Solstice 31: The Solstice 31 Saga, Books 1,2,3

by Martin Wilsey

  After 60 or 70 props were in place, the noon break was called. They made their way to the communal hall for a lunch of stew and bread. Conversations were loud, and Barcus felt like just another person in the hall at the long tables.

  Olias was sitting across from Barcus and was detailing the next salvage run. He was updating Barcus on the list of things they needed. “I have also organized two other teams to collect wandering livestock. Em has given us the locations of loose cattle, pigs, goats and even chickens.” Olias pointed at a map he had spread out that he had painstakingly copied from his Plate with the areas they would look.

  “Pardosa wants me to come with her, here and here and bring three others.” He pointed on the map to two locations farther away than any other salvage operation so far.

  “You have the current priority lists. Par keeps her own schedule. Smith needs her to bring some stone up from the quarry before you leave,” Barcus requested.

  Olias nodded his head saying in common, “It’s already being done.”

  ***

  Barcus studied the survey map in his HUD. Fifty-seven small destroyed villages had been found. No further occupied villages had been located yet. The map had a layer that indicated the distribution of the BUGs over the survey area. It looked like a cloud, and another layer indicated aerial imagery where available.

  He brought up the real-time imagery of the Salterferry Bridge. There was a gorge that was deep and about two hundred meters wide. The water was fast running rapids below. Each side of the bridge had a huge stone tower and the remnants of the burned bridge. Beyond, to the south, the road was cobblestone as far as he could see.

  A window opened with a view of the east courtyard. Ash was off loading the last of the nine blocks from the quarry. Barcus smiled because he knew Em had picked the perfect time, while everyone was eating. Par said, “I can be ready to go in about thirty minutes. Ash can help with the upper level.”

  Par was gone when the crew returned after lunch. Ash was already up on the third floor, standing beneath the corner to be raised.

  “Bring up a beam that Ash can use to reach the corner,” Barcus said.

  A pole that was as big around as Barcus’s thigh was brought up. After each prop was manned, Ash took up the pole and placed it on the corner above.

  Together in unison they chanted, “Ready, steady, go.” Ash was holding the poll by the base and straightening out his legs. The roof went up a hand’s breath. All the props were repositioned and set, and then Ash repeated the operation. It took about an hour to reach the desired height incrementally. The replacement timber was set in the corner and secured.

  With the help of Ash, the blocks were set, and the additional supports were up in short order. Crews began working on each level to restore the floors to make them safe. A misstep on any of the levels would be very dangerous until the walls were closed up.

  Barcus was on top of the wall now, looking at the condition of the slate roof. A dozen men and boys were already out on the slate inspecting it. Planks showed through in places, and individual pieces of slate continued to dislodge and slide down, and off the edge, to the ground 40 feet below. That area was cleared and marked off to ensure no one was hurt by falling slate.

  Smith was out in the center of the huge expanse talking to a boy named Ansel, who was checking the slate nearest the edge where the most damage had occurred. There were large bare patches with the planking exposed.

  “Now careful where you step. Some of the wood may be loose or rotted.” Smith was speaking to the boy in common tongue. Barcus thought he understood.

  Ansel approached the edge and turned before he knelt. He was very sure on the balls of his bare feet. His hands were on the slate, as he looked up the slope towards Barcus and Smith. “Sir, this whole section here...” The boy pointed up and to the right of where they were standing. “This section doesn't look right.”

  Barcus and Smith were focused on that section when it happened. There was a sharp cracking sound, and when they looked up, the boy was over the edge, hanging by an ankle that had broken through the roof.

  Barcus was moving before Smith could even think. He belly-crawled fast to him.

  On his belly, facing down slope, with his fingers clinging to the upper edge of a large slate tile, Barcus’s face and right shoulder were over the edge next to Ansel. Barcus carefully reached down and grabbed the boy by his belt.

  “Are you all right, Ansel?”

  “Yes, my Lord. Except I think my ankle is broken.” Ansel looked up at him, wincing then, away from the ground, four stories below.

