Harper woke up suddenly aware that he was shivering.
What the hell? He thought thickly.
"Rommie, what's the temperature in my room?" He asked and was surprised to hear no reply. "Rommie?"
There was still no answer. Harper turned his head and looked at his clock.
"One o-clock in the morning and there's already a problem that needs my genius expertise. I can't even get an hour of sleep around here."
The deck plates were like ice and Harper jumped up and down as he pulled on a pair of socks. He was dressed in his boxers and a white T-shirt and the cold air bit his bare skin. He walked to his door and opened it and was even more astonished to find that it was colder out in the hall than it was in his room. He rubbed his hands together in a desperate attempt to create some warmth by the friction.
"Rommie!" Harper yelled as he made his way to command, getting very frustrated. "If this is some joke..."
Dylan awoke to someone yelling his name.
"Dylan! Dylan!" It was Beka.
"Uh...?" Was all he could manage.
"Dylan, I advise you get up. The ship has been taken over." Tyr's voice cut in.
It took a minute for the words to sink in, but when they did Dylan forced his eyes open and sat up. Trance, Beka, Tyr, Rev, and Rommie were in the same room with him. A locked room, he realized glumly.
"Are you okay?" Trance asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Dylan replied as he ran his hands over his body, checking for injuries.
"Stupid Gerentex! Stupid Nietzcheans!" Beka yelled as she helped Dylan stand up.
They were all in quite a tough spot. The Nightsider and his "friends" had somehow disabled the Andromeda's systems and captured the crew. Dylan had been knocked out cold when he'd been trying to defend himself. The back of his head still throbbed. Dylan knew the High Guard protocol for capture, and it was reflex to put it in play.
"Everyone sound off," Dylan said. "Captain, here."
"First officer...here, although I've seen better days."
"Weapons officer."
"Medical and Environmental officer, present."
"Navigation and sensors officer, here."
There was a slight pause as everyone realized their cocky genius wasn't among them.
"Where's Harper?" Beka asked, concerned.
No one knew what to say. They'd only been in the room a few minutes, but they hadn't even realized he was gone.
Harper finally arrived at the door to command. His body was trembling with cold and he could see his breath in the air. It reminded him of winter on Earth and he hated it. He had this odd sense of fear he couldn't shake, as if he was in danger. He used to get that on Earth a lot, too. He opened the door and his eyes bugged out when he saw 3 Nietzcheans and a Nightsider...Gerentex! Harper whirled around and started to run when 2 other Nietzcheans blocked his escape. They'd been following him.
"I, uh, don't suppose you guys are here on a proposition for the Commonwealth? No?" Harper joked.
"Shut him up! I don't have the patience for him right now," Gerentex yelled.
Harper was about to make some quip when the Nietzchean nearest to him smacked him across the side of the head with the handle of a gun. Harper crumpled to the ground as everything went black.
Dylan studied the room they were being held in. There was a small bed on one side, a table with a few chairs on the other, and a sink next to the table. He knew they weren't on the Andromeda and that thought alone stunned him. The attack had been quick and precise, as if it'd be thoroughly planned. What Gerentex wanted was anyone's guess because none of their captors had come back. The crew had tried to preoccupy themselves as the reality of their situation had set in. They had nothing else to do but wait.
Beka and Tyr were arguing over something, Rev was praying, Dylan was standing off by himself, and Trance and Rommie were talking softly over in the corner. The air was thick with tension.
"Rommie how could this happen?" Dylan asked.
"I'm not sure, but I think my system may have been hacked into. My sensors were blinded, I couldn't sense the ship, and I wasn't aware we were being boarded until it was too late. By then, my defenses had been taken out and I only had partial control of my key systems. I couldn't stop them Dylan, I'm sorry." Was Rommie's saddened reply. She felt guilty. She'd let her crew and Captain down.
"Rommie, how could they hack into your system without you being aware of it?" Beka asked, confused.
"I don't know. The last thing I recall being out of the ordinary was a distant power surge. Then I think they hacked in and blinded my sensors so that when I did a sweep of that area I didn't pick them up."
"If it was just a power surge that caused this is there any way you can regain control from here?" Trance asked.
Rommie closed her eyes for a second, "I could...try."
"Well try away. It couldn't hurt." Beka said angrily.
Rommie closed her eyes again, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"I don't mean to discredit our genius plan but perhaps we should try to explore other possibilities on how we're going to get out of here," Tyr said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Tyr's right," Rev spoke up. "We need, as Harper would say, a plan B."
Everyone fell quiet at the mention of the young engineer's name. They all knew Gerentex strongly disliked Harper, and possibilities of what could have happened played across everyone's mind.
"I apologize," Rev said, realizing he shouldn't have mentioned their missing comrade.
"Maybe they haven't got him yet," Trance said hopefully. "Maybe he's trying to rescue us."
No one said anything.
