"Can you believe our luck?" Beka asked Dylan as they boarded the Maru.
"The first place we stop at has all the parts we need and more. This is
the first time that's ever happened to me while looking for replacement
parts for the Andromeda."
Dylan smiled and said, "Yah, well the Andromeda is a very unique ship."
"Maybe, but it's nothing like the Maru."
"Luckily."
"Hey! For your information that ship of mine has gotten me out of more tight scrapes than I can count. It's happens to be a very sleek ship."
"To each his own, I suppose."
"Oh, you are so dead!" Beka yelled as she lunged playfully at Dylan.
Seeing the attack, Dylan turned and ran, trying to keep from laughing. He made it about five feet before he was tackled and fell to the ground. Beka giggled as moved to get off of him.
"I win," she said with a big smirk on her face.
In one swift motion Dylan was up from his compromising position on the floor and sitting on Beka. She was still laughing. Dylan leaned in so his nose was a few inches from hers and said, "I think I win."
Beka shrugged and couldn't help but notice that Dylan wasn't making an attempt to get off her. He was staring into her eyes, as if in deep thought, and she was surprised how beautiful his eyes were. When he finally started to stand up she felt slightly disappointed.
What is wrong with you Valentine? She thought to herself as she took Dylan's offered hand and he pulled her to her feet. It's just Dylan.
"Do you think we woke him up?" he asked her quietly.
"Who?" Beka questioned.
Dylan looked at her quizzically before replying, "Harper."
"Oh, Harper. I doubt it. He can sleep through practically anything. We better get going though."
"Do you want me to check on him?"
"Nah," Beka said as she sat down to pilot, "he's probably in dreamland and a sleeping Harper is a lot easier to deal with than a bored Harper is. Trust me, I know."
Dylan chuckled and checked some of their key systems while Beka got permission to leave. The Maru was on its way to the planet Hayden. It was the capitol planet of the Salckon system, the one they were in. Hayden was only one of the ten planets but it was well known for its doctors and medical treatment. Although Dylan didn't like getting the Commonwealth mixed up in sovereignties, he didn't plan on interfering with the government.
Harper had been enjoying his little jaunt but he figured it was time to get back to the Maru. The pain in his neck had dulled a little but his splitting headache was still as bad as ever. It had, in fact, been getting worse but Harper had ignored it as he got the stabilizer for the Maru. Now he was at the door to the Maru's dock and happy to be only a few minutes from bed.
Opening the docking door revealed an empty bay. Harper blinked a few times then stepped back out to check the number on the door. It said 42 and the Maru had been in docking bay 42. The only problem was, there was nothing there.
"B-Beka?" Harper yelled as he ventured inside the dark bay. "C'mon boss, this isn't funny. I get it, I'm not suppose to run off but."
A shiver ran down Harper's spine as he broke into a cold sweat. He searched the area or some sort of clue or sign of struggle, but found none.
They left me, he thought to himself. Beka.left.me.
The only way he could find out when the Maru had taken off or possibly where it had gone was if he got to the docking communication center. Ships that came and went were monitored there and given clearance to dock. It was the only hope Harper thought he had and he started for it at a jog. The idea of being cold, hungry, and alone on a strange, dark drift made him pick up the pace. He couldn't believe Beka had left him. There was no way she would have left him unless she hadn't known he wasn't onboard or the ship really had been hijacked.
The pain in Harper's skull throbbed to the beat o his feet as he ran. Looking down at his feet, Harper saw one of his boots was untied. In that moment of distraction, as he was just about to stop to tie his hoe, he ran right into someone. The impact sent him careening to the ground and he landed unceremoniously on his side.
"Watch where you're." an oddly familiar voice started to chastise, but stopped in mid sentence. "Are you following me?"
Harper cracked open an eye he hadn't realized was closed and saw what looked like a shadow. Everything looked a little funny to him and he briefly wondered if he was dreaming.
Great, he mused. I'm in shadow land.
Clearing their throat, the shadow repeated, "I said, are you following me?"
"A-Ali?" Harper asked as he recognized her voice. "Whadda you doin' here?"
Seeing the genuine hurt and confusion on Seamus' face, Ali came to the conclusion that bumping into him had been a coincidence as she offered him a gloved hand.
"Thhanks," Harper slurred as he pulled himself up. "I thhink I mighta hit my head on the wa-way down.
The engineer tripped over an invisible force and his knees collapsed. Ali grabbed him on his way down and managed to keep him from hitting his head again.
"Maru," Harper stuttered and tried to explain his situation before he lost consciousness. "Snuck out. Beka and Dylan. Left, Andromeda! Beka."
The world did a somersault and Harper's eyelids fluttered shut before he could finish the sentence.
Ali keyed her wrist communicator, "Dad, I need a stretcher outside docking bay.87."
"Are you alright?" her father's worried voice echoed from the other end.
"Ya, I'm find. It's a friend of mine.he looks like he's hurt pretty bad."
"Okay sweetheart, I'll be right there with a few guards. Just sit tight. John out."
Ali didn't know why she'd said this man was her friend when they had just met. When she had first seen him there had been this charisma about him. She almost felt as if she should have been welcoming him like a best friend that she hadn't seen in a long time instead of the stranger he was. The blatant use of his last name and his likeness had perturbed her.
