by Gary Weston
'I'm entirely in your hands.'
Another dirty chuckle. 'Better not let Doctor Cormack hear you say that. But I always say, what happens in the hairdressers stays in the hairdressers. Just this at the back to see to and...Ooh!'
'Cut yourself?'
'No. But I didn't notice this before. Two little marks just under your hairline at the back. Did you have an accident or something?'
Jacobs rubbed the back of his head with his fingertips. He could feel two small raised puncture marks. 'Strange. I don't remember these before.'
'I shouldn't worry about it. I'll leave your hair just long enough to cover them up. There. Nobody will ever know.'
Jacobs allowed Belle to brush away the hair off his shoulders. 'Maybe I did it when I was a kid and forgot about it.'
'Yes. That'll be it. I wouldn't let a little prick like that bother me,' said Belle with her dirtiest laugh. 'Away with you. I bet Doctor Cormack will think you are even more handsome now.'
Jacobs stood up and said, 'I can but hope.'
Chapter 47
Salamandra had Loretti draped on her belly over the front of his stinger and he and Bridget were leaving a trail of sand blowing behind them as they raced to the Base. They pulled up outside the steel door in the front of the small mountain and it slid open as they approached. They were greeted by Gunther, Staples and Willis, on their knees with laser rifles aimed at the visitors. Gunther looked from Bridget to Salamandra and back again, then put his rifle away. Staples and Willis recognised Salamandra and kept him fixed in their sights.
'No time for explanations,' said Bridget, dismounting. 'Mother needs help.'
'Take her to the sickbay,' said Gunther. 'Staples. Willis. Put those weapons away and give him a hand.'
Exchanging suspicious looks, Salamandra let Staples and Willis lifted Loretti off the stinger and between them carried their commander General to the sickbay.
'Salamandra is a surgeon,' said Bridget.
'In another life,' said Salamandra with a shrug. 'Perhaps some of the old skills remain.'
'And you are willing to help her?' asked Gunther.
'Hmm, not so much willing, but my medical training urges me to help injured people whether I want to do so or not.'
'Let him do it,' said Bridget. 'He's her only hope.'
'You look like you need medical attention yourself,' Gunther said to Salamandra.
'I'll survive. I always do. As long as I can stay on my feet long enough I'll do what I can for her. You have anyone with medical training?'
'Maria Caswell. She's a trained nurse, amongst other things. Hospital experience. Our sickbay is comprehensively equipped and ready for use. '
Salamandra nodded approvingly. 'Have Caswell prepare Loretti for the operation. A head wound. I'll have a shower and and get cleaned up. I'm also dehydrated. Half a gallon of tea might revive me enough for now.'
'Tea?'
'You have tea?'
Gunther said, 'A small amount. I'll organise it, Caswell and the tea. Showers are that way.'
'Right.'
'Oh. Salamandra. Thank you.'
The men shared looks of understanding and Salamandra headed off to the showers.
'Bridget...?'
'Yes, I trust him. He could have killed Loretti anytime on our way here, me too had he a mind to do so.'
'That's good enough for me. I want you to assist Caswell to keep an eye on him, though. What happened to your mother?'
'She was trying to kill us so we shot her ship down. Crew all dead. Mother not quite.'
Gunther said, 'Details later. Go find Caswell.'
'Right. Oh. Salamandra'. He knows something about the mission and Spero. That's why he's here.'
'Interesting. Now go. Help your mother.'
Chapter 48
'That's what I like to see. A woman with a smile on her face.'
Cormack said, 'Ah, yes. I wanted a word with you, Anne Lee. Will you desist in tittle-tattle about Jarvis and I.'
'Ooh. Jarvis now, is it. That's progress. Nobody calls him Jarvis. Makes it more...personal. Going ok is it?'
Cormack couldn't maintain her frostiness with Lee. She was another woman she could relate too. 'We surprised ourselves. Not to mention each other. Of course there was the usual awkwardness at first. Then it all became...rather magical. He's gentle, but at the same time...Why the hell am I telling you all the details?'
