Ravens of Eternity

188 Rain of Fire, Pt Many of the civilian ships were able to escape the huge skirmish between the Hegemony and the Federation safely enough. Most of them were lucky enough to get away with scraped armor and a few punctures.

Some made it, but had taken significant amounts of damage. Parts of their hull had been torn open, and some of their crew were lost.

The cargo tanker took on the most amount of damage, and her hull was scarred with all kinds of damage. Blast marks, laser scoring, bullet dents. No doubt her repair bill was through the roof.

But they were, for the most part, alive.

Most of the ships headed off to the different parts of the planet, though at least half directed themselves towards the planet’s capital city. The city itself was highly contested, and both the Federation and the Hegemony were vying for control of its political districs. Just like the orbital station above them, there was great fighting down below.

Federation troops had stationed themselves in and around the city while Hegemony attacked en masse from the south. There were explosions and combat all along the main battle lines.

Plumes of smoke rose where the fighting was heaviest.

The Spirit of Amelia veered far from the largest cities and instead headed towards the far side of the planet, where it was currently night. Out there was one of the few settlements on the planet that weren’t under direct fire, but still had great needs.

And as they approached the first settlement, they noted that there was a Federation marine encampment a few dozen meters away. No doubt they kept an eye out for any Hegemony aggressions.

.....

At the other side of the settlement, also a few dozen meters away, were the landing pads. Eva quickly steered the ship over and landed gently.

As always, the ship depressurized, the ramp lowered, and the four walked out. Although they were all lightly armored, only two of them had sidearms strapped to their thighs. Eva with her handcannon, and Claire with her duty pistol.

“Should I maybe stay in the ship?” asked Claire. “I mean, the planet’s pretty unstable and we might need to leave in a hurry.”

“We should be fine,” replied Eva. “Looks like most of the fighting is around the capital. And if anything happens while we’re here, we’ve got those Feds to watch our backs.”

“I also have my drones patrolling and overseeing the ship,” added Miko. “They will keep it running and pest-free while we are out working. Do not worry.”

While the Ravens walked towards town, they couldn’t help but look up into the sky. Up there and all around was the falling detritus of everyone fighting above. The pieces broke through the atmosphere and burned up as they fell to the ground.

Their bright orange glow and golden trails lit up the sky as they fell, like a vast meteor shower that knew no end.

It was beautiful and somber and horrific all at once.

On top of that, they could now hear the sounds of gunfire and heavy shelling in multiple directions. At least they all sounded like they were in the far distance.

When they arrived at the settlement itself, they found it was still rather busy. There were plenty still tending to their workshops or storefronts, and there was still a good amount of foot traffic all around.

Eva noticed that it wasn’t just residents and refugees from neighboring settlements. She also spotted numerous Federation marines that walked around in pairs, accompanied by their various drones. No doubt they were also working, and on patrol.

She turned around and looked out at the far edges of the settlement and looked for signs of more Federation activity. Then she smiled when she saw a patrol right at the edge of her sight.

“Yeah, we should definitely be pretty safe here,” she said. “Wanna do a tour or get to work first?”

“I think we oughta check in, at least,” said Amal. “I’ve got a feeling that we’re gonna end up overworked on this planet. I mean, given what’s going on, you know?”

Eva nodded in absolute understanding. All this chaos going on no doubt has everyone on edge. Their circumstances could have changed dramatically since they sent out those contracts a week or so ago.

“Alright,” she said. “Claire and I are gonna head to the mayor’s, then. See what we can do. I’m guessing you’re both headed for the clinic?”

“This settlement already has many engineers, and I’m not needed,” said Miko. “So perhaps I can help Amal with things.”

“Sounds good. Stay safe – ping us on DI if you need anything.”

The Ravens waved to each other then split off into two groups. Eva and Claire headed towards the settlement’s center while Amal and Miko navigated their way towards the settlement’s main clinic.

Amal received lit directions through her DI as she wove through the settlement’s dusty streets. They passed through a section of town where a gunfight had occurred, and various stalls had multiple bullet holes in them.

There was dried blood on some of the walls to accompany them.

Amal was bothered by the sight, though she wasn’t sure why. Seeing blood was something she had long since gotten used to. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t the blood that freaked her out.

It was that no-one had bothered to clean it off.

The thought nagged at her all the way to the clinic, where she was faced with yet another problem.

Unfortunately the place was beyond packed. The outside was littered with so many people that they practically clogged up the doorway. Almost all of them had a variety of light wounds – scrapes and cuts and the like.

The two of them tried to push in, but were stopped by some at the door.

“Wait your turn,” they were told.

“Um, I’m here to help out,” replied Amal. “I’ve got a medical license and-”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ve heard it all before. Now get to the back and wait like everyone else!”

“But-”

“Outta the way!” someone cried behind them. “Emergency!”

Two men were carrying a third by his shoulders. The third looked pale and bloody and on the verge of death. His stomach had been cut open, and one of the other two was doing his best to hold it closed.

The group huddled around the door quickly got out of their way. Their faces paled as their stomachs turned at the sight. Amal included. She was so shocked by what she saw, and couldn’t stop looking.

While the crowd was stunned, Miko grabbed Amal by the hand and slipped right inside without anyone noticing.

And the inside of the clinic was absolute chaos too.

The entire entrance waiting area had been completely stripped down and temporary medical beds had been erected. Almost all of them were occupied by patients, all of whom were suffering from all manner of grievous wounds.

Amal quickly gathered her wits. As she looked around and observed the patients, she noted some were gunshot wounds. Many were relatively fresh.

