USD: 80 days after the battle of Dedia IV, 30 minutes after arrival at MIL-1A
Location: Van Biesbroecks star, ltisar, Orbital Elevator Nexus MIL-1A
Elis woke up when the airlocks cycled open to the stations gangways. Alex squeezed her sisters hand supportively. A weak grunt ca from the bed before Elis started to flex and move randomly in agitation.
Elis, its ok. We just arrived at the station, Alex whispered.
Eliss movents slowed down and her eyes road listlessly until they finally settled on Alex. She stopped squirming as much and made so noises that Alex couldnt find any aning in.
Feeling a bit lost, Alex launched into a concise explanation of where they were and what they were doing. A few monts later, a nurse and CNA from the station ca on board.
The nurse shook her hand and greeted her while the other checked Eliss vitals. Are you the patients sister, Maam?
Alex nodded.
Im Josh. Ill be Eliss nurse while we transport her to the Navy Neurotrauma and Rehabilitation Center.
Thats on the station, right?
The nurse nodded. Its part of the Navys Level One Trauma center on the station. It normally only serves service mbers and their families. I understand she has been registered as a veteran?
Alex blinked in surprise. Captain Thraker handled her registration.
Thats great. Youll be coming with us to the dical center, according to the chart. The doctors will need information on her dical history, along with any relevant information about her condition.
It wasnt in the notes sent ahead? Alex asked.
Josh smiled at her. It was, but it would really be best for a family mber to go over things with the staff. It was in the notes that youve been with her when the injury occurred up to now, so its dically relevant enough for you to co with us.
The CNA looked over at her. Get to bypass the security screening line, isnt it nice?
Alex laughed weakly.
No, seriously. The lines are getting out of control lately. Budget cuts on station have ant less staff for the sa amount of traffic.
Josh nodded. Spent an hour in line with the wife last week waiting to go planetside. Was a nightmare.
Alex felt a bit of relief. Going through security checkpoints was likely to lead to questions that she didnt want to answer. Still, there was another big reason that was obvious to prefer skipping the line, too. Thats good then. I wouldnt want Elis to have to wait in line with a bunch of people.
Exactly. Dont worry about it. The dical center has its own express tram line. Well be on it.
How far away is it, exactly? Alex asked.
About twenty kiloters? Its not that far. Its one of the first structures down the main line from the transfer hub.
Alex nodded. I saw the map. It didnt seem like that far to need a tram.
Thats a deceptive thing. The station might seem small, but its massive. You dont really get a good idea for it on the way in on a shuttle or from the map. Best advice is that everything has a direct line to the main hub station, which is really a bunch of little hubs that are numbered. You can always find a tram between them or that leads to the major annexes. Josh advised her.
Thank you for the tips.
It only took a few more minutes before they certified Elis for transport and Alex quietly followed behind the dical bed. Once they had maneuvered the bed out of the shuttle and down the gangway, it surprised Alex at just how fast they moved down the corridor.
Despite the thick crowd of humanity exiting the shuttle and lining up at a gate, she and the dical team had their own little cordoned off lane they zipped through. When they ca to the scanner, Alex felt nervous. Josh swiped his badge through a card reader, and the gate light turned green. The sliding doors responded imdiately, opening for them with not protest.
No one really paid them any mind as they went through, either. Everyone else was having their bags searched while they went through detectors and scans. When the dical bed suddenly stopped, Alex almost tripped and bumped into it.
The space past the gates was mostly empty, with only a few crewn filtering out of the gates at a ti, but Captain Thraker was already standing in their path. Gentleman, if you could wait a mont, I would like to have a word with Ms. Myers.
Josh and the CNA looked at each other with a confused look for a second.
Josh ended up shrugging. Sure. Its not a problem as long as it isnt too long.
Thraker nodded, and Alex stepped to the side to talk with him.
How are you holding up, Alex?
Rembering the last ti Thraker started a conversation that way, she went with the truth. Im feeling nervous, but Im okay. They said they want Eliss full dical history and stuff, but Im not sure how much to tell them.
Ive been over our doctors report. Its not likely there will be any evidence of you having used nanites on her as first aid. You can simply tell them she suffered severe blood loss that was stopped. Here is a note from the doctor, with specifics. We already sent it ahead, but it might help you rember everything while explaining.
Thraker slipped a notepad into Alexs hands.