'We're just being women. Now the juicy bits. He's gentle and...'
Cormack considered going on or not. 'Let's just say he's all man. In a good way. But of course there's more to him than that. He's intelligent, considerate, interesting, attentive...'
'Oh, dear. You're coming down with something.'
'What?'
'Hmm,' said Lee, placing her palm on Cormack's forehead. 'Yes. I thought so.'
'What?'
'Serious I'm afraid. You are coming down with a serious case of love.'
Cormack brushed Lee's hand away. 'You are being ridiculous. I am not...Oh, God. You're right. I'm falling in love with him.'
'As long as it isn't contagious. Just don't tell him yet. Not until you're sure of the way he feels about you. One way love is the sure way to a broken heart.'
Cormack said, 'Speaks the voice of experience?'
Lee looked away, a wistful expression crossing her face. 'Enough experience to be sure it's mutual before giving my heart completely again.' Lee took Cormack's hand in hers. 'One step at a time, hey? That's all I'm saying. I could get away from my mistake, you're stuck here on the ship with him. Hey. I'm raining on your parade.'
'No. You make sense. Don't worry. We have all the time in the world. I hope Jarvis and I are on a long journey together, not just a fling.'
Lee got up to go, a part of her still thinking of her past. 'You'll be ok. I feel it in my bones.'
Lee left Cormack alone in her surgery. Cormack glanced at the three-dimensional mirror above her desk. 'Love. Me, for pities sake. Well, if that's the case, hopefully there's no cure.'
Chapter 49
'Are you sure you're ok?' Bridget asked.
'I'm sure I'm not ok,' said Salamandra, all scrubbed up and wearing a gown and mask. 'But at least I smell a lot better. Nurse Caswell. You have theatre experience?'
'Two years in a military hospital.'
'Good enough for me. You have done an excellent job of preparation, under the circumstances. How old is that plasma?'
'Still within its use by date. She's fully anaesthetised and her blood pressure is low, but she's stable. I have x-rayed her head. The results are over there.'
'You really are experienced.' Salamandra glanced at the instruments, checked the intravenous drips and began his examination of the patients head wound. Bridget followed him to the x-ray images. 'How bad is it?'
'That's my main concern. Two tiny fragments pushed inside her brain. That small one is nearly an inch inside. If it isn't removed, it can do all manner of damage.'
'Bullets are the same,' said Caswell. 'They can bounce around on the bones when they enter the body and end up anywhere.'
'Always a possibility,' said Salamandra. 'Time to get to work.'
Bridget stood to one side, not crowding Salamandra's space. She was impressed by both Salamandra and Caswell as they applied their skills and knowledge. Caswell knew the tortured hands of Salamandra were struggling to make a flap on the shaved part of Loretti's scalp, exposing the shattered skull.
'I can stitch up for you, Doctor. If that is ok with you, of course.'
Salamandra said, 'More than ok. I'll do the work on the brain, and leave the rest in your safe hands.'
Salamandra was handicapped with his damaged fingers, but fortunately Naylor had spared his right hand. 'At least it is reasonably contained and not totally fragmented,' said Salamandra as he gave a running commentary. He removed two larger pieces of skull, placing them in a dish. 'I'll replace these and they should knit up in time. He returned to the x-rays to establish where the two small fragments
were then proceeded the operation. Several very careful hours later, the two fragments were removed and the two larger pieces of skull were in place over the exposed brain and the flap sutured up by Caswell.
Salamandra said' I would have preferred to use a small metal plate, but not having that option, hopefully the skull will repair itself. 'Nurse Caswell. Please clean up our patient and apply a dressing. Excellent work, by the way.'
'Thank you, Doctor Salamandra.'
'It's been a long time since I was addressed that way.'
As he started to leave the theatre, his legs started to buckle and Bridget grabbed him.
'Time to look after you, now.'
Salamandra leaned on Bridget as they left the theatre. Gunther had been waiting anxiously outside and jumped up to help support Salamandra.
