Part 9
Harper had had enough of his own company, and he finally reached the exit of the tunnels. Before he had a chance to react, Harper felt an iron grip that dragged him the rest of the way out and pushed him fully into the access room and against the bulkhead.
"Ow!" Harper complained, and then focused on Beka. "I'm serious this time," he grimaced as pain shot up his arm, but Beka wasn't going to let go of him this time and she stared at him awaiting a response. "I'm sorry, really truly freaking sorry!" Harper snapped, his voice strained, as he attempted to make her grip feel more comfortable, but she had got a hold of a part of his arm that had been trapped the day before and was particularly tender, he closed his eyes to the pain hoping that Beka would relinquish her hold soon.
Unsure exactly what happened next, Harper only felt himself being dragged harshly to the ground and landing in a heap. Once he got his bearings, he realised that someone had attacked Beka, and in turn had sent them both to the ground, and that Beka was now squaring off against the assailant.
"Dani?" Harper suddenly realised as he recognised the attacker, and he scrambled to his feet.
Dani glanced over to him and it was enough for Beka to strike, sending Dani to the floor.
"Stop!" Harper cried out, seeing Dani clutching her head protectively. "Beka, don't!" he yelled before Beka could strike Dani again, anywhere but the head he instinctively thought.
Beka looked at Harper, and seemed to regain her composure quickly in seeing his reaction. Harper moved to Dani's side, but before he could check on her she shoved him back, and quickly moved away, putting a clear distance between them. Her eyes locked on his, as Harper stumbled back, but she didn't remember him, Harper could tell instantly, so why, Harper now wondered, had she attacked Beka?
A security detail promptly turned up and Beka instantly ordered them to return Dani to her quarters, and keep an eye on her until further instructions. Both Beka and Harper then took a moment to regain their thoughts, before speaking again.
"You ok?" Harper tentatively asked towards his friend.
"Yeah, I'll live," Beka responded, whilst brushing down her clothes. "You?"
"Same," he shrugged, and there was an awkward silence for a moment.
"So, what was all that about?" Beka finally asked, still catching her breath a little, after the altercation. "And what the hell did you do to her last night? She looked at you like a stranger, one she would have killed bare handed given the chance," Beka questioned accusingly but with confusion as well.
"I don't know, and it doesn't matter," Harper offered distantly, whilst absently rubbing his aching arm, where Beka had previously held him.
"Why are you protecting her?" Beka then asked, her voice short and laced with accusation. "And don't try to tell me you're not, I know you are."
"What the hell has got into you, Beka?" Harper asked his voice rising sharply, on the defensive and not enjoying Beka's continued attitude against him. "I told you I was sorry about tricking you earlier, and that you were freaking hurting me but you didn't listen," he complained with bitterness, and began to move away, still holding his arm to make his point.
"Is that why she attacked me, because I was hurting you?" Beka questioned, trying to seek the truth.
"No," Harper responded confidently, Dani didn't even know who he was, her reasons were probably nothing more than reading the situation wrongly or just acting on instinct, thinking Harper needed her assistance.
But no matter how Harper dressed it up, the reason why she wasn't in her quarters confused him, why had she been there? Yesterday when he'd had his accident, he was on her deck but this was deck eight, four away from her quarters, so why was she there at that precise time, he considered as he continued to walk away and he entered the corridor.
"Harper wait," Beka's voice sounded behind him, and he could sense she had followed him out into the corridor.
Harper then felt Beka reach out for him, but he shirked her attempt to stop him away, he continued walking for a few more steps before he turned and faced her, whilst still backing away, full of renewed fury at her actions.
"Just leave me alone, ok? This mission is making you crazy, making me crazy, so just don't bother talking to me till its over," he stormed, and turned on his heels to move away.
"Harper, please don't walk away," Beka's voice softened, and she was quickly realising her own actions, and appeared grateful to see Harper respond by slowing to a stop and turning to face her again.
Harper showed the turmoil he felt, as he began to speak. "I just don't know what any of this is about, but I do know that I just don't like it, and that I don't want this between us," Harper admitted, sounding confused. "I don't like what's got into you, yeah, it's your mission I get that," Harper shrugged and looked down to the deck, then hurt as he looked up at Beka again. "Why are you treating me like this? I'm just trying to help, whether you believe me or not, but I'm not doing anything else," he assured her.
"I don't like being in the dark, and you know that," Beka attempted to explain, her composure and voice softer now, and more recognisable. "Yeah, this is effectively my mission, and it's important to me, but you're not helping, and you're suppose to be on my side," Beka stated truthfully. "I know what she is, and I'm guessing you have issues because of her background, and your own, but Harper I have to ask you to just this once, to forget your past and help me."
