1.1 Chapter 10
Three months pass by, but what happened on that planet, Beka and Harper would never forget. Beka is on the Maru talking to herself. Then, Tyr walks in on her conversation. Beka quickly quiets herself and looks at Tyr.
"So, you still haven't told me what happened when you were on 'vacation'," he says. "Harper certainly won't say anything."
"Why should you care Tyr?"
"Because ever since you've came back you've been moping around like you're going to die any day, and quite frankly, that's a problem. If you can't focus on your work, what will happen when a battle occurs? Not only would you be risking your life, but you would risk the lives of others, which would include me."
"Tyr, I'm fine. Nothing happened when I was gone. I just…I needed to take care of some stuff and I did and now I'm fine, better than ever."
"Fine," he says—not believing her answer. "But I will find out sooner or later."
Beka looks at him in distaste as he walks out of the Maru.
She holds up a small, thin cylinder filled with a purple liquid, then sets it down in a box next to her. She closes her eyes, sighs, and starts to talk to herself again.
~~~~~~~~
Beka enters the machine shop. The place is littered with tools and parts. Junk, basically, and in the middle of it all, a new project of some kind. The sparks from the metal and welder stream up high until Harper looks up to see Beka standing there. He puts down his tools and pulls up his goggles.
"Hey, what brings you here?" he asks.
"Um…I didn't know who to talk to about this," she begins. "Rev isn't here and Trance is too busy…I just needed someone to talk to."
"Talk about what?"
Beka hesitates, then continues, "You remember the, um, whole 'vacation' thing?"
"Yeah. I'm listening."
"You remember the night…?"
"I try not to think about that…but, yeah."
There was a silence, and Beka looks down at her feet then says, "I think I'm…"
She takes a deep breath then starts again, "I'm three months late."
Harper's eyes widen with complete shock, realizing. He begins to feel a little dizzy with everything racing through his mind at once. "Beka, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I wasn't sure at first. I don't know what I should do. Maybe I shouldn't have it…it's not something I need right now, you know?"
"Don't, Beka, listen to me. Don't kill that baby, please. Don't do the abortion. I know this is going to be hard, but you can't just get rid of it. I'll help you, I promise. Now, promise me you won't kill the baby."
Beka doesn't respond.
Harper repeats himself again, "Beka, please. Promise me."
Beka nods her head, "Okay, okay. I promise."
She walks over to Harper for comfort and they embrace each other out of friendship. A friendship so strong that nothing could break it. A friendship so unique that no one could have it.
Harper takes in a deep breath, "Wow, I can't believe this is happening. What are we going to tell Dylan?"
*
… "Stop," Dylan tells Andromeda to the video, and the image freezes of Harper and Beka standing there together. "So, this is what you wanted to show me?"
"I thought it was necessary," the Andromeda hologram says. "You should know what is going on between your two crewmen."
"How could this happen though? They just seem like friends," Dylan says. "I never thought they were more than that. I mean, there was always a possibility, but, come on. Now, a baby?"
"It seems that way."
"How could I have let this happen? I'm the one who let them go, I should have thought more about what could have happened. Am I just blind? Can I not see things happening between members of my own crew?"
"Don't feel so bad, even Tyr didn't know much."
"Still, I…can't believe Harper and Beka would, you know, do something like that. It's just weird, that's all."
"Are you going to speak to them?"
"No, at least not now. Let's just wait and see if they come to me first."
"Okay, whatever you say captain."
Dylan turns, after Andromeda's hologram disappears, to see Tyr standing off to the side in the shadows.
"How much did you hear?" Dylan asks.
"Enough," he says, and starts to leave.
Dylan yells out at him, "Tyr, you're not going to say anything, are you?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. We'll see."
Tyr walks out the door, and Dylan mutters under his breath, "Great."
~~~~~~~
Tyr walks into command and peers over to see Harper and Beka laughing on the ground as Harper is fixing something. He rolls his eyes at the stupid so-called love they have, and checks on a few things at his panel. They laugh again, but Tyr can't contain himself.
"And what is so amusing!" he shouts.
Beka looks up smiling and explains, "Harper just told me a joke, that's all. See, there's this guy and—"
"And so he goes into this place for something to drink—" Harper fills in.
"Because, you know, he's had a really long day, except—"
"He can't remember anything that happened two minutes ago—"
"So the bartender fills a mug full of some beer, and goes around the bar table asking everyone to spit in it, including this guy—"
"A few minutes later, the bartender asks this guy to sit down at a table, to order something, then she says she'll bring out a special drink for him—"
"Only the 'special' drink turns out to be the one that everyone spit in, but—"
"But he doesn't know that, because of his condition with the short- term memory loss thing—"
"And with one, fateful gulp, he drinks it down and says 'thank you very much, it's the best drink I've ever had. By the way, what's in it?'" Beka finishes.
They both chuckle and Tyr rolls his eyes, once again, at their stupidity in such tasteless, mindless things.
"Forget I asked," he says.
Harper looks at Tyr, "Well look who got up on the same side of the bed this morning."
"Finish your work. Don't you think you have enough to deal with besides you being on my bad side?"
Harper glances at Beka with a puzzled face, which in turn has the same expression.
"And you," he points at Beka, "Shouldn't you be getting some rest?"
Beka stands up, "Why? I've only been working for a couple hours this morning."
"You're…" he stops himself. "You look tired, that's all."
"Well, thanks for the advice Tyr, but I think I know when—" she abruptly stops and grabs her stomach. The quasi feeling churns all around inside her. She then abruptly runs out of command.
"Like I said, you need rest," Tyr says under his breath, then he looks up at Harper, "Aren't you going to chase after her, or what ever it is you humans do?"
"Uh, sure…I guess."
Harper puts down his tools and walks out of command after Beka.
