Beka hid behind some boulders panting. It was almost completely dark.
Harper was missing and she was being chased and she was clean out of ideas.
All she could think of was to double back to the Maru. The creeps chasing
her might not think of that. What did they want from her and Harper so
badly. These men were no ordinary thieves. Her thoughts raced through her
head to match the beating of her heart.
She held her breath suddenly as she heard their voices less then ten yards away. This confirmed it in Beka's mind that they weren't thieves. No thief would have given himself or herself away by talking so loudly. She poked her head out a little from behind the rock. They weren't even trying to conceal themselves. Beka shook her head something was odd about the whole situation. She would hide here for another fifteen minutes and if they were gone she would head back towards the Maru. She hoped Harper would be there but she didn't expect him to be either. Something happened to him and she wasn't about to leave with out him.
It took the better part of two hours to circle her way back through the tall grass till she could see the Maru. She lay in the tall grass nearby. These guys weren't too bright but she never thought for a minute that they would leave the ship unguarded. She shifted slightly as a small rock dug it's self into the base of her kneecap. 'Gawd! I hate planets she thought.'
A hand grasped her arm, another quickly covered her mouth and Beka's yelp of surprise was muffled. The hand let go of her mouth and indicated silence. It was attached to a humanoid male. He was dressed different from the men that were chasing her. His medium length blonde hair matched the grass in the starlight but he looked about as home here as Beka did, which was not very. He indicated that she should follow him and they crept a few yards further back into the grass.
"Who are you?" she whispered impatiently stopping their crawl further away from the Maru.
"My name's Albin, are you Harper's friend?"
Beka grabbed Albin by the shirt "Where is he?" she said in her most menacing voice.
They guy flinched and she was glad to see it.
"He's fine and not to far from here."
"Take me to him NOW!"
"SHH they'll hear you, and I'm afraid it's impossible."
"What's impossible?" She drew her gauss gun. She couldn't tell in the dark if Albin went pale but she suspected it.
"They are only hunting you not him, they saw you holding a piece of the ship, I will not condemn him."
"What the hell are you talking about!" hissed Beka
"Neither of you really do know do you?" Albin sounded surprised.
Beka placed her weapon right against the middle of Albin's forehead. "Take me to him NOW!"
Albin licked his lips once and gave a slight nod. And they started off the way they had just come.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"BOY SIT!" screamed Emillon she sat near a fire about 10 feet away sharpening one of her many knives.
"Listen lady, I've had about enough! I'm going to find my friend whether you like it or not!" Harper wanted to prove he could get just as angry which he supposed was a stupid thing to try to prove but he was past caring. He leaned with his back against the cave wall and slowly pulled and hopped his way towards the exit.
"IF YOU DON"T SIT I WILL TIE YOU UP LIKE A CHILD!"
"You tie up your children?" Harper had to admit that surprised him. He took another hop towards the door.
"Only bad ones like you." she started to sharpen her knife faster, which was more then a little disconcerting.
"I told you I'm leaving, you said I wasn't a prisoner!"
"You NOT! But you will be killed and I promised Albin to care for you."
Harper deduced they were in a series of caves and that they were currently in one of the outer most. Ever so often another person would come talk to Emillon in a language Harper didn't understand. They all gave him a suspicious look and none of them ever stayed long. Right now there was only the two of them in the cave and Harper had gotten close enough to the exit that he could smell the fresh air. Man but his leg hurt though. Every hop was like getting a knife in his hip. Even with the splinting he dare not put any weight on it. He also noticed there was blood on his bandages.
"Not one more!" warned Emillon. It sounded too much like a dare.
Harper sneered at her and took another hop.
"THAT"S IT!" screamed Emillon. She dumped her knives on the floor, picked up the rope that lay on the ground beside her and stormed towards Harper.
Harper panicked. He let go of the wall and took a couple of quick step hops towards the door. But he landed kind of funny on the third and he ever so slightly put some weight on his broken leg. Harper promptly fell face first into the dirt with a gurgled scream.
"AH HA!" yelled Emillon and she leapt on his back. She was not a small women and she had him suitable pinned. She started to tie his hands as he squirmed and tried to keep from blacking out from the pain.
He managed to get one arm free but she quickly punched him in the nose.
"Ow! Hey!" he yelped and his free hand flew to his nose to try to stop the bleeding.
"What's going on here? Do you want me to leave you two alone?" It was none other then the amused voice of Beka Valentine.
"Beka thank Gawd get this she devil off of me!" though he yelled it was muffled by the hand he held on his sore nose.
"Grandma!" yelled Albin "get off him!"
"Grandma!" snickered Beka
"This is not funny." Harper was still very cross.
"Wait till I tell Tyr!"
"Shut up!"
Beka wiped tears from her eyes "Sorry." She snickered once more. Harper just glared at her.
"What happened to you?" he questioned as she helped him back to the pallet that Albin and Emillon had made for him.
They filled each other in on the events of the last few hours.
Beka was more then shocked. "I didn't even feel us hit anything!"
"I know it's weird, but we did have that piece of metal lodged in our hull. The one that the thugs saw you holding." Confirmed Harper.
