========================================================================== THE CANELLY COLONY Sherry Loeffler ========================================================================== Timeline: After "SeaQuest 2032" (after 3rd season) Author's E-Mail: loeffler@istar.ca ========================================================================== AUTHOR'S NOTES: Here's my third story and there is a special guest near the end of it. The story is in two parts this time. =========================== PART 1 ===================================== Tim heard Tony calling him, but he didn't want to talk so he just kept walking. Tony finally caught up. "Hey, buddy! What's up? What's wrong with you?" "Tony, I am not in a mood to play poker." "That's OK. I'm not either. I've been dying to talk to you." "Tony, I don't think I want to talk either." "Hey, Tim. We're friends. Sometimes it helps to talk to a friend, you know, then you can feel better. Besides, I want to know everything." He leaned over to Tim. "Everything? About what?" "Tim, you were on a deserted island, with a woman, all alone, get it? Come on, you can tell me. What happened? Eh?" He was smiling. "Tony, nothing happened. Get off the subject." "Hey, it can't be that bad a subject. You must have enjoyed it, eh?" "Tony, nothing happened. Tiffany isn't like that. I wouldn't try anything like that." "Wow, you need a talking to. You don't pass up chances like that, bud." "I do. Our relationship isn't like that." They reached Tim's quarters. "Man, I don't believe it! Nothing? Tim, I don't know how you do it. I mean, look at her. She's good looking, fun to be with, but mind you, she is the captain's neice and she does out rank you." Tony was always the ladies' man. He could not understand why Tim would not take advantage of a situation with a woman. He just shook his head. "Hey, Tim, what is it with you and her anyway? Is there something going on?" "I don't know. Nothing now." They went into Tim's quarters. Tim looked at Tony. "I do love her, Tony. But I don't want to tell her, in case she doesn't feel the same way. I never know what to say to her or how to act around her." "Tim, just cause you got burned by Kimura, doesn't mean you lock yourself up and not show your feelings for someone you really care about. I seen the way she looks at you. She has some feelings for you and remember, she is not Kimura. She is way different." "Yeah, I guess. These past few days have been great. We sit and talk and I feel great. I can say anything to her. But to get close to her in a romantic way, I just don't know. I'm afraid to open up to her still in some ways. I mean, we talk about our past lives and I open up in that way. I've told her things no one on here knows about me, but I can't tell her I love her." "Whoa, you do have it bad, buddy. Listen if you want some pointers or if you just want to talk, I'm here for you, OK?" "Yeah, thanks, Tony." Tiffany was feeling great also. She felt so close to Tim now. They shared a lot of things. Her left foot had healed completely, but she was still on crutches. The right foot was too torn up. She would be on crutches for another two weeks at least. Lucas and Tim were both going to spend some time with Jeremy on the weekend, so he will be thrilled. She had even talked her uncle into comeing to dinner on the Friday evening to celebrate Tony's passing the exam. Of course they would not know for sure that he had passed it, but she liked to think positively. They had to celebrate something. Tiffany had a four day pass, Thursday through Sunday. She was picking Jeremy up on the Thursday evening, to give herself a chance to stock up on food for the weekend in the afternoon. He was quite happy to miss one day of school. Tony was going to stay that evening at her place since she had a three bedroom condo. That way he would be close to where he was going to write the exam and there would not be any interruptions to his studying. Tim was not happy about the idea. "Tiffany, you don't know Tony. You don't know what he's like." He had told her. "Tim, for goodness sake! I'm not a child. I know exactly what he's like. He dare not try anything with me or he'll be coming back here sounding soprano! I know how to handle his kind. I don't think he'd try anything anyway, since he'd have to face my uncle when he came back." Tim smiled. Yeah, she was right. But he still didn't like it. "Tim, is there a bit of the green eyed monster I'm seeing here?" She smiled. "No, I just want to make sure you'll be OK." He knew it was though. They wouldn't be in port until tomorrow, so they talked a bit more about Jeremy and what plans she had for the weekend. Again he did not touch on the subject of romance. The next day Tiffany was back on land again. It had been a month since she had come on board. First she