For Healing a Patient To a Healthy Natural State
Construct an LBPR engram within your mind to bind and hold the cause of the injury. On top of this, layer upon a biomantic scan of the aura to find the body’s natural state. If the patient’s aura has been corrupted, please refer to ritual 375 and heal the patient’s aura first.
When the biomantic scan of the aura has determined the body’s natural state, you may proceed with ritual 793 by constructing the MPR within the patient’s chakra and pouring biomantic energy into the patient from your core. Accompany this with another biomancer to hold back the pain as the body regrows itself to normal. That should be accomplished with anesthetic rituals up to and including HPR.
You must keep yourself healthy and free of corruption to ensure that your healing energy can be used by others. See purification rituals 2~40 for keeping the body and mind clean and healthy.
Battlefield conditions may not be conducive to this kind of healing. Instead, move straight to the higher form healing rituals and force your energy upon the patient. This may be supplemented by drinking healing draughts or injecting healing serums directly into the patient via the wounded area. This will cause pain and use energy within the serum or draught to provide healing rather than the doctor and patient working together.
In cases where the patient is resistant to magical healing, using liberal applications of nanites (MN-5454G-545R) to rebuild the damaged areas is acceptable. The nanites must be attuned to the correct species, or they will rebuild the area to baseline human physiology so that magical healing can occur.
Manual for Basic Care of Soldier Medical Issues
The Medical Journal
GmbH Medical Center of Excellence
2045 ESC
Eroksho Zalresh
The morning was filled with hunting as usual. Althea 36935 was with the fifteen sisters of her defender-caste creche to get their morning exercise. The large three-meter-tall birds with their almost meter-long axe-like beaks were a hazard to the other castes that lived further in the civilized areas. The birds often used the greenways built into the cities as highways, determined to get at the less offensive species that made the areas their home. Animals such as waterfowl and rabbits were there because of the fruits and vegetables that grew in those areas. The local inhabitants of the science and common castes grew the plants not only for the greater good, but also as hobbies.
The jungle-like gardens were not ideal for visibility but were suitable for training. You could be next to one of the birds with their green plumage and never see them, so instead, you’d have to listen for their footfalls, heartbeats, and breathing. You could also smell them, but the scent trails got mixed up when there were too many, like this morning. This group had been particularly strong in numbers. The fifty in this flock had entered the perimeter just before the sky started brightening. The animals had been thinned by them and now only numbered ten.
Vassia 32508 called out over the battle net, Sisters, do not let them cross past the footbridge near the banana grove. They all had an icon light up on the battle map. Acknowledgment icons popped up from each of the sisters.
Bananas do have a certain appeal for breakfast, Althea 36935 sent across the battle net as she flitted between the trees that grew here in the garden.
Again with the jokes, Althea, Vassia replied. Do not make light of our training. Less food for you this morning. You’re getting fat anyway.
A storm of laughing emojis erupted from the fourteen other sisters, with a single sad one from Althea.
Filippa 5478 quipped, It’s your own fault. You eat more than any of us here, and the food you snatch from the gardens is also noted.
But, I get hungry, Althea replied lamely as she fell upon one of the birds. Noise from her hitting the leaves alerted the animal to her presence. It twisted to meet her with its axe beak, and she had to kick a tree to her left to avoid the bite that would have severed her arm. Then, landing lightly on the ground, Althea launched herself at the creature. She lifted her training sword and slashed at it. Still, the enormous three-meter-tall bird was faster, dancing to the side and kicking out with its foot and twenty-centimeter claws.
You’re ALWAYS hungry, Althea, Clovia 45642 replied.
Althea flipped back, avoiding the attack, and landed in a crouch, immediately springing forward to attack again. The bird had regained its footing and snapped at her, beak jabbing like an expert boxer. They traded jabs for several moments before Althea stabbed its eye. The animal gave a deep bass cry of pain and turned its head.
Seeing an opening, Althea leaped forward and sunk the blade into the bird’s neck from underneath. The simple steel blade went through the soft flesh and stuck tight in the animal’s spine. Then, an enormous pressure hit her in the gut, and she flew backward to hit a tree. Pain flared up, and she blinked as the animal stalked towards her, murder in its remaining eye, blood burbling out of the wound in its neck.