Harper looked away, considering Beka's request, before looking up again. "I was going to tell you what I knew, but now," Harper looked a little lost as he looked around, now starting to back away. "Right now, I don't know, Beka, you're acting as though I'm the enemy and right now I feel like your enemy, my past has nothing to do with this, maybe its you who has to forget it, not me," he suggested firmly.
Beka put her hands on her hips and sighed, closing her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, and you're right, things have gone crazy between us, but we're both to blame," she spoke with sincerity. "I don't know what I was thinking, its just this mission is starting to get to me and knowing that you know something that could help me, I'm finding it real hard to justify why you have a reason to not just tell me, ok?" Beka offered honestly, with another heavy sigh. "If we give her back to Yussuf," Beka began to explain.
"I know, we'll fail, you'll fail," Harper finished for her, sounding remorseful.
"If we can scupper Yussuf's plans, Seamus," Beka approached him with caution. "Do you realise what that would mean, he's this sectors biggest tyrant, we'd be the toast of this sector, we're talking rewards," she stated with sudden enthusiasm.
A familiar glint arrived in Harper's eyes as he recognised this Beka very well. "Beka, are you trying to win me over with promises of treasure and riches beyond my wildest dreams and I'm warning you my dreams are pretty wild," Harper commented.
"Just saying, bringing down Yussuf's empire would be a real achievement in this sector of space," Beka indulged him.
"Damn it, Beka, you know me too well," Harper complained in mock defeat, it was nice to smiling again in Beka's company, and he couldn't help but be attracted to the idea of bringing down the tyrant that was Yussuf, knowing all manner of rewards and riches would follow.
He hadn't even stopped to considered how valuable the information he knew was to the larger picture, and he, as well as Beka deserved the break. Beka had also provided him another chance to just tell her what she wanted to know without the hang-ups or explanations for his earlier action. It was a reason that made him feel more comfortable with revealing Dani's secrets, a silly selfish rewards and treasure style reason, but if it stopped the tension between him and Beka, his trusted friend, then it was good enough, Harper considered.
With a shrug, Harper briefly smiled as he brightened his mood. "Beka, there was no big reason why I didn't tell you this morning, I was just tired and grouchy, you know what I'm like when I first wake up," he tried to explain.
"I should have given you some space, some time like you requested, we just both caught each other at bad times," Beka accepted with a genuine smile. "So just tell me now what you know about Dani, and we'll forget what happened before," Beka requested, placing her hand on Harper's upper arm.
At that moment time seemed to slow down, as the ship suddenly rocked with multiple explosions, sending both Beka and Harper to the deck with the strong impact.
"Unable to track the enemy fighters," Rhade yelled.
The command deck shook again, and panels exploded around them.
"Decks Seven, Eight and Nine are worst hit, and I have lost sensors in those areas," Rommie informed them.
"Return fire, Trance, take your pick," Dylan barked his orders, as he tried to regain composure and control of the situation.
Trance joined Rhade and they both took control of the weapons, but with limited success. "We just can't get a lock, their signals are affecting our weapon locks, some sort of scrambler, illegal no doubt," Rhade stressed.
"We're being hailed," Rommie announced.
"On screen," Dylan frowned.
"Valentine, Rhade, message from Yussuf, he wants what is his back before the day is out," the pilot simply said on the view screen before cutting the communication.
"They have opened a slip point," Rommie detected. "And they are gone," she confirmed.
"Great," Dylan took a deep breath. "Report."
"Detecting hull breaches and structural damage to decks seven, eight and nine," Rommie informed her captain. "Dylan, a six man security team, Seamus Harper, Beka Valentine and Dani are unaccounted for."
"Last known positions?" Dylan asked with concern.
"Deck eight," Rommie answered.
"The earlier incident with Dani?" Dylan checked, having read the update moments before from Rommie about despatching a security team to that area to assist Beka and Harper with a disturbance involving their guest.
"That's where it took place," Rommie agreed. "It was quickly resolved without further incident."
"I wonder if Yussuf realises that his own attack may have killed the one thing he seeks so badly," Dylan considered. "Send medical teams to the area, see if they can assist."
"We are unsure of the damage to that area, Dylan," Rommie reminded him. "I would advise caution to any crew entering the area, I am unable to detect anything in the affected parts but hull breaches have occurred in some sections."
"Agreed, now we do not want anymore surprises do we, Rhade, scan for possible returns, Rommie we need power to the engines and fast, try and organise emergency repairs," Dylan ordered. "I do not want to be a sitting duck to Yussuf."
"Acknowledged," Rommie accepted, knowing that she was in part doing Harper's job, hoping that it would just be a temporary measure.
The smoke and electrical charges fizzed around them, as Harper tentatively looked up and saw Beka doing likewise.
"What was that? Sounded way to close," Harper remarked, now feeling even more of his aches and pains from the previous day as his hand gingerly rubbed his temple.