had to do some shopping and get home and do some baking for the dinner the next day. Ford and Henderson were back on the ship, on duty, but her uncle, Tim, Tony, Lucas and Dagwood woudl be there for dinner. She had not invited Kimura. Tiffany had been able to hold her temper with her, but she knew eventually it would come out. She did not look forward to that. She was still positive that it was Kimura, she saw from the island and not a hallucination. The dinner went well and Tiffany was happy. The others got to see a side of Captain Hudson the had not seen. Jeremy loved all the attention. He would not leave his uncle's side. He was thrilled to finally get to spend some time with Uncle Ollie. Lucas was staying the night so he didn't go back to the ship. The others left, but Tim held back. Jeremy had gone into his room for something with Lucas. Tim still did not feel comfortable enough to show his feelings. They stood at the door. Neither said anything for a few seconds. Then Tim put his arms around her and kissed her, like he had done on the island. But then Lucas and Jeremy came out of the room, in time to see it. Tim didn't notice them. He said goodbye and left. "Hey Mom! You gonna marry him? If you do, it's OK with me. I like him. He's almost as cool as Lucas." "Jeremy Rose! I've only known him for a few weeks. Besides, it's none of your business right now. If we get serious I'll let you know." She threw a cushion at him. He laughed and the three of them started a cushion fight, until Tiffany decided they may break something and it was past Jeremy's bedtime. They each went to their own rooms. Tiffany felt warm inside and thought about the evening and especially the ending with Tim. On Saturday Lucas took Jeremy out and showed Tiffany what to buy him. It was some sort of electric gizmo that she had never seen before. It was fascinating to watch Lucas as he showed Jeremy the advanced games on it. It was more fascinating to watch Jeremy pick things up so quickly. Lucas was impressed. "He's picking this up more quickly that I did at his age!" Tiffany laughed. "Now you know why I'm going crazy!" They played for a while longer, then Tiffany got dinner ready. Tim was off at 1600 hours and would be there soon. When Tim came they ate and then the four of them went to the amusement park. Jeremy always loved the rides, but he hated having to go on them with his mother. This time Lucas and him went on them together and Tim and Tiffany went together. They all had fun and it was a long and very late evening for them. Tiffany's guest room had twin beds so Tim and Lucas slept in the same room. The next day Tim, Tiffany and Jeremy walked Lucas to where he would get a mini sub to go back to the ship and then they went to church. It had been a long time since either one had been in church. "It seems so peaceful here now. I think people are finally realizing the war is over." Tiffany had been there many times during the war, but it was always so chaotic and hectic. Now it was different. "The war is over, but there are still battles raging. Someday, though it will really be over and for good this time." Tim hadn't experienced the war the same way Tiffany had. They each had a different outlook on the war and the consequences of it. Tiffany had lived through it. Tim hadn't. The three of them walked along the beach together and had lunch at a small beach cafe. Tiffany was not sure she wanted to go back, but they had to take Jeremy back soon and her and Tim were both hoping to spend some time alone this weekend. They left Jeremy at the school. As they were leaving, Tiffany turned around and saw him standing there with his new toy in his hand, a big smile on ihis face and showing the thumbs up symbol to his mom. They got to the apartment and found there was an urgent call on the vid-phone from her uncle. Tiffany called back. "I need you both back here immediately." "Unc! We still have three hours before we're due back. What's so important?" "There's been reports of another renegade sub. It sounds like our friend the Macro10. He's already devastated one colony amd captured another one. We have to leave now." Tiffany knew this was urgent and so she signed off, locked up the condo and they both rushed down to the dock to get back on board. She needed to do some more work on Chameleon but she may not get the time. It may have to wait, but at least they did have Chameleon in two of the sub fighters. They would be able to go any place unnoticed. It took them a few hours and in that time Tiffany made sure that two of the sub fighters were ready to go. She asked for Tony and Kimura to come down so she could show them the new additions to their fighters. "Here is your control for Chameleon. It's very simple so I won't insult you by explaining it. You've both seen how it worked