To Hell and Back (Hellworlder pirates)

Ch16 Healer

Healer

Alwen had been called up to the bridge again. She stepped in and placed a fist behind her back and raised her left hand to her brow. "Doctor Alwen Djani, permission to enter"

"Granted" came the captains terse reply.

Alwen walked in and saw that the view outside was dark and murky, and after a second for her eyes adjust she realized that they were under water. That explained the subtle impact and strange groaning sounds. On the forward window Alwen saw several dark camera feeds that were a blur with movement.

"I'm here captain, how can I help?"

The captain broke her gaze from the feed to glance at her briefly. "We encountered something unusual. I need to say something in Torweni" she said before turning back to the feed. "I need you to say, 'don't panic, everything will be fine', can you do that?"

"Yes" she answered, not understanding what the captain wanted.

"Good, patch us through" she said, and after a second she gave Alwen a subtle nod.

"Don't panic, everything will be fine" she said, using the melodic and breathy words of her people for the first time two months.

Static crackled through the bridge "Who...are you?" a timid male voice responded in turn. Something about one screen that wasn't moving drew her attention, she looked into the feed and realized that it had a Torweni man in it. skinny, dirty, and fatigued, but definitely a man of her people. And from the broken horns on his forehead he was an Antarctic islander.

The captain gave a hand signal and the static clicked off "This is feed from the facility's slave quarters; we found our missing crew and these people. I had only intended to bring the Terrans with us and leave the rest to be rescued, but now we have to bring them with us. I need you to calm them down and convince them we're friendly. Do not tell them about the nature of this ships business, but tell them whatever else they need to hear.

Alwen gulped, this had been unexpected, and she felt like a vise was gripping her heart. "Alright" she said hoarsely. The captain made a hand gesture and the static returned. Alwen steeled herself and used her calm doctors voice "I am a healer of Ashendra, Alwen Djani. Health to your Heart."

She heard a sad laugh crackle across the speaker "Fejiu knows we need it."

Fejiu was the god of the seas, he and his lover Kebba watched over sailors and sent storms to punish the wicked and temper the skills of their faithful. "Tell me how you got here"

"We were out fishing; it was night when a beam of light began pulling my crew up into the air and into the hold of a spaceship. They brought us here and made us work, they put shock collars on us to keep us in line. They all looked so beastly and terrifying, like the sea spirits of old who would abduct sailors. I think they might be the origin of those stories."

She blinked in confusion "How long have you been here?"

"Uhh, I don't know. The years here aren't the same. I was 25 when they took us, and now I feel very old. There's constant pain in my knees now."

"Might be from the lower gravity, who was chancellor when they took you?"

"Abrook"

She gave the captain a hand signal and the feed cut out. "They've been here nearly fifteen years. Before first contact"

She blinked in surprise "Do they know who took them."