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Length (rounded up): 1850 words, 7 min 30 sec.
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Future Imperfect, Part 1

Natalie pressed her face against the thin but reinforced glass panes that separated the cosy and warm compartment from the coldness and emptiness of the outer space.

The alien stars, scattered in exotic constellations, strangely glittered, although they had been peacefully burning their hydrogen and helium for billions of years. Natalie was fascinated by the curiosity. Everything was new - she had never been to this spiral arm of the Galaxy before.

After gazing at the central, warmly glowing, Class G sun, she checked the nearest planet in the system. The gas giant filled much of the panorama. From its largest moon, a line of shuttles glided toward the space station to bring supplies.

‘We’ve just finished terraforming the Hortus. This is the only one habitable place within a ten-light-year radius. Would you like to see it, Miss Andreyeva?’

Disturbed by the question, Natalie turned away from the window, and caught sight of a uniformed man who was more familiar than the stars outside. He stood in the corridor, examining her.

‘That must be wonderful, Captain Suarez.’ She smiled. ‘But please, postpone our visit until better times.’

Natalie beamed on the surface, but, deep down, she felt insulted that the Earth Force officer never mentioned her rank when speaking to her.

‘You shouldn’t have run away from me,’ he said.

‘I told you before, I don’t need any bodyguard.’

Captain Suarez stepped up to her. ‘You shouldn’t refuse my help, and you should respect the hospitality of the commander of the space station. In fact, you are in the territory of the enemy.’

‘No uniform, no weapons – this is a diplomatic mission. How can I hurt you?’ Natalie held out her arms to show how harmless she was.

‘I must always be with you to guarantee your safety,’ Captain Suarez said. ‘If the people knew that you are a military officer from the rebelling Colonies, then they would tear you apart.’

Natalie smirked. It was likely that Commander Hall and the entire Earth Force staff did not fear for her life that terribly. Instead, they wanted to keep an eye on her in every second. But she had to meet someone, without the presence of the captain. She had to get rid of him somehow.

‘I’m sorry, Charles, but this won’t be personal,’ she said.

‘Personal what?’

The answer came not from Natalie's lips, but from her arm. She raised her clenched hand in the air. Her fist slammed straight down on his nose, crushing it. Hit hard by the strong and indefensible blow, he staggered back.

‘I don’t want you to follow me,’ she said to the man who was already lying on the floor. ‘I told you I don't need any watchdog.’

With his tear-clouded eyes, Captain Suarez could hardly see the woman running away along the Corridor B. He reached for his laser weapon to halt her, but his fingers froze in mid-air, just above the holster. He cannot do that. She had diplomatic immunity. No incident must occur before peace talks begin.

Damning, Mr Suarez put his hand on his throbbing nose to stop the bleeding. He picked himself up and went to the nearest medical room.

***

‘Colonel Andreyeva, I think the one you are looking for is treated in my department,’ Dr Matt Larson said and offered his hand to a handshake.

Natalie was grateful to the Earthman who respected the rank that her ‘rebellious’ army had given to her. Dr Larson was the first friendly person she had met since she had arrived at this space station.

‘You don’t look like a soldier.’ The doctor surveyed the young woman in civilian clothes.

Natalie frowned. ‘No matter what your government says, we are not man-eating monsters. At least, I am not. I didn’t fight in the war. I’m a senior officer in the President’s bodyguard.’

‘That’s good to know.’

Natalie glanced over his shoulder to see the white, human-shaped object in the hospital bed. ‘Is it her?’

‘Yes, she is in a full body cast. Or rather, not in a full cast, but this is big enough, isn’t it? If you have a moment, I'll try to explain in more detail,’ he said.

‘Doctor, I’ll have all the time of the universe to listen to you.’

‘She was found in Storage Room 12, right after you called the Medical Department.’

‘Could you identify her?’

Dr Larson waved regretfully. ‘Sorry, Colonel, but I can’t answer this question, because you’re not a citizen of the Earth Alliance. If your official escort would be here... Where is Captain Suarez?’

