by Jeri Dion
“I’ll stay with her, if you want to go and get cleansed and changed?” said Tom.
“Yeah, I don’t think meeting Dr Sellecson dressed like this is going to give a good impression, he’ll think I’m the patient not Tayce,” joked Marc.
He hurried away to his quarters to cleanse and change. Tom was left in silence studying Tayce. Wondering why hadn’t he seen what was happening, coming. Tayce slept on unaware of what had happened since she’d fallen asleep. Wheezily breathing under the mask.
Outside and drawing near was the Intergalactic Medical Colony. It looked like half a Christmas glassene ornamental star, on a flat white base. It covered a vast area of seven square milons. Ships all shapes and sizes were arriving and departing. Some where even collecting or dropping off patients and emergencies. The colony was open twenty-five hourons around the Time Display, for anything and anyone that needed medical facilities urgently, or not. On board Dr Sellecson stood with his specialist team, all waiting to take Tayce as an emergency. He was of medium height and medium build, with a strong indication of Mexican in his ancestry. His skin was tanned which confirmed as much. His eyes were Mexican dark brown, but conveyed warmth and the true meaning of who he was, a caring no nonsense medical man in his field. His features were handsome yet distinguished with a well groomed moustache. Even though he was a man who believed in principals and rules, off duty he was quite the ladies man and every nurse loved him, because off duty he was a totally different person. Some said it was as if he put his doctors coat on with the job, and adopted the manner that went with it.
On board Amalthea, Tom and Marc heard from Midge, that final docking procedures were under way to dock at the Intergalactic Medical Colony. They both began out the quarters with Tayce on the Hover Trolley down the corridor towards the Deck Travel, to take her to the Docking Bay doors on Level 2. Both walked in an urgent manner and silent, occasionally looking down at Tayce, to make sure she was all right. Amalthea slightly bumped as it locked home with the colony to signify docking had been completed. Midge made sure as usual that the cruiser was secure before opening Docking Bay doors. Upon arrival Marc controlled the Hover Trolley as they came to a stand still. The medical team from the colony walked aboard Amalthea and quickly took over moving Marc and Tom back out the way. They had been briefed by Dr Sellecson what was required of them. Soon Tayce was taken off the cruiser and into the sharp sterile bright lights of the medical interior colony, on the way for treatment. She was soon gone from sight into one of the off side treatment centres.
“Which one of you is with the patient?” asked a pretty ginger haired female nurse, coming forth, in an all in one white suit.
“I’m Commander Dayatso, how can I help?” replied Marc turning to face the young nurse.
“You can follow me Commander to give some details on the young woman you’ve just brought to us,” said the young nurse slightly blushing at Marc’s good looks and charm.
She began away in a forth right manner, heading towards her desk ahead. Marc and Tom followed her across the wide open waiting area. On the way Tom’s Wristlink sounded on his right wrist with a quick succession of musical notes. He raised his right wrist, depressing the small ‘Commun button’. Midge came through loud and clear. Tom turned away taking the message discretely from Midge, while Marc continued on upon reaching the main desk talking to the young nurse, to give her the requested details about Tayce. He rested on the shiny white desk top waiting for her to complete the keying in of the information, that he was giving her. Halfway through, Tom approached wanting to talk to him.
“That was Midge, you’d better finish quickly, he wants us back on board, and it sounds urgent!” exclaimed Tom discretely.
“I’m nearly through, did he say what the urgent matter was?” asked Marc curious.
“No! Just that we should return to the cruiser as soon as possible, like now!” said Tom eager to get going.
“Whatever it is Midge has got lousy timing, with Tayce stuck in here,” replied Marc in discrete reply.
“Excuse me sir, if I may cut in, your Colonel may be here for a couple of dayons, so if there is something urgent you need to take care of we can contact your vessel should we require you sooner,” announced the desk clerk.
“She will be okay here, until we return for her?” asked Marc, he didn’t like the thought of just up and running away leaving Tayce as if he didn’t care.
