Ok here's part two thanks guys for reviewing…your sweet, I feel very humble
in the presence of such better writers then I … so any suggestions on how
to make this better are greatly appreciated
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They next morning Harper stood on command beside Dylan. He was supposed to be briefing the captain on repairs but he kept stopping to yawn.
"Later night Mr. Harper?"
"Um, yeah sort of."
"Any special projects I should know about?"
"Nothing that will warp time and space as we know it!" Harper tried to quip cheerfully but he yawned again helplessly. "I just need a Sparky and I'm good to go."
Rommie's hologram popped in beside Dylan. "Maybe if you did repairs during the day and not the middle of the night you wouldn't need so much caffeine."
Dylan arched an eyebrow.
"Listen Rommie, I'm a creature of the night, I'm like a vampire the sun will kill me." Joked Harper trying to change the subject.
Rommie gazed at his smiling face flatly. "Hardly," she turned to Dylan. "A Vampire is an ancient earth legend about dead humans that came back to life and lived of the blood of others. It's a gruesome myth."
"I know I've heard of them." Agreed Dylan
"And if my memory serves me correctly and it always does," continued Rommie "these creatures were often seen as alluring and very handsome."
"You see just like me!" Harper threw his arm across his face like he was hiding behind a cape and skulked towards the command deck doors. Rommie rolled her eyes and Dylan smiled. Just then Beka entered the room. Harper flung his arms out like wings and nearly jumped on top of her shouting "I Vant to drink your blood!"
Beka jumped in surprise and nearly decked him. "Harper you really are a freak you know that!" She shouted at Harper's back as he hurried down the hall laughing.
He rounded two corners before he stopped and leaned against the bulkhead. His heart beat madly in his chest. 'Whew Rommie was getting too suspicious' he thought. He'd have to move the money, but when? Hey couldn't do anymore late night repairs to the same vent. He closed his eyes. He was tired of the secrets, he felt like he was betraying everyone by not telling, but it was too important. They must never know. He had always dreamed of getting of that hellhole earth, and he had, now this could blow everything, He yawned again. Man he was tired. A quick nap and maybe he would be able to pretend the money never existed. He continued down the hall towards his quarters.
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10 years earlier
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Harper's parents had been dead for 3 months now.
He had found a new place to live, just a couple of steps away from Brendan's hovel. It was small but safe for now. He looked around his new abode.
Really it was no bigger then a closet. Tiny, musty and he thought he heard rats. He sighed. He had hoped this move would make him feel better. He couldn't stay in the same place his parents had been murdered a moment longer. His head was trying to move on but his heart wouldn't follow.
He piled a couple of old blankets in the corner and stuck a couple of old photos up on the tin metal walls above the blankets. Ah, there now he was unpacked. Nice and homey.
Brendan stuck his head around the corner into the room.
"Shay?"
"Hey, Brendan come in."
"This isn't so bad." Harper knew he was trying to cheer him up but Brendan didn't know the whole story.
"Yeah," he agreed " A bit empty though."
Brendan patted him on the shoulder "You can come stay at my place if you want. You know that."
Brendan had asked him many times. Brendan also had girl friends and Harper wanted a place of his own.
"No. It's cool really. Thanks though."
Brendan nodded and backed out of the room but just as he was almost gone he popped his head back in. "Hey Shay, Liz and me are going to find something to eat, want to come?"
"Nah, it's ok I ate yesterday."
Brendan gave him a funny look. It looked like concern but it was gone in a flash. Harper was a growing boy and if he could he would eat anything he could get his hands on. Usually that wasn't much but he never turned down a food run. His older cousin also new what he was going through and when to back off.
"Ok Shay, later."
"Yeah, later."
Harper settled down on his blankets and tried to sleep. It wasn't coming as easy as he had hoped. Every time he tried to close his eyes he felt an acidy substance grow in his stomach and flashes of his parents death came flooding back.
Eventually his eyes traveled to his photos. One was of a fancy star ship he had ripped out of an old magazine. The other was his parent's wedding photo.
His parents where in the front and there were some smiling people standing behind. An aunt and a grandfather his mother had told him but he had never met them. Would he show this picture to his kids? Would they care? The people in the photo would be strangers to them too. He felt the bile raise in the back of his throat and the tears scratching his eyelids to get out. 'No.' he thought and swallowed three time to get control.