  “You know you are not supposed to call me that,” Barcus said. The boy smiled through the pain. Barcus could hear Smith barking orders, calling for rope.

  “Smith is getting us a rope. Don't worry, lad. I've got you.”

  “I appreciate that, sir. May I ask you a question while I have your attention?”

  “You can ask me a question any time. Even now.”

  “Am I really going to learn to read?” Ansel didn't seem frightened at all now.

  “If that's what you want. Yes. You'll love it. Come see me. I have just the book for you to borrow.”

  Then a rope appeared and almost hit Ansel in the face. He released Barcus’s sleeve and grabbed it with both hands.

  Then it happened.

  An entire section of slate gave way. It came down like an avalanche. There was nothing Barcus could do as it all unfolded in slow motion. Except one thing. As the slate took him over the edge he released Ansel's belt.

  Barcus turned to watch the boy, as he fell. At least Ansel held the rope and would be all right.

  The last thing he heard before the darkness took him was an all too human, frightened, Em, screaming the word, “Nooooooo!” in his head.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  The Triage

  “The Emergency Module was off the rails at that point. We believe now that this fall is what began the Solstice 31 Incident.”

  --Solstice 31 Incident Investigation Testimony Transcript: Emergency Module Digital Forensics Report. Independent Tech Analysis Team.

  <<<>>>

  Smith was the first to reach Barcus. He had slid down one of the rescue ropes they had tossed. He had burned his hand on the rope sliding down, but no one noticed until the next day.

  Ash was there next, but Smith gestured him back. Ash ignored him and stood directly over them both just in time for another shower of slate to fall. The large tiles would have probably killed Smith and Barcus then if it had not been for Ash shielding them.

  They gently unburied Barcus. They knew he was badly injured right away. He had landed flat on his back from a fall of just over 40 feet. He was breathing, but it was ragged. As they unburied him, they could see clearly that both of his legs were broken.

  “Don't move him. Help is coming,” Ash said in a calm, reassuring tone.

  “Who is coming?” Smith asked, as Po nearly fell as she ran across the rubble, with a case marked with a large red cross.

  She slid to a stop and paused only a second before she opened the case. Without prompting, she quickly affixed medical sensors in all the correct places. She put one on his forehead, one behind each ear and a ring on his right index finger. When her fingers came away bloody, she froze for a moment, but only a moment. She placed more sensors on his body after cutting his clothes away.

  She withdrew her Plate and with shaking hands she asked, “What do I do?”

  “There is a trauma kit here,” Em said, and Po knew to hold the Plate up so she could look through it to see the indicated item. She grabbed it and opened the small case.

  There was a Nanite hypo there. She knew how to use that. The lessons had been very simple and clear. She injected the Nanites into his neck.

  “Now what?” Smith asked. He had backed away. She seemed calm.

  The Plate replied in Em's voice, “His injuries are too severe for field treatment. The Nanites will stabilize him, but we need to get him into th
e medical bay. The STU is already on the way. ETA 3 minutes 20 seconds.”

  “Stu is coming here?” Po nearly shouted the question.

  “Yes. We need the medical bay. His skull is fractured, and his brain is already beginning to swell. He has broken ribs and a punctured lung. His spleen is ruptured, and he is bleeding internally. Secondarily, both legs are broken and ligaments are torn in both knees. He also has impact trauma from the slates hitting him. It's the head injury that's bad. We can only treat that in the Zero G med bay. Clear the rest of the slate off.”

  “Smith, there is a ship coming. It's big and black and it will scare the piss out of the people when they see it. You have to keep them from panicking,” Po said in a rush.

  “Two minutes. He will land just outside the main gate. Po, go with Ash to meet him. Ash knows what we need but doesn't have the hands for it. Smith, warn them.”

  They ran.

  Lea arrived next. Cresting the mound of debris, she slipped down the rubble, as they ran. Em had no choice but to address her directly. “Lea, listen to me. Clear the rest of the stones off, but don't move him. I need you to remain calm.”

