O.K. I forgot my disclaimer in the first chapter. So, here it is. I don't own Andromeda or anything connected with it. If I did, the show never would have changed it's direction and we would still have the GOOD Andromeda that we started out with i.e. Purple Trance, Tyr and a Dylan that is not a perfect god and sleeping with the bimbo of the week. O.K. That's it. Now here's the next chapter.
Rhade strolled down towards Harper's quarters. Andromeda popped up. "I admit I don't know much about courtship, either human or Neitzschean but this hardly seems likely to endear her to you."
"Perhaps. But I have no choice. I have to do it."
"You have to do it? You mean like you had to kill Captain Hunt?"
That stopped him. "That was a mistake that can't be fixed. And I have to live with it. Which I can. Because I'm trying to make up for it."
"You can't. You can never give back the 300 years."
"True but things are starting to go my way. You can't deny that."
"No, I can't. Getting back to the original question--"
"I can't let her go again. It's like fate threw her back to me and the ball's in my court. I have to play it out. No matter what." He started walking again.
Beka was pacing. "I have to get out of here. Damn it, Gaheris." She flopped down on the bed. "He can't do this. I've got to eat. I could starve to death, you know." As if in answer the door opened just enough for a bot to shove a tray of food in and then it closed again. Wonderful. She thought about not eating, going on a hunger strike or something but that was stupid. This whole situation was stupid. Gaheris was nothing if not pragmatic. Simply put, it shouldn't matter if she'd left or not as long as the goal was still in sight. And it was. So why?
'Because he loves me.' How much did that matter in the long run? It didn't. 'Except to you, Valentine. It matters to you.'
That annoying little voice in her head. "SHUT UP!"
Andromeda popped up. "Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not. You get Geharis here right away. I want to talk to him. NOW!"