Part 14
Harper now sat in silence, as he stared at the food in front of him, food that he had taken purely for the sake that it was a distraction, but he had since discovered that he wasn't really hungry. So involved in his own thoughts, Harper didn't notice when Dylan joined him.
"Usually, after you sit down, you eat it," Dylan offered, as he got comfortable.
"Dylan," Harper spoke up with obvious surprise, jumping slightly. "Sorry, I was miles away."
"So it seemed," Dylan agreed. "Everything ok?"
Harper nodded his head, an attempt to appear relaxed and perfectly fine, failing miserably as he looked confused and slightly hyper instead.
"Harper, I've known you for quite some time now," Dylan began, taking a quick bite of his food before continuing. "And never before have I been in your company for this long, without you talking to me about something mechanical, or some grand plan for an experiment, so come on, what's up?"
"Dylan," Harper began to protest. "I don't just talk about work," he lightly argued, seeming a little offended by the observation.
"To me you do," Dylan returned calmly, but in a tone that was encouraging Harper to convince him otherwise.
"Lies," Harper objected sharply, and then saw the stern look the captain now threw him. "I mean, I'm not calling you a liar but I talk to you about lots of things, I once told you about," Harper hesitated and looked away for a moment. "Stuff," he couldn't think of any examples, and he soon sighed. "OK, so yeah, I normally bore you with my work woes, I admit that but you are the captain, so it's your job to listen to them."
"Harper, just tell me what's wrong, I'm not that hard to talk to you know," Dylan offered calmly and with a slight smile, continuing to eat his food, whilst Harper pushed his own plate away.
"It's nothing," Harper returned, and Dylan just stared at him unconvinced. "Look it's nothing that you have to be worried about, and you have enough to worry about with the world ship and everything," he offered in his defence, but the captain still stared. "Look, its just Dani, Beka, and this mission, nothing important," he offered with a dismissive shrug.
"I thought things were going ok, Beka certainly seems a lot calmer now with the situation, in fact just a few minutes ago she said it was all in hand, and Dani was ready to talk," Dylan stated positively, as he continued to eat.
"It is all in hand," Harper agreed. "I just have to have a quick chat with Dani about some stuff, and everyone is happy, and it's no biggie," Harper tried hard to sound convincing. "Like I said, it's nothing important," he added.
"For someone who wanted nothing to do with this mission, with our guest, you sure seem to have hit if off, what changed?" Dylan asked, and it appeared in tone to be an innocent question, as Harper attempted not to react to his words.
"I have changed," Harper responded, and hoped that he had been right to believe that Dylan's observation had been purely an innocent one, and that he hadn't guessed the same as Trance had. "I was hasty, judgemental, I wasn't thinking, old hang ups that I shouldn't have brought to this mission," Harper offered softly, finding a distraction now with the table surface. "And now I know I can help Beka, that's what I'm doing, I'm helping Beka, and that's all that matters."
"But," Dylan prompted.
"No buts."
"So you sit here often with a bowl of cold food for company?" Dylan gestured to his untouched food.
Harper looked away from Dylan, shaking his head slightly. Was he suddenly such an open book? And he now inwardly raged, but he also knew that getting defensive or angry would not help matters. It then occurred to him suddenly that he could use this time with Dylan to his advantage, who better to discuss women with than the Casanova captain himself, Harper figured.
"Dylan, can I ask you something?" he finally spoke, continuing to avoid eye contact but Dylan made no obvious objections to Harper's request; he seemed rather encouraged by the question. "Where do you draw the line, you know when you have these relationships with all those females who are directly involved in our missions?"
"All those females?" Dylan scoffed. "Harper, a little exaggeration don't you think?" he protested with a nervous smile. "I do not have relationships with every female we help," he quickly added defensively.
"I think you protest too much," Harper smirked. "Seriously, Dylan, when you're on a mission and its to do with helping a female, like our missions strangely always tend to revolve around, how do you know if its right to, you know, get involved," Harper asked, and he looked at Dylan to await his reaction.
"You and Dani?" Dylan suddenly spoke with amused joy, jumping to the one conclusion that Harper had hoped the captain wouldn't.
For a moment Harper didn't speak, he looked away from Dylan, and felt his cheeks slightly burning from the attention Dylan was now giving him. "It's not like that," Harper spoke quietly, and Dylan waited for more. "But it could be," he offered awkwardly. "I don't know what it is," he finally admitted.
