*Unless the next words out of your mouth are 'you can have her back' . . .*
"Hey Beka?"
"Yeah Harper?" I asked as he walked into the bridge of the Maru.
"We're gonna have to get some spare parts for the reserves. If things are gonna go back to the way they were before, we should probably stock up now while we're still kinda solvent," he said as he leaned on the railing above the slip chair.
"Okay. How solvent are we?" she asked. He handed me a flexi and I looked at the figure on it. "Not much more than we were before."
"That's what happens when you work for free for so long," he said as he turned to leave. "I'll make a list."
"Only what we really need Seamus, I don't want to have to edit out the junk we don't need."
"It's never junk! We always need it . . . sooner or later," he said as he left. Beka shook her head as she went back to the scanner she was working on.
"There has got to be SOME way to track her," I mumbled to myself.
"Incomming message," the Maru stated.
"From who?" I had started to scan my incoming transmitions since we had left the Andromeda.
"Mr. Odan," the Maru stated. I sighed.
"Put him through," I said as I put the stuff I had been working with on the floor or my lap.
"The lovely Captain Valentine. We meet again."
"Unless the next words out of your mouth are 'you can have her back' I don't want to play any more games with you," I said as I glared at the screen.
"You can have her back," he said. I perked up at that.
"What's the catch?"
"No catch. Your Captain Hunt has given up signing the planet and I have already sent word to the government of this and I will have a guarantee set up by the time you get Cassidie to make sure he never signs them up." My heart soared at hearing that Dylan had given up the world but it sank at the thought of a 'guarantee' that he couldn't sign the world.
"What's the guarantee?" I asked. "Will it hurt Cassidie?"
"If he keeps his word and doesn't sign, it won't. If he tries to sign the planet, it might. It's hard to say." I made sure to hide the fear at that statement.
"I don't think you'll need to guarantee that anymore. Myself and my crew have left Captain Hunt's mission."
"Ah. All the more reason for him to try something. It stays," he said with that smile I hate.
"Fine, where and when can I get her?"
"I'll let you know when she's ready to go. Odan out," he said as he cut the transmission.
"HARPER!" I yelled as I jumped out of the chair.
"What?!" he asked as he ran onto the bridge.
"Remember those safety protocols you were gonna put in?"
"Yeah?"
"I want them ready to go as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"Dylan caved on the signing," I answered as a smile lit up both of our faces. Trance and Rev came in at that moment.
"What are you guys smiling about?"
"Cassie's coming home," I said, my smile growing bigger.
"You found her?" Trance asked.
"Dylan caved," Harper answered as he hugged her and made her dance with him to imaginary music. Their laughter filled the air.
"Does this mean we are returning to the Andromeda?" Rev asked. Trance and Harper stopped dancing and all eyes turned toward me.
"We might need to go and do some negotiations about Cassie's safety. Odan has decided to 'guarantee' that Dylan won't sign the planet."
"Oh," Trance said. We all knew what that meant. Some kind of implant, that we might not be able to find, that would most likely kill her if we passed some boundary or something. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to get it out," Trance said.
"When do we get her?" Harper asked, he looked like a kid in a candy store.
"When Odan's ready." They all sighed and started to file off the bridge.
"I better get started on those modifications. All we need is for her to blow herself out an air lock or something," he mumbled to himself.
"I'll make sure the med bay is well stocked," Trance said.
"I believe I shall meditate for a while," Rev said as he left. I understood the unstated in that sentance. He was going to pray that everything worked out for all of us. I sat down in the slip chair again and sighed. I should probably thank Dylan and let her know we're getting her back.
*We would have mated a long time ago and I would be well on my way to rebuilding the Kodiak Pride*
"Oh, this is gonna be awkward," Beka said to herself as she cleaned off the panel in front of her.
"Maru, hail the Andromeda."
"Channel open," it responded.
"Ah, hey guys, it's Beka. I, ah . ."
"Beka!" Rommie appeared on the screen. "I take it Odan was in contact with you."
"Yes, he was. Ummm . . . I was ah, wondering if Captain Hunt was there," she said, sticking to the more formal end of things.
"He's in his quarters. I'll put you through," she said with a smile as the communication was transfered.
"Beka," I said, a little shocked to see her.
"Hey. I, ah, just wanted to thank you. I know it took a lot of you to let go of the world," she said as she looked over my head.
"Ah, yeah, but it was worth it. Do you have her yet?" I asked, maybe I'd get to say good bye before they left this time.
"Not yet. Odan's giving himself a 'guarantee' that you won't sign the world." She glared at me after that statement.
"He didn't tell you what it was did he."
