Star Bound Liberty (Complete)

Chapter Twenty Seven

My one month anniversary on the Bransky as Ambassador to the ASF fleet dawned bright and early. Cookie delivered breakfast to my quarters, a vegan omelette with vegan bacon and fresh button tomatoes from Miss Georgie's personal garden. I knew they were from Miss Georgie because no where else in the Ponics bay grows yummy, little mini tomatoes.

'Thank you. Could you hold off on lunch and dinner for me today, please?'

'Yes, Ambassador. May I ask why?' I had paused at the door with the grav serving tray.

'I crashed the marine mess last night and I have a long ways to go to butter up the marine's head cook.' I smiled, he snorted and left me to my day.

Breakfast was divine. The Earth coffee was divine. I couldn't have thought of a better way to enjoy my anniversary day.

I was exiting my quarters when Commander Davis passed me by. He usually walked the other direction, so I was curious about where he was going.

'Morning, sir.'

'Ah, Private Moss. It seems strange to see someone of your rank up here so often. Oh. I don't mean... Eh-hem.' He cleared his throat. 'All the best for the emergency drills this morning, Private.' He turned and stepped into the lift going up. I was going down, so I used the transport ladder. I wasn't sure what emergency drill he was meaning.

The medbay was mostly empty when I arrived on shift. I went into the staffroom and removed my tablet and collected my belt, three packets of nuts and a bag of dried fruit. I filled up a bottle with water and clipped it onto my belt.

Daila was, once again, on the triage ward. She actually looked a little unsettled this morning.

'You're working with the old guy in the officer's ward. He doesn't look like he's doing so good today.' Something she said didn't feel truthful. I walked to the ward asking her over my shoulder what was wrong with him.

'Oh, he's had a heart transplant.' That felt like the truth. She was following me into the ward and Ayms was tingling up and down my back. I half turned but wasn't expecting to be attacked in the medbay, so when she smacked my head, I fell to the side.

'What the hell, Daila!' I yelled as I heard my lenses breaking. I turned back to find Daila reaching for me again. We struggled a moment, grabbing and pulling, until she was able to pull my wrist comm unit free and run back to the ward doors. They closed and locked as I reached them. I thumped on the door panel to open it. When it stayed locked I screamed into the comms at the door.

'Daila Ferguson, you release me, this instant.'

'You have been the most stupidest medic to ever work with. You have been so awful to me. What's a little payback, hey?' I watched her smug face through the nuplex glass panel in the door. She smiled a horrible grin then set the room protocols to quarantine. The room was on lock down.

'You idiot. You stupid bovine monkey arse. Only Doc can let me out now. What do you think you are doing?' The room was bathed in biohazard yellow lights, a steady sickly light. It made me feel so creeped out. Ayms started tingling along my right side, pointing me in the direction to go, but I was so angry at Daila I stayed where I was and shouted more abuse at her.

'All I had to do was become your stupid friend, learn all your friggin' secrets, and my debt would be wiped. But you had to be so gawds damned retarded, you didn't do anything right.'

'What are you going on about, Daila? Who put you up to this?' I had stopped banging on the door to listen to her. Then her eyes widened in shock and she turned and I could see blue flashing lights behind her in the triage ward.