The Conduits
TITLE: The Conduit
AUTHOR: parisindy
RATING: R
SUMMARY: When Harper is seriously injured, only trust stands between him and certain death.
SPOILERS: Up till the end of season two.
DISCLAIMER: No money was received or exchanged. I do not own Andromeda or any of its Characters. This is purely for fun.
ARCHIVE: Zion's Starfish can archive it anyone else has to ask
CHALLENGE: This is a reply to the Slipstream Fan Fic contest #1 "Trust Me" … must contain this quote "It's easy. All you have to do is trust yourself. And me. And the aliens."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: big hugs for {{{Natasha Bennett (Read her stories they rock) and Harpergirl}}} for all their help and encouragement.
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"I believe everybody in the world should have guns. Citizens should have bazookas and rocket launchers too. I believe that all citizens should have their weapons of choice. However, I also believe that only I should have the ammunition. Because frankly, I wouldn't trust the rest of the goobers with anything more dangerous than a string."
- Scott Adams
He crawled along one of the narrow conduits that ran through the Andromeda Ascendant like veins. Beka had commented once that she was amazed how he never got lost. Harper never got lost on the Andromeda. It was like he had been born here. Yet his life on the magnificent ship was an alternate universe when compared to the life he had left behind on earth.
He raised his hand to stifle a yawn. He hadn't been sleeping much lately.
"Rommie?" he called out.
"Yes, Harper?" Harper didn't blink twice when the hologram flashed into existence beside him.
"Does it bother you when I'm crawling around in the conduits or when I'm jacked in to your central nexus?"
Andromeda gave him a puzzled look and shrugged her shoulders. "You've never asked that before. No, it doesn't bother me. Is something upsetting you?"
"Well, I really hated it when the Magog larvae were crawling around in my stomach and I hated it when Jaeger tried to use that probe to get information out of my head. I-I was just wondering if that…well, maybe I was like that to you." He looked away from her for a moment almost afraid to hear the answer.
The Andromeda's face softened. "You are hardly like that. Seamus, you're my friend I trust you."
"It doesn't feel like I'm invading your personal space or anything?"
She smiled and shook her head. He smiled back and popped open a near by panel to begin to work. Andromeda looked at him a moment more as if studying him before disappearing.
The moment she left Harper let out the breath of air he didn't realize he had been holding. He stopped working and rubbed his temple. He felt like crap. He had nothing or no one to blame but himself and his psychosis's and he knew it. It had been a few months now since the larvae had been removed and he had hoped maybe for once he would be able to put one of his nightmares to rest and get some rest of his own.
For a while they had stopped. For nearly a month he had had blissful sleep. Then they came back. Every night this week he woke with the feeling that something crawling around in his stomach. What made these nightmares worse was that he couldn't shake the feeling when he was awake either. He felt nauseated and hadn't been able to eat a crumb for two days. Every time he tried to eat, the food felt like a rock in his stomach. His thoughts would immediately race to how it had felt to have the Magoglings in his stomach, and he would find himself running to empty his stomach in a nearby waste disposal unit. Beka had caught him once and had led him off to see Trance. There was nothing she could do; it was his imagination. He knew that there was nothing wrong with his stomach but he just couldn't help it. Trance had even done a scan to try to dispel his fears.
Finally he decided to do what always made him feel better and that was to put in a hard day's work fixing the Andromeda's aches and pains. Plus, being in the conduits would help him escape from the female members of the crew. He had never been one to run from anyone of the opposite gender but he was tired of the looks of concerns that he could see out of the corner of his eyes whenever he passed them. He took a deep breath and returned to his work, ignoring the hunger pains that growled noisily.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Have you seen him today?"
"Beka, relax. Yes, I've talked to him. He's doing repairs in one of my conduits. He looks tired, but otherwise fine. I'm monitoring his vitals to be safe."
Beka growled to herself and paced back and forth on the Command Deck. She heard a loud yawn as Dylan walked in to the room. "Good morning." He smiled cheerfully. If she could have shot death rays from her eyes Dylan would have been a dead man. "Whoa..." he commented under his breath and he looked towards Andromeda who gazed back sheepishly. He had hoped she might give him a hint.
"Harper's sick," she mouthed silently. Dylan nodded and sighed. They had been through this many times over the past two years. But before he had a chance to worry about his first officer or his engineer emergency klaxons sounded and Andromeda was all business.
"Assault ships. In coming. Hard and fast." Dylan ran towards a consol and Beka dashed towards the helm.
"Numbers?" shouted Dylan
"Twenty-two."
