Summary: A problem with the Andromeda and a surfing lesson...
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own Andromeda, and I don't own Harper. (cry, sniffle, cry) However, I DID create the planet and its people from my own little mind. If they resemble other characters, either in the show, other fanfics, or real life, it's purely coincidental.
Author's Note: Thank you again, Hebe and Parisindy for you kind reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Sorry to disappoint MadDragon, but this isn't a Harper/Trance fic, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.
Lysation Love
Chapter 3
On the Andromeda, Dylan, Rhade, Beka, Trance, and Rommie stood in Command. Trance and Dylan were being informed of the Nietzschean attack.
"Explain to me again why we entered slipstream the moment we got on board?" Dylan asked, hands pressed to his closed eyes as though to ward off an impending headache. The crew members, Trance excluded, all exchanged uncomfortable glances.
"They were about to fire a PSP missile at us Captain." Rommie finally informed him.
"And how should we have known that you'd left Harper behind? Why did you leave him alone in the first place?" Beka pointed out, arms crossed over her chest defiantly.
"He's perfectly safe Beka." Trance offered quietly, although she hadn't been happy at their speedy departure either.
"Ok, first we have to figure out who's shooting at us, why, and how to make them stop. Once that's settled, we go back and get Harper, or wait until he's finished with the ship. For now, like Trance said, he's perfectly safe."
"Aye Captain," Rommie replied, the others nodding in agreement.
Capital of the Empire of Lysat, Two Days Later
The bright sun was shining fiercely; the silver and gold of the ship reflecting the light almost painfully into Harper's eyes. Squinting, he climbed down the ladder he'd been perched on precariously. Despite the hard work it took to repair the vast ship, which was at least three times the size of the Eureka Maru, although infinitely more beautiful, he had to admit that the scenery was every bit as good as that of Infinity Atoll, making his stay altogether pleastant.
"Are you certain that you don't want any help?" A cool, perfectly polite, voice called from behind him. Turning, despite the fact that he already knew who it was, Harper grinned at Semele, who stood at the gate leading to the dock.
"I got everything under control, don't worry," So saying, he picked up his box of tools, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and made his way to another of the ship's engines. Settling down on his back, Harper was preparing to rewire it when the Princess' shadow fell over him.
"You look tired. Would you like to take a break?" Sighing in something close to exasperation, Harper sat up and turned to face the girl. Seamus had never before complained about a beautiful woman paying too much attention to him, but Semele's stiff politeness was getting a little annoying. It would have been different if he thought that she actually wanted to be there, but he wasn't stupid enough to think she was hanging around for any reason of her own choosing.
"Look, I appreciate that you're trying to be accommodating and all, but your ship would get fixed a lot faster if you just let me do my work." His tone had been harsher than he'd meant to make it; he blamed the heat; but Semele only stared at him with that stone-like expression of hers.
"Are you sure? I was just going to go sailing for a little while, I thought you might like to join me. But of course, I'm sure you wish to finish quickly so you may leave," Semele offered a smile, violet eyes sparkling, and then turned to walk away. However, whether she had known it or not, Semele had said the magic words.
"On second thought, all work and no play makes the Harper a dull engineer," He offered, the thought of the cool ocean causing him to rethink the idea of a break, and he stood up. Glancing over her shoulder, Semele smiled genuinely for the first time that he'd been there, and waited for him to catch up to her.
"I'm glad you changed your mind; no one who visits Lysat should miss seeing the ocean." She continued walking, the small diamonds woven into her white sleeveless dress caught the sun and resembled miniature suns as Harper made his way to her side.
"I don't suppose you have any surf boards, do you?" He asked, not really expecting the answer to be positive. To his surprise, Semele paused in her walk and asked excitedly;
"You mean the kind you ride the waves with?"
"Yeah, that kind," Harper replied eagerly; and to his joy, Semele nodded.
"We received one as a gift, an oddity it was called, and although we eventually learned what it was for, no one has learned how to use it." She quickened her pace and Harper followed, still stunned that his request would be fulfilled. Leading him towards a storage area just inside the Palace, Semele added wistfully,
"When I was younger I tried to use it, thinking I'd please my betrothed, but I was no good," Harper was too happy at the thought of surfing to comment on her statement, or on the strange look that passed over her face as she said it.
"Dylan, I think I may have found something on our Nietzschean friends, although Rhade doesn't recognize the name of the Pride," Rommie's hologram appeared in front of Dylan, who sat in his quarters. Looking at her with interest, he gestured for her to continue.