A training death, Althea thought. I guess I really am a failure.
The bird slammed to the ground. Its beak stopped between Althea’s sprawled-out legs at the base of the tree she had been thrown against. Vassia looked at her, her blade-spear sticking out of the animal’s back. The woman’s tiger patterning was emphasized by her orange-red hair. Althea had always liked the coloration of her group’s leader.
Idiot, Vassia sent to her privately as she pulled the long blade out of the animal’s back and walked over to her. You’re not going to disgrace yourself by dying here. Althea felt herself passing out as her sister picked her up and slung her over her shoulder.
Sattelrücken Storm League Joint Forces Base
Helmholtz Hospital
January 1st, 2189
Althea’s eyes opened up to a plain white room. Her body was in pain, well, everywhere. She turned her head and saw the white lavender of her hair. She turned in the other direction and saw it there too. Ah, my hair isn’t braided, she thought lamely. Her hair always turned into a giant uncontrolled frizzy mop that framed her head like a dandelion if she didn't tie it down. She tried and failed to bring up her status readouts. Then, she tried to move her arms and legs. Again, nothing happened. Sisters? she sent over the battle net, but it wasn’t active. Looking at the room again, it wasn’t the organic softness of a hospital room of Mechanon. Ah, that was a dream. Where?
The sounds of GmbH German hit her ears from somewhere nearby. A Storm League hospital, then. She survived the attack. I was beyond what would have usually killed me. I wonder why I’m still alive? She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Her eyes opened again. An elven woman with red-gold hair was standing there dressed in the khaki of military medical technicians. Rank tabs of 2 nd corporal at the lapels and E. Zyvalur on her name badge. Althea made a sound that was more a croak than anything, and the woman smiled and leaned over.
“Easy there, soldier, don’t move,” she said with quiet authority. “You’ll wreck all the work we’ve done.”
Althea stopped and blinked at her. The nurse nodded and gave her some water to wet her throat. After swallowing the water, Althea went to talk again, and the woman held up her hand.
“I think I know what you’re going to ask,” she said with an easy smile as she looked over the chart and then, using a needle, squirted something into the IV drip in Althea’s arm. “You’re in the Sattelrücken base hospital on Erde. It’s been a week and a half, and you missed Yuletide. Oh, and happy new year.” She moved and checked other parts of Althea that made her cry out in pain. “You were brought here after the incident on Edelweiss. You had a cauterized puncture wound on your left side and a reopened stomach wound. Multiple contusions on your head. Cuts all over, and about half your bones were broken from when you fell into the ocean. That plus all the second-degree burns over your body.”
She grinned at Althea morbidly, “You even burnt out half your nervous system with some sort of overload, but we’re treating you with nanites right now.”
Althea blinked at her in surprise.
“Honestly, I’m surprised you’re still alive after washing up on a beach covered in sea life. You’re one tough lady.” She checked another needle, this one full of a silver liquid, and squirted it into Althea’s IV. “Time for sleep again.”
Moments later, numbness took over her body, and she fell into darkness again.
###
The massive auditorium classroom was the same as it was every day. Shell-shaped with a small lectern stage at the bottom, it was massive enough to seat twice as many as the thousand and twenty-four girls of the Argus Legion currently occupying it. It was made out of the same foamed metal coated in white aerogel for insulation that most structures were. Althea’s group of 16 girls sat together as usual, just like the other units did in the huge auditorium.
However, today, a woman from the science caste graced the lowly defender caste with her presence for this lecture. She was tall and willowy thin and looked like a stiff breeze might blow her away. A more prominent nose and more petite, rounded ears also marked her as part of the science caste. She had her tawny hair tied in the tight bun that her caste favored on top of her head. Her patterning was not visible as the science caste usually had more control emotionally than the boisterous defender caste that Althea was part of.
The room’s battle net became hushed as the science caste woman entered the mental space. I am Akna 756293, the woman began.
All of the Argus Legion looked at her as one. Akna 756293 was famous as she discovered the means for inter-reality gates 121 years ago, allowing them to search for the Devil. She had been there during The Devil’s invasion a year earlier. I wonder how she survived? Althea thought, keeping it out of the network.
