Chapter Thirteen: Resolving

Twenty minutes later the entire crew of the Andromeda stood on the Command Deck waiting eagerly for someone to say the first word.

Trance, Harper, Beka and Rhade all stood in a circle around one of the main consoles competing with each other to see who could go the longest without blinking. It wasn't intentional of course, but there wasn't much else to do about the silence.

Dylan and Rommie stood of to one corner, quietly discussing the current situation. If a Captain and his warship arguing about feelings could possibly be called a quiet discussion of course.

"This is really slowing down our mission," said Rommie pointedly.

"We've been drifting in the same radius for the nearly a month, I can tell it's slowing down our mission," Dylan replied.

"All I'm saying is that this is a...I am a professional High Guard warship, not a setting for some emotional holo-novel drama. I insist that we deal with this problem straight-forwardly and as soon as possible or at least some time before the Maggog Worldship decides to blow me up!" the android fumed.

"Aside from the part about you being a professional High Guard warship, that statement sounded freakishly Nietzschean, Rommie..." was Dylan's response.

"You're getting off topic," Rommie argued gently.

"Right. What's the topic again?"

"What are we going to do about this?"

"'This what?"

"You know...this."

"This?"

"This," Rommie nodded her head in the direction of the crew, surprisingly, none of them noticed.

"Oh," Dylan looked down, "Right, that."

"No, not that, this."

Dylan stared. Rommie smiled.

"Did you just make a joke?" he asked as though it was the craziest thing in the universe.

"Is that so hard to believe Dylan?" she raised her head higher.

"No..." Dylan's mind wandered off again, "We're still off topic."

"Right. Crew. Problem."

Unbeknownst to both of them, Rhade's keen ears had long since picked up on Rommie and Dylan's hushed voices. The Nietzschean had comprehended the entire conversation, and quite frankly, he was getting sick of it.

"Are you done yet?" he asked, finally, annoyance evident in his voice.

Rommie and Dylan turned and looked at them, then they looked at each other and paused to think.

"Is it just me..." Trance whispered to Harper, who was standing next to her, "Or are Dylan and Rommie behaving a little..."

"Strange? Awkward? Completely unlike themselves?" Harper raised his eyebrows, "The emotional holo-novel drama-likeness of the situation must be getting to them."

"You have no idea," Rhade added.

"Can we please hurry up?" Beka pleaded.

All eyes turned and fell on the Valentine, who hadn't said a single word to anyone since they'd stepped onto Command. Rommie tossed Dylan a glance, as if trying to remind him that she and him were not the only people on Command.

"Uh...right, let's get started," Dylan linked his hands behind his back in the typical High Guard Officer stance and walked towards his crew with Rommie in tow.

They stood in a circle now, instead of two small clusters, each crewmate unwilling to meet each others eyes, with the exception of Trance and Harper who were exchanging glances. Trance's were concerned, Harper—as usual—were flirty. Trance rolled her eyes and Harper got the idea that if they had been alone, she might've smacked him for having such a one-track mind. A mind that was either messing around with Andromeda's systems (and that could be a good thing and a bad thing all at once) or nestled in the depths of the gutter.

"Due to recent events..." Dylan's voice brought Trance and Harper out of their silent conversation, "We have been unable to function properly as a crew, like we usually would. However, now that most of these problems have been sorted out , I'd like to take this time to..."

He glanced at Rommie, who shrugged first and then nodded. A strange combination, but it was all Dylan had to go on.

"I would like to apologize for my earlier actions, none of which..." now his eyes fell upon Beka, whose own eyes were fixated on the floor, "...were intentional. I also would like to apologize for not being able to perform my various responsibilities as Captain of this ship."

It was quiet for a long while, but despite the lack of conversation, there was a lot going on in each crew member's mind. Rhade was currently registering everything Dylan had said and pondering upon whether or not it was enough. Though Beka's face looked blank and emotionless, she was fighting an inner war...one which she was determined to win. Trance and Harper were still conducting there wordless conversation, something which perhaps not even the wisest person in the universe could ever fathom.

But the one thing that everyone had in common was that they all knew that they had something to apologize for. Since Dylan had already come out and bravely apologized for things that were quite embarrassing for one to talk about, each person believed that it was their responsibility as well to own up to whatever faults they had. Of course, that didn't change the fact that everyone thought that the reason they were in the situation, was definitely because of something Harper had done...almost everyone at least.

So it greatly surprised all of them when they found that Rommie was the first to speak.

"I would like to apologize as well," she said somberly.

