Author's Ramble- *shakes her head at her own stupidity* I wrote half of this chapter, didn't save and left the computer on for three days straight and well it crashed. I think I got must of it back but it was still very depressing.
I will finish this story it just could take a long time. I have a plan though but it will take at least 5 more chapters (hey I have about 3 or 4 years, I can't figure out where I am in the timeline).
I also have to say I have the most trouble writing Rev, so if anyone want to comment feel free, just be sure to tell me how to improve.
Oh and I promise next story the rambles won't be so long.
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Don't tell me everything is wonderful
When everything's not wonderful now
Wonderful-Everclear
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I can see him sneaking down the hallway. I know he thinks I haven't seen him. I could go chase him off to bed. Show him I still care. But will that be what I am showing him? He will just flash me a bright fake smile and a light laugh. I'll playfully run my hand through his hair and tell him to obey his captain followed by some nickname I have for him. It's always the same conversation these days. Sometimes Trance or Rev will be there and throw in some comment about him needing to heal or follow the wisdom of his captain.
Yeah that is all I am to him these days, his captain, his boss. At first he couldn't call me Beka, too informal. Then Boss was a nickname, like me calling him kid and shorty. But now it was a title, it was like he was stating my position to remind us both of where we stood with each other, employer and mudfoot. I miss him, my Harper; he is more than some mudfoot.
More than another crew member, he has become closer to me then Rafe was when we were growing up. And now like Rafe some words and actions have driven us apart. Oh Harper I can't lose you too. I have lost all my family before I am not losing my new family. Yes I did just call them family. That is what this crew is becoming and now I was sending them to do a job I know could kill one or all of us.
My thoughts are broken but the sound of Rev claws clicking on the metal deck. I turn to the magog who has become my elder who I turn to for wisdom. Mom use to say kids would turn to their grandparents for wisdom in the old days. I could just see Rev now with a gray beard, glasses, and a floppy fishing hat telling me to come sit on his knee and tell him my problems.
"Rebecca?" Although maybe I wasn't so far off as I recognized the questions in the single word. Are you alright, what is troubling you, how can I help you? Yup I had a grandpa who not only fished but ate the fish raw.
"I think this is one problem I am going to have to face on my own this time Rev."
"You know he isn't as far away as you think."
"Who?
"Master Harper, but it takes time and wood to build bridges and just one spark to burn them away."
"Thanks Rev, but the last one took so long."
"Yes Beka, but remember while it is gone, is foundation remains. The foundation is where the true strength of the building is."
The chime of an incoming message interrupts our conversation. The few words have given me hope. Now if I can get my hopes to become realities.
The incoming message was the latest info on our new haul. Man was the guy doing this a rat. I think he would have me fly the maru into the sun if it would bring the shipment an hour faster. He wanted me to fly through the worst territory for a worthless bunch of computer chips. He was paying me twice the going rate so I knew it wasn't the cargo he was making it out to be. But then it all went back to money. Without money I wouldn't go on this run. Without the run though and the money it would bring in, the ship wouldn't get repaired, the bills would pile up even more and most pressing of all Harper's arm wouldn't get fixed. Why did money have to be the source and solution to all life's troubles?
The quiet shuffling of feet told me Harper was wandering around behind me.
"Hey kid"
"Hey Boss." I kept me back turned grimacing at how he accented the word boss.
"Harper, we are going down planet side in a few days. Picking up the rest of the stuff for this haul and getting a doctor to look at your arm."
"Well don't bother if it's going to be too much money. A mudfoot like me is use to some kid who watched reruns of medical dramas. I understand how expensive a real doctor can be."
"Harper," I said turning around and reaching out for him. He wiggled out of my grasp wincing at the pain from his arm. "You're not some mudfoot and you're not just another crew member, your more you're my friend. I care for the mudfoot, I stick by my crew and I miss my friend." Harper just stared at me. He face wavered between his normal fake smile and confusion. "Harper…"
"Can it boss, I heard what you said, you think some fancy words can make the first words go away."
"Harper I was upset."
"Yeah and in my years I have learned that when people are upset is when their true feeling come out."
"You know what I was feeling Harper that day, I was upset your right. I was upset because someone I cared about got badly hurt for no good reason. I didn't care about the money or the ship, I cared about you. Harper I love you, you're my best friend and it broke my heart to see you hurt like that."
I felt my eyes start to water but I pushed away the tears. Somehow tears were not what I need right now. I leaned up against the wall my energy spent. I would never make him see. I had poured out my heart to him and he just continued standing there with that stupid painted on grin on his face.
"Beka?" I looked up. It was the first time he had called me by my name. "Bos..Beka…"
"Call me either, it's your call." The smile he shot back was as genuine as I have ever seen from Harper although it still didn't reach his eyes.
