The true horror was on Rev's face. "I'm sorry I didn't realize. I thought
the young Master was still in medical."
"It's Okay Rev." Dylan tried to comfort. "But for now I thinks it's best that you leave. We'll work it out. It will be okay."
Beka led Harper to one of the corner's of the command deck. She sat on the edge of a step and she pulled the shaking sobbing boy with her. "Shhh," She whispered. "He's gone now, it's okay." His arms maintained their iron grip on her waist the entire time.
"He'd gonna get me." He hiccupped.
Beka rubbed the back of his head. "No, not Rev. He's a good Magog. Shhh, it's okay." Rev Bem had been informed when they brought Seamus on board that the boy was from earth. They had decided, knowing Earth's history, that it was probably best if Rev laid low for a while. It's why they had been so concerned about Seamus running loose on the ship. At the same time they didn't want Harper to think he was a prisoner. It was a big ship they it shouldn't have been a problem.
Tyr walked up to them now. He seemed to study the boy for a moment. Beka watched Tyr's face inquisitively.
"If you were my child you would be beaten."
"Tyr!" Gasped Beka indignantly.
But Seamus stopped crying and released his death grip on Beka. Harper looked up at the Nietzschean that towered over him.
"Magog, are evil." He sniffed.
"Nothing is inheritably evil and nothing is inheritable good. He simply is as he is."
"But, they eat people." Harper voice squeaked.
"If, he was your enemy you would not survive by playing ostrich. You must face your fate with strength and confidence."
"Tyr, he's just a boy." Beka tried to intervene.
Tyr looked directly in to Harper's eyes for more then a minute. "He's young but he's no child. He should know better." With that Tyr turned in his heels and stormed out of command.
"Dismissed!" Dylan shouted at his retreating back.
Trance came and kneeled before Harper and Beka. "Some of your Gel-Packs have come off. How about we go fix them." She gave him a pleasant smile.
Seamus looked up at Beka as if for direction.
"It's okay. Go with Trance. Rev.the Magog will be in his quarters. He won't bother you."
Trance then took Harper's had and led him out of command and towards medical.
Beka watched them go. She had never wanted a child. Hell, she had never even wanted a little brother or sister like most kids. Yet this kid was getting under her skin.
"Beka?"
She jumped a little she hadn't notice Dylan walk up beside her.
"You know he can't stay don't you. A battleship is no place for a child." Dylan continued.
It wasn't something didn't want to think about. "I Know, I know." She didn't even want to admit to herself that she was really starting to care for this kid.
"He's has a lot of problems, and Trance was saying earlier that his immune system is nearly non-existent. He needs more care then we can give him."
"I know Dylan!" she replied now annoyed.
"Do you? I see the way you look at him Beka. You feel responsible for what happened. You can't save everyone. His life is not your fault."
She couldn't help it. She could feel her eyes starting to water. "You're right Dylan, I can't save everyone. But, can't I just save this one?"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Trance and Harper were in medical. Trance was adjusting some of the gel packs that had come off in Harper surprise visit from Rev Bem. It wasn't an easy task as Harper kept grabbing every one of Trance's medical devices that were with in his arms reach.
"What's this one do?" He questioned.
"It's for cellular restructure."
"Cool," he replied as he started to disassemble it.
Trance sighed and pulled it from his hands. "Yes, and I need it in one piece, please."
Harper reached for another device but Trance stopped him and took his hand. "How about a game?" She suggested. She really needed to keep him distracted before he took a part the entire medical bay.
"Games are for kid's." He grunted indignantly. "And, like Tyr said I'm not a kid."
"Well, Tyr can big a big bully sometimes and he shouldn't have said that. Besides adults play games all the time."
"Really?"
"Huh huh, only they call it gambling most of the time. I like gambling, would you like me to teach you?"
Harper looked a little embarrassed. "I don't really have any credit's"
"That's okay." Trance chirped excitedly. "I have something else we can play with." Trance opened a drawer and pulled out a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies. "Tyr made them for me. But I'm not suppose to tell so, it will be our secret okay?"
Harper giggled. "A Nietzschean made you cookies! Are you sure they're not laced with arsenic?"
"It's not nice to think that way." Trance scolded, then she turned and pulled a deck of cards out of the same drawer she got the cookies. "Have you ever played Yesshedunno?"
Harper shook his head.
"It's easy, watch." Trance dealt the cards out on the medical bed and showed him the different suits and how he needed to collect certain ones of each kind to win.
