Sorry this is a little long in coming but I hope you enjoy it.

++++++++++++++





Harper lay on his stomach among the tall grass; two remote control devices lay in the dirt in front of him. Albin was sneaking around the perimeter of the Maru planting the bombs slash distractions Harper had made. Harper had rechecked the remotes twice everything seemed in order, so he paused to wait for Albin to return. They ahd crossed the expansive field about an hour ago. The cane Beka had found for him had helped a lot but his leg still hurt and the long walk had made him tired, he shook himself too keep himself alert. The night was far from over. He saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. He did his best to peer through the grass. One of the Techno's stood in the door of the Eureka Maru. The man raised something to his lips and a long trail of green smoke followed, he looked around briefly and went back in side. "I wonder what that was all about whispered Harper. Albin where are you?" Moments passed Albin didn't return. He would wait five more before he would attempt to go find him. A slight breeze rustled the grass and his hair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment. Being on ship after ship he missed the wind. He felt the dirt under his hand and the grass brush against his face. 'How could Beka hate planets' he wondered almost dreamily.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

At the Techno's main camp

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

A small breeze drifted over the plain.

"Phew, blech!" Beka spitted dirt out of her mouth and shivered how Harper could like planets she would never understand. She had left Emillon ten minutes ago to make her way into the base to plant Harper's homemade bombs. They thought it was better if only one went in. Emillon would wait for Harper and Albin's signal. When she saw the signal she would enter the town. The town was the one that Beka had entered to look for help when they first arrived and it was situated at the entrance to the Techno's camp. Once Emillon had entered the town she would cause a third distraction. She wouldn't tell Beka what that was and Beka wasn't sure she wanted to know. She smiled evilly to her self Emillon reminded her a lot of Harper. Beka found a hole in the damaged fencing around the base and slide through. She ran low in the darkness to the first building she could find. She heard voices through an open window and shook her head. She wanted to find and abandoned building to blow up. She ran quickly to the next nearest one avoiding the little spots of light that shone on the dirt from the lamps on various buildings. She ducked inside the door of a little white building that had sounded quiet. It was a very large building. She wandered into one of the larger rooms and looked around. It was a bunkhouse but the beds all lay empty. Mattresses had been tossed on the floors the blankets stripped. There was also a thick layer of dust on everything. She shrugged this was as good as place as any. She placed the first bomb on a table and ducked back out side.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Outside the Maru

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Harper tried to stay low as he leaned heavily on his cane. Feeling very much like an old man. He had been searching for Albin but he couldn't find him. There was no sign of the bombs, nothing. Harper was getting worried. Albin had said he would be right back but after limping around the perimeter of the Maru in a wide circle there was still no sign that Albin had even come this way. As he approached the spot Albin had left him he heard voices and dropped to the ground swallowing a hiss of pain. There were Techno's beating the grass where he had been hiding. Worse even Albin stood with them.

"This is where I left him. He couldn't have gotten far he has a broken leg!" Albin swore

"You better not be conning us again Albin." Growled a Techno.

"No, I'm not." Replied Albin nervously. "I'm telling you this kid is the engineer he can build anything. I showed you the bombs he made out nothing didn't I?"

The Techno nodded. "But, you said he could make this ship fly again and that's a big step up from making bombs."

"I know, I know" Albin raised his hands pleading. "But he's smart and with the women out of the picture he'll do anything for us." He then smiled looking exactly like proverbial snake in the grass. "Trust me."