"And you're worried about the effect this could have on the mission?" Dylan asked.
"Beka's mission," Harper reminded him with obvious concern.
"I can certainly understand your concern," Dylan agreed with consideration.
"What if, well what if she's like the others?" Harper asked, now looking at Dylan.
"The others?" Dylan questioned, a little unsure, and he was trying to recall previous times that Harper had been in anyway involved with any female during the time he had known him.
"Come on, the other females that have taken an interest in me," Harper stated firmly, trying to prompt the captain. "Every single one of them, well, ok," Harper said with resignation. "Both of them, they wanted something else, and they used me to try and get it, what if this is the same?"
Dylan frowned, and he vaguely remembered the two females in question now, or at least thought he did, he was still unsure exactly. "Usually I just make sure I don't put myself in a position in which they can use me," he offered.
Harper smirked. "Meaning that you use them," he spoke with a mocking tone.
"Its true that I don't always just get involved for the thrills, Mr Harper, sometimes you have to do certain things to get certain results," Dylan objected, trying to make it sound reasonable.
"You know, I hear that's also how babies are generally made," Harper mocked.
"I get involved with these females for a number of reasons," Dylan continued ignoring Harper's comments. "It's not just to get them in my bed," he stated, making a point.
"Hell no, you get involved for the intelligent conversations, the joy they can bring you and company on those long winter nights," Harper continued to mock. "Come on Dylan, I wasn't born yesterday, I know that you use them, and you don't make a secret of that fact, especially if it helps the mission."
"Mr Harper," Dylan was not amused. "My relationships are not in question here, and I fail to understand what exactly you are hoping to gain by this discussion."
"What if I don't want to get involved with her just to help the mission?" Harper questioned now with a tone that Dylan had rarely heard before from the engineer, it came across as so serious. "What if she does actually like me, and what if I like her too?" he questioned. "Where does that leave us?"
"Then just see what happens," Dylan suggested. "Harper there are never any guarantees with this stuff, and I don't always go into a relationship of any kind with a female knowing what will happen, that's the fun part, the discovery of what might be."
"But I'm afraid, Dylan, I just think she's going to use me like the others, regardless of what she says," Harper admitted softly, and sounding down once again as his fear reflected in his expression. "Right now, I don't know what to think, I mean what if she is genuine?" Harper questioned now towards Dylan. "Do I just walk away from that without finding that out? She could be the one, the Mrs Harper I've been looking for all my life, I can't ignore that because of what's gone before, can I?"
Dylan could see the confusion and conflict now in Harper's expression, and it didn't seem natural to see the kid so cut up like this, especially over a woman. "Are you sure she's interested in you?" Dylan asked.
"We kissed, a couple of times in fact, man, it was a battle to make her stop half the time," Harper offered with mocking gestures.
Dylan seems almost impressed. "She came onto you?"
"Technically I made the first move, but only after she practically threw herself at me," Harper pointed out. "I wouldn't have done anything if she hadn't encouraged it, up to the point that she did, I just thought I was being my usual self, you know?" he shrugged. "And I seriously wasn't interested, but that's a whole different issue," he dismissed.
"What about now, do you still want to know her better?" Dylan asked.
Harper took a deep breath. "Now, I can't stop thinking about her and I hate myself for it," he admitted bitterly.
"Why?" Dylan was a little surprised by the revelation, and the changed tone of Harper's voice.
"That whole different issue thing," Harper sighed, but felt he couldn't leave it there, Dylan needed to understand, he figured. "She acts like a slave, and she has been brought up by ubers, and serves them," he said with obvious disgust, but he had to be honest. "Dylan, where I come from," Harper took a deep breath before continuing. "We just don't mix, you know? Slaves are just uber pawns, and usually I want nothing to do with them," he stressed. "Most of the time they are no better than the ubers who beat on us, who kill our people," he stressed talking of past times he had experienced.
"But you're not on Earth now, surely those prejudices should not exist here," Dylan simply said.
"Yeah, maybe, and I know she's different," Harper explained. "And now here I am in the comfort of space wondering what we might have together, and if what I'm feeling towards her is real, and should I be giving her a chance?" Harper stated with petulance. "All the time knowing that if this was Earth, it wouldn't have made a freaking difference what the circumstances were," Harper's voice now grew louder. "Facts would be that she's an uber slave, I'm the mud foot kludge, and we don't mix, we fight, and I'd have probably killed her already with my own hands," Harper stressed darkly, and with anger he quickly got to his feet.