"Whoever they are they mean business," shouted Beka as the ships came in close enough to start firing.
"Evasive maneuvers!" barked Dylan, but it was too late. Explosions tore through the ship like a Chinese New Years celebration.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harper felt the vibrations shudder through his beloved ship. "Rommie, what's going on?" he asked. Before he could get his reply an explosion fire balled through the conduit. Crumbling the walls and the supports struts like they were aluminum. He felt himself being lifted by the blasts power. He was falling. The darkness descended violently. It crashed against his brain while his body continued its descent.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dylan struggled to push his aching body off the deck floor. "Rommie, report!" he managed to gasp.
"We're being boarded."
"Locate Tyr tell him to meet me in the armory," shouted Dylan
"Aye, Captain." And Andromeda disappeared.
Dylan called over to Beka and felt her pulse. She was unconscious. He felt along her neck trying to sense any critical injuries. He found none and he slowly rolled her over. A groan murmured through her lips.
"Beka, you with me?"
"What's goin' on?" she slurred.
"Can you stand?" He helped her to her feet. She seemed unsteady and it worried him. They needed to hurry. Beka reached up for her head and it came back wet with blood. "It's not bad really." He pulled the hem off his turtleneck shirt and used it to bind his first officer's forehead. "I need to go. We're being boarded. Do you think you can find Harper and Trance?"
Beka gave a nod. "Who is it?"
"I don't know, but I plan on finding out." With that he jogged from the room to meet Tyr.
Beka waved some of the smoke away from her face and followed him off the bridge at a slightly slower pace.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harper woke slowly. He felt nothing at first. In fact, he wasn't really sure he was awake. He felt numb. Then the pain welcomed him back to the world of the conscious. His jaw clenched tightly but a loud groan escaped. He flinched involuntarily. The two inches he managed to move caused him to convulse with pain. His body decided it was too much to bear and his soul ran back to the darkness to hide.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Trance crawled out from underneath a table in the hydroponics bay. Just seconds before a large explosion destroyed the wall she was standing near. She had managed to dive to safety. The room filled with smoke. She coughed slightly and made her way out in to the hall.
Just as she stepped out she was nearly trampled by Tyr and Dylan. They were loaded down with weaponry. "Trance!" Dylan shouted over his shoulder. "Find Beka. She's hurt."
"Rommie," she called. "Locate Beka, please."
Rommie's voice crackled through the hallway. "She's in corridor fifty-two."
"Thank you." She frowned slightly. Rommie sounded funny. Harper would have a lot of work to do when this was over.
She made her way down the hall to find Beka. She wanted to help wherever she could. She couldn't help but feel though that the situation would get a lot worse before it got better.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Again, Harper blinked himself awake.
A light, torn from its mount, blinked sporadically four feet away from his face. Ever so often sparks would fly from some unknown source. Slowly he forced his eyes to focus as he glanced around the small area. His eyes widened as he realized what had happened. There was an explosion and from the vibrations he could feel through the ships body they were still under attack. He hoped desperately that his beloved ship would be able to withstand any further attacks they might face. Whatever they had been hit with, the first round had caused a lot of damage. The conduit had collapsed partially in to the levels below. He swallowed loudly. The conduit was only two levels above the large expansion that held the slipstream core. Hohne, his friend and mentor, had fallen to his death there.
Well, he told himself. He was still alive and he planned on staying that way. He slowly took stock of his situation. His right shoulder was firmly pinned between the wall plating and a support beam. His collarbone felt broken beneath the beam. The sleeve of his other hand was snagged on something and he could only move it as far as the stretching material would allow. Well, so far not so good. His thoughts flew back to when Tyr and him had been on the Magog world ship. Tyr had used his legs alone to kill a Magog.
Harper tried to move his legs. One leg swung freely but unfortunately it was into open air and he could find anything to brace him self on. He tried to move his other leg and nearly passed out again. A rebar pipe of some sort had pierced his leg like an arrow. The pipe ran completely through his leg. He groaned and rested his head on his good shoulder. "Lassie, Jimmy's stuck in the well," he whispered then laughed at his own situation.
He felt tired and desperately wanted to sleep.
"Rommie!" he called. But her pretty face did not appear. "Rommie?" He pleaded with the empty disheveled walls. What if the others were hurt or worse? His paranoia caused horrible thoughts to race through his exhausted mind. "Rommie, please! Don't leave me here by myself!" But his pleas went unheard. "Please!" he called out once more.
