She was frozen on the spot, unable to move or speak, just staring at him as he moved closer. Suddenly, when he had almost reached her something inside her clicked and she started backing off on shaking legs.
“Andromeda, disengage privacy mode,” she whimpered.
He grabbed her.
****
“Dylan, you need to go to Hydroponics!” Andromeda looked strangely panicked. “The ambassador…he’s attacking Beka!” Harper and Dylan didn’t even look at each other, they just ran out the door.
“Get Tyr to meet us there,” Dylan cried, “and tell him to run!”
****
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” he mumbled as he unzipped her top, his hand firmly clasping her wrists, holding them down to the floor. “Like the red by the way…though the blonde was nearly as nice.” She tried to get away, but knew from experience she wouldn’t. Whimpering and sobbing, she tried her hardest not to flashback. Some part in the back of her mind knew she’d be rescued, but she couldn’t help drifting away…
****
Dylan and Harper rushed into hydroponics to see Tyr forcefully pulling the ambassador off Beka, who was lying on the floor without moving, her top ripped off her body. The ambassador’s belt was undone and his zipper open but Beka’s trousers seemed untouched. Tyr pushed the ambassador up against the wall while Harper rushed up to Beka. She was staring blankly at the ceiling before he gently touched her shoulder.
“NOOO!” she screamed, “get off me, get off me!” Harper looked up helplessly and saw Trance in the doorway. Obviously she had been notified as well.
“She might still think it’s him,” the pixie said calmly, kneeling down next to Beka. “Scchh Beka, it’s ok, it’s Trance, you’re safe now.” Beka was sobbing and whimpering, tears running down her cheeks.
“Don’t do it again, please not again,” she repeated, “please, please not again, not again…” Harper’s eyes squinted in anger and looked up, but Tyr seemed to already have left with the ambassador, presumably to V-deck. He looked back at Beka, who seemed to get more and more aggravated. She was crying loudly, now curled up in a little ball, screaming when Trance tried to touch her. The medic sighed with regret as she attached a small device to Beka’s neck, effectively sedating her.
“Dylan, could you take her to medbay,” she said in a tired voice. The captain nodded and collected Beka into his arms, striding off quickly.
“There’s something wrong,” Trance mumbled.
“What?” Harper was confused. Of course there was something wrong, Beka was very nearly raped just then.
“Well, I know she was attacked but…she had a very bad reaction Harper! She wasn’t actually raped and her reaction was out of proportion to the actual trauma. I don’t think she knew who we were. And then she kept repeating ‘not again’…”
“Are you saying…” Harper’s voice trembled, “that you think this has happened to her before?”
“Well…didn’t you see the look on her face when the ambassador arrived? And how she ran away?” Without a word, Harper set off in another direction with a determined look on his face.
****
Not without first making sure he was securely restrained by Andromeda’s bots, Harper, joined by Rommie started interrogating the ambassador.
“You’ve met her before, haven’t you?” His tone was accusative.
“No, never seen her before.”
“He’s lying,” Rommie said calmly.
“Ok, fine I have met her. On that drift, whatever it was called.”
“And what happened?” Harper’s voice had gone high-pitched, not even sure he wanted to hear the answer. The ambassador pulled himself up, trying to look as imposing as he possibly could, restrained by metallic bots.
“I have the right to a lawyer. I won’t answer your questions.” Harper stepped up to him with a menacing expression.
“I don’t care about lawyers. If you don’t answer me straight away, I’ll use you for target practice. Oh, and just to let you know, my targeting’s a little off.” He gulped, looking at this fired up little man.
“All right, all right. But you don’t know what it’s like on that drift! Everyone does it!”
“Does what?” Harper growled.
“Well, you know, if a woman is stupid enough to stroll around there all alone at night…” Harper could hardly contain his anger.
“Are you saying she deserved to be raped by a scum like you?” The ambassador squirmed.
“Well, no,” he whined, “I guess not, but if it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else. She shouldn’t have been there!” Harper pulled out his gun and pointed it to the ambassador’s head. Before he could shoot though, he was stopped by Rommie.
“No, Harper! Don’t. He doesn’t deserve to die. He deserves worse than that, and we will make sure he gets it. Don’t make yourself a criminal as well.” Harper slowly put his gun back and wiped a tear away from his cheek.
“How could you do that?” he whispered. “She’s a human being and you may very well have ruined her life, for what? A few moments of your pleasure? How could you do this to her? How…” He broke into tears and Rommie tried to comfort him as well as she could while staring at the rapist with hatred and vengance in her eyes.
