Title: Stranded
Author: Melissa, aka ILH
Censor: PG-13
Central Characters: Harper
Spoilers: None that I recall, read it through a couple of times after writing, but any of first
season is possible
Disclaimer: Andromeda and its characters belongs to Tribune, not me.
Author's Note: A huge thank you goes to my betas, Harper_Lover and Doxymom. This is undoubtedly a Mary Sue type fic, but hopefully somewhat different from those that have been written before it. This probably won't be my last 'Drom fic, as I thought it would be before, since Ouroborus was quite inspiring.
Harper was singing along with the punk rock disc that was playing while he watched the number of light-minutes to his destination slowly decrease. He was en route to an engineering convention on Katalonia Prime that he was looking very forward to.
The last song on the disc ended, but Harper didn't feel much like getting up and changing it because of his preoccupation with the convention. "This convention is gonna rule! There's nothing better than beer, new toys for me to try out and babes that know their way around a slipstream drive all in the same building!"
He picked up his Sparky can and shook it. It was empty. He sighed in annoyance and set the Maru to autopilot and turned the disc player back to the first track of his disc, volume up all the way. He danced his way back to the cargo bay to get a couple more cans of Sparky. Even from the cargo bay he could feel the music making the Maru vibrate.
Since he had been belting out the lyrics, when he returned to cockpit he didn't expect to see what he did out of the main viewer. A small ship was heading straight towards the front of the Maru and would cause a head-on collision if he didn't act fast. He turned off autopilot and veered away in the nick of time. The ships were just beginning to pass each other when the other ship tried to slipstream.
Harper felt the Maru jerk and noticed they were surrounded by a greenish light, nothing like that of usual slipstream. Both ships were careening into oblivion, and Harper could do nothing to stop it. He no longer noticed the blasting music behind him or the can of Sparky he had crushed in his hand.
The jerky ride through the green oblivion ended abruptly. The next thing Harper saw was a planet quickly approaching. When the Maru was pulled into its gravitational field, his head was slammed into the control panel. He managed to stay conscious long enough to watch the blur of land the Maru was plummeting towards, but the impact with the planet's surface threw him across the cockpit and into the realm of unconsciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Damn, it's cold," Harper said groggily.
He opened his eyes to see the Maru's interior. Something wasn't right. His head was pounding, and his hand was also in serious pain. He looked down at his hand and saw it was bleeding. A crushed Sparky can was on the floor beside him, wet with the remnants of the cola and blood. He couldn't remember what had happened.
The smell of burned parts entered the cockpit. That definitely wasn't a good sign. He pushed himself to his feet. The burning was coming from the engine room. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and hurried towards it. The door wouldn't open automatically. He had to force it open with all of his strength, furthering the injury to his hand. He ripped a small strip of cloth from the bottom of his pants and tied it tightly around the injury.
Several components of the engines were still sizzling from the fire. He extinguished it and examined the engines. The fire and heat had welded some of the engines' parts together. They had absolutely no power. It wasn't only the engines, all of the Maru had absolutely no power, which accounted for the cold.
"I've gotta fix the life support systems." He crawled through the access tubes to get to the room, since he didn't feel much like forcing any more doors opened.
The life support system had some damage, but he managed to fix the portion that controlled heat to work for the cockpit, his quarters and the engine room. Those were the areas that he would most frequently visit. He still couldn't remember what happened, though, and it started bothering him.
"What if I was with someone else, like Beka, and she left the Maru after we crashed?" Harper asked himself, very worried. "What if she's dying out there waiting for me to come save her, but I'm here doing nothing instead?"
He grabbed a blanket from his quarters and a Gauss gun before cautiously leaving the Maru. If Beka or anyone else were out there, he would find them. It was twilight and very quiet outside. The Maru had crashed in rolling hills. There was a forest in the distance.
Harper turned around and squinted in the direction of the sun. There was a silhouette of something else in the distance in that direction. He wasn't sure what it was. Even though he was scared of what it might be, he knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he had at least seen it up close. He approached the mysterious object. As it came into clearer view, he realized it was another vessel. He didn't recognize its make, though.
When he was within fifteen feet of it, he could see the evidence that it had also crashed onto the planet's surface. He knew he wasn't as good with medical equipment as Trance, but he could at least try to do something for any survivors on board. He pulled out his nanowelder and forced the vessel's main entrance opened. It led into what appeared to be a cargo bay.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" he ventured as he became acquainted with his dark surroundings. The vessel was as cold as the Maru had been, as cold as it was outside.
