Book Read Free

Talosian Chronicles 5: Raptor Squadron

Page 27

by Ben Winston


  "So you were a doctor here before you joined the Terrans then?" John asked.

  "Yes, I was. I still have my license as well. Although I'm sure eventually someone will call it into question because I won't allow the treatments I know of to be passed on to other medical professionals here. Our oaths say above all else, do no harm. I feel I've chosen the lesser of the two evils," Beth replied sadly.

  John nodded. "I can understand that. Its simple triage; the greatest good for the greatest number."

  Before they could continue talking, the flight crew arrived to check on the patient. "What the hell?" the big male nurse asked when he saw what was going on. "You're operating on him out here?"

  "Excuse me Nurse. Yes, they are operating on him out here. They had to or you would have been picking up a dead body," Lissa said. "The patient had a perforated small intestine, as well as a lacerated artery from a bullet wound. Both issues are currently repaired and the patient is stabilizing. You will be able to move him shortly."

  "Who are you?" the nurse demanded.

  "Officer Lissa Dancer of the Terran defense forces Raptor Damocles. Among my other duties, I am the team's combat medic. This is Doctor Elizabeth Williams, Chief Medical Officer of the Terran Defense Forces Battle Cruiser Star Dancer. The other man is Doctor John Corman, from St. Joseph's Hospital in Denver."

  The nurse took a deep breath. "Okay, I guess that explains things somewhat. I'm still going to have to report this, I hope you both understand that, Doctors."

  They both nodded. "We did what we felt was necessary to save the patient's life. If that cost's me my license, then so be it."

  "I'll give you an audio recording of my notes during the treatment to take with you, Nurse. Perhaps that will help with your report. Please make sure the other doctors have access to it as they might need to contact me for further treatment," Beth said.

  "Thank you, Doctor," the nurse replied.

  Beth glanced at Lissa. "Lissa, prepare to record please."

  "Ready, Doctor," Lissa replied after touching some buttons on the equipment she had brought.

  Beth began speaking, explaining the incident, the wound as she had found it, her diagnosis, and actions taken. She explained the operation in detail, making sure to include all the relevant data. She finished with explaining who she was and how to reach her. She also mentioned that she had been assisted in the treatment of the patient by Doctor John Corman and Officer Lissa Dancer. When she nodded to Lissa, the young woman stopped the recording and pressed another button. A small SD card dropped into a cubicle on the side of the device. Lissa handed the chip to the nurse as Beth closed up the incision she'd had to make in the man's abdomen.

  "There you go, he's closed up, stable, and ready for transport, Nurse," Beth said as she stood letting the sterile generator clean her hands. John followed suit.

  "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen," Jed, the ski patrol EMT said as he helped get the man on the gurney.

  Around them, the crowd began applauding and cheering. Both John and Beth blushed but bowed to them.

  With the arrival of the helicopter, the Sheriff had also arrived. She led the flight nurse up the hills by only a few steps. Instead of trying to stop the emergency surgery, she quietly began interviewing the people involved and had her men taking statements from the witnesses. She began with Ian.

  She walked up to where Deputy Stiles was standing with a young man. She extended her hand. "Admiral Williams I presume?"

  Ian smiled at her. "Sorry to ruin your day, Sheriff. Thanks for coming."

  "While I appreciate the sentiment Admiral, I'm getting the impression this wasn't your fault. What happened here?" the Sheriff asked.

  "My family and I have recently returned from a mission in another star system, and we decided to take a vacation. We worked it out with the Government and booked a ski lodge here. Everything was going fine until we got out here to the lifts. The wounded gentleman came up behind me, pressed a weapon to my back and ordered me to go with him as I was under arrest. When I looked over at my companions, they also had men standing very close to them," Ian began. He went on to explain the situation as he saw it.

  The Sheriff nodded. "So basically, the spooks sent two SEAL teams out here to do whatever they needed to do to get your tech. They ignored your warnings and got hurt. You do have diplomatic immunity, so their attempt to arrest you was illegal."

  "Pretty much, yeah. But I don't blame the SEALs, they were just following orders, I'd bet they have no idea we're diplomatically protected. No, they were being used," Ian replied.

