Chapter 16
Harper spun in a slow circle, still searching. "Sheesh, everything looks okee dokee to me. Kinda frenzied, but okay." Sections of the mainframe and data flowed past him as though he stood still. He turned. Suddenly, a sparking data stream shot toward his face. He ducked. The stream whipped back and forth, out of control. He danced out of the way and put his hands on his hips.
"The Great and Wonderful Harper has struck again!" he said with a smile. "Now how to catch the blasted thing."
He reached out for one end. It sprang forward and stung his hand. He yelped. Pain surged through his fingers. Gritting his teeth, he jumped for the wild end and wrestled it until it stopped struggling. Breathing hard, he saw the other end, gyrating nearby.
"Damn," he muttered. Catching one end was difficult. Catching the other while holding the first could prove fatal. If he was caught between the two, the feedback could not only toss him from the mainframe; it could fry his brain cells. He took a deep breath. He'd created this mess and he owed Rommie. He closed his eyes and said a quick prayer to the Divine.
He opened his eyes and dove for the second strand. It jerked away as he grasped it. He held tight. It rolled and spun with feral energy, wrapping him up like a Christmas present. He growled out loud and forced the two ends together. A shock went through him. He was tossed backward. As he landed on a platform, he skidded and finally stopped. Breathing hard, he said a silent prayer to the Divine and watched as the two ends finished melding together. The sparks stopped. The data stream smoothed out and flowed like a brilliant river.
He smiled. "Way t'go, oh Engineer Extraordinaire! You are the greatest!"
A moment later, he opened his eyes in the solid world and unplugged his data port. The ship groaned and shuddered as she dropped out of the slipstream. She slowed and sighed. Harper allowed himself to relax for a moment before facing the inevitable tongue-lashing about his tinkering.
~~
Beka collapsed in the pilot's seat, sliding slowly down until she rested on the floor. Dylan rushed to her side, stumbling as the Andromeda spasmed and drifted, dead in space. He cradled her lethargic form.
"Andromeda, report," he barked.
"Problem solved," her image said from the viewscreen. "The drive's subroutines have been restored. Engines have been halted while we complete repairs on the hull. ETA for restoration two hours twenty-five minutes."
"Good. Location?"
"Pleiades Star Cluster, Taurus Constellation, Milky Way Galaxy. There is an inhabited system within three hours of our position at sublight speed where we can perform maintenance and verify the integrity of my systems."
Dylan hefted Beka's now sleeping form. "Set a course for that system as soon as the hull is sufficiently repaired. I'm taking Beka to Medical. Have Trance meet us there."
Andromeda frowned. "She's already there, Captain. She's been injured."
A troubled look crossed Dylan's face. "Terrific."
~~
Harper flinched when the door to his workshop opened but kept working on the controls in Sophie's back. Rommie strolled in and stood beside him, arms crossed over her chest. He glanced at her and then away, thankful that her expression was mild. "So, uh, you're not here to toss me out the airlock, then?"
She gave him a sideways looks, eyebrows raised speculatively. "I considered it."
He swallowed hard.
She smiled. "And I discarded the idea. You were lonely. I'm only learning about the depths of loneliness. I've ... seen loneliness in the crew, when I monitored them, but the concept was never really clear to me. Now, I feel it and I know what it really is. So, I suppose I can excuse one infraction."
He gave her a brilliant smile. "Thanks, I mean, I hoped you'd forgive me and it feels so great that... well--" He hugged her quickly.
She laughed as he released her. "So, you've designed a long-term battery?"
"Yep, the Harper knows all, sees all and--" he broke off when he saw irritation flit across her eyes. "And, yes. I invented a power source that basically recharges itself. It only needs external rejuvenation every few months or so. It can transform some of the food she eats directly into electrical current. It's still experimental, but it should work. I mean, I'm sure it will. And, if she has any major problems she can always call me."
"She has to eat?"
"Yep. She does now. Well, technically, she doesn't have to eat. But it's a great way to augment her power. Still needs to be hooked up to an electrical source every few months, but food will keep her from dropping dead suddenly."