a few weeks ago, right?" They nodded. "Alright then, the only problem with this is that I still haven't figured a way that you can shoot and still be invisible. You will have to turn her off before shooting. Mind you, you can aim and be ready to fire as soon as you hit the button. Also, because the sub fighter is so small, Chameleon comes on or goes off immediately. You do not have any delay, like we had with the ship. So, you have that advantage. Any questions?" They both shook their heads. "Looks great to me. I'm just glad to be on the inside. Wouldn't want to be one of them when we hit the button and fire right after. This is sure to take them by surprise." Tony was thrilled about the prospect. Kimuar wasn't too happy though. As a Chaudai warrior, she had been privy to much more advanced weaponry and skills than what these people had. Although they did not have anything like Chameleon in their outfit. She didn't say anything, but just watched as Tiffany showed them what to do if there was a problem. She had built a back up system into the fighters, to help them if anything went wrong. "Now, the other thing I have to let you know is that these are the only two fighters with this equipment. If you guys destroy these two, then you won't have any more advantages. I haven't had time to get this into the others. So. please, be very careful with my babies and what you do with them." "No problem, lady. We know what we're doing, as long as you know what you are doing." Tony was getting used to having Kimura around and working with her. He didn't care who he worked with as long as he could depend on them, especially on this important mission. Kimura, though thought of him as inferior. She had saved his life many times and he, hers, but she still thought of him as being beneath her. She thought that about most of the people on this ship. The only good thing was that she was out of Chaudai territory. That's all this ship was good for. She had been raised and trained for the military and knew no other life, so she had to stay here and fight because that was all she knew to do. She had never known another life. Her sole purpose in life was to be a warrior and fight. She was not meant for anything else. Tony left to change his clothes. Tiffany looked up at Kimura. She still had the picture in her mind of that day on the island. She knew she had not been hallucinating. She had wanted to confront her, but her rage about the island and her feelings about JJ's death were too much. She knew she would not be able to control herself. "It was you there, wasn't it?" Kimura looked puzzled. "I know I wasn't delusional. I saw you. I recognized you. You were there and you left us to die. Why? Just tell me why?" "Since you and Tim want to be together so bad, I thought you should stay there." "You have the nerve to tell me that? You left us to die! How could you do that? What kind of person are you? You know, you are a despicable, vicious, evil, indifferent person. You have no morals, no concern for your fellow humans and, and, no ..." She was at a loss for words. Suddenly all her rage and anger seemed to just start to boil over. She was so mad at Kimura, she just wanted to hurt her in some way. The same way she was hurt by losing her best friend. Tiffany was shaking. She didn't notice that Tim and her uncle had just come in with Tony. They saw what was happening. "You don't care that the most warm, considerate human being lost her life because of you. You don't care that a kind, thoughtful and caring man was humiliated because of you. You have no right on this ship. You have no right to ..." Just then her uncle had seen enough and he grabbed her arms from behind. She was ranting so much that her arms had been flying all over. "That's enough, Tiffany! Stop it!" "No, I can't. She should know what she did. She should know." Tiffany went limp and leaned against her uncle, crying. "It's OK. You're going to be OK." He held her. Tim and Tony didn't know what to do. They looked at each other and then at Kimura. She had a face of stone. Not one muscle moved through all of Tiffany's raving. Hudson looked at Kimura, then over to O'Neill. He was the one who had started all this. Hudson felt he should have talked to Tiffany a long time ago. He was so concerned about the war ending and what was happening to the colonies, he pushed his personal life aside. Now, because of this, Tiffany had finally let her rage loose. Maybe it was better that she did. She always kept things inside of her. It was past the time to show her Freddy's last words. "Kimura, O'Neill, you two are with Tiffany and me. In my office, now!" He had his arm around Tiffany and led them to his office. He pulled out a couple of charis so everyone could sit down. His face was stern. Kimura looked straight at him. She