Worlds Away

by J. L. Hendricks

  “Can’t you use that square device in the med-kit that looks like a tablet? Wouldn’t that seal my arm up?” I pointed to the device with my left hand.

  “Yes, but you can’t move while it is working. We don’t have time to sit down and wait. It is very important that we hurry up and get your friends and get back to the other side of the ship.” He had the kit in his hand and reached out with his other one to help me up from the chair I had been sitting in.

  “Oh, yea, I guess there could be more bugs here huh?” I don’t know why I thought we had time to waste healing me up properly. I didn’t want to meet any more Zateelians. All I wanted was to cuddle up next to Venay and take a very long nap.

  “Yes, and I don’t feel like fighting with three injured females in my company.” Zelan raised an eyebrow.

  I chuckled, “I guess I deserved that. But you must admit I did pretty good, all things considered.” I puffed up my chest with pride and stood a bit taller as I thought about what I had accomplished so far today.

  “Yes, for a civilian human you did really well. Now let’s get moving.” He led me out of the cabin and back toward my friends.

  It didn’t take us long at all to get Lisa and Sheila, along with all the stuff we scavenged. Zelan had a very large backpack which he used to haul most of our stuff. He gave me one to wear, and it was as full as I could handle. Granted, that wasn’t as much as he could handle, but I did my part.

  He made a comment that he was going to have to send some teams back during the day to scavenge for more food, weapons, and med-kits. We would need it all.

  “Zelan, how far are we from the settlement on this planet? Why haven’t they come to get us yet?” I wasn’t sure how long it had been, but certainly over eight hours.

  “They don’t have ships that can easily fly here. They have one space ship, but it is more of a cargo ship. They are a small settlement and don’t have many warriors with them. There haven’t been any issues for this planet in decades. But I can see that we are going to have to change that way of thinking.” Zelan stayed in the lead and his head moved around looking at every corner and shadow.

  “That still doesn’t explain why they haven’t come to help us.” I narrowed my eyes at his back.

  “We are a long way from them, and using their land transports, it will take them several days to get here. But, we have asked them to stay put for now.”

  “Why? We could use their help.” I was astonished that we weren’t asking for their help.

  “Because they have children in their compound. It is more important that they protect their families. We aren’t sure what the Zateelians are up to. The Commander felt that we could make our way there easier and safer than if they tried coming to us. But we won’t have to wait long. There are a couple of ships on their way here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made it here in two or three days’ time. It would be much safer for the settlement to stay put and defend itself and their children.” Zelan sounded so matter of fact, like we just hadn’t been attacked by insectoids who could eat a human.

  “Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem. Divide and conquer and all that. Why are these bugs attacking you guys? I don’t get it. Venay told me that your two species had an agreement of sorts.” My head began pounding and my arm started to ache again.

  We kept walking and had made it to the end of our section of the ship. All chatting stopped while we surveyed our surroundings and decided which way to go down.

  “Paris, I want you to take the rear. I will take the lead, and when I say to follow, I want first Lisa and then Sheila to climb down to my level. Then you will come last. I need you to pay close attention and have your laser pistol ready at all times. Can you handle that?” He looked me directly in the eye.

  “Yes, sir, I can.” I nodded.

  “Alright, I am going to go down to the next level, but wait until I give you the all clear before you come down. Paris, keep an eye behind us, in case any of the enemy troops have already made it to this level.” Zelan made his way to the first level while two of the warriors were across the way keeping watch on our path.

  Once we all made it to the lower floor, Zelan went again to the next floor. We almost made it all the way without any issues.

  Chapter 17

  I was getting ready to climb down to the level with the semi-bridge that went across to the other part of the ship when I heard a clicking noise. My night vision goggles were around my neck so I put them on really quickly, as the sun had already set, and we were operating mostly by starlight. I couldn’t see a moon yet, but I also didn’t know if there was a moon orbiting this planet.

  I could see a slight movement down the hallway. “Paris to Zelan”

  “Zelan here, what’s the holdup?”

  “I hear something, and I see some movement close by. Keep an eye out for bugs.” The clicking noise had me on edge and while I was ready to fight for our lives, I really hoped I didn’t have to.

  “I am going to term our comm and call to the warriors across the way to get a light shining on your floor.” Zelan ended our comm before I could reply.

  I took off my night vision goggles so I wouldn’t lose my sight. Right after I took them off, I sensed something close by. I pulled them back up to my eyes, but I couldn’t see anything in front of me.

  But I felt something along my leg. I looked down to the floor and discovered those stupid bugs could crawl. I aimed my laser gun at its back and fired. It grabbed my ankle and pulled me down on the ground. I fell with a hard thump and knew I was going to be sore.

  My one shot didn’t do much damage to its back, but once I was down on the ground it tried to crawl on top of me, and I was able to shoot its head. Note to self, next time I shoot a big mutant bug that is on top of me, close my eyes and mouth. Its head burst and got goo all over me and in my mouth! That wasn’t coming out anytime soon.

  Before I had a chance to even think about what happened, much less throw up, more bugs came at me.

  I heard some more scuttling, but the warriors across the way had their light shining and yelled at me to stay down. They started shooting and hit two more bugs.

