Chapter 4
Harper, for once, succintly and without editorializing, listed the various and increasingly serious injuries that Rhade had acquired. By the end of the somewhat long list, Beka's eyes had grown wide. Apart from the many bruises and scrapes that dotted his skin, Telemachus had broken his right arm in several places, mostly around his bone blades, as well as one of the blades itself, he had broken ribs and a fractured femur. "how are we supposed to help him?" Harper had never heard Beka speak in such a small and uncertain voice before. It only pointed out to him, once more, how much she really cared for this Nietszchean . As well as how much she was unaware of the fact.
"Don't worry boss, we'll find a way. We always do."
"Can't you help him here?" For the first time since she had entered the living quarters, Beka looked at the little girl who had not spoken until that moment.
"We'll have to find material to make some splints." Beka took a deep breath as she redirected her focus on survival of them all. And for a moment, she found it in herself to smile at the thought that she now had something in common with Nietszcheans. Now that she had something to do, an achievable and forseeable goal, she felt herself finding her calm. Looking to the crumbling, once peaceful Arcology right outside the windows, she directed her question at Harper. "We should get off Arcology. Who knows how well it'll hold up." Harper, too, looked outside the window an expression of sadness creeping over his features.
"Those Magog just can't leave anything nice and peaceful." he said, his tone regretful.
/DreamScape/
In A Different Time & Place
This world was not his own.
And yet at the same time it was. Rhade felt as if he was two people at the same time. And yet, those two people felt so similar to each other that he felt they were actually one person.
In this odd state, he watched through the stranger/non-stranger's eyes as he walked up to a man who had his back turned to them. The short, blond haired man -that's Harper, his subconscious informed him- turned, looking excited at the flexis in his hand, only to be punched in the face by them. As the young man recovered, turning over to face them, they took out their force lance and pointed it at him.
"Wandering all alone on a High Guard star ship. You're a brave little man." Rhade towered over Harper. "Hey, we saw her first. Open salvage, finders keepers." He didn't know whether to be proud of Harper's courage or to just shoot the idiot. -How do I know his name?- Rhade slammed his force lance into the little man's face. All the blond did was wince.
"Salvage? The Commonwealth sent you?" One side of them shuddered in horror at the possibility. The other found nothing wrong with it.
"Commonwealth?!" After a moment, the incredulous look on Harper's face disappeared, instead being replaced by an almost horrible realization. "You're with the original crew, right? You got stuck in time, didn't you?" Harper -I shouldn't know his name, yet- looked like he didn't know whether to be excited at the idea or to pity the man standing above him. "Oh man I've got news for you, pal. There is no Commonwealth. There hasn't been a Commonwealth for over three hundred years."
"Then this is a Nietszchean empire?" The stranger's voice and mind asked through his body. Was that a sliver of hope in his -their- voice? The look on the little man's face, dashed that quickly, though.
"NietszcheanEmpire?!! Please stop you're killing me." They felt anger at this little man who mocked them. Another hit to the face, courtesy of the force lance, showed that.
"Oww! Stop it you're killing me!"
At least this time, he wasn't mocking anyone.
/End DreamScape/
Beka had been concentrating on rewiring, though not very successfully, when she was rudely interrupted by a shout. Putting her zapped finger in her mouth, a frown on her face at the sudden interruption she looked at the cause of her problem. Sharla stood in the doorway. There was a short moment where Beka was going to scold her but the look on the young girl's face stopped her. She looked terrified.
"Sharla, what's wrong?"
"Something's wrong with Rhade." The girl gasped out. Beka forgot her small problems immediately, dropping the tool in her hand to the ground and running out after the girl. They made their way to Rhade's room quickly and Beka was glad, at that moment, that Sharla had been there.
Rhade was thrashing around. He looked as if he was having a minor seizure.
"Harper, get in here!" she yelled, hoping that her voice would carry far enough. The two held the taller man as tight as they could. Beka looked at Rhade, and for a while there, holding his chest down seemed far away from the two of them. Ignoring her surroundings, she leaned closer to him, close enough to feel his uneven breaths, and spoke to him.
"It's cold here Rhade. I almost lost you once, I won't again. Not again." The cold feeling of despair passed through her as she watched Rhade continue to thrash. She barely notice Harper's arrival. Instead, she leaned closer. "don't leave me." she whispered. It felt like forever before she felt the thrashing first slow, then, eventually, stop all together.
For a moment all she could do was stay in her place, still holding him down as if he were still moving. And then, like a puppet with it's strings cut, she slumped down. Leaning her cheek on his and cradling his face with her hand, she just listened t him breathe for a minute, thankful with all her soul that she could hear that wonderful sound.
That turned sour a moment later, when she realised that the wetness she felt on her cheek was neither sweat nor tears.
It was blood.
His blood.
TBC...
