PART 20
"Dani, Dani," Dylan repeated, seeing their guest distracted by the doors that had remained closed since the meeting had started. "Dani," Dylan said one final time, and she turned to look at him.
"Sorry," Dani offered, sat at the desk surrounded by the command crew, minus one.
"Andromeda, have you spoken to Harper?" Dylan requested, knowing that his attendance would be helpful, as Dani remained distracted.
"I'm sorry Dylan, Harper has no plans to join us," Rommie revealed, seated next to Trance.
"I'll go get him," Beka offered but Dylan stopped her before she could get to her feet.
"Leave him, we have more urgent matters," Dylan confirmed. "Dani has informed me of her original orders, and with Harper, she has determined what they mean," he continued, and noticed Beka's glare at Dani at the mention of Harper's name. "Beka, is there a problem?" Dylan asked with a touch of annoyance, he didn't know why Harper was refusing to join them but he was making an educated guess based on what he was seeing from Beka.
"Other than Dani?" Beka questioned innocently.
"Me?" Dani returned. "I thought I was helping."
"Is Harper here?" Beka gestured.
"He was fine when I left him," Dani reasoned. "What happened after that, I have no idea, seeing as I was speaking with your captain about the mission," she stated clearly.
"Beka," Dylan stopped her before she continued the debate with their guest. "Are you suggesting that Harper's absence is in some way connected to Dani?"
Beka took a deep breath, glancing around the table at Trance, Rommie and Rhade before continuing. "They both knew about her original orders, and decided not to tell us immediately," Beka revealed, knowing she was landing Harper in it, but her attempts to make him think clearly had failed, she had no other option. "They decided, I guess, that they had more important things to do than tell us immediately, maybe we should be questioning exactly what," Beka looked at Dani with an accusing stare.
Dani immediately sat back, and stared at her hands, as they nervously fidgeted on the table top. Dylan could sense the conflict from Beka, and after his chat with Harper, and subsequent chat with Beka he didn't have to be a genius to figure out that there had been developments since then.
"Dani?" Dylan prompted with a tired frown. "Am I to assume that you and Harper are more involved now?" he tried to be as diplomatic as possible.
"Yeah, and it's true," Dani revealed with a frown. "We got distracted, I'm sorry, but don't just blame Seamus for this, I don't know, we just," she offered quietly but could find no excuse, as she intensely focused on her hands now, and avoided all stares. "What can I say? I'm here now telling you what I know, what more can I do?" she asked with a shrug. "What's done is done," she added, glancing at Beka.
"I understand that you and Harper are becoming close, good friends," Dylan attempted to sound casual about his choice of words.
"It's more than that," Dani looked up with sincerity towards Dylan.
"Give me a break, now she's sounding like him," Beka crossed her arms with disinterest.
Dani looked away again. "We have strong feelings for each other, and I can't explain why or how this has happened, but it has," she stressed.
"So no doubt you can now double cross him, and use him further down the line, he's on side now and exactly where you want him, you're not the first you know," Beka spoke up harshly. "We've seen your type before, why can't you people just give Harper a break? Why is it whenever we come across your type that you don't go for the ones who can take it, like Rhade or Dylan?" she demanded.
"Beka, you are doing Harper a huge injustice, Dani is here now freely telling us what she knows, she is helping us," Trance spoke up in Harper's defence.
"Give me that lecture when you can be sure she has no ulterior motives, and I might listen," Beka stressed, clearly still worked up after her exchange with Harper.
"Beka, enough," Dylan stated firmly seeing his first officer sounding off flippantly, and he saw that Dani was not enjoying what Beka was accusing her off, and their guest's reactions were telling him a lot more about the situation than any words, sensing a genuine air about Dani.
"No, she's right," Dani now stood up to Dylan's surprise, but her tone implied that she had had enough. "I'm going to get him killed, that's the big plan, I got myself kidnapped by you so I could kill him," she mocked towards Beka and Rhade. "So you should just get rid of me now, dump me some place, and never look back," she declared. "All I ask is you do it now, because whatever you do, do not take me to Ipcres, if you do then you might as well hand Shay over to Yussuf personally," Dani stated and noted the silence that followed. "Oh, I'm sorry did I just bring this meeting back to its point, that being the mission and not personal grudges against me?"
Beka just glared at Dani before looking away and crossing her arms, concentrating her efforts on calming her mood rather than challenge Dani further, but Dani hadn't finished yet.