  "You're being pretty generous considering they just tried to kill you," she replied.

  "Soldiers following orders are just being good soldiers. If I knew who was using them in this way, I doubt I would be as forgiving to them," Ian admitted.

  The Sheriff looked at him. "You mean you don't know?"

  "We have some pretty good ideas, but there's not a whole lot we can do about it. It has to be left to the US Government to deal with issues of this type," Ian replied. "The problem is that it's not good for one's career to arrest the people that put you in office."

  The woman snorted. "I do it all the damn time! But I do know what you mean. Hard to fight this type of corruption at such a high level. Hell, everyone knows about it, but no one knows how to get rid of it. I think if it weren’t for the fact that they'd have to leave the planet, you'd find yourselves flooded with applications for citizenship!"

  Ian chuckled at her. "The last time I checked, we were anyway. How do you want to handle this, Sheriff?"

  "Not really much to handle; You didn't commit a crime and I couldn't arrest you even if you had. The SEALs have already been covered, so about all we can do is take everyone's statements and file our reports." She sighed. "Before I took this job, I didn't mind paperwork all that much."

  "Well, now we just need to get the rest of the SEAL teams out of here and maybe we can get back to our vacation," Ian replied.

  "The rest?" the Sheriff asked.

  Ian nodded. "We parked our ship in a clearing over by the lodge we rented. I'm not sure how, but they found it and are sitting around trying to figure out how to haul it away."

  The Sheriff just shook her head. "What a mess. Do I need to get anyone over there?"

  "I don't think so," Ian replied. "The ship's commander is over there right now talking to them. I've heard they've stopped shooting at her, at least."

  "Well, if we don't get it under control pretty soon, we're going to have another crowd of folks gathered over there that could get shot; if that happens, I'm sure you'll get blamed for it," the Sheriff replied.

  "We've got someone on the line with their commanders right now trying to figure this mess out," Ian replied. "At least no one died over this. I just hope they decide to leave that man alone and not try to dissect him to see what we did to help him."

  "They don't really do that do they?" Deputy Stiles asked.

  Ian gave the man a half-smile. "Deputy, it wouldn't surprise me if they hadn't already gotten the lab prepared. They can very easily say that he died from his wounds because of the poor treatment we gave him here."

  "No, they can't." The doctor that had assisted Beth said as he came over to Ian and the Sheriff. "Sheriff, I am a surgeon at St. Joseph's in Denver, my name is John Corman. The procedure was amazing, but I saw everything she did and she explained it all in great detail. The only thing that man needs is time to heal. If anything happens to him, it will be because it was done to him after the fact. I would testify to that."

  The Sheriff nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. We'll make sure your statement is in our report."

  "Admiral, with your permission, I'll escort the other two SEALs back to their team," Sam replied. "The sooner we can clear this area, the sooner the folks gathered around will go back to skiing."

  Ian nodded agreement. "Just remember, you'll probably get shot at, you don't have your armor on."

  "I think these two at least have lea
rned their lesson. But I'll be careful, Sir," Sam replied, turned and walked back over to the two waiting men.

  "How much do you want to bet they're still going to try to arrest him?" Stiles asked.

  Ian chuckled. "No bet. They'll do it as soon as they're out of earshot of this little group. I'd wager a steak dinner that they won't be any more successful than they were here."

  "Now that's a sucker's bet! No thanks!" Stiles replied.

  While they'd been talking the sound of a snowmobile could be heard approaching. When people began moving for it, the Sheriff frowned. "It looks like the old man has come to see what's going on for himself! I wish he wouldn't do that!"

  "Old man?" Ian asked.

  The Sheriff nodded. "Jason Montgomery. He owns the resort and most of the land around here. He's also older than Moses and in a wheelchair. He shouldn't be coming out in this cold like this. Come on, I'll introduce you."

  The woman led Ian over to where the machine had stopped, but one of the red-suited ski patrol had beaten them there. As they approached, they overheard the conversation between the two men.

  "Dammit, Granddad! What are you doing! If you catch cold, it could kill you!" The big ski patrol said.

