Author Disclaimer : I do not own Andromeda or any of its characters. I don't make any money from this fic. Don't sue me.
Author Notes : Alternate universe where Doyle was never created.
Rating : PG
Warnings : Character Death
Spoilers : End of Season Five
Title: When All is Gone... What is Left?
Lonely.
He could never stand being lonely.
But here he was, in a modified slipfighter on his way back to his old home, the Andromeda. After all these years he was finally coming back.
He had only left because the Andromeda was no place for a family even after they defeated the Abyss. There was far too many enemies that they had made that was still coming after them, making the Andromeda a huge moving target. He moved to a small, generally warm, planet called Ilantra IV. Lush with green forests and huge waterfalls with clear, fresh water. Plenty of non-threatening wildlife, perfect for raising a family of four. Him, his wife, and his two children.
As he manouvered into the hanger bay his mind wandered back to when he left and why he was back.
-POV-
They had destroyed the Abyss and had found Tarn Vedra. Dylan told us that we could go our seperate ways if we wanted to. After all, we finished our part of the deal, we had helped him restore the Systems Commonwealth. Anyway... Me, Beka and Trance opted for staying, but that lasted only a little while. Beka got news from a drift that Rafe, her brother, was in serious trouble so she left immediately in search of him. Trance begged her not to go, but it was futile. If only you had listened to her Boss. If only I wasn't at that stupid science conference, I could have changed things, stopped you from going and getting yourself killed. If only. Trance was so mad at herself for leftting Beka leave that she disappeared. I haven't seen her since.
Rhade went on a mission with me and Dylan to fight off a group of Kalderans. Rhade never made it back. Dylan was hit pretty hard by all this, Beka dying, Trance disappearing, Rhad dying. He was never quite the same after that.
Rommie seemed to be taking it well, at least until Dylan got assasinated during one of his famous 'United we Stand' speaches. Killed right in front of millions by a stupid bounty hunter. The bounty hunter died soon afterwards when Rommie tracker him down. I left the Andromeda then because she was under new management and he didn't like they un-military way that I worked. Fortunately I met a wonderful lady who liked me for who I was, and she wasn't an evil genius, definately a plus.
I married Ariana on the El Dorado drift, her bridesmaid was Rommie. I was so glad to see her and all, but she had changed so much. It was like something broke inside her when Dylan died and she got a new captain.
Once I found out that Ariana was pregant, Rommie helped us get settled into a wonderfully large home on Ilantra IV. I remember the day we moved in. Rommie gave Ariana a case of sparky cola and told her that was how she could get me to eat vegatables, bribe me with a sparky. After the birth of our first child, Rebecca Gemini Harper, I started to visit Andromeda from time to time. I stopped when Ariana was pregant once again and gave birth to an adorable baby boy, Dylan Zelazny Harper. I named my pet puppy Rhade. The New Systems Commonwealth sent me a message, asking me if I wanted to speak at an upcoming Engineering seminar. Ariana urged me to go and have fun, assuring me that she would be fine with the kids. If only Trance was there. I returned to my home and found that rouge Nietschean factions had discovered where I lived. They destroyed my home and killed my wife. Rebecca and Dylan both were old enough to hide from the prying eyes and ears of Nietscheans, something I taught them. Rhade was hiding in a on of my numerous special crwl spaces that I had for emergancies. He came out, wagged his tail, and helped me find my kids. Soon afterwards I deemed it unsafe for the children to stay with me, as the universe had it out for me during my entire life. I sent them to Tarn Vedra to be raised under foster parents until no one had it out for me or until they could effectively protect themselves.
A year or two after all that had taking place I got a transmission from the New Systems Commonwealth. They were building a new ship called the 'Andromeda Rising' and were decommisioning the 'Andromeda Ascendant'. Apparently Rommie had no wish to become a muesum piece, not that I could blame her. Nothing that beautiful should be ctuck in a muesum to gather dust. This brings me to were I am now, in Andromedas's hanger bay. She requestes that I become the captain of her. Me? The Captain of a ship that I was going to salvage? The irony astonished me. I accepted of course, who wouldn't?
-End POV-
Harper slowly opened the slipfighter and crawled out, landing quietly on the deck plating. He made it to the hanger doors just as it opened to reveal Rommie, still with the red highlights that he had last seen her with. With tears in her eyes she reached forward and hugged him lightly, saying, "It's been too long Harper."
"Yeah Rom-doll, too long."
Constructive critisism is welcomed, flames are not. Need I say more?