"I am getting a little worried, not just about the 'thugs' but the Andromeda should have found us by now."
Harper nodded. Beka took a good look at him. They were close enough to the fire that she could see he was pale and his eyes were glassy. 'He's in more pain that he's admitting' she thought 'and he looks exhausted.' Beka turned to were Albin and Emillon sat in silence. "I know you didn't want to bring me here and that we are causing a great risk, but if you let us stay till dawn we will leave and you'll never see us again. We need to rest and to eat. We only want to get back to our home."
Albin looked at her tensely as if trying to decide. But in the end it was Emillon that spoke.
"You ask something you don't know." She started quietly. "There is a story, long old."
Beka leaned against the wall beside Harper to listen
"A Woman of our family walked in the far off trees, she walked many days to find food for her family. Near dead, animals that would eat her surrounded her. A man and his mate came to her and fought the beasts with only stones and saved her. They took her to their place and feed her and gave her food for her little ones. She made oath that she would always be kind to strangers if they asked. So when ever a women not of our kin asks us for help, we give."
Beka nodded her thank. She looked towards Harper and realized he had fallen asleep against her shoulder.
Albin didn't look happy but he didn't look like he was about to argue with Emillon either.
Emillon handed Beka another blanket, which she used to cover Harper and herself.
Albin sighed like he had given up the silent argument he was having with him self and crouched down by Harper. He lifted the blanket slightly feeling Harper's pulse. Harper didn't even move. 'He must have been exhausted' she thought, 'Harper had always been a light sleeper.'
Albin then very gently checked the swelling on his leg.
"When he wakes I'll give him some medicine"
"Thank you, … for everything" This time it was Albin's turn to nod. "You're a doctor right?"
"Yes."
"How did you ever get training here?"
"I lived off world for a while."
"I thought no ever left the planet."
Albin smiled "Not for a long time, it's been thirty years. Emillon and I used to be Techno's. I left her behind, I wanted off this planet so bad."
Beka met his eyes he looked sad.
"I left my parents and Grandma behind." He continued. They died shortly after I left in an accident. A new Techno device they were testing. When I came back things on the planet had taken a real down turn. They town broke into to two groups, those who thought the advances were coming to fast and those who wanted to go faster. When I came back and landed my ship I had no idea I hadn't been in contact for years. I was mobbed by Techno's they took my ship and I ran to the caves, here I found my Grandmother. That was a year ago. The Techno's used the information from my ship and enhanced it. That was the ship you hit when you came here."
"We didn't mean to hit the ship." Whispered Beka. "Hell we didn't even see it."
"I know, but the Techno's won't see it that way, plus they've seen your ship. By tomorrow they will be dissecting it."
She held her breath suddenly as she heard their voices less then ten yards away. This confirmed it in Beka's mind that they weren't thieves. No thief would have given himself or herself away by talking so loudly. She poked her head out a little from behind the rock. They weren't even trying to conceal themselves. Beka shook her head something was odd about the whole situation. She would hide here for another fifteen minutes and if they were gone she would head back towards the Maru. She hoped Harper would be there but she didn't expect him to be either. Something happened to him and she wasn't about to leave with out him.
It took the better part of two hours to circle her way back through the tall grass till she could see the Maru. She lay in the tall grass nearby. These guys weren't too bright but she never thought for a minute that they would leave the ship unguarded. She shifted slightly as a small rock dug it's self into the base of her kneecap. 'Gawd! I hate planets she thought.'
A hand grasped her arm, another quickly covered her mouth and Beka's yelp of surprise was muffled. The hand let go of her mouth and indicated silence. It was attached to a humanoid male. He was dressed different from the men that were chasing her. His medium length blonde hair matched the grass in the starlight but he looked about as home here as Beka did, which was not very. He indicated that she should follow him and they crept a few yards further back into the grass.
"Who are you?" she whispered impatiently stopping their crawl further away from the Maru.
"My name's Albin, are you Harper's friend?"
Beka grabbed Albin by the shirt "Where is he?" she said in her most menacing voice.
They guy flinched and she was glad to see it.
"He's fine and not to far from here."
"Take me to him NOW!"
"SHH they'll hear you, and I'm afraid it's impossible."
"What's impossible?" She drew her gauss gun. She couldn't tell in the dark if Albin went pale but she suspected it.
"They are only hunting you not him, they saw you holding a piece of the ship, I will not condemn him."
"What the hell are you talking about!" hissed Beka
"Neither of you really do know do you?" Albin sounded surprised.
Beka placed her weapon right against the middle of Albin's forehead. "Take me to him NOW!"
Albin licked his lips once and gave a slight nod. And they started off the way they had just come.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"BOY SIT!" screamed Emillon she sat near a fire about 10 feet away sharpening one of her many knives.
"Listen lady, I've had about enough! I'm going to find my friend whether you like it or not!" Harper wanted to prove he could get just as angry which he supposed was a stupid thing to try to prove but he was past caring. He leaned with his back against the cave wall and slowly pulled and hopped his way towards the exit.
