A/N: Y'ello again! Look! It's another chapter! Yay! I hope you all like it,
and thanks for the great reviews. Enjoy!
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Chapter 3: Dimming Light
"Please tell me you found Harper, or at the very least know which solar system he's in."
Beka's voice was slightly worn, and she sounded exhausted.
"No such luck. We haven't got anything, Rhade didn't recognize the Nietzcheans involved, and it's not like there was much to go on. Did you find anything with your contacts?" Captain Dylan Hunt faced Beka, hoping, for once, that it would be easy.
"Nothing." Beka shook her head ruefully. "Either they don't know anything or they're really good actors." The pair fell silent, trying to come up with any miraculous and/or brilliant ideas as to where their engineer might be.
They had several replacements, yes; it wasn't like they didn't have a crew. The problem was that none of them were as familiar with the Andromeda as Harper, especially since he hadn't re-wired her to spec during all those repairs he'd had to do. Which made for some interesting engineering.
Dylan and Beka stood silently for a moment more before Rommie's hologram popped into existence nearby.
"Dylan, we just received a distress call from a nearby planet. They say that their world is tearing itself apart due to tectonic disturbances and are begging for any assistance from ships in the vicinity."
Dylan looked torn for a moment, before facing holo-Andromeda. "Do they know we are here?"
"No," holo-Rommie shook her head, "it was a general distress call."
Dylan stood for a moment more, then glanced at Beka. She sighed, knowing full well what they were going to do.
"Alright, alright." She raised her hands in acquiescence. "But we dump the refugees ASAP. I want my Harper back."
"So do I." Dylan muttered as the pair headed for command.
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"Now what?" Beka looked around the room hopelessly. "We just give up on him? I can't believe you would do that Dylan. After everything he's done for us, you are willing to just abandon him?"
Beka glanced once more around the table, met only with silence and sad gazes. She turned to the only person who had a chance of convincing Dylan right then.
"Trance, please. He's your friend. Are you ready to just let him go? To leave him in the hands of the Nietzcheans who are doing God only knows what to him. Can you do that?"
"Beka," Trance's voice was soft and sorrowful, "we can not go after Harper. If we do, we will die. And so will he."
"I don't care. I'm going after him, no matter what you say. He's my crew, my family. I won't leave him behind."
"Beka, please don't do this. I don't want you to die either. And you will, if you go."
Beka's gaze was hard as she met Trance's eyes, but it softened as she felt the weight of what Trance was saying. "No chance?" she asked hopelessly, sagging into a chair.
"I'm sorry Beka. He's my family too."
"Then he's dead."
Beka was startled when Trance shook her head. "No, he's not. And later, in the future, there may be a chance to save him. But it isn't now, no matter how much I wish it was."
Beka nodded slowly, noticing for the first time that neither Rhade or Dylan looked surprised. She glared an accusation at Trance. "You told them first?"
Trance nodded once in confirmation. "We knew you wouldn't give up, not unless there was compelling reason to do so."
"I'm sorry, Beka, truly I am. Harper was a good man and an excellent engineer." Rhade stood, and left for command, leaving the closer group alone.
"There will be another chance Beka, but you have to admit, if you had gone alone to search for him, where would you have started? We have no leads, no trail, nothing."
Sighing, Beka shook her head. "I don't know, all I know is I would feel better if I was out looking, at the very least."
Dylan's hand rested briefly on Beka's. "Get some rest." His voice was soft, and he squeezed her hand gently before joining Rhade on command. Trance sat quietly, watching Beka swallow and blink.
"You can cry, you know. I'm here, if you need me."
Beka smiled slightly, then shook her head again. "If I cry, some part of me will admit that he's dead, that there won't be another day. That I will never see him again. And that isn't true, now is it?"
Trance smiled in return, standing up. "That is true. We will find him, or he will find us. Either way, we will see him again."
As Trance also left, Beka's head sank down onto the table. A tear slid slowly down her cheek, dripping onto the mirrored surface. She stared down at it, wondering if she would ever really believe Harper was still alive. No matter what she told the others, she knew what the Nietzcheans did to their prisoners. It had already been a week. Was there truly any chance?
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Trance left the briefing room, knowing that Beka was giving up, and not blaming her in the least. After all, with what Trance had seen, she wasn't sure that the shell they would encounter could be called Harper anymore.
As she settled in to tend to her plants on Hydroponics, she prayed another future would show itself to her, and soon.
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The light was blinding. They never turned it off, which made it difficult to see anything whenever they removed him from his cell.
He lay on his side, his back a mess of open wounds, his stomach and chest covered in burns. He would kill for a drink of water, his mouth and nose so dry they burned fiercely. He hadn't been allowed any proper sleep, only those short times when they knocked him out.
Footsteps in the passageway outside his cell alerted him to yet another session. He heaved himself up onto his knees as best he could, waiting for the guards to come and drag him back to the ninth circle.
Instead, a blonde head popped through, brandishing her beautiful smile, the most stunning smile Harper had ever seen.
"Beka." He croaked, relieved to see her. He knew she wouldn't leave him here, he knew that she would come.
"Harper! Come on, we're here to rescue you!"