The next room was just as dark as the cargo bay, but he determined it was the cockpit. Harper saw no one at first. The controls of the vessel were unfamiliar to him. It was either a new design or one of a completely alien species that he hadn't encountered.
"Why have you intruded on my ship?" an indignant voice asked from a corner. A petite young woman was curled up nervously there.
"Are you okay? I mean I thought since you crash landed that you might be hurt." Harper leaned down to help her up.
"You will not touch me!" She pushed herself to her own feet with trepidation.
"O-kay. Do you have some weird disease or something?" Harper knew it sounded rude, but he didn't want to risk his immune system on a planet that didn't seem to have an infirmary.
"I have no diseases that I am aware of. But you still may not touch me." She limped away from him. "And since I do not require your assistance I would appreciate it if you would leave me now."
"Well, you're limping. And I have some medical equipment back on the Maru," Harper offered.
She turned around and looked at him peculiarly. Her hand came within inches of him and seemed to be touching an invisible force. Her expression grew lachrymose. "I am truly sorry. I did not know..."
"I'm more than willing to help you. You don't have to be sorry that you got mad. I mean- "
"No, your past...it is filled with loss and pain. It is all you know, and I am truly sorry that you must live with those experiences."
Harper was shocked that she knew about that. He hadn't even told her his name. 'Weirdness alert,' he thought. "How do you know that?"
"It is in your aura, the 'light' you emit for all who can see it to behold," she explained.
"Oh. See anything else in it?" he asked warily.
She opened her mouth as if she were going to speak, but then changed her mind. "No, I do not. But I will accompany you to your vessel for medical treatment. I have no supplies of my own."
"Whatever. It's probably a few hundred meters from here. Are you sure you can walk that far?"
"I can and will." She limped with an arrogant determination off of her vessel into the planet's late evening.
He hurried to catch up to her. "You never told me your name."
"I am Auxesia." She kept a steady pace in her limp.
"That's ummmm different. I'm Harper. I've got a question for you."
"Your name is not Harper," she said with complete certainty.
"Yeah, it is. My parents named me Seamus Zelazny Harper. I was there, even though I can't remember it."
"Yes, your name is Seamus. You are permitted to ask your question now."
'She's a little weird,' Harper thought. "Why don't you use contractions?"
"It does not follow my training. Why do you use contractions, Seamus?"
He decided not to tell her that no one called him Seamus. 'She'd probably do it even more,' he thought. "Because it's easier. When I wanna say that I have no clue what's happening, I don't have to waste an hour saying 'I am not aware of what is occurring.' I just say 'I don't know what's going on,'" he explained.
"I understand. It is of convenience. You were not trained, I take it."
"I'm not a dog, so, no, I wasn't trained."
"That explains your behavior," she commented.
"Hey! There's nothing wrong with my behavior. I risked my ass out here to save you! There could have been Magog or animals or people with guns or something else that could have killed me!"
"Such vulgar language. They should have trained you. You might have had the necessary potential."
"That was nothing! I was watching my mouth for your benefit. I could let loose a string of twenty or thirty more 'vulgar words' that would make you want to scream."
"But you will not do that, Seamus." She had practically turned his name into an insult. "You will behave and give me the appropriate courtesy."
"I think I'd rather be alone than be in your company," he angrily muttered.
"We near your vessel. Is it really properly equipped to treat me?" she asked.
"Why would I have taken you all this way if it wasn't?"
"If your intentions were not what they seem to be."
"What do you mean by that?" She was pushing his limit.
"You could have lured me here, using the treatment you can offer as a ploy. You might kidnap me because of my position."
"I don't know what you're talking about having a position, but of all the people in the universe I could kidnap, you'd be at the bottom of the list."
"You could receive ransom for my safe return."
"I'd pay them to keep you," he said under his breath.
She boarded the Maru followed by him. "Where is your medical facility?"
"Straight back and to the left. Behind a sealed door that I'll have to open manually." He pulled out his nanowelder.
"Is that how you entered my ship?" She seated herself on the floor.
"Yeah." He wished that the nanowelder could permanently shut her mouth.
"I take it you are a doctor?"
"Nope. I'm an engineer. But trust me, I'm in Med Deck enough to get a PhD."
"You are not qualified to treat me. Do you not have a doctor on board?"