The only reply was his failing light. It gave one more pathetic flash then stopped. The darkness was complete and encompassing.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Beka leaned against a bulkhead as Trance wrapped gauze around her forehead. She let out a hiss as pressure was applied to staunch the bleeding. Actually, she felt a lot better now that the dizziness had passed. Her fingers drummed impatiently on the wall. "Hurry, Trance!" She was anxious to help Tyr and Dylan.
"You're in no condition to fight whoever has boarded us… I think you may have a concussion."
"Do you think that will matter if we are all dead?"
Trance relented. "Fine, but be careful, okay?" How could she stop her? She was right.
Beka gave a quick nod and drew her gauss gun. "Let's go."
It didn't take them long to find the action. Dylan and Tyr hid behind various items on the loading dock and were trading fire with a group of Kalderans. Slowly they were being forced into a retreat. With Rommie in dire need of repair the internal defenses were down. The small crew was outnumbered. Beka quickly assessed the situation. Tyr and Dylan were pinned down by the rapid fire, but the Maru had not been seen as a threat as it sat empty near by.
"Cover me!" she shouted as even Trance drew her weapon.
She dived and rolled looking very much like one of the super hero's from one of Harper's flexi novels. A round from one of the Kalderans came so close to her head that it singed her hair. She gasped for air as she dove in to the Maru's air lock. It sounded easier in the flexi novels.
She flew towards the cockpit of her ship and leaped onto the pilot's chair. The Kalderans were like sitting ducks. Could she do it? She wouldn't, would she? Open fire inside a hanger bay?
The Eureka Maru erupted. The ship didn't have much firepower but within the confines of the Andromeda's belly it was multiplied ten fold. The Kalderans dove for cover. Few attempted to make it back to their ship but as they tried to take off the Maru turned them into nothing more then a nasty memory.
It's seemed like forever but in less then three minutes the Maru returned to it's silence. At first no one moved. Slowly, Beka removed her hand from the fire controls. Her hands ached from gripping the joysticks so hard. She didn't notice, though, as leftover adrenaline coursed through her veins, leaving her shaking and numb.
Bodies littered the deck. Thankfully none of them belonged to anyone she knew. She quickly went to check on the others just to make sure. Dylan slowly extracted himself from the Tarmac and met her halfway. Beka tensed slightly but she was ready to face the backlash.
"That may have been the most idiotic, absolutely insane thing I have ever seen you do! The ricochets alone could have killed us or blown a hole in Rommie that would have left us all floating in space. If it hadn't been done with exact precision…"
"But it was," stated Beka, finding her voice.
Dylan let a small smile sneak through. "I know. That's why I'm glad you're on our side." He patted her on the shoulder jovially.
Beka let out a deep breath. Tyr strolled over surveying damage as he went. "Captain Valentine, I must say I'm impressed."
"Let's just hold off the congratulations till we find out what the damage is, okay?" replied Dylan as called out for Rommie. The hologram fizzled into existence. "Rommie, what's the damage?"
"Widespread malfunctions throughout the ship. Structural damage on decks 12 through 19…"
"Has Mr. Harper given any estimates on what is needed for repairs?"
"My environmental sensors are offline so I have been unable to detect life signs. I have been unable to reach him via comms."
Beka felt what little blood she had left drain from her face. "Oh gawd, Harper," she moaned.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harper sung quietly to himself. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine… you make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. So please…" Damn, how did the rest of that go? A wave of pain rippled through him. He held his breath and let it ride over his body. It wasn't getting any better. He was also suddenly regretting the two days of not eating or sleeping. He couldn't remember the words to the song and he was starting to get a headache. He gave up and tried another song. "Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener…"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Beka wiped the sweat from her eyes. They had been searching for three hours while Dylan attempted to make repairs on the sensors. On all aspects it had been slow going. She decided to attempt to make her way to machine shop five, one of Harper's favorite haunts. She paused to inspect some damage when she heard a noise amid the sparking consoles and groaning bulkheads. What was it? It sounded awful. She could here very softly a voice singing.
"Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener… everyone would be in love with me."
"Harper… Harper where are you?"
"Boss? Help!" he yelled.
"I can't see you."
"I-I'm in a conduit… well, actually I'm in several conduits…there should be a hatch."
Beka's eyes darted around but could not find an opening amongst the debris. "Rommie," she called. "Tell Dylan that Harper's trapped in one of the conduits on deck thirteen and that we'll need anti-gravs and blow torches." Then she turned back to the long dimly lit hallway. Harper wasn't afraid of the dark, she knew. He was, however, afraid of being alone. "Harper, I'm right here, okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'd be better if you could just…GET ME OUT!"
Beka heard the panic in his voice. They would need to hurry.
