Notes: Thanks to both Jess for talking me out of my trisklaphobia and "id" for reminding me of the time-travel paradox. I'd completely forgotten that one and it gave me a lot to think about. Thank you. Apologies to Euan Blair for the in-joke. No offence intended. ~ NorthernStar :o)
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Thirteen ~ Oceans Tide You Home…
Harper sat up in the medical bed and stared rapturously at the meal the doctor had brought him. A small ice cream sundae with banoffe swirls and topped with nuts, chocolate flakes and crispy bits. "Doc, I love ya!"
The blonde woman smiled, "you're welcome. Eat it slowly, though, OK?"
No hope there…
Harper dived into the dessert with gusto only to have the spoon whisked away. He glared at his torturer. "Hey!"
"Eat it slowly or you'll be seeing it again. And next time I'll bring you steamed cabbage."
Harper frowned. "I'll be good."
And he got the spoon back.
He scooped up a little bite and popped it into his mouth. Sweet, cold and creamy flooded his tongue and he closed his eyes. It was moments like this that turned an otherwise shit existence into something perfectly tolerable.
Half way through he looked up at her, "y'know, you wanna be workin' here full time. Trance usually brings me soup, it tastes like plasticrete."
******
"Full protection?" The president's eyes widened, showing disbelief. He and his aides sat at one side of the negotiations table, Dylan, Beka and Rev at the other.
Dylan straightened up; "the Andromeda is the most advanced warship in this system."
"In any system." Beka added.
Go'Mek paused, "I must admit I see many advantages to joining, and quite a few disadvantages. My people are settled, and our economy is strong. The changes a fledgling Commonwealth would bring to us could affect that."
"I think you'll see that, in the long term, the pros outweigh the cons."
"The long term?" Co'Mark, the first minister asked, "how long is the long term?"
Dylan took a deep breath, "I'd be lying to you if I gave you a certain amount of time. But the truth is, I don't know. None of us can predict what the future may bring." He thought of the Harper his crew had rescued and the story he had told Dylan and shivered. "But that is why I think your world would benefit from the protection of the Commonwealth."
An officer entered the room and snapped to attention, "sir!"
Go'Mek looked up, "what is it, Dal'El?"
"Sir, the Tella Grid is failing. We've traced it to a glitch in the upper pradal systems. The power is out across the northern continent."
All the Tellan's in the room gave an audible gasp.
"When will it be fixed?" Co'Mark asked.
"Unknown, sir. The…the Viv-En-Tor ceremony will have to be prespooned!"
******
A very long and silent moment had passed since Harper had asked her what she would do. Trance looked at the man before her. Thin and lean, with longish blonde hair and eyes that held the weight of centuries in their depths.
He was the man she would come to love. He was the man to whom she would give her Gift.
He was the man who would ultimately come to hate her for what she had done.
The decision had already been made. It had probably been made the moment he awoke on this Andromeda. The moment she'd seen his tattoo and realised what it meant.
All that was left was for her to give that decision voice.
"Yes."
******
Beka watched from the back of the room as the Tellans barked orders and recriminations at each other. Their precious Viv-En-Tor ceremony was under threat. She doubted the Viv girl was to worried. Probably relieved. Who wanted to die in front of millions?
Who wanted to die for their world anyway?
"Wouldn't be surprised if it was terrorism." She commented to Rev.
The Magog turned, "why would you say that?"
"The Viv's family and friends. Would you wanna watch your kin be sacrificed?"
"The Darva celebrations are most holy and Divine. And the Viv-En-Tor ceremony is one of the most admired in the known galaxies."
"Yeah, right." She dismissed. "If Harper were here, he could jack into the system." She thought briefly as the engineer lying in the medical deck. She hoped he was doing well.
Co'Mek turned at her words, "I apologise for eavesdropping, but do you think this person could help us?"
Beka looked awkward. "Probably, I guess. But he's up on our ship, half-dead."
"What about the other one?"
They both turned to Tyr, who had spoken.
"He still has a cerebral port." The Nietzschean said, "I presume it's functional."
Dylan felt his heart rate kick up and snakes coiled in his belly. Co'Mek watched him, large eyes demanding his agreement.
The captain didn't like it. Didn't like this whole mess.
But he couldn't refuse. Not if he wanted the Commonwealth restored.
"Beka, use the transport. Take Tyr with you."
*****
The silence between them was broken by footsteps. They both looked up to see Tyr entering with Beka. Harper looked at Trance; their eyes met. It was now or never.