A smell made it to his nose and made him sneeze. 'What was that?' he thought and he glanced around. Just to the right of his parents picture was a small hole and a breeze was filtering through. 'Oh, oh I'll need to fix that before winter.' He tore a small piece off of one of his already damaged blankets. But just before he was about to stuff the rag into the small hole he saw something.
He pressed his eye against the hole. 'Yup.' There it was the North Star. 'Cool.'
He could also make out shadows of the camp. He could even see the barbwire fence separating the refugee camp from the Nietzschein strong hold. But years of war with them had polluted the air so bad you couldn't see the stars anymore. He glanced up again to double check. It had to be the North Star. He blinked twice and the tiny little sparkling speck didn't move. He smiled to himself maybe it was an omen. Maybe this place wouldn't be the last place he would sleep. Maybe someday he would get to go up there. And maybe, just maybe he wouldn't be alone anymore.
He shook his head annoyed with himself and stuffed the rag in the little hole. 'Pipedreams' didn't keep you alive through the winter. He wasn't a small child anymore; he had to be more practical then that. He rolled over and quickly fell asleep.
But something changed deep down inside. He was still young maybe the child hadn't died yet and a part of his soul held on to that tiny ray of hope. Maybe, sometimes, pipedreams came true.
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Present time
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Harper woke slowly. His ten-minute catnap turned into an hour and 45-minute sleep. He rubbed his hand over his face remembering the dream. 'Gawd' he had been so naive. It had been a long time ago. Things had been bad back then but in many ways simpler. There was cold, pain, hunger an overwhelming sadness but all of that had been a part of his life for so long they felt familiar. Especially after his parents death he had nothing to loose. Now there was so much to loose. If the others only knew what he did they would drop him like a moldy Cally melon. Beka always promised she would never dump him again but she didn't know the whole story. Life sucked on earth but it some ways it was harder now. He had a lot to lose.
He hopped off his bunk and grabbed a Sparky and his tool belt as he made his way out the door. He was going to move the credits now. If he did it like it was an everyday event no one would notice. No one would notice that he had a bag full of Vedran credits with dates on them indicating they were made long after the commonwealth fell. No one would guess that he knew the way to Tarn Vendra and no one would have to know how he got that information.
TBC
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They next morning Harper stood on command beside Dylan. He was supposed to be briefing the captain on repairs but he kept stopping to yawn.
"Later night Mr. Harper?"
"Um, yeah sort of."
"Any special projects I should know about?"
"Nothing that will warp time and space as we know it!" Harper tried to quip cheerfully but he yawned again helplessly. "I just need a Sparky and I'm good to go."
Rommie's hologram popped in beside Dylan. "Maybe if you did repairs during the day and not the middle of the night you wouldn't need so much caffeine."
Dylan arched an eyebrow.
"Listen Rommie, I'm a creature of the night, I'm like a vampire the sun will kill me." Joked Harper trying to change the subject.
Rommie gazed at his smiling face flatly. "Hardly," she turned to Dylan. "A Vampire is an ancient earth legend about dead humans that came back to life and lived of the blood of others. It's a gruesome myth."
"I know I've heard of them." Agreed Dylan
"And if my memory serves me correctly and it always does," continued Rommie "these creatures were often seen as alluring and very handsome."
"You see just like me!" Harper threw his arm across his face like he was hiding behind a cape and skulked towards the command deck doors. Rommie rolled her eyes and Dylan smiled. Just then Beka entered the room. Harper flung his arms out like wings and nearly jumped on top of her shouting "I Vant to drink your blood!"
Beka jumped in surprise and nearly decked him. "Harper you really are a freak you know that!" She shouted at Harper's back as he hurried down the hall laughing.
He rounded two corners before he stopped and leaned against the bulkhead. His heart beat madly in his chest. 'Whew Rommie was getting too suspicious' he thought. He'd have to move the money, but when? Hey couldn't do anymore late night repairs to the same vent. He closed his eyes. He was tired of the secrets, he felt like he was betraying everyone by not telling, but it was too important. They must never know. He had always dreamed of getting of that hellhole earth, and he had, now this could blow everything, He yawned again. Man he was tired. A quick nap and maybe he would be able to pretend the money never existed. He continued down the hall towards his quarters.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
10 years earlier
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harper's parents had been dead for 3 months now.
