**Just wanted to say thank you kindly, in advance, for any feedback. And
thank you to those who have left it already. I hope you enjoy this ride!
I know I had fun writing this.
Anna
Chapter Two
Beka drummed on the green tabletop impatiently. Things had been way too quiet onboard the Andromeda for the past four months, two of which had been spent kissing up to a system of feathery bird-people. Sure, they'd signed the charter, but without a space fleet, what good were they? Dylan acted like it was the biggest score in the Universe. Maybe to the Captain every tiny victory was vital, but those people couldn't even watch Andromeda's back. They couldn't even offer up supplies. Their food was disgusting and a human couldn't drink their water without contracting a revolting disease. She scowled, thankful that at the very least, she no longer had to listen to their tweeting, whistling speech. It grated on her every nerve like fingernails scraped on a chalkboard. There had been little for her to do as Dylan handled all of the negotiations and she was bored, itching for some action. Harper's little toy hardly qualified, but it was a distraction. There were some ancient tunes her father had played for her that she needed to find. She glared at the door. Harper was late. Tendrils of steam from her stew drifted across her line of sight.
"Beka? Beka?" Trance's singsong voice cut into her reverie.
"Huh?" She glanced at the plum colored girl seated across from her.
"Your food's getting cold. You always say Verilian rabbit stew is nasty when it's cold."
Her gaze dropped to her bowl. "Um, yeah, very nasty. Disgusting actually. Doesn't even taste like meat when it's cold. Thanks, Trance." She smiled and was glad to see relief spread across the girl's face. It always felt good to see the purple sparkly girl happy, though Trance was nearly always happy. Sometimes her suspicious nature made her wonder if it was all an act. No one could be that happy, that naive. She shoveled a spoonful of quickly cooling stew into her mouth, chewing without tasting. Her gaze drifted back to the door.
Trance chewed slowly, swallowed. She watched Beka watch the door. "He'll be here soon. If not, we can sic Tyr on him."
Beka chuckled, glancing up at the plum colored girl. "Those two have become a little too buddy-buddy for me."
"Mm, I've noticed Tyr no longer wants to grind him to dust." Trance smiled broadly and waggled her violet eyebrows.
The door whooshed open and Harper scurried in, wrapped in wiring, carrying two boxes of different sizes.
The two women exchanged looks as the young man hurried by without acknowledging them. In a flurry of motion, he set up the equipment on the main counter and plugged in the power. He whirled with a flourish.
"Prepare to be amazed, ladies. The Magnificent Harper your Engineer Extraordinaire has done it again!" He tapped a button.
In the dimly lit space between the tables and banks of food replicators, a man materialized, seated at a black grand piano with swept back dark hair and dark sunglasses. He began to play the first soft notes of a ballad. His voice was deep, strong and mournful. Harper stepped from behind the singer and extended both arms toward the hologram. "Ta-da!"
Both women applauded wildly. Beka jumped to her feet to get a better look. In a corner of the room, Rev looked up from the live salmon flopping on his tray to see what was happening.
"Wonderful, Harper!" Trance crowed.
Beka narrowed her eyes at the piano man. "Nice, Seamus, but can ya speed it up a bit? This guy's depressing."
"Of course, I can. Don't give me that look. It works, doesn't it?" He caught the skeptical look she threw at him. "Well, okay, so it doesn't exactly work yet. But I'm working on it. Hey, genius isn't easy. And besides, when I came up with this I was all souped up on knowledge. Now I gotta sift through the wreckage of Hurricane Harper and find a coherent path. Don't worry. I'll get the bugs worked out."
"So, no we can't choose what we want to hear yet," she clarified, hands on hips.
A sheepish look crossed his face. He tossed her a small remote control with an LED screen. He raised his chin in defiance and flashed her a cocky grin. "No. But you can always change the channel until you find one you like. I'm sure there are plenty you'll like since it has access to just about every musician in the old Commonwealth history who ever got on vids or an interview. As an extra-special bonus, I'm working on adding depth by incorporating non-musical data into the basic database. They'll be more real then. You might even be able to have a conversation with them. Of course, I don't have access to any recent bands yet. But, I'm working on updating Rommie's archives with the most current, hot and trendy tunes of the last three hundred years. When it's completed this project will blow you away with its style, grace and reach-out-and-touch-'em reality."
"Cool!" She examined the control quickly and punched the button several times, switching between different bands. Immersed in the new technology, she completely tuned out her surroundings.
