Trees were rushing by below them as Githaiy's shuttle made its way eastward. While she was waiting for them to finally reach their destination, she took a look out of the window, watching the rural towns framed by fields and some patches of mostly untouched nature fly by. She hadn't spent all her life in the big city - she used to grow up in a smaller town - but this was probably her first time going this far into the outskirts.

At this point, I have probably seen more of other planets than my own. It is kind of ironic.

Unfortunately, most things she saw were quickly gone again so she couldn't see many details. Maybe this was an idea to spend her next day off. Not that she believed she would take one any time soon. Either way, for now, she was here for her job.

However, she wasn't completely sure what exactly her job was supposed to be this time. She had just been in her office when a servant came in and told her she was needed. Apparently, there had been some complications with Nadine's shuttle and she had requested both pickup and Githaiy coming with it. Why exactly that was, the servant didn't know as the pilot hadn't told him. On one hand, that didn't make it sound like an emergency. On the other hand, if it wasn't an emergency, why had Nadine asked for her to come? She could've just gone to her when she returned.

Maybe there is a local who needs medical attention?

A noble she might be, but due to their societal differences, Nadine's mindset was closer to that of a commoner. She probably didn't even think of what it would mean to call a royal physician to treat some villager. Not that Githaiy couldn't understand her. Everyone who needed it deserved medical attention, and if said villager really had no access to a common doctor - for whatever reason - she wouldn't just turn her back to them.

If push comes to shove, I can just say Nadine called me to make sure she didn't contract anything from them. And it's not like the other nobles are surveilling me, as long as I don't spark any rumors it should be fine.

Unfortunately, that still didn't tell her what exactly she was needed for. She had brought her emergency bag with her, which contained most of the things frequently needed, so unless it was some rare illness or something that needed surgery, she should be able to provide at least some help.

"Why are we slowing down?" she asked the pilot through the speaker as the shuttle decelerated. Instead of the Suam Forrest, they were above a village she didn't know.

"Those are the coordinates I was given, Doctor," came the response. She opened the map on her datapad. The Suam Forest was about six thousand invas south of here, and this place wasn't even on the beeline from the palace to there. Had they made a detour? But why?

As the ground came closer she could see someone standing on the road, waving at them. Was he trying to get their attention? Apparently so, because as they landed, he came rushing toward them.

"Are you Doctor Githaiy?" he asked before the shuttle's door was even fully open.

"Um, yes?" she responded slightly confused.

"Finally! Quick, follow me!"

"Wait!"

Githaiy stopped the man before he could run off. She then lowered the shuttle's ramp so her bag could roll out. The whole thing was far too heavy for her to carry, so it was mounted on motorized wheels and programmed to follow her automatically when she wore the corresponding bracelet and could even be directed through hand movements. It had been a costly investment by the princess, but one that had proved its worth.

"Who are you, anyway?" She asked when they finally started to move.

"You can call me Hereck. I work for Doctor Naiyko."

Wait, so there is a doctor here? For what am I needed then?

In the light of dusk, the two of them made their way through the village. Clearly slower than Hereck would've liked, but the road was badly maintained so Githaiy's bag cart couldn't go very fast. After what the assistant's hurry made feel like an eternity, they reached a run-down building that the sign above the door identified as Doctor Naiyko's clinic. The state the house was in didn't spark much hope in her.

"Doctor!" Hereck called as they entered. "She's here!"

Stolen story; please report.

A door opened next to the counter and a male Vanaery who looked like he was twice Githaiy's age stuck his head out.

"Are you her?"

"Presumably. I am Githaiy of House Trocu, royal physician and in service of Princess Silgvani. What's going on?"

That seemed to catch the old doctor off guard.

"Royal physician? How... no one mentioned... no, that has time for later. Please follow me, Milady."

He rushed back through the door and Githaiy quickly followed him. Just what was going on? was something wrong with Nadine?

As she entered what looked like a very poorly maintained sick room, she couldn't suppress a shocked gasp.

Prince Kiyrtin! What is he doing here? Now that I think about it, weren't some of the maids searching for him earlier? Does Her Highness know of this?

The young prince was lying on a sickbed, eyes closed. Several bandages were wrapped around parts of his body, all of them blood-soaked. Next to him stood two palace guards, both covered in blood.

"This isn't His Highness's blood," one of them quickly said as if he had read my mind.

