In response to a review, I just want to answer a question that might have got lost in the sheer length of this story or not mentioned due to the subject not being raised hehe - Edenians are not human (their appearance if you recall is a pale blue-ish skin, and jet black hair - Zal dyed harpers hair early on... and I've always felt their bone structure was more slender but never made any reference to this hehe), and theyare not decendents in any form to humans, they were simply people who 370 or so years into their past were visited by then space travelling humans who set up camp, and created Edenia that we know and love, that's how I've taken it, but feel free to have your own interpretation - cos I love imagination :)
Part 56
"Report," Dylan ordered, seeing Rommie stand up straight indicating her return from the system, as they waited around Harper's prone body inside the control room.
"Has Harper returned?" Rommie immediately asked, ignoring her captain momentarily.
"Brain patterns suggest he has, but he is suffering the effects of an overdose, malnutrition, and the added trauma that his mind and body have been put through not just in the past hour, but the past few weeks," Trance revealed with shock, reading the scans she was getting back. "What happened to you guys down here?"
"Too long to explain, and we don't have the time," Dylan stressed.
A low groan drew everyone's attention to the slumped figure of Zal who slowly opened in eyes and suddenly they were wide as he was met with the injured figure of Pallu, cradling the fallen body of his lover, Zal's brother.
"Ethan!" Zal gasped, and moved to Pallu before roughly removing the tyrants hold on his brother. "Ethan, speak to me!"
"These people killed him, in cold blood," Pallu growled towards Zal, as Zal looked up at Dylan who could offer no words of comfort, he wasn't sure what to say; he hadn't even realised Zal's brother had been hit and guessed he must have got caught in the crossfire as order was being restored.
"These people saved him," Zal then stressed defiantly, turning back to Pallu. "Saved him from your lies and grip that you had on him, you killed him the moment you put your grubby hands on him!" Zal protested with venom, as he clutched his brother's still form.
"Zal," Junia softly offered some comfort to the Edenian. "We are leaving, we need to get Harper back to his ship, he needs to leave now, come on, come with us," Junia encouraged.
Slowly Zal let go of his brother laying him gently down, pausing for a moment to say goodbye, as he moved him away from Pallu. Rhade and the guards were now using a temporary stretcher to move Harper with care, as Zal took the comforting hold Junia offered and began to move. As they walked out of the room, with their weapons still armed, Dylan glanced at Beka and Rommie.
"Now what, those people outside won't let us just leave," Dylan stated.
"Captain, if I may remind you, you're the captain, you decide what happens," Rommie reminded him with an amused expression. "Harper did however ask me to tell you that Asa is the only one he trusts, that Asa is the one he chooses, as I have no idea who Asa is I can only assume that you do know him."
"Asa? Choosing for what?" Beka checked unsure, and then looked at Dylan.
"Asa is a good choice to lead," Dylan agreed with some consideration.
"To lead?" Beka once again looked between Dylan and Rommie. "What's going on?"
"Harper has configured Edenia's systems so that we are now in a position to hand control to the Edenians for the first time," Rommie informed her.
"And you knew this, was this part of your plan with Harper?" Beka checked with Dylan, feeling a little lost.
"We never planned this far, but it's what I was hoping Harper would do, even though it meant severing Edenia's connection with Earth," Dylan shrugged. "When Harper and Rommie exited the system I assumed it had been successfully done, and that's why Harper was able to leave," Dylan offered with a shrug.
"I just thought Rommie had gone in, kicked butt, and Harper's ok," Beka admitted.
"Harper made the decision, he decided to relinquish the hold Earth held over Edenia," Rommie confirmed.
"He did that, and you didn't help him in that decision?" Beka checked and saw Rommie shake her head to indicate she hadn't. "He really decided that the legacy Earth had one final claim to, that he took it upon himself to give that up on behalf of Earth?" Beka showed her surprise, unable to hide it. "I thought he'd want the whole freaking universe to know that Earth owned this place, and basically had control on it," Beka shook her head, and sighed. "Just when I think I know him, he goes and rewrites the book again," she offered with a frown.