Feeling ignored, Harper went in search of food to stave off his gnawing hunger. He watched her as he waited for his food to cook, shaking his head in wonder at the childish glee transforming her face from the diligent starship Captain to a gorgeous happy blond.
As he set his tray with drink and a bowl of thick stew on the table beside Trance, a loud, twanging guitar note jarred the air. Startled, he dropped his tray the last few inches. Stew and French fries with gravy slopped onto the polished green tabletop, splashing his purple friend's arm. "Ack, way to go, Boss Lady," he exclaimed, wiping gravy from Trance's sleeve with his cloth napkin. "Sorry, Trance."
The beat pounded at a furious pace. Beka bounced back to them, turned her chair backward and straddled it, setting the remote on her tray. Trance gave her a pained look, cradling her arm. The gravy had been just hot enough to cause a mild burn.
Harper covered his ears with a grimace. "And you didn't like MY music?" he shouted over the steel guitars. The sound echoed through the small mess hall, compounding the volume. "What is this?"
Unnoticed, Rev winced at the beat, stood and carried his tray from the room to eat in the quiet of his quarters.
Beka flashed him a wide smile, her perfect white teeth sparkling in the light. "Something my Dad called Country. He really liked it, though I don't remember it being so loud." She frowned and cocked her head as she tried to decipher her memories. Most were distant and foggy, buried behind years of denial.
Harper widened his eyes in exasperation and poked at his food. It was usually best not to argue with the Acting First Officer. She could be quite demanding and hardheaded at times, not that he would ever admit that to her. He shuddered as he remembered the beatings she'd sanctioned against him when he was new to her crew. As Captain of the Eureka Maru, a pirate ship, Beka Valentine had been ruthless and mean at times. If she thought you had double-crossed her or shirked your responsibilities, she stood by and allowed her First Officer/boyfriend to beat the crap out of you. They'd been through a lot since she'd given the boyfriend the boot; fights and life threatening situations in which they learned to depend on each other. It had taken a long time for him to trust her. Now, though he knew she'd grown fond of him, when she was in a rage he'd sometimes involuntarily flinch when she strode toward him. He swallowed hard, putting the past in its place. They got along like estranged siblings these days. Times change. Right now, he had a problem to solve and he loved puzzles. The question was how would he retrieve Sophie. He had to see her again. He was just that lonely.
"Um, Beka, this song is...nice, but, it's so loud my stomach's getting all queasy and stuff so could you-" Trance began.
"Gotcha!" Beka lowered the volume until they no longer had to shout to converse. "So, Trance, what d'ya think?"
Trance gave her a deer-in-the-headlights look. "It's different. Is it all so...fast?"
"They sound like they're on Flash," Harper quipped.
Beka shot him a challenging look. "And your squealing guitars sounded like a tortured animal."
He flinched but didn't back down. "Hey, at least they-"
"Guys! Guys!" Trance cut in. "I came in here to eat, not to watch you spar. You're not helping my digestion."
Beka and Harper exchanged sheepish looks. At that moment the music changed to a Perseid song that none had ever heard before. Its uneven rhythms and soft notes were strangely soothing. They continued the meal in near total silence.
All through the meal, Harper's subconscious replayed Sophie's image and song. She seemed to have so much more in common with him than either of the women at the table with him. His stomach clenched so that his food churned. He tried to eat but heartburn stabbed his chest. He tossed down his spoon in disgust. He knew he would get no sleep and not be able to eat until he solved the problem that nagged him. He shoved his tray away so suddenly that both women turned wide-eyed gazes to him. Noticing their stares, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "All right! It's this project. It's' got me all tied in knots and chompin' at the bit to finish it. I mean, sheesh, I have boards to resequence, files to scan, codes to break, parts to find and wiring to-"
"Yeah, yeah, typical Harper stuff," Beka broke in, waving her fork at him dismissively. "Now you're disrupting MY digestion."
Harper rolled his eyes. Exasperation welled up in him. He was tired of being taken for granted, treated like a child. Everyone was going stir- crazy. Even a ship the Andromeda's size couldn't keep them occupied completely. It was becoming a prison, more so because he was trapped aboard with three beautiful women whom he couldn't touch. The months blended together in strings of diplomatic pleas, bargaining, parties and the same old political crap. Where was the fun in that? He couldn't even remember individual days anymore. "Whatever, I'm outta here."