"The Nietzscheans who attacked us are part of a Pride recently destroyed, or so it was assumed. They've now taken to pirating,"
"How'd they get a point singularity projector though?" Dylan asked in disbelief. "And why'd they attack us when we're obviously stronger than they are?" Mentally he added, 'Not that our running away so quickly would help to support that fact.' Rommie only shrugged; a habit she'd picked up from her more human-like avatar.
"You're guess is as good as mine Dylan, however it seems likely that they would have moved on by now," Dylan sighed, wishing that for once things could simply have gone smoothly.
"Well, we'd better return to Lysat then. By the way Rommie, do you know if they have any type of military?" He waited patiently as Rommie went through her records.
"According to the last piece of information collected about it, they did have an extensive military. However it was largely used as a precaution; the only report of it ever actually being deployed was as a relief force due to an earthquake-"Before Rommie could continue, her hologram flickered, her voice becoming distorted.
"Rommie, what's wrong?" Dylan asked as the lights in his room also flickered.
"Dylan, Beka is on Command, she-"The hologram disappeared completely, and Dylan, looking worried, hurried out into the hallway, headed for the Command Deck.
Meanwhile, laughing and getting soaked by the spray, hands raised to ward off the glare of the sun, Seamus and Semele sailed out into the water. The Princess' sailboat was rather simple, almost primitive, but well made and beautifully painted with all shades of greens and blues, trimmed in gold. The purple in her eyes disappeared against the backdrop of the waters, matching the color of the sea they sailed upon. Beside the two of them, a large ungainly surf board lay on the floor of the sailboat.
"Are you sure you know how to use that thing?" Semele asked over the sound of the waves crashing off the nearby shore.
"Watch and learn baby," Harper answered gleefully, the sight of her face lighting up at his less than respectful reference to her making him feel more at ease.
"Uh, one thing first though; are there any dangerous fish-or whatever you have here-that I should know about?"
"No, there's nothing dangerous around in water this shallow," Semele replied as he began picking up the surf board.
"Good," With that, Seamus jumped into the cool water, thinking to himself: 'Ah...heaven.' He then began positioning the board, trying to explain what he was doing to Semele, but she only watched him with an expression of excitement. Although it was not very windy out, the waves were big enough that Harper fell a few times before he managed to get his balance right. No longer right next to him, Semele's friendly laughter could still be heard though they weren't close enough to see each other's faces. After his third fall, Harper laughed with her. He didn't know what it was, but the very air seemed to lighten his mood, more than alcohol could, and without the headache. The faint scent, which he couldn't name, intoxicated him, as Weisbrau never had been able to. It gave him a dreamlike feeling of dulled thinking, even as his senses seemed to sharpen, taking in the details around him greater than when he'd been on the Andromeda or other planets.
Finally Harper got his positioning right and began his favorite pastime, other than tinkering around with the Andromeda, of course. Semele sailed a little closer, her joyful laughter and words of encouragement barely reaching Seamus' ears. When at last he remembered his audience, he got off the board and swam back to the boat.
"That was amazing, Harper," She said his name shyly, her expression one of open admiration.
"Please call me Seamus." He climbed into the boat, clothes drenched, and her eyes widened.
"Do you think you could teach me how to surf, Seamus?" She asked, looking at the surf board with longing.
"Of course I can. It's easy. Besides, someone on this planet should know how to use it,"
As he began explaining the basics to her, the wind began to pick up, the waves becoming larger. This went unnoticed by the both of them until a particularly large wave knocked the entire boat over. When they reached the surface, Harper having managed to hold onto the board so they both could use it to hold themselves out of the water, they exchanged looks before bursting out into laughter.
"I suppose we ought to get your boat and save the lessons for some other time Emily," Harper said as he looked up at the darkening sky. Ignoring his words, Semele asked curiously,
"What did you call me?"
"Oh, sorry, it's just, there's an Earth name, that's where I'm from, that sounds just like yours, without the S." Looking sheepish as they began swimming towards the wayward boat, he added,
"Sorry, I guess I just assumed you wouldn't mind a nickname,"
"No, I like it. No one's ever called me anything other than my name before." They smiled briefly at each other, than continued towards the boat.
Despite the clouds gathering, in the back of his mind Harper couldn't help but mutter, 'Feel free to take your time Dylan...'
End of Chapter 3
Sorry this chapter's so short, but it was either this or nothing at all. Hope it was at least enjoyable to read. The next chapter will be up as soon as I can write it.
