“Yes,” Steel said with a sigh. “So does Astra. They’re both too shy to do more than stare at each other when the other isn’t looking.”
“Sometimes it’s safer to dream about possibilities than it is to reach for them and risk outright rejection,” Tani said as she approached Astra’s tube. It made her sad to see her friend floating in the hibernation gel, one side of the close fitting leotard she wore stained with blood.
“So true,” Steel said softly as moved to stand beside Tani. She turned the scanner on again, and looked up at him.
“Will you help me hold this up, please?”
“Of course,” he said, and took the device out of her hands. He placed the transducer against the transparent wall directly in front of the area of Astra’s wound as Tani directed, and leaned out of the way so that she could see the screen. She made a view adjustments to brighten and sharpen the image, then magnified the area she most wanted to see. After a careful inspection, she smiled.
“Good news?” Steel asked hopefully.
“Yes,” Tani said. “The wound isn’t bad at all, see here?” she asked, pointing at the screen. Steel leaned down so he could see while still holding the scanner in place. “Was the knife still in her when she transported up?”
“No,” Steel said. “If it had been, we would have been able to guess how deep it was. But it bled a lot, which worried us.”
“Well, she’s lucky,” Tani said. “This is a flesh wound, a deep one, but it didn’t get near anything important because it went in at an angle. It looks like it nicked a bit of muscle, but it’s not too serious. She’ll be sore, and we need to be sure it doesn’t get infected. Do you have antibiotics?”
“Yes, we do, and pain meds as well.”
“Good, then let’s get her out of there,” Tani said as she reached for the control panel on the front of the tank and slid back the cover.
“Will you want to seal the wound?” Steel asked. “Because that might be a problem.”
“Why’s that?”
“We don’t have any skin adhesive.”
“I need to get a real look at it before I’ll know for sure, but if it’s necessary, I’ll handle it the old fashioned way. The damaged muscle won’t take more than a couple of stitches, if I have to do it at all.”
“Stitches? Do you mean with a needle and thread? Like mending clothing?”
“Yes, that’s what I mean,” she said. “I’ll check the infirmary for sterile sutures, but thread will work just fine if that’s all you have.”
“I never would have imagined doing that,” he said. “Will you mind if I watch?”
“No, not at all,” Tani said. “I’ll even teach you, if you want.”
“Yes, please,” he said. “We often have wounds that we don’t know how to treat other than to clean them and use antibiotics. We haven’t had skin adhesive in a long time.”
Tani glanced up at him, the sadness and worry in his tone impossible to miss, then returned her attention to the control panel. “No problem,” she said. “I’ll show you and anyone else who wants to learn how to do it. Like I said, I don’t know a lot, but what I do know I’m happy to share.” A moment later she activated the hibernation removal cycle and unlocked the tank so that they could rotate it, putting Astra in a prone position so she wouldn’t fall to the bottom of the tank when the gel was drained.
An hour and a half later Astra lay sleeping on a medi-cot in the infirmary. Tani had chosen to pack the wound with an absorbent medium infused with antibiotics rather than stitch it closed after a second scan revealed that the muscle wasn’t damaged after all. She wasn’t sure how she’d read the first scan wrong, but since it meant Astra’s injury was even less serious than she’d thought, she wasn’t going to complain. Steel had been disappointed, but after she assured him that she’d still teach him how to stitch a wound, he was happy.
“When will she awaken?” he asked as he stared at his cousin.
“Not much longer, a few minutes maybe,” Tani said. “She’s doing well, Steel, don’t worry. If I wasn’t a hundred percent certain I could treat her wound successfully, I never would have risked taking her out of the tank.”
“If I wasn’t a hundred percent certain of you, I wouldn’t have let you,” Steel said with a little smile. “How did you learn so much about healing?”
“I grew up on a cattle ranch,” she said. “Do you know what that is?”
“A place where cows are raised, yes?”
