Chapter 2

The first time I set eyes on Seamus Harper I'd just thrown my so-called engineer off the Maru. I looked across the docking bay to see a small scruffy kid staring back at me. He had the cheek to ask me if I was looking for an engineer, and the even greater cheek to suggest that I hire him. However, I noticed that he had a data port and as I've always been a lady who makes her mind up on the evidence presented I decided to give him a chance. He couldn't have been any worse than his predecessor? Close up I could see that he wasn't quite as young as he looked, he was filthy though and he appeared hyped on some sort of drug. His eyes were clear, although red rimmed, so it wasn't Flash.

It wasn't until he collapsed in my arms after fixing the slipstream drive that I realised he was seriously unwell. I could feel that he was burning hot and his hair was soaked with sweat. I shouted for Trance and between us we got him onto a bunk in the crew quarters. He lay there for three days, alternately deathly quiet or shouting incoherently in delirium. Rev and Trance cared for him constantly. I couldn't afford to wait for him to recover so we'd set off for our ultimate destination, five slips away. If necessary I could always dump him when we arrived. The slipstream drive had never worked so sweetly before, whoever Seamus Harper was he was a damn good engineer. I began to revise my opinion of him; perhaps there was a job for him on the Maru.

I heard him screaming from the other end of the ship, I hurried to the crew quarters, he was hunched up on the bunk, screaming and shaking in what appeared to be terror.

"Trance, what happened? I went over to Harper and tried to calm him down, I stroked his forehead as if he was a scared child trying to stop his panic- stricken screams.

Trance shook her head, "I don't know Beka, he woke up and seemed fine, then he saw Rev and started screaming."

Harper had calmed down enough to talk; he turned his tear-streaked face to me. "Get that thing out of here get it away from me." He was looking straight at Rev.

I tried to explain to him that Rev Bem was a member of my crew, he just looked at me disgustedly, "how can you have an abomination like that on your ship?" He struggled to get up. Trance rushed over to help me hold him back, she gave Rev a tremulous little smile, "I'm sorry Rev I'm sure he doesn't mean what he's saying but I think you'd better leave."

Rev bowed slightly, without speaking he turned and left the crew quarters. As the door closed behind him Harper collapsed back onto the bed exhausted. "OK kid," I asked him, "I think you owe us an explanation, I know the 'gog ain't the most popular beings in the universe but I've never seen a reaction like that before."

Harper shook his head, "you have no idea have you, don't you realise where I come from. I'm from Earth and if you'd seen what the magog did on my home world to my family and friends you probably wouldn't be able to stand being on the same planet as one." He looked at my shocked expression, "yeah I'm a mudfoot, bet you've never met one of us before, well we're a dying breed so you probably won't ever meet one again. Now if I could have some clothes and the money you owe me I'll be leaving at the next Drift we come to."

I tried to explain to him that Rev Bem was a monk following the way of the Divine but he wasn't having any of it. When I told him that Rev had helped look after him when he was so ill, he vomited at the thought of the magog touching him. He also spent an hour under the shower scrubbing himself.

The easiest solution of course was just to drop him off as he'd asked, the trouble was I was growing to like him and certainly he was the best engineer that I'd ever come across, just as surely I wasn't going to ask Rev to leave, he was a friend and we'd been through a lot together.

I was sitting at the table in the mess trying to work out what I was going to do when Trance found me. She is a true enigma, she appears to be so childish and innocent but in certain circumstances when you look into her eyes she seems to have a dark and ancient knowledge behind them. I have absolutely no idea where she came from or why she joined up with me. She never answers questions about herself, fielding them expertly and changing the subject whenever you try. She sat down opposite me and gave me one of her perky little smiles.

"It's going to be all right Beka, at least I think so. I've been talking to Harper, quite a lot. I've been explaining to him how Rev won't hurt him."

I laughed harshly, "do you really think you can persuade him to believe that, don't you know what the magog did on Earth. You are asking him to disregard the evidence of his own eyes, that boy has been through hell, I think the best thing we can do is drop him off somewhere with enough money to keep him going until he can get himself a job."

Trance shook her head; "do you trust me Beka?" I replied that of course I did. "Well then," she said seriously "believe me Beka, I can't explain why but both Rev and Harper must stay on board the Maru."