"Tell me Beka," Dani moved closer, pacing the room. "Say you are right, say my plan all along was to just kill Seamus, or to get him onside, tell me what exactly I have gained by doing that, and by at the same time, telling you everything?"
Beka couldn't remain calm for long. "Well let's see, how about a good look around a high guard flag ship of the Commonwealth?" Beka questioned. "I'm sure Yussuf will find that invaluable," Beka added. "I know Harper's tours are usually very precise in detailing weapon capacities, structures and defences," she continued. "You've had the opportunity to ask plenty of supposedly innocent questions," Beka raged.
"You really think Harper is that stupid, that gullible?" Dani questioned with disbelief.
"This isn't about Harper," Beka returned quickly.
"Isn't it?" Dani questioned. "Look, I'm not pretending, and I'm not playing games so I don't know where that leaves you," Dani simply responded to Beka, and then looked at Dylan. "And where it leaves me is that I should leave, I can't stay here if you are heading to Ipcres."
"You will be leaving Dani," Dylan confirmed after a moments thought. "You will leave with Beka, and Harper, on the Maru," he added.
"What?" Beka checked, with horror, as she sat forward.
"I don't want Dani or Harper anywhere near the Ipcres System whilst Yussuf is in town," Dylan confirmed calmly, with a tone to suggest the decision was not up for debate. "The one thing we do all agree on is that in Harper and Dani, we recognise a threat of some kind, to them or to this ship, and we have to protect that."
"But the seminars, Dylan, you have listed Harper for attendance and as speaker for the majority of them, the Commonwealth will expect his attendance," Rommie now spoke up.
"He'll have to miss them, and we'll have to make excuses," Dylan responded. "We need him in one piece for when this world ship arrives, and taking him to this conference on the evidence presented is an unnecessary risk that I'm not prepared to take."
"And what am I supposed to do with them? Other than keep them apart?" Beka asked. "Wouldn't it be better to have her go with someone else, far away in a slip fighter, and I'll look after Harper?"
"Beka, as it is I'm going to be missing two command crew officers, I can not afford to have any more absentees in front of the Commonwealth," Dylan stated. "If this is about splitting them up, then forget it, I want you all to stay together, safety in numbers," he ordered.
"I guess it doesn't bother me, seeing as there's nothing to split up, Dylan, it's all a fake," Beka lightly argued.
"I love him," Dani then declared in an outburst, but she didn't say anything more, as all eyes focused on her.
"Just keep them safe, find a drift, and take a few days to yourselves, relax," Dylan offered quietly, to the silent room.
Beka looked uneasily around the table, avoiding Dani but still hearing her declaration running around her mind. "Ok, I'll take them both and we'll find a drift, we'll try to stay out of trouble, but no promises," she simply said with distraction.
"What about Yussuf?" Dani asked now, with some fear.
"Yussuf will be making a huge mistake by trying to disrupt the Commonwealth Conference," Dylan said, and half smiled to show confidence to Dani that the problem would be dealt with.
Rommie suddenly sat up, getting everyone's attention as she appeared to be checking something unknown to them. "Harper needs assistance, I am detecting a disturbance in his quarters, and his health signs are not looking good."
"But Dani's here," Beka said without thinking.
"He's alone," Rommie responded. "Whatever is happening, he is conducting it himself."
Beka immediately got to her feet. "I'll go, keep her away," Beka ordered towards Dani, and Trance quickly moved to Dani side.
"It's best to follow Beka's orders when she says them like that," Trance advised warmly. "Come with me to Med Deck, I'm sure Harper will be ok."
Dani seemed concerned and confused as she allowed herself to be taken by Trance towards Med Deck.
Rhade, Rommie and Dylan remained seated, and for a moment they just stared between each other, before Rhade leaned forward.
"Do you think the little runt has found love with Dani?" Rhade asked.
"He's found something," Dylan offered. "I just don't know what."
Not noticing anything around him, especially not the destruction, time had simply passed without registering as Harper continued his attack blindly, until he felt a pair of hands physically pull him back, and he instantly relinquished the weapons he had somehow acquired from the mess in his room, and Harper now felt himself being embraced from behind and whispering in his ear. He painfully breathed in ragged breaths, trying to focus on the voice through the pain and exhaustion that he now felt.