Three months pass by, but what happened on that planet, Beka and Harper would never forget. Beka is on the Maru talking to herself. Then, Tyr walks in on her conversation. Beka quickly quiets herself and looks at Tyr.
"So, you still haven't told me what happened when you were on 'vacation'," he says. "Harper certainly won't say anything."
"Why should you care Tyr?"
"Because ever since you've came back you've been moping around like you're going to die any day, and quite frankly, that's a problem. If you can't focus on your work, what will happen when a battle occurs? Not only would you be risking your life, but you would risk the lives of others, which would include me."
"Tyr, I'm fine. Nothing happened when I was gone. I just…I needed to take care of some stuff and I did and now I'm fine, better than ever."
"Fine," he says—not believing her answer. "But I will find out sooner or later."
Beka looks at him in distaste as he walks out of the Maru.
She holds up a small, thin cylinder filled with a purple liquid, then sets it down in a box next to her. She closes her eyes, sighs, and starts to talk to herself again.
~~~~~~~~
Beka enters the machine shop. The place is littered with tools and parts. Junk, basically, and in the middle of it all, a new project of some kind. The sparks from the metal and welder stream up high until Harper looks up to see Beka standing there. He puts down his tools and pulls up his goggles.
"Hey, what brings you here?" he asks.
"Um…I didn't know who to talk to about this," she begins. "Rev isn't here and Trance is too busy…I just needed someone to talk to."
"Talk about what?"
Beka hesitates, then continues, "You remember the, um, whole 'vacation' thing?"
"Yeah. I'm listening."
"You remember the night…?"
"I try not to think about that…but, yeah."
There was a silence, and Beka looks down at her feet then says, "I think I'm…"
She takes a deep breath then starts again, "I'm three months late."
Harper's eyes widen with complete shock, realizing. He begins to feel a little dizzy with everything racing through his mind at once. "Beka, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I wasn't sure at first. I don't know what I should do. Maybe I shouldn't have it…it's not something I need right now, you know?"
"Don't, Beka, listen to me. Don't kill that baby, please. Don't do the abortion. I know this is going to be hard, but you can't just get rid of it. I'll help you, I promise. Now, promise me you won't kill the baby."
Beka doesn't respond.
Harper repeats himself again, "Beka, please. Promise me."
Beka nods her head, "Okay, okay. I promise."
She walks over to Harper for comfort and they embrace each other out of friendship. A friendship so strong that nothing could break it. A friendship so unique that no one could have it.
Harper takes in a deep breath, "Wow, I can't believe this is happening. What are we going to tell Dylan?"
*
… "Stop," Dylan tells Andromeda to the video, and the image freezes of Harper and Beka standing there together. "So, this is what you wanted to show me?"
"I thought it was necessary," the Andromeda hologram says. "You should know what is going on between your two crewmen."
"How could this happen though? They just seem like friends," Dylan says. "I never thought they were more than that. I mean, there was always a possibility, but, come on. Now, a baby?"
"It seems that way."
"How could I have let this happen? I'm the one who let them go, I should have thought more about what could have happened. Am I just blind? Can I not see things happening between members of my own crew?"
"Don't feel so bad, even Tyr didn't know much."
"Still, I…can't believe Harper and Beka would, you know, do something like that. It's just weird, that's all."
"Are you going to speak to them?"
"No, at least not now. Let's just wait and see if they come to me first."
"Okay, whatever you say captain."
Dylan turns, after Andromeda's hologram disappears, to see Tyr standing off to the side in the shadows.
"How much did you hear?" Dylan asks.
"Enough," he says, and starts to leave.
Dylan yells out at him, "Tyr, you're not going to say anything, are you?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. We'll see."
Tyr walks out the door, and Dylan mutters under his breath, "Great."
~~~~~~~
Tyr walks into command and peers over to see Harper and Beka laughing on the ground as Harper is fixing something. He rolls his eyes at the stupid so-called love they have, and checks on a few things at his panel. They laugh again, but Tyr can't contain himself.
"And what is so amusing!" he shouts.
Beka looks up smiling and explains, "Harper just told me a joke, that's all. See, there's this guy and—"
"And so he goes into this place for something to drink—" Harper fills in.
"Because, you know, he's had a really long day, except—"
"He can't remember anything that happened two minutes ago—"
"So the bartender fills a mug full of some beer, and goes around the bar table asking everyone to spit in it, including this guy—"
"A few minutes later, the bartender asks this guy to sit down at a table, to order something, then she says she'll bring out a special drink for him—"
"Only the 'special' drink turns out to be the one that everyone spit in, but—"
"But he doesn't know that, because of his condition with the short- term memory loss thing—"
"And with one, fateful gulp, he drinks it down and says 'thank you very much, it's the best drink I've ever had. By the way, what's in it?'" Beka finishes.
They both chuckle and Tyr rolls his eyes, once again, at their stupidity in such tasteless, mindless things.
"Forget I asked," he says.
Harper looks at Tyr, "Well look who got up on the same side of the bed this morning."
"Finish your work. Don't you think you have enough to deal with besides you being on my bad side?"
Harper glances at Beka with a puzzled face, which in turn has the same expression.
"And you," he points at Beka, "Shouldn't you be getting some rest?"
Beka stands up, "Why? I've only been working for a couple hours this morning."
"You're…" he stops himself. "You look tired, that's all."
"Well, thanks for the advice Tyr, but I think I know when—" she abruptly stops and grabs her stomach. The quasi feeling churns all around inside her. She then abruptly runs out of command.
"Like I said, you need rest," Tyr says under his breath, then he looks up at Harper, "Aren't you going to chase after her, or what ever it is you humans do?"
"Uh, sure…I guess."
Harper puts down his tools and walks out of command after Beka.