"Dad?" Ali asked as she entered her father's dark quarters.
"Oh Ali," a voice came from nowhere, "did you get the right paperwork this time?"
The princess felt her face get hot and was glad the room was pitch black so her father couldn't see her momentary weakness. She didn't know why her Dad had all the lights off but her eyes were slowly adjusting. She could make out the outline of a form sitting behind a desk and figured it was John. Ali squinted and walked to it slowly so as not to run into a table and ruin anything expensive.
"Um.yah. It wasn't that hard. Dad, uh.what are you doing?"
"I'm sitting in the dark."
No shit, Ali bit back the retort and said instead, "Why?"
"Because," her father enunciated slowly, "I need to think."
Alexis sat the paperwork she'd recovered on the king's desk. The room's extreme spacious beauty was lost in the dark. The antique Persian rugs and old-fashioned oak furniture were all just shadows.
It could just as easily be a closet, Ali thought to herself as she turned the desk light on, hoping to annoy her father. I'd rather it was a closet.
"Alex," John started but corrected himself when he saw his daughter's angry look, "Ali. The DNA results came back."
Nodding, the princess waited for her father to continue. She hoped Harper was her brother because then she wouldn't have to rule.
"I had it checked and rechecked, but the results remain the same. Seamus Harper is really Luke. He's your brother.and my son."
Ali sunk into one of the plush chairs in front of the desk. The small light cast an eerie glow on her father's face. It made it look haunted and his eyes tired. She wondered if it was all because of the light.
"I almost wish he was a stranger," John said as he rubbed his brow. "It'd be better.for him."
"A-are you going to tell him?" Ali questioned quietly.
"Not right away. His crewmembers are here and he's still healing."
"His crewmembers?"
"Yes, a Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda and his first officer, Beka Valentine."
"Andromeda? As in Andromeda Ascendant?"
"I do believe that's what I was told."
"Dad, Dylan Hunt? Commonwealth? That doesn't ring any bells?"
John frowned, "No."
"Oh my god, Dad! This could be your chance to fix the tension between the Deons and the Pacifis! If you join the Commonwealth we'd have a reason to switch to a democracy and keep royalty as a symbol!"
"Commonwealth? What are you talking about? I thought it fell years ago."
"It's being restored and if you play your cards right you could join," Ali stated matter-of-factly.
"I don't know."
"Just promise me you'll consider it. There must be something to it if you own son's helping."
Mentioning Luke was enough for John. He bit his lip but nodded in agreement. Ali hugged him and made her way for the door, glad she knew his new weak spot.
"You won't regret it," she said as she walked out. "I promise!"
"Now where have I heard that before?" John asked himself as he turned his desk light back off. ***
Harper came to with an inaudible groan. His head ached and his neck felt rubbery. Cracking his eyes open, Harper suddenly remembered where he was and sat up with a start. He blinked back the dots that swam in front of his eyes and was surprised to see Dylan asleep in a chair by his bed. Harper was going to wake him up but he stopped and let his hand linger before dropping it back onto the bed. He figured Dylan must really need some rest if he'd fallen asleep on sick sentry duty. Slowly and carefully he pulled himself off the bed and to the bathroom.
Dylan awoke to the sound of a flushing toilet. He stood and stretched before his brain made the connection and realized Harper was up.
"Harper," Dylan greeted his engineer as he came out of the bathroom.
"What are you doing here?" Harper croaked.
"Beka and I came back and found you. The whole thing was a total accident. We didn't know you weren't onboard and we didn't check before taking off. It's my fault. I'm so sorry."
"Beka?" Harper asked, not caring about the reasons why he'd been left.
"Yah, she went to take a nap."
"Oh."
Dylan chuckled as he gripped Harper's shoulders and led him back to bed.
"You should rest, but I'll go find her if you want."
"I feel fine," Harper insisted and attempted to leave but Dylan stopped him.
"Just stay here while I get Beka, okay?"
Harper didn't have the energy to keep disagreeing so he sat down on the edge of the bed. He waited for Dylan to leave before wincing in pain and lying back down. ***
"Beka?" Dylan inquired as he entered the kitchen, the third room he'd been in in the past ten minutes.
"Over here," was the muffled reply.
Dylan turned the corner and had to stifle back a laugh at the sight. Beka was dressed in a white tank top and pink heart boxers as she dug through the fridge on her hands and knees.
"I can't find the stupid coffee!" she yelled as she stood up and slammed the door. Running a hand through her short hair, Beka leaned against the closed fridge and crossed her arms.
