"No!" Harper screamed into the silence, and was shocked when he felt arms
grab him and hold him.
"It's okay, it's going to be okay. You're okay."
Harper recognized Beka's voice as he opened his eyes and saw her and Dylan on his left side. He was lying in med deck and his skull was throbbing. He reached up and lightly felt a bandage across his head.
"W-Where'd you guys go when the Magog and Nietzscheans came? How-How'd you get us out of there?"
Dylan and Beka exchanged odd looks at Harper's questions.
"What are you talking about?" the blonde first officer asked.
"On the way back from the Salckon System.when.what?"
"Harper we never went anywhere."
"Andromeda," Harper heard Dylan's voice try to whisper, "get Trance down here."
"But." the engineer frowned as his mind tried to comprehend it all.
"Harper you had an accident on the Maru," Beka explained. "You hit your head and suffered a concussion, a rather severe one according to Trance. You've been out cold for the past four days."
"We were worried," Dylan said as he fixed Harper's bandage. "We still are."
"I." Harper was at a loss for words. "I had the oddest dream. It seemed so real. I-I was the prince of a star system that agreed to join the Commonwealth. I even had a sister."
"You? A prince" Beka asked as she tried not to giggle. "Only in your mind."
It was then that Trance entered and kicked Beka and Dylan out, saying that Harper needed his rest. She made sure the engineer was okay and let him out of med bay a week later after much begging and pleading.
Harper sat in front of a console now, trying to figure out why Andromeda had been slurring lately. He adjusted a few things and reached into his pocket for a hook-up. His fingers fumbled around until they grabbed something small and circular. Harper's brow furrowed as he pulled a gold ring out of his pocket. It had a ruby with a diamond on each side and Harper stood perplexed as it sparkled in the light.
"Weird." He mumbled. "Was it real?"
"It was my father's favorite ring and now I want you to have it. Red is the symbol of Salckon royalty and I guess the two diamonds represent Ali and I."
"It's.it's priceless. How could you give me something like this?"
"Because someone I thought I'd lost forever came back from the dead, and I want this person to remember me."
"I'll see you again."
"Just.don't forget me."
"I won't. I promise."
Harper had had Rommie check her records over and over again and the only thing they had found about the Salckon System was a stupid legend that said it had had an encounter with the Vedrans and been cut off from the slipstream during a civil war.
Seamus Harper stared dumbly at the ring in his hand.
Could it be possible? He thought skeptically. To believe so would be to deny all scientific laws.
Yet, John's words and his own reverberated in his head. It seemed so real. He remembered the words and found it almost impossible to believe he'd been dreaming. In fact, now that he thought about it more and more it seemed as if John had thought that he'd never see Harper again. It was almost like John had known.
"I'll see you again."
"Just.don't forget me."
"I won't. I promise."
"Good-bye," Harper whispered as he put the ring safely back in his pocket, ".Dad."
The End.
"It's okay, it's going to be okay. You're okay."
Harper recognized Beka's voice as he opened his eyes and saw her and Dylan on his left side. He was lying in med deck and his skull was throbbing. He reached up and lightly felt a bandage across his head.
"W-Where'd you guys go when the Magog and Nietzscheans came? How-How'd you get us out of there?"
Dylan and Beka exchanged odd looks at Harper's questions.
"What are you talking about?" the blonde first officer asked.
"On the way back from the Salckon System.when.what?"
"Harper we never went anywhere."
"Andromeda," Harper heard Dylan's voice try to whisper, "get Trance down here."
"But." the engineer frowned as his mind tried to comprehend it all.
"Harper you had an accident on the Maru," Beka explained. "You hit your head and suffered a concussion, a rather severe one according to Trance. You've been out cold for the past four days."
"We were worried," Dylan said as he fixed Harper's bandage. "We still are."
"I." Harper was at a loss for words. "I had the oddest dream. It seemed so real. I-I was the prince of a star system that agreed to join the Commonwealth. I even had a sister."
"You? A prince" Beka asked as she tried not to giggle. "Only in your mind."
It was then that Trance entered and kicked Beka and Dylan out, saying that Harper needed his rest. She made sure the engineer was okay and let him out of med bay a week later after much begging and pleading.
Harper sat in front of a console now, trying to figure out why Andromeda had been slurring lately. He adjusted a few things and reached into his pocket for a hook-up. His fingers fumbled around until they grabbed something small and circular. Harper's brow furrowed as he pulled a gold ring out of his pocket. It had a ruby with a diamond on each side and Harper stood perplexed as it sparkled in the light.
"Weird." He mumbled. "Was it real?"
"It was my father's favorite ring and now I want you to have it. Red is the symbol of Salckon royalty and I guess the two diamonds represent Ali and I."
"It's.it's priceless. How could you give me something like this?"
"Because someone I thought I'd lost forever came back from the dead, and I want this person to remember me."
"I'll see you again."
"Just.don't forget me."
"I won't. I promise."
Harper had had Rommie check her records over and over again and the only thing they had found about the Salckon System was a stupid legend that said it had had an encounter with the Vedrans and been cut off from the slipstream during a civil war.
Seamus Harper stared dumbly at the ring in his hand.
Could it be possible? He thought skeptically. To believe so would be to deny all scientific laws.
Yet, John's words and his own reverberated in his head. It seemed so real. He remembered the words and found it almost impossible to believe he'd been dreaming. In fact, now that he thought about it more and more it seemed as if John had thought that he'd never see Harper again. It was almost like John had known.
"I'll see you again."
"Just.don't forget me."
"I won't. I promise."
"Good-bye," Harper whispered as he put the ring safely back in his pocket, ".Dad."
The End.