Two - Breaking into Pieces…

Dylan felt for the man's pulse anyway. But he felt nothing. His High Guard training kicked in and he lent over Har…over the man. It can't be Harper! It just looks like him. And he delivered a blow to his chest, checked for responses and when he found none, began a cardiac massage. After ten compressions, he tipped the man's head back and breathed 5 short breaths into his mouth.

Tyr and Rommie watched Hunt as he fought to resuscitate the man. Rommie's sensors scanning throughout for any responses.

Time ticked by.

"Dylan," Rommie said eventually, "I'm reading no output. It's not working, he's dead."

Hunt looked up at her for a moment, a mix of anger and frustration in his eyes. Then his experience took over and he sat back on the deck. He knew that he could do nothing for this man and that he had to give up, but hated himself for it anyway.

Tyr knelt beside the body and looked it over without emotion; "it's Harper." He said, "he looks older though, maybe his brother?"

Dylan stood up and addressed his first officer. "Beka, did Harper ever mention a brother?"

"No but that doesn't mean he hasn't got one. Harper doesn't talk much about his family." She frowned, "they look enough alike to be twins." She was silent a moment and then she nailed Hunt with her eyes, "if that's Harper's brother, I'll tell him."

Dylan knew what she meant and he nodded. He preferred to be the one to tell relatives these things, it was his duty as captain. But Beka was closer to the young man than he was; he'd take it better from her.

"Agreed." He looked at the corpse; "we'll take it – him, down to medical. See if a scan can give us some answers."

"Dylan," Rommie asked, "what about Harper? If this isn't his brother…"

Dylan frowned, "where is he?"

"In his quarters. By the movement of his eyelids, I believe he has just entered REM sleep."

"Good. We'll deal with that problem when it comes up. In the meantime," he watched Tyr sling the body over his shoulder, "Beka, take the helm and resume course for Tellan."

Trance had readied the resus unit but the moment she saw Tyr carrying the corpse she knew it wouldn't be needed.

"Trance," Dylan began as Tyr lay the dead man on the med bed, "I want you to run a DNA scan on-"

"Harper!" She gasped.

"It looks like Harper, but he's down in his quarters."

"Are you sure?" Trance asked worriedly, "I mean has anyone looked? It looks so much like him."

And it did. But once the initial shock had worn off, Dylan could now see small differences. His blonde hair was a little longer and his face, quickly paling with death, was older, more matured. And most telling of all, an ornate tattoo circled his cerebral port and trailed down his neck and disappeared into his clothes.

But Dylan had to admit something nasty was coiling in his stomach now that Trance had asked him that. "No, I'm not sure. He could be his brother. That's why I want a DNA test done as soon as possible."

Trance nodded and went to the trolley and picked up a scanner. She returned and took the body's hand and pressed it to the panel. Her tail hung low, mirroring her distress.

The scanner beeped and Trance checked the display. Her eyes widened and Dylan could have sworn he saw the alien's purple skin pale just a fraction. She looked up. "His handprints match Harper's."

"Any third rate assassin can alter hand and finger prints." Tyr said, "it proves nothing."

Trance looked at Dylan, and picked up another scanner. She moved around the corpse to his mouth to take a swab. She didn't want to remove blood.

She put her hand up to take a sample and she froze. Her eyes wide with shook, fixed on the man's neck.

The tattoo around his port…

Her finger's brushed the design, trailing it all the way until it disappeared under his collar, oblivious to the stares of Dylan and Tyr. "Trance?" Dylan asked.

She jumped.

"I…I er…just thought it looked pretty."

"Get on with it, girl!" Snapped Tyr.

She quickly took the sample and placed it in the slot on the scanner. "It'll take a few minutes to read all the chromosome sequences and match them to the ones in the database."

Three and a half minutes later, the scanner chirped and Trance held it out to Dylan.

The captain read the screen, "it matches." He said, "it's Harper."

In his quiet shock, he failed to notice that Trance's surprise was not aimed at him, but at the ornate tattoo.

The ship shifted back into normal space at Beka's command. They had reached the Tellan sector. She looked up at the face of Rommie on the screen.

"ETA for Tellan Three?"

"23 minutes."

