Thursday, July 10, 2025

Chandra's Quest Excerpt Chapter 23 Waking Up

 


(An excerpt from Chandra's Quest Chapter 23)

   It’s been almost three weeks since Xenos and Dukar were taken to the moon Dyna. Their bodies were found inside the ship as they lay on the floor. The maintenance crew discovered them and quickly notified the guards. They were then transported to the nearby urgent care facility in the city of Xyra on the moon Dyna.

   “Damn it!” Xenos let out an exasperated sigh, as he lay in the infirmary. Dukar is in the bed next to him, and both have suffered temporary amnesia and a case of paralysis of the legs, however, they are recovering.

Anger is seething inside Xenos’ heart as memories of what had transpired on that faithful day start to emerge, the day he lost Chandra. He let out a heavy sigh.

  “She must have been in cahoots with that Valurin!” he said out loud. Dukar stirred, he turned his head to face Xenos.

“I do not think so. Calm yourself friend, we will find him, and he will pay for stealing what is rightfully ours. In the meantime, enjoy your stay here,” he joked dryly.

 The food is divine,” he added with a touch of sarcasm. “Where do you think he took her?” asked Xenos, his nostrils flared.

 “I do not know,” Dukar responded.

Xenos rubbed his eyes with one hand and groaned. “Well, my friend I guess we’ll have to head back to

Crea and do our research and find out what happened,” Dukar paused, “Someone must know something,” he exhaled.
“Of course, someone knows, they probably helped him escape!” Xenos raged.

 Dukar grimaced, “You’re right but we must ameliorate. When we are better, we’ll tear some throats out. Deal?” The nurse stepped in.

  “Do either of you need anything?” she kindly asked. Her raven-colored hair is elegantly styled in a bun, while her striking blue, feline-like eyes sparkle with a playful grin. The fitted white top, with its zipper, accentuates her curves beautifully, and her matching miniskirt highlights her alluring figure. The nurse's outfit she wears is undeniably provocative. Dukar can't help but notice the hint of cleavage peeking through.

 “No, fool! When can we leave this place?” Xenos said. She jumps at his sudden outburst, her blue eyes widening in surprise. Flustered, she lets out a nervous laugh, narrowing her gaze.

 “Uh, you’ll need to discuss that with the doctor.” In her hand, she holds a nine by seven glass tablet, scrolling through their medical records. Xenos pays no mind, he is worried that they will find out who he is and inform the authorities.

So far, Xenos’ identity has not turned up, only the medical file that was started at the urgent care hospital when both Dukar and him were admitted.

 As far as the staff is concerned, Xenos and Dukar are new patients, nothing more. The nurse cleared her throat. “At the Oasis Clinic on Xyra, we do not pry into our patient’s past, the doctors are here to assist and help with any aliments you may have,” she informed them of their policy rights and continues, “It seems your legs remain unresponsive. Can you sense anything at all?” she asked, her eyes still scanning their file.  “Sadly, no,” Xenos replied with a heavy heart. 

 “I can feel something in my left leg,” Dukar interjected. 

 “Oh, let’s check that out.” She pulled back the bed sheet and retrieved a reflex tester, which sent out a small electrical charge to assess the patients' reflexes. As she moved it along his leg, Dukar's leg gave a slight twitch. A smile spread across her face.

  “Good, it looks like...,” Dukar grabs her arm abruptly.

“Listen sweetie, I can give you a sturdy number of credits if you let us leave here,” his grip tightened, and his nails dig into her skin.

 “Let me go!” she shouted and gave him a swift shock with a pen size taser.

  “Argh!” Dukar jerked his hand away.  

 “Your reflexes on the upper part of your body are doing well,” she responded, with a touch of sarcasm.

 “Bitch!” Dukar growled, “Your bedside manner leaves much to be desired!” he remarked with a hint of sarcasm. She retreated to the wall, hit the button beside the door, triggering the alarm, and made her exit.

"Dukar, you seemed a bit threatening to her. And don't forget, we need to remain here until we've completely recovered," Xenos pointed out.

