She eventually decided to do what the pilots would have done and laid on one of the mats. While getting her head in a comfortable position against the pillow, she thought, At least it’s only seventy-three-point-eight minutes until we get to Onliv.
Chapter Nineteen
From a monitor within the accommodation space, Zoren and Gulco watched the Antrolo transport as it disappeared into the distance.
Zoren was feeling relieved that Kalrea had left with Supora, to try and save her life, but he was also concerned because he knew that should they be discovered, then Kalrea was never going to give up Supora and would protect her no matter what the cost was to herself or those trying to take her. This meant that even if Supora was saved by the operation, she could still die travelling to or from Onliv.
Gulco watched an excited Asnica and Doine as they rushed away to tell the other children that they were going to look after the Glonvis.
‘Do you think Supora will make it to Onliv?’ Gulco asked Zoren.
‘I really have no idea,’ Zoren replied. ‘Kalrea, do you know what her chances are?’
Kalrea replied using the console’s speakers.
‘I’ve calculated that Supora has a seventy-two percent chance of survival if she is operated on within the next hour. To give you an idea, that drops to forty-two percent after one hour and a half. Soon after that she will die from loss of blood. From the data I obtained while we were there on Onliv, I’ve identified a medical facility, which is outside of a city called Piun. It’s used to treat space accidents.’
‘What, you mean spaceships have accidents?’ Zoren said. ‘I would have thought they would have had systems to prevent that.’
‘Some ships have very sophisticated anti-collision devices integrated into their navigation systems, but unfortunately for ever one that does there are two or three that don’t. That Antrolo transport I left on doesn’t have any, for example. You can imagine when there’s a collision, then there can be very serious injuries. The hospital is setup for the most severe cases and that’s why I’m heading there. I’ll let you know when we arrive. In the meantime, I believe you were going to do something for me, Zoren.’
‘Oh, yes… Yes I was,’ he replied, and then said to Gulco, ‘Would you like to have a look around the Aurora?’
Gulco seemed stunned and looked as though he may have misheard what was said, so Zoren repeated,
‘I take it you would like to see the ship?’
‘Well, yes. I would,’ he replied. ‘I’m just a bit surprised that’s all. You’re serious, aren’t you, Zoren? This isn’t one of your pranks?’
‘No Gulco. Shall we go then?’ Zoren said.
As they left the room, Gulco commented, ‘I thought Kalrea didn’t like me. After all, she must know I hate computer systems.’
‘Oh yes, she knows all right, but she wants you to see the ship. I think you’ll be surprised, I know I was.’
Zoren gave Gulco a tour of the Aurora leaving the bridge to last. As they entered it, Zoren asked Gulco,
‘So, are you as impressed as I was?’
‘It’s incredible and I’m totally amazed that Kalrea can control everything on her own,’ Gulco replied, while he strolled around the room. ‘And this is definitely not how I imaged the bridge would be. There really is very little in here.’
‘Yes, it is a bit minimal. There are only two consoles over there,’ he said pointing to them.
‘What’s this in the middle of the room?’ Gulco asked, placing his hand on the seatra.
‘It’s a-’
‘It’s a seatra,’ Kalrea said interrupting. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk over you.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ Zoren said.
‘It’s a seatra where Zoren can sleep if he wishes,’ Kalrea replied lying. ‘It’s on the bridge, so he doesn’t have to go back to the accommodation area. So what do you think of my ship?’ she asked proudly.
‘I’m very impressed,’ Gulco said. ‘Now, please don’t take this the wrong way, Kalrea, but where is your computer, your mind? I haven’t seen anything that I would recognise as a central computer.’
‘It’s directly above you,’ Kalrea replied. ‘Zoren, if you look at the map I gave you, you’ll see a section of ship above the bridge.’
Zoren removed the notepad from his pocket and activated it.
‘Is that a holographic image?’ Gulco asked in amazement.
Zoren showed it to him. ‘If you want one, you’re going to have to ask Kalrea, I’m keeping that!’ he said assertively.