Beka drummed her fingers on the slipstream-piloting chair. "Damn!" She swore, "I wish I knew what was going on down there."

Rommie's face blinked away and was replaced by the view from the medical cameras.

Dylan stared down at…. at Harper. It was just beginning to sink in. But it couldn't be…he was alive. And he was down in his quarters sleeping.

"Dylan," Rommie said, "I have been scanning the data from the DNA scan and I am detecting some chromosomal differences."

"This isn't Harper?"

"Some kind of clone, maybe?" Tyr suggested.

"No, it's Harper." She replied, "I believe it is the result of damage. Possibly caused by radiation. And there's something else."

Dylan looked up.

"His cells are showing a chronological age of approximately 27 years. Dylan, unless Harper lied about his age, he's only 23."

"That's impossible for an identical twin."

"Which leaves us with only one conclusion." Rommie said. "He IS Harper."

"But a future version." Dylan finished it for her.

"That is the most likely scenario based on the information available."

"But how did he get here?" Dylan looked Harper over, "Tyr, I want you to search the pod for anything that could give us and idea what happened. Trance, run every test you can think of on…the body. We need answers. I'll be on the bridge."

"Establishing geo-synchronous orbit of Tellan Three." Rommie reported, "I am receiving a transmission from the capital."

"On screen." Dylan ordered.

A Tellan's face replaced that of Rommie's on the viewer. His flat paper white skinned features were grammatically similar to that of a human's. The only real difference being the Tellan's lack of a nose. Two small teardrop shaped nostrils gapped in the centre of his face where his nose should have been. And his eyes were twice as big as any human's and he blinked lashless lids slowly.

"Captain Hunt. I am First Minister Co'Mark, I speak for President Go'Mek." He said in a low baritone voice, "we welcome you to Tellan Three."

"We were honoured by your invitation." Behind Hunt, Beka rolled her eyes.

"As we are honoured by your acceptance."

"My crew and I are looking forward to the celebrations." That was true, at least.

"The president has sent his personal shuttle to your ship. It will arrive shortly. Please instruct your crew to enjoy its many facilities on the journey to our capital."

"Thank you. Will we get a chance to meet with the president?"

"You will be expected to dine with him tonight."

"We look forward to it." And Dylan bowed politely, "Vinn Verr."

The aide's large eyes seemed to shine, "you speak our tongue well captain."

"I was coached by Ala'Torn himself."

"A story I would much like to hear, captain. He has long been a hero of mine." He bowed, "Vinn Verr."

Trance sat at the medical computer searching the files as Dylan had told her, but her mind was elsewhere. Her face was creased with worry and her tail slowly curled back and forth. The tattoo…. How could he have a tattoo? It wasn't possible…. It couldn't be possible…

Could it?

How would she explain this? Everything she'd worked for, everything she was… how could Harper destroy it all like this? He was her friend!

Wasn't he?

Was there more going on here than even she knew about? Was that possible too?

Her head lifted up, sensing….

It was time.

She stood up and walked into the morgue where they had laid this Harper's body. She let her hand rest on his chest over his cold and still heart. Her eyes fixed on the ornate tattoo circling his port.

She took a deep breath, "Harper?" She whispered, "c'mon, you're not dead…. You only think you are."

The pale corpse did not move. Her hand felt no beat.

"Wake up…"

Still there was no response and she sighed. Maybe she'd been wrong about the time. Maybe she was wrong about the tattoo, maybe this Harper had it drawn on because he's thought it looked good, not knowing its significance and not because…

She was trapped between wishing that the tattoo meant nothing, just an ordinary, every day tattoo…and not wanting Harper to die when he was 27. Trance turned and went back to the computer and continued flicking through the files.

She had been there for several minutes when she heard a voice. "Found anything?"

Trance looked around. It was Beka. And behind her…

Her eyes widened and Beka read the shock in them and turned.

The no longer dead Harper was drinking in the sight of the purple alien, staring at her in disbelief.

"Trance…" he choked out and rushed over to her. He cupped her face delicately in his hands, disbelief and unashamed joy radiating from his eyes. "You're-you're alive, I can't believe it."

"That's just what I was about to say about you." Beka said.