This is really turning into a long one, sorry guys ;) I've tried to keep Harper's story short but also keep it interesting. A lot happened over the 20 years. I'm trying to cover the important stuff as best I can. Don't worry though, Harper can't last much longer ;)
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Harper paused a moment, gathering his thoughts. Trance noticed the hint of a sparkle that had appeared in his eyes when he talked about his daughter was almost extinguished. She knew that what he had to say next was very difficult for him even if she didn't know exactly what was to come. She also knew that he was fading, every breath, every heartbeat brought him closer to leaving her. In her mind fear, anger, pity and grief fought for supremacy. Yet she had her own little spark, she still had hope and as long as she clung to it, all was not lost. She would not give up, not until death itself came and stole him from her arms.
Harper blinked rapidly to clear his vision, his face a mask of anguish. "The rumors, the evil, it was the Spirit of the Abyss. Over the years he had secretly built up a new army composed of any creature he could bend to his destructive will. Kalderans, Magog, outcast Neitzscheans, even some humans were with him. We had no idea this army even existed until they launched their first attack. They had new and improved PSB projectors that could destroy entire planets. They were working their way to the seat of the Commonwealth one planet at a time, slowly, methodically.
The Commonwealth fleet was mobilized and once again we raced to the scene, guns blazing. It was a massacre. After loosing half of the ships in his command, Dylan was forced to order a retreat. I was surprised that we were actually allowed to retreat. They didn't even attempt to finish us off. They seemed perfectly content to let us go, regroup and come back to get our butts kicked again.
Once we were a safe distance away, the casualty reports started pouring in. Not one vessel escaped unharmed, not even the Andromeda. We were hit hard and Beka was hurt. It was bad, very bad. The ship was so damaged that my Trance was forced to put Beka into stasis until we reached a functioning hospital.
I sent a message to Kyla to tell her that we were all still alive, if only barely and that we were headed to Sinti to get help for Beka. I can only guess what she thought when she saw me standing amidst what looked like a completely destroyed ship. Actually, I can guess pretty well because Kyla was so much like me, she did exactly what I would have done," Harper grabbed Trance's arm and brought her closer. Through clenched teeth he rasped, "Trance, she left the academy. She and Tamerlane both. They stole a fighter and disappeared. Apparently they had a plan and thought they could defeat the Spirit of the Abyss on their own. They were determined to spare anymore Commonwealth ships or lives, especially ours." Harper released Trance and let his head fall back. He closed his eyes and softly continued. "When we got word of what Kyla and Tamerlane had done, I didn't even have to ask Dylan to go after them. He made arrangements for Beka to be cared for and laid a course to intercept.
As we neared the Volran system, the last known location of SotA's army, we picked up a distress beacon. It was coming from a High Guard escape pod. Rommie's scans were unable to detect any life signs. With my heart in my throat I raced to the hanger deck, Dylan, Rommie and Trance right on my heels. My hands were shaking so much that I couldn't open the pod. Rommie moved me aside so Dylan could force the door of the heavily damaged craft open. I wiggled out of Rommie's grasp and shoved Dylan out of the way so I could see inside the pod. There, in a bloody heap, lay Tamerlane, only Tamerlane. At first glance, I was certain he was dead. Trance brushed past me and began assessing him. He was still alive but barely. We rushed him to med bay, which still hadn't been completely repaired. My Trance certainly was a miracle worker; she brought him back from the brink, like she had done for me so many times before.
Dylan and Rommie continued the search for Kyla from the command deck while I helped Trance as best I could. Tamerlane's injuries were severe and if we hadn't found him when we did, he would have been beyond all hope. Rommie kept us updated, she said that they were beginning to come across signs of a battle and that there had been no contact with Kyla or the enemy. I found this a little disturbing, I mean, we were gettin' really close to the last known location of the super PSB projector and no one had attacked us yet, it was weird.
