Part 30
Beka Valentine armed the Maru's weapon bays and then began to shower the west side of the planet with scattered fire, causing confusion and mayhem below, enough to allow Dylan and his unit the advantage.
She was just beginning to enjoy herself when the Maru's early warning alert sounded, and she scanned the area to see another ship was on a direct course with the Maru.
"Dylan, I have company," Beka called out over the open coms, and she checked the readout. "Unidentified ship," she added.
"It could be Rico's, we never got a make on his vessel," Dylan's hurried voice returned from the planet below. "You've done your job here, so get the hell out of here and only get in contact when the coast is clear."
"Call me if you need me," Beka then signed off, and turned her complete attention to moving the Maru. "Maru to the Andromeda," Beka then called out, on the secure line.
"Trance here, go ahead, Beka," Trance's calm voice returned.
"I may need some help, I think I have Rico's attentions, I'm taking evasive actions, track me," she ordered. "I don't think they know where you are, so use it to your advantage."
"Understood," Trance returned, and quickly signed off.
"Right, let's get this party started," Beka half smiled, and kicked the Maru into action as she pushed it to his limits, and scanned for the nearest slip point.
Harper woke with a start, breathing heavily as he glanced around the cell finding he was alone. Taking some deep breaths, and feeling the perspiration covering him, Harper blinked his eyes and slowly began to compose himself.
"Beka," he simply whispered, before settling back down again, wide awake, as he made sense of what he was now seeing inside his mind.
"We have the Maru in our sights, sir, but I think we've been spotted," Roberto stated, as Rico hurried onto the command deck of his vessel.
"Stay in pursuit," Rico ordered. "She'll either make a good acquisition, or she'll lead us straight to the Andromeda, either would be a good result for us."
"I'm reading various transmissions coming from the Maru," Roberto then stated. "All of which are secured, destination unknown."
"She's letting her friends know she has company," Rico guessed. "Lock weapons on the hull, let's make this more interesting."
The cell door opened and Harper looked up to see the woman trying to befriend him enter the room. She smiled sweetly, and sat next to him without word, before she placed a piece of bread and a bottle in front of him.
"It's all I could get without raising suspicion," she offered finally.
Harper took the bread and immediately broke it into smaller pieces, taking a chunk and carefully eating it, before taking a gulp of water.
"Thanks," he offered in return, grateful for the food and drink.
"I've been thinking," the woman then spoke up, and Harper glanced at her. "Maybe I'm rushing things, you were right, you need time."
"I've been thinking too," Harper then offered without emotion. "The old memory is starting to come back to me, you know, the more I think, the more I remember."
"Ok," Darla seemed cautious now, as she looked at Harper.
"I know you're not Beka Valentine, so quit the games," Harper stated firmly, avoiding her glare and focusing on the food in front of him.
"Excuse me?" Darla offered.
"You're Darla, I remember you now," Harper offered calmly, and with a casual shrug, as he finished chewing some more bread. "You're Rico's sister, and Kane, he's your older brother, right?" he continued. "Kane helped me, but you didn't want him to give me the time of day, so what is this, some kind of payback?"
Darla was silent now, but she remained sitting next to Harper and made no attempt to deny his new claims. Harper continued to eat the bread, and the silence between them remained calm, almost reassuring as they simply sat in each others company.
"My brother is a fool," Darla finally said to break the silence.
"Which one?" Harper asked.
"Rico," Darla sighed. "He wanted to kill you."
"And you wanted to," Harper looked at Darla with confusion. "Exactly what were your plans for me, because I might be getting mixed signals here," he said with a frown.
"I wanted to win your trust," Darla admitted.
"By pretending to be Beka Valentine?" Harper asked with surprise. "You might be a very nice person in a freaky Nietzschean kind of way, but you would never fill Beka's shoes, ok?"
"I wasn't sure how much you would remember, it seemed the best idea at the time," Darla offered, with a brief smile.
"Yeah, well maybe I'm tired of being made a fool of by women like you, Beka was right, I sure know how to attract the weirdoes," Harper frowned sadly, and he brought his chained wrists up to his face to rub his forehead, having finished the food and drink.
"Let me remove those," Darla offered, retrieving the key to Harper's cuffs and she swiftly removed the heavy objects. "Your wrists are looking pretty bruised now."
"Thanks for noticing, you know you could talk to your brother about all of this," Harper stressed, rubbing his sore arms, and then grimaced when Darla lightly touched his arm in comfort. "And what the hell is up with this pain whenever you touch me? The truth!" he demanded.
"Rico ordered you to be hypnotised," Darla revealed. "After we discovered Yussuf had done much the same on you."
"Hypnotised?" Harper questioned. "By who? A freaking psycho?" Harper snapped with anger, and looked away with disgust.