"No. It will probably be your standard hidden 'take me out I'll kill' device. We've taken them out before though. Harper was lucky enough to pick a few for snooping in not so abandoned parts containers." We both smiled at this. There was a long pause.
"I'm sorry," I said with a sigh. "I should have dropped the planet the moment he first called." We stared at each other for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry too," she answered and offered no more explanation after that. My insides were tying themselves in knots at that statement. What was she sorry for? For leaving or taking on Cass in the first place? For us?
"I miss you." Well, since I'm baring my soul, I might as well get it all out and finish making a fool of myself since she's probably never comming back. Her face softened at that.
"We'll come and visit," she said softly.
"So I guess there's no reconciliation this time hun?"
"I don't know. I, I need to figure some things out and the best way for me to do that is get Cass back and do some salvaging. You have a lot of time to think on the runs," she answered.
"Oh. Ok. Well, I hope to see you around then," I answered softly.
"Me too," she said. "I'm really sorry about threatening to kill you. And punching you," she said as I subconsciously touched the large bruise on the side of my face.
"It's okay. Tyr thinks this makes me look tougher."
"Just don't tell anyone a girl gave it to ya and you'll be fine." We shared a small laugh and I noticed Trance at the far side of the viewer. I didn't say anything about it.
"I really miss you."
"Don't. Please . ."
"I mean it. I mean, if my mind wanders, it's to you. I, ah, I really think that I'm .. "
"Don't say it. Rommie told me before I left and I don't know what side you're on either. I've heard the big "L" word one too many times and I don't really want to hear it again right now," she said, I could see that her eyes were starting to glisten with unshed tears. "I miss you too. I find myself wishing that you were there beside me in the mornings. I feel kinda . . . I dunno . ." she finished.
"Why don't you guys come back to the Andromeda and we can just maybe start from scratch again," I asked, grasping at any straw I had.
"Maybe later. I'll ah, call you when we get her back. Maru out." She cut the communication fast.
"She'll be back," I heard Tyr behind me.
"Don't you knock?" I asked as I rubbed my hands over my face.
"No," he answered simply. "She's not going to come back because you asked her. She's stubborn and prideful and will come back when she's ready. She's far too Nietszchean some times," Tyr said as he sat down on the couch.
"And if she were Nietszchean?" I asked.
"We would have mated a long time ago and I would be well on my way to rebuilding the Kodiak Pride," he answered with a rather scary smile.
"Hey Beka?"
"Yeah Harper?" I asked as he walked into the bridge of the Maru.
"We're gonna have to get some spare parts for the reserves. If things are gonna go back to the way they were before, we should probably stock up now while we're still kinda solvent," he said as he leaned on the railing above the slip chair.
"Okay. How solvent are we?" she asked. He handed me a flexi and I looked at the figure on it. "Not much more than we were before."
"That's what happens when you work for free for so long," he said as he turned to leave. "I'll make a list."
"Only what we really need Seamus, I don't want to have to edit out the junk we don't need."
"It's never junk! We always need it . . . sooner or later," he said as he left. Beka shook her head as she went back to the scanner she was working on.
"There has got to be SOME way to track her," I mumbled to myself.
"Incomming message," the Maru stated.
"From who?" I had started to scan my incoming transmitions since we had left the Andromeda.
"Mr. Odan," the Maru stated. I sighed.
"Put him through," I said as I put the stuff I had been working with on the floor or my lap.
"The lovely Captain Valentine. We meet again."
"Unless the next words out of your mouth are 'you can have her back' I don't want to play any more games with you," I said as I glared at the screen.
"You can have her back," he said. I perked up at that.
"What's the catch?"
"No catch. Your Captain Hunt has given up signing the planet and I have already sent word to the government of this and I will have a guarantee set up by the time you get Cassidie to make sure he never signs them up." My heart soared at hearing that Dylan had given up the world but it sank at the thought of a 'guarantee' that he couldn't sign the world.
"What's the guarantee?" I asked. "Will it hurt Cassidie?"
"If he keeps his word and doesn't sign, it won't. If he tries to sign the planet, it might. It's hard to say." I made sure to hide the fear at that statement.
"I don't think you'll need to guarantee that anymore. Myself and my crew have left Captain Hunt's mission."
"Ah. All the more reason for him to try something. It stays," he said with that smile I hate.
"Fine, where and when can I get her?"
"I'll let you know when she's ready to go. Odan out," he said as he cut the transmission.
"HARPER!" I yelled as I jumped out of the chair.
"What?!" he asked as he ran onto the bridge.
"Remember those safety protocols you were gonna put in?"
"Yeah?"
"I want them ready to go as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"Dylan caved on the signing," I answered as a smile lit up both of our faces. Trance and Rev came in at that moment.