"I'm the only one here. And have you ever heard of that saying, 'If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all?'" he said. More and more, he was certain that he had crashed on this planet alone.
"I do not believe I have."
"Well, you should really take it to heart, babe."
He finally forced the door opened and walked into the small infirmary. She followed him.
He grabbed what he needed from a cabinet. "It's probably just a sprain. So I'll wrap it up and-"
"You will do no such thing. I will apply the bandages and inject the painkillers myself."
"Yeah, I'm not supposed to touch you, your highness," he quipped sarcastically.
She removed her shoe and pushed up the bottom of her dress. Her ankle was blue and purple, swollen to what was probably twice its normal size. She took the bandages from him and wrapped her ankle before injecting herself with the hypo. She put on her shoe and stood on her other foot.
"Do you want a cane or some crutches?" he asked.
"I will manage without." She limped her way out of the infirmary.
"Are you going to go back to your ship?" He couldn't help but be concerned.
"I planned on it, yes."
"Well, do you have any food there? A place to sleep?"
"Neither, but the surrounding area seems promising for survival."
"Do you know how to fix your ship?"
She turned around. "No, I do not, but you seem to know how."
"You wanna stay here for tonight, have something to eat and sleep in a bed?"
"Will I be sleeping in your bed?" she asked sardonically.
"Actually, it's one of the three rooms with heat, so yeah I'll let you have my bed. I've got repairs to do anyways. My quarters are two doors down from Medical. I'll get you something to eat from the cargo bay since the power's mostly down. What do you like?"
"Anything will do." She cocked her head at him, curiosity in her eyes.
He disregarded it. "I'll be back in a minute to open the door. Just sit outside while I'm gone, okay?"
She nodded and slid down to the floor, curiosity burning in her eyes.
Harper went to the cargo bay. Among crates of seemingly useless items, he found two crates of food intended to last years in storage. It was all in packets or canisters. He also found his nearly full crate of Sparkies. He grabbed a Sparky and fifteen or twenty of the canisters and packets.
"Our dinner is prepackaged?" she asked, scrunching up her nose.
"Well, it's either this or starve to death. You choose." He placed the packets and canisters, as well as his Sparky, by her side. "Pick out what you want for dinner, and I'll fix it." He didn't trust her to fix his food, lest she might poison him, ditch him on the planet and take the Maru.
"You want me to drink something that has a warning that I am not supposed to operate machinery after consumption?"
"No, that's mine." He pried the door opened.
"I only drink herbal tea." She pushed herself to her feet and entered the room. "This is a total mess! You expect me to sleep here amongst these tools and...degrading pictures of women."
"Hey! Those pictures are mine! Leave them alone!" He felt a blush creeping across his cheeks and wondered what pictures she had found.
"You are truly perverse, Seamus. These should be thrown out the nearest airlock."
"What I look at in my own time is none of your business, Auxesia." He snatched the pictures from her and stuffed them into a drawer. "Lay down."
"Do you want me to take my clothes off myself or would you rather rip them off yourself?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
He was surprised and didn't really know what to say. He hurried out of his quarters and grabbed a canister from the corridor floor and his Sparky. The heating unit in Engineering was definitely hot enough to cook something if he put it in a pot first. He returned to the cargo bay and found what he needed. He put the pot on the heating unit and poured some water into it. He added the contents of the canister and stirred it.
"She wants herbal tea. I'll get her herbal tea," he muttered. "She's trying to push me over the edge. But I'll stay civil and drive her insane. Yeah, she's gonna be stark raving mad before we get outta here." He found an herbal tea packet in the cargo bay and another pot. He poured some more of the water into the second pot and the tea powder. He placed the pots beside each other. The food was finished soon enough.
He brought Auxesia a bowl of the soup and her tea. She said nothing and just began eating.
"Not even a thank you," he said to himself as he walked down the corridor towards Engineering. "I've got a ton of repairs to do. I can't just lay in bed and eat and complain about degrading pictures of women."
He used his anger to fuel him. The repairs came along very well for the circumstances. He didn't know how much time had passed, but it had been a while. Most of the ship's power had been restored, with the exception of the slipstream drive. He knew the slipstream drive would be needed and decided that if worst came to worst, he would steal the parts from Auxesia 's ship. He could just drop her off wherever she lived on his way.
"You have spent an entire night repairing this vessel?" Auxesia asked from behind him.