-Luna Sealeaf
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own Andromeda, and I don't own Harper. (cry, sniffle, cry) However, I DID create the planet and its people from my own little mind. If they resemble other characters, either in the show, other fanfics, or real life, it's purely coincidental.
Author's Note: Thank you again, Hebe and Parisindy for you kind reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Sorry to disappoint MadDragon, but this isn't a Harper/Trance fic, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.
Lysation Love
Chapter 3
On the Andromeda, Dylan, Rhade, Beka, Trance, and Rommie stood in Command. Trance and Dylan were being informed of the Nietzschean attack.
"Explain to me again why we entered slipstream the moment we got on board?" Dylan asked, hands pressed to his closed eyes as though to ward off an impending headache. The crew members, Trance excluded, all exchanged uncomfortable glances.
"They were about to fire a PSP missile at us Captain." Rommie finally informed him.
"And how should we have known that you'd left Harper behind? Why did you leave him alone in the first place?" Beka pointed out, arms crossed over her chest defiantly.
"He's perfectly safe Beka." Trance offered quietly, although she hadn't been happy at their speedy departure either.
"Ok, first we have to figure out who's shooting at us, why, and how to make them stop. Once that's settled, we go back and get Harper, or wait until he's finished with the ship. For now, like Trance said, he's perfectly safe."
"Aye Captain," Rommie replied, the others nodding in agreement.
Capital of the Empire of Lysat, Two Days Later
The bright sun was shining fiercely; the silver and gold of the ship reflecting the light almost painfully into Harper's eyes. Squinting, he climbed down the ladder he'd been perched on precariously. Despite the hard work it took to repair the vast ship, which was at least three times the size of the Eureka Maru, although infinitely more beautiful, he had to admit that the scenery was every bit as good as that of Infinity Atoll, making his stay altogether pleastant.
"Are you certain that you don't want any help?" A cool, perfectly polite, voice called from behind him. Turning, despite the fact that he already knew who it was, Harper grinned at Semele, who stood at the gate leading to the dock.
"I got everything under control, don't worry," So saying, he picked up his box of tools, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and made his way to another of the ship's engines. Settling down on his back, Harper was preparing to rewire it when the Princess' shadow fell over him.
"You look tired. Would you like to take a break?" Sighing in something close to exasperation, Harper sat up and turned to face the girl. Seamus had never before complained about a beautiful woman paying too much attention to him, but Semele's stiff politeness was getting a little annoying. It would have been different if he thought that she actually wanted to be there, but he wasn't stupid enough to think she was hanging around for any reason of her own choosing.
"Look, I appreciate that you're trying to be accommodating and all, but your ship would get fixed a lot faster if you just let me do my work." His tone had been harsher than he'd meant to make it; he blamed the heat; but Semele only stared at him with that stone-like expression of hers.
"Are you sure? I was just going to go sailing for a little while, I thought you might like to join me. But of course, I'm sure you wish to finish quickly so you may leave," Semele offered a smile, violet eyes sparkling, and then turned to walk away. However, whether she had known it or not, Semele had said the magic words.
"On second thought, all work and no play makes the Harper a dull engineer," He offered, the thought of the cool ocean causing him to rethink the idea of a break, and he stood up. Glancing over her shoulder, Semele smiled genuinely for the first time that he'd been there, and waited for him to catch up to her.
"I'm glad you changed your mind; no one who visits Lysat should miss seeing the ocean." She continued walking, the small diamonds woven into her white sleeveless dress caught the sun and resembled miniature suns as Harper made his way to her side.
"I don't suppose you have any surf boards, do you?" He asked, not really expecting the answer to be positive. To his surprise, Semele paused in her walk and asked excitedly;
"You mean the kind you ride the waves with?"
"Yeah, that kind," Harper replied eagerly; and to his joy, Semele nodded.
"We received one as a gift, an oddity it was called, and although we eventually learned what it was for, no one has learned how to use it." She quickened her pace and Harper followed, still stunned that his request would be fulfilled. Leading him towards a storage area just inside the Palace, Semele added wistfully,
"When I was younger I tried to use it, thinking I'd please my betrothed, but I was no good," Harper was too happy at the thought of surfing to comment on her statement, or on the strange look that passed over her face as she said it.
"Dylan, I think I may have found something on our Nietzschean friends, although Rhade doesn't recognize the name of the Pride," Rommie's hologram appeared in front of Dylan, who sat in his quarters. Looking at her with interest, he gestured for her to continue.
