*Even if I have to beat the information out of him.*
"Captain Hunt, it's nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you over the media I feel almost as if I know you!" Odan said with a devenire smile.
"You seem to have us at a disadvantage Mr. Odan. This is my first officer, Beka Valentine and your escort, Tyr Anansazi," Dylan said as hands were shook.
"A Nietszchean," Odan said with pleasure. "Orca, no . . . Kodiak pride, right?"
"Right," Tyr replied tensely.
"Well then, the ship and I are both safe from each other aren't we?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to get on with things . . ."
"Of course!" he said as we started to tour. By the time the first half had ended and we were on our way to the mess hall, I wanted to smack him silly for all the stupid comments he was making.
"Well, that's the first half," Dylan said. "If you'll excuse us, we'll get some drinks," he said as he stood and I followed.
"There's something he's not telling us Dylan," I said as soon as we got into the kitchen.
"There's always something they're not telling us Beka."
"But it's big this time," I said as I got things together. "I can feel it, he's holding something back."
"We'll find out what he knows. This tour isn't free," he said as he came over and took some stuff from me and headed back out.
"Well, we've finished half of the tour and I think you should give us something in return."
"Of course! She's in good health, hasn't been harmed at all. The faith she has in you people is awe inspiring! `They're comin' for me! They're gonna find me!' I always say there's nothing like the blind
optimism of a child."
"Where is she?" I asked.
"Ah, now that's the real question isn't it? Where's Cassidie?" He paused. "I do know that, but it is far more valuable than half a tour of this ship."
"Well, I'm ready to keep going. Are you?" Dylan asked, his tone bordering on sarcasm.
"Yes, yes, let's keep going," he said as he stood. I hung behind with Tyr for a while.
"I don't like him," I said.
"Neither do I and for once, I don't believe Dylan does either," he said in a low voice as he looked down at me.
"Did you really see her?" I asked hopefully.
"Why would I lie about that?"
"I don't know. I'm grasping at straws . . . ."
"You've moved back to the Maru." He left out the part about going to Dylan that one night.
"I don't sleep well with all of her stuff around, without knowing she's nearby. Not that I'm sleeping much anyways . . ." I trailed off.
"We'll find her, even if I have to beat the information out of him."
"Thanks Tyr," I said with a small smile.
*But it's never hurt like this.*
They keep makin' me drink that stuff. Some times it lasts a long time and other times, it doesn't. They mostly ignore me now, but I don't mind. The only thing I really mind is that I can't stop missing Beka an' everyone else. I mean, I've had to leave people before and I've missed them, but it's never hurt like this before.
"Here," one of them said as he placed what they called food in front of me. I think his name if Garvin. I tried not to eat the first day, but, after bein' on the `dromeda so long, I couldn't not eat any more and I've always been able to do that! I had a tiny bit and curled myself into a ball in the corner and tried to stop from cryin'. I hate it when they see me cry! All they do is make fun of me for it, but this time, I just can't stop them.
"Beka, Dylan, you just gotta find me!" I whispered to myself as I let myself cry for the first time in a long time.
*Hey stranger*
Odan had insisted on staying the night, offering the tid bit that she was with in the city limits and not far from the building that had held the ceremony and that the ransom on her was simple and it depended more on the government than us. That alone was enough to make me want to kick him off the ship and start a ground search, but then the logical side of me kicked in and said that if we did that, they'd just keep moving her around and we'd never get anywhere with this. I rolled over in bed again, looking longinly at the empty side. I missed Beka. We had slept together every night since the hotel, I mean slept, you can't do a whole lot with a 5 year old in the other room, and then after Cass disappeared, she barely came at all. I mean, I wasn't expecting sex after all of this, but it was welcome none the less. I would rather think of it as making love, but it was hard and fast, both of us seeking a source of pleasure, if only for a brief moment from each other.
"Well, if you won't come to me, Miss Valentine, I'll come to you," I mumbled to myself as I pulled on a shirt. "Rommie, where's Beka?"
"On the bridge. Should I tell her you're coming?"
"No. Thanks Rommie," I said as I started for the bridge. "Hey stranger," I said quietly as I came on the bridge. If she had fallen asleep in the slip chair, I didn't want to wake her.
"Hey, I know you," she said back.
"Oh good, at least I'm not alone here." She stood up when she saw me. I climbed into the chair and pulled her to me.
"No, Dylan . ." she protested, trying to free herself from me.
"No Beka. I haven't seen you eat a whole meal in 4 days, I haven't seen you sleep through the night in 5 and I miss you." I held on tight. She tensed and I think she got the wrong idea about the last comment.
"Missed what about me exactly?"
"You as a person, the pleasure of your company. I got used to you at least BEING there when I woke up regardless if I spent the night holding you or talking or . . ." I whispered some very explicit things
in her ear. "I've become spoiled with having a warm person to wake up next to and I want you to come to bed with me."
"I can't."
"Why not? Beka, it's not your fault. Maybe we shouldn't have brought her down at all, maybe we should have asked for tighter security, it doesn't matter, nothing matters to me any more except that you and Cass are safe and Andromeda remains in one piece. Well, Andromeda is in one piece, you're relatively safe but Cass isn't and right now, we both need to relax a little so we can figure out how to get her back faster." I had started to subconsciously rock back and forth in the chair with her in my arms and felt her breathing becoming a little more regular.
"Don't leave," she mumbled.
"I wasn't planning on it," I said as I kissed the top of her head. I was starting to see that there was truth to the `bigger they are, the harder they fall' saying. Only, it should be the tougher they are, the harder they fall. "Do you think I can share your security blanket for tonight?"
"Anytime. I'll just use you," she said as she shifted so we both fit a little more comfortably in the chair.
