Page 48 of Meteor Storm

“Sunhai Akili.” Her eyes moved down his body and slowly back up as if sizing him up for a fight, but the smirk on her lips suggested that perhaps it was something else.

“How do you know?” I asked her.

She gestured to Penny’s body with her chin. “She told me. She didn’t tell me why, but it is what she said.”

I turned my gaze back on Penny. The room fell silent for a moment and then Yuros cleared his throat.

“I will leave you to your… whatever she is to you. I must speak with the men.”

“What about me?” Sunhai asked as he walked out of the room. “Is there food on a monrian ship?”

She strode after him and I listened to her voice disappear down the passage before I returned my attention to Penny. The medlights were still working hard to mend her wound inside and out while the table continued studying her.

After some time, the scan was complete and a holographic image of Penny’s form appeared over a projection panel. I could see how deep the blade had punctured her. There was internal bleeding that the medlights were tirelessly fixing, but it was the little blue light on her spine that caught my eye.

“What is that?” I asked, spinning the image and enlarging that specific area.

“An artificial implant. Primitive technology,” the panel spoke in a soft, female voice.

Realizing it was the implant Penny had mentioned, I was eager to understand better.

“What exactly does it do?”

“My scans indicate that it is a correction device. It prevents pain and/or paralysis, which would be the result of severe nerve damage. There is scar tissue around an old wound near the spine that is likely the cause. Hmm. There is damage to the internal mechanisms that make up the implant.”

“Can you do anything about it?”

“I am cloning the design now, should she need a new one.”

“Any other old wounds?”

“There are indications of another abdominal injury. There are signs of surgical procedures.”

“Is what the valerian woman said accurate? Is she unable to reproduce?”

“This female’s uterus shows severe, permanent damage, which would prevent her from bearing children. She is also showing signs of vitamin deficiency, sleep deprivation, and dehydration. There is some severe bone bruising on her ankle, but the laceration seems mostly healed. It will scar.”

“Get me a list of dietary needs after you’ve mended her,” I ordered.

“Of course.”

After some time, the medlights finished their work, leaving behind a pink scar where the knife had hit her. They gracefully receded into the above panel. The only thing they couldn’t fix was her blood loss. Her heartrate was indicated on the side of the table and it was slow. Too slow. The medbay could clone her blood type, but it would take a while. What she needed most was rest and nourishment.

Just then, the door slid open again and Yuros walked back in wearing casuals, which was a form-fitting two-piece suit made of organic fabric. He had another stack of casuals in his hands and set them on a countertop.

“Clothes for both of you,” he said. “Until better suited attire can be produced for her, this will have to do. We are heading to Tallian space to fulfil our contract. We will decide what is best for the two of you while we travel.”

I nodded. “She needs rest.”

“There are vacant rooms below, near the cargo bay. Your valerian friend has already claimed one.”

“Humans cannot withstand the cold. She will need warmth.”

He nodded. “The valerian requested heat as well. We have heating orbs from the food growers that we can spare.”

“My thanks. For everything.”

He shifted his body so that he was facing me more directly and inclined his head. “Ursa was a battle plenty will talk about for many cycles to come. I am honored to know one who was there. The Haak’s crew was strong. You, my friend, are strong. From the Tuross bloodline as well. There are not many of you left.”