Duty, Honour, Love
Chapter 13

The med shuttles were quick to respond. Two landed on the remains of the old parking lot. Karasena was shocked to see Dr Kathleen Morin step from the first shuttle dressed in a medical emergency suit. The bright orange coveralls stood out from the green of the vegetation. She had had a med bag slung over one shoulder. She made straight for them a gaggle of med techs trailing behind her.

“What are you doing here!” were the first words Karasena said when Dr Morin reached them.

“I’m a trauma surgeon trained in first response and the senior coroner.”

“Captain Mark Stillway,” Dee said over their private comms channel interrupting Karasena before she said something that got Dr Morin’s back up.

“Captain?” Karasena asked being careful not to reveal Dee was a telepath.

“Captain Mark Stillway,” Mark answered her with a quick look over his shoulder. “Doc’s bringing the first of them out now.” He gestured to a younger woman with feathered hair.

Before Karasena could object Kathleen was walking away. Olivia looked up as the last of her critical patients had been lowered though the hatch. A woman in an orange rescue suit was striding purposefully towards her followed by several others. Relief flushed through her body.

“Ma’am,” she said politely as the woman halted beside her and dropped to the sand and examining one of the wounded men in front of her.

“I’m Doctor Kathleen Morin and you are?”

“Olivia de Çigales the ship’s medic,” Olivia replied.

Kathleen nodded thoughtfully. “What’s the status of your patients?”

Olivia opened her mouth to speak when Kathleen interrupted her.

“Oh good you have a gauntlet. I’ll download the info off that if it’s up to date.”

“Of course doctor,” Olivia held up her medical gauntlet. The device covered her hand and wrist. It was a medical scanner and analyser rolled into one. It resembled a long glove with a holoscreen on the back of the hand, the finger tips held several types of scanners.

Kathleen gripped Olivia’s hand in hers as the gauntlets exchanged information. They were very difficult to use and most battlefield medics used hand scanners they were quicker in a combat situation. Kathleen was impressed and seldom anyone did that although she did have an ulterior motive. Being here to supervise her crash team gave her a chance to snoop around and once these casualties back to the hospital she could begin her interrogation. Despite sending the message ‘Shattered Twilight’ she was still loyal to the Empire and this was a golden opportunity to replace out why this ship was here.

Reviewing the data from the gauntlet she was pleasantly surprised by the younger woman’s expertise. Anyone lesser would have lost these patients.

She gestured to her team. “These three on the first shuttle full monitoring at all times,” she gestured to the other wounded from the ship. “I’ll make an assessment on the others.”

“Yes doctor,” her team said and hurried to do her bidding.

Kathleen glanced at Olivia seeing the tiredness in her eyes and the way she moved. “Come along doctor we’ve patients to assess.” She would interrogate Olivia first she had been trained in a more subtle way of interrogation and the younger woman would be susceptible to suggestion she was tired enough. Quickly and efficiently they separated out the wounded sending the worst to the shuttles and loading the rest onto one of the ATV transports. Kathleen headed back to Karasena with Olivia in tow.

A welter of emotions flowed through Olivia’s head a she dutifully followed Kathleen back to where the two Confederacy officers stood. She envisioned a long incarceration in her mind. Kathleen halted in front of Karasena, Olivia almost ran into her back her mind on her own thoughts then she heard Kathleen speak.

“The casualties are loaded onto the shuttles and I commandeered one of your transports and taking the rest in that.” Kathleen gestured to Olivia behind her. “And I’m taking Doctor de Çigales with me.”

Olivia perked up at Kathleen’s words. “I’m not qualified,” she protested.

“Nonsense,” Kathleen said with a wave of her hand. “All you have to do is pass the examination and if you do I’d say you are.”

Olivia shut her mouth she had mentioned to Kathleen in passing that she had joined the navy in hopes that she could get into medical school. She couldn’t have afforded it any other way. Her family was too poor to pay for her training and the navy seemed to offer the best option.

Karasena on the other hand was filled with doubt. “I’ll send some guards with you.”

She was reluctant since it would reduce the amount of soldiers she had guarding the other Terrans.

“No,” Kathleen stated firmly. “If you are that worried send some of those you have at the spaceport to the hospital. But it’s all academic these poor souls are incapable of any rebellion,” she waved her hand to the ships crew. “They’re broken and too exhausted to be a threat.”

“Ok?” Karasena was too flabbergasted by Kathleen’s forthright speech to think of an objection.

“Come along Olivia,” Kathleen made a sharp cutting motion with her hand.

Olivia followed behind as Kathleen marched off shouting orders to her team.

Karasena watched them go wondering why Dee hadn’t warned her before hand. “What was that all about?” she asked.

“I’m in the dark the same as you,” Dareia sounded genuinely puzzled.

“You could have warned me,” Karasena said.

“Her mind I couldn’t read it.”

“What do you mean by that?” Karasena was shocked. It was the first time Dee had difficulty reading someone’s mind.

“She is resistant to mind reading.”

“She’s another tepe?”

“No her mind has been trained to resist.”

Dee’s words worried Karasena

“Captain Stillway is on his way back,” Dareia said breaking Karasena’s speculations.

Karasena hated to admit it but she liked Mark but Dareia was more interested in Jane there was a human with secrets layered on top of secrets.

Mark halted in front of Karasena and saluted. “Number One form up the crew.

“Yes sir,” Jane replied formally. Something about the Confed lieutenant made her uneasy it was as if she was under close scrutiny.

Everyone looked up as the shuttles launched and roared away. Mark relaxed at least the wounded had been taken care of. Now it was just there rest of his crew to deal with. He turned and saluted to Karasena again. “Captain Mark Stillway of the Orinoco formally surrender my ship and crew. Captain I leave the fate of my crew and my self in your hands.”

Karasena felt relieved this had passed without bloodshed. It had ended not the way she wanted but it was the best outcome in the circumstances. Now all she had to do was transport these prisoners through Hawthorn to the old festival hall. With Dee at her back she would be able to anticipate any danger before it happened.

“Thank you captain,” she said. “I have transport available.”

Mark saluted again. “Number One move the crew out!”

“Attention!” Jane ordered. “Ship’s crew right turn quick march!”

Slowly but surely the crew of the Orinoco moved. Karasena and her detachment kept pace. She was as glad as her soldiers to be away from the beach and the beast’s lair. She had kept her comms open in case it appeared. She was thankful that she had got out without a major incident. They headed for the transports.