Part 2

Dylan looked at the early morning sun covering the Maru, docked in the port, and remembered better days before approaching the airlock in front of him. Tentatively he keyed in the code he had always used, and was pleased to see the doors slide open.

"Beka?" he called out on opening. "It's Dylan, are you around?"

"Through here," Beka called back and Dylan walked the short distance to reach the serving area, where Beka had prepared some breakfast for herself.

"Good morning," Dylan offered with a smile. "Are you busy today?"

"Not that I'm aware of, why?" Beka asked, before taking a mouthful of the cereal she had prepared.

"I wondered if you could take me back to the Andromeda, I hate leaving her defenceless up there, and leaving Trance all alone," he spoke with tiredness. "There's nothing much down here for me at the moment," Dylan leant on the server as he spoke.

"Sure, I might spend a few days up there myself, if that's ok?" Beka asked, and Dylan immediately nodded his head. "This whole system is just messing with my head, I just want to go to sleep and pretend none of it ever happened."

"I know the feeling, and I feel as though I've only just got here," Dylan agreed. "To me, this time last week I had a ship and a crew I could depend on and now," Dylan paused and took a breath. "Now, you all feel like strangers to me."

"Trance did this to us," Beka reminded him.

"She was saving us from what I can only imagine was imminent death," Dylan returned.

"And this is better?" Beka questioned, and her spoon fell into her bowl before she pushed it away.

"This isn't better, but we're still alive and where there is life there's hope, remember?" Dylan half smiled.

"I used to remember that, now I keep forgetting," Beka admitted, and brought her hands up to her face as she tried to rub the tired feeling away. "I spoke to Doyle yesterday."

"Doyle?"

"Harper's bit on the side," Beka prompted and Dylan soon remembered.

"That's her name?" he asked, they had never been introduced and so far the only contact he had had with Harper was in the caves and when he had tried to help Rommie.

"I know, what kind of stupid name is that?" Beka agreed finding a slight smile. "She was trying to convince me that Harper needs our help."

"He needs something, I'm not sure if it's our help," Dylan offered with a sigh.

"So I'm not being self righteous in being totally disgusted by what he's done with his time here?" Beka checked, almost relieved.

"Self righteous, no," Dylan answered with conviction.

"Doyle said I was, and that Harper had said the same," Beka remembered.

"Beka, I can't begin to try and understand what Harper has become during his time here, or why it was allowed to happen," Dylan began. "It was bad luck that he's been stuck here for three years but I can not forgive him for what he did to Rommie, or the things he has developed that we saw with our own eyes kill people."

"He almost killed me and Rhade, those stupid devices attacked us too," Beka stated with anger.

"I know, and his desire not to join us and remain where he is has made my life easier, because I'm not sure I could have him on my crew again," Dylan frowned.

Beka slowly nodded her head in understanding. "I knew he wasn't a saint, how could he have survived Earth the way he did, if he didn't have this other side to him?" she explained. "But Rommie was his friend; he adored her and he was capable of doing that to her? Keeping her alive for his own selfish needs, I just can not get past that."

"I understand," Dylan agreed. "But you're not finding it so easy to let him go?"

"I don't know," Beka admitted with a heavy sigh. "I loved Harper, Dylan, he's the closest I've ever had to a soul mate, and we've been through so much together and I can't just pretend none of that ever happened," Beka explained. "Doyle suggested strongly that he needs our help, and if that's true, I won't ever forgive myself if I ignored that."

"In what way could he need our help?" Dylan showed confusion.

"I don't know, she says this other woman they work for, that she likes torture," Beka admitted. "But as far as I could tell he's got himself in pretty nicely with this Marika woman, and he's shown no willingness to leave and come with us so as I see it he's made his bed and he's got to lie in it, and I've never heard Harper complaining about any women making him lie in a bed."

Dylan offered a smirk. "So why would Doyle tell you that Harper needs help? He had plenty of opportunity to tell us himself, and the Harper I knew wouldn't have held back once he saw us if he was in trouble, if anything he seemed annoyed by us turning up, like we were ruining his plans."

"Again, I don't know and she didn't come to find me, I over heard her talking to some people in the bar, and then once outside we just started talking, that is once she'd given me the third degree for even suggesting that Harper was nothing more than a petty thief and murderer," Beka offered.

"I'd still like to know what a woman like Doyle is doing with Harper," Dylan idly remarked.

"I'd rather not know what she's doing," Beka returned. "But it seems if he's got this Marika on one hand and Doyle on the other, no wonder Harper doesn't seem in a hurry to leave this system, he's finally found a place where woman flock around him."