 “I was just simply flirting with the girl,” Dukar laughed. He grinned and closed his eyes. A few minutes later two security guards, the nurse, and the doctor walked in. 

The Comigaen doctor approached them, his white fitted jumpsuit and matching boots giving him a sleek appearance. "Ah, I see you're awake," he remarked, a hint of professionalism in his tone. The gold-threaded medical emblem on the right side of his upper chest gleamed, proudly displaying the name of the city, Xyra, beneath it. He pulled out his tablet, deftly scrolling through the screen to assess their condition.  “Yes, we are,” responded Xenos, acerbically.

“They want to be released doctor,” the nurse said, eyeing them with disdain.

 “Hmm, you still have another day or two here. I cannot release you yet or I wouldn’t be a good doctor if I did,” he chuckled. Both Javarins bare their teeth, in a threatening manner. The nurse shook her head disapprovingly.

 “Oh, come now, your stay here will be pleasant and relaxing, think of it as a mini vacation,” the doctor said with a casual chuckle. The nurse scoffed, her eyes narrowing in disdain as she glanced at them.

With a haughty tone, she remarked, “They’re not even worth the effort to save.” They ignored her disparaging remark. “What happened to our ship? How did we end up here?” asked Xenos, curiously. “Well, the report states, that the person who flew the cargo ship to Xyra, left it at the docking port and never returned.

The maintenance workers found both of you unresponsive, so the authorities were called in and you were brought here.”  Xenos gasped, “Oh no, the authorities got involved,” he mused.

 “Did they find the person who piloted the cargo ship?” asked Dukar, eager to hear some good news.

 “You can find the information you want when you are released. The cargo ship is held at the same docking port it was left at,” the doctor paused, “I take it that the cargo ship is not yours?”

 “No!” Dukar responded harshly.

  "Oh, I see, well then, I recommend you take some time to rest, and in a few days, you should be able to leave. By then, the gas should have cleared from your system, and you’ll feel significantly better."

 "Great," Xenos grumbled quietly, barely audible. As the doctor and nurse exited, two security officers remained stationed outside the door.

  "I’m curious why they have security here if we can’t even get up," Dukar pondered aloud.

  “Because we are Javarins, and they fear us. They may also know about the NyKarin’s battle with our home world and thus, they may hold us until the NyKarins arrive,” Xenos stated.

“Yes, of course. We might as well rest up, we got some hunting to do after we leave here, and we

will leave, I assure you. We must find the pilot. We need some answers.”

 “Agreed,” responded Xenos.

 “I guess we can board a passenger ship to take us back to the planet Eurleau,” he added. The nurse left the holovision control pad next to Xenos’ hand. He turned it on. The screen materialized a few feet in front of them. “I am going to watch something on this thing for a while. Would you like to watch?” Dukar waved his hand dismissively.

“No,” he said. Xenos channeled the news on Eurleau. On the screen a female Valurin reporter spoke.

“It has been over three weeks since two Atlantean citizens were found dead in the Trinket Shop in the city Aurora. Authorities have found footage from the shop’s security camera and still do not have leads to the whereabouts of the humans who committed such an atrocity. The male is considered armed and dangerous.” 

 The picture on the security footage flashed in front of them. Dukar’s eyes opened wide, and he stared at the screen in dismay. Xenos recognized Carlos, and there was no mistake that the female next to him is Chandra. She looked back for a few seconds as her eyes met the camera.

  “It is them!” said Xenos out loud, “No!” he hollered.

  “She somehow got away! How can that be?” said Dukar. He eyed the footage with disdain and snarled. “That foolish Valurin lost her! Inconceivable!” said Dukar, with a hiss.

“Or perhaps she killed him,” Xenos hinted.

“She must not have known that there was a camera in the building. Why else would she look back and reveal her face?” thought Xenos.

 “Did she know I would see this footage?”  he said aloud.

“Don’t over think it,” Dukar remarked. The other female that was with Chandra never looked back. He could not see her face but there was no mistake, he knew who she was.


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