by Ryk Brown
“Oh, Miri,” he cried.Nathan entered the cargo ship’s sick bay. His movements were slow, his expression crestfallen, and his eyes red. He appeared a man broken; a man that had just had his heart ripped from his chest; his being devoid of all hope.
Jessica could barely stand to see him suffering so much pain. She took his hand as he neared her, squeezing it lovingly as she gazed into his eyes, her face full of sympathy and compassion. “I’m so sorry, Nathan,” she whispered, almost crying.
Nathan looked at her, barely able to control himself. He tried to smile at her but could not. In fact, at that moment, he wondered if he would ever smile again. He had never known such pain and anguish. He had never even imagined it. First his mother, then his brother, and now… Everyone.
Everyone except…
Nathan stepped into the quarantine compartment. Inside, Doctor Chen was inspecting three stasis tubes.
“How are they?” he asked in a whisper.
Doctor Chen looked at him with the same sympathetic expression as Jessica. “The children are not injured. They were put into stasis by your sister’s security team. Considering the voyage they were about to take, it was probably for the best. They can be awakened at any time.”
Nathan looked at the doctor. “What about…” He couldn’t finish his sentence.
“She is alive, but she is badly injured.”
“Can you save her?” he was barely able to ask.
“I will do everything that I can, Nathan. I promise.”
Nathan nodded, as if to tell her that he believed she would do her best. The doctor stepped aside, and Nathan moved closer to the three stasis pods. The first two pods contained his niece and nephew, neither of whom he had seen in more than seven years. They had grown so much, he hardly recognized them. They looked so peaceful. He wondered how he would ever tell them what had happened. They, too, had lost so much.
Nathan moved to the third pod. It took all his strength and courage to look inside. When he finally did so, he nearly fell apart. His sister, Miri, his closest friend and confidant growing up, lay there motionless. Her face was bruised and swollen, and her head had been shaved. She had a surgical scar on the side of her head and across the top. She had tubes and wires attached everywhere, and she looked like a lifeless corpse, being kept alive by a multitude of technology.
“Oh, Miri,” he cried.
Thank you for reading this story.
(A review would be greatly appreciated!)
COMING SOON
Episode 8
of
The Frontiers Saga:
Rogue Castes
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