With muddled thoughts, Ali sighed as she replied blankly into the vacant comm line, "Princess Alexis.out."
Dylan smiled and said, "Yah, well the Andromeda is a very unique ship."
"Maybe, but it's nothing like the Maru."
"Luckily."
"Hey! For your information that ship of mine has gotten me out of more tight scrapes than I can count. It's happens to be a very sleek ship."
"To each his own, I suppose."
"Oh, you are so dead!" Beka yelled as she lunged playfully at Dylan.
Seeing the attack, Dylan turned and ran, trying to keep from laughing. He made it about five feet before he was tackled and fell to the ground. Beka giggled as moved to get off of him.
"I win," she said with a big smirk on her face.
In one swift motion Dylan was up from his compromising position on the floor and sitting on Beka. She was still laughing. Dylan leaned in so his nose was a few inches from hers and said, "I think I win."
Beka shrugged and couldn't help but notice that Dylan wasn't making an attempt to get off her. He was staring into her eyes, as if in deep thought, and she was surprised how beautiful his eyes were. When he finally started to stand up she felt slightly disappointed.
What is wrong with you Valentine? She thought to herself as she took Dylan's offered hand and he pulled her to her feet. It's just Dylan.
"Do you think we woke him up?" he asked her quietly.
"Who?" Beka questioned.
Dylan looked at her quizzically before replying, "Harper."
"Oh, Harper. I doubt it. He can sleep through practically anything. We better get going though."
"Do you want me to check on him?"
"Nah," Beka said as she sat down to pilot, "he's probably in dreamland and a sleeping Harper is a lot easier to deal with than a bored Harper is. Trust me, I know."
Dylan chuckled and checked some of their key systems while Beka got permission to leave. The Maru was on its way to the planet Hayden. It was the capitol planet of the Salckon system, the one they were in. Hayden was only one of the ten planets but it was well known for its doctors and medical treatment. Although Dylan didn't like getting the Commonwealth mixed up in sovereignties, he didn't plan on interfering with the government.
Harper had been enjoying his little jaunt but he figured it was time to get back to the Maru. The pain in his neck had dulled a little but his splitting headache was still as bad as ever. It had, in fact, been getting worse but Harper had ignored it as he got the stabilizer for the Maru. Now he was at the door to the Maru's dock and happy to be only a few minutes from bed.
Opening the docking door revealed an empty bay. Harper blinked a few times then stepped back out to check the number on the door. It said 42 and the Maru had been in docking bay 42. The only problem was, there was nothing there.
"B-Beka?" Harper yelled as he ventured inside the dark bay. "C'mon boss, this isn't funny. I get it, I'm not suppose to run off but."
A shiver ran down Harper's spine as he broke into a cold sweat. He searched the area or some sort of clue or sign of struggle, but found none.
They left me, he thought to himself. Beka.left.me.
The only way he could find out when the Maru had taken off or possibly where it had gone was if he got to the docking communication center. Ships that came and went were monitored there and given clearance to dock. It was the only hope Harper thought he had and he started for it at a jog. The idea of being cold, hungry, and alone on a strange, dark drift made him pick up the pace. He couldn't believe Beka had left him. There was no way she would have left him unless she hadn't known he wasn't onboard or the ship really had been hijacked.
The pain in Harper's skull throbbed to the beat o his feet as he ran. Looking down at his feet, Harper saw one of his boots was untied. In that moment of distraction, as he was just about to stop to tie his hoe, he ran right into someone. The impact sent him careening to the ground and he landed unceremoniously on his side.
"Watch where you're." an oddly familiar voice started to chastise, but stopped in mid sentence. "Are you following me?"
Harper cracked open an eye he hadn't realized was closed and saw what looked like a shadow. Everything looked a little funny to him and he briefly wondered if he was dreaming.
Great, he mused. I'm in shadow land.
Clearing their throat, the shadow repeated, "I said, are you following me?"
"A-Ali?" Harper asked as he recognized her voice. "Whadda you doin' here?"
Seeing the genuine hurt and confusion on Seamus' face, Ali came to the conclusion that bumping into him had been a coincidence as she offered him a gloved hand.
"Thhanks," Harper slurred as he pulled himself up. "I thhink I mighta hit my head on the wa-way down.
The engineer tripped over an invisible force and his knees collapsed. Ali grabbed him on his way down and managed to keep him from hitting his head again.
"Maru," Harper stuttered and tried to explain his situation before he lost consciousness. "Snuck out. Beka and Dylan. Left, Andromeda! Beka."
The world did a somersault and Harper's eyelids fluttered shut before he could finish the sentence.
Ali keyed her wrist communicator, "Dad, I need a stretcher outside docking bay.87."
"Are you alright?" her father's worried voice echoed from the other end.
"Ya, I'm find. It's a friend of mine.he looks like he's hurt pretty bad."
"Okay sweetheart, I'll be right there with a few guards. Just sit tight. John out."
Ali didn't know why she'd said this man was her friend when they had just met. When she had first seen him there had been this charisma about him. She almost felt as if she should have been welcoming him like a best friend that she hadn't seen in a long time instead of the stranger he was. The blatant use of his last name and his likeness had perturbed her.
With muddled thoughts, Ali sighed as she replied blankly into the vacant comm line, "Princess Alexis.out."