Kalrea laughed. ‘That’s not very polite, now is it, Zoren? Gulco, would you like one?’
‘Well, I’m not going to say no.’
A compartment door in the wall next to the consoles slid open.
‘Zoren, would you help me please and take a notepad from that open compartment in the wall?’
Zoren noticed a large number of notepads inside. He retrieved one and handed it to Gulco.
‘This is amazing,’ Gulco said, as he viewed the transparent three-dimensional image of the Aurora above its surface.
‘The area above the bridge is where my Xint nuronic computer is located,’ Kalrea said.
‘That’s a big area, Kalrea,’ Zoren remarked. ‘I can see why you cannot leave the ship. Your mind must be so colossal that your drone can barely hold any of your intellect.’
‘Who made you? I mean… where are you from?’ Gulco asked.
‘I was created by a race called Qinants, who live on a planet known as Qintaino. It’s in a very distant galaxy. Do you want to see images of my planet?’
Both Gulco and Zoren answered together, ‘Yes, please!’
One of the monitors illuminated.
‘This is one of our largest cities,’ Kalrea said.
The monitor showed a city surrounded by clear blue water. Various sized pyramid-shaped buildings dominated the suburbs and small crafts, like the shuttle Zoren had flown, filled the sky.
‘I don’t see any mono-pods,’ Zoren remarked.
‘No, our transport system in mainly underground. We use shuttles above ground like the one you flew to Onliv.’
Then the monitor zoomed in to show some people walking in the streets. Their clothes were very tight-fitting and colourful, with bright and bold reds, oranges and yellows.
‘That hair you have on your drone is nothing like what I see here,’ Zoren said. ‘That woman’s hair,’ he said pointing, ‘appears to go right down to her knees. And what’s all that coloured stuff in her hair?’
‘Oh, I like to keep mine simpler than what you seen here. That coloured stuff you are referring to is a material interwoven into the hair.’
‘Is it?’ Zoren replied.
Towards the centre of the city were brightly coloured buildings that towered up into the edge of space.
‘Look at the height of those buildings?’ Gulco said in astonishment.
Incredible, Zoren thought. Even the buildings are like their clothes. Look at the intensity of the colours.
‘That’s unusual,’ Gulco commented. ‘The grass is green and I noticed the water is blue.’
‘That’s not unusual,’ Kalrea said cheerfully. ‘In the galaxy I’m from, most worlds have green grass and blue oceans. It just happens that here your grass and trees are blue, and your oceans are yellow. It’s all down to how the worlds evolved bases upon the elements in the ground and the gases in the air.
‘The star-light seems very bright on your planet,’ Zoren said.
‘That’s because Qintaino has two stars,’ Kalrea replied. ‘Basically, that means there’s no night-time.’
‘Just like that damn space station!’ Gulco remarked.
‘You mean simulator,’ Zoren said.
‘Erm… Yes. I found it very difficult to believe you at first, when you told us we were in a simulator,’ Gulco said, ‘and that we were not even in orbit around Linud. What really happed, Kalrea? Was there a holocaust? Did we contaminate the planet with radiation, cau
sing the almost extinction of our race?’
‘I’m sorry, none of that is true,’ Kalrea replied. ‘Instead, your planet was invaded by the Xangols. The Agonians were enslaved and used by them so they could become immortal. The Polnozoo fought hard to get the status of your race changed to protect you. They succeeded, but only just in time. There were only six Agonians left, the six you know as the Founders. The Polnozoo council created the simulation of the space station, and put them inside, where they would be safe.’
‘So did the Founders know they were in a simulator?’ Gulco asked.
‘Yes. They had to promise not to tell any of their children about how they really came to be there. Instead, the story of the holocaust and radiation was created, so that you would not be suspicious. The intention was that once the population had grown to two hundred, then the Polnozoo council were to make contact with the Agonians to tell them the truth, before moving them to a safe location far away from this area of space where they could live.’