"I guess I have. Don't you wanna get the hell out of here before something bad happens?" He was examining the slipstream drive one more time, just to be sure the parts he needed weren't salvageable.
"Your hand is bleeding through the cloth."
He had completely forgotten about his injury. He hadn't treated it at all. The piece of his pants was still tied around it. "Oh crap! It's gonna get infected!"
"Do you know how to properly administer the treatment?"
"Not with one hand. And since we've got this whole touching rule, I'm pretty much screwed." He groaned. "I can see it in the obituary...Seamus Harper, dead from a series of terrible, painful infections because a woman who he went out of his way to help wouldn't save his life."
"I simply stated that you could not touch me. The circumstances require me to touch you for my own survival."
He followed her to Medical. She seemed very authoritive and less arrogant when she was in the leadership position. Almost as if she was naturally meant to lead all who set eyes upon her.
"Sit. Give me your hand." The lights had just been completely restored. He hadn't noticed her appearance before. Her hair was a medium shade of brown and very long. Her eyes were deep emerald, fluctuating between piercing and a warm gaze. She was probably a centimeter or two shorter than him. He couldn't determine her age exactly, but she seemed to be around eighteen or nineteen. If he didn't hate her so much, she could have been beautiful.
He extended his hand to her in an almost formal manner. She started unwrapping it. Her touch was surprisingly gentle, unlike the manner she had exhibited so far. "Does it look bad?"
The bandage fell to the floor, and she stepped back in disgust. "It is very infected. It needs to be cleaned."
He glanced down at it and grimaced. "Man, that's nasty! It's seeping pus or infected Sparky or something..."
"Do you have a basin and a place I could heat up some water?"
"I have a pot and a heating unit in Engineering. Actually, there's already some water on the heating unit. I'll go-"
"I will retrieve the supplies. You will sit here." She exited the room.
Harper wondered why she had suddenly changed in personality. 'Mood swings, maybe?' he thought. That made a lot of sense to him. 'I hope she stays this way. I think I might even kinda somewhat sorta like her like this.'
"Hold out your hand, Seamus." She had silently returned to the room, pot in hand.
He was startled, but complied. She dipped his hand into the warm water. It burned the wound. He showed no discomfort, though. With Trance, he would have been whining and screaming. But things had to be different with Auxesia . He couldn't show her any inferiority. His thoughts returned to Andromeda and Trance. Thinking about Trance made him smile. He missed her already.
"You are smiling. I know this was unpleasant..."
"To answer your question, no, I'm not a masochist. I was just thinking about one of my friends."
She continued treating his wound. "Friends...what are your friends like?"
"Well, there's Trance, who I was just thinking about. She's a sparkly purple babe and really sweet. She loves flowers and plants." He paused to see if she was still interested.
"Do you have any other friends?"
"A few. Well, the longest friendship I've had is with Beka. She's probably worrying about me and the Maru right now, even though she doesn't know I've crashed down on this planet. She'd kill me if she knew I hurt her Maru." He laughed.
"This is not your vessel?"
"Nope. It's Beka's. Now, since I've got the heat on all over now, you can have her quarters until I figure out how to get us back in space again. Then, I'll drop you off wherever you need to be."
"Can I leave on my ship?"
"Well, seeing as your ship looked more beat up than the Maru, and I'm gonna need some of the parts from your slipstream drive to fix the Maru's, I don't think that's an option."
"I understand. My destination is not far from our original position."
He was shocked that she didn't go into one of her indignant spells and stomp off. "You're not pissed?"
"You have been very hospitable and kind to me. I know my behavior has not been exemplary."
"You weren't trained to act like a total...uhhhh..."
"No, I was trained for certain behaviors around certain people. You did not deserve what I did to you." She finished applying the bandages to his hand.
"I'm still not allowed to touch you?" he asked.
"The reasons you are not allowed to touch me are important." She paused pensively. "But no one needs to know that you have."
"What are these 'important' reasons?"
"I have been promised to the Hironta. No male has been allowed to touch me, or vice versa, since my birth."
"Who's this Hironta guy?" Harper knew he didn't sound like one of the good guys.
"Someone I do not particularly wish to meet. He is the leader of a powerful world that can restore mine to its former status."
"You're being forced to marry a guy you haven't even met before?"
"It is the way of my people."
"That sucks. I wish I could do something to help." He had gone from hating her completely to pitying her in a matter of minutes.
"The only escape is death." Her expression was grim.