"Harper wanted freedom," Dylan then spoke before Rommie could make the same statement. "He's been reminded of what its like to have it taken away, so in a way he has given Edenia the one thing he couldn't give to Earth."
"This is Harper, Dylan, he doesn't think like that," Beka objected lightly. "More likely he got himself in that system, realised it was basic science that he could easily manipulate with his eyes shut, and started to show off, inadvertently making himself a hero," Beka partly smiled.
"I prefer my version," Dylan offered with a confident grin.
"Dylan's version will certainly give more credence to the report when it's submitted to the council," Rommie agreed with a straight face, and missed the frown Dylan momentarily wore.
Beka considered their words as they approached the heavy door, and on opening it they discovered the building that had stood around the tunnels was no more than a pile of rubble. Outside the gathered Edenians were suddenly silent, and after a reassuring glance from Rommie, Dylan stepped forward, onto the steps and into the sunlight. Slowly he climbed the steps and looked out to the masses of people that had now gathered in the square.
"The power has been passed," Dylan declared taking control of the situation, and a low hum of voices was heard. "But the power has not passed to a stranger, not to a person from another land," Dylan continued, feeling the attention of hundreds on him in that moment. "I promised to your leaders that I would not leave Edenia unprotected, but that I, and my people, would leave and I have not forgotten that. Edenia's shield may have come down, but my ship and many others loyal to my Commonwealth protect you from above and will continue to protect you until such a time you decide, for yourselves, what you will do."
There was a sudden rousing a voices amongst the crowds before Dylan spoke again. "The power is no longer a secret, you must all now know where the controls truly lie," Dylan gestured behind him, to where they had come from. "And the power is no longer exclusive, you all now have the power, the power to decide what you want for the future of Edenia," Dylan couldn't help but feel the authority within him again, being in charge and control was refreshing after a short absence, he felt the confidence of his past and relished the moment.
A wave of hushed voices were heard, and then gasps as Trance stepped forward beside Dylan, she simply smiled at the captain before he continued once again. "I speak on behalf of the power, and it's his wish that the power be passed to you, to the people of Edenia, but to one man in particular who will be your guiding voice, your designated leader, chosen for the moment by the power during the adjustment to these changing times until such a time you are ready to vote for your own choice."
More voices were heard, as people looked around at each other, a slight excitement seemed in evidence as they took in the news. "Those leaders that make the claim they are in power, they are not the power and never will be unless you make them the power," Dylan stressed definitely now. "It is the powers wish that Asa should step forward and take control in the short term, to oversee this new beginning, the new Edenia."
Asa stood stunned, and open mouthed before his followers eagerly pushed him forward, towards Dylan and Trance. Cheers began to erupt as Asa took some unsteady steps towards Dylan, still in shock at his selection.
"Harper wanted this?" Asa tentatively asked.
"Harper wants this," Trance corrected him.
"You mean, he's still alive, he didn't become?" Asa checked with surprise, looking at Dylan as he nodded his head.
"He chose not to, just as he chose to give Edenia what is rightfully theirs with your guidance, and if you don't mind, we really need to get him medical care urgently, so we need to go," Dylan stressed quietly so only Asa could hear.
"Right, ok, and the system?" Asa checked, and stepped back a little on seeing Rommie for the first time, as she walked up the steps to join them.
"Its now in a language you can understand, you no longer need to be in the system to control it," Rommie assured him. "But I will remain here with you whilst you learn the basics."
"What about Pallu?" Asa then checked.
"He will not bother you," Trance smiled warmly.
"But there are rumours that he has been the true power all along, he knows the controls, and he worked with the powers you must know this, we saw him enter the building where others failed," Asa fussed.
Rommie stepped towards Asa. "His understanding of the controls limited him to just controlling the environmental controls, he was able to manipulate the weather, but he never had full control," Rommie revealed, her brief time in the system had revealed this to her. "He was the powers pet, they trained him, he obeyed and entertained them, they liked the distraction, his ancestry for the past three hundred and seventy years has the eldest male in the same role, they were a very loyal line, but they were nothing more than simple janitors."
