SCARAMOUCHE: I'm betaing a story. I'm betaing a story. (That's really hard
to sing.) Tell me I did a good job. ^.^ And if anyone insults my 'client'
(That'd be Lila) you'll have to answer to...my pet sucker fish, Rasputin!
(Some call him...Tim.) Oh yeah! Who's the tough guy now?
!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!
Slowly, he fought his way back to consciousness. At first he could only hear a low humming, then some time later, he felt hands probe his face and body and soon he drifted back to sleep. The second time he came around the first thing he noticed was the warm air that surrounded him. He knew for sure that he wasn´t in the alley anymore. It had to be some kind of a room. The fabric beneath him felt soft and clean, not hard and dirty, like his own. It was this thought that brought the decicion to pry open his eyes. He had to fight, but eventually managed to open them, only to shut them almost immediately. Bright light poked into his eyes and caused a soft groan. And yet again he lost the fight to remain conscious. Finally, by the third time he felt himself coming around he could hear voices. Soft voices that made conversation. As he stirred the talking trailed off.
"He´s coming around." Someone announced.
A hand touched him tenderly and he flinched.
"Shhh, everything´s alright. No one´s gonna hurt you."
He could make out the voice of a woman and allowed himself to relax slightly under her touch. Curious he opened his eyes and met the face of a blond lady, who smiled down at him. Her left temple showed a nasty, colourful bruise. At that sight, memory washed over him.
With a fast movment he started to get up and was about to jump off the bed as his eyes caught a second person on the opposite of the little room. It had the features of a Magog. The young man choked suddenly and went pale and in his eyes a fire of panic arose.
"No...." he whispered. "No... you... you´ll never get me!"
Slowly, and wildly looking around for a way to escape he pushed himself back, until his shoulder touched the opposite wall.
Bekas gaze turned from the young man to Rev and back again. Some time passed, as she finally comprehended what was happening here. "Rev Bem is a Wayist. He... he never would..."
She could see the hand of the boy flew down to his boots searching for the knife she retrieved before. As his hands felt nothing his panic in a matter of seconds changed into anger.
"Where´s my knife?!" He demanded to know, his voice still shaky but a lot of stronger due to the rage he felt.
"Listen!" Beka started. "Rev Bem is harmless...don't you think I would have stopped him from helping you to regain consciousness if I was going to tell him to kill you?" she tried to sound ridiculous. "You saved my butt so I saved your's, you got that? I brought you here, and Rev Bem tended to your wounds. But that´s it! Now that we´re even, get your skinny ass off of my ship!!!" She screamed the last words.
For a short moment the youngster watched her in disbelieve. "You wanna tell me 'HE'," he pointed to the Magog, "touched me?!" His voice about to break.
At the rude accusation the monk flinched slightly, but remainded quiet.
"Yes! That´s exactly what I am saying!" Beka replied loudly. "So! Do I have to repeat myself or do you want me to order Rev to throw you out the airlock of my ship?!" she asked him in icy tone.
The boys eyes met the eyes of the Magog one last time, then he hopped from the bed, grabbed his cloak from a nearby chair and started to move in a big circle around Rev and through the door with Beka on his heels.
She could tell from the way the man walked that he was still hurt. He limped slightly and his right arm unconsciously was wrapped around his chest. His forehead was covered from a ugly bump that shone in a sickening greenish-violet, and above his eye a nasty gash could be seen. But Beka didn´t give a damn about these circumstances. This man meant trouble, and she hated trouble, even if this trouble safed her life.
With a last push they arrived at the airlock. Impatiently, Beka hammered in the security-code. Her ship authourized her entered password, and with a loud hiss the gate opened. Time froze. Before she could even show her surprise the boy on her side reacted. With a hard push he sent her out of the fireline and into a wall of the Eureka Maru.
He himself dove into the shadows beside the door just in time before the first bullet hit. Beka cursed, as she once again had to pound the Security- Code into the system that told her ship to close the airlock. The Maru obeyed.