Harper was a fast learner but still had some questions. "So how do we bet the cookies then?"
"Every hand you loose you have to eat a cookie." Trance didn't mention that she had added vitamin boosters to all the cookies. She wanted Harper to eat them. He really needed to get him eating properly. Cookies weren't as good for him as carrots or fruit but they might be easier to convince him to eat.
"Shouldn't the winner get to eat the cookies?"
"Well, Tyr just gave them to me and I have never eaten cookies made by a Nietzschean before."
Harper smiled a sly smile. "Ahhh, so that's the real game."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dylan rang the chime on Rev Bem's quarters.
"Enter please," bid Rev's gravelly voice.
Dylan entered the immaculately sparse room. Only a small alter and a small palette to sleep on were evident.
"Hi Rev, sorry to bother you but I was wonder if I could have a word with you?"
"Of course Captain you are always welcome here. This is about our young guest? I am truly sorry for startling him earlier. I only wish I could show him my regret in person."
Dylan started to pace the small space. "Ah, Rev it's not your fault. We should have talked to him earlier about you. This is your home you shouldn't have to hide in it. But, that's not why I'm here."
"You want to know if I have heard back from my friends at the Wayist orphanage?"
Dylan gave a nod. "Yes, I'm afraid that some of us are already becoming to attached to this boy. He needs to have a real home. Hell, he deserves to have a real home."
Rem Bem watched him pace. "I have always said home is where you make it. Have you asked young Master Harper his opinion on this matter?"
"No, when he first came on board he said he wanted to go back to earth. But, really Rev he's just a kid I can't abandon him there. He has no one."
"He's never mentioned his parents?"
"No, and when Beka found him he was trying to take care of two smaller children by himself. It's just I think Beka has really taken to him, we can't have a child living on a warship."
"Who are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"
Dylan stopped pacing and ran his hand over his face. "I just don't know anymore Rev."
"He's proven his worth. Andromeda told me he fixed the slipstream controllers and saved the day."
"He did, Its not that he's not useful Rev. I just can't help but think he needs something more then we can give. Can you give me the co-ordinates for the orphanage? I'll contact them and see if they will be willing to take him."
Rev bowed his head as he handed Dylan the information he needed. "As you wish."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TBC
"It's Okay Rev." Dylan tried to comfort. "But for now I thinks it's best that you leave. We'll work it out. It will be okay."
Beka led Harper to one of the corner's of the command deck. She sat on the edge of a step and she pulled the shaking sobbing boy with her. "Shhh," She whispered. "He's gone now, it's okay." His arms maintained their iron grip on her waist the entire time.
"He'd gonna get me." He hiccupped.
Beka rubbed the back of his head. "No, not Rev. He's a good Magog. Shhh, it's okay." Rev Bem had been informed when they brought Seamus on board that the boy was from earth. They had decided, knowing Earth's history, that it was probably best if Rev laid low for a while. It's why they had been so concerned about Seamus running loose on the ship. At the same time they didn't want Harper to think he was a prisoner. It was a big ship they it shouldn't have been a problem.
Tyr walked up to them now. He seemed to study the boy for a moment. Beka watched Tyr's face inquisitively.
"If you were my child you would be beaten."
"Tyr!" Gasped Beka indignantly.
But Seamus stopped crying and released his death grip on Beka. Harper looked up at the Nietzschean that towered over him.
"Magog, are evil." He sniffed.
"Nothing is inheritably evil and nothing is inheritable good. He simply is as he is."
"But, they eat people." Harper voice squeaked.
"If, he was your enemy you would not survive by playing ostrich. You must face your fate with strength and confidence."
"Tyr, he's just a boy." Beka tried to intervene.
Tyr looked directly in to Harper's eyes for more then a minute. "He's young but he's no child. He should know better." With that Tyr turned in his heels and stormed out of command.
"Dismissed!" Dylan shouted at his retreating back.
Trance came and kneeled before Harper and Beka. "Some of your Gel-Packs have come off. How about we go fix them." She gave him a pleasant smile.
Seamus looked up at Beka as if for direction.
"It's okay. Go with Trance. Rev.the Magog will be in his quarters. He won't bother you."
Trance then took Harper's had and led him out of command and towards medical.
Beka watched them go. She had never wanted a child. Hell, she had never even wanted a little brother or sister like most kids. Yet this kid was getting under her skin.
"Beka?"
