Chapter seven

Rhade stared at Harper as he was given a hot drink by Trance, who then took her own seat. Like old times Dylan had called them for a meeting in his office and Rhade couldn't help but be amused to see Dylan chomping at the bit to take command again, and for the most part he wasn't going to get in the old man's way. It was still an honour in his mind to have served with Captain Dylan Hunt, even though at times his own thoughts about the great man had been questioned, and he'd lost some of the faith in him. Rhade still admired and respected the guy and listened as he briefed the crew on the latest situation.

'We've heard solid evidence to suggest the Drago-Kazov pride are gathering forces close to the forests around Edenia,' Dylan began. 'This would suggest they expect Mr Harper to return, and provide them with another opportunity to strike again.'

'What would be the point now?' Rhade questioned. 'They damaged him.'

'He still knows enough to hand Edenia over to them,' Dylan answered.

Rhade turned his attention to Harper. 'Is this true?'

Harper felt uneasy as attention turned to him, and he nervously shrugged as he considered his answer. 'Yeah, kinda,' he admitted.

'What do you remember?' Rhade questioned.

'Well it's hard to say for sure, I can communicate and I've not had any problems with short term recall,' Harper stated. 'As far as memories, it's kinda strange and fuzzy on details. I know I live on Edenia, and I can vaguely remember my friends and my job there, the past four months I think we pinned it down to, but I've lost maybe the past three weeks,' Harper looked to Trance for confirmation, seeing her nodding her head he continued. 'I don't remember this ship or any of you, or any of the things I did here but you all do feel familiar in different ways, like a part of me does remember but I have nothing to recall when I do,' he finished.

'Considering what happened to you, Master Harper, I would say your recovery and recall is truly amazing,' Rev Bem spoke up.

'You received a huge blow to the head, a surge of energy went through you that could have killed you instantly,' Trance supported.

'We do believe your data port saved your life that day, it soaked up most of the charge before it did any major damage,' Rev continued. 'However, there is no possible way you could have avoided any long term effects and I do believe your slight loss of hearing and your long term memories was a small price to pay for still having your life, and a good quality of life that you could still have.'

'If it means anything I've enjoyed spending time on this beautiful ship,' Harper offered brightly and looked at Rommie as he spoke. 'It's really like a dream for me being here, and I know that probably sounds weird considering you know me, the me who from what I can tell maintained it twenty four seven, but this is all new to me even though in some ways I feel at home, it's pretty confusing,' Harper tried to explain. 'I'm not sure how I did what I've been told I did, I mean the entire ship?' he asked incredulously.

'Sometimes Mr Harper, we weren't sure how you did it either, but we're glad you did, you saved us on a number of occasions,' Dylan spoke with fondness and smiled.

Beka smiled before speaking. 'I heard from Doyle today, she's still on Sinti and the first scans have removed some minor Dragan technology still in her system,' Beka then announced. 'So hopefully she'll be all cleaned up and off of the Dragan radar.'

'So that only leaves the dilemma of how do we return Mr Harper to what he does remember, even if hazy, so he can try to resume some kind of normality and hopefully recover further?' Dylan asked.

Rhade sat forward. 'I could have a team of men escort Harper to the gates, long enough to get him through.'

'Now the Dragans have come up against your men do you think they'll be so easily overpowered a second time?' Beka doubted.

'I can provide more men,' Rhade shrugged.

'It's that two day hike to even reach the gates that I don't like, it works against us with the Dragans already in the area, they could have already set up the ambush,' Dylan offered concerned.

'Do we have to go through the main gate?' Harper offered.

'Is there another gate?' Rommie asked.

'Not exactly,' Harper shrugged. 'But once we're inside the shield then we can't be touched,' he stated. 'We could enter the shield at any point and then walk within the shield till we reach the main gate, approach from a different side?'

'We might be able to find a nearer landing spot on the other side of the city,' Beka realised.

'Still a hike around the city wall,' Dylan pointed out.

'But protected,' Rhade reminded him. 'Once inside the shield it would take a lot to break through, no one has done it yet,' he added.

'Ok, Rommie, Rhade start looking at our options,' Dylan ordered.

'Can I help?' Harper asked.

Dylan seemed a little taken aback by the request and looked at Trance and Rev who didn't appear to object, he then glanced at Rommie who nodded her head. 'Sure, you know the city better than us,' Dylan confirmed and gestured to Harper to follow the two other crew members.