‘I convinced him not to be with me,’ Natalie said.

‘I see. In this case, I can’t tell you her name.’

‘I was supposed to meet this poor woman unofficially.’ She pointed at the victim contained in white wrapping. ‘Can’t you help me even if this incident can influence the peace talks?’

The doctor shook his head firmly.

‘Dr Larson, I don’t want to force you to break your rules. But I hope you can give me some general information. What has happened to her?’

‘Most of her bones are broken.’

‘Has she been seriously beaten?’

‘No sign of physical violence, Colonel.’

‘Could she have been attacked with a special resonance weapon?’ Natalie asked. ‘A well-chosen wavelength might have cracked her skeleton.’

‘No, I don’t think so. As far as I know, the Earth Force doesn’t deploy resonance weapons, which is why we don't keep them on the space station. The injuries appear to be the aftermath of a free fall from high altitude.’

Natalie grimaced. ‘Don’t make me laugh, Doctor. A free fall from a great height? Here, in a space station with artificial gravity? I’ve seen Storage Room 12. It’s only 4 metres high.’

‘That raises questions, Colonel. I'm familiar with cargo bays, and they're not high enough to cause such serious traumas. However, her arms and legs are more severely injured than any other parts of her body. This must have happened when she tried to slow her fall by stretching her limbs.’

‘'What if her bones were broken elsewhere, and she was taken there?’ Natalie asked.

‘The answer is beyond my competence, Colonel. I’m paid to treat injuries and not to investigate crimes.’

‘Treating her injuries...,’ Natalie repeated his words and looked at the patient again. ‘What kind of treatment are we talking about? It isn’t a normal, nano-layered medical exoskeleton, is it?’

‘No, it’s made from traditional plaster cast.’

‘What is it exactly? Unluckily, my field surgery lessons were a long time ago.’

‘Well, this is a thick and heavy layer made from plaster, wrapping around her body parts to stabilise and hold the broken bones in place until healing is confirmed. The plaster bandages consist of a cotton bandage that has been combined with gypsum, which hardens after it has been made wet.’

Natalie raised eyebrows. ‘Plaster-soaked bandages? This sounds so old-fashioned. Why haven’t you used a surgical robot?’

‘The medical computers had been infected by a computer virus, and they work unreliably. We can’t mould a modern exoskeleton, and we couldn’t apply bone-regenerators, either. To treat the injuries, we put her into a big 3D printer and fabricated this fitting plaster cocoon around her injured body parts.’

The doctor stepped closer to the patient’s bed. ‘Look, Colonel! It’s the Risser cast. At least, this is the name the computer gave me. It’s for treating the fractures of her backbone, and it firmly keeps her neck.’

The rounded rim of the armour ran around the base of the patient’s head, and the perfectly smoothened plaster shawl embraced the whole neck, indeed.

‘Can we talk to her?’ Natalie glanced at the woman who appeared to be asleep.

‘Unfortunately not, because she broke her jaw, as well, and it had to be fixed. Anyway, she was put to sleep to numb the pain from the injuries.’

‘For how long?’

‘For three days.’

Natalie swore silently. That will be awfully late. She fixed her eyes on the informer who was separated from her with an inch-thick plaster skin.

‘These are the long arm casts,’ he said. ‘These casts secure the broken bones of her arms.’

The firmly bound limbs rested on a row of soft pillows. From the armpits down, the white shells encased even the fingers except for the last knuckles. Only the nails and the tip of the digits jutted out of the old-school plaster coverings.

‘Her legs are in casts, too,’ Natalie said.

‘We had to treat them this way,’ the doctor said. ‘We applied a double long leg cast to take care of the multiple fractures in his leg.’

The shells below the pelvis weren’t connected to the streamlined body cast. Drawn over her midsection, a blanket covered the upper part of the DLLCs, but the lower segments were exposed. The perfectly fittingly printed cast incapacitated the knees, absorbed the shins, and engulfed all the feet but for the toes. Kept apart, her legs were stretched out and unbent.