After a few hours, Tamerlane began to wake up. He looked around surprised. I think he had the same reaction I did when I woke up and the larva were gone, he honestly didn't think he'd ever wake up again. When he recovered from his shock at still being alive, he looked at each of us in turn and then dropped his eyes shamefully. 'Kyla's gone.' He whispered. I kinda lost it for a minute, I launched myself at Tamerlane, fully intending to take my grief and anger out on him. Dylan snagged me at the last second and held me back.
Rommie was comforting Trance, who was a wreck but in a heck of a lot better shape than me. Trance disentangled herself from Rommie and calmly approached the bed. 'Where did she go, Tamerlane?' she asked.
Instead of answering Trance, Tamerlane looked at me. His eyes were pained and he appeared very near tears but his voice was smooth and steady. 'There is no hope. He took her. She's gone.'
I don't remember much of what happened next, just a lot of yelling and crying and, um, throwing stuff around med bay. Rommie finally had to give me a sedative just so I wouldn't hurt myself.
I woke up half expecting to be restrained, thankfully I wasn't. Trance was sleepin' next to me on one of the larger beds, we were still in med bay. The events of the past few hours came rushing back to me and I struggled to keep it together. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head, trying to deny that my daughter was gone. I finally gave in and cried, Trance musta been given something to help her sleep too because she didn't even stir.
Gentle weeping mixed with my own. Confused, I opened my eyes and saw Tamerlane in the bed next to ours. White-hot fury exploded in me. I lept to my feet and stalked over to him. 'You! It's all your fault! What the hell did you think you were doing?' I reached down and grabbed his collar, I shook him, I ignored the pain that it caused him. I wanted him to hurt, I wanted him to feel as bad as I did. He didn't resist or try and defend himself, he just lay there. His stoic silence reminded me how much like Tyr he actually was and that enraged me further. Tyr was gone and now so was my daughter. I pulled back my fist to smash it into his face when his soft baritone cut like a knife through my frenzied, self-righteous wrath.
'I'm sorry.' he said, tears brimming his soft brown eyes. My vision slowly cleared, I no longer saw my daughter's killer before me but the tender, caring young man I thought of as a son. I looked at my upraised fist, still poised to strike. I dropped it to my side and released my grip on his shirt.
'Oh, god, Tamerlane, *I'm* sorry...I...don't...I mean,' I reached out and embraced him. We stayed that way for a long time. Finally Tamerlane pulled back and wiped his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was choked with emotion.
'I loved her so much. In all things but blood she was my sister and I failed her. I would have done anything to protect her. Now I'm here and she's gone. I will never forgive myself.'
'Tamerlane, please, help me understand how this happened.' I said
Tamerlane looked down at his hands and spoke so softly I could barely hear him. 'I was obsessed with my future as an Alpha. Everything I accomplished was to aid in establishing my own pride. Delusions of grandeur flourished with every potential mate I encountered both at the academy and while on leave. Kyla was very enthusiastic when it came to my goals. She did everything possible to help me promote my status.
When we first heard about the Evil One's return and his improved weapons, we secretly began construction on a counter-weapon. It was Kyla's design and it was ingenious. We intended to hand it over to the High Guard and allow ourselves to bask in the glory of being the saviors of the Commonwealth. That is, until we got news of the fleet's defeat. We discussed it and decided that there was no time to waste, we needed to give the anti-PSB weapon to the headmaster immediately.
Then Kyla got your message. She was extremely upset about poor Beka. She was furious at what that glowing gutter rat did to you and the Andromeda. Her baser human instincts took over and I had to physically restrain her from *walking* all the way to the Volron system and, in her words, planting her boot in his ass.
I made the suggestion that we use the anti-PSB weapon ourselves. It would take precious time for the government of the Commonwealth to test and outfit our design. If we were to use it against the Spirit of the Abyss ourselves, we would prevent anymore unnecessary deaths *and* bring great glory to our names in one fell swoop.
Kyla more than willing to introduce Ol' Red Eyes to *Izzy* personally.' When Tamerlane noticed my confused look, he elaborated a little sheepishly, 'Izzy is what we named the weapon.