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Heh heh, I love cliffies. R&R for more, they encourage me, and since I'm sick right now, I'll need a lot of encouragement. ;D
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Chapter 3: Dimming Light
"Please tell me you found Harper, or at the very least know which solar system he's in."
Beka's voice was slightly worn, and she sounded exhausted.
"No such luck. We haven't got anything, Rhade didn't recognize the Nietzcheans involved, and it's not like there was much to go on. Did you find anything with your contacts?" Captain Dylan Hunt faced Beka, hoping, for once, that it would be easy.
"Nothing." Beka shook her head ruefully. "Either they don't know anything or they're really good actors." The pair fell silent, trying to come up with any miraculous and/or brilliant ideas as to where their engineer might be.
They had several replacements, yes; it wasn't like they didn't have a crew. The problem was that none of them were as familiar with the Andromeda as Harper, especially since he hadn't re-wired her to spec during all those repairs he'd had to do. Which made for some interesting engineering.
Dylan and Beka stood silently for a moment more before Rommie's hologram popped into existence nearby.
"Dylan, we just received a distress call from a nearby planet. They say that their world is tearing itself apart due to tectonic disturbances and are begging for any assistance from ships in the vicinity."
Dylan looked torn for a moment, before facing holo-Andromeda. "Do they know we are here?"
"No," holo-Rommie shook her head, "it was a general distress call."
Dylan stood for a moment more, then glanced at Beka. She sighed, knowing full well what they were going to do.
"Alright, alright." She raised her hands in acquiescence. "But we dump the refugees ASAP. I want my Harper back."
"So do I." Dylan muttered as the pair headed for command.
-------------
"Now what?" Beka looked around the room hopelessly. "We just give up on him? I can't believe you would do that Dylan. After everything he's done for us, you are willing to just abandon him?"
Beka glanced once more around the table, met only with silence and sad gazes. She turned to the only person who had a chance of convincing Dylan right then.
"Trance, please. He's your friend. Are you ready to just let him go? To leave him in the hands of the Nietzcheans who are doing God only knows what to him. Can you do that?"
"Beka," Trance's voice was soft and sorrowful, "we can not go after Harper. If we do, we will die. And so will he."
"I don't care. I'm going after him, no matter what you say. He's my crew, my family. I won't leave him behind."
"Beka, please don't do this. I don't want you to die either. And you will, if you go."
Beka's gaze was hard as she met Trance's eyes, but it softened as she felt the weight of what Trance was saying. "No chance?" she asked hopelessly, sagging into a chair.
"I'm sorry Beka. He's my family too."
"Then he's dead."
Beka was startled when Trance shook her head. "No, he's not. And later, in the future, there may be a chance to save him. But it isn't now, no matter how much I wish it was."
Beka nodded slowly, noticing for the first time that neither Rhade or Dylan looked surprised. She glared an accusation at Trance. "You told them first?"
Trance nodded once in confirmation. "We knew you wouldn't give up, not unless there was compelling reason to do so."
"I'm sorry, Beka, truly I am. Harper was a good man and an excellent engineer." Rhade stood, and left for command, leaving the closer group alone.
"There will be another chance Beka, but you have to admit, if you had gone alone to search for him, where would you have started? We have no leads, no trail, nothing."
Sighing, Beka shook her head. "I don't know, all I know is I would feel better if I was out looking, at the very least."
Dylan's hand rested briefly on Beka's. "Get some rest." His voice was soft, and he squeezed her hand gently before joining Rhade on command. Trance sat quietly, watching Beka swallow and blink.
"You can cry, you know. I'm here, if you need me."
Beka smiled slightly, then shook her head again. "If I cry, some part of me will admit that he's dead, that there won't be another day. That I will never see him again. And that isn't true, now is it?"
Trance smiled in return, standing up. "That is true. We will find him, or he will find us. Either way, we will see him again."
As Trance also left, Beka's head sank down onto the table. A tear slid slowly down her cheek, dripping onto the mirrored surface. She stared down at it, wondering if she would ever really believe Harper was still alive. No matter what she told the others, she knew what the Nietzcheans did to their prisoners. It had already been a week. Was there truly any chance?
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Trance left the briefing room, knowing that Beka was giving up, and not blaming her in the least. After all, with what Trance had seen, she wasn't sure that the shell they would encounter could be called Harper anymore.
As she settled in to tend to her plants on Hydroponics, she prayed another future would show itself to her, and soon.
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The light was blinding. They never turned it off, which made it difficult to see anything whenever they removed him from his cell.
He lay on his side, his back a mess of open wounds, his stomach and chest covered in burns. He would kill for a drink of water, his mouth and nose so dry they burned fiercely. He hadn't been allowed any proper sleep, only those short times when they knocked him out.
Footsteps in the passageway outside his cell alerted him to yet another session. He heaved himself up onto his knees as best he could, waiting for the guards to come and drag him back to the ninth circle.
Instead, a blonde head popped through, brandishing her beautiful smile, the most stunning smile Harper had ever seen.
"Beka." He croaked, relieved to see her. He knew she wouldn't leave him here, he knew that she would come.
"Harper! Come on, we're here to rescue you!"
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Heh heh, I love cliffies. R&R for more, they encourage me, and since I'm sick right now, I'll need a lot of encouragement. ;D