In the desolate darkness of the space a bright, yellow-green cocoon materialized out of thin air. As the steam billowed out, beneath the green streaks filled with yellow light the cylinder, the metallic grey life-saving capsule, was revealed. When it was fully revealed on a pointed end, the symbol - the secular sycamore tree with its roots twisted around an hourglass - gradually began to glow until it covered the entire outline.
Activation of the individual assistant system, ORIN was automatically activated and from the capsule walls, the red radial wave-laser began scanning the location.
Emitting fast-tempo flute sounds from the capsule's contours, two dozen compressed materials were detached all around in black metal cubes, bluish spheres and grey tetrahedrons. Unfolded in film form, they combined in layers of three to fortify the cylinder, transforming it into a dark grey, shiny mini-submarine.
Inside, on the platform bed, Princess Neith Comidava began to move her fingers, after a few seconds she opened her eyes, moved her head. Pink eyes with purple irises were wide with wonder.
"What happened? ORIN, where are we? Dynxe? The guards? Where are they?"
"Princess, we were attacked and when explosives stuck to the outer hull of the submarine, the individual life-saving systems automatically activated. The submarine's protection failed to neutralize the mini-cylinders in time, it had too few seconds before the explosion. After detonation only fragments and escape pods remained... No casualties were recorded, escape pods opened in time for everyone. We recorded the formation of the hexagonal rosette when we were completely deactivated for unknown reasons." ORIN reported in a monotone voice, while the physical-energetic manifestation, a 50 cm hourglass was filled with the color blue.
"ORIN, what do you mean you've been completely deactivated? Your existential computer core is connected to my life energy, how is it possible to have all protocols shut down?"
"Princess we need to thoroughly check each sensor. What should be bio-technologically impossible just happened! We've been completely deactivated!... After we restarted here, according to the clock in your media bracelet, it's been 5 minutes since the explosion... It's a great physical contradiction because we've reached 20 IGU outside the western border of the Intergalactic Federation. It is necessary to..."
Without any warning from the sensors, instantly, the interior of the minisubmarine was filled with white fog that shut down all systems causing the princess to faint.
On the outside, it was clear to see how bright green bands wove around the capsule, how the spaces between them were filled with yellow mist until the capsule disappeared into a yellow-green cocoon. It pulsed a few times and disappeared without a trace.
***
In the cold stillness of space, near Pluto, the bright yellow-green cocoon suddenly materialises. After the dissipation of the mini-submarine envelope, Princess Neith's submarine appeared intact.
Again the symbol - the secular plane tree with its roots twisted around the hourglass - began to shine. Again ORIN was reactivated, 100% functional. And the princess was sleeping on the capsule platform again.
It was wrapped in a golden film, sealed with the sign of the four leaves that glowed multicolored. ORIN scanned the body, seeing no wounds, played another flute music.
From the first sounds the platform began to emit multicoloured beams of light. Purple, white, green, black, orange waves swirled to the rhythm of the music, constantly touching the princess. The bath of lights stopped when the transparent astral-projecting form of the princess detached itself from the body, levitating above it.
Neith in transparent form look carefully activated seal, protective film. She clasps her palms together with her fingers together, forms a cause and presses the pyramid sign on the multimedia bracelet with her right hand.
With a click, five multi-coloured pearls slide into the left palm without disturbing the film. They slowly spun until four of them dissolved into the outline of the astral projection, solidifying it. The last wrapped around the wrists forming a replica of the ruby multi-media bracelet.
"ORIN, what happened? Where are we? Why has the royal protection been activated?"
"Princess, I DON'T KNOW... it should have been impossible!... but it just happened to us... We didn't record any analytical parameters!... We were again completely disabled!... Most likely the suddenly appeared white gas, chemical composition unknown, automatically triggered the shield in the seal of the royal line! I don't know where I ended up..." ORIN continued hastily moving the hourglass
"I effectively have no coordination, we are outside the Federal Intergalactic Network! Out of mapped space!... we are so far from everything we know, which is considered impossible, that the capsule's automatic command system is announcing general sensor system failure. Recommend suspension and manual replacement of each component!"
"Wow, impossible, unbelievable... but also sensational!" Neith levitated, "trailblazer, of countless possibilities... Imagine if we managed to register this area in the Intergalactic Network! That we turn the entire sector into a Federal Holiday Zone safe from any contact with the Nebulans... It's more than incredible, it's fantastic!"
