The Road To Tarn Vedra
Title: The Road To Tarn Vedra
Author: Space Surfer
Rating: G
Summary: A tag to Fear and Loathing in the Milky Way.
Spoiliers: Fear and Loathing in the Milky Way
Disclaimer: I don't own them, never will. Unless...
"Seamus be careful. You only just got that thing, you don't want to overload it." Beka Valentine couldn't help but grin at the hyper engineer as he bounced through the Maru. It was his first day back onto the ship after a long and painful recovery at a hospital on Sinti after receiving his new data port. After weeks of hospital stay and training programs, Harper was finally able to go into the Maru database. He had been saving for just over a year, collecting all the money he could from surfing competitions.
"It's Harper, and I just wanna try a few downloads," Harper said, the grin never leaving his face as he sat on the floor, pulling out a number of cables and jacks.
Beka sat beside him at the interface point and watched as he pulled something up on the screen and then gently inserted the jack into the data port on his neck, wincing as he did so. He had been training for weeks and used the port at least ten times every day to get into practice but his still hurt. His eyes rolled back and his body went limp, looking deathly still. Beka sat and watched and waited.
A while later the engineer was back, opening his eyes and grinning.
"That was so cool!" he exclaimed.
Beka grinned back and watched Harper put away cables.
"Boss?" Harper asked suddenly.
"Yeah Harper?" Beka said grabbing one of the cable to help him.
"When I was in, I found something mentioning a book called Hasturi's diary. What is it?"
Beka grinned at his question. The story of Hasturi's diary was one of her favourite stories her dad had told her.
"Hasturi was a mad Perseid who claimed to have found slip routes to get to Tarn Vedra."
Beka watched Harper's eyes go wide at the planet's name. "The diary is the only record of his slip jumps."
"Oh man, Tarn Vedra. Can you image what the hanger bays would look like?" Harper said, losing himself in a daydream.
"High Guard ships, weapons deploy," Beka said, listing just two of the many things.
"I'm gonna do it, boss," Harper declared suddenly. "I'm gonna find that diary, and I'm gonna get to Tarn Vedra."
Beka laughed. "Sure you are Harper," she said. "I can just see it now, a mudfoot finds Tarn Vedra."
Harper scowled making Beka laugh harder.
"Come on, dreamer," she said. "Let's go grab you a Sparky. It's been weeks since your last one, and you'll start getting withdrawal symptoms."
Harper didn't think he would ever be so happy to see the Andromeda. Fighting back a yawn, he allowed to Maru to dock herself in the hangar. He was now both physically and mentally exhausted. Glancing behind him, he saw Trance sitting with her back against the wall near to falling asleep, the diary still in her lap. Ever since they had started back to the Andromeda, she hadn't let go of the book.
Harper thought idly about the price they had paid for the diary. He had shown her a side of himself he had been trying to bury. The side he had hardly shown since Beka had picked him up. His own words came back to him. //You wanna change your life for the better put a bullet in your head// He couldn't remember his voice being so cold.
Before he could say anything, Trance opened her eyes and looked out of the viewpoint. She smiled and said, "We're home?"
"Yeah," Harper confirmed, wondering how she could look so damn perky. Of course she hadn't been slip piloting for hours. "Listen, Trance," Harper said quickly. "Don't mention the diary yet, okay? Let me talk to Beka first." He could see the two captains entering the hangar.
Trance didn't argue and just stood next to him, slipping the diary under some junk. Harper felt her tail at the small of his back. It was comforting.
The airlock opened, and Beka came rushing in.
"Are you two okay?" she asked. "You're about three days late."
"Boss, we're okay," Harper said calmly, giving a fake smile.
"What happened?" Dylan asked after following Beka into the Maru. Both captains had the same look of concern as they stared at the two. Harper sighed and then unsuccessfully held back a yawn.
"It was nothing," Harper said. "We just ran into Gerentex."
At the Nightsider's name, both Beka's and Dylan's eyebrows shot up.
If he hadn't felt so tired, Harper would have laughed. The engineer guessed he had done at least 36 hours of slipstream. It was the most he'd ever done in one go.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Beka was still concerned, her eyes trying to check on both her crew and her ship at the same time.
Before Harper could, Trance did. "We're okay. He had these buzzer things in case we wouldn't do what we were told."
She paused for a second, glancing at Harper not knowing how much to say.
"It's a long story and I'm really tired. I've been slip piloting forever."
Dylan nodded. "Of course. But I'd like a full report when you've rested."
Harper muttered, "Yeah," and head toward crew area on the Maru. It was too far to reach the machine shop.
Harper ignored the nanowelder and the remains of Gerentex's buzzer device. He shouted "See ya!" to Dylan and Trance when they were leaving and he kicked off his boots, pulling himself onto his bunk. The Maru was quiet; the only sounds were Beka moving around the cockpit.
Sighing, Harper allowed his eyes to close, but before he could finally fall asleep, the engineer felt someone watching him. Forcing his eyes open once more, Harper looked down from his bunk to see Beka standing below him looking up, and in her hand was the diary.
"Hey boss, whatcha got there?" Harper innocently asked.
Beka raised an eyebrow. "Thought you could tell me."
"Look Beka-" Harper tried to ask to explain later but Beka interrupted.
"Seamus don't start with me. Come on we're partners."
Harper grinned. "I was gonna tell you, in the morning."
"It's 1300. So spill," Beka ordered, bouncing on her heel's as she impatiently waited.
The engineer jumped down beside her on the deck. They both sat on the lower bunk, Beka holding the diary lightly.
"It's Hasturi’s diary, Beka."
Beka opened her mouth to comment, but Harper held up a hand.
"It's the real thing. We were there, Boss. Hasturi's asteroid, the dead Perseid. We saw it, and we got the diary."
Beka had met Harper's grin. "Do you know what this means?" she asked in a hush whisper.
"We could go to Tarn Vedra," he whispered back. "We could visit the home world. We could actually do it."
"Don't jump too far ahead yet," Beka warned. "Let me read it and see if I can find anything."
"Don't let Dylan know," Harper said. "Not until we've read it."
"Don't worry," Beka assured him. "Just the Maru crew will know."
"The musketeers rise again!" Harper exclaimed grinning.
Beka raised an eyebrow.
"Musketeers? Oh come on Beka," Harper said. "Ya gotta know that..."
Trance stood in the airlock, listening to Harper's voice as he tried to explain to Beka who the musketeers were. The purple alien allowed herself to smile secretly and she left the small ship, heading up to the Andromeda command.
To Space Surfer's Fan Fiction
Home