An image appeared in all their minds of a horrible-looking headless giant with long arms and digitigradent legs. It was made of a greyish-black swirling material reminiscent of burned and cracked flesh long since gone rancid. Long segmented fingers and toes topped its limbs. There were small tubules that looked like severed thick veins and arteries upon its shoulders and around its arms’ wrists, which were the weapons systems. In the center of its chest was darkness deeper than the depths of a lightless cave.
This is a standard Lî Chasse battle unit, Akna began. The representation stretched out, showing its limbs were almost twice the length when fully extended from rest. Continuing, she said, The hands and feet can tear through steel at least 8 centimeters thick. Psychokinetic weaponry on the hands shoots tiny tungsten darts that tumble upon impact. The larger weaponry on the monster’s shoulders is an energy of some kind that is not understood. We believe it to be psionics of some kind as it has several effects ranging from plasma flames, beams, and kinetic strikes. These were observed destroying armored vehicles with 300mm composite armor with little trouble. No ammunition was found in the larger weaponry on destroyed suits, so we believe it to be a manifestation of the creature’s psychic energy.
The unit’s representation grew, focusing on the darkness in its center. As deadly as the combat units are, they are not the main danger. The Lî Chasse in the center, we believe, is part of a hivemind that controls the unit like we do our powered armor. When one unit was struck by surprise, all the other units instantly knew where the attack had originated from.
The image shifted to show several rounded tanks used during the War. This time, they had an odd dingy look, with black whisps leaking off them. Lî Chasse can wrest control of computer-controlled equipment and our own dead to use against us, Akna said. The tanks fired upon other vehicles and buildings. It paused near a group of dead people that were nut brown in appearance and wore various archaic fashions. The whisps of black leaked from the tank to the bodies. They soon started twitching, and the ones least damaged got up and began to fan out around the tank. They all carried various weapons.
The picture turned and zoomed in on the back of the head and neck. There was a small dark blob that seemed to be made of the same light drinking substance that the Lî Chasse in the suit was made of. This is a Lî Chasse control node. It is parasitic in nature and feeds off the residual psychic energy of the corpse. It is not an independent creature but more of a remote than anything.
Akna paused for long moments as footage of an army of the dead with battle units and tanks moved through a plain towards a city. Then, breaking the silence, she asked, How did we win against such a terrible foe? Why are we still here? A beam from above hit the army, and electrical energy surged from everything metal. The corpses swelled and began to cook gruesomely. Lî Chasse units froze, and the darkness inside shrank and tried to fly away, but they shivered and popped.
They are weak against microwave energy. This was discovered when we noticed Lî Chasse stayed away from the ground-based energy receivers that we beam energy to from orbit. A small emoji depicting great sadness leaked from her before being erased. We repurposed the energy transmission satellites into weapons and used them against our own homes. Several cities had to be sacrificed for the greater good. Our annual memorials on the fifteenth of Chakîdame at the end of summer commemorate this event.
Althea remembered it as a day to get lots of tasty things to eat after guarding the common caste while they were harvesting. Some local animals always used the event to try and snag a commoner for a snack. Then, she felt a smack on the back of her head. Looking for the source of the pain, she saw Vassia’s hand. Vassia’s tiger patterning was fully on display, and her fangs were exposed. She held her hand up for another smack, giving Althea a look of peevishness with private emojis of anger bubbling towards her.
You broadcast that to the ENTIRE battle net, you moron! Vassia sent to her privately. Althea patterned and drooped her ears in embarrassment. She sank in her seat a bit when she noticed her sisters all looking toward her unit.
Yes, it is also a time to celebrate the harvest, young one, Akna sent to the network.
Althea sank further into her seat, her patterning turning red with humiliation. Covering her head with her hands, she closed her eyes and wanted to be somewhere, anywhere else.
Sattelrücken Storm League Joint Forces Base
Helmholtz Hospital
January 5 th , 2189
It was dark when Althea woke again. A pressure was on top of her right arm, and she looked for the source. Black hair, brown skin. She blinked and said Tiki’s name, but it came out as a croak.
The hair moved, and Ticualtzin’s head popped up. “Thea!” she said and moved closer to embrace her shoulder.
