Part 44

Beka smiled at Trance, as she walked onto Med Deck and headed to where the golden alien was tending to Harper.

"How's he doing?"

"Better," Trance replied. "In fact I think he'll be waking up soon."

"Really?" Beka brightened. "Any more problems?"

"None and it's been five hours," Trance smiled. "He's responding very well to treatment."

Beka now looked at Trance. "Before you and the others rescued us, Dylan and Rhade mentioned to me that for no reason that they could tell, you told them Harper was strong in mind, but weak in body, why did you feel the need to say that, what did it mean?"

Trance fussed over a couple of tubes still connected to Harper's arm, before she responded. "It needed to be said, and I wanted to remind those there of the real situation."

"Harper at the time was overwhelmed within a mainframe and a slave to an entire ship's systems," Beka checked. "What part of that did you think the others didn't quite grasp?"

"Beka, Harper experienced all that, and it appears now that he's suffered no ill effects despite the odds," Trance gestured with a smile. "But his body is still weakened by the injuries he physically received, and he's still in medical because of that, after everything it was his body's injuries that threatened his life the most, not the link."

"I still don't get why you said it," Beka admitted.

"Why does it concern you?" Trance had to ask.

Beka sighed. "Because Trance, I still struggle to try and understand you sometimes."

"Then stop trying," Trance advised with a small smile. "And Beka, he's waking up."

Beka looked at Harper and saw that he was stirring; slowly he opened his eyes and took a moment to focus.

"Hey, Seamus," Beka offered with a smile.

Harper looked sleepily towards her without reacting, and then blinked his eyes a few more times to get his bearings.

"Take your time, Harper," Trance spoke softly, her hand stroking the top of his head. "You've been asleep for quite a while. Are you in any pain?"

Harper shook his head, and seemed relaxed, looking a lot calmer than when he had previously been awake. Slowly he moved his hands to his eyes, and tentatively touched the still bruised marks around his face.

"The swelling has gone down, you're doing fine," Trance assured him.

"Why isn't he speaking?" Beka asked.

"Give him time," Trance requested.

"This is like before, he didn't speak before either, remember?" Beka frowned, remembering Harper's silent behaviour after the removal of the sleep deprivation device.

"No it's not," Harper finally offered wearily. "I'm just tired, it feels like I haven't slept for a week," he added with a touch of confusion.

"The strain of operating all those systems has taken its toll, you'll need complete rest before you can begin to resume your normal duties," Trance offered, holding his hand for reassurance. "Are you sure you're comfortable?"

"My head aches slightly, but I'm ok," Harper responded quietly, and looked at Beka seeing her concern. "I'm ok, promise," he offered, though he looked completely drained of energy.

"You wouldn't be on med deck if you were ok, Seamus," Beka smiled in return. "But I'm glad you're back with us."

"How long will I be here?" Harper asked, feeling the bandage that was around his neck as he spoke.

"As long as you need to be," Trance answered. "You may be awake but you have a way to go yet before you are completely better, but I'll be right here to help you, Seamus, I'm not going anywhere."

"Is that a promise?" Harper responded with a suggestive smile, before suddenly he appeared to freeze. "Hey, wait," Harper suddenly spoke and just stared at Trance for a moment.

"What?" Trance asked, feeling a little concerned by Harper's attention, when he didn't speak.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you," he finally spoke, still revelling slightly in being able to see again, after fearing that his sight had been taken from him again. "I just needed to refresh my memory."

"Give your memory a rest," Trance smiled back, glad that Harper was just messing about. "Now, you should try and get some more rest, I don't want you to over do it."

"Dani," Harper then spoke, and both Beka and Trance were about to question him when they noticed that Dani was stood at the entrance to the med deck.

"Seamus," Dani smiled and moved forward, looking at Trance. "Is it ok if I see him for a moment?" she then asked.

Beka glanced at Trance, and saw that she had nodded her head, before moving to one side. With a shrug, Beka joined Trance as she left Dani alone with Harper.

"How are you feeling?" Dani asked, taking Harper's hand.

"Little foggy, but ok," Harper answered. "Glad you're ok, Dani, didn't exactly get to say goodbye before they dragged me away before."

"I was worried for you," Dani admitted.

"I have that affect on people," Harper glanced at Beka and Trance who were talking on the other side of the deck. He brought his hand up to his forehead, attempting to rub some of the ache away.

"Seamus, I just wanted you to know that I've decided that I'm going to be staying in this system, Kane has decided to help rebuild things around here, and I'm going to help him," Dani stated, then looked unsure. "That's if he still wants me to."

"Why wouldn't he?" Harper asked confused, hardly reacting to the news Dani had told him.

"Uber pride," Dani offered and through their expressions, they both appeared to understand.

"Didn't think Kane was that sort of uber," Harper finally responded. "But least you're finally free, didn't I tell you it could happen," he smiled, and Dani just smiled in return. "So Rico was killed, what happened to Yussuf?"