'Our turn to help you. Come on.'
They went to Gunther's office and sat Salamandra down. Gunther unfastened the blood stained surgeons gown to reveal Salamandra's torso. 'You shouldn't have even been on your feet, let alone performing brain surgery. You've been worked over by an expert.'
Bridget handed Salamandra a glass of water and a couple of painkillers then said, 'Corporal Naylor. Our answer to the missing link. He'll never do this again.'
'This isn't war,' said Gunther. 'This is nothing but butchery.'
'I've no broken bones,' Salamandra assured them. 'Naylor stopped just short of that. Perhaps with General Loretti incapacitated, it's all over.'
Gunther said, 'Rather depends on President Maxim. The biggest war-drum beater around.'
'He's a warmonger, for sure, from the safety of his forcefield protection,' said Bridget. 'Mother had ambitions to take over from him.'
Salamandra said, 'A backward step in my opinion. She really believes my people are an inferior race. At best we are something to use like slaves.'
Gunther said, 'Not a philosophy I subscribe to, Salamandra. People are just people in my book. We are all the same.'
'No!' said Salamandra. 'On the contrary. We are all unique individuals. You are nothing like Loretti. I am not like your daughter here. We should celebrate our uniqueness, embrace our differences.'
'You need some good food inside you,' said Gunther. 'I'll get us all something to eat then you can rest.' Gunther paused by the door. 'I would very much like to get to know the man not the legend.'
'Soup.'
'Soup?'
'It will take time before my mouth can forget about Naylor and his pliers.'
'Soup it is, then.'
Chapter 50
He found himself staring in the mirror. 'Not ugly. Female would have been preferable. But this example is in reasonable condition. Using his voice and brain is taking some getting used to. They have a primitive means of procreation. Hmm. Perhaps being male is the better option, considering their females means of giving birth. Is so much pain really necessary? They didn't quite get the hang of evolution. Always a mistake letting evolution get the upper hand. And hands. What's that all about? Still. We will have to work with what we get.'
He gave himself a final look over, left his room and closed the door behind him.
***
'The analysis of the soil is typical of soil around a volcanic area on Earth,' said Lee, showing Jacobs the results of her work. 'I realise the volcano was unexpected, but it could have done us a favour. I took depth readings and we have between seven and nine inches of volcanic ash. Below that is between fifteen and thirty inches of subsoil. The terraformers will ensure the rain which will result in a slightly acidic soil. We can fertilise areas with our own organic waste which will result in a rich, productive soil we can grow crops and trees. This will help balance the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels. Carefully managed, the planet will green-up and the creatures we'll release will adapt and help disperse seeds and plant-life. It will take most of the year for the new rivers and oceans to stabilise for the various fish species we intend to introduce. The single moon around the planet will help with the tides which will keep the water oxygenated and fresh. The planet once had oceans so a residual saltiness may remain, but it is likely the aquatic life will adapt.'
Jacobs said, 'It sounds like a veritable garden of paradise.'
'We chose well,' said Lee.
'The Goliath was designed to provide all the food we need by hydroponics as we get the farms established. As the soil is cultivated, we can be building our city by creating bricks from the local ground.'
Lee said, 'And the Goliath's power plant can generate enough electricity while we set up alternatives such as the solar and hydro-generating stations.'
'A couple of generations later, we'll have a world to be proud of.'
'And all thanks to you, Jay Jay. Your vision and persistence.'
Jacobs shook his head. 'Hundreds of people are responsible for this. People who shared a dream of a better life.'
Lee smiled and stared at Jacobs in admiration. 'You are a remarkable man, Jay Jay. Just you make sure you leave enough of your time for a certain lady while you help crate Utopia.'
Jacobs got up. 'I'll not neglect her. In fact, I'm on my way to her right this minute.'
'Have fun.'
Chapter 51
Sol Maxim, President of the Western Tricor, suddenly had his forcefield protected world turned upside down. 'Dead?'