“That’s right,” she said. “Dracon Ranch raises cows, sheep, and horses. Animals get sick and have injuries all the time, so we have a med-barn. When I was a kid I’d spend as much time as I could there, helping Doc and Aunt Darlene care for the animals. Doc is a real doctor, he just loves animals, so he takes care of them too. When I got a little older, they’d let me come to the clinic to help out with people. They taught me a lot about treating wounds, broken bones, and mild illnesses.”
“I would have guessed you lived in a palace, not on a ranch,” Steel said.
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Tani said with a sigh. “When I was little it used to hurt my feelings when people automatically assumed we were spoiled little girls who got anything and everything we wanted just for the asking. When our parents took us to functions on other worlds, we’d meet the children of important people and while a lot of them were just normal kids like us, some weren’t. We saw firsthand why people thought the way they did.”
“Your lives were so different?”
“Yes, very much so,” Tani said. “We had regular chores, and got an allowance based on how well we did them. I’m not going to pretend we weren’t comfortable, or that we ever went without something that we needed. We lived in a nice, clean home, we had loving parents, we went to good schools and never had to worry about how we’d pay our tuitions or buy our study materials, or whether or not we could afford to go home for breaks. We had it better than most and we appreciated that. But we didn’t get everything we wanted just by crooking our fingers either. If we wanted something special, we worked on the ranch and saved our money for it.”
“When I was in college, I sometimes visited the homes of friends I met there,” Steel said. “What you say sounds much the same as what their lives were like.”
“Our parents wanted us to have as normal a childhood as possible. They didn’t want us growing up thinking we were better than other people just because of the blood in our veins. Of all the things I’m grateful to my parents for, that is the most precious to me.”
“I now understand why Astra thought that you would listen to our problem, and perhaps be willing to help us.”
“Thank you, Steel,” she said, smiling. “That’s a nice thing to say. So, what is your problem?”
“In short, my people have been enslaved for the second time by creatures of the Xanti,” he said, then turned to look at Astra when she made a soft noise.
“Why haven’t you contacted ICARUS?” Tani asked as they both watched Astra for further signs of awakening.
“We’ve tried,” Steel said. “Our requests have been ignored.”
Tani stared at him in surprise, then turned back to Astra when she tried to sit up. She hurried over and placed a gentle hand on Astra’s shoulder. “Just relax, Astra,” she said. “You just got out of a hibernation tank and need a few more minutes to adjust.”
“Tani,” Astra said, looking at her in mild surprise. She turned her head to the other side and looked up at her cousin. “Steel? What’s going on?”
“Give yourself a minute, Astra, and it should all come back to you,” Tani said. “Would you like some water?”
“Yes, please,” Astra said. Tani went to get the water and Astra tried to do as she’d asked and relax. After a few moments, everything came back to her just like Tani had said it would. “Now I understand why my side hurts.”
“We can give you something for the pain once you’re fully awake,” Tani said, holding a glass filled with cold water close enough for Astra to reach the stra
w. She drank thirstily, nearly draining the glass.
“Thank you, Tani,” she said. Tani set the glass down, then checked the readouts on the medi-cot. “How bad is it?”
“Not bad at all. It’s going to hurt some for a while, but it’s not serious.” She went on to explain what she’d done, and what they’d have to do in the near future in order for the wound to heal without complications. By the time she was finished, Astra was fully awake, so Tani gave her a mild pain killer.
“Please tell me I can have a shower,” Astra said, reaching up to touch her hair which was sticky from the hibernation gel.
“Of course you can shower,” Tani said. “I’ll put a waterproof patch over the bandage, but you need to remember to take it off again when you’re dry.” Tani placed one hand over Astra’s. “Thanks for saving me, Astra. I’m sorry you got hurt.”
“It certainly wasn’t your fault, Tani,” Astra said. “I’m sorry for getting you caught up in this, but we really are desperate.”
“So your cousin has told me,” Tani said with a smile. “By the way, Steel raided your closet for me. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not even a little bit,” Astra said. “That sweater looks great on you, and it makes me itch, so it’s yours if you like it.”