"Well, you don't have to think about that now, since we're stuck here for a while," he assured her.
"Seamus?" she asked as she turned towards the door.
"Yeah?" He pushed himself to his feet.
She smiled strangely for a moment. "Never mind." She turned and hobbled away.
"Weird woman," Harper commented, flexing his wrist and shaking his hand.
"I heard that," her voice said from the corridor as it moved farther away.
He laughed. "Talk about mood swings. She would have jumped on me and made me eat my words like twelve hours ago. I think we're both in for one very strange ride."
~*~*~*~*~*~
A week passed before Harper had been able to salvage the slipstream drive components he needed for the Maru from Auxesia 's vessel. He returned to the Maru with the needed parts and quickly started work on the repairs. It was painstaking work, to say the least, especially with his hand that was on the brink of infection still.
"Can I be of any help to you?" Auxesia asked from the doorframe of the engine room. Her wounded ankle had healed completely and very quickly, within only two days, and she often explored the Maru to pass time.
"I think I've got things covered here, babe," Harper replied from under a console.
She seated herself near the console Harper was working on, watching him with silent amusement. His red cargo pants fascinated her. She reached out and lightly touched the fabric below his knee.
He jolted up, hitting his head on the console's innards. "Damn it!" He pushed himself out from under the console, rubbing his head. "Why'd ya do that?"
"Your pants are strange. In fact, everything about you deviates from the norms of my home."
"Thanks...I think." He slid back under the console. "No more surprises, okay?"
She continued watching him working under the console. He turned over at one point. She snuck a glimpse at his backside, which soon turned into a stare and smirk.
"So, you like what you see?" he asked from in the console.
Her cheeks burned in an obvious blush, and she turned away. "Why do you think I would look at all?"
"After a scare a few years ago, I installed a small security system. You can never be too careful in the salvage business, y'know. Anyway, you stared at my ass for...42 seconds." He chuckled.
She quickly regained her composure. "I was staring at nothing in particular. I was simply pondering our escape from this planet."
"Sure you were," he said sarcastically.
She paused thoughtfully. "I have been promised to the Hironta. Only he shall have me in that regard."
"Suit yourself, babe. And there's nothing wrong with just looking at the Harper goodness." He was audibly beaming from ear to ear.
"Since I cannot provide you assistance, I will leave you to your work." She walked slowly from the room, waiting for his protest. She received none, finding herself almost disappointed.
When she entered the corridor, she quickly went to the quarters Harper had given her. The second the door closed behind her, she dropped to her knees. Her heart was racing, yet her breathing was slow and shallow.
"Please do not let this happen," she begged.
Her skin was covered in a light sheen of perspiration. It soon was evaporated as her skin began glowing radiantly. She was encompassed in a cool red light that hummed in a harmonious chord for a moment. As quickly as it came, it ended.
"No," she whimpered weakly. "Please no..."
With trepidation, she rose and stumbled to the bed. The world had grown distorted and alien to her. She fell onto the bed and lost consciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~
" Auxesia!" Harper yelled several times as he walked down the corridor. "Untouchable babe with an attitude!...I'd have thought that would get her attention."
He went to her quarters and pounded on the door. "Hey, are you in here? We're getting ready for launch time!"
There was no response. He entered her quarters to find her sprawled out on the bed in a position that looked all but comfortable.
"You don't look so good," he said as he reached out to feel her forehead.
"Do not touch me," she wheezed, glaring at him with glazed over eyes.
"We're back on that again?" He reached out for her forehead again.
She shied away weakly. "Do not touch me."
"Nuh-uh. We're not doing this all over again. I don't give a damn about your Shirondu guy thing. You're sick."
"Hironta. And I'm fine." She tried to sit up, but fell back when she raised her head even slightly.
"So you're fine enough to come to the cockpit and help me try to get us off of this planet?" he asked incredulously.
"Give me a moment to prepare myself." She moved her hand to half gesture towards the door. "I require privacy."
He sighed. "Fine. But I'm going to stand right outside the door and I'm coming back in here if you aren't out in five minutes. And I don't mean 'five minutes' I mean five minutes to the second!"
After giving her a final glance, he stalked off into the corridor. Less than a minute passed before he started pacing. "Fifty-two, fifty-three...man, what's taking her so long?"
A somewhat damp Auxesia emerged ten seconds later. Her hair was matted to her head in an unnatural fashion and her skin seemed to be clammy. She was still obviously weak, but had regained most of her composure. "I am now ready to attempt our escape," she said, her voice not faltering at all.
