To Hell and Back (Hellworlder pirates)

Ch 80 Order of Ashes

Order of Ashes

Alwen heard the final words of Captain Astarte as if they were a thousand miles away, somewhere deep within her mind she registered the fact that she was about to die, and then discarded that fact. She didn't stop the chest compressions on Dr. Bachir as his heart rate dipped and he went into cardiac arrest, nor did she stop working when she stabilized the old bear and had to operate on him to prevent him from going under on her. Distantly she recognized that the near death of her mentor should have distressed her more. But to borrow a Terran expression, she just didn't have any 'fucks left to give'. The last few days had been a nonstop and losing battle with death, and her mentor going critical was just one more patient in long line of others that needed her help.

After Bachir had been stabilized she idly wondered why she wasn't dead yet? Weren't they about to ram the enemy? Oh well, the wounds on an engineer had gone septic and needed her immediate attention, every second she wasn't dead was another she could spend keeping her patients alive.

As such she was incredibly confused when a short human man and a Lioness walked in and took over handling her patients, they said they were doctors and were there to help. But the only doctors on this ship were herself and Bachir, where had these people come from? They shooed her out of her own med bay, ordered her to get some rest, and closed the door on her. And like that Alwen was standing dazed and confused in the corridor as strangers rushed by carrying welding equipment, scrap steel, and a pallet full of duct tape, when a black and white fur ball tackled into her.

"Haha, we're alive" Alice shouted from on top of Alwen's chest.

"Uh, yeah, how?" Alwen asked, the mental degradation of the last few days finally catching up to her, rendering her completely in capable of understanding the strange shift in circumstances.

"It was Lucifer, swooped in at the last moment and annihilated the enemy."

"Wait, we were saved by the Devil himself?"

Alice cocked her head to the side "No, of course not, I mean the Lucifer, as in the ship."

Something clicked in Alwen's mind and everything suddenly made sense, "Oh, that explains the Lioness in my med bay." Alwen said blankly before she looked up and remembered that Alice was still straddling her chest, she felt her face flush and she had to turn to the side "Um, could you get off me?"

Alice got a mischievous look on her face "Why, you afraid I might threaten your chastity?"

Alwen scowled "Jeez, why don't you just tell the whole ship while you're at it."

"Tell the whole ship what?" Isabela asked, peeking over Alice's furry shoulder.

Alwen scowled at Alice, and she got off her chest and offered Alwen a hand up. "Nothing." Alwen said with a grunt as she got up.

Izzy glanced towards Alice, but Alice shook her head "Sorry, this one's a secret. I'll take it to my grave... or until Alwen says I can." Alice said after giving Alwen a reassuring look.

Izzy cocked her head to the side. "Is it about Bones virginity?"

Alwen and Alice stared at her in utter shock.

Izzy looked at them as if they were both morons "What, its pretty obvious. I've only seen fourteen years blush less often than you."

"I thought that was a Torweni thing" Alice mused out loud.