Chapter 2

Harper groaned as consciously rudely brought him back to his senses, and he rolled onto his back. His head hammered loudly, and his stomach churned as he tried to get his bearings.

'Serves you right,' He heard Doyle comment.

'Go to hell,' Harper mumbled, not in the mood for pleasantries, feeling the growth on his chin and wondering how long it had been since he'd shaved.

'Love you too, sweetie,' Doyle simply threw back.

Opening his eyes, Harper pushed himself up with a sigh, seeing Doyle sitting opposite his bunk. 'What time is it?'

'Bedtime, well that would be bed time for normal people,' Doyle remarked and Harper could see she was working on a small project, it looked like a new server board for something but he could barely focus to tell what.

'Did I do anything this time?' Harper asked as he rubbed his face and moved to sit up.

'Upset Beka,' Doyle answered. 'Again.'

'Becoming a bad habit,' Harper frowned.

'You stole her credit chip,' Doyle added.

'Aw man,' Harper rubbed his temples now, willing his head to quit hurting.

'She forgives you, she always does,' Doyle offered. 'Harper, can I ask you something?' she then asked as she put down her work and turned her full attention to Harper.

'I told you before, I don't want to talk about Earth,' Harper pre-empted, and made to lie down again.

'It's not about Earth, it's about Edenia,' Doyle spoke and saw Harper freeze before sitting up again.

'Edenia?' Harper questioned with narrowed eyes. 'Did Beka tell you about that place?'

'Not exactly, she said its where your problems started with Dylan,' Doyle remembered.

'No they didn't,' Harper dismissed all too easily.

'She seemed to think they did,' Doyle returned with a frown.

'I might have maybe started seeing him a little differently there but I had no problem with him, if anyone did she did, because he covered up all the work I did there, so no one knows I was the hero there,' Harper remembered with some confusion.

'So what did happen there?' Doyle asked.

'Bad stuff, good stuff, some in between, ok?' Harper stated, vaguely remembering the stone clad town and the strange three or four weeks of his life that he endured there once. 'But I saved the day, that's all you need to know, I was the hero that mission.'

'But Dylan didn't officially recognise that,' Doyle offered.

'No, but with my consent, there was a lot of other things to consider, look can we just drop this?' Harper asked as he laid down again using his arm to cover his eyes, and Doyle didn't say another word as she watched Harper fall quickly asleep again.

'Why did you tell her?'

'Harper, you're awake, finally,' Beka acknowledged as she prepared herself some food at the server. 'Tell her what?'

'About Edenia, why did you tell Doyle?' Harper asked, finally feeling well enough to be up and to try and eat again after his drinking session.

'I didn't tell her anything, I just mentioned the place,' Beka calmly answered.

'Well don't, she's like the twenty questions kid when you give her something like that,' Harper moaned as he moved past Beka to grab some hot coffee.

'Sorry, I wasn't thinking,' Beka offered without further comment and began to walk away with her snack.

'Beka, look, I know I'm saying this a hell of a lot lately but I'm sorry,' Harper then spoke up before she left. 'About yesterday, the drinking and taking your credit chip.'

'Don't mention it,' Beka dismissed.

Harper hated her tone, how she was so ready to forget about his actions, it was like she didn't care and he realised in that moment that he wanted more of a reaction, he wanted her to care. 'So does that mean I can do it again then?'

'You take my chip again and you can't even begin to imagine what I'll do,' Beka challenged and Harper was only semi pleased by the response, it lacked any actual fondness but it had been a lot like that lately he realised and he sighed loudly.

'Look, this isn't working, I'm getting tired of this,' Harper offered.

'You're getting tired of this?' Beka now scoffed with disbelief. 'You think I enjoy seeing my friend drink himself to death, do you think I'm enjoying seeing you throw your life away and not being able to do a single thing about it?'

Harper had his response now, although he wished he didn't seeing the accusing look on his friend's face. 'I've got nothing, Beka, what do you expect?'

'You call me nothing? You call my ship nothing? Well thanks for nothing Seamus, considering you're too drunk most of the time to be of any actual use around here I find this a little incredible, you know!' Beka raged and Harper felt the words hit him hard deep inside.

Two times he tried to speak but no words were spoken, and he watched as Beka battled to keep her emotions and anger in check, she had obviously been bottling up her true feelings. 'I should leave, you're right I'm no use to you here,' Harper offered, suddenly wanting to be elsewhere.