Harper kept an eye on her as they walked to the cockpit. He was still very concerned, but wouldn't press her about treatment. He'd been down that path with Trance before, and it wasn't a pleasant one for either of them.
"What must I do to assist you?" she asked when they reached the cockpit.
"Just have a seat right here, babe," he replied, patting a platform near the pilot's seat, "and I'll tell you if I need you."
Harper plopped down in the pilot's seat and fastened the harness around him. He began the start up initialization, flipping wires and switches. The Maru jarred as it lifted from the ground.
"C'mon baby! Just a little higher," Harper coaxed the ship as it ascended through the planet's atmosphere.
With a jerk, it entered the planet's orbit.
"Woohoo! We're getting outta here, Auxesia!" Harper turned around to see Auxesia smile. As they pulled away from the planet, Harper glanced down at the navigations system. "Whoa...not so good."
"Is there a problem with the ship?" she asked.
"Well, either the nav system is whacked or we're in unmapped space. Either way, it's not good."
She leaned over his shoulder and looked at the charts. "These systems are unfamiliar to me as well."
"The Maru's got enough gas to get us to...that planet there." Harper pointed at the chart.
"They will give us directions, and we can purchase additional fuel."
"Unless they want to sell us into slavery and strip the Maru down for scrap metal."
"Pessimism will get you no where, Seamus."
"Have you seen what Niets can do? I'm not being a pessimist. I'm preparing us for what can, and in all likelihood will, happen."
"Would you rather float in space and wait for a hostile vessel to find us? You need to calm yourself and think logically."
"I'll stop freaking out. I've gotten out of worse situations. This should be a piece of cake, right?" He was very uncertain.
"We have no other viable options. Set course for the planet."
Harper pressed several buttons and stood up from the seat. "Course set."
"You did not use the slipstream. Why?"
"Well, it's very temporarily fixed. Your ship's parts didn't quite fit with the Maru's and I had to do a whole lot of melting things together and jury-rigging parts. So this thing has no repeat guarantees. As in, we have one slipstream and that's it. After that, I've got no extra parts to fix what's left of the drive. And since this isn't known space, there's no traveled slipstream routes that I know of and it's damn near impossible to travel on untraveled routes unless you're Beka. And I'm obviously not Beka," Harper rambled.
She nodded. "When will we arrive at the planet?"
"About an hour and a half, two max. Why?"
"We must prepare. Follow me." She began walking towards the crew quarters.
"Huh? What do you mean by 'prepare?'"
"You will see. I brought supplies from my ship in case of such an incident."
They entered Beka's quarters, Harper trailing behind Auxesia , his eyes filled with amused curiosity. She retrieved a large silver box from beneath Beka's bed and opened it.
"Wow!" Harper commented.
The box was filled with containers and things that were visibly powerful weapons. Beside the objects, there were three garbs, two evidently intended for females and one intended for a male. The garbs were black and seemed normal in appearance.
"You will fill the concealed pockets of your clothing with these, and I will do the same. They will provide protection and survival materials if we need them," she said. "And I also recommend that you carry the interface equipment for your cerebral port."
"I've always got that on me. Do you want me to take a basic engineer's toolkit, too?"
"If you feel it will prove beneficial to us." She began undressing.
"You're not afraid I'm going to-"
"You will not take advantage of me, Seamus."
"You seem really sure about that, but you're wrong. Hell, even I don't trust me around a hot naked babe!" He turned around.
"You find me attractive?" she asked.
"Who wouldn't? I mean after you got past that holier-than-God, you-will-die-before-I- let-you-touch-me stage I don't think there's any guy in his right mind that wouldn't want you."
"Thank you...I think." She quickly pulled on the new clothing. "You may turn around."
He grabbed the male garb from the box and placed it on the bed in front of him. He began emptying his cargo pants pockets on top of the garb. There was a rather large pile of tools, gadgets and devices when he finished.
"You must leave some of that...equipment...behind."
He looked defensively at the pile. "Awwwwww...I like keeping my stuff on me. Ya never know when it might come in handy." In a fast and fluid motion, he removed his shirt and pulled on the garb, then kicked off his cargo pants.
"First fill the pockets with the survival equipment. Then, if you have space remaining, you may take anything in that pile you deem necessary." She had emptied nearly half of the box into her pockets.
