TITLE: A Past to Outdo

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Home

"The end is far from here, but rest for now, until she threatens once again."

Esteratu Scriptures verse 32;3;1

CY 2311

"Andromeda, bring them in," Dylan ordered. They had arrived just in time, but Beka and Harper were still in trouble.

"Aye Captain," Andromeda replied. The Calliopian authorities had ceased their fire when Andromeda arrived, but Lane's ship wasn't looking healthy at all. Andromeda sent four drones out to haul it in.

"Everybody meet me in docking bay two," Dylan said, though it was an unnecessary order. Everybody was already on their way.

"Harper, wake up, it's time to go," Beka said, gently shaking him. He wouldn't open his eyes. "Oh no, you're not doing that again, come on, wake up!" she ordered. "If you don't wake up I'm going to leave here to burn to death, and I know how much you wanted to leave a good-looking corpse!"

Harper stirred. "We spend way too much time together, you know that?" he replied weakly.

Beka laughed out loud and helped him to his feet. The ship was pulled into Andromeda's docking bay and they dragged each other to the doors, dodging fires and various exploding screens and panels. Finally the ship stopped moving, and the doors started sliding open - but stopped after about five inches. "You gotta be kidding me," Beka sighed, exasperated. Then an arm came through the gap, and gripped into the offending door. A Nietzschean arm. Tyr's arm.

The doors were open in no time and four gorgeous people were waiting for them.

"You guys really know the meaning of good timing, don't you?" Beka said happily through her tears.

"Tell me that again in five minutes," Dylan said. "Rommie, get this heap of junk out of here before she blows!"

The reunited crew ran (and staggered) from the docking bay and let the doors seal behind them. Andromeda let the ship on the brink of destruction simply drift away from her, and explode in a dazzling show of lights.

Beka had never been so happy to be ordered to stay in med-deck. Her arm had been bandaged up, and thanks to Trance's mysterious herbs and ointments, her neck was already starting to feel better. All she wanted to do was sleep, but she wouldn't do so until Harper was awake. He lay peacefully on the bed next to her, with Trance hovering over him. She hadn't left his side since they got back to the ship. Beka didn't blame her in the slightest.

Dylan, Tyr and Rommie came in. "How are you feeling?" Rommie asked.

"Tired," Beka replied honestly. "But alive. Always a plus," she added. "I'm sorry I left like that."

"It was a little gung-ho, but you can't argue with results," Dylan told her. "If you hadn't got to Harper, he'd be in prison right now, and Lane Farrow would be free."

"We're sure she's dead this time, right?" Trance said from across the room.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure," Beka replied, a flick of satisfaction in her tone. Beka had explained everything that had happened, albeit in a long stream of rambling sentences. They got the gist.

"The Calliopians expressed their gratitude for stopping one of their most wanted criminals, and the Sauskan authorities thanked us emphatically for bringing down a notorious mercenary, and letting them have all the credit," Rommie reported, referring to Lane and Deven. Two major league bad guys down in a day wasn't bad.

"Hey, who said I didn't want the credit?" Beka protested.

"Maybe you're in the wrong business. You'd make a good bounty hunter," Tyr suggested. Beka laughed, but got slightly worried when she saw Tyr was serious.

Harper moaned. They were all over by his side faster than he could open his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Trance asked him.

"Too many cocktails," he said weakly.

"Luckily whatever Lane gave the last time you wasn't very strong. I managed to counter it with another treatment," Trance told him. Though she was confident Harper would be physically fine, she had no idea what his state of mind was. She was desperately afraid that he wouldn't forgive them. Forgive her. She shifted uneasily when he didn't reply. "We're sorry we didn't believe you. We should have trusted you," she said sorrowfully.

"I believed you," Tyr added. The others looked at him. "Well, I did."

Harper sat up and rubbed his head. "I did a lot of shitty things to you guys," he began. "But you forced me into counselling sessions with a mercenary posing as a doctor, who proceeded to drug me and put me through hell. Then my friends don't believe me when I tell them it wasn't me?" he stated. The others looked worried. Harper shrugged. "I'd say we're about even."

The others smiled. "Well, I'm glad. Now maybe we can get back to risking our lives day in, day out, in the name of the Commonwealth," Beka said cheerfully.

"Sounds good to me," Harper grinned.

"Oh, and from now on, we don't trust anyone except each other, okay?" Dylan suggested to everyone.

"That's the smartest thing you've said in the past five minutes," Beka jested.

"Get some rest, take as much time as you need," Dylan ordered Harper. "In the meantime, we have some Calliopian glory to bask in." Tyr, Rommie and Dylan left the room after saying their good-nights.

Beka laid back. "Ah, precious bed, where've you been all my life?" she asked before closing her eyes and falling almost immediately to sleep.

Harper also laid back, but noticed Trance was still unhappy. "What is it?"

Trance couldn't look him in the eye. "I just...I wish I'd believed you. I'm sorry, and I understand if you don't forgive me, because I don't deserve it."

"Trance..." Harper started at her for a while, and could see her inner torment. It was true, she didn't trust him when he needed her the most, and it hurt, a lot. "I've only got one thing left to say to you," he said seriously.

Trance held her breath.

Harper let the smile break onto his lips. "Vacation," he said, before letting his head fall back onto the pillow and closing his eyes.

Trance finally let herself relax again and smiled. It was the best idea she'd heard all day.

The lights were dim in med deck. It was some hours into the night and even Trance had left her station to get some rest. Beka was lying awake on her side, watching Harper sleep. Once again they had survived, but unlike before, Harper could now get on with living his life. It was really over.

Her gaze stirred him, and his eyes flickered open. He turned to look at her with tired eyes.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Beka apologised.

"Doesn't matter. How are you doing?" he asked sleepily.

"I'm good. You?"

"I'm good," he replied, then a broad smile crossed his lips. "I'm actually good. For the first time in more than six years."

Beka reflected his happiness. She finally had her Harper back.

"It's not even real to me yet," Harper continued. "I don't know if it will ever be real, I've lived with it for so long."

"It's over now. You still got a lot of life in you, Harper, and now you can finally get on with it. Guilt-free. Conscience clear," Beka told him. "And no prison, which is always a plus," she added.

"Yeah. Thanks for, you know, trying to stop me confessing. And for letting me do it. That can't have been easy."

"It wasn't," she admitted. "But even though I wanted to knock you out and drag you back to the Maru...I guess I knew it was what you had to do. To feel free."

"That was all I ever wanted," Harper professed.

"Well, you finally got your wish. No more guilt, no more bounty hunters, no more Lane Farrow. You're a free man, Seamus Harper, what are you going to do now?" she asked, in the mocking style of a game show host.

"Why mess with the classic?" he said, turning back up to face the ceiling. "I'll take sun, sea and sand any day."

"Don't forget the cocktails."

Harper smiled and closed his eyes. "Cocktails are a given."

END