The Adventures of Tim Bodge

Chapter 12

Madlyn was shocked by Bob's account of the pregnant woman's story. No wonder she has got this blank look on her face. She now understood why she looked like she did. She had sympathy for the poor girl.

Bob and Madlyn were just about to go into the medical bay. Madlyn hesitated on the doorstep, "Bob, will you be able to work with Jeanne and me? We need your assistance. Based on what you just said, I now understand how much time and consideration you took to help ParkChang."

She knew that no response from ParkChang would be forthcoming. She had to put her faith in Bob. He knew her condition from the beginning. He had taken care of her this whole time. Bob turned to Madlyn, and he wanted to work with them. He wanted to help Park Chang. "Yes, I'm going to be able to work with you two."

Madlyn and Bob entered the medical bay. Jeanne stood beside the bed of ParkChang. She looked around to see both enter. I am glad Bob is here. ParkChang is in such trouble with the baby. "Jeanne just stood there with an unfortunate look. She walked away from the bed and made room for Bob.

Bob walked over to the bed and checked ParkChang's pulse to find that it was strong. "May I borrow a Stethoscope?" He asked. While he waited for the stethoscope, Bob checked ParkChang's eyes, and he saw what he had seen for the last eight months, eyes with no life in them.

Jeanne walked over to a medical cabinet, reached into a cabinet drawer, pulled out a stethoscope, and stepped back to Bob, handed it to him. "Here, do you need anything else?" She asked. She now stepped to the far side of the bed to see what he would do next.

"No, thanks." Bob placed the stethoscope on ParkChang's stomach to listen to the baby's heart. He removed the stethoscope and felt ParkChang's stomach area. "This baby is ready, but without her help, it doesn't have a chance. Do you know how to do a C section?"

Madlyn moved over next to the bed, looked at Bob, "I have never done one. Sarha, do you have the information I will need to do a C section?"

Sarha appeared in the room at the far end of ParkChang's bed. She looked at both Madlyn and Bob, "Yes, I have all the information and the diagrams with instructions. She will have to be moved to operating room 2."

Bob looked towards Sarha, "Sarha, could you allow another one of my group up here? We will need at least four people in the operating room." Bob thought about all the times he and Losla had worked together.

Bob's thoughts were broken by Sarha, "Yes, it will be allowed in a case like this. Who do you wish for my bot to bring up?"

"Her name is Losla. She was my assistance for over three years." Bob now moved to exit the door, headed for the scrub room.

Before anyone could exit, Sarha said, "My bot has found her. She's on her way now, and she will be brought to the scrub room." Everyone left the unit to get ready.

Sarha had a bot to take ParkChang to operating room 2. While the bot moved ParkChang, Losla was shown the way to the scrub room.

When Losla came in, Bob introduced her to everyone. She was told about ParkChang's condition and that they were about to do a c-section. Both Jeanne and Losla finished prepping and headed out to get ParkChang ready.

Madlyn and Bob just finished the scrub session and headed to operating room 2. Madlyn had a smile, thinking about what was about to happen. "Sarha, could you tell Tim that we are about to deliver a baby. We will not be available for about two hours."

"It will be my pleasure. It's been too long of a time since the last one was born here," said Sarha. She thought about the last baby born in operating room 2, and it has been over 1,300 years.

***

Sarha appeared in front of Tim, she had a big grin and showed a happy mood, "Tim, Madlyn asked me to tell you, a baby is being born on our ship,"

Tim sat in his captain's seat. He now knew about the baby, and he smiled and thought. 'This is starting to get to be more of a traveling family.' "Sarha, please keep me informed."

"I will do it right after the child is born."

Tim left his seat and went to the lift. Sarha walked to the lift with Tim just in case he had further questions.

Tim looked towards Sarha, "Sarha, is everything functioning on deck 10, the simulators and the fighters?" He asked as he entered the lift and to the lift control panel said, "deck 10." The lift moved with the slightest of motion lowered him down to deck 10.

"Yes, I have had the simulators, and the three fighters moved to the far end of deck 10." Tim exited the lift and walked over to the walkway. He stepped onto the middle walkway, and it started to move towards the far end of deck 10.

Sarha explained that "The twins, the mechanics, and Tabitha and Tammy are all on their way there also." Tim looked ahead and saw the six figures just ahead of them.

