Polaris Garden

Chapter Fifteen: Stand By Me

Jora walked by the green doctor's side through the halls of Ophiuchi 7H-42, his thoughts racing about his head with each footstep he took. His eyes stared into the distance, now paying little attention to his surroundings as he faced a new question that had previously never occurred to him:

When I find my answer, what will I do?

The doctor led him around a corner and into an elevator, saying words that were mere background noise to the busy mind of the striped amnesic box-holder. As the lift's doors closed with a chime, Jora blinked at his escort.

"Sorry, uh, my mind's just kind of..." He paused mid explanation, gaze shifting to his peripherals as he tried to figure out how to explain himself without coming off as just plain rude, "... There's a lot on my mind."

The doctor gave a simple nod in return, unoffended by the patient.

"That's fair. I've never seen a box like that, but -- It's from Polaris. That much isn't even subtle."

"Yeah, the big ol' logo on the sides. Nice and modest, eh?"

"Yeah, but... I've heard about the owner of that station in the news. Nols, right?" The doctor frowned as he thought, "There's been a lot of issues between him and the Unmar. It's been taking its toll on our station's owner, for sure - his daughter nearly died in Sector Four, and then there was that research ship that was attacked in Sector Three..."

"Oh! With Hera-Hes, right?" Jora interjected, "I've been looking into that. I think I was on it."

"Your records suggest your body was found in a damaged medical pod there alongside a corpse, yes," The doctor replied, "So the amnesia part..."

Jora frowned, nodding to the doctor without a word. The pair fell into silence until the lift stopped, the doors opening before them with a chime. The doctor led Jora out of the elevator, and they resumed their walk.

Hera-Hes gave Jay a silent wave as the doctor left her room, leaving her with the blue protogen who sat patiently in front of the wall, observing the interaction. She sighed, turning back to the medical pod when a device in the doctor's lab coat let out a simple pinging noise. They checked their holopad before looking over to Hera-Hes with a frown.

"It seems there's somebody else coming to see you. They claim this is urgent," The doctor said, "You're doing a fine job recovering, and since they'll be arriving soon..."

"I assume I don't need to go back into the pod right away?" The unmar asked, ears perked with interest as her thoughts rushed to figure out who could be coming to visit her. Could it be...?

"And you assume right. It says here they're just around the cor--" The doctor was cut off with a knock at the door. Without missing a beat, it immediately opened, revealing a light blue protogen with a red cowlick and a large, metal crate in hand. The green doctor behind Jora sighed, resting his visor in his palm as he followed the patient in.

"Juno!" Hera-Hes' eyes illuminated at the sight of Jora, who dropped the box and stared at her in confusion. Smiling, Hera-Hes rushed over to him, wrapping both pairs of her arms around him in a hug. Jora could hear her purring under her breath.

"Juno...?" The wrapped protogen uttered, raising a brow, "Am I Juno?"

Hera-Hes stepped back, smiling as her front hands interlocked fingers and back hands patted down the dumbfounded protogen before her. Her claws gently lifted his, looking them over and counting each finger before she leaned in to take a sniff.

"Damn, it worked...! I didn't think it would, but..." Hera-Hes' voice was filled with joy and wonder as she gazed upon the peculiar person before her.

"What worked? Are you Hera-Hes?" Jora's confusion weighed his voice as he quietly tried to avoid letting it become frustration, "My name is -- Or, uh, is now, Jora. What's going on?"