Harper found himself waking up on the med deck once again. The memory of how he had gotten there had completely evaded his mind. He looked around and saw Trance and Fandan talking quietly with their backs to him. He didn't bother saying anything; he knew they would only tell him that nothing was wrong. Harper quietly stood up, caught his balance, and walked out of the med deck. Once he was out, he headed for the machine shop.
Trance and Fandan never heard them. They continued to converse.
"I want you to tell me what is wrong right now," Trance demanded. "He is my friend, and if he dies, I will personally harm you."
"Relax, miss Gemini, I think I've figured out what's wrong." There was a long pause.
"Well?" Trance said impatiently.
"His immune system isn't functioning at all right now, so the treatment itself is not enough. What he needs is a higher dose of the cure."
"Okay, so why don't you give him a higher dose?"
"I don't have a higher dose."
"You what? You mean to tell me that you came on this ship knowing full well that we had a very sick person on board, and you didn't bring extra?" Trance looked as if she were ready to rip his head off at any minute. Instead she turned around and saw that Harper was gone. "Harper," she said through her comm. link, "get back to the med deck."
"Sorry, Trance," Harper replied. "I've seen enough of that place. I'll be in the machine shop if you need me."
She stormed out of the room and headed toward the machine shop. The whole way there, she cursed the day Harper was born and hit a few walls. Rommie approached her and started following her. "Trance, I know you're angry, but you really don't have to take it out on me," she said. Trance ignored her and kept walking and hitting walls. She became so wrapped up in her anger that she took a wrong turn somewhere and didn't realize it until she was halfway down the corridor. She turned around and started walking back, this time giving heed to Rommie's requests. No more walls were hit, but Trance continued to curse in a manner that didn't seem of her nature. When she finally came to the machine shop, she stormed in and searched for Harper.
"Harper!" she shouted. "Get out here and get back to the med deck, now."
Harper appeared from under his long-term project and smiled. "Trance. Hi. Uh… I was uh… I'm feeling better so I uh…" He thought for a minute, then gave up. "Please don't hurt me."
"Harper, we have a problem." Trance sat down on the floor next to him. "Fandan says you need more of the cure to live, but he doesn't have it."
Harper sat for a moment, staring blankly at Trance's face. Finally he spoke up. "That… uh… that's- not good news… What are we going to do now?" A small tear peaked in the corner of his eye, but he fought it back.
"We're both going to go to the command deck, we're going to tell Dylan what's going on, and he's going to send somebody back to the planet with Fandan. Fandan is going to get more of the cure and bring it back. Then you'll be okay." Trance fought back tears of her own. "Sound like a plan?"
"Good enough for me, anyways," Harper laughed.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Upon arrival on the command deck, Trance shouted, "Dylan!" Dylan turned from his spot at the helm and looked at Trance with questioning eyes. He didn't notice that Harper was with her at first. "Dylan, I'd like to request that you send either Beka or myself back to the planet with Fandan as soon as possible."
"Slow down, Trance. Why?"
"Because Fandan didn't bring enough of the cure for Harper." She put a hand on Harper's shoulder and stepped closer to Dylan.
"What she means to say, Dylan, is that Fandan says I need more of the cure than he thought, and he doesn't have it with him," Harper finished explaining.
"I don't have it at all," Fandan said as he rushed onto command.
"What?!" Trance, Harper and Dylan all said together.
Fandan shielded himself for an expected attack. "I mean this is all I have, and it is very expensive stuff!"
Trance thought for a minute. "Well… Can't Rommie duplicate it or something?"
Rommie's hologram appeared. "I can, but it won't be nearly as effective as the real thing."
"So make lots of it, Rommie," Harper pleaded. "I mean, it's wroth trying, isn't it? I'd like to stay alive for a little bit longer. I've gotten used to almost getting killed by anyone who opposes Dylan, and I'd like to die defending the new Commonwealth. It's kind of all I have left."
Harper's words dug themselves deep into Dylan's mind. He had no idea Harper felt this way about what they did. Trance fought back more tears and Rommie's hologram stared, as if pondering. "Rommie," Dylan broke the silence, "make as much of the cure as possible. Harper, knowing you, you'll live longer than any of us."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After receiving the last of the synthetic cure Rommie had made, Harper jumped down off of the table in the med deck. Trance stood by, and he could sense a bear hug boiling up inside of her. He sighed and held out his arms. Trance smiled wildly and embraced him.
"I'm soooo glad you're okay," she said.
"Yeah, me too," Harper joked. He turned towards Fandan, who stood in the door with his little black suitcase in hand, his funny hat perched atop his head. "Thanks for everything Fandan. I don't think Id be here to say that if you hadn't been so kind."