"Thanks Boss" He turned and walked out of the room. I debated following but maybe it would be better to let him think things though himself. Harper was anything simple with shorty around.
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Huge thanks to Raven and Parisindy for helping me out in this next part (ideas are wonderful to the writer block challenged. I can't believe how quickly you both returned my email.
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I don't remember how long it took to load the cargo. I just remember loading box after box of computer chips. That wouldn't have been so bad if Rev and I didn't also have to scan each one checking for weapons and drugs. I didn't trust this client and I remembered too well what the last set of computer chips I hauled turned out to be. Harper stayed in his room the whole time. Injured crew created doubts in the hauler abilities my father always said. Then again he always said the same thing about children and made me and Rafe stay in our room any time someone came aboard. Maybe it was more he didn't want them to see all the child labor laws he was bending with his two kids running the ship while he was high. Memories wouldn't help right now though.
After the ship was loaded I launched and put us into autopilot before we had even left the system. I crawled into bed and figured I could trust the maru to guild herself until morning. Until then my sore muscles what nothing more then some quality time with my bed.
I woke up as I hit the floor. For a moment I rubbed my hip wondering what had caused me to fall out of bed. The ship rocked again and the sound of phaser fire told me it wasn't a simple nightmare that had left me on the floor. I limped to the command deck my body still sore from loading and my hip protesting how I had woken up. Three ships filled the view port. What was going on?
Checking the charts on my right I saw we were right on the client's safe route. Nothing is safe these days I said with a laugh as I hopped into the polis chair. Harper stumbled on to the deck and his face told me his awakening had been more painful then mine. "Kid you might want to hold on to something, we're going on a ride." I turned on the coms for a moment "All hands brace for some fun kicking these…" but I was cut off by more fire. I twisted the maru around and search for a way out of the circle they had built around us. "Can you give me any kind of fire power Harper?"
"Only some small explosion from venting some gases but I don't think it will give us what we need."
"So we're going to do this the hard way aaa." I repositioned my grip on the controls and scanned the space ahead of me. 'Look for an opening' Rafe always said. 'They always leave one. It's like a magic trick; you just have to find what they don't want you to see.' A smile lit up my face when I saw the clear picture. It hard to describe how it all comes together, but in battle and flight suddenly I can just see what I need to do and what the solution is. To coin an earth phrase a light bulb goes on. I slip pass the two attacking fighters almost playing chicken with them as they fire at me. I then turn an open the slipstream portal the other one is guarding. It's a short trip trough and I lean back in the chair taking deep breaths when we are done.
"Boss your crazy." I hear Harper's voice behind me.
"You already knew that shorty."
"Yeah but you just proved it." I turn to look at him. His face is pale and I can see the pain in his eyes. His arm is tucked tightly against his body.
"You ok Harper."
"Nothing too bad."
"That's not what I asked."
"Really Boss I'll be fine till Trance gets up in the morning."
"But I'm up now." I heard our purple nurse chime in. She appeared behind Harper and somehow neither of us heard her coming. "Come on let me go take a look at you Harper." Harper sighed and walked off towards the main room that also served as medical, it did have the full first aid kit in it. I settled back down into the chair enjoying the moments clam and wondering what had happened to our strange but 'safe route.' My thoughts were interrupted by the chime of the com.
"What?" I said, not really caring who it was. The rat face of our client greeted me.
"Why are you off the route I gave you?"
"We were attacked on your safe route. I had to change the plans so the cargo would stay safe."
"Well get back on it."
"But there are ships waiting to shoot up my ship and steal you cargo. If I take my route you get your cargo and I keep my ship in one piece. Your route neither ones going to happen."
"I said get back on the route I gave you."
"Are you listening, I told you it's not a safe route."
"It's the route you will be taking unless you want me to charge you with breaking our contract and have the money I already gave you reposed."
"Fine, give me and my crew the night to rest and in the morning we will continue."
"I am not paying you to rest."
"Without rest you're not going to get any of the cargo you are paying for us to haul. Give us the night. I'll give you the rest of this haul, but we need one night."
"I should bring you up on charges but I will give you this one night and this one night only. For the rest of this trip you will be on my route and my route only, otherwise the deal is off." With that the screen flashed off and I was greeted with silence. Something about this deal was giving me a headache and I know it wasn't from falling out of bed. With a sigh I got up to check on Harper. It was going to be long week on the this route and I wanted to see if he was up for the repairs the maru was going to need to make it through. I could get out of the deal somehow if I had to, but it would be better just to go through with it for now. I had spent all the money.
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What if in the quest for profit you lose your soul
Pastor Scott
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