Butterflies of the Dark Star

36 (REVISED)

The closer I get to an answer, the more things go wrong.

Nova raced through the dark, empty spaceflight terminal, following the directions of the holomap to the arrival medbay. Nova hesitated in front of the spiral doors, waiting for it to open, and it revealed a line of stasis pods. On one wall, a board of doctors on-call filled the margins. A chill swept through her spine and dared not to utter a word. Every small noise sent her senses into overdrive, and she tried not to jump at every little shadow as she made her way to the back of the medbay and into the sterile storage. Instructions lined the wall for proper care, and she flicked through the menus for the trauma kits.

Come on, where are they? Nova went by alphabetical order, and found it. Let's see — Compartment one, stack A. Nova left the panel behind to go to the compartment, and opened the stack to a bundle of trauma kits, placed in perfect order in different slots. She took one out to check its contents. Satisfied, she rushed out of the area.

I have no time. I need to get back to them. Now.

White noise filled the air, with no more PA systems to shout out warnings to break the stagnation. Trauma kit in hand, she rushed along. Western transit. I have to go through the droid bays to reach it. Into the round corridor, she had no room to make a single mistake. The transit station was so close, but so far. Many times her steps led her to the end, only to start anew. Nova slowed her pace to avoid scattering the trauma kit's contents on the ground, hesitating at the distant sound of loud, distressed voices.

Thuni in particular.

Nova bounced down the steps into the transit station.

"Stars, we didn't even get to communications before our escort was attacked." Thuni paced a large circuit around the holomap. "Whatever happened, they weren't people anymore."

Izerva knelt beside a body, and Nova reached the final step. "I'm here."

Everyone whipped around to face her, and Izerva edged to the side to reveal who they sat beside.

As if it could be anyone else for once.

Neo's chest rose and fell in slow, uneven bursts, a bloom of blood stained the side of his labcoat as he rested a hand against it. Death threatened to take him again. Sweat plastered his hair to his brow. Nova sighed and came closer, and set the trauma kit down. Izerva took it to rifle through the contents, but the end haunted every action. Her hand rested on Neo's shoulder. "What happened?" she asked no one in particular. Why you? Nova brushed his cheek, to try and stir him out of death. He took in a shaky breath, but never opened his eyes.

"We were attacked," Thuni whispered, hiding behind the holomap. "Well, I was. Teimea attempted to reason with them over in the western branch. One came at us with a knife. He got in the way and—" He gestured at Neo. "He did get a hit on them with the suppressor, but it didn't look like it did anything."

Izerva shook their head.

That sounds about in character for him. Stars damn you, Neo. Nova lifted Neo from underneath the arms at Izerva's indication, they cut a larger hole through the fabric to press a disinfectant patch against the wound.

Neo stirred with a soft breath. "Nova?"

Nova kept a firm grip on his shoulders. "What did I say about throwing yourself into danger?"

His eyes fluttered closed when he slumped into her. "...always wanted to fight something pointy..."

Her tears wasted away at his quip, and she drew her hand to his brow to experience the heat of a thousand deaths. He's exhausted, but he's alive. He's alive. Nova kept him still for Izerva to work to stem the blood flow. For once, he's alive. "We need to get him somewhere safe," she said when Izerva plastered the wound and covered it. "We need to head back to the east section and find someone who can help him.."