Tim stepped from the walkway, where six crew members had waited for him. "I'm happy to see so many happy faces this afternoon. Just so you know, at this minute, a baby is being born in our medical bay."

Tabitha wanted to know, "What is it, boy or girl?" All the girls were happy to hear that there was a baby on the way. They wanted to know which group it was with and who was the mother.

The girls gathered around to hear what Tim has to say about the baby and its mother.

"Don't know, yet; They are still working," Tim replied. The girls asked to be told as soon as the baby was born and its name.

Tim looked over at the twins; they were simply happy to be away from deck three. There were smiles on their faces and a bounce in their steps. You could tell they were delighted to be able to do something. There was constant chatter between the four girls.

The mechanics' eyes were as big as saucers, looking towards the fighters. You could see that they were ready to go to work.

Tim walked over to the girls, stood next to Tabitha and Tammy, "Tabitha and Tammy, would you two take the new pilots over to the simulators. There they will meet their new instructors." All four women started towards the simulators, talking among themselves.

Tim turned to the mechanics and said, "Guys, please come with me." Tim began to move towards the fighters. Both mechanics joined him. They had all kinds of questions concerning the ship and the fighters that were ahead of them.

Tim and the two men were in front of the fighter, stopped, and took a long look; Tim turned to face them. "Before we start, I am Captain Tim Bodge; call me Tim. Now your names please?" Tim looked to see which of the mechanics would be the one to talk.

"I am Gento, and this is Zagmu, captain." Gento pointed to himself first, them towards Zagmu. Gento was about six feet three inches and around two hundred and forty pounds, and it was not fat. He had a rough voice; you could tell he was used to being the one with authority.

"Please, just Tim." Tim turned towards the fighter with his hands on his hips. He said. "Here we have your first job. This fighter will not start. I think you may need some help at first?" Tim turned and placed his hand on a bot standing next to the fighter.

"This is not your new instructor, but your operation manual. He can talk you through a repair, or on his viewscreen, the items will appear with step-by-step instructions. If you need diagnostics, he will run the whole fighter system or just a single part." Said Tim.

Both men started forward, stopped, and looked at Tim. "Is it OK if we get started?" asked Gento.

Tim just shook his head. That's all it took. Both men went right to work, and they asked the bot all kinds of questions. The bot provided the information that they needed to know. Gento had pointed to a part; Tim could hear the bot say, 'That's right" ... Tim stood there for a few minutes, happy to see men happily at work.

Sarha, have you instructed the bots to build a locker room here? If so, have the new pilot uniforms been placed in that area?" Sarha appeared right next to Tim as he walked up to the girls.

"Yes, on both counts. Tabitha and Tammy will happily show the twins where their new uniforms are." Tim approached the girls. All four turned to face him, formed a single line.

Tim looked at the line, pondering the number of times he had inspected a line like this. He was going to have some fun. With a serious face, he approached the girls' line as if he would yell at them.

Tammy watched Tim, he was in a good mood as he walked toward them, but his face changed. Tammy was not sure what they had done wrong, by the look on his face, "Tabitha, Tammy, you know you and the twins are out of uniform, don't you?"

All four ladies turned with a surprised look on their faces. Tammy looked around to find the dressing room and started towards it. The other three girls were close behind.

Tim stood there beside Sarha, and the two laughed at the faces of the girl. It did not take the girls long to change into the new uniforms.

They came back out dressed in their new flight suits. Tabitha and Tammy walked back over to Tim. "Tim, why do our uniforms have 'instructor' on them?" All four girls stood around Tim and just waited for the answer.

Tim just stood there, looked at both. "Because you two are the new instructors." He said. Sarha said you were ready, and you have proven that in combat.

Tammy had this serious look on her face. "But we never got to fight. How could we possibly be ready?" asked Tammy. She thought she and Tabitha would require a lot more flying time.

Tim now got a serious look on his face. "But you fought the stone spiders, remember." He said.

"Ho, yeah, forgot about that; that was a close one." Said Tammy. Now her gaze changed because she remembered how she almost lost her life.

The twins get together around Tammy, and now they wanted to know about the stone spiders. They wanted the whole story, every single detail. Was there something they could fight?