“Thank you, Astra,” Tani said, her smile widening. “What do you want first? Rest, shower, or food?”
“Shower first, Food second, sleep last,” Astra replied.
“Steel, where’s the nearest shower?”
“There’s one through that door there,” he replied, pointing.
“All right,” Tani said, already digging around through drawers and cabinets. She found what she was looking for and went back to Astra’s bedside. “Steel, if you’ll help her into the bathroom, I’ll help her with a shower. After that, I’ll get her to her room if you can get her a food tray.”
“You sure you don’t need me to help with getting her to her room?” Steel asked.
“I’m stronger than I look,” Tani said. “We’ll be fine.”
“All right,” Steel said as he reached over and lifted Astra out of the bed. The muscles in his arms and shoulders flexed and Tani had to look away and think about cleaning and packing Astra’s wound while hurrying ahead of them to the bathroom. She looked around to make sure everything Astra might need was there, then she lowered the lid on the commode so Steel could set Astra down on it. After that he left, and Tani gratefully closed the door so she could think.
Half an hour later Tani helped Astra don a clean med gown, and combed the tangles out of her wet hair. Even though Tani was significantly shorter than Astra, she really was very strong, so she had no trouble helping her friend up and out of the bathroom, across the infirmary and into the corridor.
“Which way?” she asked. Astra pointed and they set off.
“The wound is in my side, so why is it so hard for me to walk?” Astra asked.
“It’s a reaction from the hibernation tank,” Tani said. “If I knew more, I’d probably be able to give you something to counteract the muscle weakness and dizziness you’re experiencing. I’m sorry that I can’t, but you should be able to walk on your own tomorrow, after a good night of real sleep.”
“If not for you, I’d still be in it,” Astra said. “I’ve got no complaints and you have nothing to be sorry for.” They stopped in front of the elevator and Tani pressed the button for deck two, where the sleeping quarters were located. A few minutes later, with a bit more help from Tani, Astra was wearing her own pajamas and sitting in her own bed, propped up with a stack of pillows and extra blankets. A couple of minutes after that, Steel arrived with a tray that Tani placed on a rolling table like the one that was in her room.
“I’ll get out of your hair now,” Tani said when she was sure Astra didn’t need anything more from her. “I’m sure you and Steel would like to talk without me around.”
“No, Tani,” Astra said, then looked at Steel. Steel nodded, then grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and moved it closer to the bed. “Sit here,” Astra said to Tani, who shrugged and sat on the foot of Astra’s bed, careful not to jostle her or her food tray.
“I know you, Tani,” Astra said with a smile. “You’re dying to know what all this is about, but you won’t ask until you think I’m healed. I also know Steel. He won’t say anything until I’m healed, either, but I’m fine, so let’s just do this.”
“If you’re sure you’re up for it,” Tani said.
“I am,” Astra said. “I’m just a little sore.” She reached for the glass of juice on her tray and sipped. “The reason I came to find you Tani, is that we’ve been trying for over a year now to get help from ICARUS, but they keep ignoring us. We haven’t even gotten a response from them. I know you aren’t connected with ICARUS personally, but you’re the only person I know who might be able and willing to help us and, like I said, we’re desperate.”
“You’ve contacted ICARUS directly, not the Academy, correct?” Tani asked.
“Yes, that’s right,” Astra said, frowning. “We know the difference between the two.”
“Forgive me, Astra, I don’t mean to insult you,” Tani said. “It’s just that about six weeks ago it was discovered that the Director of the ICARUS Academy had been compromised.”
“Compromised?” Steel asked.
“The Xanti had a device that they implanted into people’s brains called a controller. Are you familiar with that at all?”
“No,” Steel said slowly as he and Astra shook their heads. “Can you tell us more about it?”
“It’s nano technology that’s injected into the host’s brain. The host is then at the mercy of whoever controls the controller, and it’s impossible to fight. The host will do absolutely anything and everything they’re told.”