She jumped a little she hadn't notice Dylan walk up beside her.
"You know he can't stay don't you. A battleship is no place for a child." Dylan continued.
It wasn't something didn't want to think about. "I Know, I know." She didn't even want to admit to herself that she was really starting to care for this kid.
"He's has a lot of problems, and Trance was saying earlier that his immune system is nearly non-existent. He needs more care then we can give him."
"I know Dylan!" she replied now annoyed.
"Do you? I see the way you look at him Beka. You feel responsible for what happened. You can't save everyone. His life is not your fault."
She couldn't help it. She could feel her eyes starting to water. "You're right Dylan, I can't save everyone. But, can't I just save this one?"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Trance and Harper were in medical. Trance was adjusting some of the gel packs that had come off in Harper surprise visit from Rev Bem. It wasn't an easy task as Harper kept grabbing every one of Trance's medical devices that were with in his arms reach.
"What's this one do?" He questioned.
"It's for cellular restructure."
"Cool," he replied as he started to disassemble it.
Trance sighed and pulled it from his hands. "Yes, and I need it in one piece, please."
Harper reached for another device but Trance stopped him and took his hand. "How about a game?" She suggested. She really needed to keep him distracted before he took a part the entire medical bay.
"Games are for kid's." He grunted indignantly. "And, like Tyr said I'm not a kid."
"Well, Tyr can big a big bully sometimes and he shouldn't have said that. Besides adults play games all the time."
"Really?"
"Huh huh, only they call it gambling most of the time. I like gambling, would you like me to teach you?"
Harper looked a little embarrassed. "I don't really have any credit's"
"That's okay." Trance chirped excitedly. "I have something else we can play with." Trance opened a drawer and pulled out a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies. "Tyr made them for me. But I'm not suppose to tell so, it will be our secret okay?"
Harper giggled. "A Nietzschean made you cookies! Are you sure they're not laced with arsenic?"
"It's not nice to think that way." Trance scolded, then she turned and pulled a deck of cards out of the same drawer she got the cookies. "Have you ever played Yesshedunno?"
Harper shook his head.
"It's easy, watch." Trance dealt the cards out on the medical bed and showed him the different suits and how he needed to collect certain ones of each kind to win.
Harper was a fast learner but still had some questions. "So how do we bet the cookies then?"
"Every hand you loose you have to eat a cookie." Trance didn't mention that she had added vitamin boosters to all the cookies. She wanted Harper to eat them. He really needed to get him eating properly. Cookies weren't as good for him as carrots or fruit but they might be easier to convince him to eat.
"Shouldn't the winner get to eat the cookies?"
"Well, Tyr just gave them to me and I have never eaten cookies made by a Nietzschean before."
Harper smiled a sly smile. "Ahhh, so that's the real game."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dylan rang the chime on Rev Bem's quarters.
"Enter please," bid Rev's gravelly voice.
Dylan entered the immaculately sparse room. Only a small alter and a small palette to sleep on were evident.
"Hi Rev, sorry to bother you but I was wonder if I could have a word with you?"
"Of course Captain you are always welcome here. This is about our young guest? I am truly sorry for startling him earlier. I only wish I could show him my regret in person."
Dylan started to pace the small space. "Ah, Rev it's not your fault. We should have talked to him earlier about you. This is your home you shouldn't have to hide in it. But, that's not why I'm here."
"You want to know if I have heard back from my friends at the Wayist orphanage?"
Dylan gave a nod. "Yes, I'm afraid that some of us are already becoming to attached to this boy. He needs to have a real home. Hell, he deserves to have a real home."
Rem Bem watched him pace. "I have always said home is where you make it. Have you asked young Master Harper his opinion on this matter?"
"No, when he first came on board he said he wanted to go back to earth. But, really Rev he's just a kid I can't abandon him there. He has no one."
"He's never mentioned his parents?"
"No, and when Beka found him he was trying to take care of two smaller children by himself. It's just I think Beka has really taken to him, we can't have a child living on a warship."
"Who are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"
Dylan stopped pacing and ran his hand over his face. "I just don't know anymore Rev."
"He's proven his worth. Andromeda told me he fixed the slipstream controllers and saved the day."
"He did, Its not that he's not useful Rev. I just can't help but think he needs something more then we can give. Can you give me the co-ordinates for the orphanage? I'll contact them and see if they will be willing to take him."
Rev bowed his head as he handed Dylan the information he needed. "As you wish."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TBC