Neith tapping the wall next to the control desk with her bracelet opened the capsule storage compartment, studying the inventory while organizing activities.
"ORIN, as I mount the entire set of accessories on the bioenergetic form of the bracelet, you
*Check the integrity of the record from the boarding of 'Scientific FC5' until now. Copy the data, send the file to the bracelets, to our core, to the capsule, to the seal. Plus inscribe a couple of storage plates and two of them I'll keep personally.
*Copy separately the galactic coordinates from the explosion, from the first stop and from here.
*Attach the capsule's automatic system to our core and set 'cautious' mode.
*Start scanning this lost corner of the Universe.
I'll go in search of federal beacons or at least a relay... First I must inform the Royal Protectorate that my seal has been activated. "
Thanks to the stock, list key for transfer to the wristband, select 'load' mode with the buttons next to the lock.
When the bracelet receives the commands it changes its width to 25 mm, on the outer surface open hexagonal, triangular, square, round and oval caps which they fill with 2 mm thick discs with diameters between 1 and 9 cm. They were black, bluish, grey, green, blue and red.
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"Princess, by default our core has set the mode to 'Highly Hostile Area', the federal directive prevents me from changing it."
"What do you mean 'Very hostile area'? Have you detected Nebula signals? Are we in a lost corner of Nebulan territory?"
"No, we are not in their neighbourhood, there the Bujoran relays have a signal... Here there is nothing, no signal, no message, no relay... We're completely outside the Federal Intergalactic Network, lost in some unknown corner of the Universe!"
"Then I'll load up a couple of assault sets against the siege."
"I'll transfer from the core and life-saving capsule."
"How? You had two installed?" Neith, stunned turned abruptly to the control desk in front of which the blue hourglass seemed to swing from left to right.
"No, according to royal Chameleonian protocol each member of the family gets one. Ours was activated at the time of the explosion but when we got here, an identical one appeared in the individual core niche... I checked, there's no record of how it doubled."
Princess, connect the wristband to the control panel and manually check the recorded data from the time of exit from the main supervised route. She finds nothing either. Arching an eyebrow she tries again, highlighting only the energy residue. The system displays separately the characteristics of the four miniguns, the exact weight of the explosives in the miniguns, their effects but nothing about the glowing cocoon and its effects.
How is this possible?... in the Universe every action produces a footprint, it is not possible for nothing to remain. The princess seemed to hear the cadenced voice of Dean Vera Tincu, the first professor of bioenergy, near her ear: "In the Universe every action produces a footprint, it has a distinct cause and an effect... the passage of time and circumstances transform the effect into a new cause..." Sensors are not properly set, cannot read the properties of the fingerprints left... grinding out possibilities, hypotheses, start experimenting with values and combinations of scanning parameters.
***
In another corner of the vastness of the Universe, in a giant sphere, illuminated by white, purple and violet rays, two strings of nine-cornered bright stars surrounded a centuries-old plane tree made of yellow light. The glowing roots moved like tentacles in the water holding it steady.
In the middle of the wreath, among the twisted, basket-shaped branches, the transparent silhouette stood out - the silvery astral projection of a young woman with long, curly hair. She stood in a crouched position with her eyes closed, covered in leaves, looking as if she had just slept.
It was visible how in a constant rhythm pulses of silver light were transferred from the trunk to the branches and through the leaves to the outline of the young woman's astral projection, accentuating and strengthening it.
***
Piazzale Brescia, Milan, April, 2021
On the street scooters snaked through cars overtaking on the left and right. The square was full of passers-by wearing the obligatory masks. Some were hurrying to work, others were walking, some mothers were pushing prams.
Some were at the newsstand, getting magazines or tickets. The more rowdy ones stood in a row, spaced out at the café for cappuccinos and croissants. The smell of freshly baked cakes mingled with coffee and chocolate, reaching the street corner where the centuries-old plane tree shaded the hospital wall.
On the third floor, through the horizontally blinded window, the morning sun's rays caressed the cheek of a young woman with an oval face and very short brown-blond hair hooked up to artificial respirators. Neitta Simonetta had been in a coma for eight months following an explosion of the yacht she was partying on.
In the hotel-like room, a Mozart symphony could be heard from the TV hanging on the wall opposite the bed, which could not drown out the sounds of the machines.