"We have to get away from here!" she screamed to no one in particular, as she started for the cockpit. Rev Bem almost collided with her, as he wanted to know what had happened. "The Nietzscheans are knocking on our airlock to spare us a visit. I bet some person..." she almost spat in rage, "gave them a hint about what our cargo is!" She finished and entered the cockpit.
Without any hesitation she sat down at the pilotchair while giving orders to the Maru. "Maru, Escape-Start, only necassary systems are to go online. Engines ready on my comand. Three, two, one... start engines!"
The low humming started to grow as the Maru started her engines.
"Machines are online. Life-Support online. Necassary systems fully available." The voice of the Maru echoed through the whole ship.
With no futher time wasted Beka started. She knew the Maru didn´t like to be treated that way, but she couldn´t wait for her ship to go through the whole "warming-up" process. She had to get out of here now. She knew if the Drago-Kasov already were on her doorstep, they wouldn´t need long to stop her from leaving.
Alarms went off, as her ship protested against the rude handling, just to be replaced for a short moment by the voice of the Eureka Maru who pronounced: "We have broken through the atmosphere."
That didn´t help Beka to relax. Her gaze fell upon the radar to watch for any enemies only to see four red, blinking circles appear on the small monitor. She hated to admit it, but the Dragans where fast.
"Beka! Four fighters of the Drago Kasov are in reach!" Rev Bem, helpful as always, implied.
She snorted nervously. "Shit! Maru quit this damn alarm! I know that you don´t like this, but there´s no other way!"
"Alarm muted!" came the reply immediately.
It was then that the first Nietzschean opened fire. The little Cargo-hauler shuddered under it and Beka could hear her guest scream. ´At least he isn't having a nice ride!´she smirked. Seconds later he came stumbled into the cockpit.
"What the hell was that!? Is this the first time you´ve flown this heap of junk?" he frowned, and again he fell and hit the ground as another hit came through.
"We have to go into Slip-Stream!" Rev tried to overbid the hysterial screaming of the several alarms that went off with the first hit. Before Beka was able to start to explain to him that this wasn´t a good idea, her unpleasant guest started talking.
"The engine was driven hot too quickly!!! If we´re going into slipstream we'll ripped into atoms! Bad idea!" He could feel all attention turn to him. "Uhmm... maybe I can help???" he asked shyly.
Beka frowned. She hated strangers, especially strangers that started to work on her ship and strangers her life depended on. On the other hand...
"Rev! Give him a hand!" The Magog nodded and left.
She felt the eyes of the human on her, than a little voice asked her: "And you´re sure he´s not going to eat me, Lady?"
"No!" she answered with a grin. He glanced at her, then he nodded and left with a quiet: "Okay."
The machine shop was hot. Smoke and steam had mixed into something almost unbreathable. Shay needed a little while to find the Magog. When he eventually found him, he almost fell again. Stumbling forward he saw the loose end of electricity-cable at the very last second before running into it.
"We have to reduce the pressure!" the young man announced to the Magog, and stumbled to one of the vacuum-valves. "My dad showed me this little trick! I never used it for a cargo-hauler but it´s the same thing... almost!" he explained to the Magog as he started to open the valve.
For a short moment Rev thought about stopping the young man, before things would get worse, but then again, things couldn´t get any worse. So he remained where he was and watched the young man work.
It took just seconds after he opened the valves for the sickening noise to grow quiet. A triumphant smile showed up on the boys face.
"You see? That way you can trick the machines!" His eyes fell on one of the screw-drivers and as he made his way to it he started mumbling to himself. "One turn here, and another one there... and... where´s the console for the main-computer?" he suddenly asked in Rev´s direction.
The surprised monk needed a few seconds to comprehend that this question was asked to him. With a small gesture he pointed behind himself.
Without hesitation Shay walked over to it. "I could do it manually... but it´s taking to much time... tell your boss in a few seconds we´ll be ready for slipstream."
He loosened the knot of the rag around his neck and revealed the small disc on his neck, causing the features of Rev to freeze. "Unbelievable... that´s... I.. I never met a human... with a cerebral port... at least no one who was born on earth." He said his voice trailing off.