"Captain Hunt, it's nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you over the media I feel almost as if I know you!" Odan said with a devenire smile.
"You seem to have us at a disadvantage Mr. Odan. This is my first officer, Beka Valentine and your escort, Tyr Anansazi," Dylan said as hands were shook.
"A Nietszchean," Odan said with pleasure. "Orca, no . . . Kodiak pride, right?"
"Right," Tyr replied tensely.
"Well then, the ship and I are both safe from each other aren't we?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to get on with things . . ."
"Of course!" he said as we started to tour. By the time the first half had ended and we were on our way to the mess hall, I wanted to smack him silly for all the stupid comments he was making.
"Well, that's the first half," Dylan said. "If you'll excuse us, we'll get some drinks," he said as he stood and I followed.
"There's something he's not telling us Dylan," I said as soon as we got into the kitchen.
"There's always something they're not telling us Beka."
"But it's big this time," I said as I got things together. "I can feel it, he's holding something back."
"We'll find out what he knows. This tour isn't free," he said as he came over and took some stuff from me and headed back out.
"Well, we've finished half of the tour and I think you should give us something in return."
"Of course! She's in good health, hasn't been harmed at all. The faith she has in you people is awe inspiring! `They're comin' for me! They're gonna find me!' I always say there's nothing like the blind
optimism of a child."
"Where is she?" I asked.
"Ah, now that's the real question isn't it? Where's Cassidie?" He paused. "I do know that, but it is far more valuable than half a tour of this ship."
"Well, I'm ready to keep going. Are you?" Dylan asked, his tone bordering on sarcasm.
"Yes, yes, let's keep going," he said as he stood. I hung behind with Tyr for a while.
"I don't like him," I said.
"Neither do I and for once, I don't believe Dylan does either," he said in a low voice as he looked down at me.
"Did you really see her?" I asked hopefully.
"Why would I lie about that?"
"I don't know. I'm grasping at straws . . . ."
"You've moved back to the Maru." He left out the part about going to Dylan that one night.
"I don't sleep well with all of her stuff around, without knowing she's nearby. Not that I'm sleeping much anyways . . ." I trailed off.
"We'll find her, even if I have to beat the information out of him."
"Thanks Tyr," I said with a small smile.
*But it's never hurt like this.*
They keep makin' me drink that stuff. Some times it lasts a long time and other times, it doesn't. They mostly ignore me now, but I don't mind. The only thing I really mind is that I can't stop missing Beka an' everyone else. I mean, I've had to leave people before and I've missed them, but it's never hurt like this before.
"Here," one of them said as he placed what they called food in front of me. I think his name if Garvin. I tried not to eat the first day, but, after bein' on the `dromeda so long, I couldn't not eat any more and I've always been able to do that! I had a tiny bit and curled myself into a ball in the corner and tried to stop from cryin'. I hate it when they see me cry! All they do is make fun of me for it, but this time, I just can't stop them.
"Beka, Dylan, you just gotta find me!" I whispered to myself as I let myself cry for the first time in a long time.
*Hey stranger*
Odan had insisted on staying the night, offering the tid bit that she was with in the city limits and not far from the building that had held the ceremony and that the ransom on her was simple and it depended more on the government than us. That alone was enough to make me want to kick him off the ship and start a ground search, but then the logical side of me kicked in and said that if we did that, they'd just keep moving her around and we'd never get anywhere with this. I rolled over in bed again, looking longinly at the empty side. I missed Beka. We had slept together every night since the hotel, I mean slept, you can't do a whole lot with a 5 year old in the other room, and then after Cass disappeared, she barely came at all. I mean, I wasn't expecting sex after all of this, but it was welcome none the less. I would rather think of it as making love, but it was hard and fast, both of us seeking a source of pleasure, if only for a brief moment from each other.
"Well, if you won't come to me, Miss Valentine, I'll come to you," I mumbled to myself as I pulled on a shirt. "Rommie, where's Beka?"
"On the bridge. Should I tell her you're coming?"
"No. Thanks Rommie," I said as I started for the bridge. "Hey stranger," I said quietly as I came on the bridge. If she had fallen asleep in the slip chair, I didn't want to wake her.
"Hey, I know you," she said back.
"Oh good, at least I'm not alone here." She stood up when she saw me. I climbed into the chair and pulled her to me.
"No, Dylan . ." she protested, trying to free herself from me.
"No Beka. I haven't seen you eat a whole meal in 4 days, I haven't seen you sleep through the night in 5 and I miss you." I held on tight. She tensed and I think she got the wrong idea about the last comment.
"Missed what about me exactly?"
"You as a person, the pleasure of your company. I got used to you at least BEING there when I woke up regardless if I spent the night holding you or talking or . . ." I whispered some very explicit things
in her ear. "I've become spoiled with having a warm person to wake up next to and I want you to come to bed with me."
"I can't."
"Why not? Beka, it's not your fault. Maybe we shouldn't have brought her down at all, maybe we should have asked for tighter security, it doesn't matter, nothing matters to me any more except that you and Cass are safe and Andromeda remains in one piece. Well, Andromeda is in one piece, you're relatively safe but Cass isn't and right now, we both need to relax a little so we can figure out how to get her back faster." I had started to subconsciously rock back and forth in the chair with her in my arms and felt her breathing becoming a little more regular.
"Don't leave," she mumbled.
"I wasn't planning on it," I said as I kissed the top of her head. I was starting to see that there was truth to the `bigger they are, the harder they fall' saying. Only, it should be the tougher they are, the harder they fall. "Do you think I can share your security blanket for tonight?"
"Anytime. I'll just use you," she said as she shifted so we both fit a little more comfortably in the chair.