"Come on, it's not safe around here, whatever that was," Beka encouraged Harper to his feet. "Andromeda, report?"
There was just silence, and Harper moved towards a wall panel. "Whatever hit us, it's taken out this deck, and is it just me or does the air pressure feel a little less than it should?" he asked, with increasingly heavy breaths.
"We must have a hull breach somewhere around here," Beka figured, now sensing the drop in pressure. "With Rommie out of action on this deck, repairs to those breaches will be sporadic at best," she frowned.
"Command?" Harper questioned their next move.
"Let's go," Beka agreed.
Shouts from further down the corridor stopped both of them in their tracks, and they looked at each other, exchanging concerned glances, they changed direction knowing the shouts sounded like cries for help.
"It's the security team that took Dani," Harper realised when they saw the source of the cries, and they quickened their pace, feeling the air pressure dropping even more the closer they got, and it sapped at their energy.
"What's going on?" Beka asked, as she reached them.
"Impact occurred real close to here," a member of the security team responded, taking heavy breaths. "We have hull breaches occurring in this area, a few small ones somewhere around here but worst further down, plus structural damage," he explained and then took a breath, the air was pretty thin now. "Two of our men are injured, and we can't move them just yet, so I've sent another to get oxygen masks so we can increase our efforts and clear this area," he stated sounding in control, and Beka and Harper looked on seeing the efforts the rest of the team were making to help their own.
"Where's Dani?" Harper asked, looking around.
"Sorry, sir, she bolted, I don't know where she is but she headed down there," he pointed down the damaged corridor. "Curtis pursued her but he hasn't returned yet."
Harper moved forward, but felt Beka's hand on his shoulder. "Oh no you don't," Beka stressed. "It's in hand, let's go to command and report back."
Harper seemed in two minds, he knew that Dani was confused and didn't know where she was, probably scared by the ship falling apart around her, and he knew why she was in this state of confusion. She had trusted him with that information, and he knew that he probably had the only means to gain her trust, to help her, remembering the words she told him to speak to do so. Whilst Dani remained on this deck she wasn't just risking herself, but Curtis, and this security team as well, by keeping them down here whilst they were assigned to her, Harper knew he had to do something even if it went against his better judgement, and his more natural instincts.
"You go, I can help around here more here than up there," Harper suggested.
"I don't know, Harper, this ship needs you to bring Rommie back online around here, and it would be safer for you to do that away from here, where oxygen is in better supply," Beka returned with doubt.
"Beka, you worry about your thing, I'll do my thing, as it always should be," Harper simply requested. "And don't worry, when this little emergency is over, I'll find you, and then I'll tell you what you need to know, ok?"
Beka considered the options, and couldn't find a good enough reason not to let Harper go and help the situation on the deck, even if she suspected he had more reason than he was letting on. If that's what he wanted to do and if he felt that he could help, she wasn't going to argue with him over it, they'd only just resolved their differences.
"OK, just go, but take care, this air is barely breathable, so don't stay down here too long whilst it's like this," Beka requested, her mind now completely focused on his safety and the welfare of the ship as a whole.
"Gone already," Harper insisted and was already half way down the corridor when Beka decided to move.
"So, what's going on?" Beka requested as she arrived on command, seeing Trance, Rhade, Rommie and Dylan at their stations.
"Beka, you're ok," Trance beamed. "Where are Harper and the others?"
"Still on Deck eight, looking for Dani, she did a runner but it should be in hand, Harper's just helping out," Beka responded and quickly moved to her console to check for herself the damage they incurred.
"How are things down there?" Dylan asked. "We have no contact with decks seven, eight or nine," he added.
"Just peachy, and under control, a few casualties but nothing major as far as I could tell, now what's going on up here?" Beka kept her focus on her console.
"Warning shots from Yussuf," Dylan informed her calmly.
"What?" Beka now turned sharply to face Dylan. "Who told him?"
"Whoever it was, he now has us, or specifically you and Rhade, in his sights, we've got his attention," Dylan responded. "And he's certainly got ours."
Beka considered the situation. "So, are we going to keep her now?" she asked with mock hope.
"He damaged my ship," Dylan simply answered, and Beka smiled, knowing she now had more time to solve the riddle of Dani.
The attack by Yussuf, Beka considered as she continued to check her console, it had so easily crippled a part of the Andromeda, and the attack had happened because the big bad Nietzschean wants some small fragile human slave back, the riddle was now expanding. What was so special about Dani that Yussuf now risked a potential war with the Commonwealth over her return? Beka took a deep breath, knowing that this mission was rapidly becoming a huge test for her, and one that she knew she just had to pass.
Harper hurried down the corridor dodging the exposed wires and damaged sections. The way ahead had automatically been sealed and he guessed that was where the outer hull damage had occurred, he was glad Rommie still had some measure of control on this deck to have secured that section. Listening with care, Harper heard a voice and spun around, it had come from a side room and he stepped inside.