"He's in the brig, Kane captured him, I kind of helped," Dani recounted distantly, her eyes now looking away from Harper, and he was beginning to sense more to her actions, with little surprise.

"It's ok, Dani," Harper then spoke, and Dani turned her attention back to him. "When I was blind, just the thought of you kept me going, and I'll never forget you for that, but sometimes when you live in the moment like that, that moment can always pass just the same."

"But you know now that we had nothing, not really, it was all planned, it was all a sham," Dani simply added.

Harper was already nodding his head, and then he sighed. "Not all of it, Dani, some of it was real, we just might never know which parts," he stated, appreciating the clear mind he now had, and had guessed Dani was experiencing likewise. "But I realise now that Yussuf was a major part of our relationship, if it was even a relationship."

"This is crazy, you know that," Dani smiled and sighed loudly, and she looked at Harper, still holding his hand fondly.

"That's what you get for being involved with me," Harper wearily returned, with an amused expression.

"I should let you rest, I'm not going anywhere yet," Dani offered, before she lightly kissed his forehead and left his side.

With some caution, Trance approached Harper's bedside. "You really should rest now, Seamus," she ordered.

"Is Beka still here?" Harper asked.

"No, she's gone to tell Dylan and Rhade that you have woken up with no complications," Trance replied and there was silence for a moment before she continued. "Harper, a lot has happened, things will change, what we had will never return."

"What do you mean?" Harper asked, with concern.

"Dylan has his home back, Rhade has his family," Trance offered. "Dani is finally free of Yussuf, and Kane has found his destiny."

"What about me?" Harper asked. "I've lost my home to an explosion, I think I've lost my girl, and I have a slight suspicion that I'm on the brink of losing my sanity."

"I won't ever let that happen, Seamus," Trance assured him fondly, amused by Harper's words.

"I think I'll stick with you then, and Beka, you'll see me all right, right?" Harper half grinned.

Trance showed sadness behind her smile. "My destiny and role in this universe has been fulfilled, Tarn Vedra has been returned to the known worlds," she offered.

"That was your purpose?" Harper questioned quietly, his energy waning, and he saw Trance simply nod her head without further explanation. "So, what now?"

"I've given it a lot of thought," Trance frowned. "Considered ceasing to exist in this body, accepting a new role, taking on a new form," she explained.

"Please don't tell me you're leaving me," Harper panicked slightly.

"I decided to stay," Trance smiled. "I realised that you need me, and after my last destiny, I feel looking out for you will be a lot more fun, and lot less stressful."

"Don't be so sure about that," Harper mocked. "But you know; if you are able to change form and stuff, could you turn back to being my purple pixie?" Harper asked hopefully.

"You never did get use to this look, did you?" Trance shook her head, with amusement.

"Well I think I've just been dumped, Trance, and I feel like serious crap, so I really could use an old friend right now," Harper frowned, and then broke into a smile, as his head rolled slightly with tiredness.

Trance appeared to consider his request before she brushed the side of his face with her hand, seeing how tired he was looking and knowing he needed to rest. "I'll see what I can do, just get some rest first, ok?"

Harper managed to nod his head to agree before his eyelids appeared to grow heavier, and he fell into a deep sleep.


"Can we talk?" Kane asked, as he tentatively approached Dani. She was sat just inside a conduit on his dead brother's ship, silently working.

"Sure," Dani answered without looking up.

"If this is going to work we can't keep ignoring each other, it's been nearly a day since we last spoke," Kane observed.

"You're prepared to work with a kludge now?" Dani asked.

"Dani," Kane responded with a sigh. "You misinterpreted my concern yesterday, I'm worried about how people will respond to you, not the fact I'll be working with you."

"I went to see Harper, we spoke," Dani continued without reaction.

"And?" Kane asked.

"Nothing has changed, he feels the same as I do," Dani answered, as she tidied up some cable that had become tangled up.

"Hey, you got the navigation systems online," Kane then noticed the lights, and Dani shrugged with modesty.

"I just followed the manual," she smiled.

"We have a manual?" Kane mocked surprise, before he sat down with a heavy sigh.

"What's up?" Dani asked.

"I was reviewing the security logs," Kane said, letting his head drop down to his chest. "I needed to know what happened on board this ship, how Darla died."

Dani appeared to sense a conflict in Kane's expression. "What happened?"

"Harper killed her," he simply said, and brushed his hand through his hair.

"Harper?" Dani checked. "In self defence?"

"In cold blood," Kane quickly answered, holding onto his emotions. "It's not like she didn't deserve something, she was messing with his head in that way she always did mess with people," he offered. "But, still," he couldn't continue as he drifted into his thoughts.

"Why?" Dani asked confused. "I mean, I know he's a kludge and they have issues with your kind, but I thought he's gotten past that, I thought he'd left those Earth instincts behind."

"You don't really know him, Dani," Kane reminded her. "And I remember you telling me that he has issues with you being a slave when you first met him."

Dani shrugged vaguely remembering more about her past, and those times she had spent with Harper. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Kane asked.