“Ack,” Althea made an involuntary sound as the pain reasserted itself where she was hugged.
Ticualtzin backed up and smiled at her from the side of the bed. “Sorry, mi amor,” she said. “I’m just so happy you’re awake.” She got Althea a sip of water. It was like heaven, and she drank it greedily.
Althea nodded and croaked, “Happy you are alive.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The other woman started crying and held Althea’s hand, which she now saw was covered in bandages and had tubes running out of it. “Me? Oh, baby, I was so scared when you ran off.”
Althea blinked and shook her head weakly, “Sorry, can’t remember. Everything fuzzy.”
Ticualtzin kissed Althea’s bandaged hand, and Althea blushed. Then, blinking, Althea asked, “Is my bed that tall?”
“Ah well,” Ticualtzin said. “Um, I kinda have lost the use of my legs. So I’m in a wheelchair now.”
Althea gripped Ticualtzin’s hand tightly, and her eyes started to water a bit. “Tiki,” she began thickly. “I am so sorry. ”
Her hand came down and bapped Althea on her nose. “Don’t you dare!” Ticualtzin said, her green-gold hazel eyes wide with fury.
Althea blinked at her in surprise. “I….” she began.
Ticualtzin’s finger came up and pointed it between Althea’s eyes. “You do not get to apologize for my combat injury. That pendejo was aiming for my eyes,” she tapped herself on her forehead. “He would have killed me, and you made him miss.”
Althea blinked, and her cat coloring appeared in a pattern that meant she was confused, “He who?”
“The Sidhe that was trying to kill us both,” Ticualtzin answered with a raised eyebrow. “Remember Mr. Flamey Rant?” She then looked at Althea with a bit of dread, “You didn’t forget the fight, did you, mi amor?”
Althea relaxed and sighed, “I did not. I thought he was a woman.”
Blinking, Ticualtzin smiled at Althea and kissed her hand. “I thought so too until one of the female rescue troops tried to help him relieve himself nearby. But, then, he loudly proclaimed he was a man and didn’t want help from a female, let alone from a lesser being.”
“Ah,” Althea returned. “I wonder if he’ll go to a prisoner of war camp or a normal prison because the war is over?”
Ticualtzin was interrupted by the nurse arriving. “Hello, you lovebirds,” the elf said, pushing in a small cart. “Time for the big bad, incapacitated Mechanese girl to get her medicine.”
Ticualtzin kissed Althea’s hand, “I’ll be back tomorrow. But, beware of the debriefing captain. She’s a bitch.” She rolled back as the nurse took her place next to Althea. “Also, there are a couple of MPs guarding your door for some reason.”
“I will be wary around her,” Althea replied as the nurse started checking the monitors. Military police? Do they think the Sidhe will get me here?
The next three weeks were more of the same. Althea got a visit by the nurse three times a day, where she replenished the IVs and fed her. Food was in the form of liquid nutritional packs that she drank with the nurse’s help. Unfortunately, they tasted more bitter and metallic than the nutripaste she was used to eating on combat missions. The bedpan changes were embarrassing but necessary as the debris from her healing had to go somewhere.
Despite Ticualtzin’s warning, Althea hadn’t been debriefed by a captain but instead by a mousey 2 nd lieutenant at the end of the first week. He had just recorded what she said on a dataslate and asked her a few clarification questions. Althea thought it had gone rather well, all things considered. Still, he didn’t like that she couldn’t remember what had happened after retrieving the prisoner from the burning maintenance facility. So he warned her that someone might be coming back to ask her further questions.
A doctor had seen her twice a week and used healing spells on her. They healed significant parts of her body and set bones in the right areas, but things still felt dull and muted. However, she could sit up now and move her limbs though they were weak. She managed to hug Ticualtzin in the last part of the second week and had seen the wheelchair she was in. It was an electrically powered kind that took commands from her cyberware, so she was pretty mobile. They were healing her spine, and she could move her toes now, but she was still a month away from being able to walk.
Althea fell out of bed, trying to get to the bathroom one night. It was high time she started to move around. She couldn’t stand being this immobile. That, plus the silence of her onboard implants and no connection to the outside world except a vid that only had military news, was driving her crazy. Finally, she pulled herself up and dragged herself upright, and forced her legs to carry her step by painful step to the bathroom.
