I’m not really sure about protocol when the thing goes off, so I’ve decided to just stay where I am, standing in the narrow corridor outside the medbay. I can hear shouts coming from one of the infirmary rooms, but I don’t dare go down there. Nicari, the Kilgari doctor, has been tirelessly working to bring the roughly fifty women who remain in stasis out of their slumber. If something’s gone wrong under his watch, I’m not really sure I want to be a witness.
The fifty-seven of us who’d woken up on board the Frontier were lucky. I’m not quite sure how we’d been properly awakened, but I’m thankful I’m alive with all my faculties. Coming out of cryo too quickly can have disastrous effects.
Varia and Solair rush onto the scene as I observe the flurry of activity inside the infirmary. Varia notices me standing there like a deer in the headlights and immediately grabs my hand, pulling me toward the action.
“Come with me.” It’s not a question and her voice is edged with worry. Not one part of me wants to go, but she’s my best friend. I would have died aboard the Frontier if it weren’t for her. So I snap myself out of my thoughts of what might be happening to one of those cryo’ed women and follow her.
“What’s going on?” Solair’s voice is commanding and firm, demanding answers from his medic.
Nicari looks as confused as I feel as he stares down at a woman slumped over sideways in one of the pods. She’s awake and breathing, but barely. Her skin has a bluish tinge to it—corpse-like under the harsh infirmary lights, like death warmed over.
My heart races as I observe the scene, holding onto both my breath and Varia’s hand.
“The pod had some kind of—of an energy surge or something. It’s come up to temp too quickly. She’s woken up too soon. I have no idea what effect it’ll have on her brain, but it can’t be anything good,” Nicari states.
“Well you must be able to do something to help her!” Varia’s voice is shrill and frantic. She’s spent the last week busting her ass to protect us, and she’s not going to stop now.
“I can’t—what could I possibly—”
A sharp, blood-curdling scream cuts Nicari off as the woman bolts upright. She immediately tries to remove the wires and nodes taped all over her body. Nicari and Varia both step in to stop her but she fights like a hellcat, fists flying and legs kicking out to ward them away.
“No—no! Get off me. Don’t touch me. I won’t go back! I’ll die before I let you take me back to Solace!”
The poor thing is completely confused. Clearly, she has no idea who we are or where she is. She continues scrabbling at the leads digging in under her skin while still trying to keep Varia and Nicari at bay. They both try to explain who they are, but the woman fights valiantly on.
The scuffle doesn’t last long. Even I can recognize the signs of cryo atrophy, which are exacerbated by her coming out of stasis too quickly, taking over in her efforts to free herself. Her eyes lose focus and begin to roll back into her head before she passes out completely, slumping forward with such velocity that Nicari barely has time to catch her.
“Help me get her onto the gurney!” he demands. Varia, Solair and I all rush forward to assist him. So gently, we lift the now-comatose woman into our arms. I cradle her head in my hands, looking down into her beautiful, pale face. It’s still etched with terror, but a bit of her color is returning. We lower her onto the bed and back off quickly, allowing Nicari room to check her vitals.
Varia, Solair, and I stand together in a huddle as he works, our eyes flicking between each other, to the woman, and back again. I don’t want to be the first to ask but it seems no one else wants to either, so there’s no point in tiptoeing around it.
“Do either of you know what she meant by ‘Solace’? She said she wouldn’t go back there, but I’ve never heard of such a place.”
“I’ve traveled extensively throughout this entire galaxy—through the League, IHC Space, the Coalition and the Alliance territories—and not once have I ever heard of ‘Solace,’” Solair explains.
Varia can’t hide the worry on her face, despite appearing confused and pensive. “Maybe it’s not a planet. Maybe it’s a city? Or, a company—an organization?”
I shake my head. Varia and Solair are both ten times more worldly than I am. I spent nearly all of my life on Titanu Vox before I moved to Erebus to look after my aunt’s children.
Even going to Erebus was difficult for me. I would have been content to spend my whole life living and working on Titanus Vox. It was pleasant and safe. But my aunt needed me, so I boarded a transport shuttle for what I hoped was the first and last time in my life to Erebus.
I haven’t been far out into the galaxy ever. Not until I was captured and shackled aboard the Frontier. If they don’t know what “Solace” is, I definitely don’t.
Nicari pulls a blanket over our unknown compatriot. Delicately, he tucks it in around her before asking another Kilgari male to sit with her. I hadn’t even noticed he’d entered the room. He then approaches our group, looking as exhausted as I feel.
“Varia, I apologize. I have no idea what happened. I want you to know I’ve been doing everything in my power to wake your people slowly and properly. I have no explanation for this unfortunate turn of events.”
Varia, normally so fierce when it comes to protecting “her girls,” merely shakes her head. “I don’t doubt it, my friend. Will she… do you think she’ll wake up? Once again, we now have more questions than answers.”
“All we can do is hope.” Nicari steals another glance at the unconscious woman and the male who’s placed himself close by her side.
Hope. It’s certainly not in excess around here, but if it’s all we can do, I’ll give it a try.
Chapter Two
Grantian
“Comin’ through,” I grunt as four women squeeze themselves against the walls to let me pass. Without paying them any heed, I keep marching straight ahead, only stopping once I’m standing in front of the medbay. Pressing the panel to the right of the entry, I wait as the doors slide apart to grant me access.
The white glow of the medbay is enough for me to narrow my eyes against the glare. I step inside cautiously, never too happy to be inside a room crammed with gauze, blood packets, serum injectors, and Kilgar knows what else. My gaze is immediately drawn to the bed surrounded by Solair, Varia, and a host of other people. A woman lies prone on top of it, but her posture isn’t that of someone in deep cryosleep. It’s tenser than it should be, and the expression on her face is one of pain.
“She doesn’t look too good,” I knit my eyebrows together as I take one step toward the bed.
“No shit,” Solair grumbles. Standing beside her, he’s looking down at the woman with a worried expression. “There was a power surge and the damn pod thawed too quickly. She woke, panicked, and now is in a coma.”
“Huh,” I mutter, not knowing what else to say. I have a lot of expertise when it comes to waging war, but not much when it comes to members of the gentler sex. Especially if they’re in a coma. Turning my attention back to Solair, I clear my throat. “You’re needed at the bridge.”