"It was just a thought," She mumbled.
Harper was vaguely aware of voices, a severe pounding in his head, and the feeling of being shaken. The longer the shaking went on the more aware he became.
"Wake-up!" Someone yelled.
So loud, Harper thought. Where am I?
"Open your eyes you little brat!" The voice was oddly familiar. "If you idiots gave him brain damage I'm taking it out of your pay!"
Brain damage? Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, my head!
"Harper! Get up! Get up so you can fix the ship!"
Ship? The Andromeda! Dylan?
His eyes snapped open and he stared straight at the Nightsider face.
Gerentex! Harper cursed himself. Well, at least he stopped shaking me.
"Get up and fix the ship! I'm losing money!" Gerentex yelled, inches from Harper's face.
This is like a really, really bad hangover, He thought. But instead of giving into weakness he brushed it aside and started his annoying I'm-a-genius-and-I-don't-care-what-you-want act.
"Yeah, well, you still owe me 84 thousand thrones, and have you ever heard of a mint because your breath really isn't cutting it!"
Gerentex's eyes scrunched down and his mouth got smaller. "Either fix the ship now or pay the price and then have to fix it later."
"How about none of the above," Harper said simply.
"That's it! I was just going to steal your ship and the Mad Perseid's diary, leave you all with some money on some backwater planet and make my way to Tarn Vedra."
Harper knew from experience that whenever an evil guy who was holding you hostage said was, it normally wasn't a good thing, because it meant it was going to get worse for the hostage.
"But now," Gerentex continued. "I'm going to take your ship, take the diary, and drop you off with no money on the backwater planet...after you fix the ship of course, which you'll do after my friends here have their fun."
Yep, it just got worse. A lot worse. Harper's eyes went wide, "The?"
"I think you know what I'm talking about Harper, you grew up there. I'm going to drop you and your friends off on Earth."
"Your puny threats don't scare me," Harper yelled as he regained his composure. "You'll never get there. Dylan's too smart for you, and so am I! We'll have our ship back and you'll be dead before the Andromeda even gets close to the system!"
"Take him away! I think our little friend needs to be taught a lesson."
Harper struggled to get away as the Nietzcheans led him to their ship. He knew what "fun" meant for Nietzcheans and he didn't want any part of it at all. But he didn't dare give up. He realized he was outnumbered and outmuscled, but he was not outsmarted. He was going to get Gerentex back, and he was going to do it smart. As soon as he figured out a plan, of course.
What the hell? He thought thickly.
"Rommie, what's the temperature in my room?" He asked and was surprised to hear no reply. "Rommie?"
There was still no answer. Harper turned his head and looked at his clock.
"One o-clock in the morning and there's already a problem that needs my genius expertise. I can't even get an hour of sleep around here."
The deck plates were like ice and Harper jumped up and down as he pulled on a pair of socks. He was dressed in his boxers and a white T-shirt and the cold air bit his bare skin. He walked to his door and opened it and was even more astonished to find that it was colder out in the hall than it was in his room. He rubbed his hands together in a desperate attempt to create some warmth by the friction.
"Rommie!" Harper yelled as he made his way to command, getting very frustrated. "If this is some joke..."
Dylan awoke to someone yelling his name.
"Dylan! Dylan!" It was Beka.
"Uh...?" Was all he could manage.
"Dylan, I advise you get up. The ship has been taken over." Tyr's voice cut in.
It took a minute for the words to sink in, but when they did Dylan forced his eyes open and sat up. Trance, Beka, Tyr, Rev, and Rommie were in the same room with him. A locked room, he realized glumly.
"Are you okay?" Trance asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Dylan replied as he ran his hands over his body, checking for injuries.
"Stupid Gerentex! Stupid Nietzcheans!" Beka yelled as she helped Dylan stand up.
They were all in quite a tough spot. The Nightsider and his "friends" had somehow disabled the Andromeda's systems and captured the crew. Dylan had been knocked out cold when he'd been trying to defend himself. The back of his head still throbbed. Dylan knew the High Guard protocol for capture, and it was reflex to put it in play.
"Everyone sound off," Dylan said. "Captain, here."
"First officer...here, although I've seen better days."
"Weapons officer."
"Medical and Environmental officer, present."
"Navigation and sensors officer, here."
There was a slight pause as everyone realized their cocky genius wasn't among them.
"Where's Harper?" Beka asked, concerned.
No one knew what to say. They'd only been in the room a few minutes, but they hadn't even realized he was gone.
Harper finally arrived at the door to command. His body was trembling with cold and he could see his breath in the air. It reminded him of winter on Earth and he hated it. He had this odd sense of fear he couldn't shake, as if he was in danger. He used to get that on Earth a lot, too. He opened the door and his eyes bugged out when he saw 3 Nietzcheans and a Nightsider...Gerentex! Harper whirled around and started to run when 2 other Nietzcheans blocked his escape. They'd been following him.