"All in a days work, Mr. Harper. I couldn't stand by and watch a human die. After all, it was a human man who saved me from death when I was a little boy," Fandan said with a sigh. He looked at Trance and Harper and smiled. "Would you two be so kind as to escort me to my ship? I'm afraid this ship is awfully big and I only spent all my time in this medical deck."
Trance and Harper laughed and led Fandan to his ship in the docking bay. The whole way there, Fandan explained to them what had happened to him as a child that made him so fond of humans. Along the way, Sherlock followed the three, purring loudly and craving for attention. Fandan finally picked him up and carried him in his one free hand the rest of the way to the docking bay. "The domesticated feline: another fascinating species," he said at one point. Once they reached the docking bay, Fandan handed the cat over to Harper and took his hat off again.
"It has been a very interesting couple of days, I must say that. This has been nothing short of a learning experience." Fandan played with the brim of his hat while he spoke. "I would like to thank the both of you for everything."
"What are you thanking us for? We should be the ones to thank you," Harper laughed. "I mean, Fandan, you saved my life. I will never find a way to pay you back. I'll tell you what, whenever you're in trouble or any kind of life-threatening situation, call me up and I'll send Tyr." The three of them laughed. "I don't know how else to thank you than to say it. Thank you."
"Yes, thank you Fandan. I don't know what we'd do without Harper." Trance paused for a moment. "On second thought, I do… We'd all have more peace and quiet around here!"
Fandan gave a hearty laugh and sighed. "Well, I suppose I'd better be going. I have work to do on my home planet. Remember always, Seamus Harper, that Del Fandan is always ill prepared… And so good-bye. Live well, and for the Divine's sake, stay healthy." Fandan turned and started walking toward his ship.
"Live long and prosper," Harper said as he held up the ancient Vulcan sign of peace. Fandan just stared at his hand with a funny expression and climbed aboard his ship. The docking bay doors closed and he took off. Harper and Trance walked slowly to command, talking about the "adventure" and how they felt now that everything was going to be okay.
Harper set Sherlock on the floor just before they entered the command deck. Sherlock scurried along his way to Harper's quarters. As he reached the door to the quarters, he heard a faint scratching sound coming from around the corner. Like all curious cats, he decided to see what it was. He slowly turned the corner and saw a little gray and black-striped kitten sitting against a wall playing with what looked like a dust ball. Sherlock stared at the kitten in wonder, with the question of "Where did this kitten come from?" probably racing through his cat brain.
The End
Trance and Fandan never heard them. They continued to converse.
"I want you to tell me what is wrong right now," Trance demanded. "He is my friend, and if he dies, I will personally harm you."
"Relax, miss Gemini, I think I've figured out what's wrong." There was a long pause.
"Well?" Trance said impatiently.
"His immune system isn't functioning at all right now, so the treatment itself is not enough. What he needs is a higher dose of the cure."
"Okay, so why don't you give him a higher dose?"
"I don't have a higher dose."
"You what? You mean to tell me that you came on this ship knowing full well that we had a very sick person on board, and you didn't bring extra?" Trance looked as if she were ready to rip his head off at any minute. Instead she turned around and saw that Harper was gone. "Harper," she said through her comm. link, "get back to the med deck."
"Sorry, Trance," Harper replied. "I've seen enough of that place. I'll be in the machine shop if you need me."
She stormed out of the room and headed toward the machine shop. The whole way there, she cursed the day Harper was born and hit a few walls. Rommie approached her and started following her. "Trance, I know you're angry, but you really don't have to take it out on me," she said. Trance ignored her and kept walking and hitting walls. She became so wrapped up in her anger that she took a wrong turn somewhere and didn't realize it until she was halfway down the corridor. She turned around and started walking back, this time giving heed to Rommie's requests. No more walls were hit, but Trance continued to curse in a manner that didn't seem of her nature. When she finally came to the machine shop, she stormed in and searched for Harper.
"Harper!" she shouted. "Get out here and get back to the med deck, now."
Harper appeared from under his long-term project and smiled. "Trance. Hi. Uh… I was uh… I'm feeling better so I uh…" He thought for a minute, then gave up. "Please don't hurt me."
"Harper, we have a problem." Trance sat down on the floor next to him. "Fandan says you need more of the cure to live, but he doesn't have it."
Harper sat for a moment, staring blankly at Trance's face. Finally he spoke up. "That… uh… that's- not good news… What are we going to do now?" A small tear peaked in the corner of his eye, but he fought it back.
"We're both going to go to the command deck, we're going to tell Dylan what's going on, and he's going to send somebody back to the planet with Fandan. Fandan is going to get more of the cure and bring it back. Then you'll be okay." Trance fought back tears of her own. "Sound like a plan?"