"Wait, Highness?!"

"Yes," Githaiy explained to the old doctor who seemed more and more overwhelmed by the situation, "this is Prince Kiyrtin. Is he sedated or passed out?"

"He fell asleep after I gave him some pain medication," Naiyko answered, finally pulling himself together

"His condition?"

"Multiple shell failures. None of them are big, but they add up. And I couldn't tighten the bandages enough for the pressure to stop the trickle."

"Why not?" That was detrimental. If the bandages weren't tight enough to stop the bleeding, they were only a half-baked solution.

The old doctor stepped closer and pointed at the prince's torso.

"The shell on his front torso is too soft. I... I have never seen something like this. It's like he has the shell of an old man."

Carefully, Githaiy applied some pressure on an uninjured area. The old doctor was right, it felt way too soft. That meant the ruptures were probably caused by incautious movements.

"What hardeners have you applied?"

"None."

"NONE?! Where by the First Ones did you learn your craft?!"

"I am well aware when hardeners are to be applied, Milady. I would've already done so if I had any left," he answered, seemingly feeling attacked by her questioning his expertise. As if letting your stock run out was any better. Peeling off one of the bandages on the abdomen revealed a crack through which blood trickled out, thankfully not very strongly. With two fingers, she managed to hold the wound closed. Good, that at least meant his shell hadn't completely lost its integrity. But then why had it softened in the first place?

"Do you know how this happened?" she asked the guards.

"Hm... Lady Nadine said something about... some liquid, what was the name again?"

"Something with "s" I think," the other added.

"Sweat?" Githaiy asked following a very bad hunch.

"Yeah, that was it!"

Oh no.

"You!" she called the assistant. "Go back to my shuttle and tell the pilot to call the Calhanar Hospital! We need an ambulance! Tell him to use my code, he'll know what that means!"

He nodded and ran off. She then raised her lower-left arm, giving her bag cart the command to come to her.

"Middle panel of the hind left," she called the doctor while still holding the wound closed, "there should be some miydienne! Give me that!"

Doctor Naiyko quickly procured the bottle and gave it to her.

Miydienne was a common hardening agent. Applied to the shell it would make it temporarily stiffer and hopefully prevent further ruptures. There were, of course, no studies on how it interacted with human sweat, but that was a risk she had to take for now.

"Larco-resin!" she requested once she felt the shell become more sturdy under her fingers. "Upper panel on the front!"

The bottle was full, so she wasn't stingy with it. Larco-resin was effectively a wound glue, not as effective as compression bandages, but better than nothing. Normally it was only used on very old patients, as bandages were usually sufficient when combined with hardeners, but the prince's shell right now was too weak for that.

"Heater! The panel right below!" she continued while applying the resin. Once she had the device in hand, she quickly turned it on, the heat radiating from the front solidifying the resin.

There were a total of four spots where the prince's shell was torn, and a rushed job would only make things worse. The sun had already set by the time she was done, the last patch of resin still in the process of solidifying when the ambulance shuttle arrived. It was thankfully built for speed and had reached the village much quicker than a normal shuttle would have. Not wanting to risk any more injury, they decided to take the whole sickbed with them, promising the old doctor he would be compensated.

Finally allowing herself to catch a breath, Githaiy sat down before fixating her gaze on the guards.

"Why by the First Ones didn't you clarify the situation? Where is your pilot anyway?"

"It wasn't that bad when he called you. The bleeding only started once we were here. It was just one spot at first, but more opened quickly after. We didn't know if carrying him would make things worse, so we instead helped Lady Nadine find a doctor."

"Right, Nadine! Where is she?"

The guard pointed at a door that led her into a waiting area. Inside, she found the small alien sitting on the floor, her arms hugging her knees, her face buried between them. She was covered in more blood than both of the guards together.

"Nadine?" she carefully asked. No answer.

"Nadine!" she repeated with a bit more emphasis. She knelt down in front of her, slowly extending her hand towards her when suddenly, her head shot up.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed, causing Githaiy to flinch backward. For a moment, they just looked at each other quietly.

"Don't..." Nadine ended the silence, but her voice broke. It was as if all her remaining strength had been put into the last shout, leaving herself drained. Her voice almost wasn't audible anymore when a clear liquid started to flow out of her eyes.

"Don't touch me."