Beka ignored him, not looking up from her food. After he'd gone, she flipped between the groups happily until she found another that made Trance wince.
TBC in ch3
Chapter Two
Beka drummed on the green tabletop impatiently. Things had been way too quiet onboard the Andromeda for the past four months, two of which had been spent kissing up to a system of feathery bird-people. Sure, they'd signed the charter, but without a space fleet, what good were they? Dylan acted like it was the biggest score in the Universe. Maybe to the Captain every tiny victory was vital, but those people couldn't even watch Andromeda's back. They couldn't even offer up supplies. Their food was disgusting and a human couldn't drink their water without contracting a revolting disease. She scowled, thankful that at the very least, she no longer had to listen to their tweeting, whistling speech. It grated on her every nerve like fingernails scraped on a chalkboard. There had been little for her to do as Dylan handled all of the negotiations and she was bored, itching for some action. Harper's little toy hardly qualified, but it was a distraction. There were some ancient tunes her father had played for her that she needed to find. She glared at the door. Harper was late. Tendrils of steam from her stew drifted across her line of sight.
"Beka? Beka?" Trance's singsong voice cut into her reverie.
"Huh?" She glanced at the plum colored girl seated across from her.
"Your food's getting cold. You always say Verilian rabbit stew is nasty when it's cold."
Her gaze dropped to her bowl. "Um, yeah, very nasty. Disgusting actually. Doesn't even taste like meat when it's cold. Thanks, Trance." She smiled and was glad to see relief spread across the girl's face. It always felt good to see the purple sparkly girl happy, though Trance was nearly always happy. Sometimes her suspicious nature made her wonder if it was all an act. No one could be that happy, that naive. She shoveled a spoonful of quickly cooling stew into her mouth, chewing without tasting. Her gaze drifted back to the door.
Trance chewed slowly, swallowed. She watched Beka watch the door. "He'll be here soon. If not, we can sic Tyr on him."
Beka chuckled, glancing up at the plum colored girl. "Those two have become a little too buddy-buddy for me."
"Mm, I've noticed Tyr no longer wants to grind him to dust." Trance smiled broadly and waggled her violet eyebrows.
The door whooshed open and Harper scurried in, wrapped in wiring, carrying two boxes of different sizes.
The two women exchanged looks as the young man hurried by without acknowledging them. In a flurry of motion, he set up the equipment on the main counter and plugged in the power. He whirled with a flourish.
"Prepare to be amazed, ladies. The Magnificent Harper your Engineer Extraordinaire has done it again!" He tapped a button.
In the dimly lit space between the tables and banks of food replicators, a man materialized, seated at a black grand piano with swept back dark hair and dark sunglasses. He began to play the first soft notes of a ballad. His voice was deep, strong and mournful. Harper stepped from behind the singer and extended both arms toward the hologram. "Ta-da!"
Both women applauded wildly. Beka jumped to her feet to get a better look. In a corner of the room, Rev looked up from the live salmon flopping on his tray to see what was happening.
"Wonderful, Harper!" Trance crowed.
Beka narrowed her eyes at the piano man. "Nice, Seamus, but can ya speed it up a bit? This guy's depressing."
"Of course, I can. Don't give me that look. It works, doesn't it?" He caught the skeptical look she threw at him. "Well, okay, so it doesn't exactly work yet. But I'm working on it. Hey, genius isn't easy. And besides, when I came up with this I was all souped up on knowledge. Now I gotta sift through the wreckage of Hurricane Harper and find a coherent path. Don't worry. I'll get the bugs worked out."
"So, no we can't choose what we want to hear yet," she clarified, hands on hips.
A sheepish look crossed his face. He tossed her a small remote control with an LED screen. He raised his chin in defiance and flashed her a cocky grin. "No. But you can always change the channel until you find one you like. I'm sure there are plenty you'll like since it has access to just about every musician in the old Commonwealth history who ever got on vids or an interview. As an extra-special bonus, I'm working on adding depth by incorporating non-musical data into the basic database. They'll be more real then. You might even be able to have a conversation with them. Of course, I don't have access to any recent bands yet. But, I'm working on updating Rommie's archives with the most current, hot and trendy tunes of the last three hundred years. When it's completed this project will blow you away with its style, grace and reach-out-and-touch-'em reality."
"Cool!" She examined the control quickly and punched the button several times, switching between different bands. Immersed in the new technology, she completely tuned out her surroundings.
