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Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.
Sidney J. Harris
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Greg was a past boyfriend, and one of the few I didn't have to break up with because he proved to be less than I had initially expected. We had just gone our separate ways in the galaxy and knew long distance relationships never worked. I had sent him a few communications through courier, but we both grew busier and eventually forgot about each other. I occassionally remembered him on his birthday or when I saw someone similar in physique, but I never thought I'd see him again. It was a pleasant surprise.
I glanced down at the time piece I was carrying. It had been forty-five minutes. "Do you see either of my friends anywhere? They're probably together."
"I don't see them anywhere, but I wouldn't worry about them. They're probably enjoying themselves somewhere, if ya know what I mean."
"Harper and Lise? I don't think so. I know he's crazy about her, but she doesn't seem to feel that way about him."
"We'll find them."
"I know they wouldn't leave without telling me about it. Lise seems way too responsible for that."
We pushed through the crowd on the dance floor, yelling out their names. I was very concerned for both of their welfares and felt guilty about letting them leave my sight. Lise was too inexperienced, and Harper wasn't careful enough to be left alone in a place like this. If I wanted to be totally honest with myself, they could be off the planet already or even dead. I wouldn't stop searching for them until I had two bodies to prove it, though.
"Maybe Eric saw them leaving. We should talk to him." Greg sighed. I knew that he also realized this search was almost certainly bound to end in tragedy.
Greg pulled Eric aside from the door. "Have you seen a blond guy with spikey hair and blue eyes and a girl with long red hair and green eyes leaving in the past twenty or so minutes?"
"Nope. I saw them dancing earlier, though. Man, they were good."
"Are there any other exits in the building?" I knew that they couldn't have just up and disappeared into thin air.
"There's just a couple of windows, but I don't think they're big enough to fit people through."
"Where are the windows?" I was tapping my foot impatiently. Time was one of the commodities we had very little of if we hoped to find them.
"There's one in the kitchen, one in each restroom and one that we blocked on the other side of this room."
I ran to the women's restroom. It looked normal enough until I rounded a corner. There was a mark where a laser gun fire had scathed the sink and evidence of a struggle. We were too late. The sink was still warm from the blast, which meant they couldn't have gone very far.
Lise's scarf was laying underneath the window with a small run in its soft translucent verdant material. I ran it through my fingers reminiscently. It matched her eyes and gave her tom boyish look a feminine touch. I had been in her position at one time. I hadn't been very ladylike in dress or behavior at her age, but that eventually changed. A little bit. I still despised pink and wearing dresses, but I did try to look good most of the time. She wouldn't have that opportunity to change if I didn't do something very soon. It sent a pang of pain and guilt into my heart. That guilt and pain that never failed to spread throughout my entire body, consuming like fire does gasoline.
I hadn't completely lost hope, but I knew first hand what Utrecht's inhabitants, especially those that went around kidnapping innocent people, were capable of. The images produced by my mind were far from pretty. I composed myself and exited the restroom.
Someone could have heard or seen something. I glanced around and remembered that the person at the nearest table had been there when we entered the club. I seated myself at his table, leaning forward on my elbows. He was a fairly clean cut man around my age that looked at least partially reputable.
"Have you heard or seen anything strange in the past fifteen or twenty minutes?"
"Nothing strange. Just the usual couple going into the restroom. That guy was screamin' at the top of his lungs. He should really know better."
"What was he saying?"
"Screamin' his girlfriend's name I think. Becky or something like that."
"Was it Beka?"
"Yeah, that sounds right."
"Did you get a good look at them when they went in?"
"Yeah, it was that dancing couple, the one with the moves. The cute red head wearing the mood ring suit and the spikey haired blond guy."
"Damn it! Did it ever occur to you that they were being kidnapped or murdered?!? Did you even knock and open the door to ask if they were all right?!?" I was absolutely livid. I stood up and slammed the chair back under the table. I was more than ready to inflict some damage on this guy.
"Beka..." Greg laid a hand on my shoulder.
"You're pretty damn lucky he came along or I would have kicked your ass to kingdom come." I pulled away from Greg and pushed through the crowd towards the building's exit.
"They aren't here, Greg." He was following me outside.
"Let me come with and help, then."
"No...this is something I have to do."
"But I," he began.
"Thanks for what you have done. But form here on out, this is my problem to deal with."
"If you change your mind, here's my address." He placed a card in my hand and closed my fingers around it. "Send me a message when you find them."
I nodded. He kissed my cheek and walked away. I knew I couldn't turn around and ask him to come with me. No matter how hard this would be to do alone. I stuffed the card in my pocket and clenched my gun's handle so tightly my knuckles turned white.
I was faced with the question of how to contact Dylan about this turn of events. Couriers weren't always fast or accurate, and some of them had a tendency to leak their messages all over the general vicinity. There was also an impersonality about sending a message through courier. But taking the Maru back would require a significant amount of time. Time I knew I didn't have.
