A/N- sorry (it's short, it took forever to get out, and it's a cliffhanger)… school sucks….here comes Harper, this is still all from Beka's point of view.
?- are the songs and quotes adding or taking away… tell me the truth
~~~*~~~
Maybe there's a God above
And all I ever learned from love,
Is how to shoot someone who out drew you.
Halleluiah
~~~*~~~
I stood staring at the airlock. I didn't realize how long I had been there. I didn't even hear Harper walk up behind me. I don't know how long he stood there, looking at me, looking at an airlock. It was just a door. A door that people used to get on and off the ship. How many times had I walked through that airlock? How many times had I stood in front of it saying goodbye? How many more people would leave me through this door?
"Whach ya looking at boss?" The voice made me jump. I turned around reaching for the gun I keep on my hip at all times. "Woo woo," he shouted putting he's hands out and backing up. "I didn't mean to startle you,"
I relaxed and took my hand off of the gun. It was just the mudfoot. What was I going to do with him? He wouldn't eat much I could tell that by looking at him. A strong breeze could blow him over he was so thin. He stood about the same height as me. I could easily take him in a fight. He wouldn't be a danger to me, I could tell that from looking at him. I would keep him around until I got tired of him or he jumped ship. I could use an engineer that knew what he was doing. I could do most of the repairs but it would be nice to have a spare hand.
"Ummm, boss?"
"Yeah"
"Just checking you were kinda staring off into space, you going to do something with the airlock or just stare at it all night?"
"It's night already."
"Ya, you've been looking at the airlock for about three hours since we threw Bobby out. I mean I don't know the guy but…"
"No you didn't know him. The crew quarters are down the hall. Pick any bunk you want there and sheets and all that in the closet on the wall. Mess is to the right. If you're hungry there is some food in the storage bins. Do you need anything else?"
"No, "I'll be fine. How about you?"
"Listen we just met I don't want to be spilling my life story"
"That's fine I bet you could beat my life at some points. Magog invading my village, watching my cousins die of infestation, eating dirt to keep my stomach full…."
"I don't want to hear your life story either!"
You might not want to hear it but I have to tell it. You see I can't keep it inside; talking helps the pain go away. Remember that."
"Excuse me you're a mudfoot not at quack."
"I'm a little bit of everything."
"Well fine mister knower of all, genius of the universe why don't you go impart you wisdom to someone else and leave me alone."
"Later Captain"
I heard him walk with his feet dragging down the hallway. Harper, he was just another crew member, another mouth to feed before they got tired of her and left, it was a never ending cycle.
~~~*~~~
"You need something kid," I asked. That mudfoot was always hanging in the shadows around me when he finished a job, too timid to ask for another job but not stupid enough to wait for me to find him. After the first day he came aboard he hadn't talked much at all, well not to me. I had heard him talking to the ship. Actually it was more like flirting with the ship; it made me laugh every time I heard him. 'Come on baby, be a good girl for Harper, you know you want to.' I was used to the strange behaviors of crew members but flirting with the ship was a new one.
I missed the sounds of crew on a ship. It was too quiet without Bobby or my dad around. Harper was so quiet it was easy to forget he was around. Although every time I had forgotten about him he popped up talking about some sort of nonsense thing. He never talked and when he did he didn't make any sense. Well I had put up with weird crew members before I could do it again.
"Nope, I'm fine Boss. You have something you need done?" He still stood in the shadows leaning up against the wall. Normally he sprung up from were he was when I entered a room and ran to see what I needed. His whole posture was wrong.
"You sure you ok Kid?"
"Yup fine!" He answered so quickly almost declaring something was wrong. What did he do? What was he up to?
"Did you finish the last of those repairs on the drive?"
"Yea but we are going to need some parts before I can finish it completely."
"Alright" I start towards engineering motioning Harper to follow. I wanted to see these repairs. Why was he behaving so strangely had he done something to my ship?
I got to the drive and started to crawl under to see the repair work when I heard a thump. I turned around at the noise and saw Harper passed out on the deck.