So, we *borrowed* a fighter and attached the anti-PSB weapon. Kyla made additional modifications to the ship's auxiliary weapons while we were en-route. The enemy armada had made significant progress relative to its last known location. I assumed that they wouldn't consider one small ship to be a threat. I was right. We were able to take them by surprise as they readied their weapon to fire on an unsuspecting planet. We breached their defenses relatively easily and Kyla let Izzy loose with a roar fierce enough to rival any Neitzschean. We scored a direct hit, it worked perfectly the super PSB projector and its ship were destroyed.
Unfortunately, we now had their undivided attention. We fought valiantly, the modifications Kyla made allowed us to destroy many ships. However, one lucky shot from a Neitzschean cruiser was enough to disable our little craft. We were boarded. Kyla and I fought the invaders tooth and nail, side by side. You should be proud, Kyla never gave up, she fought like a wild cat. Together we managed to turn the tide. We were repelling the enemy and forcing them from the ship when from out of nowhere, there He was. The Spirit of the Abyss.
I had studied him at the Academy but nothing could have prepared me for meeting evil face to face. I hesitated for just a moment but it was enough to allow a Kalderan to fire some sort of energy weapon at me. I found myself unable to move of my own volition. I fell to the floor as the putrid form of the Magog's god towered over me. I heard Kyla scream my name as he opened his mouth and a golden blast burst forth, hitting me square in the chest. The pain was excruciating. He turned from me and moved toward Kyla. I began to loose consciousness, the last thing I saw was Kyla being grabbed as she rushed to my side. The Spirit of the Abyss crushed her to himself and placed a glowing hand on her forehead. She immediately slumped against him, unconscious or dead, I cannot say. I heard his evil laughter echo through my mind as he vanished and took Kyla with him. I must have been taken for dead because when I awoke, I was alone in the crippled ship. I don't know how long it took but I managed to drag myself to an escape pod, not knowing if I would live or die. The next thing I knew, I woke up here, in med bay.'
I squeezed Tamerlane's hand as what he said sunk in. My daughter was out there somewhere, at the mercy of that sick son of a bitch. I swore then and there that I wouldn't let anything stop me from finding her and destroying the Spirit of the Abyss once and for all. 'Hang on darlin', Daddy's coming.'
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TBC
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Harper paused a moment, gathering his thoughts. Trance noticed the hint of a sparkle that had appeared in his eyes when he talked about his daughter was almost extinguished. She knew that what he had to say next was very difficult for him even if she didn't know exactly what was to come. She also knew that he was fading, every breath, every heartbeat brought him closer to leaving her. In her mind fear, anger, pity and grief fought for supremacy. Yet she had her own little spark, she still had hope and as long as she clung to it, all was not lost. She would not give up, not until death itself came and stole him from her arms.
Harper blinked rapidly to clear his vision, his face a mask of anguish. "The rumors, the evil, it was the Spirit of the Abyss. Over the years he had secretly built up a new army composed of any creature he could bend to his destructive will. Kalderans, Magog, outcast Neitzscheans, even some humans were with him. We had no idea this army even existed until they launched their first attack. They had new and improved PSB projectors that could destroy entire planets. They were working their way to the seat of the Commonwealth one planet at a time, slowly, methodically.
The Commonwealth fleet was mobilized and once again we raced to the scene, guns blazing. It was a massacre. After loosing half of the ships in his command, Dylan was forced to order a retreat. I was surprised that we were actually allowed to retreat. They didn't even attempt to finish us off. They seemed perfectly content to let us go, regroup and come back to get our butts kicked again.
Once we were a safe distance away, the casualty reports started pouring in. Not one vessel escaped unharmed, not even the Andromeda. We were hit hard and Beka was hurt. It was bad, very bad. The ship was so damaged that my Trance was forced to put Beka into stasis until we reached a functioning hospital.