  “Yeah, sure no problem. I can get this bug carcass off all by myself,” I grumbled. It was tough, those things were heavy, but I got it off. Then I laid there trying to clean my face off and listening for more clicking or scuttling sounds.

  There were none, so I stood up and looked down the hall but couldn’t see anything. I quickly ran to the edge of the floor and made my way down to where Zelan was.

  “Hey, you ok?” He looked at me and checked my limbs. Then he looked at my arm that was injured from earlier.

  “Wonderful, one more reason for the Commander to yell at me. I should have gone with my gut and brought another warrior with me so he could take up the rear guard instead of you.” He shook his head and let out a long, deep breath. “We are going to have to clean this wound and rebandage it, but I want to get across to the other warriors where we will be safer.”

  “I am shocked that experience didn’t make you sick. You are much tougher than I imagined a human woman would be.” Zelan was actually paying me a compliment.

  “Well, my last five years has brought much worse than a cockroach spewing on me.” I looked down and noticed blood was running down my shoe onto the ground.

  “Zelan, my leg is bleeding. Should I clean it before crossing? Will they be able to pick up my blood trail?”

  “Possibly, stay right here. I will send the other two across and come back to help you. But keep your pistol pointed down the hallway.” Before walking away, he called to the other warriors across the way to make sure they kept their light pointed down the hall and stayed alert.

  “Ok, thanks.” I kept my eyes down the hallway while he helped my friends to cross the warped bridge. He came back with a med-kit and pulled up my left leg to check it out.

  “Great, another wound for the Doctor to sew back up. The Commander is going to kill me.” He sighed and s
hook his head while he cleaned my wound. Then he put that numbing gel on it and wrapped it up tight. He tore the bottom of my pants away so that I didn’t have any more blood dripping on the ground.

  “Stand up. Can you walk?” He asked.

  I stood up and bounced on my legs a couple times, “Sure, it seems fine.”

  “Alright, let’s get moving. You take the front, and I will cover our rear.” Apparently, he had decided if bugs attacked from behind, he would be the one to battle with them.

  We made our way across the divide with no more issues.

  I was only two more levels away from the top when I heard a commotion above us. It was Venay yelling at the warriors. It sounded like he thought I should have already been up there.

  I yelled out, “Venay, I’m almost there. And I’m fine. Be right up.”

  He couldn’t wait, so he met me at the next level, grabbed me in his arms, and hugged me so tight I could hardly breathe. “Venay…can’t…breathe.”

  He put me back down on the ground and started to kiss me, “What is that smell and taste?”

  “Oh, well, I uh… I was attacked on our way over here, and I had to shoot a bug in the head while it was close to mine.” I shrugged. “We wanted to wait until we got up here before I cleaned off and changed clothes. Plus, I forgot to bring a change of clothes with me.”

  “Let’s get you to the doctor for an exam, and then we can clean you up. How do you feel? Where are you hurt?” Venay’s voice was rigid and no longer held the emotion it had only a few seconds before.

  “I have two injuries, one on my right arm and the other on my left leg. But I’m fine. Zelan patched me up, so I’ll be good until the doc can look me over. I would prefer to clean up first though. Is there anywhere here I can do that?” I looked around at where we were, and there did look to be some crew quarters here, but I wasn’t sure.

  “I would feel better if the doctor examined you first. He is waiting on the other side. If you feel ok, we should hurry up and get moving so he can check you out first.” He turned his head and began to walk away.

  “I think Lisa and Sheila are hurt worse than I am. He should look at them first.” I began to wonder why he was so worried about me getting checked out. I only had a few cuts, it wasn’t anything major. Was it just because he wasn’t used to feeling so strongly for a woman?

  “They won’t make it there as fast as we will, so you will be first. Let’s move.” He didn’t wait for me. Venay took off so fast I almost had to jog to catch up to him.

  We made good time because as soon as we got up to the right floor, he picked me up and carried me as fast as he could go to the doctor. We did have some more climbing to do, which he let me down for, but for the most part it was a quick and easy ride for me. I was just so happy to be in his arms that I didn’t complain about being carried. For the past few hours I had wondered if I would see him again. So, letting him carry me was my reward for surviving the day.

  Back on Earth, I would treat myself to something nice each time I made it through something that may have seriously hurt or killed me. It was never anything big. One time I fought off two big guys who were hurting a dog, which was how I ended up with Lola. She was my treat that time. I missed Lola and wondered how she was doing. I had made a few friends who helped me to care for her. Maybe one of them was caring for Lola now?

  I had to shake myself out of those memories. Earth was no more for me. Today was what I needed to focus on. When we made it to the front section of the ship, I saw a sight for sore eyes. There was a giant hybrid, he was almost as tall as Venay, waiting on the other side of a beam that had fallen. He had a huge smile on his face to go with his compassionate eyes. The doctor was waiting for us.

  “Paris, it is so good to see you alive and well. I understand you were injured, please tell me what happened.” The doctor’s eyes took in my situation and he held out a hand to help me over the beam.