By the door, on the couch, Grandma Monica Simoneta stopped knitting, implanted the needles in the ball, took the phone out of her purse, looked at the watch, put it back. She was 70, small stature, blue eyes, short hair. Dressed in a classic suit, caramel skirt and cut, a medium pearl string, with comfortable black shoes. With a straight back and lips in a straight line she exudes an air of command.
Turning her head towards Neitta she said in an encouraging tone "Dear mother, don't worry! I am here! You can sleep as long as you like. NOBODY will move you from here. Soon..."
Suddenly, the door of the salon was wide open and a woman rushed into the room followed by three men. Arching her eyebrows, the disgruntled grandmother opened her mouth to reprimand them. Noticing the postman's bags, the wheeled suitcases she mimed a yawn, she stood up, greeting them with a smile. Looking at her tall stature, oval face, make-up in discreet tones, dark eyes, high forehead, brown hair in a bun, Monica gestured towards the bed.
"Hello, I presume you are Dr Victoria Thomas and the team at the Institute. This is my niece, Neitta Simonetta. As usual, Countess Gudorokov wastes no time, I thought you would arrive tonight. Ileana tells me you have business in Vienna."
"Hello, ma'am!" greeted the three assistants in chorus.
"Mrs. Monica, good afternoon. Yes, this is Victoria Thomas, neurosurgeon, team leader, acupuncture specialist at the Institute of Integrative Medicine. I was at the office for some conferences. We were able to get there early thanks to Countess Ileana Gudorokov who arranged our private plane."
She approaches the bed, looks at the values of the machines, continues "I read Neita's file on the plane, is there any news?"
Grandma notes that Victoria Thomas does not show her age of 47. With her straight, dark grey trousers, white turtleneck blouse, short black boots, the coat the colour of her trousers, she didn't look at all like she had just landed. She looked like she had just left the house with her schedule clearly confirmed by the attendants.
"No, no news, Neitta is still sleeping, vital signs are constant. I'll let the ward boss know you're here early. Yesterday I told him you'd be here, I've discussed the Institute with him, he'll assist you in whatever you need."
"We need a temporary office, access to the entire record from the time of admission and approval for this clinic to use its labs." Turning his head to the nurses he continues, "Last tests?"
One of the nurses quickly typed the tablet and in a melodious tone said "I'm connected to the clinic's network. Blood work is 2 days old... MRI is a month old, I see an appointment for a CT scan next week." He looks up from the tablet, studies the readings, photographs them adding them to the file.
Victoria looked at the white clock, elegant with rhinestones around the rim, it was 9:40, opened the window, picked up the tablet, accessed Neita's file and urgently prescribed a full set of tests. Looking up at the nurses, he specified, "Start with full blood work, urine, continue with cardio, neuro and MRI for body and head."
Smiling encouragingly he turned to his grandmother "The clinic team has given us priority, so we will have the results tonight. We can meet tomorrow morning at 10 to discuss all the details of the treatment. Do you agree? "
Grandma nodded as nurses pushed the bed and the patient out of the room and into the labs. She was very surprised by their appearance. The young man with the tablet, curly, tall, in his 30s, looked like an artist. The nurse with the gold glasses, medium height, around 55, looked like an accountant. Contrary to the last one at 1, 90, well built, +40 looked like a fancy bodyguard.
If I had seen them on the street I would not have guessed that they are medical technicians part of the same team... curious, very curious... don't forget to find out from Ileana more details about this Institute. Monica Simonetta thought as she headed towards the end of the corridor where the lifts were.
Alone in her room, Victoria Thomas lingers a few moments at the window. The grandeur of the Platanus Secularus was very impressive. How many events had she witnessed? Mostly happy ones? Probably most were sad, absurd.
Taking a deep breath, he ended the break, stretched out the folding table under the TV, pulled out the armchair, took the laptop out of the bag, opened it and started organizing Neita Simonetta's file. From the clinic's network he easily managed to copy the patient's file from her admission to the present, then transferred it to the tablet.
Victoria opened a new patient registration file on the Institute's network, began filling in the observations from the night she was admitted as an emergency, reading from her tablet and typing in word by word.
It was a much longer process than copying directly from orders, but still essential. A habit formed in school, a way of committing to memory the specific details of each case, the details of each patient she received. It was her preparatory routine for the first consultation.