Tava Bismark sighed as she finished washing her face and lifted her gaze up into the mirror hung above the sink in the bathroom off her quarters.  Two years ago she had been a Militia Colonel with a bright future and a glowing reputation.  Two months ago she had uncovered a plan being set into motion by her superior to usurp power from the Allied Council.  She had opposed that plan, believing the voices of the galaxies deserved to be represented, rather than dictated to.

A week later she had been sent on a mission that was supposed to claim her life.  The venture had claimed her right arm, one eye, half her hearing, and severely damaged her hip.  But she had fought her way back to base with a new understanding.

If she expected her voice to count for something, it wouldn't be with her superior.  She had barely escaped with her life on a stolen prototype battleship called the Athena.

And thus had begun the race across the universe to Central System to warn the council.  Along the way, she had picked up four companions and crew mates.  Each was quirky in their own way, and about as crazy a bunch as could be found.  But Tava supposed that was fortunate.  Because when she had arrived at the office of the Milita voice on the Council, she had been met with more betrayal, and only her crazy crew had offered her any loyalty.

Tava grabbed a towel and dried her face.  She had been allowed a few minutes to collect herself and take a breath.  Now it was time to get started on her revolution.  She had sworn her life to upholding the Council and what it stood for.  She wasn't about to break that oath.  She settled the towel back on its rack and strode for the door of her quarters as a chime sounded to tell her someone was looking for her.

The doors slid open to reveal a green skinned humanoid with unruly dark hair.  He stood straight and tall, hands behind his back and looking quite professional in the simple tan scrubs he had found to wear.  His skin tone lightened to a lime green before darkening into an olive color.  Tava was beginning to learn how to decipher his kaleidoscope range of greens that represented his temperament.  In this case, happiness, followed by concern.

"Doc."  Tava greeted.  "What can I do for you?"

Yggdrasil Givarsian Helundishik brightened in skin tone again.  "I thought to make you aware I am available for more than medical assistance, Captain.  I realize there have been many stressors and other such contributors that would result in a poor state of mental health.  I would be happy to provide council should you feel amenable."

Tava slowly smiled.  "Thanks Doc.  I'll be fine once we get moving again but I'll keep the offer in mind."

Yggdrasil inclined his head in acknowledgment and turned to wander back down the corridor, undoubtedly going back to the infirmary and the botanical garden he had set up.  Tava aimed for the engine room.

When she got there, she stopped in the doorway, wary of setting foot in her mechanic's domain.  Sarcasm was always a given and the mercurial mood swings were difficult to manage.  She preferred not to piss him off and risk him refusing to maintain Athena's engines.  "Hey Kit?"

A long nose appeared from around some bundles of wires, followed by bright yellow eyes in a red-brown furry face.  Large triangular ears swiveled towards Tava, and then the rest of the Kitsune was wriggling out of mess of wires until he shook his two bushy tails loose.  The affectionately nick-named 'Kit' tugged his leather vest straight as he padded across to Tava.  "What?"

Tava glanced around the engine room before dropping her gaze back down to the three foot tall fox boy.  "Anything we needed to keep everything running?  I figure it'll be best to get it now before we get into this revolution too deep."

Kit's ears flicked back.  "There are a few things that are on my list, but there's no hurry.  Just go on business as usual and I'll let you know when I need anything.  Until then, don't bother me."  With that, he turned tails and disappeared back into the inner workings of the engine.  Tava just sighed, shaking her head and turning for the bridge.

She stepped onto the bridge and settled into the Captains chair, glancing over the last two members of her crew.  In the gunner's seat was Kartk.  A human, six feet tall with blonde hair and sharp blue eyes.  He was bulky with muscle and rarely went anywhere without the rifle and long blade strapped across his back.  A thin sliver wire around his throat and each wrist denoted that he was a slave.  Tava had intended to free him, thinking her journey would be over upon arrival to Central System.  Instead, her journey had only been beginning.  She still planned to free the man, the endeavor had simply become more complicated.

Across the bridge, and wiggling in her seat in eagerness, was Jornea.  The young woman of unknown species was an energetic thing, and much easier to deal with than her Kitsune best friend.  She swiveled in her seat, tossing blue streaked black hair out of dark eyes and grinning.  "So?  Where to Cap'n?"  Her grin faded a little when Tava stared out the front view port with worry and agitation.  "If I might make a suggestion...?"