"I don't know, guess I feel a little responsible, being Harper's friend," she offered. "I never really got on with Darla, but to be killed by a kludge," Dani spoke sincerely.

"Well, maybe it's for the best, we want a fresh start for this system," Kane stood up with fresh optimism. "Hopefully one day I'll be able to say that neither my brother nor my sister died in vain," he stated before leaving Dani to continue with her work.

Dani was silent, still unwinding the cables that had become tangled. Her thoughts were a million miles away, as she worked, and remembered.

"Dani, it was an accident, I wasn't thinking straight," Harper's voice then sounded.

"Cold blood Kane said, you killed her in cold blood," Dani simply responded without looking away from her work.

"You still see me as one of those, don't you? After everything you still consider me as a kludge."

"Don't turn this onto me, Seamus," Dani stated sharply.

"I did what I had to do on Earth, Dani, but that doesn't make me a bad person," Harper persisted, though seemed distracted himself, with sounds of him working on something could be heard in the background. "I accepted you as more than a slave, I thought you had done the same."

"I shouldn't have asked you to help me," Dani then moved away from the conduit where inside Harper was on his back fixing some of the systems. "I only said what I said so Kane wouldn't suspect you were here, helping me, not after what he's just discovered, Seamus," she added.

"If you say so," Harper frowned, his voice lacking conviction. "And I needed to escape the med deck," Harper added after a pause. "And I wanted to help, if Trance has her way I'll be wrapped up in blankets for the rest of the year doing nothing but being filled with drugs for her entertainment."

"This is serious, Harper," Dani suddenly snapped. "You killed Kane's sister in cold blood!"

"What do you want, Dani?" Harper returned sharply, still attempting to work. "She was holding me hostage at the time, or have you forgotten that?" The sound of a plate being slammed back into position signalled a brief silence.

"Someone's coming," Dani simply said to break the silence and moments later Beka arrived in the area.

"Where is he?" Beka asked, already scanning the room.

"Who? Kane?" Dani asked innocently.

"Don't play games," Beka warned. "Andromeda has done a complete scan of herself and this is the only place he could be, so where is Seamus Harper?"

"Did he kill Darla in cold blood?" Dani then asked, and Beka stopped her search abruptly, and looked at Dani.

"What?"

"Did Harper kill Darla in cold blood?"

Beka checked Dani's expression once more. "I shot her first, she was about to shoot Harper, and I couldn't let that happen," Beka explained with more calm about her now. "Then she was about to let Rico know that Harper was still alive, and he couldn't, at that point, let Rico find that out so he killed her."

Dani took in the information. "So it was some form of self defence," she attempted to justify the situation.

"Where is he?" Beka calmly asked, and this time Dani gestured to the conduit. Beka moved to the conduit and glanced inside, seeing Harper flat on his back, unmoving. "Harper?"

"Beka," Harper responded.

"What are you doing?" she had to ask, seeing that he wasn't working.

"I was just finishing up," He sighed, and slowly edged his way to the end of the conduit and with Beka's assistance, he managed to pull himself out.

"You're exhausted, come on, let's get you back to med deck," Beka sympathised, looking at Harper.

"I just needed a break, and to help," Harper offered looking at Dani as he spoke, and Beka kept hold of him, worried that he didn't have the energy to stand. "Waste of time though, seems my help isn't good enough for some now they've found their independence," Harper sniped towards Dani, and then shrugged Beka's hold off, wanting to stand alone.

"Harper, let's get going," Beka encouraged, sensing unnecessary conflict.

"That would probably be a wise move," Dani finally responded. "Seamus, I'm sorry ok, I was just upset for Kane, and I know I said some things."

"Forget it," Harper offered sharply, cutting Dani off. "I never want to see this ship again, or you, just don't bother."

"Harper," Beka showed her surprising to Harper's reaction.

"No, Beka, you know what this ship nearly did to me yet I still offered to help Dani fix it, have been fixing it, and you know the thanks I get?" he stressed. "I get accused of being a cold blooded killer, a kludge, one of 'them'," Harper continued angrily. "I just want to sleep and forget, I can't deal with this crap," he finished and moved from the area, leaving the ship.

Beka glanced at Dani who remained silent. "If you want to see Harper again, you come through me, understand?" Beka stated. "Right now, he needs rest not this, not little favours being called in to help you, no more using him, ok?"

"He offered to help," Dani protested. "And I never used him intentionally."

"And you could have said no to that help, Dani, if you really cared, if you ever did love him, you would have said no considering the state he's in," Beka stressed but saw little or no reaction from the woman. "You only had to look at him Dani, for once just look at him and see what you've played a part in doing to him," Beka snapped angrily. "If he never sees you again it'll be too soon, you get me?"

Dani let her head come back against the bulkhead as Beka walked away knowing deep down that she'd probably never see Harper again. With a frown, and only a small feeling of regret, she returned to her work already preparing to move on, to begin her new life at Kane's side, as Harper had said, discovering her new found independence.

To be concluded…