Still another Disclaimer Alert! I have never, ever nor do I now, own
Andromeda or its characters. I do this for fun. It's certainly not for the
money since I am making not one penny, farthing, peso, lira, franc, Euro
etc. off of this story.
Thank you to all of you who were kind enough to read and review the
previous chapters. Please continue to do so even though I have kept you
waiting patiently, and not so patiently, to find out what is up with poor
Harper.
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"Look at me Harper, Snap out of it, please," Beka pleaded as she knelt down and stroked Harper's hair. "Come on. Don't do this to me," she begged as tears started rolling down her face.
Beka was worried, but not surprised. Harper had nightmares on a nightly basis when she first plucked the boy off of Earth and this must just be a new variation for him.
Holo Rommie materialized in front of Beka. "Beka, my sensors show Harper has sustained no physical injury. However, he appears to be in a catatonic state," the hologram informed.
Beka was not surprised by the hologram's appraisal. Harper had nightmares on a nightly basis when she first plucked the young man off of Earth. The nightmares had diminished over time to the point where Harper hadn't had one since the Magog eggs were expelled from inside his body. This catatonic state was a new twist Harper was throwing out to his friends and Beka didn't like it. She had never seen the engineer like this, even in his worst state when she first met him on earth. Beka was scared. She had known people hooked on Flash who went into a catatonic state and never came out.
"Tell me what freaked you out and I'll help. Rommie's here too. Trance and Dylan will be here soon so will Tyr. You don't want them to see you like this do you?" Beka reasoned. "Talk to us. We'll all help. Even Tyr. You're not alone," Beka soothed, trying to reassure her frightened friend.
Beka realized she wasn't doing Harper any good in her current state, which bordered on near hysteria, and managed to regain her composure.
"Okay Harper, you just sit there for now. Trance will be here in a minute. I'll be right here if you need me," Beka promised. The blonde woman straightened up and looked around the room for the first time since her arrival, staying next to Harper.
"I don't see anything here in the shop that could have caused Harper to go into shock like this," Beka stated as she finished her quick survey of the machine shop.
Dylan had left his quarters and made his way to Machine Shop 2 as soon as he hear Beka page trance over the com. The captain was met by Tyr and Rommie outside the mess hall
"Rommie how is Harper?" Dylan asked the AI.
"Harper has sustained no physical injuries," AI Rommie reported as she walked with Dylan and Tyr towards Machine Shop 2.
Dylan and Tyr stopped abruptly and exchanged puzzled looks.
"That little mudfoot had better not be playing a practical joke. I am not in the mood," the Nietzschean warned.
"I didn't say Harper was okay, I merely stated that he had sustained no physical injuries," the AI retorted as she crossed her arms across her chest.
Dylan let out a sigh. Sometimes the android could be so exasperating. "There is something wrong with Harper, isn't there Rommie?" He asked impatiently.
The Android had a concerned look on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, there is something wrong with Harper. He is in a catatonic state."
Dylan and Tyr exchanged concerned looks that mirrored AI Rommie's, but said nothing. There wasn't much they could say at this point.. The three silently continued on to Machine Shop 2.
"Has Harper come out of his catatonia?" Trance asked as she entered the room.
"Trance, how did you know what state Harper is in. You just got here?" Beka questioned the young alien.
Trance merely smiled mysteriously before answering, "Well, Beka."
"Never mind Trance," Beka replied, cutting off the alien's explanation. "Do you have any idea what might have caused Harper to freeze up like this?"
"The answer to Harper's predicament might lie in what contained on the disk you and Dylan found on Mantu," Trance suggested.
"Of course," Beka thought to herself. "If Harper didn't have me so worried right now I would have figured that out myself."
Beka wasted no time in resetting the disk to the beginning. Almost immediately an image began flickering on the monitor just as Dylan entered the room, followed by AI Rommie and Tyr.
A large Nietzschean stood in front of the digital camera, surrounded by 10 or so other Nietzscheans. The camera remained focused on the same Nietzschean as he primped and cleared his throat, as if preparing for a newscast.
"I am Bruko Matasi out of Keila by Gondir. We are of the Puma Pride," The big Nietzschean began. "This roundup of Kludge slaves is being filmed as a warning to those who would be foolish enough to think they could challenge the superiority of Nietzscheans. Let there be no doubt concerning the strength and cunning Nietzscheans of the Puma Pride."