"Evidently luck is on your side." Tyr commented.
Beka shot him a look before turning her attention back to Harper. "Saddle up, Seamus senior, it's little Dutch boy time."
Trance frowned, "huh?"
"There's a hole in our crew," Beka said, and nodded at the future Harper, "he's gonna fill it."
"I still don't understand."
"There's a surprise," Tyr muttered sarcastically as he keyed his security code in the terminal. The force grid skittered momentarily, then vanished.
Harper stretched his muscles, turning a smug look on the Nietzschean. "Nothin' like the smell a' freedom."
Tyr pushed him back against the wall, eyes ablaze.
"TYR!"
At Beka's shout the Nietzschean loosened his grip and after a few seconds let the man go. Harper continued to smile smartly at him.
Click.
The smile fell away at the sound of cuffs locking. He looked down at the metal restraints around his wrist and cursed.
*****
Beka walked quietly into the med. bay where their Harper lay, drifting in that warm and beautiful place just before sleep. His eyelids flickered but did not open. Lauren smiled at her from the other side of the bed.
"How is he?" She asked the doctor.
Lauren beckoned to her and led her to the door, taking her out into the main research and diagnostic area so that they could talk without disturbing the young man.
"His BP's normal, so his temperature. The wound is healing a lot faster and much better than I expected. He should be up and around in a couple of days."
Relief flooded her. "Thank you." She said, "I know you'd rather be with your sister right now."
"Perhaps, but I wouldn't be much of a doctor if I'd turned you down." She smiled, "besides, he seems like a nice guy. I'm glad I could help him."
"Harper and 'nice guy' in the same sentence…" Beka shook her head, smiling. "I didn't just come to see him, but you too. We're going back to the planet now, Trance'll take over here if you want to return with us."
"I'd like that. There isn't much I can do now."
They began walking in the direction of the docking bays, but Trance stopped them at an intersection. "I want you to stay with Harper." She told Beka.
"I can't, Trance. I'm going back to the planet."
"No, I have to go." She insisted, "and I can't leave Harper alone."
"Dylan said-"
"I have to go, Beka."
"Trance…"
"Just please, trust me on this?"
*****
Dylan held the pen delicately between his fingers, poised over a sheet of simple white paper. Words had always come easily enough for him, be it speeches, threats, diplomacy, even romance. All had been challenging, but never against his nature.
But writing a small lament to his beloved was, it seemed.
No.
Not against his nature, he just didn't believe he would never see her again. Centuries kept them apart, but they could be breached. They had before, they would again. Who knew what lay ahead of them in the vastness of space?
One man who'd lived five centuries…
Yes, anything was possible.
He couldn't believe she was gone, not forever…
And that was why he had never really grieved. Why he still could not grieve…
And that left only one thing to write.
Dylan's pen moved quickly, scrawling a few words.
And then he smiled…
*****
Bir'Mark tried to hide his face, not wanting his friend to see his distress. The Viv-En-Tor swallowed down her pills and smiled. She was used to this reaction from her friends, even one as well poised as the president's son.
"Its OK, Bir." She said, "I know this is difficult for you."
"It is you that has it difficult."
"Dying's easy, Bir, it's living that's the hard part." She frowned, "didn't you know that?"
"Words, they are all words."
"Maybe. I know it's an oversimplification, but it's still the truth." Kelly touched his arm, "if it helps, I'm not afraid."
"How can you not be? I am."
"It is like any unknown that you fear. But the closer it becomes… You grow tired of the worry and of being afraid. You just want it over with."
The Tellan was silent.
She smiled, "wish me luck, when the time comes."
"You know I will."
The door chimed, braking the uncomfortable atmosphere. Kelly silently thanked whoever it was as she opened the door.
It was Dylan.
"Captain Hunt! It's a pleasure to see you again." She stepped back, "come in."
When he was settled on the sofa, she sat in the chair opposite and asked, "have the power outages been identified and corrected?"
"Not yet. A…member of my crew is on his way. He should be able to correct the problem internally a lot faster than a team of engineers could crawling through the systems."
"But…" she tilted her head, "this is not a social call."
"No, not exactly."
"Would you like a drink? I have been given a wonderful Ashla flower wine, which just begs to be shared but my friend, Bir'Mark here is a bit of a stickler."
"I'm afraid my station requires that I be sober at all times." The Tellan said with good humour and not a little embarrassment.
"Yes, wouldn't do for the son of the president to be found lying drunk in the gutter, would it?"
Bir'Mark gave her a mock admonishing look as she held out a glass of wine to Dylan.