The Andromeda's walls gave a loud creak and some piping from the roof crashed to the floor. Beka sprung out of the way. Live wires sparked viciously across the walkway. It looked like a battle zone and she had no clue where to even start looking. For now Harper was just a ghost in the machine.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Three hours later Harper was getting hoarse from talking. The crew was attempting to follow his voice as they dug through the rubble. Harper was doing his best not to fall asleep but shock had set in and he had lost a lot of blood. His leg bled a little as the pipe stanched the flow of blood for the most part. But it had been a long time since the initial attack and the slow trickle was having its affect.
"Harper!"
"Mmmmm?"
"Why aren't you talking?"
Damn. He must have faded off for a moment. "Mmmm, sorry, I'm tired and it's cold…are the environmentals offline?"
"That's about the only thing that is working. Just stay awake, okay?" Beka's voice seemed to be getting louder.
"Beka, I think you're closer, I can hear you better." Just as he said the words there was a loud grinding screech of metal on metal. He would have covered his ears if he were able to. A fresh flow of oxygen filled his small tunnel and the smiling faces of Beka and Tyr met him.
"Boy, you do get yourself into trouble, don't you?" Tyr sounded cross but his smile betrayed his relief. Harper smiled back, blinking up into the sudden illumination.
"Can you get me out?" his voice croaked. Trance pushed the others aside. She had a small bag loaded up with supplies. "Hey Trance…" he tried to joke. "Want to play yessuodunno?" It even sounded lame to him.
"Really, Harper," she chastised. "Where are you hurt?"
"My leg and my shoulder hurt a lot…." He paused to take a sip from the water Trance held for him. "Mostly I'm just really tried and cold."
Trance reached down and felt his neck. Then she ran as scanner over him the best she could. After inoculating him with an alarming amount of different types of medicine she stepped back. She then turned and started whispering something to Dylan.
"What is it?" he whispered, concerned.
"Just don't worry about it," said Beka. "We're just trying to figure out a way to get you free." He looked up into her eyes. He was so grateful she was here. She was one of the few people who understood how much he disliked being alone. She reached down in to the hole and lightly brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. A thought flickered through his mind. She had never left him. This thought was actually detrimental, though, as his confidence in Beka's ability to save him allowed him to finally relax.
"Boss…" he whispered weakly. "Thanks, for always being there." His eyes began to flutter closed. He never once thought that to her it must have sounded like good-bye.
The noise that followed was indescribable, mostly because he was too tired to focus anymore. Someone yelled. He felt his good shoulder being shaken violently for a moment before there was more yelling… then the sound of someone crying. All he wanted was the loud, much too bright and painful world to slide away.
He felt like he was sinking to the bottom of a very deep bathtub … better yet, an ocean, with his surfboard floating up above. The sounds around him echoed now as if he was truly under water. He smiled. It would be so nice…
A cold ring of metal touched his already cool neck. There was a small hiss and he was wrenched abruptly away from his dreams. He moaned in protest and opened his eyes once again.
"W-what was that for?" he tried to say, but he wasn't sure the words actually formed on his lips.
Beka and Trance stood over him worriedly. Trance held a hypo-spray in her hand. "He's back!" she called over her shoulder.
He stared up at them confused. "Beka, why is your face wet?"
Beka began to swear. He sensed he was in trouble for something and tried to flinch back away from her. The result was less then pleasant.
"Harper, no, it's okay… you're good! It's just… if you do this to me ever again I will kill you."
Harper gave her a genuine smile. "It's a deal, Boss."
Trance came back into view. He hadn't even realized she had left. Everything seemed a bit fuzzy on the edges. "Trance I don't feel good."
"I know, but it's okay you'll be out soon I promise. Dylan and Tyr went down to the slipstream core to see if there was anyway to free you from beneath."
She had no sooner said the word when noises rose up from below. Dylan shouted up to the others. "The damage isn't as bad down here! I can see his foot!"
"Can you pull him free?" Beka shouted back.
"No… no pulling…my leg…" Harper felt his heart start to beat faster.
"It's okay, Harper, we know."
"M-Maybe Rommie can cut the metal." Beka and Trance both froze and gave him a funny look.
"Yeah, maybe." Beka finally agreed never breaking the eye contact she had made with him. "But let's try something else first, okay?"
He was tired, cold, and in pain, yet a new fear stabbed into his brain. Why hadn't he seen Rommie?
"Where's Rommie? Please tell me…what's wrong?"
"Harper, it's okay. The ship's a mess but we can fix her after we fix you."