Screams of pain and terror could be heard in the background as Bruko's men cut them with their bone blades and beat them with whips.
Dylan managed to control his anger as the camera turned from Bruko to a young human girl, not more than 8 or 10 being whipped by one of the Puma Pride.
Beka looked down at the floor, unable to watch the brutality unfolding on the monitor. "I knew the Nietzscheans on Earth were brutal, but I never thought they could be so cruel. What could that little girl have done to have brought on a beating like that?"
As if hearing the blonde pilot's question, Bruko began explaining how the little earth girl deserved the whipping because she had stolen banana from a Nietzschean. "This type of behavior cannot and will not be tolerated. " Bruko summarized.
Beka tried to compose herself as she looked at her crewmates. Tyr shifted his weight from on leg to another. It was the only reaction that the Nietzschean displayed as he carefully kept his emotions in check. The sensitive Trance had tears trickling down her cheeks and her eyes were red, but she continued watching. Dylan remained stoic. He was the epitome of a High Guard officer, although his tightly clenched jaw betrayed his emotions. Only AI Rommie appeared to be unfazed, but her crew knew better. The AI was a machine but not without compassion.
The disc played on as the camera followed Burka into a home with 4 adults huddled by a small fire they had built. It would be generous to say the house was sparsely furnished. As the camera panned around the only room in the house it revealed two old mattresses as the only furniture in sight. Each mattress had one tattered blanket lying on top.
"What a sad existence," Trance commented, choking back the emotions that started to overwhelm her.
The camera zoomed in on the two men and two women who lived in the house. The four earth humans were underweight and one of the women had an uncontrollable cough. One of the men was smaller than the other by a few inches but both had dirt caked on their hair. The shorter one looked to be a blond while the taller one had red hair that showed brightly even through the layer of dirt. Both men were gaunt looking with sunken cheeks. The two women were just as underfed as the men. They were close to the same height while one was a blond and the other a brunette. The brunette was the one with the cough.
"Where is the boy!" Burka demanded of the group as stopped an inch in front of the woman with the cough. He towered over the frail woman as the stress started her coughing again. Yet she showed no sign of being intimidated by the Nietzschean.
"Please Boss Burka. Our son didn't know any better," the blond haired man began explaining. His voice remained calm and controlled. "He only stole the blanket cuz my misses is ill. She has a real bad cough the weather's cold. The boy only took it to help his ma."
The Nietzschean looked over at the blond man and sneered as he took several steps towards the earther. Burka glared at the man grabbed put a large hand the smaller man's bony shoulder. "The reason makes no difference. Your little mudfoot stole from the Puma Pride and will be punished. It will go easier on all of you if you turn him over now."
"No, please Boss Burka, take me instead," the brunette woman pleaded between coughs.
Burka grabbed the brunette woman's right arm shoved her against the wall, breaking a rib on her left side. The frail, petite woman still refused to give in to the Uber. "I won't give up my son. I will never let him become a Nietzschean slave!
"I won't ask again woman! Where is your mudfoot spawn?"
"No," she replied. Her strength was so sapped that word came out barely above a whisper.
"Take them all outside," Burka ordered his men. "I will make an example of them."
The cameraman followed the Nietzscheans and their earth human prisoners out of the mud hut.
Knowing they hadn't long to live, the blond and redheaded men began attacking their Nietzschean overseers. The redheaded man grabbed his guard's gun while the blond man kicked at his guard. The Nietzscheans reacted quickly to the attacks with the one shooting one the redhead. The blond man was grabbed by another Nietzschean who stabbed him with his knife. Burka snorted at the bodies of the two dead Kludge men. Before Burka could enjoy his victory the brunette woman found inner strength from deep within and reached up with both hands and began scratching at his face. When the Nietzschean grabbed her skinny arms she began kicking him in the shin and groin. Burka became enraged by the genetically inferior human's attack and slit her throat with one of the bone blades on his right arm. The woman's body slumped into Burka's arms. The Nietzschean sneered at this female Kludge that dared to attack him and threw her body to the ground.
Burka let out a hearty laugh as he turned to the earth humans gathered around him. "This is what happens to Kludges that defy the Puma Pride. If you don't want this to happen to you then tell me where to find Harper boy. He will be punished for having the gall to steal a blanket from the Puma Pride."