'A choice like this shouldn't be in my hands. Two lives are dependent on my decision. If they die, it's my fault. I'm like a single member jury in a trial where the verdict is either death or freedom. My choice right here and now determines their lives,' I thought. 'There's only one thing I can do right now.'
I sprinted to the Maru and began my journey back to Andromeda. I set the ship on autopilot. The tears spilled over even though I fought them with all my remaining strength. I rarely cried, but once I started it was almost impossible to stop.
"Harper...you've been like the younger brother I've never had. We've been through a lot together since you joined the Maru's crew as a scrawny kid from Earth. I've watch you growing up, and you still are if I didn't just kill you. And Lise...you saved my life. I can see how much you look up to me, even though we've barely met. Your hero isn't being much of one right now. You're only a child, and you have so much of your life left to live if I didn't just sentence the both of you to death. Why is it me of all people that has to do this?"
I somehow managed to considerably calm myself before I entered the Hangar Bay. Tears were a sign of vulnerability and weakness. I wouldn't allow myself to be weak in front of the rest of the crew. I showed my strength, and then others followed suit. I wasn't going to break the system now. Dylan was standing near the door. His expression changed when I emerged from the Maru alone.
"Where are Harper and Lise?"
I had to be strong. No tears were allowed to fall now. "They were kidnapped down on the surface."
"How did it happen?"
"We had to wait an hour to get the port. We were near one of my old haunts where Rafe and I spent a lot of time. So we stopped in for a drink, and I ran into an old friend. I got caught up in talking to him. Harper and Lise went out on the dance floor. Somehow, they ended up in the women's restroom where they were kidnapped and taken out a window. There was definitely a laser gun fired and a struggle. I found this by the window." I held up Lise's scarf. "I am fully to blame for this, Dylan. I should have kept a better eye on them."
"Beka, I'm sure you did all you could. We'll find them."
I was still fighting the tears, and coming very close to losing the battle. "How are we going to know if they're still on the planet?"
"There has to be a way. We won't give up."
We headed to the Command Deck. I was silent, in a state of introspection. I couldn't keep the questions forming in my mind. What if I had been more attentive to where they were? What if I told Greg I was busy instead of talking to him? I knew I should concentrate on the rescue efforts, but it wasn't that simple.
"Rommie, can you modify sensors to detect a specific person down on the planet?" Dylan asked.
"Harper and Lise?" Rommie's hologramatic form asked.
"Yes."
"I would be able to detect them if some modifications were made, but Harper is the only crew member with enough engineering skills to make them. It's a lot easier to detect mechanical devices than it is humans."
Dylan paced near the view screen. "There has to be some way we can detect them."
Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.
Sidney J. Harris
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Greg was a past boyfriend, and one of the few I didn't have to break up with because he proved to be less than I had initially expected. We had just gone our separate ways in the galaxy and knew long distance relationships never worked. I had sent him a few communications through courier, but we both grew busier and eventually forgot about each other. I occassionally remembered him on his birthday or when I saw someone similar in physique, but I never thought I'd see him again. It was a pleasant surprise.
I glanced down at the time piece I was carrying. It had been forty-five minutes. "Do you see either of my friends anywhere? They're probably together."
"I don't see them anywhere, but I wouldn't worry about them. They're probably enjoying themselves somewhere, if ya know what I mean."
"Harper and Lise? I don't think so. I know he's crazy about her, but she doesn't seem to feel that way about him."
"We'll find them."
"I know they wouldn't leave without telling me about it. Lise seems way too responsible for that."
We pushed through the crowd on the dance floor, yelling out their names. I was very concerned for both of their welfares and felt guilty about letting them leave my sight. Lise was too inexperienced, and Harper wasn't careful enough to be left alone in a place like this. If I wanted to be totally honest with myself, they could be off the planet already or even dead. I wouldn't stop searching for them until I had two bodies to prove it, though.
"Maybe Eric saw them leaving. We should talk to him." Greg sighed. I knew that he also realized this search was almost certainly bound to end in tragedy.
Greg pulled Eric aside from the door. "Have you seen a blond guy with spikey hair and blue eyes and a girl with long red hair and green eyes leaving in the past twenty or so minutes?"
"Nope. I saw them dancing earlier, though. Man, they were good."
"Are there any other exits in the building?" I knew that they couldn't have just up and disappeared into thin air.
"There's just a couple of windows, but I don't think they're big enough to fit people through."
"Where are the windows?" I was tapping my foot impatiently. Time was one of the commodities we had very little of if we hoped to find them.
"There's one in the kitchen, one in each restroom and one that we blocked on the other side of this room."
I ran to the women's restroom. It looked normal enough until I rounded a corner. There was a mark where a laser gun fire had scathed the sink and evidence of a struggle. We were too late. The sink was still warm from the blast, which meant they couldn't have gone very far.
Lise's scarf was laying underneath the window with a small run in its soft translucent verdant material. I ran it through my fingers reminiscently. It matched her eyes and gave her tom boyish look a feminine touch. I had been in her position at one time. I hadn't been very ladylike in dress or behavior at her age, but that eventually changed. A little bit. I still despised pink and wearing dresses, but I did try to look good most of the time. She wouldn't have that opportunity to change if I didn't do something very soon. It sent a pang of pain and guilt into my heart. That guilt and pain that never failed to spread throughout my entire body, consuming like fire does gasoline.