He somehow managed to make room in the pockets for everything. "Let's head back to the cockpit. We should be at the planet soon."
Auxesia followed Harper to the cockpit and looked at the pink distant planet through the main viewer. "May I view the navigations map again?"
"I guess, but this is unmapped space. All you'll be able to see is what's on the sensors." Harper moved to the side of the navigations console. "I'm moving the Maru into the planet's orbit now. I think I found a colony. Yeah, there's definitely some ships down there and probably a spaceport."
Auxesia stared at the immediate star map, oblivious to what Harper had said.
He cocked his head at her. "Aren't you happy? We've found civilization again!"
"Yes, of course." She glanced up at him from the star map. "Will you need assistance in landing?"
"Nah. I've landed the Maru before. If there's no port it might be a little bumpy, but I can handle it."
The Maru descended into the atmosphere, meeting minimal turbulence, and neared what appeared to be a makeshift spaceport. A large, very luxurious craft had already docked in the spaceport when the Maru landed.
Harper glanced over to Auxesia. Her eyes had widened significantly. "You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?"
"You must remain here. I have business to attend to." She stood with her usual regality, but Harper could feel her fear.
"Like hell I'm staying here! You were just sick in your room less than ten minutes ago. If you think I'm going to leave you alone with a ship that scares you paler than new Magog larvae, you're out of your mind."
"Seamus, this is exclusively related to me. Once I enter the vessel, you must quickly escape and never return here or mention this place to anyone."
Harper stood and approached Auxesia. "What about Andromeda? What am I supposed to tell them when I get back?"
She stepped back. "Tell your crew you were stranded alone or that you have lost your memory."
"There's no way I'm going to do that. Leaving you here is not an option. And on that matter, I'm going with you! We didn't pack all this survival stuff for nothing."
She was silent for several long seconds. "If you were not so adamant, this would be much simpler for me, Seamus. This is something I must do, regardless of whether you or I want it or not. If I do leave, they will target your home and mine. You will put your friends in danger. You do not want that, do you?"
He sighed. "At least come out of the ship and show me you're okay."
She turned to walk out of the Maru's airlock.
"And Auxesia…" he said.
"Yes?" She turned back around.
Harper hurried up to her and hugged her tightly. "I know it's breaking your stupid rule, but…you've grown on me."
After the initial discomfort, Auxesia actually enjoyed the warm contact and comfort the hug provided. "Thank you, Seamus. You also have proven to be more than an immature male."
"I'll take that as a compliment." He released his hold on her and watched her walk out of the airlock. He fought the urge to follow and protect her. "Bye."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Auxesia stepped towards the large vessel, aware of what was within it. She only felt fear and longing to return to the Maru. She assumed it was simply for the safety it provided from what was to come in her future. She refused to admit to herself the true reason the Maru was so much more appealing than the other vessel.
The airlock of the other vessel opened when Auxesia approached it. From within the vessel emerged a tall muscular man in white and golden silk from head to toe.
"Auxesia…what a pleasant surprise. We thought you had broken the autopilot and escaped to another galaxy," he said.
"My autopilot malfunctioned, but I have found you as was required by our contract." Her sadness was blatant.
Three women emerged from the vessel and stood by the man. "Your people would have been pleased."
"Would have been?" she asked.
"Since the contract was assumed null, war broke out. Your planet is no more."
She hid her pain and shock that her home was destroyed. "Then I am no longer bound by the contract and am free to leave."
"No, you never bothered to read the fine print. You are mine, the thirty-second member of my harem." He leered at her.
"This can't be!" she exclaimed.
He paused, his expression astonished. "Did you just use a contraction?"
Her jaw nearly dropped, but her tone was confident. "I did."
"You have broken the contract." He towered over her. "I can smell the scent of another man. He has touched you, defiled you. My possession!"
She suddenly remembered some of the fine print. "The contract read that if I was defiled, you were allowed to destroy my planet, but I was free to go. My planet is already destroyed."
"This cannot be true! Fetch the contract!" he bellowed to the women.
The women returned with a large document. The man skimmed the document and found the portion in question. "It is true…but how can you possibly deny to live a life of luxury in the home of the Hironta?"
She paused. "It will be hard for you to believe, but there are better things in the universe. The best of all is aboard that vessel."
"What could possibly be better than this?" He gestured at the beautifully clothed women that stood by his side.