“Very, our security is the best,” assured the young female nurse, with the name Lacey on her badge.
Upon this, Marc asked if there was anything further he needed to answer? Lacey shook her head. Marc turned and with Tom headed away in urgency, back to the cruiser across the open planned waiting area. He commented that whoever wanted them, they had picked one hell of a moment to ask for help with Tayce under medical care. Just as Marc and Tom were about to exit the waiting area and walk on back to the cruiser, Dr Sellecson stepped from the Emergency Centre.
“Commander Dayatso!” he called after Marc.
“Dr Sellecson, is it what we expected?” asked Marc coming to a pause walking back to him.
“I’m afraid so, it’s her usual problem Astral Exhaustion, she never learns, it’s probably a combination of things, the turmoil of what happened to her on Traun, it was quite traumatic from what I’ve heard, plus she obviously hasn’t been taking any regular duty breaks, but she’ll be fine,” he explained.
“How long will she need to be here?” spoke up Tom, just behind Marc.
“For a weekon to ten dayons considering what we’ve discovered, I’ll leave you to continue on,” replied Dr Sellecson walking away back to Tayce.
Tom and Marc continued on back to Amalthea. Marc thought to himself, he had no idea Tayce had been heading for this latest exhaustive attack, she’d hidden it well. Why hadn’t Midge picked this up sooner? He would have to give Midge a proper check over and install new programming information, so that anything like this arose again, he would detect it straight away. The Docking Bay doors soon came into view and opened on both Marc’s and Tom’s approach. They both walked on board, heading straight up to Organisation, letting the doors seal shut behind them.
A while later when they arrived on deck, Midge began announcing that an urgent message had come in from General Largon. Tom ordered Midge to playback the message.
“Message coming through now,” announced Midge, as he activated the frontal Sight Screen.
The message was suddenly cut short, by Midge, who announced that Jonathan Largon was live on Satlelink from Questa. Midge transferred him to the main Sight Screen, cancelling the Message to be played.
“General what’s the problem?” asked Marc pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.
“Is Tayce there Marc?” asked Jonathan.
“No Sir, she isn’t,” began Marc thinking to himself, his pretending everything was fine, looked like it was not going to last more than five minons judging by the General’s change in expression.
“Where are you, my information states here, your docked at the Intergalactic Medical Colony, is this true, what’s happened? Whose ill?” asked Jonathan in disbelief and true concern.
“Well Tayce was suddenly taken ill just after we left Questa, I found her in the dead of night hourons on her quarters floor, it’s her health problem, too much duty, not enough breaks, plus the turmoil of what happened on Traun, quite simply, it’s exhaustion, we had to bring her here to the Intergalactic Medical Colony to her specialist Dr Sellecson, but we’ve seen him and he assures us she’ll be fine in about a weekon,” assured Marc in a sincere tone.
“Good, that’s good news, I thought for a moment you were going to tell me she had been badly injured,” said Jonathan with great relief.
“No Sir nothing like that, now how can we help you, is there a Quest you want us to take care of?” asked Tom.
“I have so
me exceptionally good news, well I hope it is, a Questaline exploration search, research and rescue colony announced, would you believe, they have picked up a life escape craft containing, none other than, Lydia Traun, Tayces Mother!” expressed Jonathan sounding both optimistic and open minded whether they had or had not. After all it had been three yearons.
“Tayces Mother, but I thought she was dead?” asked Tom in somewhat surprise.
“It’s a possibility, we did have single person jet propulsion escape craft, she could have made it off of the surface and suffered amnesia considering what she went through, she was somewhat of a good pilot in her own right, hence this is where Tayce got her aptitude to fly this cruiser,” announced Marc knowing so.
“I was gentlemen hoping that Tayce would be able to identify if this was in fact Lydia Traun, but Marc I guess you will have to do it, would you?” asked Jonathan.
“Yes of course I will,” replied Marc positively.