Feeling ignored, Harper went in search of food to stave off his gnawing hunger. He watched her as he waited for his food to cook, shaking his head in wonder at the childish glee transforming her face from the diligent starship Captain to a gorgeous happy blond.
As he set his tray with drink and a bowl of thick stew on the table beside Trance, a loud, twanging guitar note jarred the air. Startled, he dropped his tray the last few inches. Stew and French fries with gravy slopped onto the polished green tabletop, splashing his purple friend's arm. "Ack, way to go, Boss Lady," he exclaimed, wiping gravy from Trance's sleeve with his cloth napkin. "Sorry, Trance."
The beat pounded at a furious pace. Beka bounced back to them, turned her chair backward and straddled it, setting the remote on her tray. Trance gave her a pained look, cradling her arm. The gravy had been just hot enough to cause a mild burn.
Harper covered his ears with a grimace. "And you didn't like MY music?" he shouted over the steel guitars. The sound echoed through the small mess hall, compounding the volume. "What is this?"
Unnoticed, Rev winced at the beat, stood and carried his tray from the room to eat in the quiet of his quarters.
Beka flashed him a wide smile, her perfect white teeth sparkling in the light. "Something my Dad called Country. He really liked it, though I don't remember it being so loud." She frowned and cocked her head as she tried to decipher her memories. Most were distant and foggy, buried behind years of denial.
Harper widened his eyes in exasperation and poked at his food. It was usually best not to argue with the Acting First Officer. She could be quite demanding and hardheaded at times, not that he would ever admit that to her. He shuddered as he remembered the beatings she'd sanctioned against him when he was new to her crew. As Captain of the Eureka Maru, a pirate ship, Beka Valentine had been ruthless and mean at times. If she thought you had double-crossed her or shirked your responsibilities, she stood by and allowed her First Officer/boyfriend to beat the crap out of you. They'd been through a lot since she'd given the boyfriend the boot; fights and life threatening situations in which they learned to depend on each other. It had taken a long time for him to trust her. Now, though he knew she'd grown fond of him, when she was in a rage he'd sometimes involuntarily flinch when she strode toward him. He swallowed hard, putting the past in its place. They got along like estranged siblings these days. Times change. Right now, he had a problem to solve and he loved puzzles. The question was how would he retrieve Sophie. He had to see her again. He was just that lonely.
"Um, Beka, this song is...nice, but, it's so loud my stomach's getting all queasy and stuff so could you-" Trance began.
"Gotcha!" Beka lowered the volume until they no longer had to shout to converse. "So, Trance, what d'ya think?"
Trance gave her a deer-in-the-headlights look. "It's different. Is it all so...fast?"
"They sound like they're on Flash," Harper quipped.
Beka shot him a challenging look. "And your squealing guitars sounded like a tortured animal."
He flinched but didn't back down. "Hey, at least they-"
"Guys! Guys!" Trance cut in. "I came in here to eat, not to watch you spar. You're not helping my digestion."
Beka and Harper exchanged sheepish looks. At that moment the music changed to a Perseid song that none had ever heard before. Its uneven rhythms and soft notes were strangely soothing. They continued the meal in near total silence.
All through the meal, Harper's subconscious replayed Sophie's image and song. She seemed to have so much more in common with him than either of the women at the table with him. His stomach clenched so that his food churned. He tried to eat but heartburn stabbed his chest. He tossed down his spoon in disgust. He knew he would get no sleep and not be able to eat until he solved the problem that nagged him. He shoved his tray away so suddenly that both women turned wide-eyed gazes to him. Noticing their stares, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "All right! It's this project. It's' got me all tied in knots and chompin' at the bit to finish it. I mean, sheesh, I have boards to resequence, files to scan, codes to break, parts to find and wiring to-"
"Yeah, yeah, typical Harper stuff," Beka broke in, waving her fork at him dismissively. "Now you're disrupting MY digestion."
Harper rolled his eyes. Exasperation welled up in him. He was tired of being taken for granted, treated like a child. Everyone was going stir- crazy. Even a ship the Andromeda's size couldn't keep them occupied completely. It was becoming a prison, more so because he was trapped aboard with three beautiful women whom he couldn't touch. The months blended together in strings of diplomatic pleas, bargaining, parties and the same old political crap. Where was the fun in that? He couldn't even remember individual days anymore. "Whatever, I'm outta here."
Beka ignored him, not looking up from her food. After he'd gone, she flipped between the groups happily until she found another that made Trance wince.
TBC in ch3