it's alright
.
"It's alright - they've found him! He's OK!"
Trance was almost clapping her hands with glee as she skipped into the workroom.
Harper put down the datafilm manual he'd been flicking through whilst listening to Rev ramble.
"Good to hear it, oh Bouncy Lavender One. I don't suppose he's mentioned just why he was playing cowboys and sole Indian with the entire Drago-Kazov Pride?"
"No, Beka didn't tell me. She just said they'd had a little trouble, but they were all fine and the Maru would be back in a couple of hours. Just wanted to tell you."
She spun around and darted off again, her tail doing the swishing thing it did when Trance was happy.
"'A little trouble'? I've seen Beka's idea of 'a little trouble'. Great. Tyr starts a war with the Dragans, we get to come along for the ride."
"I am sure our Nietzschean companion had a compelling reason for his actions."
Rev Bem offered.
"Rev, how many times do I have to tell you? The words 'Nietzschean' and 'reason' do not belong in the same sentence together. That's kinda like pairing 'Dylan' and 'compromise'."
Rev gave a snuffly laugh, then left to follow Trance to the command deck.
Harper leant back in his chair, stuck his feet on his desk, and relaxed for the first time in days. He was surprised by the amount of relief he felt now he knew Tyr was safe and well.
Not that the sneaky bastard deserved any sympathy from him. After all, Tyr was the one who'd disappeared off on some mysterious mission with no explanation to his crewmates. Not only that, but he'd got Harper to fake the ship's registry and some ID for him - and a damn fine job he'd done too, even if he said so himself. Unfortunately it was a job Harper had been under the mistaken impression Beka had approved. An impression immediately dismissed when she'd gone nova about Tyr going AWOL with the Eureka Maru. Now Beka was royally pissed at him. Subsequently he was royally pissed at Tyr.
Maybe he’d give him the cool treatment for a couple of days, or at least until Tyr noticed. No, wait, that would probably take a couple of months. Nah, he’d just have a play with the environmental controls in Tyr’s cabin. He was pretty sure he could get Rommie to turn a blind eye after this little stunt. He grinned. Nothing like a freezing shower to wake you up in the morning.
Still, he was relieved the Nietzschean was safe after stirring up such a hornet's nest, even if it undoubtedly meant more trouble for the crew of the Andromeda Ascendant. In fact, Tyr's survival probably deserved a celebratory drink. Harper pulled open the bottom drawer and fished out a glass and his bottle of whiskey. He smiled slightly as he remembered the first, and so far only time, they’d drunk whiskey together.
Yeah, he really
was glad Tyr was alright.
.