  "Relax Trevor, I'm bundled up so much I can barely breath! I had to see what was going on out here; I'd heard there had been gun shots." The old man replied after removing his helmet.

  "I can understand you were curious, but this is risky, dammit! We're under a blizzard warning right now!" the other man replied.

  The old man on the snowmobile pushed his grandson to one side as Ian and the Sheriff approached. "Ah Sheriff! I'd heard you been called. What's happening here?"

  "Jason Montgomery, you cantankerous old bastard! You know damn good and well I would have stopped to see you before I left and filled you in. Trevor's right, this is too dangerous for you!" The Sheriff replied.

  "Yeah? And you would have made me wait for hours before you did, too! It's bad for my heart to stress like this!" Montgomery replied.

  The Sheriff just shook her head. "Jason Montgomery, I'd like to introduce you to Admiral Ian Williams of the Terran Defense Force. Admiral Williams, Jason Montgomery, owner and president of this resort, hotel and casino, and most of the mountains behind us."

  "It's an honor to meet you, Sir," Ian replied and after removing his glove, offered his hand.

  The old man did the same and looked impressed. "Youngest damn Admiral I've ever met! I'd wager the duty will make you an old man well before your time though, son. Welcome to Breckenridge, Admiral." He looked at the Sheriff. "So, what happened here Jean? Feds try to capture the Admiral and his party again?"

  The Sheriff nodded. "That's pretty much the whole thing in a nutshell, Jason. One SEAL stopped his own bullet when he didn't believe the warnings from the Admiral. He would have died but one of the people with the Admiral was a doctor and performed emergency surgery on the man, saving his life, at least from this incident. We just sent him to Denver in the medical bird." A she spoke, another snowmobile could be heard approaching.

  "Ah, that would be my nursemaid catching up to me. Admiral, Sheriff, perhaps we can continue this discussion in my office?" Jason asked.

  "There you are, you old deviant! What the hell do you think you're doing running off like that!" the young woman that literally jumped off the snowmobile said, laying into the old man. "Do you have any idea what this cold air is doing to you?"

  Jason looked up at Ian and the Sheriff. "Please excuse her, she's a mean little shit, but she means well."

  "Yeah? You're not going back to your office either! I'm taking you back to your room right now! Maybe we can head this off before your idiocy kills you!" the girl replied, pushed him back from the control of the snowmobile, and climbed in front of him.

  "Prudence, don't be rude. There is something very important I need to speak to the Admiral about. Besides, I was only trying to find out what was going on out here," Jason replied.

  "Don't give me that crap! The doctors said bed-rest and you've managed to push even those orders! We're going back, now." She looked up at the Sheriff, with a pissed off look on her face. "I'm sorry Jean, but he really can't be outside, stunts like this could kill him right now." She looked over at the big Ski Patrol Trevor. "Trev, can you get the other sled back for me?"

  "Sure Prude, I'll handle it." Trevor replied. "Thanks."

  She smiled at him, started the snowmobile and drove away.

  "Is he going to be Okay?" Ian asked looking at the big man. The Sheriff had a concerned look on her face as she looked to him as well.

  "Grandpa just got out of the hospital with pneumonia. He's got cancer and the chemo has really weakened his immune system. But he refuses to rest like the doctors are telling him. It's almost like he doesn't care or doesn't believe them," Trevor replied.

  "Knowing him, he's probably fighting it the only way he knows how," the Sheriff replied. "He's been bull-headed all his life and has always met every challenge head on. He's a fighter, and the doctor's orders are like torture to him."

  Trevor nodded. "Yeah, they are. But if he doesn't listen to them, he's going to die." The big man looked like he was on the verge of tears.

  "He said he wanted to speak to us, should we ignore it, or do we go see him?" Ian asked. "Trevor, if you would like, I can ask Beth to come with us to check him over?"

  "That would be great, Admiral. I just wish he'd agree to join you all so you could help him," Trevor replied. "I know he's getting old, and he'll leave us eventually, but I just can't… we can't lose him yet." He slowly shook his head. "Ignoring it is not a good idea when it comes to grandfather. He's very persistent."

