(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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