‘Would it be so important to talk to her?’ Dr Larson asked.

‘Yes, absolutely.’

‘Then I’ve got a good piece of news for you. You don’t need to wait for months until she gets out of her casts. Soon, she’ll be given the state-of-the-art therapy.’

‘How?’ Natalie asked. ‘Will your medical robots be repaired?’

‘Oh, no, their overhaul will take a while. She won’t be cured here but on the Home Planet.’

Natalie shivered. ‘They can't send her back to Earth.’

‘Why?’

‘No, you cannot do that.’

She couldn’t answer because of the secrecy of her assignment. In the very first hour she had spent in the space station, she had received a message. A woman had wanted to contact her in Storage Room 12 to talk about an assassination plot against President Wong.

The newly elected president of the Colonies and the president of the Earth Alliance will meet in three days on this space station to begin negotiations. Colonel Natalia Andreyeva, as the deputy head of the president’s security team, had been sent here to prepare the summit and to decide if this facility would be safe enough for the talks to take place.

But, from the first minutes, she had been watched, followed, and obstructed. Her informer had been exposed and neutralised. For some stupid reason, she had been locked in an incredibly huge and ridiculously old-style body cast, and she was narcotised so that no one could talk to her. What's more, she was to be transported to Earth.

Natalie was sure that Ms Noname Girl would not only be treated in the Home Planet but also she would be interrogated. Hard. Everything pointed to something evil going on behind the curtains. But now, Natalie didn’t have enough evidence to cancel the meeting of the presidents.

She secretly clenched her fists. To calm herself down, she stared out the window at the star field for a moment.

‘I have to meet the commander of the space station,’ she said to Dr Larson and hurried out of the room.

to be continued

Next (Part 2) -- Contents -- Gallery Folder

Story Guide -- Story List

Description

Story Guide -- Story List
Length (rounded up): 1850 words, 7 min 30 sec.
Next (Part 2) -- Contents -- Gallery Folder

Future Imperfect, Part 1

Natalie pressed her face against the thin but reinforced glass panes that separated the cosy and warm compartment from the coldness and emptiness of the outer space.

The alien stars, scattered in exotic constellations, strangely glittered, although they had been peacefully burning their hydrogen and helium for billions of years. Natalie was fascinated by the curiosity. Everything was new - she had never been to this spiral arm of the Galaxy before.

After gazing at the central, warmly glowing, Class G sun, she checked the nearest planet in the system. The gas giant filled much of the panorama. From its largest moon, a line of shuttles glided toward the space station to bring supplies.

‘We’ve just finished terraforming the Hortus. This is the only one habitable place within a ten-light-year radius. Would you like to see it, Miss Andreyeva?’

Disturbed by the question, Natalie turned away from the window, and caught sight of a uniformed man who was more familiar than the stars outside. He stood in the corridor, examining her.

‘That must be wonderful, Captain Suarez.’ She smiled. ‘But please, postpone our visit until better times.’

Natalie beamed on the surface, but, deep down, she felt insulted that the Earth Force officer never mentioned her rank when speaking to her.

‘You shouldn’t have run away from me,’ he said.

‘I told you before, I don’t need any bodyguard.’

Captain Suarez stepped up to her. ‘You shouldn’t refuse my help, and you should respect the hospitality of the commander of the space station. In fact, you are in the territory of the enemy.’

‘No uniform, no weapons – this is a diplomatic mission. How can I hurt you?’ Natalie held out her arms to show how harmless she was.

‘I must always be with you to guarantee your safety,’ Captain Suarez said. ‘If the people knew that you are a military officer from the rebelling Colonies, then they would tear you apart.’

Natalie smirked. It was likely that Commander Hall and the entire Earth Force staff did not fear for her life that terribly. Instead, they wanted to keep an eye on her in every second. But she had to meet someone, without the presence of the captain. She had to get rid of him somehow.