  Lea looked up at the monster crouched above her. She wiped her eyes on her sleeves and nodded her head. She had him completely cleared in less than a minute. She startled when she heard the sonic boom. The sky was blue, and it was like thunder. It rolled over her like a pressure wave. Dust fell from the structures around her.

  She opened first one of his eyelids, then the other. They were fixed and dilated. She began to silently cry as she knew he was already dead, even though he was still faintly breathing. She had seen this kind of injury many times. It was always fatal.

  The STU settled just beyond the bridge outside the main gate. The cargo door was already opening, and the lights were on full bright. Double doors slid open in the back of the hold. Em spoke as she held up her Plate. “The rescue gurney is here.” The locker was highlighted in the Plate, and she retrieved it. It was extremely heavy as she dragged it from the locker, but it activated automatically. The entire rig simply floated.

  She didn't wait to marvel. She pushed it before her at a run. The path down seemed to take forever. When she arrived, Lea was there with her face in her hands.

  “No one dies this day,” Po nearly growled. “I won't have it. Do you hear me, Barcus?”

  Lea looked up when she heard Em's voice say, “Detaching the back board now. Lea, hold this.” A blue plank detached from the top of the device as Po calmly placed it directly over Barcus, about face level. Lea took it, and it felt like it had no weight. As she drew it to her side, it began to reshape into a mold shaped like a man as if he was laying in it. Magic. She knew it was powerful magic.

  The rescue gurney activated, and Barcus began to rise up towards it, never changing position.

  “Brush the debris from beneath him, quickly.” Em's tone was urgent.

  Lea helped Po brush the floating rocks away. When they reached the edge of the gurney, they just fell. When they reached the edge of the anti-gravity field, created by the gurney, they fell. When Po gently brushed a larger rock from behind his head, she could feel the skull fracture. Her calm cracked for an instant, allowing a few tears to spill, but only for an instant.

  “Lea, position the back board directly beneath him.” When she did, it floated up to form perfectly with his body. He then rose up to be enveloped by the gurney. The surface activated, and vital signs appeared. It turned clear above his face.

  “Back to the med bay. Hurry. Ash will bring the gurney,” Em said.

  It was only then, as Ash hurried away, that she looked up.

  Every wall was lined with people. The tower was full. The perimeter of the crater was lined with silent, concerned faces. Even Smith was there, holding Ansel in his arms.

  “I will see to Ansel. Go!” Lea said. Po closed the med kit and followed at a run.

  ***

  Inside the STU, the medical bay unfolded. Ash was too tall to fit in there, so he got the gurney as close as he could. Po slid the gurney into the clearly marked “Zero G Medical Bay.” The gurney ascended out of sight and the back board descended, became flat and covered the floor of the bay. A clear window closed, and a wind seemed to rise, clearing the grains of sand and dust. A dozen arms descended and began removing Barcus’s clothes, cutting away some sections, loosening his belt and lowering it to a compartment with his pouches, knives and handgun. His pants and even his boots were cut off, revealing the horrific extent of his injuries.

  Blood drifted from several wounds and was sucked away by vacuum arms. His knees were already black and swollen. Slate had cut him in many places. The bay focused on his head. Tiny arms moved with purpose. Tools deployed, and she watched as it quickly shaved his head with a mist and wind. It revealed his injury. Bloody pulp and an obvious dent.

  Po was crying now as this “med bay” cared for him. It washed him and treated his minor wounds the same way she had treated his Telis wounds.

  Smith was there. She had not noticed his approach.

  “Em, what's happening?” She asked.

  Em's voice seemed to come from all around them. “We have stabilized him. In a few minutes, we are going to realign the cranial bone structure so the Nanites can repair the bones. This kind of injury usually is handled by a full surgical facility, but we will make do. We have to relieve the pressure on his brain due to the subdural hematoma he has suffered.”