“I’ll have the bearings sent to you, good luck gentlemen,” replied Jonathan signing off.
Midge suddenly announced that the bearings were being received from Questa and he was feeding them in right away and preparing to activate the course. Tom contacted the Intergalactic Medical Colony to leave a message for Dr Sellecson to tell Tayce what had materialised and that they would be back as soon as time would allow. Amalthea once locked in for the trip to the destined port of call, ‘Micacer’ took off at great neck speed leaving the Intergalactic Medical Colony Docking Port behind and Tayce.
Micacer was a colony that was situated on a planet of sandy soil, no bigger than Mercury, roughly 3000 milons in diameter. Most of it’s surface was covered completely with the many buildings depicting the aspects towards research and exploration Domes, buildings, enclosures and special separated specialised restricted covered areas. Vehicles landed back from research missions, some departed on long haul missions. Some towed in other galactic vessels, that had been rescued, stranded out in the Universe. Earthon 2 had built the colony type base, as a means of Central Universal Research, into the many situations that occurred out in the Universe. It was funded by Earthon 2’s Council for Interplanetary scope. There was a personnel population of roughly 360 + men, women and upper aged teenagers all skilled in their specialised areas of the many angles of the Universal matters or learning in related to search and planetary research.
In one of the two storey octagonal shaped buildings, a Rescue Mission Pilot, who had been responsible for discovering Lydia Trauns Life Escape Craft, was making his way along a cream shiny floored corridor to temporary quarters, where Lydia or the person thought to be Lydia Traun had been taken. He was a young slim dark haired man, in his late 20’s. He paused at the entrance doors and depressed the Intercom/arrival panel, to signify his presence.
Inside she sat looking out over the complex area, watching vessels come and go. A group of teenagers passed walking on the picturesque grounds dressed in training attire all laughing and mucking around. She smiled to herself, thinking of past memories of someone that meant a great deal to her, something that had happened in her past. Why did she feel that the people of this colony even though they were being kind helping her through her amnesia, were unsure as to the fact she was Lydia Traun even though her identity stated as much? Where was Tayce she thought? Had the evil Countess won and destroyed her cruiser? Was she like Darius dead? She fought back the tears, thinking about it. Lydia turned as the doors opened behind her. Her shoulder length blonde bob, moving on her slim shoulders, as she did so, Mother and daughter were alike in their true breathtaking beauty. Their eyes were the same shade of sapphire blue. Lydia’s hair even though blonde, was a slightly whiter shade. There was a kind of regal supremacy about her. But she had a soft understanding side that had somewhat been battered of late, because of what she had been through. The young male pilot paused and studied her, thinking that she still looked somewhat tired after her ordeal and treatment. But for an older woman, she was breathtakingly beautiful, and quite appealing to the eye. Adam Burnford was the young pilots name. He introduced himself to her in a polite way as such.
“I hear your the young pilot who found me out in the Universe, I want to thank you I was near to giving up hope,” said Lydia softly, standing and walking across to him in an elegant way, in her oyster coloured long length outfit.
“It was my pleasure, you were lucky, the planet I found you on was caught in a time trap what might have seemed for you as arriving monthons ago, was actually three yearons ago to the dayon, your life support was beginning to fail,” he expressed in a sincere recalling educated way.
“Gosh I guess I was extremely lucky that it hadn’t begun to fail before, thank you,” replied Lydia.
She studied Adams features, they were pleasing to the eye, but in a boyish sort of way, it made her think that if Tayce were alive, she no doubt would fancy him. She could tell he had a face for duty and rules and one that when he relaxed, would be quite appealing to any free young woman. She thought he was the kind that no doubt had plenty of friends.
“Can I call you Adam?” she asked softly.
“Yes Ma’am?” he replied looking down at her gently.
Lydia gestured for him to sit opposite her in the mouldable chair. Adam crossed and sat down, as Lydia walked back and sat on the long seat by the sight pane.