"I'm so sorry, Seamus, so sorry," Beka's voice finally got through, and Harper collapsed back into her allowing his exhaustion to overcome him, feeling the full pain of breathing now, along with the helplessness, as he struggled for air. Vaguely, through tiredness, Harper heard Beka demand medical attention, before her focus returned to him. "Calm down, just breath, Harper, keep breathing, slow and easy," she encouraged, her voice full of concern as she continued to hold him tight.
"Beka," Harper managed between breaths.
"Shush," Beka dismissed his attempts to speak, or explain and Harper then felt breathing apparatus covering his face again, the perspiration drenching him now, as he relaxed into Beka's arms allowing whatever needed to be done to be completed, feeling himself being put onto a trolley, with Beka's hold never leaving him as she assisted with the transfer to med deck.
The transport came to a stop in the hanger bay, and a group of men stepped outside and one of the men immediately opened the main access doors. Yussuf in all his grandeur stepped out, and was immediately flanked by his many servants.
Yussuf looked around his ship and took a deep breath, showing some trepidation, it wasn't what he was used to. It was a run down, unmarked vessel, but he knew it served his purpose. This was not an official visit, and the destination meant that they were leaving his control, entering a system where he had limited power over the people living there, for now.
The Commonwealth Conference would provide him an excellent opportunity to show his true power, to call on more people, and claim more control, and on a smaller note, return to him his precious Dani.
"We are ready to depart, sir," a voice spoke up.
Yussuf simply nodded his head, gesturing for them to proceed and he walked briskly to the area that they had assigned for him to relax in. He sat down and briefly checked over the reports, safe in the knowledge that the Andromeda was being watched undetected, and his plans on Ipcres were already being put into practice.
Harper was silent as he lay on med deck now, finding himself surrounded by the very people he wasn't keen on seeing, he wanted to be alone in his pain and confusion. Now that he had calmed down enough to realise what he had done, and begin taking responsibility for his actions, Harper was feeling ashamed for losing his head, and he grimaced suddenly, as Trance tended to cuts he didn't remember getting on his hands.
A hand brushed his hair back, and Harper glanced at Beka who stood close to him by the cot, her expression of mix of warmth and concern. There was some pressure applied to his chest, and Harper could see that Trance was testing his lungs again. He just wanted this to end, and he wanted to leave and just hide away for a few days, and forget everything. Harper then checked his thoughts, and he knew that he didn't want to forget everything, and there was certainly one thing that he didn't want to forget.
"Harper, breath deeply into this," Trance instructed, and like before he breathed deeply into the equipment Trance offered to him. Again, like before he felt pain as he came to the end of his breath, only this time it was a sharper pain and he moved the device away, as the clutched his ribs to try and ease the discomfort he felt.
"It's ok," Beka soothed, her hand brushing his arm.
Trance continued to scan. "You have aggravated the respiratory distress to your lungs," she concluded. "You've basically made it worse by lack of rest and continued over exertion, so I'm going to have to confine you to med deck for a spell of intensive treatment."
"He'll be ok though, right?" Beka checked.
"So long as he rests and allows treatment, and then responds well to that treatment," Trance indicated, and then turned her attention to Harper. "The intensive part of the treatment is simply a course of regulated pure oxygen, combined with some liquid intake that I will monitor, you will naturally continue to feel tired, and I plan to also purposely sedate you in a bid to give your lungs a chance to recover and the treatment to work its magic," Trance informed Harper with care, and the engineer simply nodded his head to show he understood. "After that, you will simply need to take things easy, and take your meds, any questions?"
"Dani?" Harper simply said.
"I'm right here," Dani spoke up, coming into his field of vision.
Harper held a hand out to her and she took her, with a meek smile. "Just get better," she simply said. "You have to be fit for the little trip Dylan is sending us on."
Harper looked confused and looked to Beka for an explanation, she simply shrugged.
"We're missing the conference, Dylan deems it too dangerous for either you or Dani to attend, with Yussuf being in town, so we're all going to another system, and don't worry, I'll make sure it has a good beach and surf," Beka grinned.
Harper simply smiled, but he looked drawn and tired suddenly. Trance moved forward and gestured for space, and Dani squeezed Harper's hand before moving away.
"I will begin treatment now, it should last for a couple of hours and then we can transfer him to the Maru," Trance stated. "Wherever you end up, you have to promise me that you will make sure he rests, its vital for a speedy recovery," Trance moved with Beka away from the cot, lowering her voice so only Beka could hear. "If this goes untreated, his lungs could continue to remain swollen, possibly stiffen and then there is a possibility of failure, leading in some cases to death so it's vital that you take this very seriously," Trance warned quietly.