Beka sat back, watching the three leave before speaking. 'So are you coming out of retirement for good, you still seem pretty able to captain this ship,' Beka smiled, lightly teasing but also curious.

'I'll be the first to admit I've missed this, maybe the first month or two it wasn't the case but just lately I've just been tearing my hair out trying to preoccupy my mind, I could actually kiss Harper right now for giving me this opportunity.' Dylan joked.

Beka frowned and turned to Trance and Rev who were both smirking. 'I'm sure Harper would be thrilled to know that,' she grinned.


Harper simply looked on as Rhade discussed possible routes into Edenia with Rommie, with nothing to add while they planned strategies he found himself looking at them both to try and find something, some kind of memory that would confirm he had once served with them. Both of them talked to him with a familiarity that didn't seem false, and in some ways it was frustrating as he desperately tried to remember. He glanced around the room they were in, one of the machine shops and again, he could sense a familiarity with the surroundings but couldn't put a precise finger on why he recognised it.

It was an uneasy feeling, to know so much of your life was forgotten and he tried not to think about it too much but all too often he felt himself venturing into territory that he knew wouldn't do him any good. He couldn't recall what his parents looked like, or anyone in his family and no one wanted to tell him much about his childhood, or early years. All he had got so far about his past was that he grew up on a planet called Earth, and it made him curious as to what they were hiding from him. Whenever he brought it up he always saw a sadness flash in their eyes, like they pitied him and yet they wouldn't explain why. They said it was probably better he didn't know just yet, but who were they to make that decision and how had he found himself on Edenia, if these people were his friends then why did he leave them, was there something they weren't telling him?

How had he become the engineer of the Andromeda, and then why had he given it all up? A part of him wanted to know, but he found a larger part of him actually didn't care, he was growing agitated and wanted to return home, to what he did know and remembered, he felt an urgency to his return but couldn't pinpoint what that urgency was.

One thing he was sure about was that they were protecting him from the truth, he got that and a part of him appreciated the sentiment. He felt relaxed, and he felt the people around him had a genuine like or fondness for him, so he desperately tried to let the feeling go that something wasn't right. He now just wanted to return to Edenia, that feeling was pretty strong but he also just wanted a few more answers to fill the blanks. Something didn't feel right and that feeling wouldn't leave him, and as he continued to stare at Rhade and Rommie he became more determined to find out the truth about himself, he needed to know even if it caused him pain.

'So, Harper, ideas?' Rhade suddenly snapped Harper out of his thoughts and he focused on the board that showed the map of Edenia and surrounding areas. 'We think approaching from the west would give us the shortest trek time,' he added.

Harper blinked and began to nod his head. 'Yeah, we can access the shield here at this point,' Harper moved forward and gestured on the map to the suitable location. 'Right here,' he pointed to within Edenia's walls. 'Is a communication relay, always manned so I can easily configure something to get a message over a fairly low frequency to request they lower the shields,' he sniffed.

'Are you ok, Harper?' Rommie asked then frowned. 'Your temperature has risen,' she noted.

'Feeling a little run down, maybe I should go and rest,' Harper suggested and saw Rommie agree.

'We have all we need,' Rhade decided. 'Go and rest,' he offered and Harper left the room. He felt fine, but had a nagging sensation that he was coming down with something and wondered if it was just related to his recent traumas. The anxiety of his memory loss, Trance had told him, could have unsettled his nervous system and he was told to expect some fluctuations in his health, weariness and feeling drained. He felt all three at that moment and was glad to find his quarters were nearby, as he walked the decks before stopping abruptly.

'Is something wrong, Harper?' Rommie's hologram flickered to life.

'I know where I'm going,' Harper realised.

'Which is a good thing,' Rommie answered helpfully.

'But I don't know where I am, it was like my mind and body were working on instinct just then, and it just felt weird,' Harper spoke with caution.

'You will need to get use to that I'm afraid,' Rommie offered.

'Trouble is once I realised it, I lost momentum,' Harper frowned.

'Follow me,' Rommie picked up on his problem and began to walk.

Harper smirked. 'Will have to learn to work more on automatic,' he spoke up as small talk.

'I still hold out hope that your memory loss isn't permanent,' Rommie revealed and glanced at Harper as he gave her a confused look in return. 'It would be a shame to think you would never remember your time as my engineer, you experienced so much, good and bad,' she finished.

