Chapter 4
Harper came down the corridor still trying to get some of his hair to stay in place, thinking to himself that he was acting like a teenager going on his first date. He finally just gave up on the errant strands as he stopped at Trance's door and knocked.
Inside Andromeda's image popped up on the screen, "Harper's here, shall I let him in? Or do you want to rethink this?"
Trance turned and looked at her, "Rethink what?"
Andromeda looked at her sternly, "You said your hormones were going to be changing, are you sure this is a good idea?"
Trance rolled her eyes, "You sound like you're trying to be my Mom." She looked at Andromeda with an exasperated expression on her face, "It's fruit juice Andromeda that's all, now would you let him in or do I have to?"
Andromeda sighed, "Well at the moment you do sound like a teenager," Trance glared at her playfully, while Andromeda rolled her eyes and opened the door.
At first Harper wondered if Trance had changed her mind, but then the door opened. "Hi, Harper come on in I was just talking with Andromeda."
Trance waved him in to her quarters and Rommie said, "OK, have fun," and the screen went back to the Commonwealth symbol.
Harper walked in stunned by what he saw. He immediately noticed all the plants and then the increased humidity. "Little muggy in here isn't it?" he looked around at the vast number of plants and flowers, it was like a tropical forest.
"It helps the plants grow strong and fast, moisture is healthy for them." She said as she gently caressed a flower blossom. "And these are my most delicate plants. The Maru just can't control the environment well enough to keep them in good health so I brought them here to my quarters on Andromeda so she could give them the extra attention they needed," she beamed at her collection. "And the extra humidity and warmth helps them to breed and grow fast too." Where did that come from? Trance blinked as she tried to get control of her wildly wandering mind and tongue. Was Rommie right about dealing with these new hormones?
Harper hadn't seemed to notice the odd direction her conversation had taken so Trance quickly changed the topic. "Are you ready for some really fresh fruit juice? It's good, I tried some last night. It's got pineapple and coconut juice, two plants that were originally from your home, Earth."
Harper's curiosity was peeked, "From Earth huh? I guess I have to give it a try then, how did you find out they were from Earth?"
Trance paused for a moment while pouring the juice, "I was reading up on Earth plants and history, and I came across the history of a land called Hawaii. It seems this grouping of islands has become lost to most since the Nietzschian occupation. But luckily many of the plants and people had already been transplanted to other worlds. So through the plants and culture that were transplanted this unique place lives on even though the land was lost to the ravages of the Magog and Nietzschian attacks. Kind of like you Harper, your home world was ravaged by other races but you survived and now transplanted here to Andromeda you are flourishing."
Her wistful tone caught him off guard. As she had been speaking, Harper had drawn closer to her and he had been hypnotized by the tone of her voice. He'd never heard anyone describe his plight in life with such empathy before. She seemed to understand him more than he ever thought she could.
Trance turned to face him and Harper was there beside her, "That was nice, it's good to know that someone else understands how I feel about the Andromeda. She saved me, Beka saved me, I owe them everything I am, everything I have become by being rescued from the hell that was my home planet."
He looked down at the floor and Trance set the glasses aside, "Yes, I do understand, more then you could ever imagine. But I also know they owe you a lot too, we all do."
He looked back up and saw she was smiling at him and he felt himself melt inside. She's still Trance, a little older, a little wiser, a little golder but undoubtedly still Trance. He smiled, "I owe you a lot too, like an apology for ever doubting you, just because you're not purple anymore. I know now that you're still my…," he paused for a moment then smiled, "…Golden Pixie."
She picked up the glasses and handed Harper one, "To new beginnings?"
Harper smiled at her and now her heart melted, "To new beginnings."
