Andromeda felt her ship body shake as Shira launched a salvo of missiles at the retreating Kalderian warships. She turned electronic eyes on the vessels to judge the effectiveness of her apprentice's
attack

She was not pleased with what she saw, Shira had launched enough missiles to encourage the Kalderian vessels to continue retreating but not enough to overwhelm their defenses. They would escape to fight again.

Andromeda had noticed early in the battle Shira was showing a very un-warship like reluctance to kill her opponents. She needed to overcome this tendency before she could be a full asset to the fleet. Counseling her apprentice cold come later though. At the moment she had other things to consider. Namely, their other apprentice and an incoming message from Seraphina. Seraphina could wait, preferably forever. But she needed let Cherna know Tyr was injured in the fighting on the planet.

Cherna wasn't supposed to be aboard, Beka was trying to transfer her to another ship where she would continue her apprenticeship, but the Mobious high command had advanced the date of the mission to retake Bessernit before she had found a suitable vessel. As a result Cherna went into combat with Beka and the rest of the crew.

"I'll tell her about Tyr," said Andromeda's holographic self. "See what Sera wants, and try to be polite." Unlike Andromeda her sister selves didn't feel any enmity towards the Tizonan troop transport.

Andromeda made a very unladylike comment, then opened a communications channel to the Tizonan AI. "What do you want? It better be important."

"It is. I have medical evac boats coming from planetside. My infirmary won't be able to handle them all. Can I direct some to you?"

"What's wrong dearie? Did you forget to bring medical supplies with you?"

"Oh I have plenty for my Lancers," said Sera in an equally sarcastic tone of voice. "However many my current patients are Commonwealth troops. Should I stop treating them so I can take care of my own?"

"That sounds like something you would do," said Andromeda. Over the private channel Andromeda shared with her sister selves and Shira came feelings of outrage, and they weren't directed at Serefina. The Tizonan transport had provided as much close air support and orbital bombardment support to the Commonwealth Lancers as she had to her own.

"Send them over," said Andromeda knowing she had no choice in the matter, but not willing to apologize to Sera for her rudeness.

While Andromeda was having her spat with Sera, her holographic self was talking to Cherna. The child was on the command deck as it was the most protected area of the ship and kept her under the eye of Andromeda and the rest of the command team..

"Did we win, Andromeda?" asked Cherna. "Everyone seems more relaxed."

"We'll win," said holo Andromeda. "But there's still going to be fighting. The Kalderian ground troops won't surrender as long as they're capable of putting up any sort of resistance. We've had a lot of casualties already and there will be more before the fighting is over. Which is why I wanted to talk to you. It's about Tyr."

"If you're going to tell me he's dead just say it," interrupted Cherna. "There's no good way to tell someone that someone they care abut died in battle."

The bitterness in Cherna's voice made holo Andromeda mentally flinch. She made a note to herself to herself to ensure the girl received counseling when they returned to the Commonwealth. It was obvious the wounds caused by the death of her mother and brother were still open.

"He's not dead," she said. "But he's hurt. Badly enough he needs to be evacuated, but he'll survive and make a full recovery." A quick status check of Tyr's evac boat's location revealed it was approaching the Andromeda as she was speaking. "He's arriving now," she told Cherna.

"Then I'm going down to the med deck."

"I'll need to be there too," said holographic Andromeda.

While holographic Andromeda was talking to Cherna, Andromeda's core self was in discussion with Shira.

"It's time," she said to the apprentice AI

"Time for what Andromeda?"

"Time for you to learn your other solemn duty. The medical evac boats are arriving you need to go to the med deck."

"Why?"

"Not all the wounded are going to survive. You need to be there with them. It's our other solemn duty. The dying do not die alone. It is the duty of a ships command and control AI to stand vigil with the dying. To ease their passing."

"But what do I do?"

"Whatever you need to. Sing if that will help. Talk to them. Pretend you're their mother if they start asking for her. Whatever will ease their fear and pain. My sister self is there already. Now go. Join her."

Shira located Andromeda's holographic self and willed herself to the same location. She materialized not in the med decks main infirmary but another smaller room. The med techs in the room looked as if they wanted to be anywhere but where they were now. When the Marias brought in the first patient Shira understood why.

The first patient wheeled into the room was so badly burned Shira couldn't tell if the victim was a man or woman. The only part of the body that wasn't burned were its eyes. And that was because they were gone, melted.

The second to arrive was only half as badly burned. Half as badly because the entire lower part of his or her body was missing. The Marias began bringing in more casualties, all as hideously wounded as the first two.

"By the Divine, what happened to them?" asked Shira. The sight of the casualties was enough to give her the cybernetic equivalent of nausea and trembling knees. She had to fight the urge to run from the scene of carnage.

"The Kalderians used nukes once they realized they were loosing," said Andromeda's core self from the rooms viewscreen. "These are the ones that were just far enough from the blast that their armour prevented them from being killed instantly. I'll take the left side of the room you take the right. Multiplex yourself . Concentrate on the ones that are conscious. Give them what ever comfort you can, but don't ignore the ones that are unconscious. Sometimes they become aware just before they die and you need to be there for them if they do."

"I can't," stammered Shira, tears welling in her eyes. "It's too horrible."

"You can and you well," said holographic Andromeda. "It's your duty and you will perform it no matter how much it upsets you."

Shira nodded her head in acceptance and multiple copies of herself appeared by the bedsides of the dying Lancers. Holo Andromeda noted that her apprentice was now crying openly. But she wasn't the only AI in the room with tears in her eyes..