"Good enough for me, anyways," Harper laughed.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Upon arrival on the command deck, Trance shouted, "Dylan!" Dylan turned from his spot at the helm and looked at Trance with questioning eyes. He didn't notice that Harper was with her at first. "Dylan, I'd like to request that you send either Beka or myself back to the planet with Fandan as soon as possible."
"Slow down, Trance. Why?"
"Because Fandan didn't bring enough of the cure for Harper." She put a hand on Harper's shoulder and stepped closer to Dylan.
"What she means to say, Dylan, is that Fandan says I need more of the cure than he thought, and he doesn't have it with him," Harper finished explaining.
"I don't have it at all," Fandan said as he rushed onto command.
"What?!" Trance, Harper and Dylan all said together.
Fandan shielded himself for an expected attack. "I mean this is all I have, and it is very expensive stuff!"
Trance thought for a minute. "Well… Can't Rommie duplicate it or something?"
Rommie's hologram appeared. "I can, but it won't be nearly as effective as the real thing."
"So make lots of it, Rommie," Harper pleaded. "I mean, it's wroth trying, isn't it? I'd like to stay alive for a little bit longer. I've gotten used to almost getting killed by anyone who opposes Dylan, and I'd like to die defending the new Commonwealth. It's kind of all I have left."
Harper's words dug themselves deep into Dylan's mind. He had no idea Harper felt this way about what they did. Trance fought back more tears and Rommie's hologram stared, as if pondering. "Rommie," Dylan broke the silence, "make as much of the cure as possible. Harper, knowing you, you'll live longer than any of us."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After receiving the last of the synthetic cure Rommie had made, Harper jumped down off of the table in the med deck. Trance stood by, and he could sense a bear hug boiling up inside of her. He sighed and held out his arms. Trance smiled wildly and embraced him.
"I'm soooo glad you're okay," she said.
"Yeah, me too," Harper joked. He turned towards Fandan, who stood in the door with his little black suitcase in hand, his funny hat perched atop his head. "Thanks for everything Fandan. I don't think Id be here to say that if you hadn't been so kind."
"All in a days work, Mr. Harper. I couldn't stand by and watch a human die. After all, it was a human man who saved me from death when I was a little boy," Fandan said with a sigh. He looked at Trance and Harper and smiled. "Would you two be so kind as to escort me to my ship? I'm afraid this ship is awfully big and I only spent all my time in this medical deck."
Trance and Harper laughed and led Fandan to his ship in the docking bay. The whole way there, Fandan explained to them what had happened to him as a child that made him so fond of humans. Along the way, Sherlock followed the three, purring loudly and craving for attention. Fandan finally picked him up and carried him in his one free hand the rest of the way to the docking bay. "The domesticated feline: another fascinating species," he said at one point. Once they reached the docking bay, Fandan handed the cat over to Harper and took his hat off again.
"It has been a very interesting couple of days, I must say that. This has been nothing short of a learning experience." Fandan played with the brim of his hat while he spoke. "I would like to thank the both of you for everything."
"What are you thanking us for? We should be the ones to thank you," Harper laughed. "I mean, Fandan, you saved my life. I will never find a way to pay you back. I'll tell you what, whenever you're in trouble or any kind of life-threatening situation, call me up and I'll send Tyr." The three of them laughed. "I don't know how else to thank you than to say it. Thank you."
"Yes, thank you Fandan. I don't know what we'd do without Harper." Trance paused for a moment. "On second thought, I do… We'd all have more peace and quiet around here!"
Fandan gave a hearty laugh and sighed. "Well, I suppose I'd better be going. I have work to do on my home planet. Remember always, Seamus Harper, that Del Fandan is always ill prepared… And so good-bye. Live well, and for the Divine's sake, stay healthy." Fandan turned and started walking toward his ship.
"Live long and prosper," Harper said as he held up the ancient Vulcan sign of peace. Fandan just stared at his hand with a funny expression and climbed aboard his ship. The docking bay doors closed and he took off. Harper and Trance walked slowly to command, talking about the "adventure" and how they felt now that everything was going to be okay.
Harper set Sherlock on the floor just before they entered the command deck. Sherlock scurried along his way to Harper's quarters. As he reached the door to the quarters, he heard a faint scratching sound coming from around the corner. Like all curious cats, he decided to see what it was. He slowly turned the corner and saw a little gray and black-striped kitten sitting against a wall playing with what looked like a dust ball. Sherlock stared at the kitten in wonder, with the question of "Where did this kitten come from?" probably racing through his cat brain.
The End