  One of the tiny hands held a tiny knife, and it cut his scalp all the way to the bone, just above the injury. Tiny silver fingers spread the flesh. Steam rose from the cuts, as if the knife had been hot.

  In horror, Po watched another tiny hand select a drill. When she realized what it was about to do, she screamed. She pounded on the glass as she watched it drill into his skull. Suddenly, a spray of blood shot out around the tool, splashing the glass.

  She stopped screaming and felt faint, but gritted her teeth and said, “Em, What's happening?”

  “The pressure of the bleeding inside his head has been relieved. The Nanites are even now repairing the damaged blood vessels. The next step will begin in about four minutes. The bones will be realigned. Full continuous scans indicate his brain is bruised and he is in a coma.”

  “What is a coma, Em?” she whispered.

  “It is a kind of sleep,” Em said, kindness in her tone.

  “Smith and I have seen this kind of sleep. It's called ‘anvil slumber.’ They just never wake.”

  “Come away now, Po. Let Stu work.” Smith tried to guide her.

  “No! I'll not leave him!” she yelled.

  “But you're cold. You need to eat something, to rest.”

  “Stu, are you there?” Po said.

  “Yes, Ma'am,” Stu replied.

  “Stu, this is Smith,” Po said. “Please allow him open and close guest access. Please shut the main doors and moderate the temperature in the here. Is there a cot in the medical bay?”

  “Yes, Ma'am.” And a cot slid from the wall opposite the Zero G unit.

  “All right. I will bring you some stew and blankets,” Smith said, knowing she wasn't listening again. There were more knives and drills to watch. This time, they were working on his ribs. Em was explaining that they would drill a small hole in the ribs on either side of the breaks so that they could screw in a tool for leverage. The lung puncture was next most severe to be addressed. Smith exited via a small hatch that opened as he approached.

  Po never noticed Olias in the corner, watching.

  ***

  It was the longest night of Po's life. She watched as a great screw drilled into his skull and pulled out the bone to the correct position. Ribs were drilled and repositioned. Last of all was work on his legs. Tubes were attached to his arms and fluids flowed into him. A catheter was installed so fluids could flow out of him as well. Even his urine contained blood.

  His legs were cut open all the way to the bones by the cruel little arms. Black pieces were inserted and att
ached with screws to shattered places. Bruises and swelling went from his toes to his hips. In the end, the tiny arms shaved his face and even cleaned the inside of the Zero G Bay. The last thing the tiny arms did was to cover him with a small towel. “For modesty,” Em said.

  “Now he'll rest. So should you,” Em said.

  The cot slid over until she was forced to sit on it. Then it rose until it was even in height to the Zero G bay. Obviously the cot was used for patients.

  “Thank you, Em.” Her forehead rested on a pillow touching the glass as the lights dimmed.

  ***

  Olias had watched in horror for hours. Po had fallen asleep, but he felt like he would never sleep again. He felt his Plate vibrating. He drew it out.

  “Are you all right?” Em whispered to him in common.

  He shook his head no, unable to speak.

  “I need you to be brave for me, Olias. Brave for him,” she whispered. “I need you to do something for me.” A small hatch clicked open to the right of the med bay, and a drawer slid out.

  “Go to the drawer and take out two of the yellow boxes, the ones that are the size of your thumb.” And image showed the items.

  Olias stood and went to the drawer. Inside, there were several boxes of different colors. He wordlessly withdrew two of the yellow ones and went back to the corner. He tried to read the box.

  HUD-INDS, Vid/Comms/1TB. V9.8.3

  “I will show you how this works.” The image on the Plate showed Em take a small yellow tube out of the box and hold it up.

  Olias did the same.

  “Turn it like this. Press the green button.” In the image a bit of gel squeezed out onto the tip of the cylinder. “Don't touch the gel with your fingers. It will make them numb.”

  Olias did the same.

  “Move your hair out of the way and touch it to your skin here.” The image showed a close-up of her pressing the gel end of the cylinder to the skin right behind her right ear.