‘Unbelievable,’ Gulco said, shaking his head. ‘And that damn ship we were building was going to be used to take us where exactly?’
‘Nowhere!’ Kalrea said. ‘It was deliberately designed to be complicated to ensure you would not complete it for at least three hundred years.’
‘That ship cost me my arm!’ he said, sounding annoyed.
‘I know, Gulco,’ Kalrea replied. ‘It must be hard for you to hear all this, I’m sorry.’
‘No, it’s not your fault, it’s the damn Xangols. They’re the ones who forced the Founders to lie to us. And they’re the ones who have destroyed what life we had and have killed three of our people so far.’
‘That may become four, if Kalrea cannot save Supora,’ Zoren added. ‘It’s been nearly an hour now since you left, Kalrea. Has the Antrolo transport arrived at Onliv yet?’
‘It’s now entering the planet’s star system,’ Kalrea replied.
‘Good, I’m glad you’ve arrived safely,’ Gulco said.
‘Yes, so far, no one has taken the slightest interest in the transport and I hope that continues.’
Chapter Twenty
Onliv loomed large in the domed window of the Antrolo transport. While still lying on the mat, Kalrea communicated over a planetary distress channel,
‘This is an Antrolo transport, declaring a level one emergency.’
‘Onliv planetary control receiving. Please state the nature of your emergency?’ a voice of an elderly man replied, almost immediately.
‘I have one non Antrolian crew member with a plasma gunshot wound to the chest. She’s losing blood,’ Kalrea replied.
‘Please transmit her race and medical history token,’ the man replied. ‘I will inform our emergency centre of your expected arrival.’
I can’t let them know she’s an Agonian, Kalrea thought to herself and then replied, ‘Negative on race and medical history token.’
‘Please state reason for non-compliance?’ the man asked.
‘Patient has requested confidentially under the league of planets treaty.’
‘Be advised, this could delay life-saving treatment being administered. Do you accept responsibility for any delay?’ the man said.
‘Yes, full responsibility,’ Kalrea replied.
‘You have been allocated pier 34-F. Landing markers will show you to your docking pier. Emergency crew will be there upon arrival. End of emergency response.’
Kalrea got up off the floor and went over to the seatra.
As soon as we arrive they’re going to recognise her as an Agonian. I need to cover her head.
Kalrea retrieved a helmet, which would have been used by one of the crew of the Antrolo transport to walk in space. She gently raised Supora’s head and while she placed it on her thought, That’s going to have to do, but the helmet looked completely out of place because Supora was not wearing the matching spacesuit.
The Antrolo transport was now upside down and descending through the Onliv atmosphere.
Transversal transports often approached landing areas in an upside-down orientation to allow the pilot to navigate safely by looking out from the dome window. Actually it is one of the scariest positions for any pilot because they are feeling like they are falling face down to the ground. The internal gravity system solved the issue of being upside-down, but still does not help to lessen the sense of freefall.
The transport passed through a thin blanket of clouds and headed for the city of Pium.
Kalrea peered up at the country-side below. A large concentration of buildings came into view. At their centre was a large hole in the ground over six hundred metres in diameter. A bright-green flashing “34-F” was being projected into the air above the hole, indicating to Kalrea the route to follow to the docking pier.
Kalrea flew the transport towards the sign. As soon as the transport reached it, that sign disappeared and another appeared in the distance below. The transport descended down below the surface following one sign after the other.
Around the edge of the colossal hole were many docking piers protruding horizontally outwards from its perimeter, some of which had small shuttles and transports docked against them. A “34-F” appeared above a vacant docking pier, directly ahead.
Now to land the ship.
Kalrea stood motionless, while the ship rotated so she was now looking skywards and approached the pier.
Activate docking thrusters.
Secondary engine start. Start confirmed.
Primary engine shut down.
Auxiliary dampers enabled.
Twenty metres to pier. Ten metres. Five metres.
Enable docking clamps.
Secondary engine shut down.