"You've killed slaves just because?" Dylan had to ask with some degree of shock at the revelation, it was a revelation he hadn't been prepared for, or had expected from his engineer.
Harper closed his eyes for a moment. "No, well, not directly, a lot of the time I just thought about it," he admitted. "I hate slaves, they really get under my skin and what the hell am I talking about because this has no freaking relevance, she's not even a slave," he sighed loudly, with his tone changing, as he looked upwards.
"She's not?" Dylan asked intrigued.
Harper looked back at him, realising he had revealed information unintentionally. "It'll all be in Beka's report," he dismissed quickly, deciding that he wasn't going to explain further to Dylan. "Dylan, I'm not you," he finally gestured pacing the room now. "I don't generally have women falling for me, usually I have to chase them, and then feel the pain of a slap around the face when I get annoying," he sighed, he would have laughed too, if it hadn't been true. "But I don't want to turn her down, even if it goes against my better judgements, or my instincts, just because in the past when women have wanted me, it's only been to use me, or kill me."
"So, Dani is different because she only acts like a slave, and she finds you desirable?" Dylan offered, with a hint of a smile.
Harper avoided Dylan stare, and he started to shake his head. "No, Dani is a slave, who am I kidding?" he sighed again, and this time with resignation. "At the end of the day she has an uber for a master, she works for an uber, and that makes her a slave, an uber puppet, it's all the same," Harper insisted allowing his past to influence his judgements again. "But she does want her freedom, and she's asked for my help in getting it, and a part of me wants to help her," he admitted.
"But there's a part of you that can't let go of your prejudices, or your past," Dylan considered.
Harper simply frowned, then sat back down. "The part that means I'll probably never give Dani a fair chance regardless of her intentions good or bad, and I'll never find that special one," he sighed, now showing signs of feeling sorry for himself, as he rested his chin on the table, with his hands holding his head.
"You're lonely," Dylan offered.
"No," Harper instantly rebuked sitting up again, not wanting to appear needy, even if Dylan may have been onto something. "I just don't want to jeopardise Beka's mission," he said with sincerity. "She wants this so bad, how can I even contemplate jeopardising it by trusting someone like Dani, when all my instincts, and everything I know, is telling me not to trust her let alone help her?" he questioned, as if seeking understanding for his actions.
"Then resist doing anything for the moment until the mission is completed, and if Dani is serious, on all counts, then she will wait, and then," Dylan partly smiled now. "Then, go for it," Dylan suggested calmly.
Harper however didn't share his enthusiasm. "That's just it, Dani says if I help her, and by that I don't know, I think she means to help her find freedom, or it could be if I accept her advances, be more than a friend to her," Harper shrugged unsure. "Well, say if I don't push her away, then she'll willingly talk to Beka," Harper informed the captain. "In other words, if I ignore her, tell her I won't help her, or stay away, then Dani will continue her unhelpful act, and then Beka will never complete her mission, because without Dani, I can't see how she can."
"Ok," Dylan considered the new information. "Sounds like blackmail."
"It does, doesn't it?" Harper conceded and leaned back in his chair. "And I told her that, but she denies it, says it just her uber upbringing way to do things," Harper explained uneasily. "But usually, any form of blackmail is not a sign of true love, right?" Harper now smirked, finding amusement somewhere.
"But by co-operating with Dani's demands, you will help Beka complete her mission," Dylan considered with some thought.
"So what do I do?" Harper genuinely asked.
"I personally would use the situation to my own advantage to get the job done, the mission completed," Dylan simply said, as he crossed his arms.
"Take advantage of her, say I'll help but keep my options open, and make Beka's year?" Harper stated to make sure he understood what Dylan was suggesting, not looking exactly pleased by the conclusion. "Dylan, once again I'm not you, I'm not sure I can do that, at least convincingly," he sighed.
"I have faith in your abilities, Harper," Dylan supported. "I don't think you give yourself enough credit in your abilities to deceive," he then hinted. "How many times have you told me, convinced me even, that everything is fine with my ship, when in fact the truth is, you're holding it all together with nothing more than your own determination?"
"That's different, that's me dealing with machines and it's a totally different situation," Harper countered confidently. "Harper dealing with humans however, especially of the female kind, not so easy or straightforward, I can't just will them to co-operate in the same way I can with machines, no matter how determined I might be to succeed, if that was the case with women," Harper frowned. "Then we wouldn't even be having this discussion."
