Battlefields and Bloodlines

Chapter 9: Old Friends and New Discoveries

The dropship touched down and we were hustled off of it and into a makeshift field hospital.

It was a mess. Wounded soldiers were left on whatever surface could contain a human being, field doctors were desperately trying to treat the most critically wounded and things were not looking good.

I glanced at Carter and Baker. "Okay, I'm going to go find an operating room where I can help. You two do whatever you feel like you have to."

Baker nodded. "Got it. Just don't miss our ride back to the ship, cause I'm not going to explain to that hot Ragnarei what happened to you."

I closed my eyes, wishing she would not refer to my damn uncle like that. "Sounds good. Bye."

"One day you'll tell me why you have such a visceral reaction when I say that." Baker chortled.

"One day." I agreed.

Then I made my way down the corridor in the field hospital, trying to find someone in charge.

Upon arriving at the intake center, I saw a tall man shouting orders at different doctors and nurses who were treating patients.

He looked like he was in charge, so I approached him. "Dr. Khasee Aiden, BTS off the Ragnarei ship Dauntless. Where do you need me?" I shouted over the chaos.

"BTS? Off a Ragnarei ship?" He said, looking confused. Then he shook his head. "Never mind. It's good you're here. We could use a surgeon in OR 3. One of our BTS's headed out to grab supplies and never came back. Don't know what happened, but we're hurting being down and out of operating room. You in?"

I nodded. "Point me in the direction and I'll go."

He directed me down two corridors to a room with a large 3 painted on the door.

I gloved up, entered the disinfecting chamber and then went through two cycles, just to be sure I was fully sanitized.

I glanced around at the surgical team. Two nurses and an anesthesiologist. "I'm Dr. Khasee Aiden, Battlefield Trauma Surgeon off the Rangarei ship "Dauntless". I'm here to take over this OR. Who's next?" I asked, brusquely.

And so it began. The surgical treatment of each patient that was brought in. Some I saved, some I didn't. Some were dead when they arrived. I think I called more times of death and processed more tags than anything.

My Reduplicator ran out of juice somewhere around patient eight, so I had to switch over to more archaic methods, but I was well versed in classic surgical techniques so it wasn't much of an issue. I did miss the ease and speed of the Reduplicator though.

I didn't even know how many hours had passed until one of the nurses brought me a nutrient tube and a juice.

Those were mandated for every eight hours. Had I really been here that long? I gratefully accepted the sustenance and downed it as quickly as I could.

"We're nearing the end of what we can do. The fighting has moved on, and they've set up another field hospital near there. This hospital has orders to clear out and disperse personnel." One of the nurses informed me, reading off his communicator.

The disinfecting chamber went off. Two individuals limped in, one covered in blood, the other practically dragging the bloody one.

"Is this where we get help?" A familiar deep, rough voice asked. "He needs it."

I allowed myself one moment of shock. It was the Legatus, carrying Johanson. He stared back at me for that moment, seeming just as surprised as I was.

"Lay him down here." I ordered, recovering first and quickly activating the sanitation cycle we used between patients, before gesturing at the operating table.