Part 13

Harper was still stumbling over his feet as he entered the corridor, and he immediately saw Beka and Trance stood a few metres away down the corridor, but they had failed to spot him.

"Crap," Harper said under his breath, immediately stopping, knowing he couldn't face Beka or Trance at that moment. He quickly glanced the other way but there wasn't a junction for what seemed like twenty metres, and he didn't rate his chances of getting that far without being spotted.

With a deep breath, Harper composed his racing emotions, thinking quickly before he was spotted, he realised that he couldn't walk away. There was still so much he needed to know from Dani, about what had just happened and more importantly, about the mission he was supposed to be helping Beka on. Harper decided without further thought to walk back into the room, but he hesitated on seeing Dani looking back at him expectedly, as he returned.

"We should talk," Harper simply said, but he avoided eye contact.

"I'm sorry if I have freaked you," Dani offered genuinely respecting his space now, but she seemed pleased by his sudden return. "It's just I remember everything you said now, since we met, and I've had time to consider it with a sounder mind, and I agree with what you say, that this is an opportunity," Dani spoke with spirit and enthusiasm, barely taking a breath. "I'm just trying to take full advantage of it," she finished, and her words were directly aimed at him.

"Say if I do help you," Harper spoke slowly. "Will you help me?" he asked.

Dani was already nodding her head. "I'll tell your friends everything I know, if you just say you'll help me."

"And if I don't?" Harper had to question now, and he noticed that Dani made no attempt to answer, as he moved closer to her. "You obviously know stuff about me, and about this ship that is a requirement of your so called job, Dani," he explained pointedly. "And I don't know exactly what you know, so I'm sorry, but I can't help thinking that what you're proposing here, it sounds a lot like blackmail," he said with honesty.

Dani glanced away before looking back at Harper. "I know no other way, Shay, you call it blackmail, I call it a means to get you to listen to me, and take me seriously, so give me a break," Dani requested with passion. "I've been brought up by ubers, so yeah, it's something of an influence," she said with sadness in her voice. "And if you don't believe my intentions, or that I genuinely just want your help, then I'll just have to try harder to convince you," Dani then half smiled, with a hint of suggestion.

"You can't force me to like you," Harper found himself responding, even if it wasn't what he was actually thinking, and he wondered if his voice gave it away. Harper knew deep down that if he encouraged this, that Dani wouldn't have to try hard, and the realisation nearly caused him to walk into a piece of furniture.

Harper was once again attempting to put some distance between them, she was distracting him now, and he knew now that he shouldn't have returned so soon, that maybe it had given Dani too much incentive and encouragement. He had wanted to return however, because it had been too hard for him to walk away, if he had really wanted to leave, he could have found a way, he always used to be able to move around undetected on Earth. Or he could have just faced Trance and Beka and be done with it, but he returned to Dani.

Harper now stared at Dani, wondering what it was he was actually fighting. Was it his feelings, or her feelings, or both?

"I won't have to force you like me, Shay," Dani returned confidently, as if already figuring out how he was feeling at that moment. "Why are you so paranoid?"

"Blame it on my life," Harper simply said, and he sat down to gather his conflicting thoughts putting his head in his hands, needing to focus.

Harper glanced up and stared at Dani for a moment, as she edged closer to him, how many times did he get this lucky with women, that the feelings he had were seemingly shared? How many times did they come on so strong that they were bragging about how he'd be theirs?

Then how many times did women use his weakness for female company to get what they wanted from him, Harper sighed as the doubts returned along with the beginnings of another headache. Above all else, Harper knew that Dani had changed, and his natural instincts were yelling at him to take note of that change and be cautious of the situation, whilst he still had the sense to do so.

Dani was still the mission, and she still had every reason to use him, he couldn't be sure she wasn't working in Yussuf's best interests right now, trying to find a way off of the ship, and he had always suspected that one of the best ways to leave this ship could be through the gullible engineer.