Tim had to break up the party. Once the exercise is complete, instructors may tell their tails. But before that, there will be instruction. "If more uniforms are required, check with Sarha." Said Tim.

Tim turned to walk away. Tabitha stopped him to ask a question. "Tim, question, I had two other people asking about the training; if they are interested, could we train them also?" She stood there, just hoped he would say yes,

"OK, let us put it this way. You two are the instructors. If you feel like you can handle more students, then OK, but the instruction will be open to both males and females from this point on. Each student must wear their uniform at all times, and the uniform must say 'STUDENT PILOT' on it. In this way, it will be a source of pride to be a student pilot."

The twins turned and walked over to where Tim and Tabitha stood. "Does that mean we will get to have the word student put on our suits?"

"Tim, I will have the word student pilot, placed on their suits, by tomorrow morning along with anymore that Tabitha and Tammy need." Said Sarha.

"A word of warning, this does not mean anyone wearing the uniform can start bullying anyone else. You are no better than the next individual on this ship. If I find out about this, the individual or individuals are out and gone from the ship. Is that understood?" Tim asked.

. The twins stepped back away from Tim. "Yes, Sir," were the words that were shouted back at him. Tim smiled, remembering the old days.

Tim stepped back and let the instructors start their new class. With a smile, Tim began to head towards the lift. Tim thought to himself, 'This is starting to feel like a military training center.' "Sarha, where is DarkIce?"

"He was in his new office. Would you like me to have him meet you someplace?" Sarha asked. Tim stepped back onto the moveable walkway. It made the trip to the lift quicker and saved his legs.

"No, I think I will go to his office this time." Tim got to the lift, stepped in, and said to the control panel, "Deck 3". The trip did not last long.

Tim walked out of the lift and saw two long lines in front of DarkIce's office. He approached one of them and stood next to the last man. "What's this line for?"

"There are job offers, and I need something to do! It's nice to be rescued, but I'm going crazy doing nothing all the time." Said the man. He was an older gentleman, possibly in his fifties. So, he just wanted something to do; Tim hoped DarkIce could find this gentleman something to do.

The next line over was a woman who looked about thirty-five; she was also the last one in line. Sarha must have shown her the clothing machine because her clothes looked new. She was quite pretty. She started to tell Tim her story.

"I have been away for five years. I was on a trip to see a friend in the system called Paiimasfor. I had been gone for about six months and was headed back home. My family came out to one of the stops so that we could have more time together. We were together for two days before the attack. When they killed my whole family, they told me I was going to be sold as a sex slave." The woman said.

Tim listened to her story, felt terrible for her, with all her misfortune. He said, "How long were you a prisoner?"

Tim stood there, and he had been trying to study her and the way she kept away from people, looked around, and noticed people. He had seen these actions before, from POWs. "I guess about four and a half years, now," She said.

"Will you be glad to be going back home?" Tim asked. Tim regretted the question right after it came out.

"No, I haven't got a home. When they killed my family, I wanted them to kill me as well. ...

I hear the captain may allow some of us to stay on board. So, I would like to find employment before I request to stay." She said.

"I am certain that the captain will be impressed by your willingness to work. Have a great day." Said Tim. He turned around, walked away from the lines. "Sarha, do you know who that woman was?" asked Tim.

"I will look in our database for her ID. I have found her information, now what?" asked Sarha.

"Tell DarkIce, who she is and get her a job. An excellent one at that. Sarha, I will be in the fitness room." Said Tim. "Oh, Sarha, Any word on the baby?"

"No, still working; they are having troubles."

Tim reached the lift, turned back towards the long lines. He thought, 'Why do so many individuals want a job, just for two weeks?'

"Tim, what is on your mind?" asked Sarha as she appeared next to Tim.

"Just wondered why they want to work so bad?"

"Why not ask?" she replied.

"I will talk to both Bob and DarkIce later. They both are busy at this moment." Said Tim.

Tim entered the lift headed towards the fitness room.

***

In operating room 2: "I think the baby is ready to be cleaned up." Said Bob. He turned around, handing the new baby to Losla. "OK, let's close ParkChang up." Once they finished stitching her up, a bot moved her back to the unit.