"Not Andromeda, Rommie. I haven't seen her." A shiver shook his body and he couldn't stop it.
Trance looked down at Harper. "I have an idea. I'll be right back, okay?" He gave her a quick nod, not really even noticing her departure.
"Beka, you're not telling me so it's bad, right."
Beka gave a wane smile. "It's bad… There were a lot of explosions Harper you weren't the only one missing. Hell, even the central AI only seems to be working marginally." She paused. "We can't find her, Andromeda says she can't feel her anymore, and there are a few hull breeches…"
Harper turned his head away suddenly. Hiding his face the best he could. His breath came in small gasps.
Beka felt more tears spring to her own eyes and brushed them away angrily. "It doesn't mean anything, Seamus. She could still be here."
Harper shook his head mutely. After a few moments he seemed to gain some composure. "She lived through a Magog attack and being impaled…do you think a few explosions would stop her?"
Beka brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. "You lived through both, what makes you so sure she won't? We'll just have to wait."
Harper looked into her eyes for reassurance, but he wasn't sure what he saw there. Beka wouldn't lie to him, but was she telling him the whole truth? She was his friend. How much did she do to protect him?
Harper thoughts were broken as Trance returned carrying a nano-welder and some scissors. She smiled. "I think we can get your hands free at least." She turned the welder on with a quick spark.
"NO!" shouted Beka and Harper in unison. The old Trance always wanted to be helpful and in the past when purple Trance had tried to help with anything mechanical, the results were nothing less then disastrous. Harper didn't have much confidence in the new Golden Trance's abilities either.
"No offense, Trance, but let Beka try okay?"
Trance pouted and looked very much like his old friend. "I'm much better now, I've practiced."
"All the same…" replied Beka as she took the welder from the well-meaning medic.
Beka began to work on the beam that held Harper pinned to the wall. It didn't take long and she carefully lifted the heavy pillar from his shoulder. Pain rippled through his up body and he couldn't help but let a hiss out of pain. Spots filled his vision despite Trances medicine.
"Harper…Harper, are you all right?" It seems like they must have been calling his name for a few minutes. His head felt like it was stuffed with socks and he felt suddenly colder.
"His blood pressures' dropping…"
That was Trance…she seemed so far away and she sounded worried. He didn't want her to worry. He tried to say he would be okay but it came out as nothing but a grunt.
"That's it, sport! Fight it! Stay with us!" He wanted to tell Beka he wasn't sure he had anything to do with that decision. He even felt his lips move but no sound came out.
He felt arms brush by him reaching deep in to the conduit. There was a snipping sound and his other arm was free. His body slumped forward of its own accord. The pain that rushed through his body was unexpected. He had thought himself beyond pain. The muscles in his back complained loudly after hours of immobility. It jarred him back to awareness.
"Mmmmmmm."
"What? Harper, are you awake? Talk to me!" The nervousness in Beka's voice was evident.
"Mmmmmmmy favorite shirt." He waved his good arm weakly, complaining about the hole Beka had created when she freed him.
He heard her chuckle has he tried to raise his head to look at her and managed a smile of his own.
Trance reached forward and managed to squeeze a small blanket around his shoulders. He snuggled into its warmth the best he could.
"If we can get you leg free, I think we can pull you out," Beka informed him.
He gave a nod but inwardly shuddered. It wasn't going to be pleasant when it happened.
Dylan suddenly appeared above him and smiled. "How you doing?"
"Happier then a Perseid at a science fair."
Dylan gave a small chuckle. "…I need to talk to talk to Trance and Beka for moment, okay?"
"Why? What's up?" He felt his stomach turn to acid as worry burned through it.
Dylan didn't answer directly. "We'll be right back, okay?" He stepped away and Trance followed.
Beka reached forward and tried to loosen his hand from her shirtsleeve. He had been gripping it tightly. He hadn't even realized he had been doing it. He let go quickly and looked up at her, embarrassed. "Umm… you're leaving."
She gave a small smile trying to dispel his fears. "Tyr will come sit with you. He's on his way up from engineering."
He gave a small nod and put on his bravest face. Neither of them believed it. "I'll be okay. Go…I'm a big boy."
Beka ruffled his hair and took a small step back studying him for a moment before disappearing beyond his vision.
It was quiet for a moment. He could only hear the sound of his own lungs drawing in breath and exhaling. He was alone. His heart started to beat a little faster. He willed it to slow down and he took another deep breath. He could now move his one arm freely. So he tried to fix the wires that hung in front of him. He needed his tools, but even with them it was hopeless with only one working arm. He sighed and was about to call for Andromeda like he did whenever he was feeling lonely. But she was on the fritz and Rommie was nowhere to be found. Gawd, he missed her.
