Chapter 4

Harper approached the Maru's landing site, only to find that it was no longer there. He couldent belive it.

"Oh no... she left me... she..." He said to himself. He dropped to the floor and began to cry. As he sobbed helplessly on the sandy ground, his communicater began to bleep. He answerd his incoming call and sobbed into the inter-com.

"Hello, Whoever you are please dont make my life anymore difficult than it allready is..."

"What harper?" Beka replied over the communications link. Harpers sad face turned to one of joy as a confused Beka tried to work out why he was crying.

"Beka!" Harper cried. "Beka! I thought you had left me"

"Umm..." Beka said in confusment, "Ohhh, the maru. I had to move it, apparently i was on some guys private land"

"Oh... I knew that!" Harper lied, quickly wiping his tears away and standing up of the floor.

"Err, Ok harper" Beka replied "Oh, i was calling to tell you to get over here"

"Why? Are you finally gonna let me have some food? Im starvin!"

"Haha, No, You aint getting any food untill you find that lense. I need you to come here to meet our new E.S officer"

"What? You found somebody?"

"Yep, And i think you would like her"

"Her?" Harper said, his face lighting up.

"Yeah, Get your but over here Harp, Beka out" Beka finished, cutting the comunications link. Harper began to make his way towards the bar, as he mumbled to himself about how hungry he was and how evil Beka was for not letting him have any food.

Trance smiled at Beka, she was talking about what sort of plants she would have to look after and what sort of things were to be done in her upcoming job.

"What about payment?" Trance asked Beka's face changed from a smile to a frown. She had forgotten all about the fact that she had no cash, after spending it all on the lenses, which had been stolen.

"Well…you see…" She started nervously.

Harper walked in the bar and searched through the people who were either slumping over after drinking or trying to chat some one up. Then he spotted Beka, sitting next to a. purple girl, Harpers eyes widened, it was the

"THEIF, BEKA IT THE THEIF!" He shouted to her,

Beka sho her head up to Harper and looked slightly annoyed,

"Theif, who, Harper don't mess with me…ok."

"I'm not, that's her Beka, it the thief, the purple…thing." Harper wasn't sure what Trance was, he pulled his gun and aimed it at Trances collar bone.

"Harper don't be ridiculous, I mean this is our new ES officer"

"I'm not, that's her, she stole the lenses."

"No…I didn't…what's a lenses?" Trance put the most innocent look on ever.

"Harper, look at her…she's too…innocent…" Beka pointed out as Trance looked at her.

"That's what I though…until she stabbed me in the back."

"Why would she steal something from us, then come and work for us?"

"Because shes…ummm…stupid?" He tried his best to convince Beka that Trance was the thief.
"No, I think the only stupid person in here…is you Harper."

"What, Beka believe me! It was her, honest!"

"It could have been some one else who looks like her…" Beka tried to say before being interrupted by Harper,

"Oh yeah, the tails a dead give away…"

"How do you know?" Trance said with a mysterious smile. Harper didn't really know what to say after that, Beka just rolled her eyes.

"Come on Trance…lets get going, ill show you around the Maru." Beka led Trance out of

the bar towards the small ship.

"YOU'LL REGRET THIS!" Harper shouted after Beka, as he walked out of the bar, he sighed.

"Wait a minute…there's a thief on board….and my rooms on board…those two things don't mix.." Harper ran after his boss and the thief.

Beka and Trance walked onto the Maru, Trance looked slightly alarmed as a maggog with a brown cloak on came towards Beka, she gave her a concerned look.

"Don't be alarmed, he's a wayist, he wouldn't hurt you."

Trance frowned, still feeling a bit scared.

"Beka, welcome back." Rev smiled to Beka , then turned to Trance, he looked suspiciously at her,

"Hmmm…I see you have found a new ES officer." He asked

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well i.." Rev was interrupted by a shouting and panting Harper running onto the ship,

"DON'T LOOK UNDER MY PILLOW!" He shouted pointing at Trance , she looked at him strangely.

"Don't ask Trance no body knows what is under there…." Beka muttered so Trance could hear.

"Ok…" she nodded.

"It is nice to meet you young one.." Rev bowed to Trance

"Ya, nice to meet you too, my names Trance, Trance Gemini." She shook hands (well Revs claws) with the maggog.

"DON'T TRUST HER REV, SHES A THEIF!" Harper screamed, making Trance and Beka jump.

"Harper, look at me…we all know your crazy, but you don't have to broad cast it to the world." Beka tilted her head and smiled, she gave a small chuckle before walking into the tiny kitchen and grabbing a beer what was stored in a cupboard above a small table.

Trance slowly made her way towards where Beka was, Rev followed. Harper stood near the door, still annoyed from what Beka had just said.

Later that night Harper was lying in his bed and looking at the ceiling, he was playing with a bouncy ball he had got form earth, bouncing it from the bed to the ceiling, catching it then starting again, that was when Beka walked in.

"Boss can I just have a word with you, please?" Harper asked

"What?"

"Beka, I swear, it was her…she did it…look at her she's a maniac!"

Beka looked through the door to see Trance, who was now occupying herself by jumping up and down, looking at the ceiling and smiling.

"Ya, wouldn't want to run into her in the dark." She said sarcastically, raising a eyebrow.

"Well…she might look.. cute there, but she might just steal the Maru and then where would you be?"

"Harper, she may be a thief…maybe, but what did you used to do?"

Harper thought and then realised what she was saying.

"I used…to….steal…"

"And why?"