‘I’m sorry, Charles, but this won’t be personal,’ she said.

‘Personal what?’

The answer came not from Natalie's lips, but from her arm. She raised her clenched hand in the air. Her fist slammed straight down on his nose, crushing it. Hit hard by the strong and indefensible blow, he staggered back.

‘I don’t want you to follow me,’ she said to the man who was already lying on the floor. ‘I told you I don't need any watchdog.’

With his tear-clouded eyes, Captain Suarez could hardly see the woman running away along the Corridor B. He reached for his laser weapon to halt her, but his fingers froze in mid-air, just above the holster. He cannot do that. She had diplomatic immunity. No incident must occur before peace talks begin.

Damning, Mr Suarez put his hand on his throbbing nose to stop the bleeding. He picked himself up and went to the nearest medical room.

***

‘Colonel Andreyeva, I think the one you are looking for is treated in my department,’ Dr Matt Larson said and offered his hand to a handshake.

Natalie was grateful to the Earthman who respected the rank that her ‘rebellious’ army had given to her. Dr Larson was the first friendly person she had met since she had arrived at this space station.

‘You don’t look like a soldier.’ The doctor surveyed the young woman in civilian clothes.

Natalie frowned. ‘No matter what your government says, we are not man-eating monsters. At least, I am not. I didn’t fight in the war. I’m a senior officer in the President’s bodyguard.’

‘That’s good to know.’

Natalie glanced over his shoulder to see the white, human-shaped object in the hospital bed. ‘Is it her?’

‘Yes, she is in a full body cast. Or rather, not in a full cast, but this is big enough, isn’t it? If you have a moment, I'll try to explain in more detail,’ he said.

‘Doctor, I’ll have all the time of the universe to listen to you.’

‘She was found in Storage Room 12, right after you called the Medical Department.’

‘Could you identify her?’

Dr Larson waved regretfully. ‘Sorry, Colonel, but I can’t answer this question, because you’re not a citizen of the Earth Alliance. If your official escort would be here... Where is Captain Suarez?’

‘I convinced him not to be with me,’ Natalie said.

‘I see. In this case, I can’t tell you her name.’

‘I was supposed to meet this poor woman unofficially.’ She pointed at the victim contained in white wrapping. ‘Can’t you help me even if this incident can influence the peace talks?’

The doctor shook his head firmly.

‘Dr Larson, I don’t want to force you to break your rules. But I hope you can give me some general information. What has happened to her?’

‘Most of her bones are broken.’

‘Has she been seriously beaten?’

‘No sign of physical violence, Colonel.’

‘Could she have been attacked with a special resonance weapon?’ Natalie asked. ‘A well-chosen wavelength might have cracked her skeleton.’

‘No, I don’t think so. As far as I know, the Earth Force doesn’t deploy resonance weapons, which is why we don't keep them on the space station. The injuries appear to be the aftermath of a free fall from high altitude.’

Natalie grimaced. ‘Don’t make me laugh, Doctor. A free fall from a great height? Here, in a space station with artificial gravity? I’ve seen Storage Room 12. It’s only 4 metres high.’

‘That raises questions, Colonel. I'm familiar with cargo bays, and they're not high enough to cause such serious traumas. However, her arms and legs are more severely injured than any other parts of her body. This must have happened when she tried to slow her fall by stretching her limbs.’

‘'What if her bones were broken elsewhere, and she was taken there?’ Natalie asked.

‘The answer is beyond my competence, Colonel. I’m paid to treat injuries and not to investigate crimes.’

‘Treating her injuries...,’ Natalie repeated his words and looked at the patient again. ‘What kind of treatment are we talking about? It isn’t a normal, nano-layered medical exoskeleton, is it?’

‘No, it’s made from traditional plaster cast.’

‘What is it exactly? Unluckily, my field surgery lessons were a long time ago.’