He had found a new place to live, just a couple of steps away from Brendan's hovel. It was small but safe for now. He looked around his new abode.
Really it was no bigger then a closet. Tiny, musty and he thought he heard rats. He sighed. He had hoped this move would make him feel better. He couldn't stay in the same place his parents had been murdered a moment longer. His head was trying to move on but his heart wouldn't follow.
He piled a couple of old blankets in the corner and stuck a couple of old photos up on the tin metal walls above the blankets. Ah, there now he was unpacked. Nice and homey.
Brendan stuck his head around the corner into the room.
"Shay?"
"Hey, Brendan come in."
"This isn't so bad." Harper knew he was trying to cheer him up but Brendan didn't know the whole story.
"Yeah," he agreed " A bit empty though."
Brendan patted him on the shoulder "You can come stay at my place if you want. You know that."
Brendan had asked him many times. Brendan also had girl friends and Harper wanted a place of his own.
"No. It's cool really. Thanks though."
Brendan nodded and backed out of the room but just as he was almost gone he popped his head back in. "Hey Shay, Liz and me are going to find something to eat, want to come?"
"Nah, it's ok I ate yesterday."
Brendan gave him a funny look. It looked like concern but it was gone in a flash. Harper was a growing boy and if he could he would eat anything he could get his hands on. Usually that wasn't much but he never turned down a food run. His older cousin also new what he was going through and when to back off.
"Ok Shay, later."
"Yeah, later."
Harper settled down on his blankets and tried to sleep. It wasn't coming as easy as he had hoped. Every time he tried to close his eyes he felt an acidy substance grow in his stomach and flashes of his parents death came flooding back.
Eventually his eyes traveled to his photos. One was of a fancy star ship he had ripped out of an old magazine. The other was his parent's wedding photo.
His parents where in the front and there were some smiling people standing behind. An aunt and a grandfather his mother had told him but he had never met them. Would he show this picture to his kids? Would they care? The people in the photo would be strangers to them too. He felt the bile raise in the back of his throat and the tears scratching his eyelids to get out. 'No.' he thought and swallowed three time to get control.
A smell made it to his nose and made him sneeze. 'What was that?' he thought and he glanced around. Just to the right of his parents picture was a small hole and a breeze was filtering through. 'Oh, oh I'll need to fix that before winter.' He tore a small piece off of one of his already damaged blankets. But just before he was about to stuff the rag into the small hole he saw something.
He pressed his eye against the hole. 'Yup.' There it was the North Star. 'Cool.'
He could also make out shadows of the camp. He could even see the barbwire fence separating the refugee camp from the Nietzschein strong hold. But years of war with them had polluted the air so bad you couldn't see the stars anymore. He glanced up again to double check. It had to be the North Star. He blinked twice and the tiny little sparkling speck didn't move. He smiled to himself maybe it was an omen. Maybe this place wouldn't be the last place he would sleep. Maybe someday he would get to go up there. And maybe, just maybe he wouldn't be alone anymore.
He shook his head annoyed with himself and stuffed the rag in the little hole. 'Pipedreams' didn't keep you alive through the winter. He wasn't a small child anymore; he had to be more practical then that. He rolled over and quickly fell asleep.
But something changed deep down inside. He was still young maybe the child hadn't died yet and a part of his soul held on to that tiny ray of hope. Maybe, sometimes, pipedreams came true.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Present time
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harper woke slowly. His ten-minute catnap turned into an hour and 45-minute sleep. He rubbed his hand over his face remembering the dream. 'Gawd' he had been so naive. It had been a long time ago. Things had been bad back then but in many ways simpler. There was cold, pain, hunger an overwhelming sadness but all of that had been a part of his life for so long they felt familiar. Especially after his parents death he had nothing to loose. Now there was so much to loose. If the others only knew what he did they would drop him like a moldy Cally melon. Beka always promised she would never dump him again but she didn't know the whole story. Life sucked on earth but it some ways it was harder now. He had a lot to lose.
He hopped off his bunk and grabbed a Sparky and his tool belt as he made his way out the door. He was going to move the credits now. If he did it like it was an everyday event no one would notice. No one would notice that he had a bag full of Vedran credits with dates on them indicating they were made long after the commonwealth fell. No one would guess that he knew the way to Tarn Vendra and no one would have to know how he got that information.
TBC