"Curtis?" Harper spoke up on seeing a security team member.
"Sir," Curtis turned to face him.
"Is Dani here?" Harper asked, the lights had failed in the room and he wasn't able to see too clearly as his eyes adjusted.
"In the corner, every time I attempt to go near she freaks out," Curtis explained.
Harper took a deep breath. "Typical," he remarked without thinking and allowing his personal views to once again cloud his judgements. Harper then looked around unsure for a moment, he wanted to get off the deck, feeling the effects of the low pressure a little but he knew Curtis was never going to get Dani to move. "Go help your team, there's still a couple of men injured back there, so go, I'll deal with her."
"Are you sure?" Curtis didn't seem convinced and Harper guessed it went against everything the crew probably believed about him, to be good at something like convincing someone to trust him, heck, even he had trouble believing he could really do it.
"No, but go before I change my mind and leave you here to deal with it," Harper said with honesty.
"Good luck," Curtis said with little conviction, and quickly left Harper alone in the room without even a second glance at Dani.
Harper edged forward, until he was in a position where Dani would be able to see him. "Hey," he spoke up, and got Dani's attention as she glanced over. "Its not safe around here, we need to leave."
On cue a panel fell from the side, and sparks flew around the room for a moment, Dani held herself even tighter in reaction.
"Come on, we have to go," Harper stated with more urgency but she still failed to move, and he had half a mind to just forget Dani and try and fix the repairs he could see surrounding him, knowing he would be more comfortable doing that.
"Dani, listen to me," Harper spoke with care, but his voice was growing increasingly frustrated. "We have to leave," he edged closer to her, and offered his hand in assistance to her.
It was like talking to a stranger now, as he looked at Dani, she was no longer the person who had trusted him just a day earlier. As he edged closer Dani began to slowly grow more agitated, avoiding his stare and his advances.
Another panel close by suddenly exploded into a flurry of sparks and Dani used the momentary distraction to launch herself at Harper, sending him backwards on the deck. Harper recovered quickly enough to grab her ankle before she could run away, and she fell to the deck, before she kicked back at him, catching his shoulder, but Harper kept his hold on her ankle.
With panic, Dani glanced around and as Harper pulled her back along the deck, she grabbed a live wire and waved it in front of him, in self-defence.
"Whoa," Harper let go of her and attempted to move away but she grabbed a handful of his shirt with intent, and he froze, she had determination now in her eyes and a live wire way too close to him for Harper to try and move, let alone get away. "Dani, please, put that down, it's not a toy," he said with strained breathing, trying hard to remain calm.
Dani ignore him, and Harper knew he had to play his joker, remembering what Dani had told him the night before.
"Dani, I know who you are, you told me to tell you that Reko knows the truth," Harper spoke, his eyes fixed on the live wire, as she now stared at him. "I know about your disability, and I know your real purpose," he said as calmly as the situation allowed, seeing that he now had her full attention. "Yesterday you trusted me with that information and now you need to trust me when I say we have to get out of here, it's not safe."
"What is your name?" Dani simply asked.
"Harper," he returned.
"I don't remember you," she stressed petulantly, and brought the wire into contact with Harper's upper arm.
With an ear-piercing yell, Harper screamed out in pain as volts of electricity rushed through him shaking him to the core, Dani abruptly let go of him, and removed the point of contact, and he fell to the ground, with his body still convulsing, as she discarded the live wire.
"Harper?" Dani softly spoke, fear lacing her words, but he didn't respond and his eyes were now closed as he lay still on the deck. Dani knelt down and sat beside him, stroking back his hair from his forehead, that was now drenched in perspiration. Quietly she remained sat by Harper, not knowing what else she could do.
"More of Yussuf's ships have just exited slipstream, they'll be in firing range in five, four, three," Rommie indicated rapidly. "They are firing," she finished.
"Aiming for the same spot again, captain," Rhade said with annoyance.
"Do we have communication with those decks yet?" Dylan demanded.
"Still out of communication," Rommie stated, and the personnel on command braced themselves, as the volley of fire violently shook the ship.
"Return fire all tubes, take them out!" Dylan ordered with authority, and Rhade expertly set the weapons off.
"Damage report?" Beka spoke up.
"Deck eight and nine took the main impact, internal damage unknown, further multiple hull breaches detected," Rommie confirmed.
"I'm going back down there," Beka stressed with urgency. "Trance with me, there's casualties already, there may be more now," she added.
"Do we have power to the engines yet?" Dylan requested.
"We have enough to get us to slipstream," Rommie returned. "But with the hull breaches, it's not advisable to do so."
"Get those breaches fixed, and then get us to slip stream," Dylan ordered. "I do not want to be here when they take their third run at us, I think we've got the message, so now it should be our turn to respond."
TBC