Astra and Steel both looked a little sick. Tani didn’t blame them. It was a horrific device. “How is this controller removed?” Steel asked.
“That’s the hard part,” Tani said. “No one’s ever found a way to remove a controller using mundane means without killing the host. However, there are two women on Jasan who, working together, can shut it down and destroy it using their psychic abilities.”
“The Director of the ICARUS Academy had one of these devices?” Steel asked.
“He did,” Tani replied. “My parents took him back to Jasan to have it removed. From what you’re telling me, I have a very bad feeling that someone…whoever put the controller in General Christoff probably…has infiltrated both the Academy and ICARUS.”
“Who?” Astra asked.
“I’ve got no idea,” Tani said.
“Tani, is there any way that you can get ICARUS to help us?” Astra asked.
“I’ll certainly try,” Tani replied. “But I need to know more before I can tell you whether or not they’re even the right people to contact.”
“I thought that since the Xanti were involved, ICARUS would help,” Astra said.
“Not necessarily,” Tani replied. “There are specific guidelines that ICARUS must follow in order to determine whether or not a situation or problem is a direct result of the chaos left by the Xanti. If what was meant to be, what Fate had ordained, has been altered, then it’s the sworn duty of every member of ICARUS to do what they can to put things back on track. Obviously they can’t turn back the clock, but they try to right as many wrongs as possible. But, just because people are in a bad situation doesn’t mean that it would be right for ICARUS to interfere. If that is their fate, unaltered by the Xanti, then they cannot interfere.”
“I understand,” Astra said, obviously disappointed.
“I don’t,” Steel said, frowning darkly. “By that code, no one can help people who are being exploited or enslaved unless the Xanti enslaved them.”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Tani said. “I’m saying that ICARUS can’t interfere. The Jasani can, and do, interfere in situations where basic rights are violated, as do most of the planets in the Thousand Worlds that
signed the Law Enforcement and Defense Treaties.”
“I apologize, Tani,” Steel said. “I misunderstood you.”
Tani smiled, accepting the apology, and continued. “I know the rules that ICARUS operates by because my parents helped write them, and invited me and my sisters and brothers into some of the discussions they had about it. Tell me what the problem is that you need ICARUS’s help with, and I will tell you whether or not I think it’s a matter that ICARUS can involve themselves in.”
“If it is?”
“Then as soon as it’s safe to do so, I’ll contact my parents and tell them the situation.”
“And if it isn’t?”
“Same answer,” Tani said.
“Very well,” Steel said. “Do you want the long version or the short one?”
“I don’t have any appointments that I’m aware of, so let’s go long.”
Steel smiled, then glanced at Astra who nodded. “Please understand that much of what I now tell you is old knowledge, passed down through our families for generations,” Steel warned. Tani nodded her understanding. “It all began four hundred and fifty years ago when a thousand of my people, the Khun, were stolen from their home world by the Xanti, and taken to what was to become our new home, Garza. When the Khun were put down on Garza, about two hundred Nomen were already there, waiting for them.”
“Excuse me for interrupting, but who are Nomen? You mentioned them earlier, but I don’t recall ever hearing of that planet, or those people before.”
“As far as we know they don’t have a planet, and they aren’t truly a people. They’re part human, and part machine. They refer to themselves as Nomen, so that is what we call them.” Tani nodded again, her face showing none of the nausea that churned in her stomach as Steel continued. “They were bigger and stronger than our people, and had weapons that appeared magical to the relative primitives our people were at that time. They ruled over the Khun, and their rule was cold, emotionless, and absolute.
“The people soon learned that they were expected to mine a rare liquid metal that the Xanti wanted. The Nomen taught the men how to mine, and the women how to grow food without soil and raise livestock to feed everyone. Then they made sure everyone worked hard enough to satisfy them.
Tani's Destiny (Hearts of ICARUS Book 2) Page 4