Errand Stuck in Between NaNoWriMo

PROLOGUE

The officer in charge of the Medbay had a bad luck today. People took shifts here praying they wouldn’t meet any higher ups and yet here he was changing bandages for the highest of them all. “Deep apologies Overseer Evdersen but as I mentioned before, you will feel the pain as long as this goes on unattended. The medical units can only do so much,” the man muttered under his nose nervously. Sar hated being taken care of and he only came here when absolutely necessary. ”Well what do you suggest?” he spat out impatiently. It was clear he didn’t want to be here at all. “My lord, we will stop at Edgerelt soon. Maybe you would like to visit their Medical Facility? They have the best doctors in the galaxy.” It was a bold suggestion but there was no other way around it. The man in front of him was broken in too many places and too many ways. He would need a miracle to fix all that mess. Of course, the reply came almost immediately. “I don’t need a babysitter.” his patient hissed angrily. And that was it. The officer was done with his job and he advised the young man the best he could. Their leader was too stubborn however. It would be difficult to make him change his mind. He probably thought people would think he was weak if he brought a doctor on board that was specifically assigned to him.

The officer was right of course. It was precisely what Sar Evdersen thought about his stupid idea. Unfortunately, for him, he was not the only one to hear said advice that day. “The man’s right. You are the Prime Overseer now. We need you in full health.” Sar really wished he could just ignore the brown haired man but he was his right hand now and it would be unwise to make him his enemy. It took him some time to realise this. They were so used to their little cat and mouse game, it almost felt like an actual part of their work. However, after a month without his predecessor it became apparent that such behaviour was not the best display of leadership. Although it took about two more months to make Admiral Krodha understand this fact as well. They didn’t become instant friends of course but they learned to take their petty arguments elsewhere, where there were no witnesses. It seemed like his subordinate decided to break that rule today. Curious how one day Yadar behaved as though he was stupid little child and the next he came up with a clever move like this one. He knew that if he pretended to be concerned about his boss’ health in front of the crew, any rejection would be deemed unreasonable and childish. “I’ll think about it admiral,” Sar replied trying to hide his frustration. “Thank you, you are dismissed,” he added as an afterthought. Now was his time to hide a smirk. To everyone else it was just a simple goodbye but he knew Yadar Krodha hated to be cut off like this. Suck it admiral! He thought, finally feeling a bit better. He should go back to his quarters and get ready for the trip…

CHAPTER 1

Nimueth was the best doctor at the Edgerelt Medical Facility and as such she was highly respected. It was not always like this of course. Her father was a scavenger and she barely even remembered her mother’s face. The only thing that was left of her was her name and even that was to be forgotten soon. Carrie hated her birth name. It was too crude, archaic and simple. Nobody would remember Carrie. Nimueth, on the other hand…now that was something else. She begged her father to call her by that name as it was her favorite character from the stories he used to read her. THE Nimueth was but a legend and she was no hero but she was strong and a little bit wicked. Carrie felt a connection with her. Nimueth was a witch and despite being quite powerful, she did not join anybody. She was free and Carrie wanted to share that fate. The doctor was always talented but not greedy or overly ambitious. Unlike her father.

“Nim? Are you listening?” A familiar voice brought the fair-haired girl back into reality. “Sorry Pria, I’m just tired that’s all. You’ve been saying?” she asked her friend immediately. Priace was training to be nurse. She was not a genius by any means but she had a big heart and she took her job very seriously. “I said the members of the Dark Legion are visiting our facility today. Honestly, did you pull another all-nighter?” Nimueth couldn’t help but smile. Her best friend knew her far too well. Sometimes she wondered whether she wasn’t a witch too, spying on her thoughts. Not that witches were real of course. “I was needed here," she explained absentmindedly. "So why exactly is the Legion coming?” She fired another question in order to deviate the topic from her being an extreme workaholic. That conversation was starting to get old. The blonde girl next to her frowned but decided not to push the matter. “I don’t know. Word is they are trying to recruit some people. I even heard the Prime Overseer is going to come with them.” Now that was surprising. Nimueth was not all that interested in politics but everybody heard about Sar Evdersen. He was not one to stay behind on the ship when there was fighting going on but he was not fond of the diplomatic visits. Still, it was none of her concern. Their facility was more or less impartial. Anybody could come in and get treatment if they followed the rules and occasionally some of the employees joined the patients and never came back. Nimueth has been here for quite a long time and never felt the urge to leave though. “Well I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” she shrugged finally. Priace seemed disappointed by her lack of interest. It would be natural to show some kind of reaction given that this facility was busy but otherwise pretty boring place most of the time. The doctor however already met some influential people before. President Briyelle Laynessy herself requested the girl as the main physician for the Universal Guard. Even so, her offer was not interesting enough and so Nimueth decided to stay here. She was about to tell the story to her friend when the announcement went off. All first rank doctors were to gather in the conference room. No time for chit chat then. “Seems like our guests have arrived,” she said instead. Pria shot her a cheeky smile and started pushing her friend towards the mentioned room. “Well don’t keep them waiting. I expect to hear every detail from you afterwards! She said resolutely. Nimueth wasn’t very fond of gossip but she would never dare to disappoint the blond nurse. “Roger that captain,” she answered with a smile before disappearing in the elevator.

It didn’t take longer than 15 minutes before the best doctors filled the conference room. They were all used to these kind of situations. The Dark Legion officers looked impressive in their perfectly groomed black and red uniforms. The most impressive of them all however, was their leader. He was intimidating of course but in a strange way also beautiful. It took him approximately five seconds to turn his head and look straight into Nimueth's blue eyes. The girl was a bit surprised but then she realised none of her colleagues dared to stare at the man like she did. He must have thought she was extremely brave…or foolish. “You,” he finally spoke in a deep melodic but stern voice. “…follow me,” he pointed towards the door on the left and without hesitation proceeded to make his way towards them. The fair-haired girl hated following orders from someone who was not her direct superior but she was smart enough not to protest in this case. Living was nice and she wanted to keep doing that.