"Thank you." The captain said, "I have a request to make. I realise it is a little late, but…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper. He held it out. "I was hoping you might deliver this."
Kelly's smile widened, "of course. I would be honoured."
She took the paper just as the central Comm beeped.
"Captain Hunt."
"Yes?"
"The royal transport has just docked."
"I'll be right there." He answered and put down his glass. He stood. "Thank you," he told the Viv-En-Tor. "I wish you good fortune on your journey. May it be filled with joy and contentment."
She touched his arm warmly, "thank you, captain."
Kelly watched him leave and only when the door had closed behind him did she open the little scrap of paper to memorise the words Dylan would have her take to the Other Side.
"I love you," he had written, "see you soon."
****
The transport door clanked open and the boarding ramp hissed out, thumping to the deck. Tyr stood in the doorway, his left hand under a cloak. Beside him, with his right hand also under the cloak, was Harper. At this distance, he was indistinguishable from his younger self. It was only as they began down the boarding ramp that Dylan could see the longer hair and the care-worn face. As they came closer, he could also make out the ornate tattoo around his port…and the bitterness that burned in his eyes.
Behind them walked the doctor, and…Trance?
Dylan felt a cold shiver run through him. He trusted his senses. There was trouble ahead.
*****
The trip to the main power complex on the pole continent was awkward. Dylan watched each of them in turn and read their tension clearly in their body language. The land vehicle was cramped and hot, with only a small path down the middle between the seats. Trance walked up and down this with her tail swishing back and forth, obviously agitated. When he'd asked her why she felt she had to come, she'd just asked him to trust her.
But the truth was, he didn't. Not when it involved the future Harper.
Harper had been forced to sit by the window next to Tyr, who kept their hands beneath the cloak, concealing the cuffs for the eyes of the Tellans, who would ask too many awkward questions if they knew.
He wore a smug look and delighted in making pointed comments to Tyr. In all his years, Harper had learned many things. One of them, it seemed, was how to piss off a Nietzschean.
The small engineering crew kept to the back of the transport, sitting by themselves, obviously annoyed that the Darva celebrations were going to go on without them.
And finally, there was Lauren, who sat in the seats opposite Dylan. She had been assigned to them as a doctor.
No, actually 'assigned' wasn't the right word. She'd volunteered. Go'Mek had been surprised that she did not wish to spend the few, precious remaining hours before the Viv-En-Tor ceremony with her sister.
Pain had briefly crossed Lauren's face at his words, but she'd shook her head.
"No, I'm needed here." She had said, "It's my duty. No one understands duty better than my sister. I would be betraying her if I didn't do this."
Dylan had admired her for that. She was everything her sister had claimed she was, and more. She was just what he looked for in a crewman.
And after the ceremony, she would be quite alone…
She sat staring out of the window, obviously trouble, glancing around occasionally at the older Harper. A frown would appear when she did so. She probably knew he was under arrest. And his indifference to the welfare of a man who was likely his brother…or twin…was confusing her.
It was a very long trip…
*****
The power complex was enormous, spread over miles, as far as the eye could see. It generated billions of bita-watts per day, feeding the main bulk of that power to the largest, most densely populated continent.
Harper stared out the window, awed by its size and majesty. He both remembered this place…and yet he was seeing it for the first time.
Time was in flux, shifting, changing, and screaming…
The Strings twisted in on themselves, humming in discontentment as reality bent under the weight of the ever-increasing paradox. He could sense it, through the limited, blind awareness the Eternals had taught him centuries before. It was not, and never would be, enough to comprehend the Strings, but it had served him well throughout the years.
He had served them…
Trance's tail brushed him when she passed. He looked around and saw the strain the flux in the Strings was having on someone who, by nature and through the Gift, could see, feel, sense and understand them.
"Trance?" He called.
The girl stopped, met his eyes. He could see the tension there, the pain. He stared into her pupils and felt a terrible icy hand grip his heart. He had long thought the years of resentment had killed any love and compassion for her. But he was finding that was not, and never had been, true. His love of her was as strong as it had ever been, maybe even stronger.
And he hurt beyond words to see her suffer.
He opened his mouth to tell her it was OK. He'd live the life he'd had all over again, endure the pain, the long, bitter years, so she wouldn't have to go through another second of this torment.
But then she smiled, slight and fragile.
And he knew it was all right. He leant forward, pulling on the restraint around his wrist, earning a glare from Tyr, and hugged her to him with his free arm. She pressed herself to him and he gripped her tightly, not caring what the others thought.