Dylan wanted to smirk but knew his position as the authority in that moment didn't allow it.
"Asa, Harper's wishes are for you to take the first term in control of Edenia," Trance revealed, then gestured for Asa to stand back, and to Rhade to bring the stretcher that Harper lay on to the top of the steps. "Don't be afraid," she smiled towards Asa, who looked on as Harper came into view.
"Trance, what are you doing?" Rommie asked, suddenly aware that the glint in Trance's eyes was a sign she was about to do something.
"These people believe Harper is a power, a god if you like," Trance offered calmly. "They will not accept that Asa has the power unless they see it for themselves, and that event becomes stuff of legend and myth in itself."
"Trance, I'm not sure," Dylan began but stopped when Trance gestured for Rhade to bring the stretcher with Harper's unconscious body on forward.
The Edenian people suddenly went silent, believing they were seeing the now lifeless body of their faith before them. They were about to bow their heads when Trance raised her hands in Harper's direction. To the people's amazement a soft glowing ball of light seemed to appear from Harper, and Trance guided it with care towards Asa, until it bathed him in the soft light and disappeared.
"The power has been passed to the people of Edenia, use it wisely," Dylan caught on to Trance's intentions and quickly used it to his advantage. "We will protect you from above until you have decided if you wish to remain cut off, or if you wish to be accepted into the Commonwealth, either way, we will help you," Dylan confirmed, then under his breath he turned to Trance and Rommie. "Enough with the floor show we need to now help Harper and make sure he hasn't sacrificed too much in freeing this damn place!" he hissed.
"The Maru!" Beka suddenly exclaimed, as she reached the top of the steps with Zal and Junia and the people parted, suddenly noticing that her ship was waiting for her at the far end of the square.
"I took the liberty of removing it from the jungle," Rommie stated. "We were waiting for the first opportunity to get in here, and the Maru provided us with the best sensors to know the minute the shield came down and gain instant access, thankfully we were able to get close to your location and reach you in time," Rommie smiled.
"Rommie, you do not know just how glad I am to see her, thank you!" Beka genuinely offered as they quickly approached it.
"No!" Trance suddenly turned back towards the fallen building, and moments later a gunshot was heard, and the crowds scattered in panic.
Dylan spun around to see Asa falling to his knees, with Rommie helpless to have stopped the attack, and she could only watch as Asa hit the ground, and without a second thought Dylan raced back, with Trance beside him, and they reached the fallen man.
"Asa!" Dylan stressed but there was no response, and he looked up to see Ezra stood a few feet away with a gun in her hand, and Kenan now by her side.
"He's still alive," Trance quickly reported, and then stood with Dylan as they faced the two renegades.
"The powers wanted Asa to lead!" Dylan declared loudly, rapidly losing his patience and just wanting away from Edenia but not prepared to leave it in a worst state than when he arrived. He turned defiantly to the people of Edenia that now stared at the fallen form of Asa. "Yet these two chose to defy those wishes, is this going to be the first act of your freedom, of Edenia's freedom? A man chosen to lead loses his life?"
Low murmurings within the crowd grew louder and both Ezra and Kenan discovered their support was deserting them, and fear soon showed in their faces as Edenians surrounded them.
"Stop!"
Dylan spun around and saw Asa stood beside him now.
"Dylan is right but no one is losing their life," Asa declared with a strong stance. "Take these two to the prison block, I will deal with them once things have been sorted," he added, relishing his new role and easily taking charge.
Dylan checked Asa'a back and front, and found no bullet wound, and he wasn't the only one checking as Edenian's around them also tried to find the injury.
"Asa, I believe you wish to be shown the controls?" Rommie then gestured calmly, and Dylan could only watch, as a perfectly healthy Asa walked with Rommie back to the control room, still being guarded by the Commonwealth soldiers.
"Trance?" Dylan then wised up.
"Dylan, I didn't do anything," Trance offered innocently.