The main hallway, which was usually swarmed with people, looked abnormally empty and quiet. “What is your name?” The uncomfortable silence was once again breached by the man, wearing a fancy uniform. “Nimueth Halatheen, Sir,” she introduced herself briefly as she tried to keep up with his long strides. There was no need for any further information. He asked for her name and she has given it to him. “Ah yes, I have heard about you. One of the best doctors in this facility,” he continued talking without sparing her a single glance. Then suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. Nimueth was slightly caught off guard but followed the suit immediately. Only now did the Prime Overseer turn to face her. “You are brave,” he announced. The doctor was not sure how to respond to that. It was clearly not a question but he seemed to be waiting for something anyway. “I’m more stubborn than anything although some people told me the same before. I’m definitely not brave like you and never will be Sir.” It would be proper to address him My Lord but to her he was nothing of the sort and so she couldn’t bring herself to use that title. Sar Evdersen was clearly displeased by her choice but said nothing. He was here for a reason after all. “I see... Well, I came here to seek a personal doctor. You have been recommended to me. Your wages will be correspondent to the position and you are also allowed to cultivate any personal research on board of the ship.” It was a reasonable offer and Nimueth was sure the pay would indeed be great but it was not an easy task. Clearly the Prime Overseer was not happy to be here and to treat someone against their will was always extremely difficult even when they weren’t as important as him. She could not ask for a time to think though. This was Sar Evdersen, it was a wonder he even bothered to come here in the first place. “And the time period?” She asked shortly mostly to buy herself more time. “Once I’m well again you are free to leave,” he confirmed almost immediately. Nimueth was thorn. She never wanted to leave the base and serve somebody and she still felt the same about that but she was intrigued by the man standing in front of her. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Maybe she saw him as a challenge or a mystery to be solved.

Unfortunately, she could not ponder about it too long since the man in question started to grow more and more impatient. “I’ll accept on a certain conditions, My Lord. I do not join sides, you and you only will be my boss and that’s it. I won’t be another pawn for the Dark Legion. I will treat you with respect and I expect to be treated the same. I am an excellent doctor and I will do a good job but if you treat me like trash I will leave,” she warned the Overseer. It was a bold move so she used his proper title on purpose to ease Sar’s anger. She could see the raven haired man frown and clench his fists. He was probably not used to such treatment but she was not his property and maybe just maybe he actually found it refreshing. “The ship leaves in two hours. Admiral Krodha will lead you to my quarters once you are on board,” he announced unceremoniously. It was not a proper agreement but from him, she would take it. “Of course My Lord,” she saluted the man. He was her superior now and so it was much easier to address him that way. Oh boy, what did you get yourself into? The young doctor thought as she watched the figure disappear from her sight.

CHAPTER 2

It took Nimueth approximately half an hour to pack her stuff. She did not have much. Her father was not the best parent out there so she had to buy everything herself and hardly ever saw him but he did provide her with money for her studies. It may have not been clean money but she decided not to care. After all, she saved far more lives than her father ever took.

It was strange to leave her quarters knowing she would not come back or at least not for a long time. She has made her decision though and she would see it through as she always did. Pria was already waiting for her in the dining hall. A surprised look immediately crossed the girl’s face when she saw her friend holding a suitcase. “I’m leaving,” the doctor confirmed what the nurse probably already guessed. “Wow…I never thought I would actually see you leave this place. Sar Evdersen must have made you an exceptional offer.” Nimueth shook her head and sat across the table to face her friend. “Not really…I mean the pay is good and he kind of agreed to my terms as well but it was not a incredibly special offer. The job just sounded…interesting I guess,” she admitted still somehow unsure. Priace seemed a bit confused too now. Nimueth was deemed a very rational person and so that kind of decision was quite uncharacteristic for her. “I see…I don’t quite get it but if that’s what you want then go for it. You have been stuck here for far too long anyway.” This was precisely the reason why people adored the nurse. She had a big heart and always thought about others before herself. “Don’t worry, I will be back eventually.” It was not a very realistic statement of course. Nimueth had no way of knowing what would happen to her in the future. Thankfully, the sweet dear Pria, bless her soul, decided not to comment on that. “Just be careful okay?” She warned her friend instead. They both knew how dangerous it was to serve the Dark Legion. Then again, the Universal Guard was not much better in the safety area although they liked to claim otherwise. “I will, I promise.” The young doctor wished there was a bigger reassurance she could give her friend but really, there was not and they both knew that.

Eventually both girls finished their food and wordlessly left the dining hall. Priace seemed reluctant to leave her favorite doctor but there was only so far she could go. “I have to report back to duty. You go catch your shuttle okay?” Nimueth nodded and hugged the nurse as if it was their last time. After all, it might very well have been. “Goodbye Pria,” she whispered, finally letting go of the girl. She would truly miss her. The shuttle she boarded was ready for take-off within couple of minutes. Unsurprisingly she was not the only one of her colleagues to leave the base that day. The Dark Legion could afford to pay well so they never had to worry about having an employee shortage.

“Excuse me officer, I’m the new doctor, looking for admiral Krodha? He is supposed to take me to the Prime Overseer,” Nimueth asked the older woman in uniform assisting her and others with disembarking. The reply however came from behind her. “Did he specifically mention my name?” The doctor turned around only to spot a brown haired man wearing awfully displeased expression on his face. “Admiral Krodha I presume? And yes that is indeed the case,” she answered his question immediately. There was a strange tension in the air. The man in front of her seemed quite unhappy with her statement. “I see, well follow me Miss…” He paused for a moment giving her a chance to introduce herself. “Doctor Nimueth Halatheen, Sir.” There was a small twitch in the corner of his mouth no doubt caused by her decision to omit his rank. He asked for it though, he was well aware of her title and chose not to use it, it was about time somebody taught him some manners. “This way then…Doctor Halatheen.” Nimueth nodded following the man’s steps. Good boy, the girl thought smugly. The rest of their walk was spent in a rather uncomfortable silence.

Several sharp turns later, the pair finally stopped in front of a huge metal door. The grumpy man nodded at the guard receiving short salute in return. “Sir, admiral Krodha is here with… a guest,” he reported visibly unsure about the girl’s presence. “Let them in,” a familiar deep voice echoed from the transmitter. Finally, in the quarters she was once again faced with the dark eyes and perfect stubble. He was truly magnificent creature, scary but magnificent. Not many people would share her sentiment of course but she has always known she was not like the most. “My Lord,” she greeted him politely making the Admiral turn his head. The Overseer nodded to her in greeting. “Admiral Krodha, I trust you introduced to each other already. This is my personal doctor. She is not official part of the Legion. According to the contract, I am her only superior and therefore she does not have to answer to anybody but me. Make sure the rest of the crew is aware of this as well,” he ordered the other man. It was quite obvious that he was not so much concerned about Nimueth’s wellbeing but rather enjoyed torturing his subordinate. It was almost amusing seeing those two interact. One could say they acted like a divorced couple. “Of course my Lord,” the admiral replied, grinding his teeth. This statement was then followed by his immediate departure.