Harper quietly approached Auxesia from behind, where he had been watching the entire conversation.
She walked quickly to him and held his hand. "This, Hironta."
They left an amazed Hironta standing there as they entered the Maru.
Harper and Auxesia both were silent upon entering the Maru. Harper was too shocked to remember his temporary repairs, but they somehow managed to let the Maru enter orbit and slowly move away from the planet. Both were deep in thought.
"Are you okay?" Harper finally asked.
"I am," Auxesia replied.
"Your whole world got blown to smithereens, and you're okay?" he asked incredulously.
She took a deep breath. "I was prepared for war and its possibilities as well as peace, and maybe it is better this way."
"Well, what you did back there was really brave," Harper said.
"I meant every word of it. That is another reason the loss of my planet and people might be for the better. I could never be happy in that life, and that would have been my only option," Auxesia said.
"What life do you want?" he asked.
"I want-" Auxesia was interrupted by a bleeping from the sensors.
"It's a Perseid ship!" Harper said excitedly. "The one that the Perseids we helped a while ago command. They know the Maru is also working with Andromeda!"
"Do you need assistance?" the Perseid voice asked over voice communication.
"Yeah, the engines are practically melted together. We could use a little help," Harper replied with a grin.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Perseid science vessel neared Andromeda. Harper and Auxesia stood together, still holding hands and being somewhat affectionate with anything short of kissing, on the bridge of the vessel, waiting for Andromeda to enter communications range. The Perseids had docked the Maru in their shuttle bay and returned to known space from their exploration.
"Andromeda Ascendant this is the Katana," the Perseid captain said.
"What can we do for you, Katana?" Dylan asked as his image appeared on the communications screen. He saw Harper and Auxesia standing there, holding hands.
"We discovered the Maru in uncharted space, and they requested our assistance to return to you," the Perseid explained.
"Hey, everyone! I'm back!" Harper said.
"Who is your, uhhhh, friend there, Harper?" Dylan asked.
"Her name is Auxesia. I'll explain it all later, but she has nowhere else to go right now. She can come with us, right?" Harper begged.
Dylan paused. "We'll discuss it later, but she may come onboard now."
"Thanks, Boss! We'll be there in no time!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What have you done to my Maru?" Beka asked as Harper and Auxesia emerged from the recently docked ship.
"I'll fix it. Please don't kill me," Harper said quickly.
Auxesia softly laughed. "I assure you it was not his fault."
Beka looked at the Maru, more scathed than usual, but still functional. She sighed. "I'm glad you're back in one piece Harper. But after Trance looks you over and you tell Dylan what happened and you finish the repairs on Rommie, I expect you to be down here fixing my ship!"
"Of course, Boss!" Harper said.
"Now, go see Trance and Dylan before they come down here looking for you," Beka said. "You, too, Auxesia."
On their way to Med Deck, Auxesia was looking around the corridors wide-eyed. "This is even more amazing than Hironta's ship."
"She's the last galaxy class starship, over three hundred years old. And there's no better place for an engineer to be," Harper said.
They reached Med Deck, and Trance greeted Harper happily.
"She is purple," Auxesia said. "And she has a tail."
"Yep…that's Trance for you. My favorite sparkly purple babe."
Trance ran a scanner over both Harper and Auxesia. "Harper, I'm going to give you an antibiotic to be safe. Auxesia, you're just fine."
Dylan was waiting for them outside of Med Deck. He seemed quite incredulous about parts of their story, but accepted it all and granted Auxesia a temporary home on Andromeda, at least until she figured out what she would like to do and where she would like to go since her home had been destroyed.
Harper escorted Auxesia to her new quarters, which he had made sure were next door to his so he could see her more often.
She entered the quarters, which were larger than those she had stayed in aboard the Maru. "These will do nicely."
"Can I ask you a question?" Harper asked.
"Of course," she replied.
He sat down on her bed. "When you were sick before and suddenly got better…what was wrong with you?"
She sat down beside him. "Nothing was 'wrong with me.' I am not human. It was simply a reaction, such as you have goosebumps when you become cold."
"A reaction to what?" He was very interested.
"To you." A slight blush crept across her cheek.
"So if I do this…" He kissed her. "Will you get that way again?"
The blush began to softly glow. "Yes."
Harper grinned. "You glow in the dark. That's bound to be fun."
"I would chastise you for that comment," Auxesia said.
"But?" Harper asked.
She smiled back. "I agree with you."
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