"I, uh, don't suppose you guys are here on a proposition for the Commonwealth? No?" Harper joked.
"Shut him up! I don't have the patience for him right now," Gerentex yelled.
Harper was about to make some quip when the Nietzchean nearest to him smacked him across the side of the head with the handle of a gun. Harper crumpled to the ground as everything went black.
Dylan studied the room they were being held in. There was a small bed on one side, a table with a few chairs on the other, and a sink next to the table. He knew they weren't on the Andromeda and that thought alone stunned him. The attack had been quick and precise, as if it'd be thoroughly planned. What Gerentex wanted was anyone's guess because none of their captors had come back. The crew had tried to preoccupy themselves as the reality of their situation had set in. They had nothing else to do but wait.
Beka and Tyr were arguing over something, Rev was praying, Dylan was standing off by himself, and Trance and Rommie were talking softly over in the corner. The air was thick with tension.
"Rommie how could this happen?" Dylan asked.
"I'm not sure, but I think my system may have been hacked into. My sensors were blinded, I couldn't sense the ship, and I wasn't aware we were being boarded until it was too late. By then, my defenses had been taken out and I only had partial control of my key systems. I couldn't stop them Dylan, I'm sorry." Was Rommie's saddened reply. She felt guilty. She'd let her crew and Captain down.
"Rommie, how could they hack into your system without you being aware of it?" Beka asked, confused.
"I don't know. The last thing I recall being out of the ordinary was a distant power surge. Then I think they hacked in and blinded my sensors so that when I did a sweep of that area I didn't pick them up."
"If it was just a power surge that caused this is there any way you can regain control from here?" Trance asked.
Rommie closed her eyes for a second, "I could...try."
"Well try away. It couldn't hurt." Beka said angrily.
Rommie closed her eyes again, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"I don't mean to discredit our genius plan but perhaps we should try to explore other possibilities on how we're going to get out of here," Tyr said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Tyr's right," Rev spoke up. "We need, as Harper would say, a plan B."
Everyone fell quiet at the mention of the young engineer's name. They all knew Gerentex strongly disliked Harper, and possibilities of what could have happened played across everyone's mind.
"I apologize," Rev said, realizing he shouldn't have mentioned their missing comrade.
"Maybe they haven't got him yet," Trance said hopefully. "Maybe he's trying to rescue us."
No one said anything.
"It was just a thought," She mumbled.
Harper was vaguely aware of voices, a severe pounding in his head, and the feeling of being shaken. The longer the shaking went on the more aware he became.
"Wake-up!" Someone yelled.
So loud, Harper thought. Where am I?
"Open your eyes you little brat!" The voice was oddly familiar. "If you idiots gave him brain damage I'm taking it out of your pay!"
Brain damage? Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, my head!
"Harper! Get up! Get up so you can fix the ship!"
Ship? The Andromeda! Dylan?
His eyes snapped open and he stared straight at the Nightsider face.
Gerentex! Harper cursed himself. Well, at least he stopped shaking me.
"Get up and fix the ship! I'm losing money!" Gerentex yelled, inches from Harper's face.
This is like a really, really bad hangover, He thought. But instead of giving into weakness he brushed it aside and started his annoying I'm-a-genius-and-I-don't-care-what-you-want act.
"Yeah, well, you still owe me 84 thousand thrones, and have you ever heard of a mint because your breath really isn't cutting it!"
Gerentex's eyes scrunched down and his mouth got smaller. "Either fix the ship now or pay the price and then have to fix it later."
"How about none of the above," Harper said simply.
"That's it! I was just going to steal your ship and the Mad Perseid's diary, leave you all with some money on some backwater planet and make my way to Tarn Vedra."
Harper knew from experience that whenever an evil guy who was holding you hostage said was, it normally wasn't a good thing, because it meant it was going to get worse for the hostage.
"But now," Gerentex continued. "I'm going to take your ship, take the diary, and drop you off with no money on the backwater planet...after you fix the ship of course, which you'll do after my friends here have their fun."
Yep, it just got worse. A lot worse. Harper's eyes went wide, "The?"
"I think you know what I'm talking about Harper, you grew up there. I'm going to drop you and your friends off on Earth."
"Your puny threats don't scare me," Harper yelled as he regained his composure. "You'll never get there. Dylan's too smart for you, and so am I! We'll have our ship back and you'll be dead before the Andromeda even gets close to the system!"
"Take him away! I think our little friend needs to be taught a lesson."
Harper struggled to get away as the Nietzcheans led him to their ship. He knew what "fun" meant for Nietzcheans and he didn't want any part of it at all. But he didn't dare give up. He realized he was outnumbered and outmuscled, but he was not outsmarted. He was going to get Gerentex back, and he was going to do it smart. As soon as he figured out a plan, of course.