"Leave? Why do we have to leave now?" Inari asked.
"Simple. Zuzanna's heart was mulched up pretty badly. If it was a straight in and out, then that would be one thing. But the bullet that hit her started to fragment the moment it pierced her skin. She's damned lucky we got her here when we did, or she wouldn't be alive right now!" Korsa informed her friend.
"So, she needs a donor heart? Or a cybernetic one?" Inari guessed, figuring that Zuzanna would need her heart replaced if the damage was that bad.
"Not necessarily! I was lucky to be able to have an organ fabrication chamber crafted and installed here on the ship! So, getting Zuzanna's heart fixed won't be an issue!" Korsa told Inari.
"That's great news!" Inari gushed, grinning like a mad fool.
"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" Priya asked, noting the look on the doctor's face.
"Always the perceptive one, Pree. While I can fix Zuzie's heart, we lack the materials necessary to do so," Korsa clarified.
"I thought you got a whole bunch of doctor's toys when we were at Veldhern!" Inari replied, thinking this shouldn't' be an issue.
"I did, but the tech for the organ fabrication chamber is beyond what even Veldhern has available. What we need are specific alloys and polymers to craft the nanites that will rebuild Zuzanna's heart. Sadly, the ones we need, Veldhern didn't have. I looked," Korsa said in lament.
"Damn! I would guess what is needed is a bit more exotic than the usual fare?" Inari guessed.
"Yup! To make the nanites work, I need star forged promethium for the power source, obsidian titansteel to craft the limbs and Naucturi wychbone to hold them together and make them flexible enough to do their work," Korsa told the pair.
"Yikes! That right there easily steps into hundreds of thousands of credits just for the raw materials!" Priya yipped.
"Yeah! I tried a few other materials to make the nanites work, but they don't hold together. After a few minutes, they just fell apart," Korsa stated.
"All right. So, we need to head to a station that has all three of these items. Nearest one I can think of is Drahl'tothen station, on the edge of Naucturi space, near the heart of the UCW," Inari replied.
"That's at least four days' hard travel through hyperspace!" Priya replied, knowing it would be a bit of a trip.
"Will Zuzie's heart survive for that amount of time?" Inari questioned.
"I have it in a form of cryo suspension, along with what remained of her heart tissues. It should hold for a while yet, but the sooner we get it repaired, the better," Korsa told her friend.
"So we need to get going if she's going to make a full recovery!" Inari said, ready to jump into the cockpit and get the ship moving now. Just then, a ring came in on their personal frequency, and all three women looked at their wrist comms. They saw it was Alex and Inari answered it.
"Yes, sir?" Inari replied as she picked up the call.
"How does it look in there, Inari? Any updates on Doctor Walczak's condition?" Alex queried.
"Korsa worked her magic and managed to get Zuzie stable! She'll be OK! But we have to be getting under way soon if she is to get better," Inari told her commanding officer.
"Oh? Please, explain," Alex implored.
"I'll let Doctor Korsa tell you, sir," Inari said, letting Korsa have the floor. She then reiterated everything she just told Inari and Priya, letting the man know what was needed.
"Damn! Seems like we need to get a move on if Zuzanna is to be back on her feet again," Alex commented. "But the fact that she is still alive and breathing is good to hear! Jenque and Daved were just listening, and they've gone out to tell the public the good news."
"Lot of people hoping that she made it?" Priya asked.
"Yup! To many folks in Tanith's Gully, Zuzanna is something of a hero around here. Despite being a former soldier for the Confederacy, a lot of people relied on her, and she saved a lot of them here. Especially the children. Hearing the news of her getting gunned down, by her own father no less, hit everyone hard," Alex explained.
"Can't say I blame the folks for wanting to know if she's OK. Lot of people here look on her like she's family," Inari added, glad to hear that Zuzanna's gentle and kind nature hadn't dulled over the years.
"Sounds like folks here are happy about it. Also, hearing some chanting outside the council building," Alex commented over the line.
"What are they saying?" Inari questioned.
"Take a listen."
Inari, Priya, and Korsa focused on the sounds coming in over the line. It took them a moment or two, but pretty soon, they could hear what the townsfolk were saying loud and clear.
"Hang him out to dry! Hang him out to dry! Hang him out to dry! Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!" came the shouting and yelling from over the comms.