Her brows drew together. "But, if I eat it all comes out the way it went in. I can't even enjoy it."
He gave her an apologetic grin. "Well, I had time to think of new modifications for her. But don't worry, I can update you. Give you tastebuds and even fit you with the new power source."
Her face brightened. "I'd like that." She watched him almost shyly as he continued to work. "Look, Seamus, I know I was pretty brutal to you and... well... I don't know how to say this."
He looked up, surprised that she'd used his given name. "You love me, don't you?" He laughed as shock filled her face. "You're sorry you were an ogre and I'm sorry I made your life Hell for a while. I'm sorry I almost got you killed. I didn't mean to."
Her expression softened. "I forgive you. Don't let it happen again... or I will toss you from the airlock."
"Promise." A lopsided grin split his face. "Um, Rom-doll, what about...." He nodded toward Sophie, sitting on a stool, leaning forward with her naked back exposed, holding her hair up with one hand.
She gave the avatar a cool look. "We're setting into Templadon 3 for repairs. She can get off there."
His face fell. "But I was just getting to know her."
"She can't stay, Harper. We're parts of the same program. We can't operate off the same mainframe. Not that she needs a mainframe. She needs to become independent. It isn't fair to her to keep her here. She needs separate experiences to become unique personality."
He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess she'd get bored her anyway."
"I'm sorry," she said softly as she turned to leave. At the door she stopped. "You know, you really should go to Medical and visit her."
He stiffened. "Trance?"
"Um-hmm."
"She wants to see me?"
"Of course," she said gently.
"But, it's my fault. I mean, you nearly got killed... we all nearly got killed. Trance got burned. Beka and Tyr are exhausted and sick. All because I needed a girlfriend."
"Everyone gets lonely. Besides, Trance is your best friend."
"Okay," he said in a tiny voice.
She smiled softly and left.
~~
Trance found him on the Observation Deck, looking every bit the lost puppy. His normally disheveled hair was matted and flat. His gaze glittered with barely restrained tears. Hands in the pockets of his baggy trousers, he leaned forward toward the cold glass as if doing so would allow him to see Sophie on the planet now far behind them. Regret stabbed her chest. She could give him what he needed, but this wasn't the time. Her psychic powers showed her too many powerful and important possible futures to allow herself to dabble with him. He would need all of his faculties for the coming events. Falling in love would only weaken him. Her hands trembled with emotion. She forced them to be still. Taking a deep, wavering breath, she crossed to him, being certain to make enough noise that she wouldn't startle him.
Harper glanced up at her reflection in the glass, her plum face dotted with stars. He made a feeble attempt at a smile. Her heart nearly broke when she saw the depth of his misery.
"Hey," she whispered jokingly, "don't you have work to do?"
He snorted. "Playin' hookey." He didn't turn, only watched her reflection. Somehow, seeing her face-to-face was too painful for him to bear.
"Sophie seemed nice," she offered gently. "Too bad she had to stay behind. But she seemed excited to go off on her own."
He sniffled, and shrugged.
"Don't feel guilty about not coming to see me in Medical. I'm okay. My hair will grow back soon and see-" She turned her face to the side. "My face is already healed." She smiled broadly at him.
Tears sparkled in his eyes. He made a tiny choking sound but didn't turn. He didn't need to.
Silently, she stepped up beside and two steps behind him, so that he wouldn't have to look her in the face. She'd been in love many times before, or thought she had. She was well acquainted with loss and guilt. Neither ever lost their sting. Tenderly, she slid her arm around his slight shoulders. The stars passed by slowly, unaware. She stepped closer, held him tighter. He deflated back against her.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, and then shut it, shaking his head wistfully. Instead of speaking, he reached up and took her fingers in his hand, marveling at how strong, how real she felt. Comfort flooded through him. He sighed in contentment.
Together, they watched the river of stars drift serenely by. They needed no words to understand or to draw strength and solace from each other. They were the best of friends and perhaps more. He grinned and rested his cheek against her skin. They always would be.
He was happy.