  As I began to explain what happened and where I was injured, he took out a diagnostic tool and started to scan me. He was listening to me but just barely. That is until I got to the part about shooting a giant bug that was crawling on me. He took his diagnostic tool and scanned my head right away and breathed a sigh of relief.

  The doctor looked at Venay and said, “She is clean.” Everyone around us breathed a heavy sigh and smiled.

  “Um, what does that mean? I am clean?” I wasn’t clean. I was disgusting with bug goo on me. Not to mention all the dirt and grime from the crash.

  The doctor patted my uninjured arm, “It just means you have no head injuries, dear. But I suppose you are quite dirty. Why don’t you come with me, and we will get you all cleaned up?”

  “Ok.” I followed the doctor, and Venay followed me. “Venay, don’t you need to get to the bridge or something?”

  “No, I am not leaving your side until this is over. I will stay with you in the med-bay until the doctor says you may leave, and then you will come to the bridge with me. You are not leaving my side until we are all safe and this planet has been eradicated of those Insectoids. They are too dangerous to leave, and you are not going to be near them again.” The sharp tone in his voice worried me. There was definitely more going on than anyone was saying.

  “Oookaaayyyy.” I drawled out as I rolled my eyes, “overprotective much” I mumbled to myself.

  “Yes, yes, I am. I almost lost you today, and I won’t go through that again.” Venay ran a shaky hand through his hair and looked pleadingly at me.

  The doctor spoke up, “Paris, for the sake of the crew, will you please do as he asks? He has been a zylan since he heard you were first injured. Please don’t torture the crew any more by letting him loose, all alone, alright?” He patted my shoulder again, and I could only laugh.

  I looked at him, tilted my head, and squinted my eyes, “What’s a zylan?”

  Venay responded, “It is like your bears, but much more ferocious. The Doctor is implying that I have been attacking my own warriors today.” He looked over at the doctor who cowered a bit and grunted.

  “Alright, fine. I would prefer to be with him anyway. But I don’t want to get in the way of his job. I know how important it is that he stays focused.” Inside, I was actually yelling and jumping for joy.

  While I didn’t want to disturb his work, I also knew I would be happier near him. It was the strangest thing. All I could think of was the stress of the ship crashing and then the multiple attacks from the Zateelians had me acting like a silly girl. I was stronger than this and I had never needed a man to take care of me before. But I had never been through something this traumatic, not even when I lost my parents.

  “Trust me dear, he won’t be able to focus without you now.” The doctor took me by the hand and led me to a bed in the med-bay. He conducted some more tests and cleaned my injuries and used their advanced medical technology to close up my wounds.

  “Through those doors.” He pointed to the side of the room, “Is a shower that is working, for now. Please take a shower and I will send in some clean clothes for you to wear.”

  Venay tried to follow me into the shower, “Oh buddy, you can stop right there. I will be totally safe in the shower all alone. Please wait outside.” He looked me up and down, chuckled, and turned to walk out of the room.

  I took a long shower, the water was warm and it felt so good to wash my entire body with soap and hot water. I had to wash my hair three times to make sure I got all of the alien insectoid goop out of it. My mouth was another matter. I used the body soap to clean my mouth out, it did not taste good. However, it was better tasting than the insectoid brains I had in my mouth. Just thinking about it made me shiver, even in a hot shower.

  When I stepped out of my shower, there on the cabinet, were some clean clothes and shoes. They all fit quite well, which was rather surprising. I asked Venay, and he informed me had someone grab some clothes for me earlier in the day. He had always planned on keeping me close to him and had stocked his personal office with items just
for me.

  Another chink in the armor around my heart broke. If I wasn’t careful, I’d be in love with the giant alien before long.

  Chapter 18

  The next couple of days flew by. I never left the bridge unless Venay was with me, but I was kept busy. He turned his office, which is where we slept, into a small triage center. The doctor was so impressed with my field work that he asked Venay to let me help him. Venay had no issues with me helping as long as I stayed on the bridge or in his office. So the doctor set up a triage center there.

  If a warrior or human could make it to me, then I could treat them. He sent the nurse from the holding cells over to help me as well. We made a good team.

  After so many years on the street with no one to trust, it felt nice to be part of something bigger than just me.

  “Doctor to Paris.”

  “Yes, doctor? How can I help you?”

  “I need you to get your friends out of my med-bay! They are in my way and are keeping my patients awake when they should be sleeping,” A frazzled doctor pleaded with me.

  “Well, you could tell them that I need their help and send them my way. If that doesn’t work, I’ll call them myself.” I smiled thinking about the girls and what they may have been up to.

  About an hour later both Lisa and Sheila showed up, looking a bit unhappy with me. Lisa asked, “Why do you need our help? We aren’t medics. We can’t help you. We should be in the med-bay with Rotna and Cazon, not here with you.” Lisa crossed her arms over her chest and actually hmph’d. I almost started to laugh.

  The day we crashed, Cazon was found unconscious and taken to the doctor. He had broken his leg and sustained some internal injuries, but the doc patched him up. Since then, he’s been stuck in the med-bay.

  Rotna was also stuck in the med-bay. I had heard they would both be released soon, but wasn’t sure what the doctor meant by soon.