Only now did Nimueth realize she would have to talk to the Overseer alone and the nervousness slowly started creeping in. Luckily her superior decided to speak before she could make a fool of herself. “Your private med bay is right next to my quarters. I will send an officer to show it to you as well as you your room after we are done talking.” That’s what he said but he was obviously done talking exactly at that moment. Good thing she had something to say as well. “Thank you my Lord. I need to get familiar with the equipment but I should be fully operational within two hours. Please stop by at the med bay sometime during today. I need to do an initial checkup in order to start your treatment.” After that, there was a short pause. It seemed that despite personally hiring her he was not overly keen on cooperating. “Of course,” he replied eventually. Then his eyebrows perked up as if he seen something pleasing behind her. “Ah…Sergeant Grechina, just in time. Show Doctor Halatheen her quarters and work station.” Nimueth swiftly turned around to see an older officer standing by the door. His expression stoic yet still somehow polite. “This way Doctor,” the man pointed towards the corridor leaving no place for argument. Thankfully, she definitely didn’t plan on stalling as it was fairly obvious the situation felt awkward to everybody included. “My Lord,” she bid her superior a respectful goodbye and proceeded to leave the room. She would probably see him again soon anyway.

“Your stuff has already been placed in your room. It’s the last door at the end of the corridor.” The Sergeant started explaining immediately but stopped walking right as they reached the neighboring door. There he placed a card key next to the entrance and presented Nimueth with her new kingdom. “This is your personal med bay. Here you are to take care of our Leader and conclude any personal research. The main med bay for the rest of the crew is just next to the docking bay if you are ever curious.” With those words, he handed her the card key. “You can take your time exploring. Should you find that you are missing something, let us know and we’ll purchase it for you.” Nimueth tried to imagine herself in such situation but with the amount of stuff here, she highly doubted that would happen. Nevertheless, she nodded in agreement just to relieve the officer of his duty. “You will find a special uniform in your room. We were informed that you did not board as a member of the Dark Legion but you will need something for the others to recognize you. It is a custom uniform, I’m sure you’ll grow fond of it.” Now at the end of his explanation, the older man sounded so much kinder. Maybe he finally figured out she was not some stuck up bitch that thought she was too good for this place but simply a doctor that didn’t put values on life depending on which fraction it belonged to. Nimueth smiled softly at the man, grateful for his time. “Thank you. Is there any plan of the ship I could use? I mean…it’s huge,” she pointed out the obvious. Of course, there was always the possibility of asking somebody for directions but that would get tiring really fast. Sergeant Grechina nodded. “You have been assigned with an Assistant droid. He will be helpful in many ways. You also have a transmitter in your room, though that one is only for communication between you and Supreme Leader so you might not need it as much. Will that be all?” He asked finally hinting that he was a pretty busy man. “Yes, that will be all. Thank you Sergeant.” The officer nodded leaving her in the med bay alone for the first time. Well…let’s get to it then….

CHAPTER 3

It took Nimueth almost an entire hour to explore her new working space. The room was relatively small but the amount of equipment was unbelievable. What more could she possibly need? She was not planning on doing any research for now either so there was no chance that she would need anything special. Yeah, I will be fine, she thought before leaving the med bay to check out her living quarters.

She followed the instructions from earlier and stopped in front of the last door on the left side of the corridor. The card key from her work station seemed to work on these as well. There was no fancy room behind them of course but the doctor didn’t mind. She never enjoyed fancy things to begin with and to be fair anything would be an upgrade compared to the space she used to live in until now. First thing to catch her attention however was a small dog like looking android beside her bed. It was AZ568, the newest model of Assistant droids. That’s good, these are pretty nimble. She remembered working with older models back at the Edgerelt Medical Facility. It was a nightmare. Sometimes doctors needed to work fast in order to save their patient and those androids just couldn’t keep up. This one would definitely be useful though. She reached her hand and activated the silent unit. Almost immediately, the room was filled with a sound somewhat similar to barking. “Hey there little buddy,” she greeted the machine with a smile. It was no doubt going to be the only friend she would have here for some time; she might as well treat it nicely. The droid barked back happily. “You’ll have to help me navigate in this place little one. The ship is gigantic and I’m the kind of person who gets lost in their own bathroom. I’m counting on you okay?” More dog sounds echoed in the room following her first order. “Good,” she praised him before picking up a transmitter lying the table. As Sergeant Grechina implied, she would probably not use it very often but if her boss wanted to keep in touch, Nimueth would make sure to do so.

Later that evening she was back at her med bay thinking Sar might not show up after all when the metal door opened and the very man stepped in. “My Lord, you came! Don’t worry, I won’t keep you longer than absolutely necessary,” she promised pointing towards the examination bed. “Good,” was the only reply she got from the Overseer. He did however proceed to sit on the bed as she told him and took his shirt off before she even had a chance to ask. Thorough the whole examination the man remained silent. It was a bit uncomfortable but also allowed her to concentrate better, for which she was eternally grateful. “Many of your scars are healing in a wrong way. I assume you have been using the medical units to deal with the injuries?” It sounded like a question but she didn’t really need an answer. She could tell right away. “Don’t get me wrong, those little machines are useful for a quick fix but they are still machines and operate in codes. Most of your scars are beyond helping but the newer ones can be redone. I’m especially worried about the long one on your neck,” she pointed out. That one must have been a close call. The expression on Sar’s face started to turn a little sour upon hearing her assesment. “I don’t need any cosmetic corrections,” he spat out, clearly annoyed. Now was Nimueth’s turn to frown. “With all due respect My Lord I couldn’t care less about your looks.” This was not entirely true of course. She did think he was rather good looking but that was not something she would admit aloud… least of all now. “I’m here as your physician and as such it is my duty to take care of your health. Proper stiches are important for correct healing process and they also prevent you from getting infection. I’m pretty sure most of your old scars must hurt quite a bit at this point or am I wrong?” Her boss seemed a little caught off guard yet he still managed to keep his perfect frown fully intact. “Some infection has already settled in your body hence the worsening pain and I’m guessing fatigue as well? We’ll get nowhere if you keep questioning my judgement.”

For a moment Nimueth worried the man would strike her down there and then. She was not some damsel in distress but from what she heard, the patience was not her boss’ strongest suit. Thankfully, he did no such thing. “You are good,” he admitted albeit a bit begrudgingly. Now that was surprising. The Prime Overseer complimenting somebody? Where was all the rage she had heard about so often? “If you tell anyone I will kill you.” Ah yes, that’s more like it… It took a lot of effort for the girl not to smirk at his behaviour. “Don’t worry my lord. All information about my patients are sacred. I shall take yours to the grave,” she promised making sure she sounded as sincere in her statement as she meant it. It was an archaic rule and not many doctors abided by it nowadays but Nimueth still thought it was there for centuries for a reason. It also seemed to calm Sar a little bit and gave her a chance to finish the examination. It was clear she would have her hands full for many months to come but she was pretty sure she could fix him.

