***
"Harper!" A voice jolted him into consciousness. The young man woke up and rubbed his eyes.
"What?" He said groggily. His eyes adjusted and he saw a familiar blonde staring at him.
"Beka?"
"Among the stupid things you've done, this is about the stupidest." She said as a way of welcoming him back.
Then he remembered. His eyes went wide. "Where's-"
"Back on the Andromeda. Don't worry. She's fine." Beka said. " Why you decided to go into the Nietzchean ship, I'll never know."
"Rommie said that the ship had found us." He said.
"Yes, and it activated it's security measures. You're lucky it only kicked you out. Half of it's security was damaged. It would've killed you if it were fully operational. "
Harper shook his head and sat up. He tried to stand up but the dizziness kept him down. "The reactivation, there's-"
"Get some rest." Beka said, pushing him back down. He was too dizzy to reply. Beka rolled her eyes and left.
Harper mumbled as he dozed off. "-Something to tell you…"
When she reached the Nietzchean Bridge, Dylan was the only one there. She saw no sign of Tyr.
"How is he?" Dylan asked.
"Fine." Beka said. "Where's Tyr?"
Dylan sighed. "Back with the records."
"Nothing else is new. So we can't reinitiate the ship without Harper around. What are we going to do now?" She asked. Her heat pack beeped and she adjusted it.
"Hang around and try to find out more about this ship. Who did it come across?"
Beka thought for a moment. "The ship was already damaged by the time another attack came. According to Rommie, the ship had severe casualties. The last battle only worsened things. Three of the transports are gone. The crew must have abandoned the Pixanthi."
"Cowards.' Tyr said from the bridge entrance. "The captain and his command crew deserted the ship and condemned it to her death."
"What happened to them?" Dylan asked.
"Leonai Soma and his crew were destroyed by Magog forces days after their escape. Some Nietzcheans believe them to be heroes. If only they knew what really happened and why they were destroyed on their transports and not on the Pixanthi." Tyr accessed a file and it appeared on the main screen in front of them.
"Harper may be the engineer, but I know Nietzchean ships, especially this one. We can reactivate the ship through this sequence code. Once we enter it, it will scan the ship for any Nietzchean presence. Any other life form detected anywhere but the brig will alert its security protocol." The console beeped and another file materialized.
Dylan looked at Beka. "Guess we should be heading to the brig." He said.
Beka tilted her head. "I never thought I'd be down there."
"First time for everything. Lets go get Harper." Dylan said.
Tyr stopped them before they left the bridge. "Once I enter the sequence, I cannot stop it. Tell me when you have reached the brig." He said. Dylan nodded.
"Harper." Beka whispered. The engineer shifted in the bunk.
Dylan appeared behind her. "Harper."
Beka rolled her eyes and took out a small rectangular device. She pressed a button and poked it into his arm.
"Ahh!" Harper shouted as the electricity jolted through his arm.
"About time." Beka said, standing up.
"Don't do that.' Harper said.
"Come on, we gotta go." Dylan and Beka hoisted him to his feet, though he was still confused.
"Why? What happened?" He asked as they ran through the ship.
"If you weren't busy sleeping, you'd know." Beka said. They turned a few corners.
They reached the lower decks. "We're there." Beka said. On the bridge, Tyr nodded. "I will begin now."
"Begin what?" Harper asked. He felt like a little kid in a big crowd of adults, trying to get attention. No one listened.
"We're going to reactivate the ship." Dylan finally said.
Tyr pressed a few more letters and numbers into the computer. One by one, they keyed in.
"Reac--you mean you're going to turn it back on?!?" Harper yelled.
Beka started at him. "Yeah, what-"
"There's a change in the program!" Harper said. "The captain, Lenny Coma, whatever his name is. He was so obsessed with his ship that he changed the codes around. The one Tyr's entering now is the one to activate the intruder security protocol. The captain didn't want anyone else to have his ship, but he wouldn't destroy it. So he changed the program. If Tyr doesn't stop--"
A computerized voice wafted through the ship. "Sequence code accepted. Program initiated."
"We're too late." Harper said. "The ship's going to start it's scan. It'll detect Tyr and activate the security measures.'
"What are those?" Beka asked. "The system's damaged, maybe it won't work."
Harper shook his head. "This section is fail-proof. It operates independently from the rest of the internal defense system. It'll activate whether the ship's dead or alive."
Tyr stood on the bridge, waiting. Dylan's voice came through the channel. Harper's frenzied array of technobabble permeated the background.
"Tyr, get out of there now." He said. "The program's been tampered with. The ship's going to defend itself against what it thinks are intruders."
Tyr was taken aback. "How did-"
"The former captain." Dylan said. "Go now."
The computer voice came again. "Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Systems security protocol activated."
Tyr couldn't do anything now. He just stood on the bridge. The Nietzchean ship started to flash. It's signals glowed with red, like it would in emergency situations.
"Commencing self-destruct sequence."
"We're never going to get out in time." Beka said. "We're too far down."
"Tyr could still get out." Dylan said.
"Tyr?" Beka shouted through the din of the alarms.
"The bridge has sealed off. I can't access the doors." The Nietzchean stopped trying to budge the heavy gates. "We're all trapped.'
"Well, this has been a wonderful ride courtesy of Deranged and Insane Airlines. Thank you for riding, next stop, ugly death and oblivion!" Harper shouted. "First class seating will be situated in the brig of all places."
"Nice knowing you." Beka said to Dylan and Harper.
"Self-destruct in ten…"
"Nine"
"This is how I go out.' Harper said. "Great."
'Six."
"Five…"
"And I never told Rommie goodbye." He said.
"Three…"
"Rev and Trance, I never told them either…"
"One."