"I think it's um, over on the stove. Right behind you."
Dylan indicated the location he was talking about with his head. Beka turned and saw the can of coffee a few feet away. She blushed and grabbed the canister, all of a sudden becoming very aware of what she had on.
"Thanks," Beka said as she tried to unscrew the lid. "I just woke up and I guess my brain hasn't switched on yet."
Dylan gave her a goofy grin before breaking the news, "Guess who's awake."
Beka abruptly stopped struggling with her coffee lid and asked, "Harper?"
"Uh-huh. The first thing he wants to know is where you are."
"Well then, why are you just standing there? Get moving!"
Dylan did just that and ran smack into Ali as he moved to leave the kitchen.
Why is it starting to seem like I meet new people by knocking them on their asses? Ali asked herself as she got up.
"I'm sorry, uh." Dylan trailed off, clueless as to who the girl was in front of him.
"Alexis," the princess replied. "I'm John's daughter. You can call me Ali."
"I'm Dylan," the Captain replied, "and this is-"
"Beka, yah I know. I've heard of your Commonwealth quest and I must say, I'm impressed."
Dylan smiled and started walking away with Beka right behind him. Ali jogged to catch up, not oblivious to the attempted brush off. She could have both of them arrested for not paying proper respect, but Ali always liked being treated like a normal person and interacting.
"Dylan, I know you're in a rush to go see your crewman but I just want to ask you something."
Beka raised an eyebrow skeptically but the Andromeda's captain stopped and waited for Ali to continue.
"Your Commonwealth, it's interesting. I'm just curious, can any planet join?"
"Yes," Dylan replied and glanced at Beka, "why?"
Ali smiled diplomatically before lying, "Some rumors are circulating. One says that only a democratic planet can join. Is that true?"
"The Commonwealth is a democracy, if that's what you mean. Any planet can join but its government has to conform to our policies, which means democracy."
"Thank-you for your time Captain Hunt," Ali said politely and started walking away in the opposite direction, but stopped short. "Oh, and uh, next time you see my father, bring up these 'policies' of yours with him. I think he'll be very interested in them."
Beka and Dylan looked at each other in confusion and shrugged. Once they got their bearings back they continued on to Harper's room, wondering about the strange encounter.
"Oh Ali," a voice came from nowhere, "did you get the right paperwork this time?"
The princess felt her face get hot and was glad the room was pitch black so her father couldn't see her momentary weakness. She didn't know why her Dad had all the lights off but her eyes were slowly adjusting. She could make out the outline of a form sitting behind a desk and figured it was John. Ali squinted and walked to it slowly so as not to run into a table and ruin anything expensive.
"Um.yah. It wasn't that hard. Dad, uh.what are you doing?"
"I'm sitting in the dark."
No shit, Ali bit back the retort and said instead, "Why?"
"Because," her father enunciated slowly, "I need to think."
Alexis sat the paperwork she'd recovered on the king's desk. The room's extreme spacious beauty was lost in the dark. The antique Persian rugs and old-fashioned oak furniture were all just shadows.
It could just as easily be a closet, Ali thought to herself as she turned the desk light on, hoping to annoy her father. I'd rather it was a closet.
"Alex," John started but corrected himself when he saw his daughter's angry look, "Ali. The DNA results came back."
Nodding, the princess waited for her father to continue. She hoped Harper was her brother because then she wouldn't have to rule.
"I had it checked and rechecked, but the results remain the same. Seamus Harper is really Luke. He's your brother.and my son."
Ali sunk into one of the plush chairs in front of the desk. The small light cast an eerie glow on her father's face. It made it look haunted and his eyes tired. She wondered if it was all because of the light.
"I almost wish he was a stranger," John said as he rubbed his brow. "It'd be better.for him."
"A-are you going to tell him?" Ali questioned quietly.
"Not right away. His crewmembers are here and he's still healing."
"His crewmembers?"
"Yes, a Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda and his first officer, Beka Valentine."
"Andromeda? As in Andromeda Ascendant?"
"I do believe that's what I was told."
"Dad, Dylan Hunt? Commonwealth? That doesn't ring any bells?"
John frowned, "No."
"Oh my god, Dad! This could be your chance to fix the tension between the Deons and the Pacifis! If you join the Commonwealth we'd have a reason to switch to a democracy and keep royalty as a symbol!"
"Commonwealth? What are you talking about? I thought it fell years ago."
"It's being restored and if you play your cards right you could join," Ali stated matter-of-factly.
