Who would have thought you cared

Chapter 2

Rebekkah Valentine, Captain of the - meanwhile - Commonwealth Ship of the Line Eureka Maru and First Officer to Captain Dylan Hunt of the High Guard Glorious Heritage Class Heavy Cruiser and former Commonwealth Flag Ship „Shining Path to Truth an Knowledge", the Andromeda Ascendant, nowadays on the run from said Commonwealth officialities, was nervous. It didn't come often that she felt the need to discuss her feelings and sentiments, especially not with the only higher ranking officer onboard. Yet here she was, pacing up and down the corridor in front of the Captain's office, waiting for Harper to come out.

They had made it back. And they had managed to destroy the Time Bridge. Other than that, there wasn't much to be grateful for. A lot of people were dead, Telemachus Rhade still somewhat shaken by the ordeals he had been subjected to, the damage done to an entire solar system considerable. And then there was this little matter of a worldship full of Magog still headed their way as well as an army of Commonwealth bounty hunters still out for their blood.

Beka had read Dylan's report on the Patriarch and still shuddered at the dreadful possibilities the files implied. Had it not been for Rommie, Rhade and Dylan... she preferred not to think along these lines for too long.

Beka Valentine wasn't sure that this was the appropriate time to come to talk to Dylan about the relationship he obviously believed the members of the Eureka Maru's old crew to be entertaining with him, but then again, there never really was such a time. The blonde pilot had been pretty shaken by Hunt's ironic remark, so much so that she felt compelled to find out exactly how rhetorical his words had been. And if this meant to be striding into – yet another – fight with him, so be it; it helped to know that, with Dylan still not completely recovered according to Andromeda's opinion, Beka did for once have a clear advantage on her side. Not that she gave a damn about Dylan's opinions on that matter, but she had found his remark downright insulting. Questioning her concern for him meant that, in the end, he was questioning her loyalty. So this is how things were? After all they had done for him and with him, after all she had done, he still didn't find the strength in him to come up with complete trust towards them. Beka wondered if she shouldn't better wait, talk this through with Trance, tell the others about Dylan's suspected state of mind, for them to confront him together. But as his words had been spoken to her, with no hints to Trance and before he even knew about Harper's bold "stride for science", she felt the urge to first take it out with him on her own.

Sadly, although Harper had at the beginning of their last adventure been very helpful, he had let his scientific curiosity and inventor's pride gain the better of him in the course of events. He had built the Patriarch's Time Bridge as required and activated it, thereby endangering not only his fellow crew members but also the entire population of the planet, along with just about all of the known galaxies. He was now with Dylan, probably getting a full –and well deserved – lecture about his reliability in general and his good sense in this particular case. However, with Dylan being Dylan, Beka had no doubt that Harper would find himslef let off the hook rather easily in the end. Well, she couldn't have been more wrong.

It took her by surprise, when the doors slid open and out came a Harper very much in a rush.

„Harper," she started, wanting to inquire about what exactly was upsetting him that much. „Harper, stop," she yelled then, when the young man didn't react. Forgetting all about her intended talk with Dylan, she stormed down the corridor right after him. With Harper still exhausted by his stay with the templars, catching up with him was a piece of cake.

„Hey, resident genius, I'm talking to you," Beka finally stated as she grabbed his sleeve, finally bringing him to a halt.

„Some genius, my eye," the young man stammered, avoiding to look at her.

„Oh, come on, Harper, don't dramatize. You blew it, you blew it big time! Dylan had to ruffle you up a bit!"

„I know, I know, and... it's not that... I mean... I..." the engineer was fighting for words, and it was only then that Beka noticed him to be practically on the verge of tears. Intrigued, she grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to turn around and face her.

„Harper, it can't be that bad. You know Dylan: a little yelling, a little shouting, some threatening with the brig, that's it," she tried to reassure him. „Come on, what did he say?"

„No, Beka, no! He... he is mad... No yelling, no brig, no... Oh, he is soo mad... at me, I mean..."

„Well, that was to be expected. After all there have been a lot of lives unnecessarily lost during this stupid pursuit of yours."

„I know, I know... and I'm sorry, I am so very sorry! But..."

„But?"

„He said strike 2, Beka! He said this was strike 2," Harper almost shouted in despair.

„Strike 2?" she repeated after him, clearly not understanding what Harper was referring to.

"He said, strike 2 and he'll give me the boot. At strike 3 I'm outta here, Beka," the engineer fearfully whispered.

As she finally grasped the meaning of the words, Beka Valentine's blue eyes turned to ice. She fiercefully pulled Harper into a bearhug, her right hand gently stroking his hair. Her heart felt like breaking as she felt the young man's rigid form almost melting into her arms.

„Don't worry, Harper, don't you worry," she began to reassure him, her words endlessly repeating themselves in a soft whisper, while she still held him in her embrace, oblivious to the curious glances they received from other members of the crew who happened to pass them by. Luckily, it was neither a very frequented area nor a very busy time of day.

„Harper, listen to me," Beka finally demanded. „No one will kick you out. Not on their lives, they won't. And whoever tries to pull off a stunt like this, will first have to go through me, mighty High Guard captain or not. Do you understand me?"

Harper nodded, extricating himself out of her arms and struggling to pull himself together. Beka watched him with a smile, as he wiped away the tears and cleaned his nose with a forceful sneer.

„There you are," she said, imposing a cheerful tone to herslef. „That's my boy. Now off you go," she encouraged him with a light pat on the shoulder. He nodded his thanks to her with a sad little grin and took off down the hall towards his lab.