Weeks went by and as expected, Nimueth spent most of her time exploring the ship and redoing Prime Overseer’s messed up stitches. There have been other plans for his recovery of course but those were scheduled only after his scars healed properly. Sar Evdersen himself liked to argue that they could do everything simultaneously but the doctor quickly dismissed his proposal. Rushed treatment could do him more harm than good. Still, she was surprised how well he listened to her. Admitedly, the first couple of days were a bit painful but eventually, he started cooperating and wasn’t complaining as much. It may have been caused by the fact that he was feeling much better after her treatment. Now emotionally wise there was not much she could do. In fact, she didn’t even dare to suggest that he should deal with his emotional wounds as well. She did not have a death wish thank you very much.

“How do you like your uniform?” The sudden question caught Nimueth of guard and brought her back to reality. Why was he asking about her uniform after three months of wearing them? Nevertheless, it was a rare opportunity to start a conversation so she decided to humor him. “I’m quite happy with it, my Lord. It doesn’t have the Dark Legion insignia but it has the colors so everybody knows I belong here. Not to mention the material. It really is very comfortable piece of clothing,” she answered honestly. It was kind of an awkward ice breaker but since her boss asked, she would take it. “I have a question for you as well my Lord if I may,” the doctor followed her superior’s example. Sar nodded not speaking himself but allowing her to do so. “I have visited the general med bay couple days ago and I met the former Captain of the First army,” she started, wary of the man’s reaction. She was still unsure how he felt about the woman but she figured it was worth a try. Unsurprisingly there was no reaction whatsoever. “She has some serious burns and nerve damage but I believe she is not beyond saving. With my experience and some special tools, I could help her...You said I was allowed to work on any research during my spare time. If possible I would like to make her my personal project.” There was a short silence following her statement and for a second Nimueth worried that she might have indeed crossed some invisible line. “Kartavya was a loyal Captain, if the other doctors decided to give up her I don’t see why you shouldn’t at least try.” Nimueth had to hide the little smile forming on her lips. She didn’t think it would be this easy. No matter what others said, she could see that there was plenty of kindness hidden behind this man’s pretense. Now she wouldn’t go running around telling other people but at least her opinion about him was slowly changing. “Thank you My Lord,” she said finishing the sewing process. “This is the last one. I’ll keep an eye on all of them and when I’m sure they are healed nicely, we will proceed with the next treatment.” Her patient seemed pleased with this particular piece of information. He was no doubt tired of sitting still for a long periods of time.

And so as usual, Nimueth let the man get dressed and leave. He did however bid her a short goodbye this time. Maybe he got used to her presence or maybe he just appreciated that she was finally showing some interest in his crew. The doctor didn’t know for sure but it was a nice change. She would later go seek Lieutenant Kartavya feeling much lighter than she did before. The woman in question was loitering around her quarters. She still had a huge say in the soldiers’ training but she was not very active in the actual process. “Lieutenant Kartavya, can I talk to you for a second?” The fair haired girl called out to the tall soldier. She was probably taller than most men in the First Army so it was pretty easy to recognise her even in full armour.

Upon hearing the doctor’s voice, lieutenant turned around and took off the helmet. It was a bit unusual for her to do so. At first, Nimueth thought it was because of her face burns but some other soldiers later told her that their Captain preferred to keep it on even before the accident took place. They concluded it might have been because she was so proud of her position and honestly? They might have been right. After all, the woman always seemed to be more down about her demotion than her condition itself. “Yes, how can I help you doctor Halatheen,” she asked in her usual stern voice and Nimueth couldn’t help but imagine what an impact she had on her platoon members. “I spoke with the Prime Overseer today regarding the offer to treat your injuries and he agreed. Would you still be interested?” She finally voiced the reason of her visit. The older woman raised her eyebrows looking more intrigued than anything. “I wasn’t expecting for you to actually follow up on the proposition but if you think you can do something about the mess I’m eager to do anything to properly return to duty.” Of course she was interested in the result that mattered the least. Then again, it was her life and if that made her happy who was the doctor to judge. “Good…I’ll see you in my office after the training then?” It was a perfect arangement since Sar usually wasn’t around during that time period. Too busy with meetings or his own training. “Yes, that would suit me well.” And that was that. It was obvious none of them had anything to add into the conversation and so they both nodded goodbye to each other and parted ways. They would no doubt be meeting quite often anyway...

WC:1953

CHAPTER 4

Another couple of weeks went by and Nimueth’s job grew more difficult. At first, she only had to fix one or two scars and then she would be done for the day but now came the more complicated healing process and adding former Captain of the First Army into the mix resulted in many extra shifts. She wasn’t complaining though. There were days when she literary couldn’t rest for even a minute back at the Edgerelt medical facility and such thing never happened here. What bothered her far more was the feeling of loneliness that slowly started creeping up on her.

The Dark Legion was very secretive so she couldn’t get in touch with Pria and the other colleagues from Edgerelt were always either too busy or couldn’t be bothered talking to her. Maybe they thought she was receiving special treatment since the one and only Sar Evdersen requested her presence himself. She had her own med bay and therefore was considered stranger among the regular medical staff…Or perhaps they were just scared to wrong her in any way thinking they might be severely punished for such behaviour. Nimueth didn’t think herself to be so important but others didn’t know any better and from what she heard, the rumours tended to be very colourful.

“You seem a bit off today doctor,” a deep female voice brought the fair-haired girl back to reality. She immediately closed the cupboard and returned to her patient. “I’m sorry Lieutenant I just have a lot on my mind at the moment…won’t happen again,” she apologised. Kartavya’s expression remained the same as before giving no indication of whether she was offended or not. Nimueth often wondered if the members of Dark Legion went through some kind of training where they learned to do that. “If you were one of my soldiers I would probably start lecturing you right now,” she informed the younger girl currently working on her face burns. “Good thing I am not then,” the doctor resorted immediately. It was an honest reaction. Nobody wanted to experience the former Captain’s fury. AZ568 stationed in the corner of the room let out sympathetic barking sound, which actually caused Kartavya to smile a little. “Isn’t it strange that these pieces of metal seem to have more personality than most of the higher ups here?” She asked the younger girl. As if on command, the assistant android made another sound, sounding almost offended. Nimueth raised her eyebrows. She would never expect to hear such comment from the Lieutenant. “I mean, I can’t say I disagree but it sure sounds strange coming from you,” she admitted finally, hoping the other woman wasn’t merely testing her. Her patient snorted. Kartavya was not very lady like but she possessed a distinct charm that nobody else seemed to have. “I know I’m not the cheeriest sort…now less than ever… but even I never fail to notice all the grumpy faces. It must not feel like a very welcoming place to you.” The young doctor nodded. It was quite curious situation to be honest. Of all the people, Captain Kartavya understood her the best. What even is my life? “Well it certainly doesn’t feel like home but then again I never really had one so what do I know? Also to be fair I let everybody know that I’m not an official part of Dark Legion so there is no reason for them to treat me like I am.” She was fairly certain this was one of the main reasons for being ignored most of the time. Could she really blame them though? Going around telling people you are not interested in their cause wasn’t exactly the best way to break the ice. “I suppose, yes” her patient agreed. Then came a pause and Nimueth honestly thought that was the end of their conversation. “You do get involved though. I mean, you don’t get paid for treating me and yet here you are…wasting your time on someone that didn’t even ask for it.”