I never realized how beautiful reviews were until I got them. And please don't be afraid to do constructive criticism. Flaming...bad - Construction...gooooood. :)
Harper, for once, succintly and without editorializing, listed the various and increasingly serious injuries that Rhade had acquired. By the end of the somewhat long list, Beka's eyes had grown wide. Apart from the many bruises and scrapes that dotted his skin, Telemachus had broken his right arm in several places, mostly around his bone blades, as well as one of the blades itself, he had broken ribs and a fractured femur. "how are we supposed to help him?" Harper had never heard Beka speak in such a small and uncertain voice before. It only pointed out to him, once more, how much she really cared for this Nietszchean . As well as how much she was unaware of the fact.
"Don't worry boss, we'll find a way. We always do."
"Can't you help him here?" For the first time since she had entered the living quarters, Beka looked at the little girl who had not spoken until that moment.
"We'll have to find material to make some splints." Beka took a deep breath as she redirected her focus on survival of them all. And for a moment, she found it in herself to smile at the thought that she now had something in common with Nietszcheans. Now that she had something to do, an achievable and forseeable goal, she felt herself finding her calm. Looking to the crumbling, once peaceful Arcology right outside the windows, she directed her question at Harper. "We should get off Arcology. Who knows how well it'll hold up." Harper, too, looked outside the window an expression of sadness creeping over his features.
"Those Magog just can't leave anything nice and peaceful." he said, his tone regretful.
/DreamScape/
In A Different Time & Place
This world was not his own.
And yet at the same time it was. Rhade felt as if he was two people at the same time. And yet, those two people felt so similar to each other that he felt they were actually one person.
In this odd state, he watched through the stranger/non-stranger's eyes as he walked up to a man who had his back turned to them. The short, blond haired man -that's Harper, his subconscious informed him- turned, looking excited at the flexis in his hand, only to be punched in the face by them. As the young man recovered, turning over to face them, they took out their force lance and pointed it at him.
"Wandering all alone on a High Guard star ship. You're a brave little man." Rhade towered over Harper. "Hey, we saw her first. Open salvage, finders keepers." He didn't know whether to be proud of Harper's courage or to just shoot the idiot. -How do I know his name?- Rhade slammed his force lance into the little man's face. All the blond did was wince.
"Salvage? The Commonwealth sent you?" One side of them shuddered in horror at the possibility. The other found nothing wrong with it.
"Commonwealth?!" After a moment, the incredulous look on Harper's face disappeared, instead being replaced by an almost horrible realization. "You're with the original crew, right? You got stuck in time, didn't you?" Harper -I shouldn't know his name, yet- looked like he didn't know whether to be excited at the idea or to pity the man standing above him. "Oh man I've got news for you, pal. There is no Commonwealth. There hasn't been a Commonwealth for over three hundred years."
"Then this is a Nietszchean empire?" The stranger's voice and mind asked through his body. Was that a sliver of hope in his -their- voice? The look on the little man's face, dashed that quickly, though.
"NietszcheanEmpire?!! Please stop you're killing me." They felt anger at this little man who mocked them. Another hit to the face, courtesy of the force lance, showed that.
"Oww! Stop it you're killing me!"
At least this time, he wasn't mocking anyone.
/End DreamScape/
Beka had been concentrating on rewiring, though not very successfully, when she was rudely interrupted by a shout. Putting her zapped finger in her mouth, a frown on her face at the sudden interruption she looked at the cause of her problem. Sharla stood in the doorway. There was a short moment where Beka was going to scold her but the look on the young girl's face stopped her. She looked terrified.
"Sharla, what's wrong?"
"Something's wrong with Rhade." The girl gasped out. Beka forgot her small problems immediately, dropping the tool in her hand to the ground and running out after the girl. They made their way to Rhade's room quickly and Beka was glad, at that moment, that Sharla had been there.
Rhade was thrashing around. He looked as if he was having a minor seizure.
"Harper, get in here!" she yelled, hoping that her voice would carry far enough. The two held the taller man as tight as they could. Beka looked at Rhade, and for a while there, holding his chest down seemed far away from the two of them. Ignoring her surroundings, she leaned closer to him, close enough to feel his uneven breaths, and spoke to him.
"It's cold here Rhade. I almost lost you once, I won't again. Not again." The cold feeling of despair passed through her as she watched Rhade continue to thrash. She barely notice Harper's arrival. Instead, she leaned closer. "don't leave me." she whispered. It felt like forever before she felt the thrashing first slow, then, eventually, stop all together.
For a moment all she could do was stay in her place, still holding him down as if he were still moving. And then, like a puppet with it's strings cut, she slumped down. Leaning her cheek on his and cradling his face with her hand, she just listened t him breathe for a minute, thankful with all her soul that she could hear that wonderful sound.
That turned sour a moment later, when she realised that the wetness she felt on her cheek was neither sweat nor tears.
It was blood.
His blood.
TBC...
I never realized how beautiful reviews were until I got them. And please don't be afraid to do constructive criticism. Flaming...bad - Construction...gooooood. :)