He could feel their eyes on him. But it no longer mattered. Nothing mattered now, but Trance, the future and change…
******
After almost an hour, the land vehicle halted at the Central NeuroTech Outlet. They disembarked and the crew led them though the maze of tunnels and corridors and shafts to a large metallic room filled with terminals and viewscreens. Two pale, harangued looking Tellans were working fiercely on the main circuitry. The tallest looked around as the group entered, and all but sighed in relief when he saw the back-up crews. Having the Darva celebrations almost ruined on your watch was the death of any promising career.
"I am Gol'Tor, the administrator for this facility."
"Captain Dylan Hunt," Dylan replied, holding out his hand.
The administrator gave it a quick, careless shake. "Which one of you is Harpah?" He said, looking at each of them in turn.
"Harperrrrrr!" Harper stepped forward and returned the Tellan's pointed gaze with one of his own. Unimpressed, Gol'Tor simply snorted and grabbed a set of opti-neural cables and held them out. "Plug in."
Harper took them and checked them for any damage that might fry his cerebrum. "And it is SO nice to meet you too…" he winked in Trance's direction, "again…sorta…"
Dylan tensed, suddenly wanting to pull Harper out of there. But it was too late.
What would be, would be….
Changed…?
*****
Beka sat at the edge of Harper's bed, holding a hand of cards and cursed. The man was half bloody dead, held together with stitches, drugged up to the nines…
And he could still loose badly at poker.
It made her feel not a little guilty.
"Read 'em and weep, Seamus," she said, laying the full house down on the bed. Harper tossed his cards in the air, revealing a two pair of 3's and 6's. Would the kid ever learn?
"You oughta know by now, I don't bluff."
"'Cept when you are. And hey, how do I know this whole 'I never bluff' attitude isn't a bluff." He waved his finger, "and I've seen ya bluff plenty. That Nightsider on Divat Four? And the Caloran security force… Was there anything you said to them that was the truth?"
"I meant the thank you I said to their little officer for the free drink."
"You hated that drink! You spat it out all over their superintendent, which got us thrown off the planet as well as fined for-"
"I got us thrown off the planet! That was your fault!"
"So I might've said a few things…"
"To the judge! And 'said' is pretty much an understatement, how about 'insulted?'"
"I said nothing that…" A yawn cut him off as he gapped for air.
Beka frowned, "you better get some rest. Trance'll yell her purple arse off if she thinks I kept you up."
"You did."
She punched his arm and he laughed, which turned into hacking coughs. She hurriedly gave him the inhalant by his bed and watched as he sucked on the medication. Gradually his coughs died down and he slumped back onto the pillows exhausted.
"Wonder how they're doin'." He asked when his breathing had returned to normal.
"Let me worry about that. You. Sleep."
He glared at her for a moment then sighed, "whatever ya say, Boss."
Smiling, she turned to leave him to sleep.
"Beka?"
She turned in the doorway.
"What are we gonna do with him?"
She didn't need to ask which 'him' he meant. She looked down a moment, "I don't know."
"Keep tryin' to think why I'd…he'd do it, but…I don't know."
"I think Dylan does, and…" She frowned, "…Trance, I think, I guess."
His face was bleak. "Wish I did…"
*****
Lauren got out her bio-scanners and hovered over Harper as he double-checked the neural connector cables. Trance stood on the opposite side of him, under the pretence of keeping an eye on his vitals while he was inside. The purple alien's agitation had increased ten-fold in the last half an hour. Her tail lashed from side to side like a whip.
Harper took a deep breath, collecting himself. It had been over fifty years since he'd done this. At least there was no pain now. The neural technology had improved over the centuries.
He poised the live connector over his port and flashed a grin at Trance; "here goes nothin'."
And he pushed the jack in.
His consciousness shattered…
*****
The lines of data blurred and crossed, screeched and twinned. Old pathways met new, the past met the future... His Gift-heightened senses had long ago meshed with his human brain, but his cerebrum was criss-crossed with over 500 years of experiences. More, by far, than any human should have.
The mainframe surged with the influx of superior technology. Everything melded, and coalesced and…finally collapsed.
Blue fire arced, filling him. Pain ripped along the fibres of his being. His soul disassembled into pseudo-atoms.
He screamed, but no sound came out. The ever-death of the Slipstream had been a mere annoyance compared to this. This was pain, personified, made flesh.
Pain beyond pain beyond pain….
And there, glinting like crystals in newborn sand, were images.
The flashes of a future past…