In a way woman was right. Nimueth did not have to help her at all. It didn’t make sense considering her stance within the crew. Then again, she was bored and naturally curious. To some it may have seemed like a selfless act of kindness but she was not sure that was the case. Pria used to tell her she was kind but she was her best friend and exceptionally kind creature herself so she was most definitely biased. “I do tend to contradict myself from time to time. Please do yourself a favour and don’t try to figure me out. To this day even I was not able to do that and I doubt there will ever be someone who can.” Kartavya didn’t say anything to that. It did make her grin however so it was safe to assume she was somewhat amused by her words.

“Well, I think we are done for today. Let me know if there seem to be any problems,” the doctor said once she was finally satisfied with her work. The Lieutenant nodded and jumped of the table. “I actually wanted to thank you doctor. I seem to have regained at least some feeling in my face. Before you started treating me, I was content with feeling nothing as long as the pain was gone. I didn’t realise how much I missed frowning properly.” It probably took a huge effort for Kartavya to actually voice out her gratitude. Nimueth smiled. “I’m glad my efforts paid off. It would be very embarrassing if I asked to treat you and achieved nothing,” she tried to lighten up the overly serious mood. Luckily, it seemed to be working. The Lieutenant huffed again, shaking her head. “I’ll see you tomorrow doctor.” And that was it really. The fair-haired girl was done for the day, her heart content, knowing she was truly making a difference.

Another week passed and Nimueth was beyond exhausted. She was a doctor and knew all the signs. Her body was slowly shutting down and if she didn’t slow down she would collapse. However, everything went so well with her patients that she simply couldn’t bring herself to ask for a break. “You are tired,” a familiar voice brought her back to reality. The doctor sighed, clearly unhappy with the situation. “Yes,” was her short and honest reply. Be it anybody else, she would have at least attempted to lie but there was no way she was going to trick Sar Evdersen…no matter how hard she tried. “You should rest then.” Now that was new. At this point, her boss was willing to share a short conversation with her from time to time but this almost seemed like he cared about her. Something that sounded highly unlikely. Man, I must be really tired. There is absolutely no way...

Before long, the Overseer started to look a bit impatient which made her wonder how much time it actually took her to react. “That would be a smart thing to do…” she admitted begrudgingly. “…I can’t seem to let go of my work though. Everything is going so well…” The words were not coming to her as easily as she would like. Another sign of exhaustion. Sar shook his head disapprovingly upon hearing the girl's defense. “I always thought you were smarter than that, doctor. I also think it’s safe to assume you will be performing even better after you get some sleep.” This made Nimueth pause and look at the man. “Was…Was that a compliment, my lord?” She was playing with fire. You did not ask the Prime Overseer to repeat himself, especially not with something like this. It would no doubt cause a huge embarrassment to both sides and she would come to regret her decision in the morning…assuming she would live to see one after this incident. “I believe so, yes. Now go get some sleep. I will require your services first thing in the morning.” There was not much emotion in his voice but he definitely wasn’t angry. Why wasn’t he angry? Was she delirious to the point of hearing things? “I…thank you,” she stuttered finally, grateful yet still mildly confused.

It took Sar Evdersen mere seconds to get dressed and leave the room. Overall, it was a pretty weird experience to say the least but that was a thought for another day. Now was time to sleep.

WC:1408

CHAPTER 5

The following weeks after her rest were much better. With replenished energy and new manageable schedule, Nimueth focused on her job without distractions and avoided any bad impact on her own health. Her brain was able to process information much faster now which was a huge benefit for her job but a really bad influence on her curiosity. Today was one of the worst days in that regard. “What is it?” the Prime Overseer finally gave in and addressed the girl’s constant staring. Of course, she always focused on him during treatment but today felt different...almost as if she looked at him more than usual but at the same time wasn’t fully present. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be annoying or anything. I just can’t figure out why it has been so calm around here,” she paused for a bit. “I mean you are still at war…kind of…but nothing seems to be happening.” Looking up she saw a great deal of suspicion in Sar Evdersen’s eyes and immediately realized her mistake. Oh God, he thinks I might be spying for the Universal Guard. “I’m sorry, I know I said I’m not interested in politics and truly, I am not. I don’t care about your plans or anything. It’s just that I thought I was stepping into a war zone but it turned out my previous job was far more chaotic than this place, which you must admit is kind of weird...” she paused there to catch her breath “…good but weird.” Luckily, her boss seemed a bit placated by her explanation. There was no reason to think she was helping the other side if she didn’t want to know his plans. Knowing why it was relatively calm wouldn’t help them in any way. They were part of this and therefore had that information already. “Well, the Prime Overseer Karanah is dead and the Universal Guard is not spreading or attacking so we decided to take care of some boring matters while we can. I expect they are doing the same. Since no one has made a first move, nothing is really happening.” Nimueth nodded while absentmindedly (yet gently) drawing her patient’s blood sample. What he said made perfect sense but it was also kind of unbelievable. Everybody just assumed that there would be no change even with Karanah gone. On the contrary, since they knew how impulsive Sar Evdersen was, they thought him being in charge would only make things worse. Seems like we were all wrong about him.

“Well, I think we are done for today. I need to run some tests so we can proceed with the treatment. Anything I should know about? Any pain that wasn’t there before?” She asked completely dismissing the previous topic. The doctor didn’t want to make things uncomfortable between them. They might never become friends but at least they were finally content in each other’s presence. “No, quite the opposite actually. I feel great.” Nimueth took a breath to say something but her patient immediately raised a hand to prevent her from doing so. “Yes I know…we are far from done.” This earned him a soft smile from the young woman. It took her some time to convince him that he shouldn’t end the treatment just because he wasn’t hurting anymore. The process was slow but at last, it seemed like he accepted her advice and decided to stop questioning her. This time Nimueth opened her mouth to praise her patient when the med bay door opened without any warning. “Prime Overseer, the board members are expecting you for the meeting.” Admiral Krodha entered the room before she had a chance to come up with anything decent. The Overseer frowned clearly displeased by his subordinate’s sudden entrance but wisely decided not to lecture the other man. “Yes, Admiral…I’m aware,” he gave a simple answer after which he turned to his doctor again. “Thank you doctor, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” The in question woman nodded watching the raven-haired man disappear through the med bay door. She then carefully stored his blood sample and proceeded to leave the room as well.

