| Nietzschean
Jokes |
Gap filler for "Abridging The Devil's Divide"
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So Harper promised never to make another Nietszchean joke. Let’s see how long that lasts. He won’t last longer than a day.
As a former high guard officer and as a person who has seen battle, the horrendeous conditions of the mines operated by the current form of Admiral Stark, were much of a problem. The only problem there was in too much of what was being recycled back onto me.
No. Aside from the presence of Admiral Stark who made my boneblades twitch, the thing that truly bothered me was Harper himself.
When we were first taken underground, Harper concentrated, maybe for the first time in his life, on only two things. His own survival and escape, and my survival and escape. He sacrificed his knowledge for my life, otherwise I would not be standing here, watching him fixing Andromeda’s systems. Instead we both had sleep deprivation devices attached to our foreheads and were put to work.
I ignored the slurs against my race and concentrated on keeping an eye on Harper, who was arguably having an easier time than myself or anyone else in the hellhole. I was exhausted by the time Dylan showed up in a guard’s uniform.
I knew it wasn’t a good idea.
Harper may be a genius in his chosen field but he gets carried away way too easily. And Dylan gave him carte blanche to play with dynamite in the form of an incomplete time bridge. It may seem like I worship the ground he walks on to the others but I do realize Dylan’s human.
It’s actually quite obvious.
Idiot.
So I tried as much as possible to draw Stark’s wrath away from Harper, though as time passed in the mine, he needed that protection less and less.
Harper infuriates me often and easily.
It’s a wonder Tyr didn’t sink his boneblades in the engineer’s neck years ago.
Snicker...
By the time he wanted to actually do so, he had probably already lost his boneblades.
And he’s supposed to be the reincarnation of Drago Musevini?
Oh, please.
I’m pulled out of my derailed train of thought when Trance continues talking to the engineer. I don’t really pay attention to her words, prefering instead, to observe Harper.
He’s being eaten alive by his guilt.
That is to be expected. He did, after all, cause the arrival of a more advanced Magog.
As if the WorldShip wasn’t enough.
As she leaves the room, I walk up to the engineer. He apologizes for his ignorance of my state in the mines.
“You know, you’re a pretty enlightened guy for a-” I brace myself for yet another insult, strangely unoffended by it. He, instead, pauses and gets an odd look on his face. His next words somewhat surprise me.
“You know what? I will never make another Nietszchean joke ever.” This makes me smile.
“Yes, you will.” To tell you the truth, he wouldn’t be the Harper I know without the insults. It would just be wierd.
Without saying anything more, I leave the engineer to his devices.
I give him no more than a week. Just you wait.
THE END