She realized this had become a field clinic, rather than a settlement clinic, and that her job just became that much harder.

There were also a number of nurses on the floor, each one doing their best to care for a patient. They were joined by two of the doctors, who were busy stitching their patients back together.

Another of the doctors was caught up in an argument with three Federation marines, all of whom wore full kit. Up in front was a decorated marine, whose collar pips revealed he was a sergeant.

“Look, I don’t care who you think you are,” said the marine sergeant, “if you’re hiding any Hegemony soldiers, then you’re considered a traitor to the Federation.”

“Who said I’m hiding anyone?” countered the doctor. “I only said that I treat everyone who walks through those doors. Doesn’t matter if they’re a settler or a soldier. But if you keep barging in here shouting about whatever the hell it is you’re shouting about, you’re gonna make it harder for us to heal anyone!”

“Then hand over the Hegemony soldier we know you’re protecting!”

“Does it look like any of these people are soldiers to you? No, I don’t think so. Because they’re all settlers. If I find someone from the Hegemony, I’ll call for you. In the meantime, get the hell out of my clinic! You’re messing with our patients’ recovery!”

The sergeant looked around, and noted that everyone seemed to be a regular settler. But there was plenty more space deeper in the clinic where they could be hidden.

“Fine,” he said. “But we’ll be back to check again. Soon.”

The Federation marines grumbled as they walked out, clearly unsatisfied by the turn of events.

Once they were completely out of the building, the lead doctor placed a comforting hand on her own forehead and sighed out loud. Then she put her hands on her hips and announced loudly to all the patients in earshot.

“Sorry about that everyone,” she said. “Please try to get some rest. The more you rest, the faster you’ll recover, and the faster you’ll get out of here. Got it? Good.”

When she finished, she turned back to her work only to find Amal right behind her.

“What, you looking for Hegemony soldiers, too?” she asked.

“Um, no, I don’t think so,” said Amal. “I’m Azrael. Here for your MedTech contracts?”

Amal then passed along her license and contract info through her DI. The doctor checked them quickly, then beckoned for them to follow her.

“Thank the gods,” she said.

Double doors slid out of their way as the doctor pressed further into her clinic. They passed a number of makeshift recovery rooms at every turn. Each one was filled to the brim with beds and patients.

This clinic was clearly overworked, and Amal’s prediction was becoming truer by the minute.

The doctor led them both to a small office in the back, where she quickly sat herself down on a chair behind a desk. She exhaled deeply, her relief clearly evident.

“Thanks,” she said. “I needed the excuse to come back here and sit down. Been hours since I had the opportunity. Anyway, so you’re selling us analgesics, right?”

Amal nodded, then pulled out three vials filled with her version of a synthetic hyperopioid. She placed them gently on the desk, right in front of the doctor.

“My own batch,” she said. “Very nearly pure, highly concentrated. I highly recommend you check the mix yourself and read my suggested dosage notes. Could be really lethal if you don’t.”

The doctor took one of them and slid it into her MedGun. It only took a few moments for it to run its diagnostics. What she saw made her eyes go wide in shock and surprise.

“Holy hell,” she said. “This... this is enough to keep everyone here sedated and pain-free for months. They’ll be able to recover that much faster if they can sleep through their pain... Thank you! I’ll send you double your pay – you deserve it!”

“Oh, um, well, thanks!” said Amal. “Though I would feel bad if I accepted it freely. My team’s gonna be here for a cycle or two at least, so maybe I could chip in on the floor? I’ve got trauma experience, so I can help stitch people up.”

“You really are a godsend. Yeah, I’m not gonna say no to that. Have at it!”

Amal smiled widely, then went back out to the clinic entrance, where she felt she could do the most good. But Miko stayed in the doctor’s office and patiently waited her turn.

“Uh, are you a MedTech too?” asked the doctor.

Miko shook her head in response.

“I’m an engineer, coder, designer,” she replied.

“Oh, I see,” said the doctor. “Well, I can point you towards Mechanic’s Alley if you want. I’m sure they could use someone with your talents.”

Miko shook her head again.

“I glanced at some of their projects as I walked here,” she said. “None are interesting. However, I have a proposition for you. Judging from the bags under your eyes...”

The doctor jumped back a bit as a knee-jerk reaction, then reached up and touched the skin just under her eyes. It felt damp and puffy – she could almost feel the bags sitting on her skin. Then she sighed.

.....

“...plus the fact that you have more patients than you can handle, it is clear you need help,” Miko continued unabated. “What if I designed drones for you? They can assist you and your staff with standard procedures, perhaps.”

“Not a bad idea,” said the doctor. “But if I had the credits to buy medical drones, I would’ve done that instead of hiring contractors. Those things are ridiculously complicated, too. Would be tough for us to maintain, repair. My people aren’t very tech-minded.”

“But you do have multiple engineers in the settlement, yes? Surely they could help with that. Perhaps, more importantly, what if I make you a drone that is simple to build, and simple to code?”

The doctor leaned forward and rubbed the tiredness out of her eyes. At the same time, she mulled over the idea in her head. Her team was so incredibly overworked that she welcomed any reprieve she could get for them.

“Tell you what,” she said. “Make me an autonomous MedGun that I, or anyone in my staff, could control or program easily. It’s gotta have similar parts so we can maintain it, and it’s gotta take the exact same vials as standard. And if it’s good and it works, then I’ll buy it off you. Deal?”

“Deal,” replied Miko. “One question: do you want it to talk?”