"I don't know."
"Just promise me you'll consider it. There must be something to it if you own son's helping."
Mentioning Luke was enough for John. He bit his lip but nodded in agreement. Ali hugged him and made her way for the door, glad she knew his new weak spot.
"You won't regret it," she said as she walked out. "I promise!"
"Now where have I heard that before?" John asked himself as he turned his desk light back off. ***
Harper came to with an inaudible groan. His head ached and his neck felt rubbery. Cracking his eyes open, Harper suddenly remembered where he was and sat up with a start. He blinked back the dots that swam in front of his eyes and was surprised to see Dylan asleep in a chair by his bed. Harper was going to wake him up but he stopped and let his hand linger before dropping it back onto the bed. He figured Dylan must really need some rest if he'd fallen asleep on sick sentry duty. Slowly and carefully he pulled himself off the bed and to the bathroom.
Dylan awoke to the sound of a flushing toilet. He stood and stretched before his brain made the connection and realized Harper was up.
"Harper," Dylan greeted his engineer as he came out of the bathroom.
"What are you doing here?" Harper croaked.
"Beka and I came back and found you. The whole thing was a total accident. We didn't know you weren't onboard and we didn't check before taking off. It's my fault. I'm so sorry."
"Beka?" Harper asked, not caring about the reasons why he'd been left.
"Yah, she went to take a nap."
"Oh."
Dylan chuckled as he gripped Harper's shoulders and led him back to bed.
"You should rest, but I'll go find her if you want."
"I feel fine," Harper insisted and attempted to leave but Dylan stopped him.
"Just stay here while I get Beka, okay?"
Harper didn't have the energy to keep disagreeing so he sat down on the edge of the bed. He waited for Dylan to leave before wincing in pain and lying back down. ***
"Beka?" Dylan inquired as he entered the kitchen, the third room he'd been in in the past ten minutes.
"Over here," was the muffled reply.
Dylan turned the corner and had to stifle back a laugh at the sight. Beka was dressed in a white tank top and pink heart boxers as she dug through the fridge on her hands and knees.
"I can't find the stupid coffee!" she yelled as she stood up and slammed the door. Running a hand through her short hair, Beka leaned against the closed fridge and crossed her arms.
"I think it's um, over on the stove. Right behind you."
Dylan indicated the location he was talking about with his head. Beka turned and saw the can of coffee a few feet away. She blushed and grabbed the canister, all of a sudden becoming very aware of what she had on.
"Thanks," Beka said as she tried to unscrew the lid. "I just woke up and I guess my brain hasn't switched on yet."
Dylan gave her a goofy grin before breaking the news, "Guess who's awake."
Beka abruptly stopped struggling with her coffee lid and asked, "Harper?"
"Uh-huh. The first thing he wants to know is where you are."
"Well then, why are you just standing there? Get moving!"
Dylan did just that and ran smack into Ali as he moved to leave the kitchen.
Why is it starting to seem like I meet new people by knocking them on their asses? Ali asked herself as she got up.
"I'm sorry, uh." Dylan trailed off, clueless as to who the girl was in front of him.
"Alexis," the princess replied. "I'm John's daughter. You can call me Ali."
"I'm Dylan," the Captain replied, "and this is-"
"Beka, yah I know. I've heard of your Commonwealth quest and I must say, I'm impressed."
Dylan smiled and started walking away with Beka right behind him. Ali jogged to catch up, not oblivious to the attempted brush off. She could have both of them arrested for not paying proper respect, but Ali always liked being treated like a normal person and interacting.
"Dylan, I know you're in a rush to go see your crewman but I just want to ask you something."
Beka raised an eyebrow skeptically but the Andromeda's captain stopped and waited for Ali to continue.
"Your Commonwealth, it's interesting. I'm just curious, can any planet join?"
"Yes," Dylan replied and glanced at Beka, "why?"
Ali smiled diplomatically before lying, "Some rumors are circulating. One says that only a democratic planet can join. Is that true?"
"The Commonwealth is a democracy, if that's what you mean. Any planet can join but its government has to conform to our policies, which means democracy."
"Thank-you for your time Captain Hunt," Ali said politely and started walking away in the opposite direction, but stopped short. "Oh, and uh, next time you see my father, bring up these 'policies' of yours with him. I think he'll be very interested in them."
Beka and Dylan looked at each other in confusion and shrugged. Once they got their bearings back they continued on to Harper's room, wondering about the strange encounter.