"For food, cloths, to live…" Harpers memories from Earth came back to him, it had been horrible back then, he realised what Trance had been going through on the horrible planet.

"Exactly…so just do me a favour, trust her, please. Or at least think about it." Beka then left him to think about what she had said, and Harper did, he was interrupted by a young purple girl walking into the room.

"Hey…"He said, sitting up on his bed, she sat next to him and sighed.

"Look, sorry for ya know, stealing the lensey thingy, I just didn't have any food and clothes and…" she was silent… "Please, this is the only job I have got what im good at…"

"Don't worry, when I lived on Earth, I had to steal to survive and to eat, me and my cousin Brendan used to steal from markets and well anyone who we could." Harper nodded in understandment,

"Thanks, im real glad you understand…" The purple alien then stood up and smiled at Harper she walked out of the room to find Beka. It took Harper a few days to get used to Trance, but in the end he started to trust her more, and slowly become her friend.

Beka looked at the rat nosed knight sider looking at her, he had beady eyes and frizzy hair. Trance and Harper and Rev all watched carefully as the two of them looked straight at each other.

"Captain Valentine, I am to under stand that you are in search of a mattelenses, Am I right?"

"Yes you are… a thief got away with ours, what is it to you anyway Gerentex?" Beka took her time to

"Its just that, I have one, for a small favour you can have it." He smiled evilly at Beka.

"What would that favour be?" She felt dis-comforted by his rough voice,

"To help me find a ship…"

"What ship?"

"The Andromeda Ascendence.."

Harper gasped, Beka looked confused

"That's ships a legend…" She frowned at him

"I know, but legends say that the high guard ship is still out there."

"Look, if this is some stupid plan to take us to some rock, leave us there and take my ship, its not going to happen."

"Did you not hear a word I just said?"

"Oh please, like its really there!"

"Captain, you will get equal shares of the Andromeda."

"So your selling it?"

"Yes. And you and all your crew will get equal shares and a new mattelenses"

"How am I sure that your telling the truth?"

"Are you in, or not?" Gerentex looked her straight in the eyes., not bothering to answer the question before.

"Let me just talk to my crew about this, and well get back to you!" Beka narrowed her eyes before turning back to Trance, Rev and Harper. They all talked in low voices and whispers about wherever to go, or not to.

"I don't know Beka. He looks a little…cheap, don't ya think?" Harper asked his boss,

"Harper, he just came from the planet we're on, what do you expect?" Trance asked in a whisper.

"True, but come on, look at those clothes." Harper looked at Gerentex's horrible flared clothes.

"We need the money." Beka said, she hadn't been paying attention to what they had been saying, just think about what was needed, and money was one of them.

"Yeah but…"

"No, Harper we need the lenses and the money ,no doubt about it."

"Beka, I advise that you go to your needs and follow what path you like. Whatever one, I am going to be behind you all the way." Rev nodded.

"Well, I think that im going to go down the path that leads me to fortune, and a working ship."

"Bah, im right behind ya boss." Harper said,

"Trance?" All three of them turned to Trance,

"Im fine with anything you do Beka." She replied. Beka smiled before standing up and looking to Gerentex,

"Ok, but if this leads to any danger for me or any of MY crew, then you will pay, and not with money." She threatened there new employee.

"Excellent, but ill need to connect my pod to this…ship, if that's ok?" Gerentex looked around the room.
"Fine, Fine, but remember, you touch my crew, then you are so dead."

"Great, my cargo pod is orbiting this planet."

"Okay, but first of all we need the lenses."

"Fine, ill get my men to fit it in."

"No thanks, I think ill have my engineer fit it. Pass me it." Gerentex passed the lenses to Beka.

"More work for me? Why me!" Harper asked in disappointment. With one look from Beka Harper nodded,

"Ill get right to it boss."

"I thought that's what you said." Beka smiled as Harper scurried away with the mattelenses after taking it from her.

Beka was sitting in her piloting chair, strapped in while Harper got the lenses planted into its position.

"Hey Beka." Trance stepped next her unexpected, making Beka jump,

"Oh, hey Trance, you made me jump."

"Sorry."

"Doesn't matter , don't apologise Trance."

"No, im sorry for stealing the lenses."

"WHAT!" Beka screamed leaning forwards only to be pulled back by the seat belt what strapped her in.

"I didn't have any money, or food, or drink or clothes…" Trance pleaded.

"Trance, I know its just…why didn't you….you needed money…why didn't you just come and see me? I would have gave you the job."

"I know, but oh please Beka can I still have the job?"

"Well….I don't know."

"Please Beka, this is the only job im good at and it has been for years."
"But if you liked doing this job so much why didn't you come straight to me? And why did you steal the lenses?"

"Because, if I hadn't stolen it we wouldn't be here now would we?"

"I guess not, but so…that doesn't explain." Beka was getting slightly confused by the purple girl.

"Look, please is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"Well…" Beka searched her mind, then found a brilliant answer… money.

"You still want the job?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I tell ya what, you can work for free."

"Yeah, that's fine, that's great, that's good just don't make me go back to the horrible, disgusting planet. I hate it there."

"Ok, but do another thing for me.."

"What's that."

"Don't tell Harper he'll rub it in that's he was right, and I hate when people say 'I told you so..'" Beka said,

"Thanks Beka…it means a lot." Trance gave Beka a thankful look.

Later that night Trance was in her room. She smiled to herself, her plan had worked.

Ok, the End, im going to write a sequel about them looking for the Andromeda, it will have the characters becoming better friends and a few other things.