Star Wars: Cross Paths

Chapter 171 - The Virus

Luke was in the small veranda of the living room, looking the life outside, with people walking down below on the street and the ships flying back and forth. Being the first week of the 4th month of the year, a month away from his and Leia's 26th birthday, his students were with their families for 2 weeks, like he always wanted when he opened the Jedi Academy.

Looking at his right, he smiled when he saw Ines, and wrapping his right arm around her body, he pulled towards his chest and kissed her forehead.

"Are the kids already taking their nap?" he asked her

"Yup, they are," she looked at him nodding. "R2 are watching the 3 of them actually." she said. "You are worried about what Dr. Lina has to say to us, aren't you?"

Looking at her, he pulled her even closer to him.

"Yes I am. The fact that she didn't want to tell us there and the way she kept looking around, it tells me something bad is going on."

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't know sweetheart. I don't know,"

The door opened and Leia and Han entered inside the apartment, making Luke and Ines leave the small veranda.

"Well I guess we aren't late after all," Han said looking around and notice that the doctor wasn't there yet.

"No, you are not late," Ines informed them before went to the kitchen.

"The twins took some time to take their nap," Leia said sitting on the couch. "Chewie and 3PO are with them, while Iris will spend the day with Ken."

"And how are the kids?" Han said.

"They are also taking their naps." Luke said sitting down too.

Ines came back from the kitchen with a tray with some glasses with Shuura juice and some snacks.

"Here, I think we need to drink and eat something while we wait," she said sitting next to Luke.

"When will she be here?" Han asked grabbing his glass.

"She said her shift ended in an hour, which it was 15 minutes ago," Luke said looking at his left wrist.

That moment the door beeped.

"It must be her," Ines said and standing up she head towards the door and opening it, Dr. Lina entered.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm late but I had to make sure I was not follow," she said which made then even more intrigue.

"You better sit down and I think you should drink some Shuura juice. You look like you need it," Han said handling her the glass.

"Thanks. I really need it," she said as she sat down and drank it.

"Dr. Lina, what is going on? How are you acting like you are in danger for talking to us?" Luke asked her right away. He needed to know and by the look of the doctor, she knew that too.

"I know the way I acted back in the Hospital and the fact that I asked to talk to you in private and even asked for Senate Solo be here too, made you very intrigue and you are right. You have to understand that, being here and telling you what I'm about to tell, can put my medical career at risk. I can lose my medical license."

Everyone looked at each other with a frown.

"How? What is so secret that can make you lose your license?" Leia asked.

"Because I will share hospital information that as a doctor I shouldn't share with anyone outside. But I have to. Because I feel no one is taking the thing serious and they should."

"Dr. Lina, will all due respect, can you get to the point once and for all," Ines decided to say to her.

"Sorry. Okay," looking at her bag she took a small device and handle to Luke. "I was able to take a copy of all the patients medical information."

Grabbing it, Luke looked at her not understanding why she was giving him that.

"3 weeks ago, a man, entered in the hospital with some fever, coughing. Nothing especial right? Probably a normal flu. But by the end of the day, he started to develop trouble to breathing. In less then a week he died when his lungs collapse."

"Did he had what I had? Did you use the Skywalker Treatment?" Ines asked her.

"Yes and it didn't work because the Skywalker Treatment cure the lungs that are infested with parasites. Like yours were. There was not parasites in the lungs of this patient."

"I'm sorry doctor, but why so worried about that. It feels like a normal pneumonia." Han said. "Right?"

"Right. And you are right about that. We thought that too, until a few days later another person came into the hospital with exact same symptoms. And another one came after that, and other after that. In 3 weeks 10 people came into the hospital with the same symptoms: first with fever and cough and then the lungs collapsed when that happened in 6 days they died. All of them."

"What are you suspecting?" Leia asked her.

"Senator. We made tests on them and all of them were with this new virus that we never saw before."

"Are you saying that those people were infected with a virus we don't know?" Luke asked her with a serious look on his face making her nod.

"But why are you telling us this?" Ines asked too.

"Because I believe that virus was introduce inside those people on purpose." she said looking at them.

"On purpose?!" Han repeat with disbelief.

"Why you think that?" Leia said.

"Because all of them were from the lower levels, and from the 10, the first 4 had a punctuate wound. Some on the right arm, others on the neck. I found that odd. The other 6 didn't had that, which made me think whoever make those people sick found another way to put the virus inside them."

"Are you saying that the first 4 people who got sick they were injected with that virus!" Luke told her.

"Yes. And apparently they perfect the way of transmission and found another way. Maybe in drinks or food. Which is not a good news, because if they already change the way of transmission, sooner or later they would find another to infect more people in an easier way."

"Like through the air," Luke said.

"Exactly?" Dr. Lina nod.

"Why the hospital don't inform this to the Senate and to the Republic?" Leia asked feeling very upset with this. "This is a case of national heath problem."

"Because they don't think it is that serious."

"Because all of them were from the lower levels so they don't really matter, right?" Han said.

"Sadly yes!"

"They are forgetting that the guards do circles on the lower levels. And if they found out another way to put that virus in food or drinks, they can infected a lot more people, including the people of the higher levels," Ines said.

"That is why I decided that someone needed to be informed and when I saw you today in the Hospital, I knew you were the right person. Without the right treatment we can't save them. And I'm sure the person or people who made this virus also had to made a treatment for it."

"I agree," Luke nod.

"Please help us to find who did this. You are our only hope," Dr. Lina said making everyone in the living room looked at each other with a serious look on their faces. Things were about to get worst.

So there is a new virus? Who do you think is doing this? And why?