Harper strained to see him out the airlock window but he couldn't see him.
He did catch glimpse's of weapons fire and the sudden jolt of the Maru
indicated that they had been hit again.
"Vex?"
"I'm okay for now…Okay I'm at the breech what now?"
"Okay use the nano-welder. Make a weld around the entire exterior of the breech"
"Mmmm" mumbled Vex as he worked.
"When that's done use the expand-a-patch." Harper shifted nervously. "Hurry Vex."
"Mr. Harper…" the pause in his voice made Harper heart skip a beat.
"WHAT! What's wrong?"
"I think I snagged my suit. There might be a leak…pssssssssssssssst." Suddenly VexPax's connection went dead.
"VEX! VEEEEEEEEEEEX!!" Harper screamed and pounded on the airlock door. Quickly he tried to come to his senses and grabbed for an environmental suit.
He was about to click his helmet on when Rev Bem appeared beside him and placed a hairy claw on his arm stopping his progress.
"He's gone… we saw him… his body." Rev was unsure how to comfort the boy who still lived in fear of him and finally settled on what always comforted him. "He's with the Divine now."
"No." moaned Harper his knees buckling and his hands flying to his face to cover his grief. "Not again… my fault again!"
"Mr. Harper, it was a horrible accident it was no one's fault."
Harper cupped his hands around the back of his neck and rocked back and forth on his heels.
Rev was torn between and returning to Beka who need him to ward of the attackers. He reached forward and firmly grabbed Harper by the forearm. He yelped and tried to squirm away.
"Leave me alone!"
"Beka needs you up front now!" Rev propelled the angry unrational young man down the hallway towards the cockpit.
The two reached the command centre just as there was a loud screech of metal and the Maru gave a death shudder. Rev's hands flew to his ears. Beka and Harper both turned white.
"Harper?" screamed Beka. "Was it?"
Harper nodded. "The engine's gone."
An eerie silence filled the Maru as the ship became dead in space. Then the explosions started again.
"We're being boarded!" shouted Rev.
There was a final loud explosion and for a long time Harper remembered nothing.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There was a blur of white and there was noise. Harper tried to raise his hands to cover his face but he couldn't move. There was a voice. It hurt his ears.
"No." he tried to say but it was barely a whisper.
The voice again. "Is he awake?"
Harper tried to tell the voice to be quiet but it was all too much and the light and the noise slid away.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It must be a horrible dream. He told him self he was going to wake up in his bunk. Vex would be cooking breakfast, Beka would be singing in the shower and Rev would be…No…Magog! Unable to face another nightmare Harper sat up with a sudden gasp. His arms jerked and pain shot through his body and he fell against the bed he was lying on.
Slowly he became aware of his surroundings and he looked around. He was in a very white room. The walls were bare and there was nothing in the room except the bed and a small table with medical supplies. The room smelled of antiseptic and it made his nose itch. He tried to reach up to scratch his nose when he realized that his hands were in restraints.
Harper started to panic. His whole body ached, he was strapped to a bed and he was alone. He tried to kick with his legs and flail his shoulders but the pain became too intense and it left him gasping.
Just then the door to his room creaked open. Two people entered. Harper glared at them in defiance and hate. Both wore some kind of uniform with a white shirt over top.
"It's good to see you're awake." Stated the man
"How do you feel?" Asked the women as she checked his vitals on a monitor on the small table.
Neither of them introduced them selves and Harper was not about to give out any information. So he decided to do what years on earth had taught him to do. He swore… a lot.
Neither of them flinched at his verbal rampage.
"I'm afraid that will get us nowhere Mr. Harper." Harper stopped swearing shocked that they new his name.
"How do you…"
"You're name? Well, the wanted Beacons all over this side of space were a dead give away."
Harper hated this situation. It was like when he was on earth with Brendan these two were just like the Nietzscheans. They held all the cards and they knew it. "Where's Beka you freakin' Ubers!"