didn't care what happened. She seemed to be made of stone. Tim was uncomfortable. What he had done months ago, kept coming back to haunt him. He wished he had never heard of Kimura. He especially wished he had obeyed orders months ago and not saved her life. Tiffany was involved and it hurt him to see her hurting so much. Tiffany just held her hands over her face and wouldn't look at anyone. "What happened months ago is in the past and should be forgotten and especially forgiven. I found it in me to forgive O'Neill for his actions. That's why he is still on this ship. He is a good officer and a fine crew member of this ship. I would not want to lose him. What he did was because of compassion and," Hudson hesitiated and looked at Tim. "And maybe a little infatuation. But it is in the past. I did not feel that incident should affect his excellent record as an UEO officer." He looked over at Kimura. "You, on the other hand, Kimura, were not a valuable member of this team. I understand how the Chaudai work. I know what you went through to become a warrior for them, but that does not excuse you for not showing some compassion to people on this ship. It also does not excuse you for your obnoxious behaviour you have shown here. We work as a team. We work together to help each other. You have shown you can do this when out in a sub fighter, but on the ship, you are different." Tiffany cut in. She seemed calm now. "She was there. At the island. I saw her. She left Tim and I to die." Hudson looked at Kimura. "Is this true?" "Yes sir, I did see them. I, um, didn't want to rescue them. I left it to others to do it." She looked him straight in the eyes and did not blink. But at least she was honest. Captain Hudson heaved a big sigh. He had never had this situation before. It was one thing to discipline O'Neill for what he did and to let him stay on the ship, knowing that this one mistake would not be repeated. But Kimura has not show that she can be a valuable member of this crew. She belittles everyone, antagonizes them and is belligerent in her attitude. He continued, "Kimura, you realize this calls for a disciplinary action which could result in you being removed from this ship and dishonourably discharged from UEO and the navy." "Yes, sir." He thought she still had not blinked. "For now I will let this pass and will consider what my action will be when we settle whatever is happening at the Canelly Colony. I will take into consideration wher you have come from and the stress you have been under in the past few months. Tiffany, I should have talked to you a long time ago. I know the pressure you have felt because of Freddy's death and I know how you feel. Freddy was the best Lieutenant I have ever had. I know you two grew close and I appreciate what Freddy did for you." He got up and went to a cabinet and took out a shoebox. "These were the personal effects of Freddy. I cleaned out her room myself. It has been hard on me as well. You probalby know that when a warrior goes out to battle, it is a very old custom for them to write a letter, usually to a spouse, girlfriend, parent or someone close to them. I have had other things on my mind and have put my personal feelings and life aside. That was a mistake. I'm sorry Tiffany. You should have got this long ago. Freddy didn't have any relatives and you were the closest to her. Here is her last letter. It's a holographic communication." Tiffany didn't move. "I think there are some guilt feelings here as well as hurt feelings. That's why I want all of you to hear this and then Tiffany can have it." He put it into his holographic communications section. Tiffany was biting her lip. The tears started to form already. In a few seconds she saw JJ Fredricks. It was a holograph but looked so real. Tiffany reached out her hand and touched it. Her hand went right through it. She took her hand back. She started to cry. "JJ?" The figure started to speak. The voice of JJ Fredricks could be heard by everyone. More to come.... =========================== PART 2 ===================================== Here's the last part of this story. The voice of JJ Fredricks could be heard by everyone. "Tiff, if you're seeing me now, then I have died. I hope it was in battle. Tiff, you are the only one I could write to. I don't have anyone else. I love you like a sister. You and your uncle were the only ones wh accepted me for who I was and didn't let the psych chip influence you. I never had a family, so I borrowed yours. I felt so much a part of yours." "Every time I go into battle, I close my eyes and remember the good times we had. I remember your laugh and how you teased me about men. I remember how much you love your uncle and what family means to you. I remember helping you look after Jeremy when he was a baby and how much you love