Rommie's stance was more formal than Dylan's, she kept her head straight and eyes focused somewhat proudly. Truly though, she was just as unnerved (or in her case, unwired) as Dylan had been.

"I apologize for being selfish, and putting my own personal feelings and concerns above the wellbeing of the crew," she paused, "I would especially like to apologize to Beka..."

At the sound of her name, Beka raised her blonde head and looked at Rommie with an almost questioning glance.

"Because..." Rommie continued, "Because Beka is indeed a wonderful pilot and Captain and friend...and in the past few weeks I can't say that I've been such a good friend."

She paused again, and if she had been human, there probably would have been a very painful lump swelling up inside her throat.

"I'm sorry..." Rommie bowed her head a little.

Beka's questioning eyes had changed to admiring ones. Yes, Rommie was a warship. Yes, Rommie had emotions. But she was also a very proud, emotional warship, and for her apologize and to admit a fault, was like asking Rhade to commit suicide. It was a very unlikely chance, but when it involved a friend's own feelings, certain things could be reconsidered.

"I'm sorry as well," Rhade said, out of the blue, his glare set on Harper.

Harper nearly had a heart attack. A Nietzschean. Apologizing. To him. Now the engineer had seen it all (except for a willing woman in his bed...).

"...I'm sorry for conjuring up an intricate and complicated plan to ship Dylan off to a mental ailment institution."

"Um...thank you Rhade for that...enlightening feeling," Dylan said, stunned.

Harper glared, "It wasn't so enlightening when that Damn Niet—"

Rommie placed a firm hand on Harper's shoulder and squeezed it just hard enough for him to feel an momentary jolt of pain, then she gave him a quick look to tell him to shut up before Rhade broke his nose again.

"Uh right, how gracious of you Rhade..." Harper finished quickly and then he added to Rommie, "It's good to have you back...you haven't hurt me in weeks."

"I missed you too Harper," Rommie nodded appreciatively.

"I'm sorry," Trance chirped happily...a little too happily.

"For what exactly?" Dylan asked.

"For..." Trance searched her mind, "Oh, for knocking you out."

Dylan turned to Rommie, "She knocked me out?"

"It's a long story," Trance said hastily.

"I guess I should apologize too then..." Beka interrupted, "I'm sorry for nearly murdering Harper—"

"I'm not," Rhade muttered just loud enough for Harper to hear him.

"As I was saying," Beka raised her voice slightly, "I'm sorry I've been so out of it lately."

"You're not the only one Beka," Trance smiled brightly in an effort to cheer her friend up, "We've all sort of neglected our duties recently...we should all be evenly responsible."

And then, everyone's focused turned to Seamus Harper. Engineer, love-life failure, and apparently, root cause of the situation. Or at least, that's how Dylan, Beka, Rhade and Rommie would have put it.

"Guys..." Harper began meekly, "I...I don't even know what to say..."

He looked genuinely sorry.

"I just wanted..." his face flushed slightly and he gripped Trance's hand incase Rhade decided to jump him for what he was about to say next, "...I tried to get Rhade and Beka together...and...and..."

Harper's huge eyes watched every muscle that twitched in Rhade's face. Nietzscheans had unbelievable reflexes, and Harper wanted to be sure that he would have just enough time to jump behind Trance should the occasion ever arise.

"Go on Harper," Dylan said in a low tone.

"Right. Um...I don't really know what caused Dylan to become obsessed with Beka...maybe the letter I wrote from Rhade to her had something to do with it but I can't be sure," he looked at Beka, "But whatever did happen...I probably had a hand in it and...well...I screwed up, okay? I really, really screwed up, and I'm sorry. I am really, really sorry...especially to you Beka."

Beka smiled, and suddenly Harper didn't feel so terrified anymore.

"Oh Seamus..." she rolled her eyes, "C'mere."

She would regret those words. Harper collided with her so hard that despite his smaller frame, he nearly knocked her over. Fortunately, Rhade placed a gentle had on her back and kept her steady.

When he eventually pulled away after some time of squeezing Beka to death, Harper looked up, silently pleading at Rhade.

The Nietzschean's razor sharp gaze softened somewhat.

"All right Harper, I forgive just don't—"

Harper hugged him.

Dylan and Rommie looked away, Trance smiled, Beka nearly burst out laughing.

"Get off me you, puny human..." Rhade growled and clawed Harper off him.

And even though he knew that Rhade's nails would leave more bruises on his neck, Harper managed to smile at the thought that things were getting back to normal.

Hopefully.

A/N: THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE FIC.

Seriously...