'Yeah, good solution, give up on everyone who might just still give a damn about you,' Beka quietly raged. 'Least this time you actually had the decency to tell me you're going to leave, and not just try to disappear like last time.'

'I'll go get my things, make it nice and quick and easy,' Harper stated and moved past Beka, who made no attempt to stop him. She watched Harper leave and then sighed heavily, composing her emotions and dumping her snack before finally following him. By the time she reached the crew quarters Harper was already filling a holdall and was nearly done, a man of very little possessions.

'You don't have to leave, Harper,' Beka quietly spoke.

'I think I do,' Harper continued to pack without looking up. 'You have Doyle, she'll take good care of the Maru, I just need to get out of here and sort my head out, I need some time alone.'

'So is this temporary leaving or for good?'

'Who knows,' Harper shrugged and paused for a moment. 'I need some space, or rather less space more planet,' Harper showed a flash of frustration. 'I just need some time alone for a while to, I don't know, to just remember,' Harper frowned with a shrug.

Beka remembered her realisation with Trance's actions, how being away from his friends had helped Harper prepare for the fight with the Abyss and she understood a little better, even though it hurt. 'If it means you quit the drowning in drink each day then all I ask is you keep in touch, daily contact, just so I can sleep at night, ok?' Beka asked with fondness as she moved to his side and then embraced him.

'I've missed these,' Harper leaned into the hug and held Beka tight. 'But I'm not sure about the daily contact, it depends, but I will keep in touch, I promise.'

'Where are you heading first?' Beka began to help Harper pack.

'Sounds crazy but I was thinking maybe Edenia,' Harper offered. 'It wasn't until Doyle mentioned it that I started to consider it, but seems a good place to start.'

'Are you serious?' Beka exclaimed. 'After what happened the last time you were there? You expect me to just let you go there alone?'

Harper sighed. 'Things have changed and remember I did kind of promise I'd keep an eye on things, to keep in touch and those systems need upgrading, can you think of a better project for me to get my head back together, and stay out of trouble?'

'On Edenia, have you actually forgotten the trouble you got into last time?' Beka argued.

'Beka, it's different now, I had a whole bunch of updates waiting for me when we returned from Seefra, I'm not feared or considered some god anymore, I'll just be going there to see if I can't make their system a little better, in some ways Edenia is all that's left of Earth now,' Harper offered and immediately Beka understood, it made perfect sense now as she relaxed slightly.

'You promise me, you stay in touch, regular scheduled contact, ok?' Beka stated.

Harper half smiled. 'Yes mom,' he mocked.

'I'm serious,' Beka scolded and then embraced him again, as if for the last time.

'I need to do this,' Harper stated. 'Before you end up killing me for my own good,' he added knowingly. 'Now let me go and speak to Doyle; she'll want to come with me but I want to be alone, is it ok if she stays here with you?'

'Of course it is,' Beka nodded her head. 'I just can't believe we're coming to an end, you were the last of my original crew before the whole Andromeda thing, and now it really does feel like an end to an era.'

'Stop being melodramatic, you know you'll be swooping down to Edenia to save my ass at some point,' Harper mocked with a grin.

'I'm going to miss you,' Beka offered, her emotions faltering.

'Not as much as I'll miss you,' Harper reached out and they hugged one final time.

Harper stood stock still with his bag slung over his shoulder looking upwards as the Maru disappeared towards the upper atmosphere and suddenly he wanted to call it back, and admit a mistake, did he really want to revisit Edenia after the last visit?

Since the Andromeda had been decommissioned and Dylan took retirement, Harper had felt lost in a universe where he no longer felt he had a home. The Maru had been the been the obvious option but Harper found it hard to forget that this had been where he had started, and as much as he loved the ship, the idea of returning to his old life after everything that had happened never appealed and he found himself instead falling into despair.

Beka had tried, and he felt a huge chunk of guilt for not being able to pull himself out of his own misery. Earth was gone, Andromeda was decommissioned, he had needed time to adjust and the Maru with all its problems and Beka's attempts to help him just didn't give him that moment he desperately needed to just think and contemplate, so he had turned to drink to try and forget instead.