I sent a message to Kyla to tell her that we were all still alive, if only barely and that we were headed to Sinti to get help for Beka. I can only guess what she thought when she saw me standing amidst what looked like a completely destroyed ship. Actually, I can guess pretty well because Kyla was so much like me, she did exactly what I would have done," Harper grabbed Trance's arm and brought her closer. Through clenched teeth he rasped, "Trance, she left the academy. She and Tamerlane both. They stole a fighter and disappeared. Apparently they had a plan and thought they could defeat the Spirit of the Abyss on their own. They were determined to spare anymore Commonwealth ships or lives, especially ours." Harper released Trance and let his head fall back. He closed his eyes and softly continued. "When we got word of what Kyla and Tamerlane had done, I didn't even have to ask Dylan to go after them. He made arrangements for Beka to be cared for and laid a course to intercept.
As we neared the Volran system, the last known location of SotA's army, we picked up a distress beacon. It was coming from a High Guard escape pod. Rommie's scans were unable to detect any life signs. With my heart in my throat I raced to the hanger deck, Dylan, Rommie and Trance right on my heels. My hands were shaking so much that I couldn't open the pod. Rommie moved me aside so Dylan could force the door of the heavily damaged craft open. I wiggled out of Rommie's grasp and shoved Dylan out of the way so I could see inside the pod. There, in a bloody heap, lay Tamerlane, only Tamerlane. At first glance, I was certain he was dead. Trance brushed past me and began assessing him. He was still alive but barely. We rushed him to med bay, which still hadn't been completely repaired. My Trance certainly was a miracle worker; she brought him back from the brink, like she had done for me so many times before.
Dylan and Rommie continued the search for Kyla from the command deck while I helped Trance as best I could. Tamerlane's injuries were severe and if we hadn't found him when we did, he would have been beyond all hope. Rommie kept us updated, she said that they were beginning to come across signs of a battle and that there had been no contact with Kyla or the enemy. I found this a little disturbing, I mean, we were gettin' really close to the last known location of the super PSB projector and no one had attacked us yet, it was weird.
After a few hours, Tamerlane began to wake up. He looked around surprised. I think he had the same reaction I did when I woke up and the larva were gone, he honestly didn't think he'd ever wake up again. When he recovered from his shock at still being alive, he looked at each of us in turn and then dropped his eyes shamefully. 'Kyla's gone.' He whispered. I kinda lost it for a minute, I launched myself at Tamerlane, fully intending to take my grief and anger out on him. Dylan snagged me at the last second and held me back.
Rommie was comforting Trance, who was a wreck but in a heck of a lot better shape than me. Trance disentangled herself from Rommie and calmly approached the bed. 'Where did she go, Tamerlane?' she asked.
Instead of answering Trance, Tamerlane looked at me. His eyes were pained and he appeared very near tears but his voice was smooth and steady. 'There is no hope. He took her. She's gone.'
I don't remember much of what happened next, just a lot of yelling and crying and, um, throwing stuff around med bay. Rommie finally had to give me a sedative just so I wouldn't hurt myself.
I woke up half expecting to be restrained, thankfully I wasn't. Trance was sleepin' next to me on one of the larger beds, we were still in med bay. The events of the past few hours came rushing back to me and I struggled to keep it together. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head, trying to deny that my daughter was gone. I finally gave in and cried, Trance musta been given something to help her sleep too because she didn't even stir.
Gentle weeping mixed with my own. Confused, I opened my eyes and saw Tamerlane in the bed next to ours. White-hot fury exploded in me. I lept to my feet and stalked over to him. 'You! It's all your fault! What the hell did you think you were doing?' I reached down and grabbed his collar, I shook him, I ignored the pain that it caused him. I wanted him to hurt, I wanted him to feel as bad as I did. He didn't resist or try and defend himself, he just lay there. His stoic silence reminded me how much like Tyr he actually was and that enraged me further. Tyr was gone and now so was my daughter. I pulled back my fist to smash it into his face when his soft baritone cut like a knife through my frenzied, self-righteous wrath.
'I'm sorry.' he said, tears brimming his soft brown eyes. My vision slowly cleared, I no longer saw my daughter's killer before me but the tender, caring young man I thought of as a son. I looked at my upraised fist, still poised to strike. I dropped it to my side and released my grip on his shirt.