‘Well, this is a thick and heavy layer made from plaster, wrapping around her body parts to stabilise and hold the broken bones in place until healing is confirmed. The plaster bandages consist of a cotton bandage that has been combined with gypsum, which hardens after it has been made wet.’

Natalie raised eyebrows. ‘Plaster-soaked bandages? This sounds so old-fashioned. Why haven’t you used a surgical robot?’

‘The medical computers had been infected by a computer virus, and they work unreliably. We can’t mould a modern exoskeleton, and we couldn’t apply bone-regenerators, either. To treat the injuries, we put her into a big 3D printer and fabricated this fitting plaster cocoon around her injured body parts.’

The doctor stepped closer to the patient’s bed. ‘Look, Colonel! It’s the Risser cast. At least, this is the name the computer gave me. It’s for treating the fractures of her backbone, and it firmly keeps her neck.’

The rounded rim of the armour ran around the base of the patient’s head, and the perfectly smoothened plaster shawl embraced the whole neck, indeed.

‘Can we talk to her?’ Natalie glanced at the woman who appeared to be asleep.

‘Unfortunately not, because she broke her jaw, as well, and it had to be fixed. Anyway, she was put to sleep to numb the pain from the injuries.’

‘For how long?’

‘For three days.’

Natalie swore silently. That will be awfully late. She fixed her eyes on the informer who was separated from her with an inch-thick plaster skin.

‘These are the long arm casts,’ he said. ‘These casts secure the broken bones of her arms.’

The firmly bound limbs rested on a row of soft pillows. From the armpits down, the white shells encased even the fingers except for the last knuckles. Only the nails and the tip of the digits jutted out of the old-school plaster coverings.

‘Her legs are in casts, too,’ Natalie said.

‘We had to treat them this way,’ the doctor said. ‘We applied a double long leg cast to take care of the multiple fractures in his leg.’

The shells below the pelvis weren’t connected to the streamlined body cast. Drawn over her midsection, a blanket covered the upper part of the DLLCs, but the lower segments were exposed. The perfectly fittingly printed cast incapacitated the knees, absorbed the shins, and engulfed all the feet but for the toes. Kept apart, her legs were stretched out and unbent.

‘Would it be so important to talk to her?’ Dr Larson asked.

‘Yes, absolutely.’

‘Then I’ve got a good piece of news for you. You don’t need to wait for months until she gets out of her casts. Soon, she’ll be given the state-of-the-art therapy.’

‘How?’ Natalie asked. ‘Will your medical robots be repaired?’

‘Oh, no, their overhaul will take a while. She won’t be cured here but on the Home Planet.’

Natalie shivered. ‘They can't send her back to Earth.’

‘Why?’

‘No, you cannot do that.’

She couldn’t answer because of the secrecy of her assignment. In the very first hour she had spent in the space station, she had received a message. A woman had wanted to contact her in Storage Room 12 to talk about an assassination plot against President Wong.

The newly elected president of the Colonies and the president of the Earth Alliance will meet in three days on this space station to begin negotiations. Colonel Natalia Andreyeva, as the deputy head of the president’s security team, had been sent here to prepare the summit and to decide if this facility would be safe enough for the talks to take place.

But, from the first minutes, she had been watched, followed, and obstructed. Her informer had been exposed and neutralised. For some stupid reason, she had been locked in an incredibly huge and ridiculously old-style body cast, and she was narcotised so that no one could talk to her. What's more, she was to be transported to Earth.

Natalie was sure that Ms Noname Girl would not only be treated in the Home Planet but also she would be interrogated. Hard. Everything pointed to something evil going on behind the curtains. But now, Natalie didn’t have enough evidence to cancel the meeting of the presidents.

She secretly clenched her fists. To calm herself down, she stared out the window at the star field for a moment.

‘I have to meet the commander of the space station,’ she said to Dr Larson and hurried out of the room.

to be continued

Next (Part 2) -- Contents -- Gallery Folder

Story Guide -- Story List