Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode Five: Adam #20

Sophia looked around the medical wing and sighed. She should be happy. It looked like Christmas in here. Wasn't Christmas Eve supposed to be happy?

Charles was helping a couple of kids hang stockings up by a fake fireplace he'd constructed for the purpose. Lucinda had outdone herself on the tree.

One of the cooks had heard some joke about Jews eating Chinese food on Christmas and, not really sure of the distinction between Jew and Christian, had prepared a huge stir-fry feast. Two alumni patients who were now staying on the station and helping with the wing had offered to prepare a turkey tomorrow to rectify the situation, but Sophia had enjoyed the feast.

They currently had six full-time patients, but with family and alumni coming back to visit, the room was full for Christmas Eve. The view screen was set to a Christmas show that Sophia had loved as a child. Still it was hard to get into the mood.

An arm went around her shoulder, and she found Bankim at her side. Another arm went around her waist, and Katja was on her other side. "You're sad," Katja commented. "We don't understand why your family rejects you. But we understand how it feels to be rejected. Come. We have something to help cheer you up, maybe."

The two guided her to a couch in the corner, out of the way of the main crowd. Two of the other healers were there.

"We know you took your education exam," Bankim said, "and did wonderfully. Not that any of us had doubts. We know your curiosity too. Interests, yes?"

"The stuff you guys do is fascinating," Sophia said.

"It's a long course of study, and hard," Bankim said. "But you definitely have the potential."

"And the heart," Katja said.

They sat her on the couch. "So, we all pitched in for a gift."

"You didn't have to," Sophia protested, even though she'd given them all a little something.

Their gift to her was a single data cube, sitting on a coffee table, waiting for her.

Bankim sat his slate behind it and pulled up a calendar. "The cube is only the beginning," he said. Sophia stuck the cube in her slate and looked over the contents briefly. Study manuals and reference libraries mostly. She looked up at the calendar.

"So here is your work calendar," Bankim said.

"This is mine," Katja said. "We both have these days off. I will help you with our language. You must speak Consortium to go to one of our colleges, yes?"

"Yes," Sophia replied.

"And here are my days off," Kala said next. "And I was a wiz at math."

"Thanks, I'm struggling with that."

"And I will take biology on these days," Bankim said.

Sophia felt overwhelmed, not so much at the gift of study guides, but that each of them was willing to take time out of their busy lives to help her study, to help her pursue her newest dream, of going to college and becoming a healer. A dream she'd barely spoken out loud for fear of jinxing it.

"And these three days," the final healer said, "I will take you to Shin. Show you around the university there."

"Not that you have to choose Shin, mind you," Bankim said.

"But it would keep you close enough to come visit us from time to time," Katja said.

"And they do have a top-notch academy for healing," Kala added.

Sophia smiled at their generosity. "College is still a ways off. I have a lot of basic education to do first." She didn't want to leave them in that moment. She knew the time would come when she had to, but she wanted to savor this as long as possible. "I don't know what to say. Thank you so much." She hugged each of them in turn, tears brimming at her eyes.