'Yeah, kinda getting that,' Harper agreed sadly. 'Just in the way the crew act around me, it's nice, you know?' he half smiled. 'I had a good thing going here, didn't I?'

'You did,' Rommie agreed.

'So what went wrong?' Harper ventured and threw Rommie a glance, to see her reaction but found she simply sighed.

She took her time to respond before looking at Harper. 'To simply tell you what you are missing would do you a great injustice,' she answered.

'Meaning, you're not prepared to tell me my own past,' Harper stated as they reached his quarters.

'Its not that I'm not prepared to tell you,' Rommie disagreed. 'I just don't think I could,' she frowned.

Harper smirked. 'So if a war ship with a brain the size of a planet would struggle to tell me my past, I'm guessing I've forgotten a hell of a lot,' he looked around. 'Look, its ok, actually a part of me doesn't want to know because you can try to disguise it all you want but I know deep down my life has been crap, maybe not all of it but I see that look in everyone's faces when I force them to consider telling me,' he explained with care. 'I don't want to make anyone relive my nightmares so it's cool,' he stated.

'Your temperature has risen by two more degrees, you should rest before it rises any further,' Rommie indicated.

'Thanks,' Harper said genuinely, and entered his quarters to sleep.


'Rommie, Trance, Rev,' Beka spoke up as she arrived on med deck. 'You wanted to see me?'

Trance and Rommie turned to greet her, while Rev moved forward. 'Rebecca, we thought you should know that Harper is suffering with symptoms similar to a slight fever.'

'Should I be worried?' Beka frowned.

'It's of unknown origin, but it's under control although it seems to have been in his system for a while,' Trance spoke up.

'When he first arrived at our reunion I could tell something wasn't right, and on further investigations I believe it was his health readings, I sensed without realising it this virus was in his system,' Rommie added.

'So, is it serious?' Beka pushed, not understanding what she was being told.

'We don't know,' Trance shrugged. 'Harper appears relatively unaffected by it, a small rise in temperature, lethargic and a little off colour, pretty similar to what he refers to as an Earth cold,' she finished.

'So why call me here if that's all it is?' Beka asked.

'It appears from what readings we've been able to take that Harper has only started to recover from the virus since leaving Edenia,' Rommie spoke up. 'He appeared in good health, although I picked up feint readings of it, when he arrived which would suggest that they do not have sufficient medical knowledge or drugs to help Harper fight the virus on Edenia and it's too strong for his immune system to destroy on its own,' she added.

'It would figure they wouldn't have the medicine, he's an alien to them,' Beka shrugged.

Trance hesitantly stepped forward. 'Are you still planning to go with Harper when he returns to Edenia?'

'Yeah,' Beka agreed. 'I'm sure if or when he recovers memories he'll have questions and I don't have anything better to do.'

Rev looked at Beka. 'May we ask that you observe how they treat Harper in the medical sense, maybe offer some guidance for treating humans? It may be of benefit to him in the long run, possibly take some supplies that they could use?' Rev Bem requested. 'It does appear that Harper has been suffering needlessly, even if only from a cold.'

'Of course,' Beka rapidly agreed.

'I'm sure Harper is more than happy for them to not know how to treat him, you know how he is with medicine and not wanting a fuss made,' Trance smiled.

'I'll keep an eye on him, don't worry,' Beka assured them.

'How long do you intend to stay with Harper?' Trance then asked with interest.

Beka shrugged. 'Before the memory loss he suggested a couple of weeks but I'm thinking I might stay a bit longer, I just think he'll need someone with him, just in case,' she offered a hopeful smile.

'I'm not sure if that will be of any help to him,' Teance offered. 'Beka we need to start considering that what happened to Harper is permanent,' Trance then spoke with seriousness, but Rev Bem was quick to jump in.

'It will be reassuring to know someone we trust is with him,' Rev stated and Trance backed off.

'Of course, Harper needs familiarity around him at this time and he seems to be responding to you,' Trance agreed.

'I don't want him to ever think we abandoned him, whether he remembers or not is not the issue here,' Beka began with purpose. 'He'll have questions, sooner or later they will come and I want him to know he can contact me, trust me,' Beka stated. 'I can only build that kind of trust by staying with him at this time, and earning it,' she finished, looking pointedly at Trance to ensure she understood completely.