To her surprise admiral Krodha didn’t follow his boss to the meeting today. He stood in the corridor seemingly waiting for something, or rather, as she found out just a few moments later, someONE. Nimueth tried to avoid the man since he was always irritated and kind of creepy but he caught her wrist when she was passing by, successfully preventing her from doing so. “What are you up to?” He hissed dangerously. His grip was growing stronger every second and she knew it would leave a pretty nasty bruise. At first, Nimueth attempted to shake him off but that only resulted in him strengthening the grip so she decided to leave it, hoping he would eventually let go of her himself. “What do you mean?” She finally gave in, eager to get this over with. The sooner he got his answer the sooner she would be free. Krodha frowned even deeper looking incredibly offended by her words. “Don’t pretend to be innocent! I heard you prying for information! What are you hiding?” The doctor couldn’t help but chuckle. Nothing about this situation was funny but it felt so over the top that the admiral actually sounded ridiculous. “I’m not interested in your plans but it seems to me that you are the one who’s up to something since you enjoy spying so much. Your boss didn’t think I was prying so why do you? Or is it that you don’t trust the Prime Overseer’s judgement?” The guard standing close to them twitched slightly. It was a subtle movement but it was enough to stop the arguing couple. The girl smirked. This was exactly her intention and she was extremely pleased to see it worked. Admiral Krodha would never openly defy his Master. That would be unheard of and only cause him trouble. The plan worked but it was not without consequences. The admiral turned red and squeezed her wrist even more. Ow…you effing bastard, she cursed inwardly almost waiting for her bones to crack. Fortunately, that didn’t happen and the man standing before her finally let go of her limb. “Of course not, if Prime Overseer deemed your question harmless then I was wrong to judge you…my apologies,” he spat out not sounding sorry at all. “Apology accepted admiral, I’m sure you were only trying to be a good subordinate,” she fired back subtly diminishing his position and therefore adding more salt to his injury. It would no doubt cause her more conflict with the man in the future but today she couldn’t be bothered to care.

The android that has been faithfully waiting by her side thorough the whole ordeal started growling viciously. It may have been the Dark Legion’s property but she was now its rightful owner and therefore much bigger priority. The brown-haired man threw the droid a dirty look before bidding Nimueth short goodbye and walking away. He knew damaging it would only raise questions and start bad rumors. “Thank you AZ, that was very nice of you.” The doctor told her metal companion after their enemy disappeared around the corner. She knew it was just a machine and its reaction was simply a result of its programing but she still felt somewhat grateful. “I should give you a proper name. Would you like one, little guy?” Most people wouldn’t bother with such thing but to her, the dog like android became something akin to a friend. Other members had friends among the crew but Nimueth was an outcast and so she didn’t have much luck in that area. “How about Bailee, huh?” The AZ568 barked happily and she could almost believe he was excited. Well who knows, maybe he is… “Okay, come on Bailee. Let’s get some sleep.”

The next morning she indeed woke up with a visible bruise on her wrist. It hurt a bit but it wasn’t unbearable and she could treat it during her break no problem. The former Captain of the First Army asked her about it but decided not to pry when Nimueth dismissed her concerns. The Prime Overseer however, was not so forgiving. Nimueth wasn’t sure whether it was because he just liked to have everything under control or whether he actually cared about her well-being. “I’m no doctor but even I can tell this was no accident,” he persisted despite the girl’s protests. Still, he didn’t move or hinder her work in any way. In fact, it seemed like he acted more careful than usual as if to avoid accidentally causing her any more pain. “I know that you are not officially part of the Legion but you are my employee. I need to know if someone’s causing you problems.” To be fair, it was a reasonable concern. Nimueth understood why he wanted answers but she was hesitant to tell him. To say somebody from the crew attacked his personal doctor was bad enough but to say it was Admiral Krodha? Nope, not happening! She really didn’t want to be a reason for another conflict between those two. It was not a big deal but she was sure they would make it one if they got a chance. “If you really need to know, I’ve had an unpleasant run in with one of your subordinates. I don’t know who he was and honestly, it just seemed like he was concerned for the Dark Legion’s safety. As with many others, he doesn’t trust me. And really, who could blame them? They have no reason to,” she explained, trying to be as honest as possible. After all, it was only a half lie. The reason was probably mostly true she only left out whom the attacker was.

“Lie,” the Prime Overseer said making the girl raise her head in surprise. Nimueth was pretty sure she did a good job and yet... Did he really manage to read her so well? People did say he was extremely smart and perceptive. The man in front of her smirked. “No, I cannot read your expressions just yet if that’s what you are thinking. I was merely testing you and based on your reaction, I think it’s safe to assume I was right,” he explained looking awfully pleased with himself. Ah yes, they also said he was a trickster. Nimueth knew there was no going back now. Her current expression made it clear that she was in fact lying. “Yeah okay, I know who it was but I chose to omit the fact on purpose. Trust me it’s better that way.” Sar frowned obviously not very happy with her answer. The doctor braced herself for further questioning but to her surprise, he didn’t push her again. “Very well, I’ll let it go this time and consider it a onetime mistake since you don’t want to explain but if it happens again, you HAVE TO tell me, understood?” Nimueth considered it a fair deal and so she nodded in agreement. Her boss was probably going to be cranky for the rest of the day but she was nearly done with his treatment and therefore wasn’t really concerned. Let the other people deal with the situation…I deserve a break.

WC:1884

CHAPTER 6

It took another couple of weeks before anything even remotely interesting happened. For most part, Nimueth was busy with her two patients. She had also been reading some medical researches about burns that Sar managed to acquire for her during his occasional planetary visits. She wasn’t quite sure how he managed to get hands on some of them or whether she even wanted to know. Nimueth wasn’t naive. Just because the Legion didn’t go on killing spree every other day didn’t mean it changed. It was still supervised by an absolute Overseer and those had very dark tendencies. She might have not witnessed anything first hand but she saw victims of this war and was fully aware that these people had no problem with rather radical solutions to their problems. Right now however, none of that mattered to her. As selfish as it sounded, it wasn’t her business. The research was a great source of information for her and she had a great success when it came to healing the former Captain of the First Army. The doctor was hoping to help her but never had she imagined how much she could actually do for the woman.