"Harper!" A voice jolted him into consciousness. The young man woke up and rubbed his eyes.
"What?" He said groggily. His eyes adjusted and he saw a familiar blonde staring at him.
"Beka?"
"Among the stupid things you've done, this is about the stupidest." She said as a way of welcoming him back.
Then he remembered. His eyes went wide. "Where's-"
"Back on the Andromeda. Don't worry. She's fine." Beka said. " Why you decided to go into the Nietzchean ship, I'll never know."
"Rommie said that the ship had found us." He said.
"Yes, and it activated it's security measures. You're lucky it only kicked you out. Half of it's security was damaged. It would've killed you if it were fully operational. "
Harper shook his head and sat up. He tried to stand up but the dizziness kept him down. "The reactivation, there's-"
"Get some rest." Beka said, pushing him back down. He was too dizzy to reply. Beka rolled her eyes and left.
Harper mumbled as he dozed off. "-Something to tell you…"
When she reached the Nietzchean Bridge, Dylan was the only one there. She saw no sign of Tyr.
"How is he?" Dylan asked.
"Fine." Beka said. "Where's Tyr?"
Dylan sighed. "Back with the records."
"Nothing else is new. So we can't reinitiate the ship without Harper around. What are we going to do now?" She asked. Her heat pack beeped and she adjusted it.
"Hang around and try to find out more about this ship. Who did it come across?"
Beka thought for a moment. "The ship was already damaged by the time another attack came. According to Rommie, the ship had severe casualties. The last battle only worsened things. Three of the transports are gone. The crew must have abandoned the Pixanthi."
"Cowards.' Tyr said from the bridge entrance. "The captain and his command crew deserted the ship and condemned it to her death."
"What happened to them?" Dylan asked.
"Leonai Soma and his crew were destroyed by Magog forces days after their escape. Some Nietzcheans believe them to be heroes. If only they knew what really happened and why they were destroyed on their transports and not on the Pixanthi." Tyr accessed a file and it appeared on the main screen in front of them.
"Harper may be the engineer, but I know Nietzchean ships, especially this one. We can reactivate the ship through this sequence code. Once we enter it, it will scan the ship for any Nietzchean presence. Any other life form detected anywhere but the brig will alert its security protocol." The console beeped and another file materialized.
Dylan looked at Beka. "Guess we should be heading to the brig." He said.
Beka tilted her head. "I never thought I'd be down there."
"First time for everything. Lets go get Harper." Dylan said.
Tyr stopped them before they left the bridge. "Once I enter the sequence, I cannot stop it. Tell me when you have reached the brig." He said. Dylan nodded.
"Harper." Beka whispered. The engineer shifted in the bunk.
Dylan appeared behind her. "Harper."
Beka rolled her eyes and took out a small rectangular device. She pressed a button and poked it into his arm.
"Ahh!" Harper shouted as the electricity jolted through his arm.
"About time." Beka said, standing up.
"Don't do that.' Harper said.
"Come on, we gotta go." Dylan and Beka hoisted him to his feet, though he was still confused.
"Why? What happened?" He asked as they ran through the ship.
"If you weren't busy sleeping, you'd know." Beka said. They turned a few corners.
They reached the lower decks. "We're there." Beka said. On the bridge, Tyr nodded. "I will begin now."
"Begin what?" Harper asked. He felt like a little kid in a big crowd of adults, trying to get attention. No one listened.
"We're going to reactivate the ship." Dylan finally said.
Tyr pressed a few more letters and numbers into the computer. One by one, they keyed in.
"Reac--you mean you're going to turn it back on?!?" Harper yelled.
Beka started at him. "Yeah, what-"
"There's a change in the program!" Harper said. "The captain, Lenny Coma, whatever his name is. He was so obsessed with his ship that he changed the codes around. The one Tyr's entering now is the one to activate the intruder security protocol. The captain didn't want anyone else to have his ship, but he wouldn't destroy it. So he changed the program. If Tyr doesn't stop--"
A computerized voice wafted through the ship. "Sequence code accepted. Program initiated."
"We're too late." Harper said. "The ship's going to start it's scan. It'll detect Tyr and activate the security measures.'
"What are those?" Beka asked. "The system's damaged, maybe it won't work."
Harper shook his head. "This section is fail-proof. It operates independently from the rest of the internal defense system. It'll activate whether the ship's dead or alive."
Tyr stood on the bridge, waiting. Dylan's voice came through the channel. Harper's frenzied array of technobabble permeated the background.
"Tyr, get out of there now." He said. "The program's been tampered with. The ship's going to defend itself against what it thinks are intruders."
Tyr was taken aback. "How did-"
"The former captain." Dylan said. "Go now."
The computer voice came again. "Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Systems security protocol activated."
Tyr couldn't do anything now. He just stood on the bridge. The Nietzchean ship started to flash. It's signals glowed with red, like it would in emergency situations.
"Commencing self-destruct sequence."
"We're never going to get out in time." Beka said. "We're too far down."
"Tyr could still get out." Dylan said.
"Tyr?" Beka shouted through the din of the alarms.
"The bridge has sealed off. I can't access the doors." The Nietzchean stopped trying to budge the heavy gates. "We're all trapped.'
"Well, this has been a wonderful ride courtesy of Deranged and Insane Airlines. Thank you for riding, next stop, ugly death and oblivion!" Harper shouted. "First class seating will be situated in the brig of all places."
"Nice knowing you." Beka said to Dylan and Harper.
"Self-destruct in ten…"
"Nine"
"This is how I go out.' Harper said. "Great."
'Six."
"Five…"
"And I never told Rommie goodbye." He said.
"Three…"
"Rev and Trance, I never told them either…"
"One."