Trance half smiled and excused herself, before Rev gently patted Beka's arm. 'You must forgive young Trance, she's upset that Harper is seemingly afraid of her, and she's been away for a while, I fear she feels she has been away too long.'

Beka frowned and closed her eyes. 'I'm sorry, I didn't think about her feelings, I'm just so wrapped up in helping Harper, it never occurred to me that she was hurting too,' Beka worried.

'And you rightly should be concerned about Harper, he needs you now and Trance knows this, don't worry,' Rev assured her.


'How are you feeling?' Beka asked Harper as they collected their packs, ready to depart. She had just landed in a new spot on Edenia, having evaded the Dragan forces so far, and thankfully they only had a two hour trek ahead of them as opposed to a two day one.

'Better,' Harper simply answered. 'Think I just needed some sleep,' he added.

'I was worried it was something more serious the way Rommie, Trance and Rev summoned me, to let me know about your virus,' Beka smiled with a laugh.

'They said I have a weak immune system,' Harper spoke up.

'Yeah, it just means we gotta keep a closer eye on you sometimes when it comes to health issues,' Beka answered as they headed out past the airlock. 'But don't worry, I'm all stocked up,' she patted one of her packs. 'I'll make sure your doctor gets these supplies and Rev said you only need a few more treatments to completely clear the virus.'

'I don't remember being ill,' Harper then remarked.

'Maybe it was just before you left, you said there's about three weeks maybe that you don't remember before the accident, and that things generally were a little hazy still,' Beka suggested.

Harper slowly nodded his head to agree. 'Maybe, though, I sensed from Rev that he felt it had been in my system for a while,' he frowned. 'Maybe I just read him wrong, I'm guessing that's easily done.'

Beka smiled. 'I'm sure that's all it is.'

Rhade moved into view. 'I have men surrounding us at a distance of 100 metres all round, you're both armed so usual procedure as soon as you hear anything drop to the ground and take the nearest cover, stay small,' Rhade indicated.

'We're not kids,' Beka frowned. 'Done this before.'

'You may have,' Rhade said, then looked at Harper.

'I'm sure I could have worked that out myself, hear gun fire, hit the deck, it's hardly requires years of training,' Harper sniped.

'I'm just making sure everyone is clear, you're my responsibility and technically right now you're both civilians,' Rhade stressed. 'So stay sharp.'

'Yes mom,' Beka teased and gestured to Harper to start moving, as they headed into the forest.


Dylan glanced from the view screen to the pad he was holding. 'How long till we send the message?'

'Twenty minutes,' Andromeda returned. 'I have prepared the message and aligned communications following the instructions Harper gave me.'

'Good,' Dylan confirmed. 'Hopefully he's right when he says that tower relay we're targeting is manned constantly, we need those shields down to let them through, any delay could give advantage to the Dragans if they are found waiting,' he stressed.

'Harper seemed fairly confident,' Andromeda noted.

'No one else knows the systems as well as him, so that helps,' Dylan agreed.

'Which is why we're in this situation,' Andromeda reminded him.

Dylan looked up. 'Is there any indication that the Dragans suspect Harper is on the ground?'

'Their positioning has remained as it was before the Maru landed,' Andromeda confirmed.

'I wouldn't trust your sensors alone,' Dylan frowned. 'No offence but the Nietzscheans have tricks and we shouldn't be over confident when Harper is a very valuable prize for them,' he added.

'I have wondered,' Andromeda paused before continuing. 'If Harper was still of sound mind, had not lost his memories, would he have chosen to go back to Edenia when the threat is so great?' Andromeda asked.

'You're suggesting he's only going back because he's not of sound mind, that he's crazy to want to even chance it?' Dylan asked with some amusement.

'I understand why he has returned, it's all he knows, and remembers and feels comfortable with,' Andromeda considered. 'But as you have said, the Nietzscheans have tricks, and a lot is at stake.'

'I know,' Dylan agreed with a heavy sigh. 'But as much as that was Harper we had on board, it wasn't Harper, it would have been too much to ask of him to try and be our Harper when all he knows is Edenia. We have to accept that if the damage is permanent, we may have lost the Harper we knew.'

'I would prefer to remain hopeful,' Andromeda commented.

'We all do,' Dylan agreed.

'I hope Beka will be able to help him, I hope she rediscovers our Harper,' Andromeda sadly spoke.

'We all miss Harper, Andromeda,' Dylan simply said, before returning his attention back to the readings from the surface.

TBC