"Look, I have to speak to Beka, and then get some rest," Harper offered with distraction, and stood up to leave, but before he reached the exit Dani grabbed him around waist affectionately, for a quick embrace.

"You're going to tell her about me, right?" Dani stated with a smile, and her eyes locked with his.

"Maybe," Harper shrugged, he felt a little uncomfortable being so close to Dani now as his emotions continued to conflict, he was having to try really hard to resist her small advances, and to ignore her touch that he couldn't help but enjoy. "She already knows a lot about you, with your injury and stuff," he offered casually, and he grabbed her hands and moved them away from his body.

"Just not the stuff about my work for Yussuf, that I told you about," Dani stated, now crossing her arms.

"Well, yeah," Harper agreed.

"If you tell her anything, Shay, I'll never be able to trust you again, and remember that friendships, or even relationships are built on trust," Dani simply said, before moving away.

"Do you trust me now?" Harper asked, remembering their previous exchange where she declared she could never trust him.

"I was just angry before, I never really stopped trusting you," Dani admitted. "Besides, you haven't told her anything yet," she smiled warmly. "You haven't even told them how I hurt you, with that live wire," she shrugged, knowingly.

"I don't tell them everything," Harper returned as a reason, but he could tell Dani was still claiming some sort of victory on that score. If he was honest he knew that Dani had him on both counts, he hadn't told Beka anything, and he had failed to inform them about the shock Dani rendered him unconscious with. "Why does it matter anyway, if it comes from me, when you said you'd tell her everything, if I helped you," he stated casually.

"Because I want to help her, but if you go in and tell her everything where does that leave me? It's not a great start to freedom if I have you acting on my behalf is it?" Dani stated.

Harper considered her point, and she made a good one. With a sigh, he nodded his head. "OK, I've already told Beka enough times that I want nothing to do with this mission," he admitted, and he then moved closer to Dani, he took her hand and for a moment and just examined it with an awkward air. "I won't tell her anything, it's your call," he stated, and moved his attention away from her hands back to her face.

"Thanks," Dani grinned and in a show of her gratefulness she stole another quick kiss before encouraging Harper to leave. "Now, do your thinking, or whatever it is you have to do, and I'll be right here, I promise," Dani gestured. "Waiting," she added, as if already knowing that he would help her.

Harper backed out of the room slowly, and more calmly this time before he turned and entered the corridor. With little surprise, he saw Beka and Trance waiting outside, and this time he was more prepared to face them.

"So?" Beka immediately asked, as she walked over.

"What?" Harper returned cagily.

"Did you resolve things?" Trance asked. "Is she talking?"

"Yeah, she's talking," Harper responded quickly, Beka and Trance now flanked him, as they walked down the corridor. "We resolved things," he stressed, now feeling pressured by their presence either side of him, knowing that he was still getting his head around the whole Dani thing.

"So what happened?" Beka asked.

"Nothing," Harper quickly returned before thinking.

"Ok," Beka replied, and they had to walk fast to keep pace with Harper, Trance doing likewise. "So by nothing happening, you resolved things?" she asked puzzled.

"What is this, am I on trial?" Harper snapped.

"Harper stop for a moment," Beka requested, and on her touch Harper did as she asked and stopped. He looked around, avoiding their stares, before Beka spoke again. "What happened?"

Harper took a deep breath, glancing at both ladies before responding. "She'll talk to you," he admitted.

"Great, well let's go talk to her," Beka beamed with relief, turning to Trance.

"No, wait," Harper stopped her, knowing that he had to talk to Dani first, and the moment he had told Beka that Dani would talk, Harper had made his decision. Whether it was wise or not, he still wasn't entirely sure but the look on Beka's face was enough to convince him that for the short term at least, it was the right thing to do. "She was tired, and she wanted to lie down, so give her a couple of hours?" he requested.

"I can do that," Beka said with gratitude, remembering Trance's advice to be patient, and she reached forward to embrace Harper. "I know this has been tough for you, but I really appreciate your help in this, ok?" Beka spoke as she leaned into him. "I'm sorry for everything I've done recently, I'll make it up to you, ok?"