“Tell me, how did you find me, I know that you were out on patrol duty?” said Lydia getting ready to listen.
“I came across your craft on a planetary scan, it’s a planet that’s well known for trapping vessels etc., in time, I was killing time in returning from a far off research patrol, at first I wondered if it was an elaborate trap, you’d be surprised at the great lengths criminals go to get their hands on our research vessels, but it was the emblem on the side of your craft, that once I’d checked it with our computer, told me what I had to do, and here you are,” explained Adam.
“They say I was in a deep sleep, when you found me?” asked Lydia.
“Yes that’s correct,” he replied.
“What yearon is this Adam, only no one has told me yet?” asked Lydia preparing for a shock.
“It’s 2417… does that concern you?” he asked quietly, concerned at the surprised look on her beautiful face.
Lydia was startled to say the least, that she’d been in the Universe for the best part of three yearons and didn’t know it. All this time she’d wasted. It was hard to swallow that she’d lost this precious time, all because of an evil bitch and her greedy army. Adam quickly enquired would she like to look around the Micacer Colony? Lydia looked at him gently, in thought for a minon wondering if she could. She could see he was trying to make her feel at ease, in getting her back to a normal way of life.
“Are you sure you don’t have some duty that you would rather take care of, I wouldn’t want you getting in trouble with your superiors, I’d be interested to see what goes on around here though, it all looks interesting from what I’ve seen so far,” she said lightly.
“It would be an honour to have a member of the Traun family in my company,” he said in a reassuring polite light-hearted way.
“You know Adam, you should meet my daughter, that’s if she is still alive,” said Lydia with a hint of sadness in her voice knowing that a lot could happen in three yearons and she might not have a daughter.
“You have a daughter?” asked Adam gently interested.
“Yes, her name is Tayce, she like me was cast out into space on her own in a cruiser yearons ago, when Traun was destroyed, I don’t know whether she’s alive or dead now,” explained Lydia in a sad way thinking about it.
Adam knew this was something he knew he could find out for Lydia, but would not tell her just yet, until he found some solid evidence, that Tayce was in fact alive. He stood to his feet, as did Lydia. They both began over to the entrance. Lydia adjusted the silkene oyster coloured suit in
the imager at the entrance, making sure she looked her best. The doors opened, they both stepped out into the corridor. Adam straightened his dark brown jacket in suedex. Checking his matching trousers, were dust free. They began up the corridor to the Research Complex, which Adam figured would be the most interesting for her to see. On the way Lydia explained that Traun had done it’s fair share of research, so where they were going would be interesting to see.
Meantime back on the Intergalactic Medical Colony, Tayce was in the designated room for her recuperation. She focused on the sight before her, laying in the uncomfortable medical bunk, bored to say the least! Looking about she was suddenly thrust into the bright light from none other than a Medical Light pencil torch, shining in her eyes which was held by none other than the medical man she loathed in all the Universe, Dr Paclan Sellecson.
“Do you have to,” protested Tayce loudly.
She tried to flinch away from the sharpness and brightness of the light. Dr Sellecson looked down at her, not saying a word, but he was far from impressed with her and she could tell by the way he seemed to treat her impatiently, every time she tried to move away, he moved the light. Once he’d deactivated the torch she smiled sarcastically at him. She could see he was about to give her another lecture on how she hadn’t been looking after herself. She refused to be treated no better than a child and turned away from him.
“Turning away young woman is not going to change the fact that you’ve put yourself where you are by not listening to what I suggested the last time I saw you,” expressed Paclan in a no nonsense tone.
“Fine, then you try flying single handed around this perilous Universe after surviving the destruction of your home, losing the only family and friends you knew and loved, all in one night, the word is ‘survival’ Dr Sellecson and you sometimes need to forgo sleep, just to stay alive in some sectors I’ve been through, when your a lone female it’s a matter of life or death, so shoot me for choosing life if you have to with your words, it won’t bother me, if it means I have to do it all again,” retorted Tayce.