"Makes me even more anxious to leave," Dylan smiled now, and was pleased to see Beka join him with a grin. "Harper can leave those caves at any time, he showed us how, and he must be able to leave that planet at any time, I mean they knew Doyle when she was in that bar in town, and they knew of Harper so he must have his own transport," Dylan offered.

"Doyle told me I didn't understand," Beka shrugged. "And I don't, but Dylan she was genuinely concerned about him, she's not seen him for a day or two, not since he went to see Marika."

"Sounds to me like jealousy, if Harper has got two ladies on the go is it any surprise one gets a little restless when he's in the arms of the other?" Dylan suggested. "And I was never under the impression he was there against his will, he doesn't need our help in that way," he assured Beka now, and hugged her for comfort. "He needs help, but it goes way beyond anything we can offer him."

"You're right, and I've mourned the Harper for six months, maybe I should just continue to do that," Beka frowned.

"It might make it easier to accept that he's no longer the man he was," Dylan agreed, as he pulled away.

Beka nodded her head, almost looking distracted before she looked up at Dylan again. "I'll prep for launch, if you're ready to go?"

"I'm ready," Dylan answered.

Doyle tentatively stepped into the workshop deep within the caves where she had heard the sounds of someone working.

"Harper?" With a frown, Doyle now heard coughing before she moved further into the room. "Harper!"

Harper turned and looked at Doyle, his hand still to his mouth as he controlled the coughing fit. "Hey," he finally acknowledged with an off key voice. He coughed again, in an attempt to clear his throat but it just set him off again.

Moving closer, Doyle put her hand on Harper's shoulder. The coughs were deep within his chest, and they caused the human discomfort she noticed, and she quickly reached for the glass Harper had on his desk.

"Drink," Doyle ordered.

"No use, it just aggravates it," Harper dismissed and pushed it away before returning to his work.

Doyle sniffed the drink and realised Harper was probably right, smelling the alcohol content. She knew he needed cool soothing water to calm what sounded last a nasty chest infection but that was impossible on Seefra, as it suffered yet another draught. Her thoughts returned to Harper soon enough and she already knew why her friend was suffering with the cough.

"So at least it explains where you were, in those caves deep below us, right?" Doyle questioned.

"Not through choice," Harper responded, returning his focus to his work.

"The air down there always does this to you, causes this reaction," Doyle reminded him with annoyance, but she wasn't mad at him, she was mad at their situation and that it did this to him.

"Again, I didn't choose to go down there," Harper partially snapped.

"I know," Doyle answered with a frown. "Let me see," Doyle then ordered, and grabbed Harper's arm. Initially he tried to snatch it back but gave up soon enough, when Doyle refused to let go. She turned his arm slightly and sighed on seeing the deep red angry abrasions around Harper's wrists, and knowing his other arm would display the same mark. "Why did she tie you up?"

"It was just my wrists," Harper answered without emotion, he had stopped working now and just stared numbly at the junk in front of him before another coughing fit struck, and this time Doyle tried to help him by rubbing his back but she saw him flinch almost immediately and she removed her hand without comment as he brought the coughing under control.

"You need to rest," Doyle simply said and Harper offered no resistance as she quietly led him towards the back room where his cot was waiting for him.

"I'm fine," Harper finally spoke as Doyle gestured to his bunk. "Honestly, I really need to work, I have things to do."

"Did she tell you that?" Doyle asked.

Harper showed his frustration as he looked away. "She found out about Gogol stealing, Doyle, and it doesn't take a genius to work out who was behind it," he stated, moving away from the cot. "I got caught, I got punished, way of the world so deal with it," Harper left the room and Doyle heard him coughing again, as he returned to work.

Slowly Doyle returned to Harper's side, considering what she was about to say. "I saw Beka today."

"How nice," Harper said without emotion.

"Did she ever know you?"

"Of course she did," Harper said immediately in return. "Once," he added, as he opened up a panel on a piece of machinery.

"She was calling you a petty thief and a murderer," Doyle stated.

Harper smirked. "I am," he then answered with a slight shrug.

"Harper, that's unfair," Doyle protested. "It's only because you have no choice."

"We all have choice, and I chose my own path, Doyle," Harper sighed and finally looked at Doyle, putting his hands on her arms as he partly smiled. "I'm no saint, Doyle, and ok, I'm not exactly the worlds worst but you know, I'm not perfect so quit making me out to be the victim here, ok?"

"If you stay here any longer you will be," Doyle spoke seriously.