~~ FINIS~~
Harper spun in a slow circle, still searching. "Sheesh, everything looks okee dokee to me. Kinda frenzied, but okay." Sections of the mainframe and data flowed past him as though he stood still. He turned. Suddenly, a sparking data stream shot toward his face. He ducked. The stream whipped back and forth, out of control. He danced out of the way and put his hands on his hips.
"The Great and Wonderful Harper has struck again!" he said with a smile. "Now how to catch the blasted thing."
He reached out for one end. It sprang forward and stung his hand. He yelped. Pain surged through his fingers. Gritting his teeth, he jumped for the wild end and wrestled it until it stopped struggling. Breathing hard, he saw the other end, gyrating nearby.
"Damn," he muttered. Catching one end was difficult. Catching the other while holding the first could prove fatal. If he was caught between the two, the feedback could not only toss him from the mainframe; it could fry his brain cells. He took a deep breath. He'd created this mess and he owed Rommie. He closed his eyes and said a quick prayer to the Divine.
He opened his eyes and dove for the second strand. It jerked away as he grasped it. He held tight. It rolled and spun with feral energy, wrapping him up like a Christmas present. He growled out loud and forced the two ends together. A shock went through him. He was tossed backward. As he landed on a platform, he skidded and finally stopped. Breathing hard, he said a silent prayer to the Divine and watched as the two ends finished melding together. The sparks stopped. The data stream smoothed out and flowed like a brilliant river.
He smiled. "Way t'go, oh Engineer Extraordinaire! You are the greatest!"
A moment later, he opened his eyes in the solid world and unplugged his data port. The ship groaned and shuddered as she dropped out of the slipstream. She slowed and sighed. Harper allowed himself to relax for a moment before facing the inevitable tongue-lashing about his tinkering.
~~
Beka collapsed in the pilot's seat, sliding slowly down until she rested on the floor. Dylan rushed to her side, stumbling as the Andromeda spasmed and drifted, dead in space. He cradled her lethargic form.
"Andromeda, report," he barked.
"Problem solved," her image said from the viewscreen. "The drive's subroutines have been restored. Engines have been halted while we complete repairs on the hull. ETA for restoration two hours twenty-five minutes."
"Good. Location?"
"Pleiades Star Cluster, Taurus Constellation, Milky Way Galaxy. There is an inhabited system within three hours of our position at sublight speed where we can perform maintenance and verify the integrity of my systems."
Dylan hefted Beka's now sleeping form. "Set a course for that system as soon as the hull is sufficiently repaired. I'm taking Beka to Medical. Have Trance meet us there."
Andromeda frowned. "She's already there, Captain. She's been injured."
A troubled look crossed Dylan's face. "Terrific."
~~
Harper flinched when the door to his workshop opened but kept working on the controls in Sophie's back. Rommie strolled in and stood beside him, arms crossed over her chest. He glanced at her and then away, thankful that her expression was mild. "So, uh, you're not here to toss me out the airlock, then?"
She gave him a sideways looks, eyebrows raised speculatively. "I considered it."
He swallowed hard.
She smiled. "And I discarded the idea. You were lonely. I'm only learning about the depths of loneliness. I've ... seen loneliness in the crew, when I monitored them, but the concept was never really clear to me. Now, I feel it and I know what it really is. So, I suppose I can excuse one infraction."
He gave her a brilliant smile. "Thanks, I mean, I hoped you'd forgive me and it feels so great that... well--" He hugged her quickly.
She laughed as he released her. "So, you've designed a long-term battery?"
"Yep, the Harper knows all, sees all and--" he broke off when he saw irritation flit across her eyes. "And, yes. I invented a power source that basically recharges itself. It only needs external rejuvenation every few months or so. It can transform some of the food she eats directly into electrical current. It's still experimental, but it should work. I mean, I'm sure it will. And, if she has any major problems she can always call me."
"She has to eat?"
"Yep. She does now. Well, technically, she doesn't have to eat. But it's a great way to augment her power. Still needs to be hooked up to an electrical source every few months, but food will keep her from dropping dead suddenly."