"The Nietzscheans who attacked us are part of a Pride recently destroyed, or so it was assumed. They've now taken to pirating,"
"How'd they get a point singularity projector though?" Dylan asked in disbelief. "And why'd they attack us when we're obviously stronger than they are?" Mentally he added, 'Not that our running away so quickly would help to support that fact.' Rommie only shrugged; a habit she'd picked up from her more human-like avatar.
"You're guess is as good as mine Dylan, however it seems likely that they would have moved on by now," Dylan sighed, wishing that for once things could simply have gone smoothly.
"Well, we'd better return to Lysat then. By the way Rommie, do you know if they have any type of military?" He waited patiently as Rommie went through her records.
"According to the last piece of information collected about it, they did have an extensive military. However it was largely used as a precaution; the only report of it ever actually being deployed was as a relief force due to an earthquake-"Before Rommie could continue, her hologram flickered, her voice becoming distorted.
"Rommie, what's wrong?" Dylan asked as the lights in his room also flickered.
"Dylan, Beka is on Command, she-"The hologram disappeared completely, and Dylan, looking worried, hurried out into the hallway, headed for the Command Deck.
Meanwhile, laughing and getting soaked by the spray, hands raised to ward off the glare of the sun, Seamus and Semele sailed out into the water. The Princess' sailboat was rather simple, almost primitive, but well made and beautifully painted with all shades of greens and blues, trimmed in gold. The purple in her eyes disappeared against the backdrop of the waters, matching the color of the sea they sailed upon. Beside the two of them, a large ungainly surf board lay on the floor of the sailboat.
"Are you sure you know how to use that thing?" Semele asked over the sound of the waves crashing off the nearby shore.
"Watch and learn baby," Harper answered gleefully, the sight of her face lighting up at his less than respectful reference to her making him feel more at ease.
"Uh, one thing first though; are there any dangerous fish-or whatever you have here-that I should know about?"
"No, there's nothing dangerous around in water this shallow," Semele replied as he began picking up the surf board.
"Good," With that, Seamus jumped into the cool water, thinking to himself: 'Ah...heaven.' He then began positioning the board, trying to explain what he was doing to Semele, but she only watched him with an expression of excitement. Although it was not very windy out, the waves were big enough that Harper fell a few times before he managed to get his balance right. No longer right next to him, Semele's friendly laughter could still be heard though they weren't close enough to see each other's faces. After his third fall, Harper laughed with her. He didn't know what it was, but the very air seemed to lighten his mood, more than alcohol could, and without the headache. The faint scent, which he couldn't name, intoxicated him, as Weisbrau never had been able to. It gave him a dreamlike feeling of dulled thinking, even as his senses seemed to sharpen, taking in the details around him greater than when he'd been on the Andromeda or other planets.
Finally Harper got his positioning right and began his favorite pastime, other than tinkering around with the Andromeda, of course. Semele sailed a little closer, her joyful laughter and words of encouragement barely reaching Seamus' ears. When at last he remembered his audience, he got off the board and swam back to the boat.
"That was amazing, Harper," She said his name shyly, her expression one of open admiration.
"Please call me Seamus." He climbed into the boat, clothes drenched, and her eyes widened.
"Do you think you could teach me how to surf, Seamus?" She asked, looking at the surf board with longing.
"Of course I can. It's easy. Besides, someone on this planet should know how to use it,"
As he began explaining the basics to her, the wind began to pick up, the waves becoming larger. This went unnoticed by the both of them until a particularly large wave knocked the entire boat over. When they reached the surface, Harper having managed to hold onto the board so they both could use it to hold themselves out of the water, they exchanged looks before bursting out into laughter.
"I suppose we ought to get your boat and save the lessons for some other time Emily," Harper said as he looked up at the darkening sky. Ignoring his words, Semele asked curiously,
"What did you call me?"
"Oh, sorry, it's just, there's an Earth name, that's where I'm from, that sounds just like yours, without the S." Looking sheepish as they began swimming towards the wayward boat, he added,
"Sorry, I guess I just assumed you wouldn't mind a nickname,"
"No, I like it. No one's ever called me anything other than my name before." They smiled briefly at each other, than continued towards the boat.
Despite the clouds gathering, in the back of his mind Harper couldn't help but mutter, 'Feel free to take your time Dylan...'
End of Chapter 3
Sorry this chapter's so short, but it was either this or nothing at all. Hope it was at least enjoyable to read. The next chapter will be up as soon as I can write it.
-Luna Sealeaf