Chapter 14: Rala

Day 13;

Station

Rala

I was at my station, working on a special project, when the trackers warning light started flashing on my other computer console. Looking over, I brought up the screen, and saw my two subject's' adrenalin levels were running high. Checking the clock, I saw it wasn't bedtime, but they could be watching something exciting on their primitive storage facilities. I activated the nero-implants. While I waited for the download to begin, I went back to studying the DNA strand I was working on. Activating the hydrocarbon capsule, I flooded the chamber with the liquid, and watched it start spinning around like a centrifuge. Picking up the twenty strands of reddish-blond hair, I fed them into the machine and watched as they dissolved in the liquid.

'Rala, how goes your special project?' Kalib asked.

'Fine, I think I can get a full genetic makeup from the subject animal in about an hour, ' I replied as I worked.

'Very well, proceed. But remember, if you get caught. I will have to denounce you, ' he said.

'I know... ' the flashing of the other console caught her attention and she walked over as and looked at the screen and froze.

'Just a second, ' she thought to Kalib as she activated the console and froze as her mind responded, 'Shit! My charges are down.'

'What do you mean they are down?' he asked.

'They have both been badly hurt. May I transport them?' I asked.

'You shouldn't. We should mark it down as a failure.'

'Sir, I can save them. Let me transport them. Please!' I begged.

I could feel his sigh and I added, 'Sir it's our fault. Well not our group, but the historical section did leave these pirates on the planet and in a massive numbers. Let me help them.'

'Very well, I would hate for a failure so early in this mission. If you can get them, without that asshole knowing, go ahead, ' Kalib said.

'Yes sir, Sir. And if he does find out, I will take the blame, ' I replied.

'Yes, you will. I will try to help if it does happen, but I will not jeopardize our mission. Good luck, ' he replied and shut down the connection.

I activated the scanners, and locked onto Mike and Walter's corpses and detected another of the humans as well. Sliding my hand over the plasma globe I directed the beam down to the planet and they appeared on the examination tables. I winced at the damage they have taken. There was a hole the size of my fist in Mikes back and blood was flowing from Walter's head where it looked dented.

Picking up a hand scanner I walked over and started scanning Walter. He has massive damage to his brain cavity; the skull bone was fractured in dozens of places. His brain was bleeding and swollen. His left eye was crushed and hanging out and his nose was fractured. His left arm, four ribs, and his right hip and leg were shattered, as well.

Activating the bed, I watched as it injected him with nanobots, and covered him with foam that quickly hardened to like a concrete shell. Going over to Mike, I started the scan on him and gasped at the metal ball that was lodged into his chest cavity. I activated the foam and let the machines go to work on him. After I extracted what the computer had identified as a cannon ball and started the rejuvenation process on Mike and then I turned to the memory cortex and started viewing what happened to them. I started crying as I looked at the little boy that was killed. I was shocked by Mike's anger and his disregard for his own life or the thoughts of his loved ones.

Scanning further back, I found that the boy, whose name was Lium, was his favorite. I watched as Mike tickled him and gave him a bath. How he hugged and carried him everywhere due to his slight limp. Tears flowed down my face as I watched the boy hug Mike and tell him he loved him, I thought of my own father who was lost on one of his missions and how I would have given anything to hold him again.

Activating the transporter, I transported the boy to my lap, and placed him on the third bed. The alarms started sound. I brought up the damping fields, sealed the room, and shut the alarms down. I slid the hydrocarbon capsule back into its storage unit, and kept it running off the other room's power. I turned to the boy and activated the foam capsule for Lium.

'Rala open the door and let security in. You're under arrest for bringing a... ' ordered the captain.

'Sorry, Captain Lynin, this is a class A assignment. You have no authority in my lab, ' I replied as I went to work on saving my subjects.

'If you don't open this door right now, we will blow it apart!' snapped the captain.

'Try it and I will have you up in front of the council and you can deal with charges of your own. I'm initiating my command authority of being a class A researcher for the civilization project. Now go away or I will have you removed from your command and your sorry ass will be prison bound. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?' I snapped back.

'When I get done with you, you will be lucky if you don't get striped and sentenced to prison. We will be back. Do... ' he snapped through the link and I shut it down not wanting to hear his rant.

I started humming an Earth song I had found as I worked on bringing the boy back to life. Ten minutes later the system chimed. I smiled as I watched the faint heartbeat get stronger and stronger. Picking up a hypoinjector, I walked over to the bed holding the boy and reached through the sterilization field. Pressing the canister to the boys chest, I felt the needle punch through the harden foam and into the frail body below. "There, that should allow him to grow up and be healthy and strong," I said as I pulled the canister back.

"Who grow strong? What have you done Rala?" Nora asked as she walked over to me.

"Just saving a young life, and that of my charges," I said as I set the canister down and picked up an aerosol can. Holding the button down, I sprayed the foam and it started dissolving.

"You brought one of the primitives on board? Are you crazy? The captain will flay you alive," she said.

"Yes. He was critically hurt and I had to save him. I couldn't let him die. And if the Captain even tries to touch me with that electro-whip he carries, he will find himself waking up as a woman. Permanently!" I said as I picked up my data pad and started typing.

Nora brushed the dark silver hair over her ears and sighed at her lover.

Running her hand over her pregnant belly she said, "And what of our baby? What will become of her and me if you go to prison? I don't want to go to prison with you, but you know the laws as well as I do. So please be careful."