Shay shrugged, dove his hands into his pockets and retrieved a cable with a long stick on one end. "First time for everything..." he quoted. He had to grab a hold fast as another hit shook the Maru.
It was at the same time as Shay pushed the stick into his cerebral port that the Comm-link blinked. Bekas voice scolded. "Hey! Do you think we´ll be able to leave soon? Because if you´re needing more than a few seconds we´ll be gone... forever!"
"Just a second Rebecca! We´re almost done here..." Meanwhile Harper had finished his task. He had manipulated the temperature-sensor of the ships main-computer.
He immediatly called out as he returned to reality: "Ready! We can use the slipstream-drive! But you gotta take the very next exit! Got that?" he was sure Beka would have heard that.
"Okay! Prepare for slipstream!" she acknowledged that she had heard him. "Ready for slipstream... now!"
With the Maru gone into slipstream the alarm died rather quickly, and Shay slid down the console he had worked before, he was exhausted. His rips hurt, his vision was blurry... everything hurt... he decided after a short moment.
A gentle shudder went through the Maru as they left Slipstream only seconds later.
Only a short amount of time had passed as Beka came storming into the machine-shop to see the damage. "Phhheewww! That was really a hard one, guys!" her gaze came to a halt on the human, who sat exhausted on the floor. Her eyes then wandered off to Rev, and at her asking look he nodded ever so slightly.
She coughed. "Well? How do you feel about a good nights sleep before you get started with cleaning up my ship?" she asked seriously.
It almost seemed that the young man didn´t hear her but then he raised his eyes to hers. "And then?" he asked tiredly.
Her eyes once more caught his before she started grinning. "And than we´ll see if we can make a respectable human out of you." She laughed.
His eyes started to brighten as he replied. "No one can make Seamus Zelazny Harper a respectable human."
"Well then you don't know who you're talking to."
FIN
Heya!!! Thanks Scaramouche... I think you did a pretty good job... and at least "I have a beta, I have a beta!!!" * dancingonthetable *
@ all: And thanks for reading my story...
We as well gonna start a new uhhmmmm "project"... I even have a title for the soon coming Harper-Story... you like the title "Chainreaction"...
Yeahhh??? Okay.... I gonna talk to my beta... * lol *
!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!:!
Slowly, he fought his way back to consciousness. At first he could only hear a low humming, then some time later, he felt hands probe his face and body and soon he drifted back to sleep. The second time he came around the first thing he noticed was the warm air that surrounded him. He knew for sure that he wasn´t in the alley anymore. It had to be some kind of a room. The fabric beneath him felt soft and clean, not hard and dirty, like his own. It was this thought that brought the decicion to pry open his eyes. He had to fight, but eventually managed to open them, only to shut them almost immediately. Bright light poked into his eyes and caused a soft groan. And yet again he lost the fight to remain conscious. Finally, by the third time he felt himself coming around he could hear voices. Soft voices that made conversation. As he stirred the talking trailed off.
"He´s coming around." Someone announced.
A hand touched him tenderly and he flinched.
"Shhh, everything´s alright. No one´s gonna hurt you."
He could make out the voice of a woman and allowed himself to relax slightly under her touch. Curious he opened his eyes and met the face of a blond lady, who smiled down at him. Her left temple showed a nasty, colourful bruise. At that sight, memory washed over him.
With a fast movment he started to get up and was about to jump off the bed as his eyes caught a second person on the opposite of the little room. It had the features of a Magog. The young man choked suddenly and went pale and in his eyes a fire of panic arose.
"No...." he whispered. "No... you... you´ll never get me!"
Slowly, and wildly looking around for a way to escape he pushed himself back, until his shoulder touched the opposite wall.
Bekas gaze turned from the young man to Rev and back again. Some time passed, as she finally comprehended what was happening here. "Rev Bem is a Wayist. He... he never would..."
She could see the hand of the boy flew down to his boots searching for the knife she retrieved before. As his hands felt nothing his panic in a matter of seconds changed into anger.
"Where´s my knife?!" He demanded to know, his voice still shaky but a lot of stronger due to the rage he felt.