"I guess so," Darla frowned. "It also seemed a good idea at the time."
"Why are you even still talking to me, now I've got you sussed?" Harper then asked with angered confusion, feeling his bad mood rising but he couldn't help but notice Darla's continued attention towards him. "Not that I don't appreciate the company of a fine looking woman, but I'm still your prisoner, no matter how much you flutter those lovely eyes at me."
"Tell me, do you want out?" Darla then asked in a determined hushed whisper, as she moved to face Harper, a smile on her face.
"Of course I do, I'm your freaking prisoner!" Harper sneered, trying to avoid eye contact; he then couldn't help but notice her smile and softened his attitude slightly.
"Then continue to pretend that you think I'm Beka," Darla instructed. "I hate my brother's plan, I hate what my brother's becoming, all bossy and thinking he's my dad, I thought Kane was bad."
"Kane's a good guy," Harper offered and bit his tongue before he added 'for a Nietzshean', and he saw for the first time how young Darla was, and how immature her thought processes actually were.
"Maybe I'm only just realising that fact," Darla sighed. "Seamus, you're the only one on this ship right now that I feel I can talk to, who could possibly help me get out of this ridiculous mess, my brother is all talk and has no idea."
"Darla, in my experience, turning to the prisoner is never a good plan if you want results," Harper admitted truthfully. "What can I do? I can't even leave my cot because of these," he kicked his leg to emphasise the chain that connected him to the room.
"I didn't want this, I told Rico to use you only as a means to get the Andromeda, prisoner exchange or something, use you to get that Dylan guy to cooperate with us somehow, not this, he's made Dylan an enemy and more dangerous to us," Darla shrugged. "Giving you back your memories, it just seemed dumb to me, we should have left you how you were, it gives you the advantage so I'm putting my money on you," she half smiled, not looking at Harper.
Harper looked away for a moment, before looking back at her, in just a few words Darla had revealed so much and Harper knew he could only trust himself if he was to survive this. "Tell me one thing, what you said about Dani tricking me, was that just more mind games?"
"I can't tell you that, you have to figure that out on your own," Darla stated, without emotion. "Just remember, play along," she stressed, hearing voices outside, and just before the door opened she leaned in and kissed him. Harper only responded by closing his eyes, trying not to think about it too much, as he shut himself off from the reality of his situation.
"I sincerely hope I'm not disturbing you, although I fear I'm quite disturbed by what I am seeing," Rico announced, as he strode into the room and Darla quickly broke the kiss and moved away from Harper, going to Rico's side. "Why are the prisoners chains removed?"
Harper noticed the flash of fear in Darla's expression without word, before she composed herself. "He needed to eat, I was just making it an easier process, quicker process," she spoke quickly.
"Put them back on, he is finished now," Rico ordered. "And I fail to remember the command to feed the kludge."
"He hasn't eaten for days, Rico!" Darla now found her voice. "I assume you want him alive when you plan to take the Andromeda, right?"
Rico noticeably flinched with anger, before glaring at his sister. "Just secure him and follow me, we are in a situation and I need you on command."
As Darla knelt down in front of Harper, and secured the cuffs she briefly smiled as they locked in place. Harper watched her move away, and rested back on the cot, hoping he'd remember more of his past by the time they bothered him again, as the heavy cell door closed, leaving him alone once more.
Concentrating, Harper closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. Escaping into his mind, Harper was going to try and find himself again. Ignoring the outside world now, Harper focused on what he did remember, taking the bits he was sure were true, and ignoring everything else, slowly and gradually he honed his mind into only believing in himself, knowing he had to get through this somehow, and he know now that he could no longer trust any of those around him.
Explosions rocked the Maru once more, and five new alarms sounded, as Beka became more angered by the situation.
"Dylan!" Beka yelled. "I can't shake the bugs, one more shot and I'm history!"
A crackling transmission was all Beka heard by return, as communications failed now, and Beka kicked them hard.
"Beka?" Dylan's voice broke through.
"I can't beat them, Dylan, I have to surrender or they'll blow me out of the sky," Beka struggled to admit the truth, as she vainly tried to return some sort of fire.
"Beka, I can call the Andromeda to assist," Dylan's urgent response came. "Just say the word, I have her one standby to help," he added firmly.
"No, if Rico wants me, he can have me, least Harper won't be alone, just don't leave me with Nietzschean scumbag for too long," Beka requested tiredly.
"I promise, Beka," Dylan began but was then his transmission cut out abruptly in a flurry of sparks.
"Damn," Beka considered her options and then sat back. "Maru to enemy vessel, come in," she transmitted over emergency channels.
"Speak," was all Beka heard by way of acknowledgement.
"You got me, I surrender," Beka frowned with a heavy sigh, and all weapon fire ceased outside, as the Maru was quickly approached by the larger vessel.
TBC