“Doctor!” Nimueth quickly looked toward the med bay door only to spot the big woman herself standing there. She had never looked this happy before. It was almost disconcerting. Finally realizing her mistake, Lieutenant Kartavya quickly straightened her back and lowered her voice. “Ehm, sorry for the interruption,” she apologized, looking almost ashamed. After all, she was known for her amazing emotional control. Luckily for her, Nimueth was free for now and so she wasn’t really bothered by her barging in. If the Prime Overseer was here then it would be a problem but that wasn’t the case at the moment. “Good News?” She asked instead, completely dismissing the weirdness of the situation. There was no reason to make the other woman even more uncomfortable than she already was. Kartavya cleared her throat and stood tall, suddenly looking very proud of herself. “I was reassigned to my former position today. The Dark Legion doctor evaluated my health condition and found it most satisfactory,” she paused then, looking a bit hesitant. “Although, just between us, he did not seem very pleased about it.” It sure sounded strange and yet it was not really all that surprising. “Don’t worry. That unwillingness had nothing to do with you,” Nimueth reassured her morning guest. She knew exactly what the problem was. The head doctor took great pride in his work and hated to admit that the outcast managed to achieve something he himself couldn’t. “Congratulations Captain. I’m glad to hear my effort finally paid off,” she added with a smile. After all this was probably what her patient wanted to hear in the first place. To be fair though, she wasn’t really doing it for the sake of Kartavya’s promotion. She simply wanted to improve the condition of a woman everybody else had given up on. Or maybe not even that…maybe she just wanted to prove herself. Still whatever reason she had, it didn’t mean she wasn’t genuinely happy for the Captain. It sure feels strange though, the doctor’s brain pointed out immediately. It was not a very welcoming thought at present but she had to admit it was a right one.

Nimueth knew for a fact that Kartavya didn’t do a very good job as a Captain despite being one of the best soldiers Dark Legion had to offer. She also knew her being here required betraying her own family, which resulted in their deaths. Sometimes she forgot people here weren’t exactly the best kind of human beings this world had to offer. Most of them probably destroyed life of at least one person and some of them were even proud of said fact. The doctor wished they all behaved like monsters so she could judge them freely but that wasn’t always the case. Captain Kartavya was the best example of this. She may have been a bit reserved but treated Nimueth with respect. She also showed a wide range of human emotions including regret, gratitude and kindness. Perhaps it was not very obvious but it was all there. “Thank you doctor,” the deep voice echoed through the room as if to confirm her conclusion. “That’s why I came actually. I didn’t mean to boast but I thought you might want to know what you managed to do for me.” Oh...so I was wrong about that one. Kartavya did not sound cheerful but the younger girl could tell she was happy nonetheless. By now, she has spent enough time with the female soldier to be able to read the subtle changes in her behavior. “Happy to help. I still expect you to show up here now and then. There is not much more I can do for you but slight improvement might be possible.” The newly reappointed Captain snorted. “And you wanna keep tabs on my health of course.” Nimueth raised her eyebrows…apparently, she was not that hard to read either. “And that, yes,” she admitted begrudgingly. To her benefit, Kartavya didn’t even bother to protest. She simply nodded and left the med bay to attend her new duties.

Two more hours of fruitless research and the metal door opened once again. This time it was Sar Evdersen himself. He was not supposed to be there at the time but Nimueth didn’t dare to question his decision. After all, she was here at his disposal and he could come in whenever he pleased. “Hello Doctor,” he nodded in her general direction without offering any explanation. It wasn’t until he was comfortably sat on the examination table that he spoke again. “My shoulder hurts today,” he announced unceremoniously. The girl frowned looking at the red scar marking it. “What kind of pain is it? Stinging? Throbbing? Burning?” She was a bit worried about infection settling in. Nimueth was pretty sure she took care of the wound to the best of her abilities but no doctor, no matter how capable, could guarantee 100% success. “Throbbing sounds about right. Can you do something about it? I have a meeting in a couple minutes.” Couple of minutes wasn’t necessarily the best timeframe to work with but at least it seemed infection was out of picture. “I’ll do my best,” she gave a simple answer. Thankfully, it didn’t look like the problem was coming from the inside. “Did you by any chance do some severe exercise lately?” She questioned the man while carefully probing the injury. There was a beat of silence, which was as good of an answer as any. “This morning,” the Prime Overseer admitted. He did not sound quite as confident as he did before. Probably because he knows, he shouldn’t do that, her brain supplied almost immediately. “My Lord, I told you to lay off the harsh training sessions. I understand the fact that you can’t avoid fighting and some light exercise but torturing yourself for hours won’t do your healing injuries any good. I can keep fixing your body time and time again but the effectiveness will go down eventually.” She was playing with fire. There were a very few people that dared to be this honest with the man. She shouldn’t step out of line this often but it was for his own good. Ultimately, the time would come when she would leave his side and she wanted to leave knowing he was in good health.

The Overseer tensed under her careful touch obviously struggling with his temper. He hated being scolded like a child but sometimes he needed just that. Although, if the rumors were true, it seemed he was getting much better at handling his anger. “You know, sometimes it feels like you are more on my side than the actual members of Dark Legion,” he uttered quietly. The doctor tried to hide her surprise. She didn’t think he would accept her speech so calmly let alone admit that kind of delicate information. He didn’t elaborate any further but he didn’t have to. Nimueth understood his inner struggle perfectly. Being outsider wasn’t good but it gave her one advantage. She was able to observe and figure out how this organized group of people worked. They were loyal to the cause but hardly anyone was here because of their Leader. It was either greed, adventure or fear that held them here. No one really dared to speak with the Overseer without being extra careful. The only one that could keep up with him was his second in command but that was more of a disadvantage than anything. Admiral Krodha wasn’t interested in supporting his superior on the contrary, he would much rather undermine him every chance he got. The two of them liked to pretend they were getting along but underneath, it was a never-ending battle of wits and a good amount of hostility. “Well…I do answer to you not the Legion so I’m more concerned about you specifically. It helps when you are not trying to achieve some bigger goal or whatever they are doing. You are my sole reason for being here after all.” It was entirely possible that the raven-haired man didn’t expect any answer but she wanted to give him one. Unfortunately, whether he wanted to react or not remained unclear because his second in command chose that exact moment to invide her working space…AGAIN.