After relieving herself, she opened the door to find herself face to face with a tigre man in the same military uniform as the other nurses. “Whoa there, soldier,” he said cheerfully and steadied her. “I didn’t think you were ready for rehab yet.”
“I am not scheduled for it yet, but I cannot stand being this useless,” Althea replied, allowing him to help her back into the bed.
He smiled, showing his large top and bottom canines. “You aren’t useless, just need recovery,” he replied and checked Althea’s charts. “See, here it says you are going on solid food tomorrow,” he showed her his dataslate. It indeed said solid food.
“I shall look forward to it. I would like some Mechanese ration packs if available,” Althea said, giving him a ghost of a smile. He faltered and took a double take, but the smile had already gone away.
The solid food had arrived in the morning. It was simple Mechanese nutripaste, but to Althea, it felt like home cooking, which in a way it was. They usually had packs of Nutripaste when on missions. It had all the vitamins, minerals, and extra nanites that a defender caste like her needed on long hauls. It still had the consistency and flavor of wet cardboard processed in a blender, which was extremely familiar to her.
She would have preferred fruits and vegetables from home with maybe some fresh grilled meat, but she never had anything that compared off-world. Well, except for Fess-T-Burgers. Those brought her happy memories and made her cheerful. She finished the bag of mush and drank some water to wash it down while the elven nurse watched her with a horrified look.
“I tried that once,” 2 nd Corporal Zyvalur said, making a disgusted expression. “It was horrid and gave me the runs. How the hell do you stomach it?”
Althea shrugged and tossed the crumpled-up bag into the trashcan across the room. “It is what we eat when on other realities. I am just used to it,” she said blandly. “Can I have some more?”
The redhead laughed and gave her another bag and a plastic bottle of water. “Sure, but if you get the runs, you’d better make it to the bathroom before there’s a mess in the bed.”
Althea nodded curtly and took the greyish bag full of paste from her. “Thank you. I have rarely gotten ‘the runs’ but never from my rations.” She used a claw to open the top. She squeezed it, and the grey-brown of the food came out looking like peanut butter that had gone off.
Zyvalur made another face, shrugged, and left.
Althea started itching all over soon afterward. It began as a minor tummy issue but soon moved to the part of her gut where she knew the organelle that produced her nanites was located. Soon the itching had moved to her limbs and face. She sat there stoically when an icon popped up in the corner of her vision that repair functions had begun. But unfortunately, she also had the runs, which, she noted, contained some shining bits occasionally.
The night nurse panicked slightly, but Althea calmly informed him that this was a function of her healing when the body had to remove debris. Ticualtzin had been with her for about an hour, where Althea forced herself to control her bodily functions to not worry her.
The following day, Althea was exhausted from the collywobbles and lack of sleep. 2 nd Corporal Zyvalur inspected the room and nodded, “Never gotten the runs from your rations, huh? At least you didn’t make a mess.” Then, crossing her arms sternly, she said, “I’m not giving you any more of that crap.” Althea opened her mouth and shut it quickly at the expression on the woman’s face. “You’ll rest and get normal hospital food from now on. Got it?”
Althea nodded lamely, “Yes’M.” She was given a lunch of salami, cheese, a soft pretzel, and some water, along with her daily check-up. The real food tasted much better than her ration pack, and the repair icon moved slightly towards the finish line. She wondered to herself when it would be done with repairs, and she would have full functionality back.
The itching had subsided sometime in the morning, and Althea could move a bit more easily. The repair icon had also moved into the twenty-five percent zone. She didn’t need to hold onto the bed or walls to remain upright. So she made plans to visit Ticualtzin in the common area or Tiki’s room. She was going to ask the MPs for permission. First, however, she would have to get something to wear other than her hospital gown. Althea had noticed that the hospital gown barely covered her body, making her bottom stick out indecently. She was looking through the limited amount of clothing in the room when she had an odd feeling.
There was a sense that someone was looking for her, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. There was a weird faint humanoid outline beyond the door for a moment. Then, blinking, she looked twice, and the faint outline was gone. Althea stopped in her clothing search and got back in the bed stiffly. She had just pulled the sheets over herself when there was a knock at the door.