"Trance," Dylan repeated.
"Maybe that ball of energy I gave Asa for the sideshow helped him in other ways too?" Trance offered with a coy but secretly knowing smile.
"We should get going, maybe you could try using some of your sideshow tricks on Harper," Dylan quickly remembered the situation, and the two hurried back to the Maru that was now prepped and ready for launch.
Beka sat back in the chair, safely on board the Andromeda for the first time in weeks. Opposite her sat Dylan, both were in his office and neither spoke as they each finished off a bowl of food.
"The sooner we're off this stuff the better," Beka then remarked as she put her bowl to one side.
"It's good for us, we need to replace what we lost down on the planet," Dylan stated.
"Still tastes like crap," Beka dismissed, and then smiled. "They won't have to starve any more, down there, right?"
"I'm sure Asa will make the right decisions, and he'll have Commonwealth advisors by his side for the first six months at least to help him," Dylan assured her.
"The Commonwealth you barely trust?" Beka noted.
"I have to believe they will help Edenia," Dylan returned. "I personally will be glad to see the back of it."
"When do we leave?"
"Once Rommie returns, and I'm satisfied that the right balls are in motion," Dylan answered and put his own bowl to one side. "The signs are good on first reports, our emergency supplies have been evenly distributed and the fighting has stopped, it appears Edenians are just as tired as we are of their city."
"Change will do them good," Beka agreed, and then sighed. "Those three weeks felt like a lifetime, how'd we survive?"
"I'm not ready to even begin to work that one out," Dylan got to his feet, and moved to his desk.
Beka could sense his discomfort. "Dylan, the mission was tough on all of us."
"I know that," Dylan partially snapped before relaxing his voice. "Harper's on med deck right now, in a place we're still not sure he'll completely come back from, so I do know that, Beka."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Beka simply responded.
"I forgot how to lead," Dylan stressed.
"It's all in your mind," Beka returned quickly. "You could not have led us any better than you did, in the situation we were in."
"I forgot myself," Dylan then spoke, but his tone was less aggressively now, and more honest. "Rhade, Harper, they both took to the situation a lot better than I did."
"You were in pain for most of the time, we understood that," Beka stated.
"And Harper wasn't?" Dylan asked, turning to Beka to see her reaction.
"Dylan, you grew up in a comfortable world, and you may be three hundred years older than the rest of us but you are still young to the horrors of this universe, Harper isn't, he's at least twenty five years ahead of you in that department," Beka answered, and finally Dylan appeared to concede to her argument. "I know you prefer not to think of our struggles before you met us, hell I try and ignore what hell Harper must have grown up with, but it's always there Dylan and we can't let it effect how we see him now, or how you see us, if I learnt anything on Edenia, I learnt that about Harper, he doesn't look back only forward."
"What I learnt from this mission, the one thing, is that Harper can never ever be underestimated, not ever," Dylan stressed.
"You say that like a warning," Beka spoke with an air of curiosity.
"Maybe it is," Dylan answered, now facing away from Beka.
Beka was a little unnerved by Dylan's words, and quickly moved towards the door. "Speaking of which, I better go check on him," she stated, before leaving the room.
Dylan moved to sit down again, and as he did so he allowed himself to relax for the first time in days.
"Andromeda?"
"Yes captain," Andromeda returned in she appeared in hologram form.
"I want all accounts of the mission on Edenia to be edited to remove all references to Earth, and to Seamus Harper," Dylan stated. "Under my authority, and without explanation."
"Captain, that would mean editing both Beka and Rhade's reports," Andromeda informed him.
"All accounts, I do not want the Commonwealth to know the true extent of power on Edenia, and I do not want them to realise Harper's true potential, he must remain to them to be seen as a gifted engineer only," Dylan insisted. "I don't trust the Commonwealth with that information, they can't know Harper's actions on that planet; I believe it's for his own good."
"As you wish, sir, reports have been edited and are ready for submission to the council," Andromeda confirmed.
"Send," Dylan authorised and sat back, closing his eyes.
TBC