Thank you, Alex murmured.
I will see Admiral Darren later this evening. ssage when you are finished with settling Elis in. If that takes longer than I expect, there might be another chance to talk to him later.
Alex nodded. Okay.
He pushed another item into her hands. This ti it was a plastic card with an embedded microchip. This is your passport. Refugee, 92 Pegasi. Its legally valid, but I dont need to remind you the reasons it would be a bad idea for you to go ground side or use any of the transit terminals off station. We can discuss those options later once you have figured out what you plan to do.
Alex bit her lip. What is the IHMC going to do, though? Are you going to be staying here for how long?
Thraker frowned. I am afraid the ship is in bad shape, and we cant afford the cost of repairs. I plan to ask Admiral Darren if we can get a contract as security sowhere in the system to keep the balance running positive, at least.
Alex tilted her head. Maybe I could help with that? If I could get Naless back online, repairing would be easy
The CNA coughed loudly, and Alex glanced over to the dical bed. Josh was looking at her and pointing at his watch. A crowd was mulling about as crewn talked and joked about how they were going to spend their leave ti. They were moving much quicker through the gates now, and the space was filling up rapidly.
Thraker patted her arm. We can discuss it later. I am hesitant to say there is any way to do so, though. Take care of your sister and ssage when you can.
Alex nodded. I will.
She rejoined the dical team, and they headed down the corridor. Josh offered an apology.
Sorry, just want to stay ahead of the rush. We dont really want to stand around a noisy crowd. Wouldnt want to agitate her.
Alex nodded. I wouldnt want that either. Just theres a lot to decompress with everything thats been happening.
Josh nodded. Your convoys actually kind of big news on the net. Not often we get frontier refugees here.
The CNA spoke up and looked to Alex. It sounded like there is shit going down between the Corpos and Solarians again. Did you catch any word on that?
Alex blinked. When we went through 90 Pegasi, they both had a battle group in system and were engaging. Lots of evidence of fighting near the jump point before we ca through as well.
Josh whistled. Wow, so the war is really going hot, then? I an, there has never been any love lost between the Corpos and Solarians, but theyve not been shooting at each other for well, a decade or so?
Yeah, about that, the CNA replied. First shooting since the Erties and Imps went at it over 81 Draconis.
Alex nudged her way into the conversation hesitantly. Arent you worried about the fighting? Isnt ltisar right between the Corpos and the Solarians?
Josh and the CNA shared a look before Josh answered. Nah, its just two outer fleets going at it? I seriously doubt either side would escalate to anything more than that.
Yeah, even if ltisar isnt a NAI power, we still have an inner system equivalent of a defense net and fleet. Plus, there are diplomatic agreents and things. If one side tried to attack through here, it would violate a lot of things and get the other powers on their ass, The CNA continued.
Alex nodded. Okay. Rember, Im from far away and never really heard of these things before. You both seem certain they wouldnt violate the agreents if they could get the upper hand. Dont they have battle moons or sothing? What defense is going to work when the orbit of ltisar is changed to hit the gas giant?
Josh answered first. There havent been any serious conflicts like that since before most people were born. ltisar is at the center of things for all the factions, and none of them want each other to sneak through it for a surprise attack. None of them trust each other, and that ans the borders are heavily ard and guarded.
The CNA nodded. It has been like this for 50 years. As much as most people from the factions dislike each other, no one wants to see another cataclysm or planets be glassed anymore. Not even the Erties.
And the battle moons? Alex asked.
Sure, they are big and scary, but theyve never moved? Im not even sure they can move? I an, its a moon.
There was that news about Luna causing flooding on earth a few months ago?
That seed like hyperbole to . Anyway, that might be a worry in a core system, but I dont think waveform drive could work for sothing that large, either.
Umm, dont they have wormhole drives?
The CNA looked at her skeptically. People from the frontier have weird ideas. If they had that, why would everyone use waveform? Itd be much faster getting around, anyway.
Yeah, no. We dont need a second cataclysm, thank you. And the powers that be seem to agree, since they have shelved the tech as illegal, Josh added.
Alex bit her lip. She had the perception that things that were supposed to be illegal just ant they were hidden from plain view from most people. Maybe. She was getting through security, anyway.
As they continued down the corridor, Alex noticed there was a large open area ahead. It turned out to be a concourse with multiple floors with hundreds of different boutique shops and stores. Food slls reached her as soon as they went around the corner, a food court with dozens of different food places on the far end greeted them.
