Chapter 2
Harper gazed out into the star field in front of him. "I don't understand it was like they were never here!" Harper was exasperated. "No ion trails, nothing." Harper slammed his hand down on the Maru's piloting controls.
"Well I see you haven't lost your temper." Harper jumped a little at the sound of Trance's voice. He hadn't forgotten she was there but he thought she was in the other room. Her ability to sneak up on him was more then a little unnerving and how did she get so close. She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. Harper wasn't sure what that smile meant.
"Are you going to help because if you not, go away!"
"Touchy, touchy" and she smiled again. Harper was beginning to hate that smile and he snarled back at her.
"I still feel her presence but it's weaker."
Harper looked at her oddly. In the past she might have said something cute but now she met his stare evenly. He looked away quickly rubbing his hands over his face. "So much has changed."
"Change is ... necessary." She replied haltingly
He met her eyes and this time didn't look away. "My friend Trance used to talk about a perfect possible future. I don't think there is such a thing. I used to think there might, just maybe but... "
Trance backed away and his words and her face-hardened. "Things have changed."
"I Know!" he said roughly and jumped up from the helm and brushed past her as he went towards engineering.
"What are you going to do?" she called after him
"You should know!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tyr lay on his back in a small conduit attempting to fix a panel that hung over his head.
A bolt of electricity flew from the panel striking him in the forehead.
He growled loudly and it took every ounce of his control not to smash his nano welder through the bulkhead.
"Tyr how are repairs coming on the sensors?" Rommie voice came from the offending panel and Tyr once again held his breath in annoyance.
"It would be faster if that annoying little man would do his job but since that seems unlikely it is being done as efficiently as possible as long as I remain UNDISTURBED!"
"Humph fine then! But I was about to report something to Dylan but since you are working on the sensors I thought I would confirm something with you first."
"Fine, get to the point" his mood was not improving.
"Well I was doing a systems check on our sensors and I detected something. Well either their still not working or ..."
"Ship!"
"I detected Beka's life signs. She's still here but I can't find her."
Tyr thought for a moment and did a double check. "Well as far as I can tell that part of the sensors array should be working fine. Tell Dylan and we'll start a deck-to-deck search. Ship do you detect any intruders?"
"Of course not or I would have said so." She tried to adopt Tyr's haughty attitude and she did so successfully.
Then she left to tell Dylan.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Coms system on the Maru beeped. Trance answered it. It was Dylan.
"Trance where's Harper?"
"In engineering but he won't tell me why." She looked more then a little annoyed.
"Fine, tell him to get back here immediately we may have found Beka but we need him. Time is a issue."
"Right." She confirmed, "We'll be right back. Maru out."
She quickly sat down at the helm and headed the Maru into the closest slipstream horizon.
Harper gazed out into the star field in front of him. "I don't understand it was like they were never here!" Harper was exasperated. "No ion trails, nothing." Harper slammed his hand down on the Maru's piloting controls.
"Well I see you haven't lost your temper." Harper jumped a little at the sound of Trance's voice. He hadn't forgotten she was there but he thought she was in the other room. Her ability to sneak up on him was more then a little unnerving and how did she get so close. She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. Harper wasn't sure what that smile meant.
"Are you going to help because if you not, go away!"
"Touchy, touchy" and she smiled again. Harper was beginning to hate that smile and he snarled back at her.
"I still feel her presence but it's weaker."
Harper looked at her oddly. In the past she might have said something cute but now she met his stare evenly. He looked away quickly rubbing his hands over his face. "So much has changed."
"Change is ... necessary." She replied haltingly
He met her eyes and this time didn't look away. "My friend Trance used to talk about a perfect possible future. I don't think there is such a thing. I used to think there might, just maybe but... "
Trance backed away and his words and her face-hardened. "Things have changed."
"I Know!" he said roughly and jumped up from the helm and brushed past her as he went towards engineering.
"What are you going to do?" she called after him
"You should know!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tyr lay on his back in a small conduit attempting to fix a panel that hung over his head.
A bolt of electricity flew from the panel striking him in the forehead.
He growled loudly and it took every ounce of his control not to smash his nano welder through the bulkhead.
"Tyr how are repairs coming on the sensors?" Rommie voice came from the offending panel and Tyr once again held his breath in annoyance.
"It would be faster if that annoying little man would do his job but since that seems unlikely it is being done as efficiently as possible as long as I remain UNDISTURBED!"
"Humph fine then! But I was about to report something to Dylan but since you are working on the sensors I thought I would confirm something with you first."
"Fine, get to the point" his mood was not improving.
"Well I was doing a systems check on our sensors and I detected something. Well either their still not working or ..."
"Ship!"
"I detected Beka's life signs. She's still here but I can't find her."
Tyr thought for a moment and did a double check. "Well as far as I can tell that part of the sensors array should be working fine. Tell Dylan and we'll start a deck-to-deck search. Ship do you detect any intruders?"
"Of course not or I would have said so." She tried to adopt Tyr's haughty attitude and she did so successfully.
Then she left to tell Dylan.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Coms system on the Maru beeped. Trance answered it. It was Dylan.
"Trance where's Harper?"
"In engineering but he won't tell me why." She looked more then a little annoyed.
"Fine, tell him to get back here immediately we may have found Beka but we need him. Time is a issue."
"Right." She confirmed, "We'll be right back. Maru out."
She quickly sat down at the helm and headed the Maru into the closest slipstream horizon.