Author's Note: I am completely aware...now...that Beka's father's name is Ignatius, not Isaac. But I wrote this before "The Pearls That Were His Eyes" aired. One of the unique things about fan fiction is the fact that it is sometimes rendered non-canonical by later episodes; but it's fun to see how the fans might speculate before the "canon" is established. So I've let this story stand as is.

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda is the copyrighted property of Tribune Entertainment, Inc. This fiction item is intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted for it, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

Any Good Captain

"What are you working on?"

Beka jumped and dropped the flexi. "Don't do that," she snapped crossly.

"Do what?" asked Dylan. "Ask a question?"

"Sneak up on people. Especially when they're trying to concentrate." She bent down and retrieved the flexi from the deck outside her quarters. "It's nothing you'd be interested in, anyway."

But he had already glanced at the contents. "Accounting?"

Peeved, she dropped her arm so that he couldn't see the front. "Can I help you with something, Captain? Or do you just have a habit of wandering the halls at night?"

"Actually," he said, "I was looking for you."

"Oh," she answered, deflated. "Well, I suppose you found me. Do you want to come in?"

He hesitated. "Only if I'm welcome."

"Dylan, damn it, come in. I don't bite."

He took two steps into her quarters and paused. She had decorated them using a few items brought over from the Maru. The warm, simple effect seemed incompatible with her usual brusque manner. "I like what you've done with the place."

"Thank you. Sit down. What can I do for you?"

"I came to apologize and to ask a question."

"What?" Beka was incredulous. "I must have heard you wrong. I thought I heard you say you came to apologize."

"I did."

She decided to let him off the hook. "For what?"

"You were right; it was dangerous to expose Harper to so much radiation for so long. I didn't know about his immune system."

She sat down at the desk across from him. "Harper would've never forgiven you if you'd taken the Andromeda back out of the corona for his sake, and we'd ended up being ambushed."

"Still, you were right. I owe you an apology for that."

She shrugged, but wouldn't meet his eyes. "Accepted. Was that it?"

What had happened over three centuries, he wondered, that had allowed things to deteriorate to the point where people had to develop such prickly exteriors to survive? "No, I needed to ask a question too."

"Ask away."

"What else should I know?"

She laid the flexi on the desk, upside-down. "Pardon me?"

"What else is there about this crew that I should know? Rev Bem refuses to handle weapons. Harper has a compromised immune system. Apparently you've been aware of all that and more for some time."

Beka shrugged again. "Any good captain knows her crew."

"That's right." He caught her gaze before she could look away. "Any good captain knows his crew. And he takes the time to find out what he needs to know before he needs to know it."

After a long pause, she got up from the desk and turned away to pour two glasses of clear liquid from a nearby container. Returning to the desk, she handed one to him. He took a sip, wondering what the drink was, and was slightly surprised to realize it was just water.

She glanced at the flexi, still upside-down on the desk. He hadn't touched it, understanding that trust was still an issue between them.

With a sigh, Beka turned it over and slid it toward him. Inheritance taxes, probate fees, property distribution. She was working on settling someone's estate. He read the name aloud. "Isaac Valentine?"

"My father," she explained. "He died a few months ago."

Dylan glanced at the final credit figure, which was outlined in red. "You've still got quite a bit to resolve."

"That's why I took Gerentex's offer to salvage the Andromeda. It would've been more than enough to settle this and pay off the Maru, even after I'd split it four ways."

"Four ways? You didn't take a double share of profits?"

"I couldn't run the ship without them." She turned the flexi over again. "I wasn't the only one with big plans. Rev Bem was going to build a hospital on Kingfisher."

"Kingfisher?"

"He was born there. Said it was his way of giving back."

Dylan raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know that. Maybe we can take the Andromeda there, see what we can do to help."

"I wouldn't. There's still a Magog fleet stationed in the system, or so he says."

"You trust him about that?"

"Wouldn't you?" She met his eyes again, this time in challenge. "Has he ever given you a reason not to trust him?"

"No, but...you don't strike me as one who trusts easily."

"Then you don't know me very well."

Another long pause stretched between them.

Dylan's reply startled him as much as it did her. "I'd like to, Beka. I'd like to know all of you better."

She bristled again. "So ask."

"That's why I'm here. The question is, will you answer?"

Beka got up and paced around the room. A few days ago, he might have wondered at her action, but now he was beginning to realize that it wasn't her way to sit still for very long. So he simply waited, knowing she would answer when she was ready.

She paused in front of a wall hanging from the Maru. "I'll answer. But only about me. The rest of them will have to decide for themselves how much they want you to know." She turned to face him. "And I have a question for you."

He spread his hands, indicating she should ask.

"If you had known about Harper's immune system, would it have made any difference?"

He sighed. "I doubt it. I had to think about what was best for the ship, for all of us, not just Harper. But I might have ordered him back onto the Maru where both ships' radiation shielding might have protected him better." He leaned back. "Unless you would've objected."

"I wouldn't have minded. He would have, but I would have backed you on that order."

"Any good captain," said Dylan slowly, "takes all necessary steps to protect both ship and crew." He paused. "I'm asking you to help me know what's necessary."

She crossed to the desk and sat down again. "Okay, then. We'll talk."