"You just have to stay focus and not let Dani become too much of a distraction, until such a time you are confident that her feelings are genuine," Dylan explained firmly.
"Stay focused," Harper repeated, unconvincingly, as he brushed his hand through his hair, and he began to nervously smile. "I really should talk to you more, Dylan, you seem to be mistaking me for someone who finds all this stuff easy," he sighed.
"You've never given me the impression of someone with a lack of confidence before, Harper," Dylan was forced to object. "Quite the opposite, in fact."
Harper just grinned. "Maybe you listened to me too much then," he looked down at the table. "I may talk big, a lot of the time," he quickly added. "But doesn't the evidence speak for itself? Look at me," he gestured. "I don't exactly have woman hanging off of me at every port, I'm lucky if they even let me look at them."
Dylan couldn't help but smile, but he looked away to save Harper his full amusement. "Harper, just stop thinking for a moment, because I think that's what this is all about, you're thinking too much about this."
Harper took Dylan's advice and for a moment he didn't speak, and just considered the situation for a moment. "I just can't see any other way, if I don't accept her advances, then I'll never know if we have anything, and Beka may never complete her mission, I only have one option, don't I?"
Dylan appeared to agree. "Harper, only if you believe that you can keep control of the situation, should you consider encouraging this," Dylan stated clearly. "Whatever it might be and whatever the situation turns out to be, whether its true love, or just enough on your part to complete the mission," Dylan stressed and Harper hung onto his ever word, as Dylan continued.
"If you don't have that confidence in your own abilities to keep control, and if find for any reason that you don't trust Dani, then it's probably fact that you never will," Dylan warned. "Harper, there are always other ways, so whatever you decide with regards to Dani, it will not be the end of the world, and if you request that we get her off the ship, either now or later on, then we will and you'll have our full support regardless," Dylan offered with conviction. "We'll just have to approach things differently with regards to the mission, and I know Beka will understand," he assured him.
"And if she genuinely likes me, and has no hidden agenda, then, no problem, right?" Harper said with a hint of optimism. "She'll talk, Beka gets her mission, and I'll ride off into the sunset with my new love," he said wistfully.
"Right," Dylan agreed with a smirk. "But you still have commitments to this ship, don't forget that," he added with amusement.
"I could never leave Rommie, I made her what she is today," Harper grinned.
"Seriously, it seems to me that you are already more than aware of the dangers, and all that you are feeling now is the anxiety of not being able to predict the future," Dylan shrugged. "Unfortunately, we can't all be Trance," he added with amusement.
"Yeah," Harper idly agreed. "But just as long as I keep my wits about me," Harper said, his mind now running through the possibilities.
"Just stay focused, don't allow her to have any opportunity to blindside you, that's if her motives are not genuine," Dylan suggested. "Maybe let her know that whilst she is still the mission, that you can't get too close, keep things professional, and take things slow, that way if she is genuine she will understand, I'm sure."
"Yes," Harper suddenly brightened, as if Dylan had finally given him the answer he was seeking. "That's it, I'll say yes to her, I'll say I'll help her, on the proviso that we take things slow, if I meet her demands, she'll have to meet some of mine," Harper declared with more spirit. "She has to understand that my priority at this time remains with the mission, you're right, I should know then how serious she is by her reaction," he enthused and stood up.
"Right," Dylan smiled. "And if you need to talk, find me next time, and not a plate of cold food."
"I will," Harper grinned and seemed a lot happier as he quickly left the mess deck.
Yussuf was smiling as he received the update from Gilchrist. The minion had arrived without incident to the Icpres system, and orders had been passed to those who needed them. Gilchrist now looked back at him on the monitor, where Gilchrist was looking very pleased with himself for successfully completing his part of the mission.
"Thank you," was all Yussuf said, and then he watched as another man stepped up behind Gilchrist on the screen, and fired a single shot, that hit the minion directly in the back. "You have to understand that at this time of increased security, all potential weak links must be eliminated," Yussuf continued, as Gilchrist breathed his final breaths.
Yussuf disconnected the communication, having enjoyed the show of power to his people. He hadn't got to where he was today by making mistakes, or by letting others think they could outsmart him, and soon the Andromeda Ascendant crew, and the Commonwealth, would discover this fact.
TBC