General Su Kane, Internal Security Chief, never minced her words. 'Our scouting party located Commander General Loretti's ship in the desert, one hundred and eighty miles due south. All crew on board were dead. One had been shot inside the ship.'
'Loretti's body?'
'We were unable to find it,' said Kane. 'We discovered footprints and traces of blood outside the wreckage, and assumed she perhaps managed to get off the ship and staggered into the desert and died of her injuries.'
'What?' gasped Maxim. 'You have no body but you have the audacity to pronounce Loretti dead?
'But sir. The desert is bitterly cold at night. Being injured, she was unlikely to survive. We still have teams searching for her, but with each passing hour, there is only one conclusion to come to.'
'That, Kane, is your conclusion, not mine. I'll not except her death until it is substantiated.' He studied a huge, detailed map on the wall. 'Our last reports from Lieutenant Sparrow was that the traitor Bridget Loretti and the enemy leader Salamandra were pinned down. Then a partial report that Bridget and Loretti were firing at the ship.'
'Yes, sir.'
'The ship crashed, then Bridget and Salamandra entered the ship and shot...'
'Corporal Clarkson. A cannon shooter.'
'Right. Then General Loretti disappears.' He stared at his major. 'You are not yet joining up the dots?'
'Sir?'
Maxim sighed. 'We know the direction they were heading. What's the only thing of note out that way?'
'The Base, sir.'
'Exactly. Major Otto Gunther is Bridget's father. She was heading there for sanctuary.'
Kane said, 'We considered that, but Salamandra was not Bridget's prisoner. We know that much. So why would he be heading to one of our strongholds? We assumed they were trying to fool us and took off in a different direction to join his own people.'
'Bridget would willingly follow our sworn enemy into their territory?'
'Well, they're obviously together now.'
Maxim asked, 'Did you contact Gunther to ask if they had General Loretti in the Base?'
'If he had, would he tell us? He'd be protecting his daughter.'
'Then go and kick his door down and find out. There are only a handful of technicians there.'
Kane said, 'And if Major Gunther resists?'
'Kill him. Kill him and anyone suspected on being involved. Get in the Base and find Loretti.'
Chapter 52
'The soup was very satisfying, Major Gunther,' said Salamandra.
'Plenty of goodness in it. Salamandra. Thank you for saving Loretti. I understand it couldn't have been easy, working on someone you hate.'
'
Hate? I'm not sure I hate anyone. My heart is full of disappointment that the world has been torn apart so needlessly over petty differences. When our people and yours were working together on the mission, I felt a glimmer of hope that we could start rebuilding instead of destroying. Sadly I was wrong.'
Bridget said, 'About the mission. That's why I brought you here. You know something.'
'knowing something and doing something about it are two different things. But not tonight. I am exhausted. I'll sleep and tomorrow perhaps I'll tell you what I know.'
'Fair enough,' said Bridget. 'We have plenty of room with the place almost empty. I opened up a room close to the sickbay, in case we need you to look in on my mother. I'll take you.'
'Thank you. Goodnight, Otto.'
'Goodnight.'
It was a short walk past the sickbay and into a corridor where the accommodation rooms began. Salamandra's words echoed in Bridget's mind, the beauty in his words, his inability to hate even those who had tortured him. His compassion, enough to use his skills to help save her mother. It was impossible now for her to think of this remarkable man as her enemy. Perhaps in time they could even...
'This room is most adequate,' said Salamandra. 'Don't wake me too early, hey? I promise we will talk in the morning.'
They shared a moment as they looked into each others eyes.
'Goodnight, Bridget.'
'Goodnight.'
Salamandra stripped and lay on the bed. The most comfortable bed he had lay on in many years. He had moved constantly, trying to avoid being killed. The painkillers he had taken with his soup only partially dulled the pain inflicted by Naylor. It had taken all his concentration to operate on Loretti with his damaged fingers and his mouth causing him agony. He had denied himself taking anything for the pain so as not to impair his mind as he operated. Loretti would live.