Rommie leaned back against the bulkhead and sighed.
"Beka's been locked in the Maru for three days now," she said, "Dylan's pretending it doesn't bother him, Trance hasn't been herself, you're furious and I'm stuck in the middle. The only one unaffected is Tyr." Harper gazed at her.
"She means a lot to me all right?" Harper said, "I'm tired of seeing her hurt." He turned back to the panel he was working at. Rommie looked down.
"I don't know," she said, "but maybe you should talk to her. I mean, I'm not pretending to side with Dylan, because I don't, but...well, this is becoming ridiculous. She needs to go back on duty." Harper gave her an glance and let go of his tools.
"I know," he sighed, "it's really affecting all of us, isn't it? But all the same...she's never pushed me when I was like that. You know, hiding away, moping about something for too long. She never told me to get over myself. The least I can do is do the same for her." Rommie shrugged.
"And you think that's what's best for her?" Harper sighed.
"Probably not," he said, "but I don't think she wants to know what's best for her. People generally don't." Rommie nodded in agreement.
"I know," she sighed, "but still..."
Beka was moping. She knew she was, but she didn't want to stop.
"How can I go out there and pretend like nothing happened?" she asked herself. She was really embarrassed. After a couple of days of going over it in her mind, she'd been putting herself down over and over again. Things like "How can I blame him? Who could ever love me anyway?" and "How could I be so stupid and believe he could love me?" were regular visitors to her mind. Suffice to say, things weren't going very well. She'd been toying with the thought of leaving, but it didn't appeal to her.
"I have to be reasonable," she thought. "One failed love affair and I take off? Do I abandon my crew or do I rip them away from their lives here? Nuh-uh." She shook her head. It wasn't an option. And she couldn't very well just stay in the Maru forever. That left one option...
"Ok," she said. "This is it. Make the most of it."
Dylan was sitting in his quarters, thinking. Had he done the right thing? He liked to think so, but he wasn't so sure anymore.
"I still love her," he thought, "but is it only because we're related? People always love their family. I know this is different, but she's my descendant. It's just wrong, isn't it?" He shook his head.
"Captain?" He turned his head and saw the hologram of Rommie had popped up. "Beka is asking for permission to come in." Dylan's head flinched up, and a weird flicker of hope lit within him. He frowned. He was the one who broke up with her, right? So why was he feeling excited?
"Uh," he tried to collect himself, "let her in." The doors opened to reveal Beka, cool and collected.
"Captain Hunt," she said in an empty voice that chilled Dylan. She didn't seem upset, but she seemed so cold towards him. "I would like to apologise for not turning up for duty. It won't happen again." He nodded to her.
"Um, Beka..." she glanced at him.
"If that's all," she interrupted, "I'll see you on the bridge tomorrow." She left and the doors shut behind her. Dylan stood there for a few minutes, and then something hit him. How stupid he had been! He ran out of the doors and shouted.
"Beka!!!"