'Oh, god, Tamerlane, *I'm* sorry...I...don't...I mean,' I reached out and embraced him. We stayed that way for a long time. Finally Tamerlane pulled back and wiped his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was choked with emotion.
'I loved her so much. In all things but blood she was my sister and I failed her. I would have done anything to protect her. Now I'm here and she's gone. I will never forgive myself.'
'Tamerlane, please, help me understand how this happened.' I said
Tamerlane looked down at his hands and spoke so softly I could barely hear him. 'I was obsessed with my future as an Alpha. Everything I accomplished was to aid in establishing my own pride. Delusions of grandeur flourished with every potential mate I encountered both at the academy and while on leave. Kyla was very enthusiastic when it came to my goals. She did everything possible to help me promote my status.
When we first heard about the Evil One's return and his improved weapons, we secretly began construction on a counter-weapon. It was Kyla's design and it was ingenious. We intended to hand it over to the High Guard and allow ourselves to bask in the glory of being the saviors of the Commonwealth. That is, until we got news of the fleet's defeat. We discussed it and decided that there was no time to waste, we needed to give the anti-PSB weapon to the headmaster immediately.
Then Kyla got your message. She was extremely upset about poor Beka. She was furious at what that glowing gutter rat did to you and the Andromeda. Her baser human instincts took over and I had to physically restrain her from *walking* all the way to the Volron system and, in her words, planting her boot in his ass.
I made the suggestion that we use the anti-PSB weapon ourselves. It would take precious time for the government of the Commonwealth to test and outfit our design. If we were to use it against the Spirit of the Abyss ourselves, we would prevent anymore unnecessary deaths *and* bring great glory to our names in one fell swoop.
Kyla more than willing to introduce Ol' Red Eyes to *Izzy* personally.' When Tamerlane noticed my confused look, he elaborated a little sheepishly, 'Izzy is what we named the weapon.
So, we *borrowed* a fighter and attached the anti-PSB weapon. Kyla made additional modifications to the ship's auxiliary weapons while we were en-route. The enemy armada had made significant progress relative to its last known location. I assumed that they wouldn't consider one small ship to be a threat. I was right. We were able to take them by surprise as they readied their weapon to fire on an unsuspecting planet. We breached their defenses relatively easily and Kyla let Izzy loose with a roar fierce enough to rival any Neitzschean. We scored a direct hit, it worked perfectly the super PSB projector and its ship were destroyed.
Unfortunately, we now had their undivided attention. We fought valiantly, the modifications Kyla made allowed us to destroy many ships. However, one lucky shot from a Neitzschean cruiser was enough to disable our little craft. We were boarded. Kyla and I fought the invaders tooth and nail, side by side. You should be proud, Kyla never gave up, she fought like a wild cat. Together we managed to turn the tide. We were repelling the enemy and forcing them from the ship when from out of nowhere, there He was. The Spirit of the Abyss.
I had studied him at the Academy but nothing could have prepared me for meeting evil face to face. I hesitated for just a moment but it was enough to allow a Kalderan to fire some sort of energy weapon at me. I found myself unable to move of my own volition. I fell to the floor as the putrid form of the Magog's god towered over me. I heard Kyla scream my name as he opened his mouth and a golden blast burst forth, hitting me square in the chest. The pain was excruciating. He turned from me and moved toward Kyla. I began to loose consciousness, the last thing I saw was Kyla being grabbed as she rushed to my side. The Spirit of the Abyss crushed her to himself and placed a glowing hand on her forehead. She immediately slumped against him, unconscious or dead, I cannot say. I heard his evil laughter echo through my mind as he vanished and took Kyla with him. I must have been taken for dead because when I awoke, I was alone in the crippled ship. I don't know how long it took but I managed to drag myself to an escape pod, not knowing if I would live or die. The next thing I knew, I woke up here, in med bay.'
I squeezed Tamerlane's hand as what he said sunk in. My daughter was out there somewhere, at the mercy of that sick son of a bitch. I swore then and there that I wouldn't let anything stop me from finding her and destroying the Spirit of the Abyss once and for all. 'Hang on darlin', Daddy's coming.'
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TBC