Not a nurse, then. They just walk in, she thought. “Yes?” she answered.
A woman walked in, a human female of average height with brown hair, light skin, and brown eyes. She was wearing the female dress uniform of the local command. Her name badge said, Krsmanovich. Althea noted that the ribbons were for completion of various schools, the lowest rank of marksman, and no combat medals. Her ranks tabs were the three filled-in silver diamonds of a Captain, and the board’s bottom line had a very light grey stripe of the Intelligence branch.
Althea saluted her from the bed. The woman gave her a smirk and carelessly returned the salute. “d’Argus?” the woman asked as more of a need for acknowledgment than a question.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Althea replied. “I would have stood, but the hospital clothing isn’t appropriate.”
She nodded and sat in the chair next to Althea’s bed. “2 nd Corporal d’Argus, I’m Captain Krsmanovich of the intelligence division of this base,” she said and looked at Althea severely. “I’ve been tasked to find out what happened on December 19th in Teerstadt.”
Althea blinked, “I have given all my testimony to 2 nd Lieutenant Atangana, Captain.”
Krsmanovich looked at Althea and gave her a fake smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Let me ask, how is the hospital stay?”
Althea looked at the expression on the woman’s face. I do not like her, Althea thought. Tiki was right; this person is not trustworthy. Then, Outloud, she said, “It is interminable. I do not like being incapacitated and being useless to my unit. I imagine many things are not being fixed with both of us here.”
The intelligence officer nodded. “Understandable. You want to get back to your job like a good soldier,” she said. “Are they treating your wounds properly?”
Althea shrugged and said, “My internal systems have not been able to come back online, so I cannot say whether or not it is proper. However, I am regaining functionality in my body and can move around slowly.”
“Good, good,” Krsmanovich replied, her fake smile still plastered on her face.
“I have two questions,” Althea asked.
The Captain blinked but said, “Go ahead, 2 nd Corporal.”
“May I get a hairbrush and hair ties?” Althea gestured to her giant mop of hair. “It is unruly and not proper.”
“Of course, did your nurses not give them when asked?” Krsmanovich asked.
“It was not an issue while I was incapacitated. However, now that I am being visited by those of higher rank, I feel the need to be presentable, Ma’am.”
The woman’s eye twitched. “And the second question?”
“Why are armed military police outside my door? They are very polite to the nurse and 1 st Corporal Del Valle, but I do not know why they are there.”
“Before I answer that, I have to read you your rights,” Krsmanovich said. “You have the right to counsel. You have the right not to give self-incriminating testimony. You have the right to know the charges levied against you.”
Althea blinked, her skin flashing catlike in surprise. “Charges? What charges?”
Krsmanovich said, “Initiating combat without lawful orders, murder of a civilian and dereliction of duty.”
“I…” Althea stared at her in disbelief, her mouth slightly open.
“You already waived your right to counsel when you talked to 2nd Lieutenant Atangana. So let’s begin with just a few clarification questions,” she said smarmily.
Pulling out a data slate, Krsmanovich asked, “Who gave you an order to leave the bar and begin combat operations?”
“No one, Ma’am,” Althea said, her face expressionless. “I went to investigate shots fired to protect civilian lives during a communications blackout.”
“You do realize that you’re a glorified mechanic and not a combat soldier anymore, do you not?” Krsmanovich stated and wrote something on the data slate.
Blinking, Althea replied, “We all took the oaths to defend the civilian population when we joined the Storm League no matter our position, Ma’am.”
The woman snorted. Then she replied, “Why did you not seek out the local law enforcement?”
Althea blinked. She hadn’t thought of them at all. During the communications blackout, she had only thought of moving forward and not cowering. “I had assumed they were acting on their own and were already busy dealing with the animals under control by the Sidhe Beastmaster as I was.”
“Did you ever locate this ‘Sidhe Beastmaster’?” Krsmanovich asked, staring at Althea flatly, her smile never faltering.
Inwardly, Althea shivered, her skin briefly swirling with cat coloring. That’s not a smile. It’s a predator baring its teeth, she thought. “I am unaware of locating the Beastmaster, Ma’am. I may have discovered them on the ship, but my memory is gone,” Althea said blandly.