Harper's glance away confirmed to Doyle that he believed her words too. "You know as well as I do that Marika will never kill me," he said with bitter conviction, and then returned to his room.

"That's not a comfort, Harper," Doyle called after him, and then looked upwards, hoping for some inspiration. A few seconds later she heard the feint noise, and one that set alarm bells ringing inside her head. "Harper?"

With haste, Doyle moved quickly to Harper's room and found him slumped on the floor clutching bloodied arms to his chest, his face a wash of panic and confusion as he breathed deeply in shock.

"What the hell, Harper!" Doyle stressed with alarm, as she quickly began tearing up the bed sheet. Without looking for any response from Harper she wrapped the strips tightly around Harper's wrists and then held him close, neither speaking as they clung to each other for comfort.

"You have to stop doing this, Harper, killing yourself is not the answer!" Doyle finally spoke, feeling so helpless for her friend and refusing to let him go.

"I wasn't serious, never am," Harper murmured softly. "I cut across my wrists, and that's not the way to do it properly," he continued shakily.

"Next time you want to display a cry for help, just cry," Doyle stressed, and they both continued to sit on the floor hugging each other, afraid to let go.

Being back on the Andromeda wasn't helping. Around every corner Beka felt as though he was on board with her, the friend she once knew. As much as the image of Rommie had haunted her, now the words Doyle had spoken refused to leave. What if Harper was in trouble and no one came to help him?

Shaking her head, Beka refused to believe that Harper wasn't capable of helping himself this time. He wasn't trapped on a ship, he had no bars and chains denying him freedom, and it appeared he even had transport. So why did he need her help, or anyone's help?

"Why do you think Seefra bans tech?"

Beka spun around to find Trance catching her up.

"What?" Beka checked.

"Technology, why do you think Seefra bans it?" Trance innocently asked.

"I don't know," Beka shrugged, before considering it some more. "Maybe they are afraid of it?"

"What's there to be afraid of?"

"Depends who's making the tech," Beka found herself answering. "Some people get carried away, end up hurting others."

"So instead they chose to hurt those who work with tech?" Trance asked.

"Why are you asking me this, Trance?" Beka had to ask, no longer believing coincidences existed as far as the golden one was concerned.

"I need to understand," Trance answered, albeit retaining her innocent air. "This whole system is still very new and confusing to me."

Beka sighed. "In some cultures, those who can work with tech or have a gift can be feared, new tech often frightens people in the first instance, the not knowing."

"A system bred to deny tech, to fear tech as law must be a very dangerous place to someone who embraces it," Trance figured. "And who undeniably is at one with tech must be the most feared, and the most at risk, yes?"

Beka took a deep breath. "Harper?"

"Harper?" Trance looked confused.

"That's your point, right?" Beka checked. "I needed to know what was keeping Harper from helping himself," she realised. "It's not that he can't it's that he has no where to run to!"

"He has his home," Trance answered.

"The only place in this system where he is safe is on board the Andromeda or the Maru," Beka stated. "Neither of which have been here before now, and now they are he thinks we hate him."

"He tried to keep Rommie alive, and now he must pay the price for that friendship," Trance sighed.

"It's not like that Trance," Beka was quick to correct. Trance just looked at her knowingly before Beka spoke again. "He gave Rommie no choice, and she didn't want to be kept alive like that."

"I'm sure if he had been able he would have spared her that torment," Trance spoke sincerely. "Harper is not a bad person, he's just in a bad place right now."

"Then I'll go get him, give him a chance to redeem himself, bring him back here to safety," Beka then decided.

Trance just looked at her. "If it was just a case of bringing him here, he could have done that himself, you said he had his own transport."

"Trance, I never said that," Beka picked up and Trance for a brief second looked uncertain.

"I must have over heard it," Trance quickly explained, and then made to move.

"Just tell me what I have to do," Beka stood firm, blocking her exit. "Enough of your riddles."

"Take away Harper's problem," Trance explained. "Set him free in this system so he can help himself, and then help you all."

"He can do that?" Beka questioned and Trance only nodded her head in reply. "How?"

"Give him freedom in this system, and it will become clear."

"The problem right now is the tech ban, how do I get a whole system to stop banning tech?" Beka questioned.

"Go to the source?" Trance shrugged, returning rapidly to her innocent pose.

"The source?" Beka considered. "The tech police?" Trance allowed a secret smile, and Beka finally let her pass. "Sure, I'll just destroy the tech police and everything will be just great," she mocked, unconvinced. "I'm not sure Harper's worth that risk."

"He is," Trance's voice called back from some distance away, and Beka could only raise her eyebrows in surprise.

TBC