"Listen!" Beka started. "Rev Bem is harmless...don't you think I would have stopped him from helping you to regain consciousness if I was going to tell him to kill you?" she tried to sound ridiculous. "You saved my butt so I saved your's, you got that? I brought you here, and Rev Bem tended to your wounds. But that´s it! Now that we´re even, get your skinny ass off of my ship!!!" She screamed the last words.
For a short moment the youngster watched her in disbelieve. "You wanna tell me 'HE'," he pointed to the Magog, "touched me?!" His voice about to break.
At the rude accusation the monk flinched slightly, but remainded quiet.
"Yes! That´s exactly what I am saying!" Beka replied loudly. "So! Do I have to repeat myself or do you want me to order Rev to throw you out the airlock of my ship?!" she asked him in icy tone.
The boys eyes met the eyes of the Magog one last time, then he hopped from the bed, grabbed his cloak from a nearby chair and started to move in a big circle around Rev and through the door with Beka on his heels.
She could tell from the way the man walked that he was still hurt. He limped slightly and his right arm unconsciously was wrapped around his chest. His forehead was covered from a ugly bump that shone in a sickening greenish-violet, and above his eye a nasty gash could be seen. But Beka didn´t give a damn about these circumstances. This man meant trouble, and she hated trouble, even if this trouble safed her life.
With a last push they arrived at the airlock. Impatiently, Beka hammered in the security-code. Her ship authourized her entered password, and with a loud hiss the gate opened. Time froze. Before she could even show her surprise the boy on her side reacted. With a hard push he sent her out of the fireline and into a wall of the Eureka Maru.
He himself dove into the shadows beside the door just in time before the first bullet hit. Beka cursed, as she once again had to pound the Security- Code into the system that told her ship to close the airlock. The Maru obeyed.
"We have to get away from here!" she screamed to no one in particular, as she started for the cockpit. Rev Bem almost collided with her, as he wanted to know what had happened. "The Nietzscheans are knocking on our airlock to spare us a visit. I bet some person..." she almost spat in rage, "gave them a hint about what our cargo is!" She finished and entered the cockpit.
Without any hesitation she sat down at the pilotchair while giving orders to the Maru. "Maru, Escape-Start, only necassary systems are to go online. Engines ready on my comand. Three, two, one... start engines!"
The low humming started to grow as the Maru started her engines.
"Machines are online. Life-Support online. Necassary systems fully available." The voice of the Maru echoed through the whole ship.
With no futher time wasted Beka started. She knew the Maru didn´t like to be treated that way, but she couldn´t wait for her ship to go through the whole "warming-up" process. She had to get out of here now. She knew if the Drago-Kasov already were on her doorstep, they wouldn´t need long to stop her from leaving.
Alarms went off, as her ship protested against the rude handling, just to be replaced for a short moment by the voice of the Eureka Maru who pronounced: "We have broken through the atmosphere."
That didn´t help Beka to relax. Her gaze fell upon the radar to watch for any enemies only to see four red, blinking circles appear on the small monitor. She hated to admit it, but the Dragans where fast.
"Beka! Four fighters of the Drago Kasov are in reach!" Rev Bem, helpful as always, implied.
She snorted nervously. "Shit! Maru quit this damn alarm! I know that you don´t like this, but there´s no other way!"
"Alarm muted!" came the reply immediately.
It was then that the first Nietzschean opened fire. The little Cargo-hauler shuddered under it and Beka could hear her guest scream. ´At least he isn't having a nice ride!´she smirked. Seconds later he came stumbled into the cockpit.
"What the hell was that!? Is this the first time you´ve flown this heap of junk?" he frowned, and again he fell and hit the ground as another hit came through.
"We have to go into Slip-Stream!" Rev tried to overbid the hysterial screaming of the several alarms that went off with the first hit. Before Beka was able to start to explain to him that this wasn´t a good idea, her unpleasant guest started talking.
"The engine was driven hot too quickly!!! If we´re going into slipstream we'll ripped into atoms! Bad idea!" He could feel all attention turn to him. "Uhmm... maybe I can help???" he asked shyly.