him. I remember taking Jeremy to school the first day with you and how he cried when we left. We sat under his classroom window alll morning to make sure he was alright." This made Tiffany smile. She remembered that day very clearly too. Fredricks went on. "Those times were what has kept me going, Tiff. It was all the fun times we had together and the joy we shared together, which helped me get through life. I could always hear your laughter and see your smile. It was those times that helped me go on. I love you for it, Tiff and I thank you for your unconditional love you showed me. Tiff, I know that you will be hurt by my death. And I know you will mourn me, but I want you to know that as long as I went out in battle, I am happy. That is the way I always wanted to go." "Please do not have anger towards the people I was fighting at the time. Please do not feel anger toward any peoples or especially against any one person for my death. I know it will be hard for you, but I want you to go on loving everyone, the way you do. As long as you have love in your heart, you will not have any room for anger. You know the damage that anger can do to you. If there is anger, turn it around into love. I don't want you to turn into an angry, bitter person. Stay the way you are and find the love in your heart to forgive anyone who was involved. You know this is the way I would want it." "Take care of yourself, Tiff. Give Jeremy a hug for me and tell him I love him. I won't be able to see him graduate, but I will be there in spirit. And most of all, take care of that cantankerous uncle of yours. He was hard to work with, but you and I know he has a soft side to him. Help him show it sometimes. Make sure he looks after himself. I always said that he needed a woman around and since no one could stand to live with him, it was up to you and I to take care of him. All my love, Tiff. You're the best." The figure disappeared. No one said anything. Tiffany took the disc out. She held it tight. Hudson nodded to Kimura and O'Neill to leave. He went over to Tiffany and put his arm around her. She looked up at him and tried to smile. She knew JJ was right. She should forgive Kimura. Kimura was only trying to get away from a horrible life. It would take time, but she had to forgive. When they got out of the captain's office, Kimura took Tim's arm. He pulled it away. It was hard for him to remember what had happened when Freddy died. "Tim, I am sorry for what happened. I didn't mean for anyone from here to get killed. I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused. Tiffany must have taken it hard. I didn't realize it. I've never known a family myself." "So you think we should feel sorry for you?" "No, it's just that I can't help the way I am. It's the way I was raised. I need to be understood too. We all have our faults, Tim. Mine are just different and more pronounced than yours." "Yeah, I guess." He turned to look at the Captain's door. "I just wish I could help her in some way. I feel the hurt too." "It looks like I have a lot to learn about being in this world. You've no idea how different it is. I really mean it, Tim, I am sorry. I'm also sorry I didn't pick you two up from the island. That was wrong. I should have helped you. I won't do it again. I know what being on a team means. I want to be a team member." "You may not be here long. You'll have to have a good long talk with the Captain." Just then the alert came over the speakers. They both rushed to the bridge. In the office, Commander Ford called the captain. They were nearing the colony and he wanted to sound the alert. Captain Hudson say to do so and then he told Tiffany to stay a while. He told her he did not need her on the bridge yet. She just nodded. He really did need her, but he thought she was better being left to herself. He followed Tim and Kimura to the bridge. Tim slid into his communications seat and Kimura went to the weapons section where Tony was. They could see the colony on the screen. This one was further down than the other one had been. It was a scientific one which studied the effects of deep ocean life. It looked peaceful, but when the wide angle was put on they could see the Macro10. It loomed like a predator over it's prey. It was almost on top of the colony. There were two fighters out of the sub hovering over the colony as well. "Commander Ford do they know we are here?" "No sir, we've been monitoring the communications. Captain Stone is the only one who had been talking. There's been no response from the colony." "O'Neill, Chameleon please." "Aye sir." Tim took the lever and pulled it down. They were invisible now. They could draw closer to the colony. They could see there must have been something shot into the colony, damaging part of the dome, but it was being fixed. "We'll