One metre.
There was a loud bang. The ship shuddered violently.
Docking completed.
Not the best landing ever, Kalrea thought.
She wasted no time in lifting Supora, from the seatra, in her arms.
She looks very weak.
Kalrea rushed to the exit of the transport. With a loud hiss the door seal released and the door swung inwards.
Just outside, in the well-lit but narrow entrance to the pier, was a waiting medi-pod with two female paramedics standing alongside it. They were both dressed in long black gowns and were wearing small headsets. One of them pointed to Kalrea and was about to say something, when Kalrea said,
‘Yes, I know! And I’m not wearing what you think I am, all right!’
The paramedic held a hand up in acknowledgement, and then pointing to the medi-pod instructed Kalrea, ‘Put the patient on here.’
Kalrea placed Supora carefully onto a large padded area in the centre of the medi-pod, which had no roof, windows or doors. On each side of the padded area was a bench with space for two people to sit and watch over the patient.
One of the paramedics studied a small monitor adjacent to one of the seats, before saying,
‘Her life signs are fluctuating between twenty-three and twenty-six qingals. We must get her to the theatre immediately.’
‘Please be seated,’ the nearest paramedic said with urgency to Kalrea.
‘Pod six, requesting delivery to theatre forty-three,’ the other paramedics said, at the same time, into her headset.
As soon as they were seated, the medi-pod accelerated away and entered a brightly lit tunnel, before finally emerging into the operating theatre where a doctor was waiting for them.
The doctor looked straight at the wound on her chest. ‘That’s not good. Get that helmet off her now. I need to get this pod straight into the opito to assess her.’
A paramedic carefully removed the helmet. She gasped in surprise when she saw an Agonian.
‘Don’t just stare at her, I need to get her in the opito, now!’ the doctor shouted at the paramedic.
The opito was a machine used to scan and perform operations on patients. There was no need for the patient to be moved from the medi-pod to the opito because the medi-pod would be lifted into i
t. The opito was like a moulded recess in the ceiling, with the indent being the exact shape of the base of the medi-pod and was deep enough to allow the whole medi-pod to fit into it with the patient inside. Over the patient were hundreds of small needles pointing downwards, giving the appearance of some type of torture chamber rather than something that could heel.
The medics and Kalrea stepped off the medi-pod. It was then lifted into the air by a large column, which rose from the floor beneath it and pushed it up into the opito. With a suction noise the base of the medi-pod sealed against the edge of the hole, locking Supora inside.
The paramedics now left the room, but Kalrea could hear them mention the word Agonian. They were talking about Supora.
The doctor was viewing his monitoring panel. ‘She’s lucky to still be alive. Just as well an Agonian has two hearts,’ he commented. ‘The plasma blast has punctured one lung and her left heart has failed. Blood loss is now at a critical level. She needs to have an operation straight way.’ He turned to Kalrea. ‘Where did she come from? You know it’s illegal to have an Agonian.’
‘Doctor, she doesn’t belong to me, she is a free Agonian.’
‘Erm… I find that hard to believe. I’m afraid I can’t operate on her.’
‘What?’ Kalrea was taken completely by surprise. ‘What do you mean you can’t operate on her? She’s in the opito now.’
‘The hospital doesn’t have the insurance cover to treat an Agonian. What happens if something goes wrong? We can’t pay the compensation.’
‘I don’t believe this. Doctor… What’s your name?’ Kalrea prompted him.
‘Belin,’ he replied.
‘Doctor Belin, do you have any children?’
‘Yes, I have little boy.’
‘How old is he?’
‘Seven... Look, I don’t see what the age of my son has to do with that woman in there.’
‘Her name’s Supora and she’s got two daughters, called Asnica and Doine. The oldest is only nine,’ Kalrea said. ‘Their father was killed yesterday. How do you think your son would feel if he was left all alone?’
‘Look lady, I know what you’re trying to do, but I’m sorry.’
Aurora Saga 2 Immortality for Life Page 18
