Part 20

"Our guest wishes to communicate with a friend," Dani spoke up, and before her loomed the large desk of Yussuf.

"Does he now, did he say who?" Yussuf turned to face Dani.

"No, sir," Dani returned, her hands nervously fidgeting behind her back. There was a time when she felt safe and comfortable in Yussuf's presence, but those days had long gone, now he seemed to find any excuse to despise her, beat her and then giving her a kludge to look after seemed to only support the fact he no longer liked her.

"How is our guest?" his clipped tones asked.

"He is better now," Dani responded, her voice tense. "The doctor has ordered complete bed rest for the next forty-eight hours to be sure he will be ok."

Dani didn't miss the flash of frustration from Yussuf, before he looked at her again. "Dani, do you remember Seamus Harper at all?"

"Just one thing," Dani answered, avoiding eye contact as she spoke. "I remember him saving me, when I couldn't breath."

"Are you pleased to see him?" he asked, and she noticed Yussuf's tone soften to one she once knew, when he accepted her.

Dani looked at Yussuf for a moment, a little confused by the change in tone, and answered with hesitation. "I'm not sure I follow, I have no feelings either way," Dani shrugged, fearful inside of where this was going, remembering the things that Seamus Harper had told her about their supposed friendship previously.

"I brought him here for you," Yussuf got to his feet and walked around his desk to face Dani, who tried not to flinch as he approached. "Dani, I have been tough on you lately, I felt you needed to learn that although I love you dearly, you can not treat me as a fool, I know you let Seamus Harper escape that night, I couldn't let that go unpunished," Yussuf explained, showing some care in his expression.

"I don't remember," Dani simply said, her eyes watching Yussuf as he got closer.

"It's all in the past now, you probably don't remember due to that unfortunate accident you had," Yussuf spoke knowingly, as his hand now gently cupped her face to make her look up at him. "I want you to be happy, Dani, and I have to start being realistic, me and you, Nietzschean and kludge, for my prides sake I have to let you go, no matter how much I find you a joy to spend time with, it's time I gave you something that you deserve for the loyalty you have shown me over the years," Yussuf smiled.

"Seamus Harper?" Dani questioned unsure.

"He loves you, Dani, and I know he will protect you with his life and that's what you deserve, that is my gift to you," Yussuf explained. "I'm sorry if I have hurt you, or done anything to make you think less of me lately, and I hope this gesture will show you that I am willing to give you another chance, that I too love you dearly, and only want the best for you."

Dani looked uneasy stood before Yussuf. "Can I call you Yussuf again?"

Yussuf smiled, and embraced his young friend. "Of course, consider yourself back in the fold my beautiful girl, I have missed you and never enjoyed those times I was punishing you."

Dani happily hugged her mentor back; simply glad to know her ordeal of being in Yussuf's bad books was over, she felt relieved and lifted of a burden she hadn't realised she had been carrying. "I'm glad that I have been allowed back."

"There was never any doubt," Yussuf held her tightly, his hand stroking her hair. "You will always be my special girl," he spoke tenderly.

Pulling away, Dani meekly smiled and looked at Yussuf with care. "Can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead," Yussuf declared brightly, gone was all the hostility he had shown for nearly three months.

"Did you only bring Seamus Harper here as a gift for me?"

Yussuf briefly smiled, and returned to his desk before answering. Sitting down in the large dominating chair he put his hands on the desk. "I may require his services in a couple of matters, nothing important though, or anything that will take him away from you."

"I see," Dani smiled in reply, she hadn't expected it to be a simple gift to her, and she knew there would be other reasons, as Yussuf never did the simple thing.

"Dani, I know you were happy with this human, and I know you do not remember those times," Yussuf spoke with care. "But he's a good man, for a human, and has proved to me, like yourself that he can be trusted to keep his word, if I ask him to take care of you, I know he will," Yussuf explained. "He saved my life, do you remember that?"

"No," Dani seemed surprised, but encouraged also.

"I owe him something, and he needed sanctuary, there's an unsettled climate outside of these palace walls so for the short term neither you nor him will be leaving, it'll be for your own protection," Yussuf stated. "So use the time well," he then suggested.

"I will," Dani smiled. "Am I still assigned to him as my duty?"

"You are off duty for now, Dani, your time can be used how you see fit," Yussuf confirmed. "Another will be assigned to assist the human in his everyday needs."

"Very well, thank you, sir," Dani smiled. "And can Seamus communicate with his friend?"

"No, tell him that is not possible at this time," Yussuf stated, without looking up from some papers he now read.

"I will," Dani answered, a little confused but not willing to question the decision, before she left the room.


"Look, I'm going to search for him whether you're coming or not," Beka stated, distracted as she prepped the Maru. "If you need to keep finding yourself three hundred or so years after you left the place, fine, but I don't have time to wait, Harper needs me."

Beka cut off the communication, only for Dylan Hunt to reappear a few seconds later on the small screen.

"Beka, I just want you to let me know what's going on, Trance and Rhade tell me you've discovered something about Harper, but you're not telling them," Dylan stated firmly.

"I really can't discuss it," Beka stressed, then relaxed as she sat back in the pilot's chair. "I just ask for a little support, that's all, it's not like you have always told us of your plans, Dylan."

"How sensitive is the information you know?" Dylan calmly asked from Tarn Vedra.

Beka sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "The actual information on its own is worthless, but together, and in the wrong hands," she suggested with a frown.

"Where are you heading?" Dylan then asked.

"First off, the Zetac Drift, it's the last known sighting of Gerentex," Beka revealed. "I need to determine who hacked into Harper's hacking," she stated.

"And he's the obvious choice?" Dylan asked.

"I think so, at the time he was already on Harper's case," Beka stated, still checking the Maru's systems. "I wouldn't put it past that rat to try and gain some advantage, and he did somehow know that Harper was seeing Dr Richter about his eyes, it could point to eavesdropping on Harper's research on the doctor, even though Richter's files that Harper researched do not carry the trace signature, it's still a possibility."

"It's a good place to start," Dylan agreed. "I sense more urgency from you though, Beka," he then added knowingly.

"Right now trouble is brewing around the Yussuf Empire," Beka then explained with a heavy sigh. "As far as I can tell there are three main factions ready to explode, Yussuf's pride and followers, the newly formed 'Resisters', with loyal supporters such as our old friend Colin, and a new faction, led by a Nietzschean brother and sister, Rico and Darla, apparently they are ex-associates of Yussuf, who himself is holding their older brother on a sentence of death," Beka finished.

"And I'm guessing Harper is bang smack in the middle of this?" Dylan frowned now.

"Yussuf has history with Harper because he stupidly saved the tyrant's life and then there's the whole escaped as his slave thing," Beka offered. "The Resisters have their own agenda on Harper, also for saving Yussuf's life and messing up their supposed well oiled plan," she looked tired now, as she continued. "And this brother and sister duo, some of the research Harper was looking at confirmed that they are naming him as one reason their brother is facing death, I don't know exactly why, but he's named," Beka looked away with concern evident in her expression.

"All three of them have something on Harper, it's now a case of figuring out who has the biggest grudge," Dylan confirmed. "Beka, give me half an hour, I'm coming with you," he then stated firmly.

"You believe Harper is alive now?" Beka checked with some doubt in her tone.

"You asked for my support, Beka, and you've convinced me of your reason," Dylan stated before signing off.

Beka stared at the now blank screen. "Harper is alive, Dylan, whether you like it or not, he's worth saving again," she spoke with bitterness as she got to her feet to complete her final checks.

TBC