Burka turned to the cameraman with a look of obvious displeasure. "Turn off that camera!" he ordered.
"Look at me Harper, Snap out of it, please," Beka pleaded as she knelt down and stroked Harper's hair. "Come on. Don't do this to me," she begged as tears started rolling down her face.
Beka was worried, but not surprised. Harper had nightmares on a nightly basis when she first plucked the boy off of Earth and this must just be a new variation for him.
Holo Rommie materialized in front of Beka. "Beka, my sensors show Harper has sustained no physical injury. However, he appears to be in a catatonic state," the hologram informed.
Beka was not surprised by the hologram's appraisal. Harper had nightmares on a nightly basis when she first plucked the young man off of Earth. The nightmares had diminished over time to the point where Harper hadn't had one since the Magog eggs were expelled from inside his body. This catatonic state was a new twist Harper was throwing out to his friends and Beka didn't like it. She had never seen the engineer like this, even in his worst state when she first met him on earth. Beka was scared. She had known people hooked on Flash who went into a catatonic state and never came out.
"Tell me what freaked you out and I'll help. Rommie's here too. Trance and Dylan will be here soon so will Tyr. You don't want them to see you like this do you?" Beka reasoned. "Talk to us. We'll all help. Even Tyr. You're not alone," Beka soothed, trying to reassure her frightened friend.
Beka realized she wasn't doing Harper any good in her current state, which bordered on near hysteria, and managed to regain her composure.
"Okay Harper, you just sit there for now. Trance will be here in a minute. I'll be right here if you need me," Beka promised. The blonde woman straightened up and looked around the room for the first time since her arrival, staying next to Harper.
"I don't see anything here in the shop that could have caused Harper to go into shock like this," Beka stated as she finished her quick survey of the machine shop.
Dylan had left his quarters and made his way to Machine Shop 2 as soon as he hear Beka page trance over the com. The captain was met by Tyr and Rommie outside the mess hall
"Rommie how is Harper?" Dylan asked the AI.
"Harper has sustained no physical injuries," AI Rommie reported as she walked with Dylan and Tyr towards Machine Shop 2.
Dylan and Tyr stopped abruptly and exchanged puzzled looks.
"That little mudfoot had better not be playing a practical joke. I am not in the mood," the Nietzschean warned.
"I didn't say Harper was okay, I merely stated that he had sustained no physical injuries," the AI retorted as she crossed her arms across her chest.
Dylan let out a sigh. Sometimes the android could be so exasperating. "There is something wrong with Harper, isn't there Rommie?" He asked impatiently.
The Android had a concerned look on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, there is something wrong with Harper. He is in a catatonic state."
Dylan and Tyr exchanged concerned looks that mirrored AI Rommie's, but said nothing. There wasn't much they could say at this point.. The three silently continued on to Machine Shop 2.
"Has Harper come out of his catatonia?" Trance asked as she entered the room.
"Trance, how did you know what state Harper is in. You just got here?" Beka questioned the young alien.
Trance merely smiled mysteriously before answering, "Well, Beka."
"Never mind Trance," Beka replied, cutting off the alien's explanation. "Do you have any idea what might have caused Harper to freeze up like this?"
"The answer to Harper's predicament might lie in what contained on the disk you and Dylan found on Mantu," Trance suggested.
"Of course," Beka thought to herself. "If Harper didn't have me so worried right now I would have figured that out myself."
Beka wasted no time in resetting the disk to the beginning. Almost immediately an image began flickering on the monitor just as Dylan entered the room, followed by AI Rommie and Tyr.
A large Nietzschean stood in front of the digital camera, surrounded by 10 or so other Nietzscheans. The camera remained focused on the same Nietzschean as he primped and cleared his throat, as if preparing for a newscast.
"I am Bruko Matasi out of Keila by Gondir. We are of the Puma Pride," The big Nietzschean began. "This roundup of Kludge slaves is being filmed as a warning to those who would be foolish enough to think they could challenge the superiority of Nietzscheans. Let there be no doubt concerning the strength and cunning Nietzscheans of the Puma Pride."
Screams of pain and terror could be heard in the background as Bruko's men cut them with their bone blades and beat them with whips.