  The Deputies and Ski Patrol were getting the ski lift line running again. People had begun to wander off and get back to enjoying their vacations. Ian excused himself from the Sheriff and Trevor for a moment to call Cindy. "What's happening over there Cindy?"

  "Calm. I talked them down and bought them lunch from the pizza joint in town. We're still waiting for the word to get passed back down the line here," Cindy replied.

  Ian grinned. "Careful or you'll end up with a dozen or so new boyfriends!"

  "Uh huh, Ian one of these folks over here is not a SEAL or Delta. He's a 'civilian' agent. I think he might be the contact on site for this fuck-up. What do you want me to do with him?" Cindy asked.

  "That depends, is he an ass or is he playing nice?" Ian asked.

  "Well, he shot at me without warning when I took my helmet off. He's been a belligerent ass-hole ever since. He still thinks he'll find a way to force us 'under control'," she replied.

  "Sheriff, can I ask you a favor that will probably generate a lot more paperwork?" Ian asked. He left the line to Cindy open so she could listen to him.

  "That depends, how much paperwork are we talking about?" Jean replied.

  Ian grinned. "I'm told one of the gentlemen trying to capture our ship is not a SEAL or a member of the armed forces in any capacity. He's technically a civilian."

  "A spook. You want me to go arrest the spook in charge of this mess don't you?" the woman asked raising an eyebrow at him.

  Ian shrugged. "Well, he is one of the assholes responsible for this fiasco, and since he is a 'civilian', he's not protected like the military guys are. At least you can arrest someone over this mess."

  "I don't know whether to thank you or curse you, Admiral. Stiles! Grab two of the others and put that idiot in cuffs. Be sure to search him very well before you do," the Sheriff ordered. "Keep him under guard at all times. Literally do not take your eyes off him; he's liable to cut your throats just for fun while he escapes."

  "What are the charges, Sheriff?" Deputy Stiles asked.

  "He did try to shoot my person over there in the head. So attempted murder would work," Ian suggested. "I'll get you the video of the incident."

  "Just how did you manage to get video of it? Never mind; I don't think I want to know," Jean replied.

  Ian laughed. "They're beside our
ship. I'm certain it recorded everything." He waved the women he had arrived with over. "Shannon, Talena, Beth and I have been asked to visit the owner of this resort. I'm sorry to bail out on you two, but I'd be happy to join you after we're finished if you want to meet us back at our lodge."

  "Sure Ian, I don't know about Shannon, but I'm getting kinda hungry anyway," Talena replied.

  "Okay Ian, you have fun with the rich folks, I'll eat pizza with the grunts," Cindy replied, reminding him she was still on the comm.

  "Yeah and I'm sure you’re actually enjoying it. You like those folks!" Ian replied.

  "I do, I'm sure we could be friends if the situation were different. We understand each other," she replied.

  "Well, keep me in the loop. Beth and I will accompany the Sheriff to see Mr. Montgomery," Ian replied.

  "Yeah, not without a guard. Sasha, you escort Talena back to the lodge but stay hidden. Shannon, stay with Ian and Beth," Cindy ordered.

  "Understood, will do," Shannon replied as Sasha also acknowledged the order.

  Ian sighed and turned back to the Sheriff. "I guess that's handled. I'm ready when you are, Sheriff."

  Jean led the small group back to the biggest of the resort's lodges, which wasn't really all that far way. Jean led them through a couple of 'staff only' doors, and up a set of stairs to a nice, comfy loft area over-looking the lift area where the SEALs made their attempt.

  "Well, now we know how he knew something was up!" Ian grinned.

  "Damn straight, Admiral!" Jason said from a door in the back of the room. "If I can't be out there, at least I can see them."

  "Mr. Montgomery it's good to see you again. Sir, if you wanted to speak with me, you could simply have called," Ian replied.

  He chuckled. "Well, I didn't actually know you were staying with us, and you're not the easiest person to get hold of otherwise."

  "No, I suppose not," Ian said smiling at the man. "Sir, before we continue, this is Doctor Elizabeth Williams, the Chief Medical Officer on my ship. Trevor asked if she could give you a quick check to make sure you’re doing okay."

 

‹ Prev