Tava turned her attention back to Jornea.

"I realize you'd like nothing more than to track down your husband.  But we have no idea where he's being held.  Honestly, it's going to be a waste of time.  As long as they can use him as leverage or bait, he'll be kept alive.  Until then, we should start gathering supporters."

Tava took in a breath to settle the nerves in her gut and leveled her good eye at Jornea.  "Any idea's on where to start?  Maybe Kit's home world?"

Jornea quickly shook her head, reaching up to fiddle with the bandana and goggles hanging around her neck.  "Kit's home world isn't going to get involved until they're forced into it.  And Kit would kill me if I hauled him back there.  Actually, I've got a different place to start."

"I'm all ears."

"Ever heard of the Androids?"

Tava's brow furrowed, shifting the eye patch that covered her missing right eye.  "They're a myth.  A spacer legend told to scare the superstitious.  Aren't they?"

Jornea shook her head, her usual grin coming back.  "Nope.  Just well hidden."

"But you know where to find them?"

"But I know where to find them."  She chuckled as she spun in her chair again and started tapping in coordinates as she took hold of the controls, answering Tava's question before it could be voiced.  "A little birdy told me the general location.  I'll bet we can find them.  Then you can talk them over to our side and we'll have the beginnings of our own army on our side."

~ ~ ~

As promised, Jornea sped them to a seldom traveled part of space and started lacing their ship through a minefield of rocks and stardust.  Tava watched Jornea fly, noticing an eerie feeling creeping in as they went deeper into the slowly rotating vortex of an ancient solar system that had been utterly destroyed eons ago.

She jumped a little when Kartk broke the heavy silence.  "What exactly is the legend of the Androids?"

Jornea glanced back at Tava.  She looked like she was itching to tell the story.  Honestly, she probably knew it better.  Tava had heard a couple different versions and they had all sounded off to her.  Jornea grinned as she settled back into her maneuvering and began to speak the tale in a low, rolling tone.

"A millennia  ago, the humans created artificial intelligence.  This was before they had reached the point of no return and turned all their efforts to escaping their dying world.  They created beings in their own image, and then grew to fear their own success.  They feared the artificial beings would grow to resent their creators and seek to become the supreme species.  And so, the humans began to destroy what they had created.

"But the artificial beings had gained enough awareness to fear their own end.  A few managed to escape the culling, running into space and traveling far, looking for a place they could belong.  They found it, out here in the inhospitable places, claiming a world of their own and calling themselves Androids.

"The Androids turned their intelligence to expanding their world, creating, reproducing, growing.  Becoming the image of their creators in every way, up to and including the destruction of their own world in their quest for perfection.  They quickly turned their attention to a remedy to the problem.  Probes were created to traverse the universe and bring back the ore and minerals required to keep the Androids running.  For a while, this measure held off the inevitable.  But as the probes had to go farther and farther, the supply of metals the Androids needed could no longer meet the demand.

"And so, a drastic measure was presented and implemented.  The drones would continue to work.  The Androids would put themselves into stasis and await such a time as the drones had collected ample minerals to sustain the Androids as they worked for a more permanent solution.  So the Androids sleep, buried deep in a dead solar system, on a planet shrouded in the husks of ships and metal rich asteroids."

Tava shook herself out of the trance cast by Jornea's storytelling as the pilot's voice trailed off in finality.  "But there must be hundreds of dead solar systems.  How do you know this one is the one the Androids chose?  How do you know any of that is even real?"

Jornea smiled as she dipped the ship beneath a tangle of space rock and then banked around a large hunk of what had been a moon.  "I told you.  A little birdy told me.  But if you need more proof than that, take a look at that."

Tava's eye widened as she looked forward, her breath catching in her throat as she took in the scene before her.  A single planet still lived in this maelstrom of chaos, and just as Jornea's tale had described, the planet was surrounded by hunks of rock and damaged hulls of dead ships from times long past.  The collection of metal and space junk had been left hanging on the edges of the atmosphere, slowly rotating with the planet as it made its way along its orbit.

Tava swallowed, tearing her gaze away from the scene from legend to meet the smug smile of her pilot as she broke the stunned silence.  "So?  Enough proof for ya?"  Tava slowly nodded, turning her eye back out to the eerie graveyard of ages long past.  Jornea chuckled.  "We can turn back if you like."

Tava took in a deep breath and shook her head.  "No.  Take us in."