Losla took the newborn and cleaned him up. Ready to meet his mother. She walked over to the bed; ParkChang saw the baby coming. She opened her arms to hold the child. She looked deep into his eyes, and she smiled and called him Panglauwa, which was the father's name. She kissed his brow and returned him.

Everyone there wondered why she had given him back. "Take him to the maternity ward. Sarha tells Tim the ship has a new member. It's a boy." Madlyn said.

Lisla took the baby to the maternity ward. Madlyn and Jeanne went back to operating room two and started to clean it up. Bob, after doing his written report, looked in on ParkChang to find her just lying there. He walked to her bedside. He lifted her arm to check her pulse, not finding any.

"Sarha, Call Madlyn, ParkChang is dead," said Bob. He started doing CPR while waiting for Madlyn. He was doing the best he could, and he did not want to lose her. They had spent plenty of time together, trying to keep her spirits up.

Madlyn and Jeanne ran to the medical unit where ParkChang was and proceeded with the emergency procedure. Both realized that Bob was doing the resuscitation. "Sarha, how come you haven't saved ParkChang?" asked Madlyn.

Sarha stood out of the way while the three of them worked. Sarha knew the look of death in someone's eyes, and she had seen it as ParkChang walked on the ship. "No one who wants to die can be saved. It was in her eyes, and she held on for such a long time because of the baby."

"But even so, with all you know, you could have saved her, couldn't you?" asked Madlyn. Madlyn was a sad, angry woman. With all the knowledge and the tools available to them here. Why hasn't she been saved?

"Once again, if someone wants to die, no medicine, whether new or old, will bring someone back to life." Said Sarha. "Madlyn, the person has to want to live."

After half an hour of trying to resuscitate her, Bob called the time of death. Bob and the girls distanced themselves from Park Chang's body. They were all aware that they had given her everything they could. "Sarah, could you please have Tim join us?"

Tim left the lift and entered the medical bay, looked around to find Bob. He was not sure why they called him here.

Bob left the Park Chang unit with a sad face. He approached Tim and briefed him regarding ParkChang's death. They both just stood there, not saying a word. showing some respect for the struggle she had just gone through.

"Sorry to hear that. Do we know why or what caused her death?" Tim asked.

"No, we're going to start looking tomorrow." Said Bob.

Losla picked up little Panglauwa and put him in a crib. She will be here for some time. She looks after the newborns. Jeanne will arrive later, and she will be able to get some sleep.

***

Tim sat in his seat on the bridge, thinking about what needed to be done. "Sarha, is Tawni somewhere nearby?" Asked Tim.

"She is down in the engineering doing work. Would you like me to get in touch with her?" Asked Sarha.

"Please, ask her to join me in the lounge." Said Tim. Tim left his place on the bridge and proceeded to the lounge. He went to fetch a cup of coffee and went to one of the most comfortable chairs. He sat down and waited for Tawni; He thought, I will see if I can find out about her story.

Tawni entered the lounge and saw Tim sitting in the armchair, not at the table. She walked over, "Tim, you wish to see me?" she asked.

"Yes, Tawni, please have a seat! If you could, I'd like to know more about you."

"What would you like to know?" She asked while she sat down across from Tim.

"Would you be able to share your story with me?" Asked Tim.

Given that you are the captain, I believe you have the right to know. My name is Tawni Nas-Ta. I am 26 years old with an undergraduate degree in electronics. I was with the military defense. My work was centered around personal shields. The shields I used were strong against light weapons. But it was not possible to render the power units small enough for one person without being uncomfortable.

I was living with a roommate, and she was going to get married, so I needed somebody else to help with the payments. I announced it in the newspaper. This lady said she needed a place, so we met to get a drink and started talking. There were questions about my family and my past. I had not given it a lot of thought. She asked me if there was a boyfriend."

I think she said, "Well, you're going to do fine." She got up and went for one more round of drinks. We stayed there a while, and then I started feeling sick. The last thing I recalled was leaving through the door.

The next thing I knew, I was on a table. A couple of guys were standing beside me. I think they were wearing surgical masks. I started moving, and one of them told me, "Don't move, I'll be with you in a minute."

I was cold, raised my head, and saw that I was naked and attached to an operating table. I started yelling. The other guy used a syringe, gave me an injection. He told me if I began to cause problems, something terrible would happen to my family.