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Chapter 3 Chapter 5

Alternity - Chapter 4

Harper's Answer

Harper’s Answer

After Trance left the engineering compartment, a bemused and shocked Harper followed. Trance was nowhere to be seen in either the crew's berthing room or the common room, but he heard noises coming from overhead, and decided that she was working in the cargo pod. That was good because he wasn't sure he wanted to see her until he got his mental equilibrium back. Rev, on the other hand, was in the common room, and Harper definitely wanted to talk to him. Fortunately Beka was not in the room with him since Harper wanted this to be a private conversation. He found a can of Sparky Cola and popped it open, wishing he had something stronger, and set down beside the Magog.

"Rev, do you have a minute or three? I need to talk to you."

"Certainly, Master Harper. What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

"I just had a talk with Trance, and I need to talk to you about what she said to me."

"I see, is there a problem between the two of you?"

"No, just the opposite, I think. I'm not really sure." He began to give Rev a brief rundown of the discussion he and Trance had had in the engineering room. As he spoke he got up from his seat and began to pace around the perimeter of the common room. "She says she's waiting for me to answer her question, but I don't really understand what the question is she wants me to answer."

Rev paused to consider the situation. After taking what seemed to Harper to be an inordinate amount of time he spoke. "Master Harper, I am not an expert in the mating habits of sexually reproducing species, but I believe in many cases that when the female is willing to mate, she desires that her mate have an emotional bond with her. Perhaps she wants to know how you feel towards her. How do you feel towards her?"

It was Harper's turn to pause. How did he feel towards his twitchy tailed darling? He had never analyzed his feelings before. "I've never really thought of how I feel towards her," he admitted.

"Then perhaps you should sit down, and I will help you analyze your feelings, so you can tell our environmental systems technician how you feel towards her. Tell me, Master Harper; before Mistress Gemini came aboard, whenever the Maru was in port, you spent your free time either becoming intoxicated or perusing what you called ladies of the evening. Since the arrival of Mistress Gemini, you spend all your free time with her. Why is that?"

Harper sat back down, and began to turn the now empty can about in his hands as he considered Rev's question. "Well, she's new on board, and I don't want her to feel left out."

"You have been making sure that she isn't left out for nearly a year now. A rather long time don't you think?"

"Err, I guess I wanted to make sure she was fitting in."

"I see. So that would explain the incident on Holyoke, when you beat senseless that man who made sexual overtures to her."

"She was drunk at the time."

"You have never reacted that way when Beka was approached. You let her accept the overtures, or not, without your interference. Why did you feel the need to intervene in our Mistress Gemini's case?"

"She didn't seem to understand what the guy had in mind, and I didn't want her to get hurt. Besides she was too good for the son of a bitch."

"And you feel that you are worthy of her?"

"Well..."

Seeing Harper's reaction Rev pressed his point home. "Master Harper, why is it than when we do an EVA operation, you always double check Mistress Gemini's suit before evacuating the air lock?"

"Better safe than sorry. You remember what happened to Vexpeg. I would hate to lose her too."

"And how would you feel if we did, as you say, lose her?" asked Rev administering the coup de grace.

It took a minute before Harper answered. When he did answer, his voice was very soft as if he was whispering to himself. "It would be as if a part of me died too."

"Master Harper, you are using this," Rev pointed to Harper's head. "When you should be listening to this," he lightly touched Harper's chest. "You know what your feelings are towards the young woman, and what you need to say. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to speak with Beka about some possible employment for us." Rev got up and walked forward, leaving Harper to his thoughts.

Harper didn't have time to talk to Trance about his feelings towards her during the rest of the day. First the coolant tubes for the Maru's centerline engine became clogged and he had to take the engine off line and flush them, and after that Trance was always either with Beka or Rev. The evening meal was very quiet, the tension between Trance and Harper was obvious. Beka was about to ask what the problem was. but stopped when Rev gave her a meaningful look.

The sleeping hours were even harder for Harper than the day had been. He could hear Trance snoring softly in the bunk opposite his. He had his answer but he wanted to make sure that they were alone when he gave it, just in case he said the wrong thing.

His chance came the next day when Beka sent Trance into the cargo pod to clean air filters. When he entered the cargo pod, she stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him. She was waiting for his answer, but he was sure that she knew what he was going to say.

"It's you I want, Trance, not just sex, you."

To Trance's satisfaction, it required very little scooching to make the parts fit.

Chapter 3 Chapter 5