He actually jumped when a dark shadow blocked his main light source.
"You breathing, little man?"
"Hey, Tyr, yeah… I'm good. So, it was Kalderans huh? Is the damage bad?"
Tyr shrugged. "We've seen worse. The damage is extensive but it seems to be localized. The main AI seemed to take the brunt of the damage."
That wasn't the news he was hoping for. "Tyr, nobody will tell me anything. You were down below with Dylan. Do you think you can get me out?"
"I think that's what Captain Wonderful is having the discussion about…there are few options. You'll survive. You may just wish you hadn't for a while."
"That's not very comforting."
"I'm not a nurse maid," he replied nonchalantly.
Harper laughed. "You're such a Nietzschean."
Tyr pretended like he was going to hit Harper, then they both smiled. That was something people didn't see everyday…especially a mudfoot like him. A smiling Nietzschean. Harper wondered abstractly what Brendan would have thought of that.
Just then Beka returned. "Holding up okay, sport? I hope so because I think we may have an answer. You'll need to give us some advice though."
Harper looked to her expectantly.
"Remember those nano-bots you made to clean Rommie's hull plating?"
"Yeah."
"Well, Trance thinks we can alter them so that we can inject them into you and they should eat through the metal inside your leg."
Harper paled a little. "What about my port?"
"We'll have to program them to only eat through certain kinds of metal…that's where we'll need your direction."
He gave a small nod. "Actually, it's not a bad idea… it may even work. Who's going to do it? Not Trance. I hope?"
Beka sneered. "You think I would let her near them? No way…I'll do it. I don't have your touch but I'll follow your schematics. It shouldn't be too bad. Meanwhile Dylan and Tyr will look for Rommie, okay?"
He felt embarrassed but it was Beka so he asked. "Is someone going to stay here?" He would be fine on his own as long as he could contact someone but with Rommie down that meant communication were down also. He actually liked being alone but not when he was afraid and, though, he didn't want to admit it this was one of those times.
"Trance will be here. She'll need to monitor bio signs…but she may need to help me sometimes." He swallowed loudly.
"Fine, fine, I'm cool."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, really, you'll need Trances help. She can act as a relay between us if you have questions."
Beka paused looking worried. "This will all work out, you know? I've never failed you before, have I?"
"No, boss, you never have."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Beka walked in to one of the many machine shops and looked around. There was debris everywhere. Wall panels had fallen against one of the workbenches. She could see exposed wires sticking out from many different open panels through out the room. Tools, machine parts and Sparky cans lay everywhere. Even Harper's beloved Lava Lamp lay on its side. Beka smiled. This is one of the areas that hadn't been hit by the Kalderans… this was pure Harper.
She sighed then and ran her fingers through her hair. She was worried. He looked so pale and lost in that tiny hole. He tried to put a brave face on but he was frightened and she new it. She needed to get the nanobots working but as convincing as she tried to sound to Harper she really wasn't sure what she was doing. This wasn't a repair on the Maru. This Nano technology was more then a little out of her league. She sighed again she wasn't even sure where to start.
She stepped forward to the nearest bench cover with stuff. A low grumble suddenly rumbled through the Andromeda. It sounded like a bear in a cave but the wave that followed the noise was more like an earthquake. Beka reached forward and grabbed the nearby bench. The bench twisted and turned like it had a mind of it's own. Grinding of metal echoed though the hallways. A near by console exploded and Beka felt her feet leave the floor. She bench fell with a heavy thud nearly missing her head. Beka rolled and was on her feet again. As yet another explosion rocked the Andromeda.
All of this happened in less then ten seconds.
With out thinking she tried the Coms but they were still not functional as were most of Rommie's sensors. Beka ran. She bobbed and weaved like a drunken Nightsider on a fishing vessel as the deck moved with the waves of every explosion.
With in minutes she was on the command deck where she met the rest of the crew. Everyone concentrated on their attackers. The Kalderans were back. The Andromeda flickered into existence beside her beloved Captain.
"Dylan I'm sorry, I didn't see them and when I finally did I couldn't get any of my avatars to warn you!"
Beka knew they were in trouble. She had never seen Rommie so panicked.
Beka quickly stepped op to the helm replacing Tyr. Beka searched the screen near her hand. Slipstream was down but there was still a little juice in the thrusters. The great ship groaned in protest. She was sure she saw Rommie winch in pain. It had to be done though.
Tyr growled from where he now stood at the security officer's station. "Their ships are too small and fast we'll need the slips fighters."
