Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode Three: Eggs #10

"For several patients on Denver's Children's Hospital, Thanksgiving came a few days early. And there is much for them to be thankful for," the reporter was saying while Sophia waited nervously at her side.

The woman was shorter than Sophia, with dark hair and a pretty face. Sophia was sure she must look hideous next to her. But Dhanvin assured her she looked fine and stop fussing.

They had officially opened the medical wing that morning, bringing up a dozen children, with a range of conditions from cancer, disabilities due to accidents and congenital problems. Diplomacy had brought almost as many reporters as well. Captain Lannister had come down and given a speech. Several reporters were crowded around him, asking questions.

Sophia wouldn't have cared if they had all stayed around him. But someone wanted to talk to the staff, get the personal side. And Sophia was the liaison. She hadn't realized this would be part of her duties and probably would have turned the job down out of fright if she had.

"We are here with the wing's liaison officer Sophia Bach." The reporter turned and smiled.

Sophia had been up late agonizing over that last name. There was no way she wanted to go by her old family name. Bach was a good name. She'd liked his music growing up. It sounded like a good, solid Earth name.

Her last name in the system was actually Sarasbachana, but they didn't need to know that. She'd gotten that last name from Achi, Animika's friend, and Sophia liked her new Consortium name better than it's English version. It translated as "child of Saras," short for Sarasvat. A lot of the young people, who had come to this new galaxy were taking that last name, to show their allegiance to the new place and the leader who would help them build lives here. Sophia may have been born on Earth but she had more in common with those young people than anyone on the surface. She, too, had come here to start a new life.

Sophia focussed on the reporters face and her questions. She blocked out any thought of the camera man or how many people below might be watching.

"I don't really do much with the healing, actually," Sophia admitted. "My job is mostly getting the patients and their families settled and adjusted to life on the station."

"And what does that entail? Are people staying long?"

"It depends on their condition, and their lives below," Sophia answered, warming to the subject. "A couple have already taken full time jobs up here and plan to stay after their treatment. Others will return to their lives on the surface."

"How many have you treated so far? How many do you plan to treat?"

Sophia thought. "We've had about a dozen already. Considering that we only opened today, that's quite a few."

"How? If you just opened?"

"Well, that's the reason we opened the wing, isn't? People kept trying to get on the station because they had conditions that couldn't be treated below. We couldn't just turn them all away." Sophia led the reporter around, showing her the facilities and introducing her to some of the patients. By the time the interview was done, she felt much more comfortable. But she was still relieved when the woman moved on and she could concentrate on her real job and the new patients.

By mid-morning the news reporters were gone. They'd be given a quick tour of the rest of the station, a luncheon and then sent back to the surface. The healers got to work in earnest, getting kids back into the treatment tanks and figuring out what to do for them. Only one was lucky enough to have his genetic condition deactivated and then be sent home. The rest would be treated, but treatment times ranged from a few days to weeks. Sophia helped those kids and their families find rooms and get settled.