Page 28 of Einar

“Ifyou had been paying attention, you would be aware that several large, andImean humongous swarm ships appeared out of thin air.Ihad to separate us in order to deflect their fighters.However,Iam holding theZenithback just a little bit trying to get them slightly closer to us beforeIblow theVelgriddixship we just relieved of its cargo and crew.”

Lessthan a nano-tic afterBikarsays thatIsee the cargo bay of theZenithcome into view as the shuttle slows significantly, landing safety in our ship.Imust have been traveling even faster thanIassumed.Itwas not that long ago thatIleft theVelgriddixship and nowIunderstand why the shuttle has been groaning in loud protest around me.

TheinstantIfeel the shuttle touch down and the risk to my mate is minimal,Iease to my feet, prying my bulk out of the pilot’s chair before hurrying to the exit.Itwould not do to be too hasty in gaining my feet before landing.Iwould never forgive myself ifIdropped her, especially considering how tenuous her hold on life is right now.

Hesitatingonly long enough for the door to open,Ibarrel past a wide eyedMurgulwith a snarl.

“Iam taking myStarshineto the med-bay!NOONEISTODISTURBME!”

MurgulandFalonhad arrived shortly before me, butIcannot stop and talk to either of them right now.Ido not have a moment to lose.Rushingfrom the cargo hold,Irun to my med-bay as fast asIcan.Theadrenaline is wearing off andIcan hear her breathing becoming labored again as well as the resurgence of the wheezing, death rattle deep in her chest.Thisis a sure sign her airways are closing right back up.Themed-bay door has never been such a welcome sight.Ibolt to the door, glad that it has a better biosignature sensor on it than most of the other doors, and it opens even thoughIam still several steps away.

Rushingdeeper into the room,Ibegin to ease her down onto the nicest of the medi-beds but stop when a long, dirty piece of her hair falls across my arm.Thered of her tresses is a stark contrast to the mossy green of my hide, but it also calls attention to the deplorable state we are both in.Herentire body is covered in grime and filth and asIglance down at myself,IrealizeIam too.Bugguts, viscous fluids and debris from the breeding nest cover me.Cleanlinessis key when treating sick and wounded beings, so it would be exceptionally counterproductive to do anything while both of us are covered in whatever germs theVelgriddixpossessed on their ship.

Decisionmade,Itake us to the back of the room where an extra-large, state-of-the-art sanitizer is located.Thereisn’t a door on it, it’s more of an alcove you step into rather than something like a closet or small room.Steppinginto the sanitizer fully clothed with my axes still sheathed at my hips,Ipush the button to start the deep clean cycle.Ineed both of us completely sterilized and free of any bacteria or pathogens we may have inadvertently picked up.Holdingher up high in my arms,Iput a bit of space between her body and mine to ensure the cleansing solution the sprayer is expressing covers us fully.Theheat from the sprayer creates steam that feels good on my aching muscles but elicits no response from my little mate.

Herwee face does not change expression throughout the entire process thoughIknow the cleansing solution must burn on some of her open wounds.Sadnesswells from deep within me.Whatmust she have suffered that this kind of pain does not even register for her, even on a subconscious level.Lookingover her body,Ican see she is covered in scars in places that a female should not have scars.Myeyes land on the vile jewelry that connects her delicate nipples, navel, and cunny together.Thatpiece of shet has to go as soon as possible.

Thewhoosh of the sanitizer shutting off followed by the warm pulse of the dryer all around me pulls my attention back to the matter at hand.Assoon as the dryer shuts off,Iexit the alcove and make my way back over to the medi-bed.Easingher down onto the soft surface,Iam gladIdid not lay her down on it beforehand or elseIwould have had to sterilize the entire surface before transferring her back to it.

Thankfully,Imanaged to get everything reorganized beforeIleft to raid theVelgriddixship.Hadmy shelving still been in a state of disarray whereIcould not find whatIneeded and my mate died as a result,Iwould have killed bothBikarandFalon.Yankingdrawers open,Ipull out the supplies to get an intravenous fluid drip going.Sheis deathly dehydrated, and the condition of her lungs cannot be left unattended much longer.Pickingup one of her emaciated arms,Ilook for a vein to insert the needle in.

Nano-tics pass as my eyes scan her arm, the back of her hand, and then reach for the other arm.Finally,Ifind a vein that looks like it can handle a needle without blowing out.Grabbinga piece of elastic material,Itie it around her upper arm to get the vein to plump as much as possible beforeIstick her.Bitingmy lip in concentration,Iease the smallest needleIhave into the crook of her left elbow and sigh in relief when it does not collapse.Applyingsmall pieces of adhesive,Iattach the port and hook it up to a bag of healing fluids.

Surely, water and salt will be fine to give to her.Mostbeings can accept the simple, yet effective mixture.Watchingher closely,Ido not see any signs of her body rejecting the solution.Thatsmall hurdle overcome;Irefocus on her increasingly labored breathing.Allof the adrenaline has been processed and is no longer effective.Thereis a cortico-steroid thatIhave used on myself and my brothers when we encounter materials that damage the lungs.Atthis point, it is the bestIcan do.Movingover to the cabinet full of the controlled substances,Igrab a vial along with a broad-spectrum sedative.Idoubt she will regain consciousness as damaged as she it, butIcannot take any chances.

Guessingat her weight,Idraw a dose from each of their respective containers into syringes before hurrying back to her bedside.Liftingher arm up,Iinsert the needle from the syringe containing the sedative into her fluid bag, and then repeat the same process with the cortico-steroid.OnceIam sure the medicines have had time to hit her blood system,Iwatch her with anxiety ridden eyes, waiting for any sign that she is about to have an adverse reaction to whatIjust gave her.

Thegods must be listening or finally showing some modicum of mercy on me because her breathing evens out and her color improves.Nosign of an adverse reaction in sight.Infact, she appears almost comfortable.Ifone could overlook all the damage done to her tiny body.

Helplessnessfills me.Ihave managed to get her stabilized, but there is so much more that she needs andIjust do not know how to get started.MyStarshineis human, andIknow so very little about her species … but theZenithpossesses something that very few have.WehaveBikar.Thereis not a system he cannot hack or a piece of information he is not able to find.

“BIKAR!”

Bellowingup at the ceiling is not the best method to use, butIknow he is listening; my nosy little brother isalwayslistening.

“Yes?Yousummoned me,Einar?”

“Ineed you to find anything and everything you can on humans as fast as you possibly can.Iam basically flying blind here andIcannot lose her.Sheholds my soul, brother.”

Thedesperation in my voice must carry through the comm systems because my irreverent sibling does not snap back with some sort of witty reply or a joke.

“Understood,Einar.Iwill get you what you need as fast asIcan … but you know just as well asIdo how dangerous it is to attempt what you are asking me to do.Everyonein the known universe and theVoidbelieve thatCommanderDaRhas put this species under his personal protection and his attention isnotsomething that any of us can afford.”

Asoft click followsBikar’sominous words and is the only sign that he has cut the comm to the med-bay to focus on the taskIhave asked of him.Therefore, he does not hear my softly whispered words.

“Thankyou, brother.”

ChapterTwenty

EINAR

Aloud bangat the door causes my pointed ear to twitch in irritation and my spines to rattle out a warning to whomever is at the door.Itold my brothers to leave me be, thatIwas engaged in a life-or-death battle.Howdare those frackers interrupt me!

“Einar, what the frack?Openthe drayt door now!”

“Unlessyou are missing a limbSlavic,Ido not have time for you right now.”

Mysnarl does not have the desired effect because his next words boom at me through the locked door.

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