Slowly Harper took a deep breath and turned to head into the forest, Beka had made sure no storms were due this time so Harper had a clear journey ahead of him. His pack included all the items he'd need to survive in luxury and he smirked as he remembered Beka fussing over what he was taking. Once under the cover of the trees Harper took a deep breath, and began to relish having soil under foot once again and pretending for just some time that he was home.

'He's going to be ok?'

'I hope so, Dylan,' Beka frowned, looking sad as she saw Dylan on the view screen. 'I wanted to stop him, I wanted to say no but I think he does need some time alone and away from me and this universe, so where better to go than a place that's completely cut off from it?'

'He could have come to Tarn Vedra if he needed a planet to stay on, it's almost Earth like and I'd of kept an eye on him, or he could have stayed close to where Rhade is now based on Terazed, why Edenia?' Dylan asked with some concern.

'I think because it's no where near any of us, and he's not a kid, Dylan, as you constantly reminded me the last time we were there,' Beka stated with some amusement.

Dylan frowned and then relaxed. 'We're not a crew anymore, we can't really do anything about it but, Beka, keep me informed and if you suspect anything don't hesitate to contact me,' Dylan ordered, even though retired. 'Andromeda may be decommissioned but she's still alive, she's still working albeit on fewer missions and no longer flagship of the fleet, she still is under my command if need be,' he hinted.

'Why do we always expect Harper to get into trouble?' Beka then partly laughed.

'Experience,' Dylan slyly smiled.

It was a perfect night, and Harper lay on his back looking up at the stars through a break in the trees. It was a still night, and the stars shone bright and Harper suddenly realised that for the first time since he could remember, he wasn't looking at them wishing to be among them, he was more than happy to remain right where he was. It had been a long time since Harper had felt relaxed and at peace with the universe, and he relished its calming effects. Already he knew he was doing something for himself that he should have done a lot earlier, as soon as he knew the Andromeda was being decommissioned, Harper felt that he shouldn't have taken the easy or obvious option. He needed time alone and now he had it. His eyelids grew heavy as he listened to the still night air, hearing only murmurs of life around him as he slowly escaped into a deep sleep.

Rhade greeted Beka with fondness and escorted her towards the dominant building where he now resided. She walked towards the doors and saw the armed guards all around them.

'So making new friends I hear?' Beka remarked.

'Funny,' Rhade smiled. 'So is it true, you've finally dumped Harper?'

'I didn't dump him,' Beka returned sharply. 'He just needed some time alone.'

'Right,' Rhade knowingly nodded. 'Better he be a waste of space in someone else's life,' he added.

'What is your problem? Harper was a good hard worker and he saved our asses enough times to prove that,' Beka snapped.

Rhade took a moment before answering. 'I just could never take him seriously, and I know I do him a disservice but the guy is a joke, as much as he's a genius,' Rhade shrugged.

'You're one to talk about being a joke; you do remember how you were on Seefra?' Beka returned.

'So where has the little man gone?'

'Edenia,' Beka answered and purposely avoided Rhade's reaction as she walked through the main door first.

'Edenia?' Rhade quickly caught up. 'Why?'

'When he said he wanted some time alone, he meant from the universe,' Beka offered and sighed. 'It's what he wanted,' she added.

'I'll have a team on standby, just call if you ever suspect he's in trouble,' Rhade stated and Beka stopped to look at him.

'Seriously?'

'I might mock the guy but,' Rhade frowned. 'I wish him no harm and out of all of us he lost the most saving this sorry universe,' he explained with care.

'Things have changed on Edenia, it's not the place that held us captive, the madmen are either dead or under supervision, he should be fine,' Beka then began to walk again.

'It must have hurt to just leave him behind like that, I know you've done all you can to help him,' Rhade then spoke.

'Not a minute has gone by when I haven't thought about him,' Beka admitted sadly. 'You haven't seen him since we left the Andromeda, he turned to drink and it was all I could do to stop him killing himself,' she paused, as her emotions threatened. 'I couldn't help him anymore,' she managed before looking away.

Rhade instinctively embraced Beka, and held her close. 'You did what you could, what any friend would try to do,' he responded fondly. 'Things change, people change and Harper needs to adjust to that change, I'm sure once he has he'll be right back by your side, you've not seen the last of Seamus Harper I'm sure of it.'

'I hope so,' Beka sniffed, holding onto Rhade as if her life depended on it.

TBC