I hadn't completely lost hope, but I knew first hand what Utrecht's inhabitants, especially those that went around kidnapping innocent people, were capable of. The images produced by my mind were far from pretty. I composed myself and exited the restroom.
Someone could have heard or seen something. I glanced around and remembered that the person at the nearest table had been there when we entered the club. I seated myself at his table, leaning forward on my elbows. He was a fairly clean cut man around my age that looked at least partially reputable.
"Have you heard or seen anything strange in the past fifteen or twenty minutes?"
"Nothing strange. Just the usual couple going into the restroom. That guy was screamin' at the top of his lungs. He should really know better."
"What was he saying?"
"Screamin' his girlfriend's name I think. Becky or something like that."
"Was it Beka?"
"Yeah, that sounds right."
"Did you get a good look at them when they went in?"
"Yeah, it was that dancing couple, the one with the moves. The cute red head wearing the mood ring suit and the spikey haired blond guy."
"Damn it! Did it ever occur to you that they were being kidnapped or murdered?!? Did you even knock and open the door to ask if they were all right?!?" I was absolutely livid. I stood up and slammed the chair back under the table. I was more than ready to inflict some damage on this guy.
"Beka..." Greg laid a hand on my shoulder.
"You're pretty damn lucky he came along or I would have kicked your ass to kingdom come." I pulled away from Greg and pushed through the crowd towards the building's exit.
"They aren't here, Greg." He was following me outside.
"Let me come with and help, then."
"No...this is something I have to do."
"But I," he began.
"Thanks for what you have done. But form here on out, this is my problem to deal with."
"If you change your mind, here's my address." He placed a card in my hand and closed my fingers around it. "Send me a message when you find them."
I nodded. He kissed my cheek and walked away. I knew I couldn't turn around and ask him to come with me. No matter how hard this would be to do alone. I stuffed the card in my pocket and clenched my gun's handle so tightly my knuckles turned white.
I was faced with the question of how to contact Dylan about this turn of events. Couriers weren't always fast or accurate, and some of them had a tendency to leak their messages all over the general vicinity. There was also an impersonality about sending a message through courier. But taking the Maru back would require a significant amount of time. Time I knew I didn't have.
'A choice like this shouldn't be in my hands. Two lives are dependent on my decision. If they die, it's my fault. I'm like a single member jury in a trial where the verdict is either death or freedom. My choice right here and now determines their lives,' I thought. 'There's only one thing I can do right now.'
I sprinted to the Maru and began my journey back to Andromeda. I set the ship on autopilot. The tears spilled over even though I fought them with all my remaining strength. I rarely cried, but once I started it was almost impossible to stop.
"Harper...you've been like the younger brother I've never had. We've been through a lot together since you joined the Maru's crew as a scrawny kid from Earth. I've watch you growing up, and you still are if I didn't just kill you. And Lise...you saved my life. I can see how much you look up to me, even though we've barely met. Your hero isn't being much of one right now. You're only a child, and you have so much of your life left to live if I didn't just sentence the both of you to death. Why is it me of all people that has to do this?"
I somehow managed to considerably calm myself before I entered the Hangar Bay. Tears were a sign of vulnerability and weakness. I wouldn't allow myself to be weak in front of the rest of the crew. I showed my strength, and then others followed suit. I wasn't going to break the system now. Dylan was standing near the door. His expression changed when I emerged from the Maru alone.
"Where are Harper and Lise?"
I had to be strong. No tears were allowed to fall now. "They were kidnapped down on the surface."
"How did it happen?"
"We had to wait an hour to get the port. We were near one of my old haunts where Rafe and I spent a lot of time. So we stopped in for a drink, and I ran into an old friend. I got caught up in talking to him. Harper and Lise went out on the dance floor. Somehow, they ended up in the women's restroom where they were kidnapped and taken out a window. There was definitely a laser gun fired and a struggle. I found this by the window." I held up Lise's scarf. "I am fully to blame for this, Dylan. I should have kept a better eye on them."
"Beka, I'm sure you did all you could. We'll find them."
I was still fighting the tears, and coming very close to losing the battle. "How are we going to know if they're still on the planet?"
"There has to be a way. We won't give up."
We headed to the Command Deck. I was silent, in a state of introspection. I couldn't keep the questions forming in my mind. What if I had been more attentive to where they were? What if I told Greg I was busy instead of talking to him? I knew I should concentrate on the rescue efforts, but it wasn't that simple.
"Rommie, can you modify sensors to detect a specific person down on the planet?" Dylan asked.
"Harper and Lise?" Rommie's hologramatic form asked.
"Yes."
"I would be able to detect them if some modifications were made, but Harper is the only crew member with enough engineering skills to make them. It's a lot easier to detect mechanical devices than it is humans."
Dylan paced near the view screen. "There has to be some way we can detect them."
