++++++++++++++++++++++

Tyr slowly entered the Maru. He had known they boy would be here. This was his home in many ways even more then the Andromeda was. Tyr paused the ship seemed silent but to the Nietzschein it was far from being so. There were the ship's hums and beeps. The life-support, the ship settling, Harper's light breathing.

He cautiously followed the last sound. Harper had always been .well temperamental. Yet Beka dealt with him so well. All of the boy's quirks just seemed to make sense to her. Tyr had to admit the human's actions often left him puzzled.

He followed the quiet noise to the engine room where he found the boy sitting and leaning against one of the slipstream encasements. Tyr said nothing and slowly slid to the floor beside him. The boy's eyes and thoughts were far away. Tyr was surprised he had expected a hostile greeting. Once again the engineer had surprised him.

Harper rocked back and forth slightly his arms wrapped around his knees.

"Tyr?" Harper whispered finally.

"Yes?"

"When your parents died.was there a chance you could have saved them?"

Tyr hadn't expected the question and it took him a moment before he could answer. "We were in battle. They were on the other side of the village. They died as warriors, they survived and fought to the bitter end. Long after they were both mortally wounded they continued to fight insuring that at least on of their of spring would survive. They have survived in me. No, I could have done nothing to save them."

Harper gave a small nod and returned to the silence. Then after a few minutes more. "Brendan is probably dead.now Rommie."

"Harper you shouldn't mourn the past. Your tears won't change it."

"Nietze?"

"Anasazi."

Harper gave a small smirk. There was still spark in him. Tyr could see it.

"I've had to deal with a lot of death. I miss them but I try to move on as quickly as possible."

"It's often for the best." Agreed Tyr.

"I don't know. I always did my best to pretend that it never really happened. Like my family and friends were just on really long vacation or something. But, then ever so often I would be in a crowd of people and for a moment I would think. was that Brendan.or Da? Some of these people I watched die horrible gruesome deaths but yet for a moment from the corner of my eye I think maybe. It's like all the people I could have helped.people that shouldn't have died want to remind me of what I have done." Harper continued to look at the floor never once lifting his eyes towards Tyr. "Now, Rommie is probably dead. The Andromeda possibly destroyed by the Dragos and maybe I could have stopped it. It's all too much. It's like watching my mother die in may arms again. I watched her life drain away through my fingers. She pleaded with me to help her. I watched as her life was ripped from her body. It was the end of the world for me. So what do I do now? Once again I have can't do a damn thing. I feel as if I am in a crashing ship and I can do nothing but watch it hit the ground."

"I don't think you're being haunted. I think they don't want you to forget. You live for a purpose. Often people go through life forgetting why they are alive at all. You need to remember these people knew there place and they want to remind you of yours."

"Fate?"

"Of a sort but really. more a role you were meant to play. A role where you make the rules."

Harper sighed. "Rommie was the last straw and don't know if I can cope anymore. I don't know if I can play the role."

There was a light tapping at the Maru's door. They froze for a moment, drew their weapons and made there way towards the airlock.

Someone was at the door. ++++++++++++++++++++++

TBC