Her brows drew together. "But, if I eat it all comes out the way it went in. I can't even enjoy it."
He gave her an apologetic grin. "Well, I had time to think of new modifications for her. But don't worry, I can update you. Give you tastebuds and even fit you with the new power source."
Her face brightened. "I'd like that." She watched him almost shyly as he continued to work. "Look, Seamus, I know I was pretty brutal to you and... well... I don't know how to say this."
He looked up, surprised that she'd used his given name. "You love me, don't you?" He laughed as shock filled her face. "You're sorry you were an ogre and I'm sorry I made your life Hell for a while. I'm sorry I almost got you killed. I didn't mean to."
Her expression softened. "I forgive you. Don't let it happen again... or I will toss you from the airlock."
"Promise." A lopsided grin split his face. "Um, Rom-doll, what about...." He nodded toward Sophie, sitting on a stool, leaning forward with her naked back exposed, holding her hair up with one hand.
She gave the avatar a cool look. "We're setting into Templadon 3 for repairs. She can get off there."
His face fell. "But I was just getting to know her."
"She can't stay, Harper. We're parts of the same program. We can't operate off the same mainframe. Not that she needs a mainframe. She needs to become independent. It isn't fair to her to keep her here. She needs separate experiences to become unique personality."
He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess she'd get bored her anyway."
"I'm sorry," she said softly as she turned to leave. At the door she stopped. "You know, you really should go to Medical and visit her."
He stiffened. "Trance?"
"Um-hmm."
"She wants to see me?"
"Of course," she said gently.
"But, it's my fault. I mean, you nearly got killed... we all nearly got killed. Trance got burned. Beka and Tyr are exhausted and sick. All because I needed a girlfriend."
"Everyone gets lonely. Besides, Trance is your best friend."
"Okay," he said in a tiny voice.
She smiled softly and left.
~~
Trance found him on the Observation Deck, looking every bit the lost puppy. His normally disheveled hair was matted and flat. His gaze glittered with barely restrained tears. Hands in the pockets of his baggy trousers, he leaned forward toward the cold glass as if doing so would allow him to see Sophie on the planet now far behind them. Regret stabbed her chest. She could give him what he needed, but this wasn't the time. Her psychic powers showed her too many powerful and important possible futures to allow herself to dabble with him. He would need all of his faculties for the coming events. Falling in love would only weaken him. Her hands trembled with emotion. She forced them to be still. Taking a deep, wavering breath, she crossed to him, being certain to make enough noise that she wouldn't startle him.
Harper glanced up at her reflection in the glass, her plum face dotted with stars. He made a feeble attempt at a smile. Her heart nearly broke when she saw the depth of his misery.
"Hey," she whispered jokingly, "don't you have work to do?"
He snorted. "Playin' hookey." He didn't turn, only watched her reflection. Somehow, seeing her face-to-face was too painful for him to bear.
"Sophie seemed nice," she offered gently. "Too bad she had to stay behind. But she seemed excited to go off on her own."
He sniffled, and shrugged.
"Don't feel guilty about not coming to see me in Medical. I'm okay. My hair will grow back soon and see-" She turned her face to the side. "My face is already healed." She smiled broadly at him.
Tears sparkled in his eyes. He made a tiny choking sound but didn't turn. He didn't need to.
Silently, she stepped up beside and two steps behind him, so that he wouldn't have to look her in the face. She'd been in love many times before, or thought she had. She was well acquainted with loss and guilt. Neither ever lost their sting. Tenderly, she slid her arm around his slight shoulders. The stars passed by slowly, unaware. She stepped closer, held him tighter. He deflated back against her.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, and then shut it, shaking his head wistfully. Instead of speaking, he reached up and took her fingers in his hand, marveling at how strong, how real she felt. Comfort flooded through him. He sighed in contentment.
Together, they watched the river of stars drift serenely by. They needed no words to understand or to draw strength and solace from each other. They were the best of friends and perhaps more. He grinned and rested his cheek against her skin. They always would be.
He was happy.
~~ FINIS~~