"Are the still functional?" questioned Dylan.
Rommie concentrated for minute. "Yes but the loading bay doors are not working they will need to be opened manually."
"Trance, get down there!" Shouted Dylan
Trance ran from the room with out a word.
Dylan turned back to Rommie. "If you can send a communications buoy. We need help."
The room turned silent. As many times as they had helped others they had never asked for any.
"Aye Captain."
Another explosion ripped through the silence. It had penetrated Andromeda's side deeply and the ship shivered in protest.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Happy thoughts…Happy thoughts." Moaned Harper.
He felt every vibration of the ship. And the waves of the explosions rippled through the pipe and then through his leg. He tried to keep his thoughts off his current crisis but so far it hadn't been working.
He thought back to his earlier conversation with Rommie. That seemed like days ago. She had called him her friend. Yet since they came on the ship he had begun to think of her as being family. He wished … He paused. No he knew what he could do. He sent a small prayer to the Divine on Rommie's behalf.
Another explosion and new pain fired up his leg. He did his best not to scream. He wasn't successful.
Then there was a new noise this time from with in the Andromeda her self. The walls that held him captive began to shake. He yelled with out restrain as the pipe was ripped from his leg. Once again he was falling. The slipstream core flashed before his eyes seconds before the darkness rushed in.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Beka blinked as the smoke began to clear. Where was that explosion? Was it near Harper?
She needed to turn her thoughts away from that. She couldn't save him if all of them were dead. The ship was battered, but the battle wasn't lost yet. Dylan had always called her the best pilot in the Commonwealth. It started out as a joke in the beginning, since she was the only pilot in the Commonwealth. Two years had passed and fifty planets had joined. He still called her that. She planned to live up to the title.
The ship shuddered again, but Tyr informed them that Trance had opened the loading bay doors. The slipfighters were free. It was a new battle now!
It raged before her like a dragon and Beka aimed the Andromeda into its heart.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harper slowly came back to the waking world. The hours of pain and exhaustion had taken their toll. He opened his eyes cautiously.
With a yelp he tried to leap back and firmly smacked his head on some debris. He was looking straight down into the slipstream drive.
"Ow!" he groaned at the new insult.
He was on his hands and knees. The conduit had given away in the last explosion. A mass of cables had been torn from Rommie's interior walls and the conduit cover must have snagged them. He had passed out from the pain when the pipe had been ripped from his leg. He didn't remember falling, but the cover caught him, saving him from instant death. He now hung precariously over the slipstream drive. He tried to shift around, but the conduit cover swung unpredictably, nearly dumping him off.
"Whoa," he whispered. "This is not good." The world started to swim in front of his eyes again. "Not now!" he swore. The pain came back full force despite his protests. A broken collarbone, legs torn to pieces, and the migraine from hell were all too much for Seamus Zelazny Harper. His body collapsed against the conduit cover and it swung dangerously. Once again he slept.
+++++++++++++++++++
Trance didn't go back to the command deck after she had managed to get the loading dock doors open. She knew something was wrong with Harper. She had the 'feeling' he wasn't in the conduit anymore. Gritting her teeth, she headed towards the area where the giant slipstream core was held.
+++++++++++++++++++
Beka flew like she was a part of the larger machine. Andromeda and her had become one. She may be broken but the Andromeda had heart and gave it all her best.
Dylan barked commands Tyr flew the slipfighters, often treating them like little kamikazes as he flew them directly into the Kalderan vessels when they got too close to fire upon.
Rommie fought like a she-devil.
Despite it all, the Kalderans were still gaining ground. Without slipstream there was no place for them to run.
A sudden explosion came from over and behind that Andromeda. Two Kalderans vessels were destroyed.
"What the…" intoned Beka but she was interrupted by Dylan.
"Tyr, where did that come from?"
"I'm not sure. Sensors…wait." Tyr had Rommie switch to the view behind them.
Slowly a smile crept across Dylan's face. He had dreamt about it, but Beka knew it still had seemed unreal to him. Heck, she didn't really understand the full impact of the last two years of struggle, or of what they had truly accomplished until now.
Despite the battle that continued for a moment Dylan, Beka and Tyr stood in awe.
"Unbelievable," whispered Beka finally.
"Maybe you're not as crazy as I thought," Tyr said, smiling to Dylan.
The Commonwealth had come to save them. A full fleet made up from a wide variety of member worlds flew past the weakened Andromeda and intercepted the Kalderan ships. The Kalderans quickly realizing the sudden turn of events and scattered.