"That all depends on if you give us what we want." Replied the women
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TBC
"Vex?"
"I'm okay for now…Okay I'm at the breech what now?"
"Okay use the nano-welder. Make a weld around the entire exterior of the breech"
"Mmmm" mumbled Vex as he worked.
"When that's done use the expand-a-patch." Harper shifted nervously. "Hurry Vex."
"Mr. Harper…" the pause in his voice made Harper heart skip a beat.
"WHAT! What's wrong?"
"I think I snagged my suit. There might be a leak…pssssssssssssssst." Suddenly VexPax's connection went dead.
"VEX! VEEEEEEEEEEEX!!" Harper screamed and pounded on the airlock door. Quickly he tried to come to his senses and grabbed for an environmental suit.
He was about to click his helmet on when Rev Bem appeared beside him and placed a hairy claw on his arm stopping his progress.
"He's gone… we saw him… his body." Rev was unsure how to comfort the boy who still lived in fear of him and finally settled on what always comforted him. "He's with the Divine now."
"No." moaned Harper his knees buckling and his hands flying to his face to cover his grief. "Not again… my fault again!"
"Mr. Harper, it was a horrible accident it was no one's fault."
Harper cupped his hands around the back of his neck and rocked back and forth on his heels.
Rev was torn between and returning to Beka who need him to ward of the attackers. He reached forward and firmly grabbed Harper by the forearm. He yelped and tried to squirm away.
"Leave me alone!"
"Beka needs you up front now!" Rev propelled the angry unrational young man down the hallway towards the cockpit.
The two reached the command centre just as there was a loud screech of metal and the Maru gave a death shudder. Rev's hands flew to his ears. Beka and Harper both turned white.
"Harper?" screamed Beka. "Was it?"
Harper nodded. "The engine's gone."
An eerie silence filled the Maru as the ship became dead in space. Then the explosions started again.
"We're being boarded!" shouted Rev.
There was a final loud explosion and for a long time Harper remembered nothing.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There was a blur of white and there was noise. Harper tried to raise his hands to cover his face but he couldn't move. There was a voice. It hurt his ears.
"No." he tried to say but it was barely a whisper.
The voice again. "Is he awake?"
Harper tried to tell the voice to be quiet but it was all too much and the light and the noise slid away.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It must be a horrible dream. He told him self he was going to wake up in his bunk. Vex would be cooking breakfast, Beka would be singing in the shower and Rev would be…No…Magog! Unable to face another nightmare Harper sat up with a sudden gasp. His arms jerked and pain shot through his body and he fell against the bed he was lying on.
Slowly he became aware of his surroundings and he looked around. He was in a very white room. The walls were bare and there was nothing in the room except the bed and a small table with medical supplies. The room smelled of antiseptic and it made his nose itch. He tried to reach up to scratch his nose when he realized that his hands were in restraints.
Harper started to panic. His whole body ached, he was strapped to a bed and he was alone. He tried to kick with his legs and flail his shoulders but the pain became too intense and it left him gasping.
Just then the door to his room creaked open. Two people entered. Harper glared at them in defiance and hate. Both wore some kind of uniform with a white shirt over top.
"It's good to see you're awake." Stated the man
"How do you feel?" Asked the women as she checked his vitals on a monitor on the small table.
Neither of them introduced them selves and Harper was not about to give out any information. So he decided to do what years on earth had taught him to do. He swore… a lot.
Neither of them flinched at his verbal rampage.
"I'm afraid that will get us nowhere Mr. Harper." Harper stopped swearing shocked that they new his name.
"How do you…"
"You're name? Well, the wanted Beacons all over this side of space were a dead give away."
Harper hated this situation. It was like when he was on earth with Brendan these two were just like the Nietzscheans. They held all the cards and they knew it. "Where's Beka you freakin' Ubers!"
"That all depends on if you give us what we want." Replied the women
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TBC
