurt..here you might need this cloth to scream into..”
Iolaus puts the dirty cloth into his mouth and screams as the scorching hot knife digs into his back..Tyr crinkles his nose at the smell of freshly burnt flesh. His eyes open in amazement as the wounds on Iolaus’ back heal miraculously..although not completely after being cauterized. Tyr continues to marvel at Iolaus’ quick recuperative powers while thinking to himself ‘This is no ordinary human! No wonder he was able to evade the Nietzchean slavers for so long..!’
Iolaus cocks his head as he hears the slavers approach the dungeon. “Shh..Tyr..I hear something..” Voices faint overhead whispers to each other as the Nietzchean guards return to the dungeon cell after their meeting with their superior. The hairs on the back of one of the Nietzchean guards bristle as he shivers with fear at the thought of a Magog invasion. ‘I don’t want to be caught dead here when the Magog arrive..it is a most unpleasant death..they lay eggs while the host is still alive and aware of it..the host only slowly dies in agony and in pain..no not the way I want to go..I must advise my troops to retreat and leave the slaves out here as meat for the incoming Magog hordes.’ The captain of the Nietzchean guards barks out orders to his troops:
“We must retreat..the Magog are about to attack..we will leave the slaves for the Magog to eat..humans are only trash..and substandard beings anywhere..excellent fodder for those dirty Magog dogs..”
“What about the traitor Tyr? He’s a Nietzchean..surely you’re not going to leave him at the mercy of the Magog!”
“He’s a traitor..his pride is weak..if we get rid of him..we get rid of the rest of his pride..he’s the last of the Kodiak pride..if he dies..no more Kodiak pride and our pride rules..come on! Let’s go!”
Tyr gives Iolaus an alarmed look “We must get out of this dungeon..the Magog are about to attack and they eat human flesh to lay their eggs..and the dying person is aware of the eggs growing inside him..I don’t intend to be HERE in this dungeon like an easy target when the Magog arrive. For a Nietzchean it’s all about survival.”
Iolaus wholeheartedly agree with Tyr “I may not be Nietzchean..but SURVIVAL is at the top of my list..I’m getting us out of this stinking dump!”
Iolaus gathers the last of his Guardian of the Light strength as the aura around Iolaus intensifies to a blinding light..that Tyr has to cover his eyes..Iolaus punches a hole in the wall with his fist just like Hercules used to do many times.
Tyr remarks drily “Not a bad way to break out of jail!”
Iolaus smiles wryly remembering Hercules punching holes through trees and jail walls as he sarcastically quips “I learn from the very best..an old Hunter’s trick..from a very good friend of mine..”
“You know before I met you..I thought all Commonwealth officers and humans in general were weak..because of their DNA..I guess I’m wrong..Let’s go..we can head to higher elevation..the oxygen is thinner there..the Magog are less likely to come after us there and we can hide there for the time being.”
“Did anyone ever tell you Tyr that you are an excellent tactician? Alright let’s go!” Iolaus now practically healed from his injuries bounces on his feet and energetically heads for the hills with Tyr following close behind.
(The Magog land as the Nietzchean slavers fully retreat and evacuate the planet)
“We can’t just stay here..we’ve got to help those poor people..those Magog are just eating them..I can hear their screams for help..we’ve got to do something..” Iolaus paces restlessly in a cave as he hears the endless screams of the condemned.
“They are already dead..once the eggs are inside the body..the host is dead..I’ve never seen anyone..Nietzchean or human survive a Magog infestation..it’s not a pretty sight..” Tyr advises a hysterical Iolaus.
“What do we do..just sit here in this cave until the Magog finds us? It’s just a matter of time before they eat everyone else..we’ve got to come up with a plan..” Iolaus points out.
“I like the way you think..we have to think of our own survival first!” Tyr takes out a number of objects from his backpack..I could use this to contact a Nietzchean ship sympathetic to my cause”
An odor like rotted fish and flesh pervades the air. Both Iolaus and Tyr crinkle their noses as the fowl odor announce the arrival of the Magog hordes as each warrior instantly takes on a defensive stance.“Oh oh we don’t have time..the Magog have found us..I can smell their stench from here..they’ve obviously been eating a lot of humans..I smell dead flesh everywhere..like carrion meat..just worse..look..you make it out of here..I’ll distract the Magog..I’ll..”
The Magog grabs Iolaus by the shoulders and sends a paralyzing pulse throughout Iolaus’ body. Instantly, Iolaus loses all sensation to his body as the paralyzing ray paralyzes all of Iolaus’ limbs Iolaus finds he can’t even feel his feet or his hands. Iolaus crumples to the ground in a soundless heap as the paralyzing drug paralyzes Iolaus from the neck down.. Iolaus tries to resist but finds he cannot move any limb of his body. Helpless like a fish out of water Iolaus watches as the Magog lays eggs in his abdomen by sticking a snout-like tube into his abdomen injecting like Magog eggs through his skin right into his abdomen. Iolaus feels the slimy presence of the Magog eggs inside his stomach and he feels the Magog eggs hatch as the young baby Magog eats Iolaus alive.
Knowing that he is dying, Iolaus uses the last of his strength to send Tyr a telepathic message as he uses his mind to telekinetically transports his amulet into Tyr’s shocked hands..Tyr forgets to run as he watches in sick horror as the Magog infests this brave human with its foul eggs. He watches the brave struggle the human puts up and then he watches as the human is rendered completely helpless by the Magog paralyzing ray. Tyr looks at Iolaus’ expressive blue eyes as Iolaus has lost the ability for speech..Tyr hears in his mind the following message from the dying man: “My last wish..give this amulet that you have in your hands to Dylan Hunt..he’s Captain of the Andromeda Ascendant. He’s my best friend..tell him..’it’s not your fault’ “I don’t blame you for my death..I have no regrets..tell him I love him like a brother.Dylan will know what this amulet symbolizes Please Tyr..Dylan will need to know what happened to me..please..I am counting on you”
As Iolaus weakens..his grip on life weakens..Tyr watches in extreme sadness as those cobalt blue eyes loses their struggle with consciousness. Before Tyr can react, Iolaus whispers telepathically to Tyr.”I will use the last of my energy to transport you back to your homeworld..at least one of us survives this horrid ordeal...” Suddenly Tyr finds himself surrounded by a blinding flash of light as he feels his body moving forward through some kind of spinning vortex. The next thing Tyr is aware of is that he is standing on the Nietzchean homeworld in front of the magistrate’s office..the only neutral ground for all opposing prides..the only safe place on Nietzche.’Now how did Iolaus know where to transport me? Who is he? Or more correctly WHAT is he?’ Tyr thinks dizzily .Somewhat disoriented by such a trip, Tyr leans against the wall of the magistrate’s building to stop his world from swirling. As Tyr’s head clears, Tyr quietly whispers to no one in particular ‘If you can hear me Iolaus wherever you are, I will deliver this amulet to Dylan Hunt..I always keep my promise to a dying man however long it takes..you saved my life..I will always owe you.’
Lying shivering on the ground, infested with Magog eggs his abdomen swollen to three times its normal size, alone and frightened, Iolaus cries out “I love you Herc..my brother of the heart..please Herc..don’t blame yourself for my death...not your fault. Herc..my brother..I...” before Iolaus falters as he finally succumbs to the excruciating pain of having his insides slowly gnawed away by a horde of young baby Magog larvae and drops into a deep coma.
(End of tape)
THE END
NOT! Continued in To tell the truth, Part II..Stay tuned as Hercules finds out what else happened to Iolaus during his 300 year absence…What does Trance have to do with all of this?