Chapter 4, description and disclaimers as at chapter 1. Thank you for all the feedback it is very much appreciated.



I was surprised at how relieved and pleased I was to hear Harper agree to stay on the Maru. I was exhausted, piloting the stream was hard work at the best of times, it was and still is a draining experience and it took all my will power not to collapse and sleep the clock round. I knew I'd need all my wits about me when we reached our final destination but sleep was a luxury I simply could not afford.

I thought that I'd hidden my fear but when I was speaking to the kid I'm sure that he sensed how I was feeling. His brash, boasting, talkative exterior hid a sensitive, caring young man. I wondered why he felt it necessary to put on an act, then realised that it was his protective shell, it prevented anybody getting too close to him.

I'd explained the situation to Rev, he was as usual understanding and philosophical, he always managed to find the right words to comfort me whenever I was troubled and this time was no exception. He told me to trust in the Divine. He gave me other words of wisdom too, he knew very well what I was afraid of and he offered to help me to the best of his ability. He agreed to keep away from Harper although I could tell it grieved him that the kid was so scared of him. It distressed him that his people had caused so much suffering.

Trance also knew what faced us at Carson's drift, I'm not sure if she was afraid or not, I've said before that I find her very hard to read. Sometimes she seems to be a giggly, silly little girl and at other times she gives the impression of great age and wisdom. I believe that under certain circumstances she could be quite ruthless and I find this thought frightening.

Harper was very soon up and about, Trance's expert medical skills and a supply of good food worked wonders for him. He still didn't look particularly well but he'd lost the hacking cough and he was beginning to get some healthy colour in his face to replace the fevered flush he'd had before.

He made himself useful, faults in systems that we'd put up with for weeks got fixed in minutes. Systems without faults were overhauled and made to run more efficiently. He was still jumpy; constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure that Rev wasn't about. Rev true to his word kept out of the way.

We were just one slip away from the Drift when I decided that I needed to rest, I've never been one to put off doing unpleasant tasks but I was very reluctant to take that last step. I tried to sleep but it was impossible, I tossed and turned for an hour or so before giving up and seeking out some company. As luck would have it Harper was the first person I came across. He was sitting in the galley with a can of Sparky cola in front of him. He seems to be addicted to the stuff; my last engineer had left a crate of it behind when I terminated his contract. No one else on the Maru would touch it but Harper liked it, I heard him tell Trance that he used to dream about it when he was down and out, and it was always the first thing he bought when he had any money.

I got myself a mug of coffee and sat down opposite him, "how's it going kid," I smiled at him, "you're doing a great job on those repairs."

He grinned at me, his whole face lit up, "I'm good," he said simply, and he meant it.

I realised then that I would have to tell him the whole story, why someone had sabotaged the Maru and what was waiting for us at Carson's Drift. It wouldn't be fair to lie to him; he had the right to know what he'd got himself in to when he'd agreed to join the crew.

"Harper," I said seriously, "there's something that I have to tell you, I haven't been altogether honest with you and when I've finished explaining if you decide that you want to leave the Maru, I'll pay you and let you go, despite Trance's hunch I don't intend to keep you here against your will."