just sit and wait to see what's happening. Piccolo and Kimura, both of you get into your fighters and be ready to leave. No, actually, since you both have Chameleon, get out there and wait outside for the action. They may detect us, but they won't detect you. Tiffany says she managed to adjust Chameleon in the fighters so there is interference with the sonar and they won't know you are there." Both of them left. On the way Piccolo asked Kimura. "Hey, is everything Ok with you and Tiffany?" "I don't know right now. In time maybe." They reached their fighters. "Tony, radio silence for now. We don't want them to know we are here." He already knew that and didn't need to be reminded. He felt like saying, I'm not a kid, but stopped it. "Yes, ma'am." It was a weird feeling to be out there almost under the enemy's nose and to know that no one could see them. Tony felt good about it. He smiled to himself. Boy, if they only knew. On the bridge the tension was tight. Captain Hudson wished someone would make a move. He wondered if he should let them know they were here. It was a difficult call. O'Neill turned to him and he nodded. Tim put it on the speaker. It was the Macro10. A familiar voice. "Canelly Colony, this is Captain Stone of the Macro10. We demand your surrender or the colony will be destroyed. This is your last warning. We have destroyed others and we will keep our word." There was silence. Hudson noticed Tiffany had come onto the bridge. She slid into the seat where Chameleon was. "Commander Rose, we may need the torpedoes. Get them ready." "Aye sir." She went over to prepare them. She wondered if Kimura and Tony were already out there. There was no way to know. Lucas could keep track of them though. He had managed to put something into the computer to link up to Chameleon and he could track them even when they were invisible. This way they did not have to worry about hitting their own fighters if it got down to a battle between ships. There was still no response from the colony. Then Tim, Jonathan and Lucas heard a voice from their past. "This is Dr. Kristin Westphalen. You already have murder on your hands. The last shot you fired hit our dirctor, Dr. Joseph Klintock. I am now the head of this science team and I will not negotiate with you. I have learned a lot about not negotiating with people like you. This is a science colony. What do you want with it? We are of no use to you." "Sounds like a gutsy lady." Hudson was impressed. "She sure is sir. She once served on SeaQuest." Ford informed him. "Really? Interesting. O'Neill, open communications. Let's let the lady know she is not alone." Tim nodded. "Dr. Westphalen. This is Captain Hudson of the UEO ship SeaQuest. We have come to be of assistance to you and your colony." "SeaQuest? It can't be. SeaQuest was lost eleven or twelve years ago. And I know the Captain of SeaQuest personally. It is Captain Nathan Bridger." "It is a long story Dr. Just be assured we are here to help." "Sir." Ford interupted. "It might help if she heard a familiar voice." "Commander Ford? Is that you?" Dr. Westphalen had heard him. "Yes, Dr. I am here and so is Tim O'Neill and Lucas." "Well, this is quite a surprise, Commander. What happened to Nathan?" "Later, Dr. We have a problem at hand." "Yes, certainly. Well, Captain Stone, you see we are not alone. We have help and we will not negotiate and neither will SeaQuest." Captain Hudson shook his head and smiled. "Captain Stone you heard the lady. Stand down and prepare to be boarded." "Captain Hudson, we met before I remember. And you should remember we did not stand down then nor will we now. We are claiming the Canelly Colony for Macronesia." "Yes I remember Captain. And you should remember a treaty was signed with the UEO, stating ..." "Yes Captain I know about that. I do not recognize that treaty along with many others. That treaty was not signed with unaminous approval. Some of us are against it." "That does not give you the right to terrorize people and stage battles. If you do not stand down I have my torpedoes ready to fire." He thought the Captain was playing for time to find out where SeaQuest was. He was right. Hudson nodded to Tiffany. "Prepare to fire." "Aye sir." Tiffany had them ready. All she need was his word. "Captain Hudson. Why don't you and I get together and see if we can compromise?" "Captain Hudson will not compromise!" That was Dr. Westphalen cutting in. "Dr. I can speak for myself. No Captain Stone. I will not compromise. Stand down!" People were looking from screen to the captain and back again. Tim wondered where Tony and Kimura were. He could not see any motion in the water. Tiffany had got Chameleon perfect for the sub fighters or they were not in the view of SeaQuest. He looked over at her and smiled. She smiled back. She was