Alex couldnt help but ask, Isnt this a military station? It looks like a shopping concourse.
Josh laughed. Yeah, but there are a million people on this station. Cant be going down the big lift planetside every ti you want to do a bit of shopping. The central hub is a city in itself, with the specialized military segnts going down both ends of the ribbon.
So, the main hub has the habitation and commons? Got it. There isnt security between it and other levels? Alex asked.
Josh looked over at her. Depends on which level youre going to. Most of them, theyll scan your military ID, but dical is designed for civvie visitors so you wont have a problem. You got your passport, right?
Yeah, the Captain gave it to before we left, Alex answered.
Josh nodded. Nice of him. Pretty important, too. You will not be happy if you gotta go through BuPers to get a new one.
Shes a refugee. Shed go through the embassy. Its not as bad. The CNA offered.
Josh laughed. Still bad.
The CNA shook his head. Not nearly. Plus she wont get her ass read for losing it. They are pretty nice over there.
Wouldnt know. Never been to it.
Alex quietly dropped out of the conversation as she took in the sights of the station as they moved through it. She realized that the colored lines on the floor had aning and were the reason that no one ended up blocking their path.
Red lines ant a dical transport path, and there were literally signs painted on the floor that said, Do Not Block! every dozen ters.
But she found herself looking at the people more than the floor. Everywhere she looked, there were different people she hadnt realized existed. Shed seen different skin colors and ethnicities, but on the station, there were literally people with tallic body parts.
One man looked to be made more of tal than flesh, with a chro skull and arms. She had almost mistaken him for an android.
Until they passed by a real android that was clad fully in silver-colored tal, complete with blinking lights on his chest piece. The robot was in conversation with soone, so it wasnt just a drone.
That android wasnt a NAI, was it? Alex asked.
Both of them laughed at the sa ti.
Josh looked at her as they turned the corner. Hardly. Plenty of GAIs on station, though. So of them can even hold a conversation just fine.
The CNA chuckled. Just dont ask one to draw hands.
Alex furrowed her brow. Huh?
Josh shook his head. Its a joke, because GAIs used to struggle to draw hands, but its not really true anymore.
They suddenly stopped and Alex almost bumped into the bed again. Elis made a noise and moved under the covers slightly.
Alex leaned in and patted a shoulder gently to soothe her. Its alright Elis, we are on the way to the hospital. It seed to work.
Josh frowned. The light sedation shouldnt be wearing off already.
Alex looked up at the gate they were standing in front of. It read dical Personnel Only on the sign, with a small tir indicating a few minutes wait. She wondered just how often the trams traveled between each station.
Alex continued petting Elis gently while they waited. When the tram arrived, it was empty, and they gave the dical bed priority for boarding. There werent that many people boarding with them, but getting on first let them take a space in the back that left them to their selves. Boarding only took a few monts, and then the tram accelerated rapidly.
It was obviously using inertial dampening, because Alex barely felt the movent. The tram was sleek and, like the rest of the station, reminded her of the interior of the Shrike. Everything was relatively clean and polished. Shed even noted so small bots roaming around, taking care of cleaning.
Really, it felt like they had achieved a lot with GAIs, but then Alex realized that had likely been the norm before NAIs ca into existence. One supposedly led to the other, after all.
When they arrived at the hospital, everyone hurried off the tram, and they were the last to disembark. People were scanning their cards as they went through the gated checkpoint while they escaped once again through the express lane.
It didnt really feel like a separate building to Alex as they traveled down the hall. The only sign they were in a separate section of the station was the sudden lack of view ports and windows. That, and the outfits worn by most of the people they passed by changed to a dical the.
How big is the dical center? Alex asked.
5,000 beds, not including long-term care facilities. Dont worry about getting lost. Ill send you a map file to your pad once we get to Elis room.
Thanks.
It felt like a maze of corridors as they continued, but Alex realized they were taking so arcane labyrinth of back routes to avoid most foot traffic. Every so often, she spotted an entryway that led to a lobby or lounge that was bustling with people waiting.
As they ca to a new floor, Josh looked over at her. Before you leave this section, make sure you get a floor-pass from the departnt nurse. Youll need it to get into this section and prove youre a visitor for Elis.
Okay. Thanks for letting know.
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