"Can't say I blame them! If Zuzie hadn't been so gravely wounded, I would have shot the bastard myself!" Inari growled, remembering the self-satisfied look on Dariusz's face when he shot his daughter.
"Get in line, babe! I'd want a piece of that asshole myself if he wasn't locked up!" Priya replied vehemently, having grown quite attached to Zuzanna over the past few days.
"Wasn't the man going to be ransomed off?" Korsa asked.
"He was, until he tried to kill Zuzanna. By Prodosian law, even attempting to take a life, your own life is forfeit. It also helps that the Confeds likely don't even want this bastard anymore," Alex explained.
"What do you mean?" Inari wondered.
"When I was sitting in with a couple of prisoners that were being interrogated. One of them let slip that this was Dariusz's last chance to reclaim any level or respect or prestige in the Confederacy. Because of his constant failure on multiple battlefields and fronts, he was going to be relegated to a desk job, or thrown out of the military," Alex told the women.
"Makes sense. If a commander fails too many times, then it is clear they are unfit for command and need to be removed. That way, any younger or more competent commanders may be given a chance to shine, rather than be relegated to subordinate positions," Inari replied.
"I would guess that the Federation operates in a similar way to the Confeds?" Alex surmised.
"In a manner of speaking, yes, sir. We learn from them as examples of what not to do and use them as cautionary tales. The Confeds... they punish failed commanders in ways that even make even the most battle hardened of marines..." Inari shuddered, not wanting to finish the sentence.
"Understood. Jenque just made the announcement of Dariusz's death sentence. The folk are definitely happy about that," Alex chuckled.
"Well, I am too! It's no less than the coward deserves for trying to end his own flesh and blood like that," Inari stated, drawing nods and similar comments from Korsa and Priya.
"So, since Zuzie is going to make it, what do we do?" Priya wondered.
"We continue on as planned. Zuzanna getting hurt does push us back a bit, but we'll get back on track soon enough. Does this station have everything else we are looking for?" Alex wondered.
"I believe so, sir! But is that wise? Getting everything else we need if they have it?" Inari questioned.
"Taking the slow approach was the best option initially. Since it seems like the universe has other plans for us, I suggest that we get things rolling and gather everything we can, now. While the galaxy at large is still unaware of us. Especially since Sawyer is out there, planning God only knows what," Alex told the women.
"The man has a point. Sure, it may attract some serious unwanted attention, but if we can get what remains and be on our way, we might just evade anyone looking to come after us," Korsa replied in agreement.
"If the station has everything else we need in the manner of materials, we nab it all and get gone before anyone is the wiser. Besides love, it's not like anyone knows where to find the
Perseus
," Priya told her girlfriend, standing with the other two in their logic.
"I suppose it does... have some level of reasoning behind it," Inari stated grudgingly. "But being that close to Naucturi space, we'll have to be careful. Not everyone is as... open-minded or as lenient as Admiral Kantori."
"Noted. Let's finish up here then, ladies. We've got a lot to do and not a lot of time to get it done," Alex reminded them.
"Yes, sir!" all three women chorused.
With that handled, the group then went about preparations to get under way as soon as possible. Everyone leaving on the ship said their goodbyes to the people they had met and befriended. While the crew hadn't been on Prodosia for very long, the people there had made an impression on them. Many folks there were sad to see them go, as they had all stood with them, like family.
"Are you sure you have to go? I mean... you could stay..." Willem said to Aesha as they stood outside the
Darkstrider
.
"Willem, I told you I'm not staying. I have an entire galaxy to see out there. Yeah, you could come along, but your place is here, with your family. Besides, staying here isn't all bad," Aesha told him while nodding behind him. Willem turned and saw Natasha there, walking up to the pair with tears in her eyes.
"I'm going to miss you!" Natasha blubbered, pulling the Artucian woman into a massive hug.
"I'm going to miss you too! The both of you! But, if all goes well, I won't be gone long! I'll be back before you know it!" Aesha said reassuringly.
"The way the galaxy is and how it tends to fuck with people, I'd say you might want to adjust that time," Willem chuckled.
"You got that right! But I will be back! OK? Don't worry so much! You two have some more time with each other now and maybe things will go a way you didn't think possible," Aesha told them with a giggle. Willem and Natasha looked at one another, then looked away, blushing fiercely, then back again. They both knew that Aesha was right, as they both felt something brewing between them.