a strong lady to take all that she had over the years. He was glad the confrontation with Kimura was over. Suddenly to everyone's surprise the sub turned on SeaQuest and started to fire. The two sub fighters from Macro10 started to fire on the colony. Instantly one of SeaQuest's fighters appeared, fired and took one out. Then the other fighter appeared, fired and took the other one out. As quick as they had appeared, they disappeared again. Hudson smiled. Just then SeaQuest took a hit. "Tiffany! Fire! First one torpedo went, then the second then the third. Each one was a hit. The Macro10 went down. Two more sub fighters came out of her as she went down. They were not going down without a fight. The fighters started firing blindly. They did not know where the other fighters were. One appeared and fired. Miss! The other appeared and fired. Nicked a wing. The fighter started to go down, but then it came up, wobbly, but it came up and fired at the fighter. Tony saw it coming. He fired and hit just as it got a shot off, but it went wild. Kimura was safe. Tony turned to see what the other one was doing. He heard a noise going past him. It was Kimura. She had fired at the fighter, but it manouvred away. Both Tony and Kimura shot at the same time. This time he went down. The Macro10 was sinking. A mini sub came out and started to get away. Tony saw it and fired on it. He nicked the tail of it which sent it into a spin. It crashed to the bottom. Tony and Kimura were watching for any more coming out, but all was quiet. "Commander Ford, get a rescue team there and bring them on board. Dagwood, you are to see that they are all put in the brig, until we sort out who is to blame. Make sure none get out. Understand?" "Yes, sir, I mean aye sir." Dagwood was ready for his job. "Piccolo and Kimura, good job, both of you. Kimura stay out there in case there is trouble. Piccolo, I need you here to help Dagwood put these people in the brig. There may not be enough room. I want all officers in the brig and the rest can be confined to the quarters nearest the brig." They didn't lose anyone, but the Macro10 did. It was sad that they could not accept the treaty. "O'Neill, inform UEO of our situation and tell them we will return to port with the captured." "Aye sir." Everyone started to breathe a little easier now. They had captured the renegade sub and it's officers. This would be an example to any others out there. Tim moved the Chameleon lever back up, so they were visible now. It was a surprise to Dr. Westphalen to see her again. Captain Hudson and his officers were invited to come to the colony for dinner. Hudson accepted, only because he knew that Ford, O'Neill and Wolenczak would want to see her again. They had been friends long ago. Those three along with Captain Hudson and Lieutenant-Commander Rose went ashore to the colony. "I can't believe my eyes! I thought I would never see any of you again. But what happened to Nathan? Why isn't he here?" Dr. Westphalen was thrilled to see them. She hugged each one, to Lucas' dismay. "Captain Bridger found out his son, Robert, may still be alive. That took priority. He is hoping to find him one day. He has a grandson." Ford explained. "Oh my, Robert's death devastated him almost as much as Carol's death. Poor man. Lucas, my boy, well you are not a boy anymore, but you still look so young. How can that be? You must be over 30 now. And Jonathan and Tim, you both look like you haven't aged. How do you do it?" Hudson nodded and Ford explained what had happened in space. She looked shocked. "Well, I knew from our first encounter that there were aliens, but kidnapping SeaQuest? Oh no! That's, well, that's just horrible. I certainly am glad I decided to leave after the original ship was destroyed. I could not have handled that." O'Neill looked surprised. He remembered that encounter. "And who was the one who convinced me to stay when I wanted to get away from them?" He smiled. Hudson offered to give her a tour of the ship. He let Tim, Jonathan and Lucas do that. She was happy to be back on and surprised at the changes from when it was a science ship. "Now this, I know I could not handle." She went on to tell them that the two years in which SeaQuest was being rebuilt, gave her a chance to spend time with her daughter, Cynthia. They had not seen much of each other and there was so much for them to learn about each other. Cynthia had always wanted to hellp others, in less fortunate countries. Dr. Westphalen had helped her with some details, then the war came. Science was put on hold. It made things much worse. They could not stay in other countries and had to come back to where they were from. This opened the door to some research, Cynthia had talked about. At first they worked underground since the war took priority. Eventually