Fighters from the Sabra-Jaguar Pride gave chase.
Beka couldn't believe it. "Ne'Hollander's, Than, Perseids, Castalians…" She checked what scans Rommie had been able to gather. "Nearly half of the of the renewed Commonwealth with more on the way."
"Archduke Charlemagne Bolivar is hailing audio only," informed Rommie, her hologram still fluctuating.
"Archduke Bolivar. How can we thank you?" gushed Dylan.
"Well, we couldn't let the symbol of the Commonwealth be destroyed, could we? It wouldn't be good for morale." Bolivar almost sounded bored. "The Perseids and others are requesting permission to board and assist with repairs." The Archduke's voice crackled over the bad link.
"By all means. Permission granted."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Absolutely no freakin' way!" It had been nearly seventy-two hours since that final battle and eight hours since Harper woke up…and he had woken in a sour mood.
"Harper, please!"
"Beka, no!"
Harper lay on a bed in the medical bay. He wore a white medical garment and had various blue gel packs attached to different parts of his body. He didn't even know what those were.
Once the Commonwealth had rode to their rescue, the Than and Trance had helped to bring him down from his precarious perch over the slipstream drive. He was finally starting to feel better, but as usual when he was sick he didn't want an audience. Plus he didn't fully trust half the members in the Commonwealth, especially the Nietzscheans.
Trance worked nearby as Beka tried to convince him to take some new Meds that the Castalians had suggested might promote bone growth.
"It's supposed to work better then nano-bots."
"The fish people…really," he answered disgustedly.
"Shhh, Harper! They helped save our lives! We don't want to offend them." Beka glanced back nervously at the group of Castalians and Perseids that stood near the door watching the procedures. One of the Perseids even waved.
Beka plastered on a fake smile and waved back.
"There is absolutely no way you're going to inject sushi tech into me! Even I have standards!"
Beka sighed, frustrated. "The Perseids helped them develop it. You like the Perseids. Come on…"
"Rekeeb's bunch! Now I'm even more convinced … I said it before, and I'll say it again… No freakin' way."
Just then, Rommie the AI pushed her way past Harper's audience and walked into the medical bay.
Harper had been too afraid to ask when no one mentioned her and his blue eyes lit up with excitement. It was all Beka could do to keep him on the bed as he tried to leap to his feet.
"ROMMIE? YOU'RE ALIVE!!"
"Well, no, actually… but I am functioning. The Than are very skilled at android repair." Rommie smiled, turning her body for him to see. "See…good as new."
"Where were you? What happened?"
"Harper, calm down," protested Trance from where she was running some tests on his blood.
Harper swallowed loudly. He didn't like to argue too much with the new Trance. But she smiled kindly at him, quelling his fears. "You should be resting. It's the only way you'll get better."
"This is exactly the reason we didn't tell you right away," chimed in Beka.
Harper grudgingly lay back on the medical bed. "Rommie… please!" he pleaded. Yet he felt his eyes droop a little… he was tired.
"I was trapped under debris from the explosions much like you were but I…" She paused. The memories obviously were not all that pleasant. "I was cut off from myself, and I couldn't hear or feel the rest of me. I couldn't even call for help."
"You were alone," he whispered sadly.
She nodded. "But I knew it would be okay… I trusted you, Dylan and the others to come find me." She gave her newly repaired shoulders a shrug and then smiled slightly. "And, you did… there really isn't much more to the story. Dylan and the Ne'Hollander's dug me out and the Than repaired me."
"Well…" He smiled drowsily, but was struggling to keep awake. He sat up slowly. "I'll run a few scans and make sure everything's okay for sure."
"Forget it, mister! Your leg and shoulder are still healing! You're not doing anything but taking these meds," Beka growled as she pushed him back again.
Rommie walked to his side. "Harper, I trusted my friends to come save me. It's fine. You can trust in our allies. You can trust me. You don't have to worry. We won't leave you…"
Rommie slyly took the medical injector from Beka. Harper didn't notice as he studied Rommie's face.
"Trust...it's hard to trust sometimes." He broke her gaze, suddenly intent on staring at his fidgeting hands.
She reached out with her left hand to grasp his chin, forcing him to look at her once again. "It's easy. All you have to do is trust yourself. And me…"
"And the aliens," smiled Beka looking once more over her shoulder at the curious crowd.
With that Rommie reached forward with the injector and clicked the button.
Harper jumped with surprise. "HEY!" he protested loudly but all three of the female crew just laughed. Twitters came from the crowd.
Things would soon be back to normal, as Harper was left alone on the medical bed to pout and rest.
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