Beka frowned. She hated strangers, especially strangers that started to work on her ship and strangers her life depended on. On the other hand...
"Rev! Give him a hand!" The Magog nodded and left.
She felt the eyes of the human on her, than a little voice asked her: "And you´re sure he´s not going to eat me, Lady?"
"No!" she answered with a grin. He glanced at her, then he nodded and left with a quiet: "Okay."
The machine shop was hot. Smoke and steam had mixed into something almost unbreathable. Shay needed a little while to find the Magog. When he eventually found him, he almost fell again. Stumbling forward he saw the loose end of electricity-cable at the very last second before running into it.
"We have to reduce the pressure!" the young man announced to the Magog, and stumbled to one of the vacuum-valves. "My dad showed me this little trick! I never used it for a cargo-hauler but it´s the same thing... almost!" he explained to the Magog as he started to open the valve.
For a short moment Rev thought about stopping the young man, before things would get worse, but then again, things couldn´t get any worse. So he remained where he was and watched the young man work.
It took just seconds after he opened the valves for the sickening noise to grow quiet. A triumphant smile showed up on the boys face.
"You see? That way you can trick the machines!" His eyes fell on one of the screw-drivers and as he made his way to it he started mumbling to himself. "One turn here, and another one there... and... where´s the console for the main-computer?" he suddenly asked in Rev´s direction.
The surprised monk needed a few seconds to comprehend that this question was asked to him. With a small gesture he pointed behind himself.
Without hesitation Shay walked over to it. "I could do it manually... but it´s taking to much time... tell your boss in a few seconds we´ll be ready for slipstream."
He loosened the knot of the rag around his neck and revealed the small disc on his neck, causing the features of Rev to freeze. "Unbelievable... that´s... I.. I never met a human... with a cerebral port... at least no one who was born on earth." He said his voice trailing off.
Shay shrugged, dove his hands into his pockets and retrieved a cable with a long stick on one end. "First time for everything..." he quoted. He had to grab a hold fast as another hit shook the Maru.
It was at the same time as Shay pushed the stick into his cerebral port that the Comm-link blinked. Bekas voice scolded. "Hey! Do you think we´ll be able to leave soon? Because if you´re needing more than a few seconds we´ll be gone... forever!"
"Just a second Rebecca! We´re almost done here..." Meanwhile Harper had finished his task. He had manipulated the temperature-sensor of the ships main-computer.
He immediatly called out as he returned to reality: "Ready! We can use the slipstream-drive! But you gotta take the very next exit! Got that?" he was sure Beka would have heard that.
"Okay! Prepare for slipstream!" she acknowledged that she had heard him. "Ready for slipstream... now!"
With the Maru gone into slipstream the alarm died rather quickly, and Shay slid down the console he had worked before, he was exhausted. His rips hurt, his vision was blurry... everything hurt... he decided after a short moment.
A gentle shudder went through the Maru as they left Slipstream only seconds later.
Only a short amount of time had passed as Beka came storming into the machine-shop to see the damage. "Phhheewww! That was really a hard one, guys!" her gaze came to a halt on the human, who sat exhausted on the floor. Her eyes then wandered off to Rev, and at her asking look he nodded ever so slightly.
She coughed. "Well? How do you feel about a good nights sleep before you get started with cleaning up my ship?" she asked seriously.
It almost seemed that the young man didn´t hear her but then he raised his eyes to hers. "And then?" he asked tiredly.
Her eyes once more caught his before she started grinning. "And than we´ll see if we can make a respectable human out of you." She laughed.
His eyes started to brighten as he replied. "No one can make Seamus Zelazny Harper a respectable human."
"Well then you don't know who you're talking to."
FIN
Heya!!! Thanks Scaramouche... I think you did a pretty good job... and at least "I have a beta, I have a beta!!!" * dancingonthetable *
@ all: And thanks for reading my story...
We as well gonna start a new uhhmmmm "project"... I even have a title for the soon coming Harper-Story... you like the title "Chainreaction"...
Yeahhh??? Okay.... I gonna talk to my beta... * lol *