"What are you guys smiling about?"
"Cassie's coming home," I said, my smile growing bigger.
"You found her?" Trance asked.
"Dylan caved," Harper answered as he hugged her and made her dance with him to imaginary music. Their laughter filled the air.
"Does this mean we are returning to the Andromeda?" Rev asked. Trance and Harper stopped dancing and all eyes turned toward me.
"We might need to go and do some negotiations about Cassie's safety. Odan has decided to 'guarantee' that Dylan won't sign the planet."
"Oh," Trance said. We all knew what that meant. Some kind of implant, that we might not be able to find, that would most likely kill her if we passed some boundary or something. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to get it out," Trance said.
"When do we get her?" Harper asked, he looked like a kid in a candy store.
"When Odan's ready." They all sighed and started to file off the bridge.
"I better get started on those modifications. All we need is for her to blow herself out an air lock or something," he mumbled to himself.
"I'll make sure the med bay is well stocked," Trance said.
"I believe I shall meditate for a while," Rev said as he left. I understood the unstated in that sentance. He was going to pray that everything worked out for all of us. I sat down in the slip chair again and sighed. I should probably thank Dylan and let her know we're getting her back.
*We would have mated a long time ago and I would be well on my way to rebuilding the Kodiak Pride*
"Oh, this is gonna be awkward," Beka said to herself as she cleaned off the panel in front of her.
"Maru, hail the Andromeda."
"Channel open," it responded.
"Ah, hey guys, it's Beka. I, ah . ."
"Beka!" Rommie appeared on the screen. "I take it Odan was in contact with you."
"Yes, he was. Ummm . . . I was ah, wondering if Captain Hunt was there," she said, sticking to the more formal end of things.
"He's in his quarters. I'll put you through," she said with a smile as the communication was transfered.
"Beka," I said, a little shocked to see her.
"Hey. I, ah, just wanted to thank you. I know it took a lot of you to let go of the world," she said as she looked over my head.
"Ah, yeah, but it was worth it. Do you have her yet?" I asked, maybe I'd get to say good bye before they left this time.
"Not yet. Odan's giving himself a 'guarantee' that you won't sign the world." She glared at me after that statement.
"He didn't tell you what it was did he."
"No. It will probably be your standard hidden 'take me out I'll kill' device. We've taken them out before though. Harper was lucky enough to pick a few for snooping in not so abandoned parts containers." We both smiled at this. There was a long pause.
"I'm sorry," I said with a sigh. "I should have dropped the planet the moment he first called." We stared at each other for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry too," she answered and offered no more explanation after that. My insides were tying themselves in knots at that statement. What was she sorry for? For leaving or taking on Cass in the first place? For us?
"I miss you." Well, since I'm baring my soul, I might as well get it all out and finish making a fool of myself since she's probably never comming back. Her face softened at that.
"We'll come and visit," she said softly.
"So I guess there's no reconciliation this time hun?"
"I don't know. I, I need to figure some things out and the best way for me to do that is get Cass back and do some salvaging. You have a lot of time to think on the runs," she answered.
"Oh. Ok. Well, I hope to see you around then," I answered softly.
"Me too," she said. "I'm really sorry about threatening to kill you. And punching you," she said as I subconsciously touched the large bruise on the side of my face.
"It's okay. Tyr thinks this makes me look tougher."
"Just don't tell anyone a girl gave it to ya and you'll be fine." We shared a small laugh and I noticed Trance at the far side of the viewer. I didn't say anything about it.
"I really miss you."
"Don't. Please . ."
"I mean it. I mean, if my mind wanders, it's to you. I, ah, I really think that I'm .. "
"Don't say it. Rommie told me before I left and I don't know what side you're on either. I've heard the big "L" word one too many times and I don't really want to hear it again right now," she said, I could see that her eyes were starting to glisten with unshed tears. "I miss you too. I find myself wishing that you were there beside me in the mornings. I feel kinda . . . I dunno . ." she finished.
"Why don't you guys come back to the Andromeda and we can just maybe start from scratch again," I asked, grasping at any straw I had.
"Maybe later. I'll ah, call you when we get her back. Maru out." She cut the communication fast.
"She'll be back," I heard Tyr behind me.
"Don't you knock?" I asked as I rubbed my hands over my face.
"No," he answered simply. "She's not going to come back because you asked her. She's stubborn and prideful and will come back when she's ready. She's far too Nietszchean some times," Tyr said as he sat down on the couch.
"And if she were Nietszchean?" I asked.
"We would have mated a long time ago and I would be well on my way to rebuilding the Kodiak Pride," he answered with a rather scary smile.