with some proding, they got some government grants and started their own research facilities. Then they got a chance to build a colony, strictly for this project. Hence the Canelly Colony came into being. The government wanted them out of the way and away from the war, so they were put in an deep sea colony. They have built this colony up and most of the people in it were scientists or spouses and families of scientists. After the tour, they escorted Dr. Westphalen back to the colony. Cynthia was there to meet them. "Commander Ford, welcome to our colony. It is so nice to see you again. Sorry I wasn't there for dinner. I could not believe it was SeaQuest who came to rescue us. You did that once before, remember?" "Yes, I do, very well. Nice to see you again." "If I didn't force her into eating she would just do her research and forget about eating." "Sounds familiar." Tim looked at Lucas. Captain Hudson had come back to the colony with them. He got word from the ship that everything was secure. "Dr. Westphalen, do you have any repair teams here, which could get that sub up and running again?" "Yes we do have. We are a self-contained colony and have to have everything here ready for any type of emergency. I think we can do it." "Good, if you can get that thing running, I will convince UEO to leave it here and you may use it for transporting goods and the like instead of calling a transport sub to do it." "Oh, that would be wonderful. I appreciate that so much Captain. Please do come again. And if you see Nathan, please give him my best." They exchanged greetings and the SeaQuest crew went back to the ship. On board, Captain Hudson had a hard task to do. He still had to discipline Kimura for her actions at the island. He was not sure just how to handle this. She was a good sub fighter and he could use her on the ship, but if she wasn't willing to get along with the rest of the team, she would be of no use. He had come around a corner and saw Kimura who had just stopped Tiffany. She was apologizing. "Tiffany, I am sorry for what I said and how I acted. I did not realize how much this fighter had meant to you. I do not know about family values and such. I was brought up to be a fighter and nothing else. I want to ask for your forgiveness." Tiffany did not say anything for a few seconds. She had already decided to forgive her. It really was not Kimura's fault that JJ died. It was a fact of war. She took a deep breath and looked at her. "I will never forget what happened. I cannot. JJ was too important to me, but I can find it in me to forgive you. I know it was not your fault. JJ died the way she wanted to. Actually you two had a lot in common, you know. If you had been able to get to know her, you would have liked her. She was the best and she always will be. I think we both need to bury the past and leave it behind us. What do you say?" "Yes I agree. I heard an expression, bury the hatchet. We can do that." Tiffany laughed. "Yes we can. Consider it buried. Friends?" She held out her hand. Kimura took it. "Yes, friends." "We are a team and we have to work together." Tiffany smiled. "That's my uncle talking." "Yes, you are right, it sure is, young lady." Hudson came over to them. "I'm glad to see that you two have made up, but I still have some disciplining to do." He looked at Kimura. "You can help Dagwood clean the ship. There is a lot to do. But only on your time! Right now I need you to help stand gurard over those people we brought here. Kimura, consider yourself lucky. If I hadn't come across you two, I may have suggested to the UEO worse punishment. It is well within my right to do so, but I won't. This will not officially be on your record. This incident does not need to be brought up again. Understood?" "Yes, sir." Kimura looked down. She did not often look people straight in the face. At least she recognized a superior officer. They separated and Tiffany went to find Dagwood to do some more teaching on reading and writing. Just before all this he had received another letter from Rachel. Tiffany wondered if Rachel was starting to change her opinion of Dagwood's friends. Kimura stopped and turned around. "Tiffany?" Tiffany turned back. "You did a real good job on Chameleon. It worked like a charm. They never knew we were there. It saved our lives. Thanks." Tiffany smiled and nodded. At least she appreciated good work. THE END ========================================================================== Sherry loeffler@istar.ca fanfic page: www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/7534/intro.html Sherry Loeffler loeffler@istar.ca fanfic page: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/7534/intro.html "Give whatever it takes, even if it takes more than you got." Tony Piccolo to Lucas on By Any Other Name - SeaQuest DSV.