"IF YOU DON"T SIT I WILL TIE YOU UP LIKE A CHILD!"
"You tie up your children?" Harper had to admit that surprised him. He took another hop towards the door.
"Only bad ones like you." she started to sharpen her knife faster, which was more then a little disconcerting.
"I told you I'm leaving, you said I wasn't a prisoner!"
"You NOT! But you will be killed and I promised Albin to care for you."
Harper deduced they were in a series of caves and that they were currently in one of the outer most. Ever so often another person would come talk to Emillon in a language Harper didn't understand. They all gave him a suspicious look and none of them ever stayed long. Right now there was only the two of them in the cave and Harper had gotten close enough to the exit that he could smell the fresh air. Man but his leg hurt though. Every hop was like getting a knife in his hip. Even with the splinting he dare not put any weight on it. He also noticed there was blood on his bandages.
"Not one more!" warned Emillon. It sounded too much like a dare.
Harper sneered at her and took another hop.
"THAT"S IT!" screamed Emillon. She dumped her knives on the floor, picked up the rope that lay on the ground beside her and stormed towards Harper.
Harper panicked. He let go of the wall and took a couple of quick step hops towards the door. But he landed kind of funny on the third and he ever so slightly put some weight on his broken leg. Harper promptly fell face first into the dirt with a gurgled scream.
"AH HA!" yelled Emillon and she leapt on his back. She was not a small women and she had him suitable pinned. She started to tie his hands as he squirmed and tried to keep from blacking out from the pain.
He managed to get one arm free but she quickly punched him in the nose.
"Ow! Hey!" he yelped and his free hand flew to his nose to try to stop the bleeding.
"What's going on here? Do you want me to leave you two alone?" It was none other then the amused voice of Beka Valentine.
"Beka thank Gawd get this she devil off of me!" though he yelled it was muffled by the hand he held on his sore nose.
"Grandma!" yelled Albin "get off him!"
"Grandma!" snickered Beka
"This is not funny." Harper was still very cross.
"Wait till I tell Tyr!"
"Shut up!"
Beka wiped tears from her eyes "Sorry." She snickered once more. Harper just glared at her.
"What happened to you?" he questioned as she helped him back to the pallet that Albin and Emillon had made for him.
They filled each other in on the events of the last few hours.
Beka was more then shocked. "I didn't even feel us hit anything!"
"I know it's weird, but we did have that piece of metal lodged in our hull. The one that the thugs saw you holding." Confirmed Harper.
"I am getting a little worried, not just about the 'thugs' but the Andromeda should have found us by now."
Harper nodded. Beka took a good look at him. They were close enough to the fire that she could see he was pale and his eyes were glassy. 'He's in more pain that he's admitting' she thought 'and he looks exhausted.' Beka turned to were Albin and Emillon sat in silence. "I know you didn't want to bring me here and that we are causing a great risk, but if you let us stay till dawn we will leave and you'll never see us again. We need to rest and to eat. We only want to get back to our home."
Albin looked at her tensely as if trying to decide. But in the end it was Emillon that spoke.
"You ask something you don't know." She started quietly. "There is a story, long old."
Beka leaned against the wall beside Harper to listen
"A Woman of our family walked in the far off trees, she walked many days to find food for her family. Near dead, animals that would eat her surrounded her. A man and his mate came to her and fought the beasts with only stones and saved her. They took her to their place and feed her and gave her food for her little ones. She made oath that she would always be kind to strangers if they asked. So when ever a women not of our kin asks us for help, we give."
Beka nodded her thank. She looked towards Harper and realized he had fallen asleep against her shoulder.
Albin didn't look happy but he didn't look like he was about to argue with Emillon either.
Emillon handed Beka another blanket, which she used to cover Harper and herself.
Albin sighed like he had given up the silent argument he was having with him self and crouched down by Harper. He lifted the blanket slightly feeling Harper's pulse. Harper didn't even move. 'He must have been exhausted' she thought, 'Harper had always been a light sleeper.'
Albin then very gently checked the swelling on his leg.
"When he wakes I'll give him some medicine"
"Thank you, … for everything" This time it was Albin's turn to nod. "You're a doctor right?"
"Yes."
"How did you ever get training here?"
"I lived off world for a while."
"I thought no ever left the planet."
Albin smiled "Not for a long time, it's been thirty years. Emillon and I used to be Techno's. I left her behind, I wanted off this planet so bad."
Beka met his eyes he looked sad.
"I left my parents and Grandma behind." He continued. They died shortly after I left in an accident. A new Techno device they were testing. When I came back things on the planet had taken a real down turn. They town broke into to two groups, those who thought the advances were coming to fast and those who wanted to go faster. When I came back and landed my ship I had no idea I hadn't been in contact for years. I was mobbed by Techno's they took my ship and I ran to the caves, here I found my Grandmother. That was a year ago. The Techno's used the information from my ship and enhanced it. That was the ship you hit when you came here."
"We didn't mean to hit the ship." Whispered Beka. "Hell we didn't even see it."
"I know, but the Techno's won't see it that way, plus they've seen your ship. By tomorrow they will be dissecting it."