Beka simply nodded her head, taking in the seriousness of the problem, before she moved back to Harper's side, holding his arm. "Next time I tell you not to stay long on a deck lacking air, listen to me," she stated with a concerned expression towards Harper.
"Actually, the distress we are seeing to his lungs could have been from being crushed under all that junk the other day, and I guess add to that the asphyxiation he suffered, none of which has helped, damage to the lungs like this can go unnoticed for a while after the actual incident," Trance stated, before moving away.
"Just do what the doc says, Seamus, because I want to enjoy our little trip away, not play nurse maid, ok?" Beka warned with a teasing smile, and Harper simply nodded his head in returned, offering a brief smile before she left him.
"Don't fight the sleep," Trance offered, as she pressed an injector to his neck.
Beka and Trance watched as Harper drifted to sleep, and Beka then glanced up towards Dani. "Look at him now, and take this in," Beka stated. "I don't want to see him like this again for a very long time, understand?"
"I wish him no harm either, I'm not enjoying seeing him like this," Dani stressed. "I don't ever want to hurt him, why can't you get that?"
"You have to forgive us, Dani," Trance simply said. "We do not know you, just as much as you do not know us, but we know and care deeply for Seamus."
"I get that," Dani returned. "I really get that, loud and clear, ok?"
"Tell me," Beka now moved closer to Dani. "If your boss, the lovely Yussuf, were to discover this little thing you have going with Harper, what would he do?"
Dani hesitated under Beka's intense glare now. "He would," she looked uncomfortable. "I don't know but whatever he would do, it would be bad."
"And you wish Harper no harm?" Beka questioned accusingly. "Just by spending time with him, and sharing his bed," Beka stressed to make her point. "You are harming him, and his chances for a long and healthy life," she insisted loudly.
Dani couldn't respond to Beka's words, and she just stared intently at the ground as Beka continued to rant. "For the minute I'm going to believe that you are genuine, Dani, but just for a minute," Beka announced, and Dani looked at her with confusion before she continued.
"So I now ask you to take responsibility for who and what you are, Dani, it may all be nice and cosy to you to have his attentions, but I'm willing to bet that you, Dani, will come to no harm if Yussuf discovers this little fling you're having, he will not blame his adoring Dani, oh no," Beka stressed. "It'll be the poor schmuck you encouraged who will get it, and that Dani is your precious Seamus!" Beka insisted strongly. "So, tell me again how you wish him no harm and I'll show you exactly what I wish on you, Dani."
"Beka," Trance warned, putting a hand on Beka's arm to calm her down. "This is not helping."
Beka abruptly moved away and gathered her thoughts as she attempted to calm down. "Just stay out of my sight, and take a long hard thing about things, and meet me here in a couple of hours ready to depart on the Maru," Beka simply said and left med deck.
With despair Dani looked upwards, feeling very alone suddenly until Trance moved to her side. "I know you care about him, but so does Beka, and they go back a long way," Trance explained. "I would suggest that you simply just keep a low profile when you depart on the Maru."
"I'm not going with her on the Maru," Dani declared. "I can't run," she simply said, close to tears. "I have to face Yussuf, I need to return to him it's the only way I can ensure that no one else gets hurt," she said, looking at Harper. "He'll get over me, and it seems that he's used to this from what Beka said."
"Dani, we're not asking you to risk your life by returning to Yussuf, if it's not what you want to do," Trance stated. "You told us that Yussuf ordered you to infiltrate this crew, and if you return to him now with the things you know about this ship and its crew," Trance explained. "Then we have responsibilities to protect the interests of this ship, and the Commonwealth, and we can't take that risk, Dani, you will put us in a difficult position within the Commonwealth," she said with care.
"That is not my concern right now," Dani returned.
"Well it is mine, my loyalty to this ship and the Commonwealth determines that if you return to Yussuf, you will pose too much of a security risk to us, we have welcomed you on board as a guest, treated you as such," Trance explained. "I ask you simply to reconsider your decision and go with Beka and Harper to safety."
"It's not your decision to make," Dani simply said, and with a glance at the sleeping form of Harper, she also left med deck.
Trance had no choice, as she opened communications to Dylan, to inform him of Dani's plan.
TBC