The woman’s nose twitched, “Oh yes, the blackout. We’ll go back to that later.”
“You say that you were out there to protect civilians. Instead, you attacked a civilian unprovoked and later killed him in cold blood,” Krsmanovich said as she typed into her dataslate.
Althea shook her head. “That man had used a plasma rifle to attack communications infrastructure. He was also directing the cattle to run into civilian areas,” she explained.
“Did you try to talk to him first?” Krsmanovich asked.
Althea shook her head, “It was combat….”
Krsmanovich interrupted, “It was not until you made it so. You didn’t try to find out what was going on. Instead, you used your implants to take control of a truck, started it up, and ran him over. Then, you murdered him in cold blood when he was incapacitated and stole his weapon.”
What in the world is going on? Althea thought in confusion. I thought we were on the same side.
“That man was a Jǐnyīwèi agent destroying vital infrastructure and directing a stampede. I have proof with the communication stone,” Althea started again.
Krsmanovich changed tactics, “Yes, we found the stone in your ear. Its charge was expended.” She wrote something down on the data slate again, “He was also incapacitated. Why didn’t you secure him and return to the restaurant with your squadmate, Corporal del Valle?”
“The man was an enemy combatant that had access to magic. However, I did not know if he had enough mana to heal and return to the fight. If I had secured him and left him there, he could have been healed by his compatriots and returned to combat. Further, I felt I would have been endangering civilian lives if I had returned with him.” She paused and blinked, thinking about what would have happened if she had returned with the man in tow. “The Sidhe would have followed me back and assaulted the restaurant, which was not a defensible position. So I took the fight to the Sidhe instead,” Althea remarked. “I was in their communication network and could locate them by their com chatter.”
Krsmanovich shrugged after tapping on her dataslate, “And yet it took Corporal del Valle’s actions at the maintenance facility to save you as you were being surrounded and worn down.”
Althea shut up and looked away. It was partially true, but she wouldn’t say anything that blew back on Tiki.
“When you got to the maintenance facility, you were under orders to stand down and stay in place to await rescue,” Krsmanovich said, her eyes shining oddly as she spoke. “Yet you engaged in combat, which injured Corporal del Valle. Then lost the facility and abandoned your post and squadmate to board a hostile skyship.”
Althea’s nose wrinkled slightly. “Our position was attacked by hostile forces, including an extremely powerful pyromancer. We had no choice but to engage in combat. The cameras….”
“They show nothing, d’Argus,” Krsmanovich answered. “The facility was old, and the fire slagged the drone and camera footage stored on the central drives. Corporal del Valle says you saved his… excuse me, her, life.”
Althea’s skin went cat colors at the offhanded insult to Tiki. She had been controlling her emotions until now, but that was uncalled for.
The woman’s eyes widened, but her fake smile remained, “Oh are you going to go into combat mode now and try to kill me?”
Althea shook her head, “My skin color changes with stress, not just combat, Captain. I apologize. This is quite stressful to me.”
“Is it as stressful to you now as it was to Corporal del Valle when you abandoned your post and left her alone while she was wounded with a prisoner?” Krsmanovich attacked.
“I do not recall anything that happened after I saved Corporal del Valle, removed the prisoner from the building, and bound him with zip ties,” Althea stated.
Krsmanovich looked at her blandly and let the fake smile drop, “How convenient for you. You abandoned your post, whether or not you remember it. That is a dereliction of duty cut and dried. When you are given a post, you stay until relieved. Even Mechanon has that rule.”
Althea’s skin had gone fully cat colored now. This woman was a threat she had no idea how to deal with. Althea blinked at her and just stared, her pupils dilated in a fearful or predatory fashion.
The woman stared back at Althea and stood up. “I intend to see you thrown out of the military and put behind bars, d’Argus,” Captain Krsmanovich said. She saluted and said, “Dismissed.”
Althea blinked at the Captain’s words as she started to hyperventilate. She barely had enough presence of mind to return the salute as the Captain left. A headache started behind her eyes, and she fell back against the pillow. Tears began to pool.
I don’t know what to do….