Duty, Honour, Love

The medbay was a scene of chaos. A young woman a brunette with blonde feathered highlights in her hair leaned over one of the three occupied beds in the medbay, a forth bed had a loose blanket across. It was clear to the Jane that the woman was sleeping here as it gave her instant access to her most critical patients. The woman was scanning a patient with her scanning glove. All three of her patients where hooked up to machines some looked jury-rigged Danielle’s expertise had come to the fore again. The ships lone medic was doing her best. She had a couple of helpers but their medical skills were basic at best. ‘Doc’ everyone’s pet name for Olivia de Cigales looked up as Jane entered.

“Doc, your report please?” Jane asked her.

Olivia frowned. “I’m really out of my depth here you do know that?” she gestured to the three beds. “I’ve got them sedated we’re not equipped to deal with such serious trauma. I could do with one of those Cell Regens the Confeds have fitted on all their ships. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about my patients dying on me.”

Jane hated that she was right not for that but for the fact the Empire didn’t like alien technology on is ships. It would have made all their lives better. “Do the best you can. I know you have it in you,” Jane reassured Olivia.

She merely nodded. “It’s the invisible wounds I can’t do anything about.”

Again the failing of Imperial thinking reared its ugly head. Confed ships had counsellors, trained psychologists able to deal with mental trauma.

“Cadet Tupper say anything yet?”

“I’d say he’s suffering from catatonia he has all the symptoms. He just lies in his bunk his body stiff and unmoving. I’ve got Cadet Brock watching over him. I told her to come get me if he shows any sign of coming out of it.”

Jane felt sorry for the two youngest members of the crew. There had been three but Martinez had died in the alien attack. The three of them where only aboard the ship because of the draft lottery. They had been unlucky enough to get drafted none of them older than seventeen. Pulled out of college because some past Emperor thought it a good idea and would make them better citizens. Now one was dead, one in a state of mental hell and the third Jane wasn’t sure about her mental health either. She kept hugging the teddy she had brought with her. Jane pulled herself out of the way her thoughts were going.

“You mind if I go check on them?”

“Sure, there is nothing I can do for them,” Olivia grimaced, “I can treat physical injures but minds that’s totally out of my league.”

It was a short step from the medbay to the four bunk quarters. A small room dominated by four bunks, two either side of the door with a set of four lockers on the far wall. A girl not much older than seventeen with dark hair above a pretty face sat on the lower bunk on one side a scruffy teddy bear clutched to her chest. Some of the crew had teased her over it when she had come aboard. That was until the captain had a word them after Jane had brought it to his attention. No one teased her about it afterwards. On the lower bunk opposite lay a boy the same age as the girl. Unlike the girl he was naked a thin sheet covered him his lower half giving him some resemblance of dignity. There was a drip attached to one arm jury-rigged a sure sign that Danielle had been in here. The two other bunks were empty. One had belonged to Martinez the third cadet and the other to their mentor Chelsea Patel who had died along with Martinez in the alien attack.

“Allie?” Jane said softly a change from the gruff tones she addressed the rest of the crew in.

The girl looked up. “Lieutenant, ah Jane.”

“How are you doing?” Jane asked lightly forcing herself to smile.

“Ok, I have Mister Bear to keep me company and Doc when she can.”

Jane felt her heart wrench on hearing Allie speak it reminded her of another young girl that used to hide in closets just to escape her over demanding parents. She savagely repressed the memory that girl was long dead. She wasn’t that girl any more.

“Go an take a walk it’s unhealthy to stay in here. Danielle has got the mess hall functioning again and the games machines are working?” Jane was glad of that food and entertainment helped the crew forget the dire situation they were all in.

“I’d rather not… it’s safe here.”

Jane understood better than most about safe places. She also knew about secrets, things the captain or anyone else didn’t know about her. “You sure?” Jane wasn’t going to press the issue.

“Yes but I could do with a shower?” Allie said hopefully.

The captain had ordered rationing because they didn’t know if they were going to find supplies. He had hoped to reach a supply depot but every time they exited hyperspace the alien ship was there. Jane regarded the girl and understood. Rich girls and boys avoided the dreaded lottery. They could pay their way out it was the poor that suffered. Constantine the last Emperor who they had learned had died just before the alien attacked had been trying to stop the lottery. Too late for a girl thrown to the wolves with minimal training and dumped on a starship thousands of light-years from home. Six weeks of training then two years of service before she could go home. Martinez was never going home. The thought brought a ache to her heart.

“You have my permission to take a shower,” she told Allie.

“But the water ration?”

“You can have mine.”

“Thank you,” Allie said jumping from her bunk and hugging Jane completely forgetting about military protocol. She stepped back doubt in her eyes she looked at her teddy bear abandoned on her bunk. “Can you watch over Mister Bear he hates water as much as he hates being on his own?”

“I’ll look after him for you,” Jane watched the girl go after she grabbed a bag of toiletries from the locker by her bed. She drew a deep breath and checked on Tupper. He was as still as a statue only the movement of his chest told her that he was alive.

Half an hour later Allie returned looking and smelling fresh. She bent down and grabbed her teddy. “Thanks for looking after Mister Bear.”

“You should try and get some rest,” Jane said as she stood.

“Ok ma,” Allie replied then blushed. “Sorry Jane.”

Jane had no intentions of ever being a mother she wouldn’t want to inflict her mother’s values on a child. She repressed that thought savagely, the girl they belonged to died long ago. “Just get some rest,” she told Allie and hurried out fearful that she would betray herself.

Olivia bumped into her on the way out. “They ok?” she asked Jane.

“I couldn’t see any change in Tupper and told Allie to rest.”

“Thanks, it’s doing her no good to keep brooding like that. She will listen to you,” Olivia gave her a look. “You do know she thinks of you as her mother.”

Jane was uncomfortable about the thought although it did make sense when Allie kept calling her mother. Jane was no one’s mother and that was that. “Later Doc,” she said hastily and headed for the stairs to the accommodation deck.

“Later LT,” Olivia called back and was gone.

The accommodation deck was one up from the main deck. The smell of unwashed bodies and other unsavoury odours wafted across her nose. Jane resisted the temptation of holding her nose certain that she smelled just as ripe. A long central corridor interspersed with blast doors confronted her several exits led off the corridor. She knew the closed blast door at the end was welded shut. Up on this level were wash facilities, storerooms, quarters and the mess hall. Even though there were several of the crew in the mess hall it was silent. She could see despondence etched into their faces. It was as if they were dead and didn’t know it. Jane refused to let despair rule her she had let it once and had vowed never again. She was alive and breathing and that was all that mattered. Taking this a message for her to return to the bridge she headed back.