Dylan managed to control his anger as the camera turned from Bruko to a young human girl, not more than 8 or 10 being whipped by one of the Puma Pride.
Beka looked down at the floor, unable to watch the brutality unfolding on the monitor. "I knew the Nietzscheans on Earth were brutal, but I never thought they could be so cruel. What could that little girl have done to have brought on a beating like that?"
As if hearing the blonde pilot's question, Bruko began explaining how the little earth girl deserved the whipping because she had stolen banana from a Nietzschean. "This type of behavior cannot and will not be tolerated. " Bruko summarized.
Beka tried to compose herself as she looked at her crewmates. Tyr shifted his weight from on leg to another. It was the only reaction that the Nietzschean displayed as he carefully kept his emotions in check. The sensitive Trance had tears trickling down her cheeks and her eyes were red, but she continued watching. Dylan remained stoic. He was the epitome of a High Guard officer, although his tightly clenched jaw betrayed his emotions. Only AI Rommie appeared to be unfazed, but her crew knew better. The AI was a machine but not without compassion.
The disc played on as the camera followed Burka into a home with 4 adults huddled by a small fire they had built. It would be generous to say the house was sparsely furnished. As the camera panned around the only room in the house it revealed two old mattresses as the only furniture in sight. Each mattress had one tattered blanket lying on top.
"What a sad existence," Trance commented, choking back the emotions that started to overwhelm her.
The camera zoomed in on the two men and two women who lived in the house. The four earth humans were underweight and one of the women had an uncontrollable cough. One of the men was smaller than the other by a few inches but both had dirt caked on their hair. The shorter one looked to be a blond while the taller one had red hair that showed brightly even through the layer of dirt. Both men were gaunt looking with sunken cheeks. The two women were just as underfed as the men. They were close to the same height while one was a blond and the other a brunette. The brunette was the one with the cough.
"Where is the boy!" Burka demanded of the group as stopped an inch in front of the woman with the cough. He towered over the frail woman as the stress started her coughing again. Yet she showed no sign of being intimidated by the Nietzschean.
"Please Boss Burka. Our son didn't know any better," the blond haired man began explaining. His voice remained calm and controlled. "He only stole the blanket cuz my misses is ill. She has a real bad cough the weather's cold. The boy only took it to help his ma."
The Nietzschean looked over at the blond man and sneered as he took several steps towards the earther. Burka glared at the man grabbed put a large hand the smaller man's bony shoulder. "The reason makes no difference. Your little mudfoot stole from the Puma Pride and will be punished. It will go easier on all of you if you turn him over now."
"No, please Boss Burka, take me instead," the brunette woman pleaded between coughs.
Burka grabbed the brunette woman's right arm shoved her against the wall, breaking a rib on her left side. The frail, petite woman still refused to give in to the Uber. "I won't give up my son. I will never let him become a Nietzschean slave!
"I won't ask again woman! Where is your mudfoot spawn?"
"No," she replied. Her strength was so sapped that word came out barely above a whisper.
"Take them all outside," Burka ordered his men. "I will make an example of them."
The cameraman followed the Nietzscheans and their earth human prisoners out of the mud hut.
Knowing they hadn't long to live, the blond and redheaded men began attacking their Nietzschean overseers. The redheaded man grabbed his guard's gun while the blond man kicked at his guard. The Nietzscheans reacted quickly to the attacks with the one shooting one the redhead. The blond man was grabbed by another Nietzschean who stabbed him with his knife. Burka snorted at the bodies of the two dead Kludge men. Before Burka could enjoy his victory the brunette woman found inner strength from deep within and reached up with both hands and began scratching at his face. When the Nietzschean grabbed her skinny arms she began kicking him in the shin and groin. Burka became enraged by the genetically inferior human's attack and slit her throat with one of the bone blades on his right arm. The woman's body slumped into Burka's arms. The Nietzschean sneered at this female Kludge that dared to attack him and threw her body to the ground.
Burka let out a hearty laugh as he turned to the earth humans gathered around him. "This is what happens to Kludges that defy the Puma Pride. If you don't want this to happen to you then tell me where to find Harper boy. He will be punished for having the gall to steal a blanket from the Puma Pride."
Burka turned to the cameraman with a look of obvious displeasure. "Turn off that camera!" he ordered.