“My Lord, the meeting is about to start.” This was the second time he barreled into the room uninvited and Nimueth couldn’t help but throw him a dirty look. She was done with the treatment for now but the brown-haired man couldn’t have known that. “Admiral Krodha, I would greatly appreciate if you stopped barging on us like this. I’m sure Prime Overseer is aware of his schedule and I would very much hate to hurt him because you disturbed my concentration.” She was not his subordinate, Sar Evdersen himself would probably chose more subtle words but she didn’t have to. She could tell the man exactly what she thought about his behaviour. It took about three seconds before the color of Admiral’s face started to match his uniform insignia. She was in trouble for sure but he wouldn’t hurt her in front of his superior. Something that must have been incredibly frustrating to him. In the end, it was the Prime Overseer himself who interrupted the tense silence. “Reasonable request.” He seemed almost pleased with the situation even though he desperately tried to hide it. “Let’s go Admiral,” he added immediately after that, leaving no space for arguments. No one mentioned the situation when her patient came back that day but he seemed more relaxed and grumpily promised to be more careful. Nimueth half-expected Admiral Krodha to pay her a not so friendly visit later on but he didn’t. He was no doubt aware of how suspicious it would be. Therefore, her day went by flawlessly as did the next couple of weeks. Still as they say “the evil never sleeps” and so shit had to hit the fan eventually.

The door had been open that day so she didn’t even hear Krodha coming in. She was just bent over her desk, studying Sar Evdersen’s blood samples when he grabbed her hair making sure her face met that very piece of furniture. “Motherfu…” she wasn’t even able to finish the word before he started to talk. “Who do you think you are? You think you can disrespect me as you please? What do you hope to achieve?” He asked angrily. The doctor straitened her back, trying to look confident. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing fear. “I’m not your employee. I answer to Prime Overseer only and if you do something to hinder his healing process, I WILL speak out.” She now felt the very much expected wetness on her forehead but other than that, she seemed to be okay. How was she going to explain that injury to her boss, she did not know. Thankfully, that was something destiny apparently decided to sort out for her because just as she was about to point it out, the whole ship shook violently and both of them tumbled to the ground. Their argument was quickly forgotten.

“Admiral! To the bridge!” The Prime Overseer shouted from the door. For once, the right hand man didn’t argue but nodded and quickly left the room. He may have been a douche but at least he took his job very seriously. “What happened to you?” The Overseer asked as an afterthought. “I fell when the ship shook…hit my head on the table,” she explained without hesitation and the raven-haired man didn’t question her any further. “We are under attack. Stay here, it should be safe,” he instructed quickly and left. Nimueth wasn’t sure about the “safe” statement though. He might have been right for now but things tended to turn around fast when it came to war. “Come on Bailee. You’ll keep some important data for me, okay?” The android barked in agreement and moved towards her terminal. It was her best bet in case they had to abandon the ship. She let the droid work and quickly stopped by her quarters to pick up the most important stuff before returning to her office.

It took about half an hour before alarm went off and the medbay door opened once again. Nimueth wasn’t surprised by it but she was definitely surprised by the person responsible. “My Lord?” She of course hoped somebody would come and fetch her in case of evacuation but she didn’t expect it would be Sar Evdersen himself. “You are ready…good.” The raven-haired man actually looked impressed. “Follow me.” And so she did. She ran through the corridors, Bailee faithfully hopping by her side. It didn’t take long for them to get to the hangar. The doctor was used to running and therefore didn’t have a problem keeping up with her boss. “My Lord! Doctor!” Captain Kartavyas’s voice easily overpowered all others. “Right here!” She called them towards an empty ship that was obviously ready for departure. At first, Nimueth wasn’t sure whether she should get in though. This was the Prime Overseer’s personal ship; she should probably be going with other officers. “Get in!” Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Sar Evdersen himself. It seemed she was the only one to find this weird. Kartavya saluted them both obviously not getting on this ship or any other for the time being. She was the Captain now and had much to do.

The vessel did not provide much space for movement but it was definitely fast. Sar was able to get out of battle relatively quickly and still managed to take down a big number of enemy ships. The doctor tried to stop counting the casualties but was mostly unsuccessful. It was her nature to do so. Talk wise, the flight was pretty quiet. It was only after they left the war zone that she finally decided to speak. “Thank you…for coming back for me I mean.” The man would probably dismiss her words but she still wanted to express her gratitude. “You are my direct employee. It was my responsibility,” he answered gruffly. It was a lie of course. He didn’t have to do anything, he was The Prime Overseer and while she managed to do a lot for his health she didn’t doubt for a second that he could find someone else to replace her should he need to. However, she didn’t dare to say as much aloud. Sar did her a huge favor and it would be unwise to push her luck. When she actually thought about it… it was a bit sad. He could have sent somebody in his stead but he didn’t…Probably unsure whether they would actually try hard enough to keep her safe. She was not their comrade after all. “Where are we going?” Nimueth asked instead. “Our temporary base. You shouldn’t be there since you are technically not part of Dark Legion but the Universal Guard is going to follow us anyway so there is no reason to keep it secret anymore.” He didn’t explain any further details. Like he said, she wasn’t part of his fraction so he wasn’t willing to reveal his plans to her. She just had to follow his lead.

“Prime Overseer, this is Ocean 5. All cruisers are gone; it is safe to land now.” Nimueth wasn’t entirely sure what the person on the other side of the com meant by those words but the result was clear. “Roger that Captain,” the Overseer answered shortly then sent out a coded message himself. Probably to inform his crew. It took mere couple of seconds for the fleet to disperse. She didn’t know whether they actually went to different locations or whether they simply did it to divide their enemy’s attention. Either way, it was a smart move.

Soon after, the small ship found it’s way to Mon Dalai. Mostly neutral aquatic planet, though they did lean more towards the Dark Legion. They liked their business and trade, which would be suffering under the Universal Guard movement. Dark side could be cruel at times but unlike their enemies, they had resources. The base itself was quiet and very empty. At least when it came to equipment. There was plenty of soldiers and apparently, a very good medbay however all computers were shut down and destroyed. The food rations were pretty much depleted as well. Nimueth now understood the message from the com. The whole fleet was waiting until everything important from this base moved elsewhere before they were allowed to land. They couldn’t risk losing any vital information to the enemy.

It took another couple minutes before the rest of the aircrafts and shuttles started to flooding in as well. Each group had brought a new wave of enemies but most of them were shot at sight. “Go inside. More will be coming soon,” Sar warned his doctor. Nimueth did agree with him on this. She was no soldier and she did not want to fight for their cause either. “Can I help with the wounded?” She asked instead. The raven-haired man looked at her clearly surprised. He was trying to figure out why she wanted to help them. To her though, it was rather simple. She was a doctor and injured people were injured people. She couldn’t care less what their job was. “Yes, though I doubt the other doctors will be happy to see you.” Sar warned her and he was right of course but it didn’t change a thing. “I know,” she nodded before leaving her employer behind still looking slightly confused. The doctors might not appreciate her in general but she was pretty sure they would be glad to have an extra pair of hands.

WC:3154