Harper held Beka close for a moment longer, before pulling away. He was too distracted to fully appreciate Beka's gesture, still unsure if he should encourage Dani's advances, but he also knew that he had enjoyed her attentions. Seeing Beka look upon him as a friend again had made things easier for him to accept, he must have done the right thing, he figured, and Dani wasn't all that bad, she deserved a break, so maybe he could help her, he finally decided.

"Trance," Harper spoke up, and directly looked at his more unique friend. "What you said before," he simply said and it was clear that Trance knew to what he was referring. "How did you know?"

Beka threw them both a puzzled look before Trance responded with a secret and knowing smile. "I sensed it, deep down."

"Sensed what?" Beka had to ask.

"Right, was it a good sense or a cautious sense?" Harper asked, not meaning to ignore Beka but he had to have a second opinion.

Trance shrugged, almost keeping Harper in suspense. "Good, I think," she answered with only a slight hesitation.

"Really?" Harper couldn't hide his surprise, and it certainly made a change after his recent run of bad luck with the ladies. "So," he now hesitated as he tried to make a final decision.

"Harper," Trance stepped forward now. "Do what you feel is best for you, that's all you can do."

Harper looked at Trance, looking for more, before Beka spoke up again. "Guys, what is going on here?"

"I should go and eat," Harper decided quickly, and before anyone could say anything more, Harper promptly left them.

"Trance?" Beka questioned.

"You wanted his help, and he's helped," Trance shrugged, before frowning. "Now we just have to hope that his help is worth it."

Beka looked confused but sensed that she was not going to get much more from Trance, she glanced at the retreating Harper, before returning her attention to Trance. "If it means I crack this mission, then it'll be worth it," she confirmed.

"Find that ship!" Yussuf yelled in anger, spinning around to his cohorts, unable to believe they had lost the ship.

"They must have had time to repair the damage we inflicted on the Andromeda, and slip stream," a brave man offered, and Yussuf soon stood before him.

"You know, I think they may have," Yussuf mocked. "Do tell me how that happened," he insisted, and the brave man became less so under the tyrants gaze.

Yussuf stepped away and took a deep breath. "I simply want my Dani back," he said more calmly. "But I also need a volunteer to go to the Icpres System," he turned to see all of his cohorts actively offering their assistance.

Yussuf stared at each of them, none of them were Dani, he trusted Dani with his life and soul, but these men would stab him in the back at the first opportunity. Slowly he considered his options before gesturing to Gilchrist.

"You," he ordered and Gilchrist seemed surprised that he had been chosen, checking before he stepped forward. "Come with me, I need to brief you and then you will be on your way."

"Sir," Gilchrist simply said, wondering what he had just volunteered for.

Yussuf guided him towards his office, and gestured for the man to stand before his desk, as Yussuf took his seat.

"Dani is on a mission," Yussuf revealed.

Gilchrist showed his surprise. "Is, but?" he checked unsure.

Yussuf half smiled at the man's confusion. "She was, and she is now, albeit a slightly different one," he announced and stood up. "I have suspected for some time that the new commonwealth, for what it's worth, would try and interfere with my work," Yussuf explained. "Never let it be said that I am a man who is never prepared."

"Ok," Gilchrist looked nervously at his leader.

"I need you to deliver the information that Dani was unable to, but also some new instructions," Yussuf confirmed.

"I can do that," Gilchrist stated, with confidence.

Yussuf simply smiled. "Then we just have to hope that Dani is in a position to play her part."

"She will know what to do?" Gilchrist asked.

"I'm counting on it," Yussuf partly smiled, and then gestured for Gilchrist to stand up. "Now take this, and make your way to the Icpres system immediately, and ensure all orders contained in that message are followed."

"Sir," Gilchrist stressed and got to his feet with haste, before quickly leaving the room.

TBC