Part Seven
"Three days Dylan" Beka snapped, the last of her patience had finally hit it's end. "We've taken three days. Do you know what they could have done to him in three days?"
The high guard captain was trying to clam Beka down but he knew that she was worried. It shouldn't have taken this long to reach Earth but every time they came out of slipstream they hit a Neitzschen blockade.
Every hour either Beka or Trance had reminded him of the time and how long Harper had been there.
Tyr, who had been wise enough to keep silent when Beka blew off steam, finally spoke up.
"Harper is a survivor" He said simply. "He has dealt with Neitzschen's while growing up"
"True" Beka agreed "but that was six years ago. When our cocky engineer was quite so cocky."
"Old habits die hard"
"Just find a way past the blocks" she snapped.
Dylan sighed. They were doing all they could to get Harper back but it wasn't just the blockades slowing them down. Harper had gone to get new parts for a reason, when there wasn't a blockade there had been a system failure. Dylan hated the irony that the crewmember they were looking for was their engineer.
"Umm, I hate to be the negative voice here" Trance interrupted "but how are we going to get Harper back or even find him when we get to Earth?"
"You're the voice of the future" Tyr commented dryly "Shouldn't you know"
"This never happened, Harper was already dead" Trance shot back bluntly. Fighting back her own memories where Tyr had been forced to- before she allowed herself to finish the sentence in her mind she turned back to Dylan.
"So, do we have a plan?"
"I have an idea. I just wasn't sure if it would work"
"Well?" Beka prompted, happy to hear any form of action.
"Tyr how well known are you around the Draco Katzof at Earth?" Dylan turned to the weapons officer
"Not well around Earth" Tyr admitted, "However they hate all Kodiacs"
"Do you think they would be willing to sell you a slave?"
Tyr thought for a moment, knowing where Dylan was going with his idea. "Perhaps however if I was recognised-"
Beka sighed impatiently as Dylan and Tyr debated against each other. Images of Harper being tortured kept playing across her mind.
"Screw this" she muttered stalking out of command. The others looked up as she disappeared from view.
"Rommie where is she going?" Dylan asked moving across to follow his first officer
"She's heading towards the Maru. Fast." Rommie informed them.
"Damn it" Dylan muttered, chasing after her.
Beka ran down the corridor knowing Dylan and Tyr would be right behind her. Turning a corner Beka reached the Maru and boarded, slamming her hand over the lock. When she reached the pilot seat Dylan's face appeared on screen.
"Beka where do you think you're going?"
"You think I'm going to stay waiting around any longer while a member of my crew is in trouble?" Beka informed him.
"I'm not opening the hanger bay doors, so you might as well come back"
Beka simply grinned at the captain and switched the screen off. She turned to another console and typed in a few commands. She hadn't spent six years with Harper and not learnt a few new over ride codes.
The doors opened and Beka moved the Maru out into the black space, and a few seconds later she shot in to slipstream.
"Three days Dylan" Beka snapped, the last of her patience had finally hit it's end. "We've taken three days. Do you know what they could have done to him in three days?"
The high guard captain was trying to clam Beka down but he knew that she was worried. It shouldn't have taken this long to reach Earth but every time they came out of slipstream they hit a Neitzschen blockade.
Every hour either Beka or Trance had reminded him of the time and how long Harper had been there.
Tyr, who had been wise enough to keep silent when Beka blew off steam, finally spoke up.
"Harper is a survivor" He said simply. "He has dealt with Neitzschen's while growing up"
"True" Beka agreed "but that was six years ago. When our cocky engineer was quite so cocky."
"Old habits die hard"
"Just find a way past the blocks" she snapped.
Dylan sighed. They were doing all they could to get Harper back but it wasn't just the blockades slowing them down. Harper had gone to get new parts for a reason, when there wasn't a blockade there had been a system failure. Dylan hated the irony that the crewmember they were looking for was their engineer.
"Umm, I hate to be the negative voice here" Trance interrupted "but how are we going to get Harper back or even find him when we get to Earth?"
"You're the voice of the future" Tyr commented dryly "Shouldn't you know"
"This never happened, Harper was already dead" Trance shot back bluntly. Fighting back her own memories where Tyr had been forced to- before she allowed herself to finish the sentence in her mind she turned back to Dylan.
"So, do we have a plan?"
"I have an idea. I just wasn't sure if it would work"
"Well?" Beka prompted, happy to hear any form of action.
"Tyr how well known are you around the Draco Katzof at Earth?" Dylan turned to the weapons officer
"Not well around Earth" Tyr admitted, "However they hate all Kodiacs"
"Do you think they would be willing to sell you a slave?"
Tyr thought for a moment, knowing where Dylan was going with his idea. "Perhaps however if I was recognised-"
Beka sighed impatiently as Dylan and Tyr debated against each other. Images of Harper being tortured kept playing across her mind.
"Screw this" she muttered stalking out of command. The others looked up as she disappeared from view.
"Rommie where is she going?" Dylan asked moving across to follow his first officer
"She's heading towards the Maru. Fast." Rommie informed them.
"Damn it" Dylan muttered, chasing after her.
Beka ran down the corridor knowing Dylan and Tyr would be right behind her. Turning a corner Beka reached the Maru and boarded, slamming her hand over the lock. When she reached the pilot seat Dylan's face appeared on screen.
"Beka where do you think you're going?"
"You think I'm going to stay waiting around any longer while a member of my crew is in trouble?" Beka informed him.
"I'm not opening the hanger bay doors, so you might as well come back"
Beka simply grinned at the captain and switched the screen off. She turned to another console and typed in a few commands. She hadn't spent six years with Harper and not learnt a few new over ride codes.
The doors opened and Beka moved the Maru out into the black space, and a few seconds later she shot in to slipstream.