Chapter 11
Having escaped the immediate threat of the command carrier, John didn't dare slow down. A quick look at the scanner before they had shot away from the planet confirmed that a number of Prowlers had been launched from the carrier and were coming in pursuit. He had a very good head start on them but if they did catch up with him they were faster and more manoeuvrable than his transport ship. He also knew that they had extremely powerful weapons as he'd seen what Aeryn's Prowler could do. He wouldn't win against them in a straight race or a fight in space. He wanted to put as much distance between them and High Command as possible. After a couple of arns flying at top speed he was aware that the ship was almost out of fuel. He went to check on Aeryn. She was unconscious and ice cold. He remembered that she had been like that when Larraq had pierced her paraphoral nerve. He knew it was time to find somewhere to land with a good sized spaceport and a medical facility. On the scanner there was a series of planets coming up. They were all listed as inhabited. He landed on the farthest of the four planets, hoping that their pursuers would spend time checking the others first.
They had landed near a reasonable sized settlement. He stopped the first person he saw. They may recognise him if the Peacekeepers came but it couldn't be helped.
"My comrade is injured. Do you have medical facilities here?" He followed the directions he was given and entered the small medical centre, carrying the unconscious Aeryn. Time to use the Peacekeeper guise again. "My commander has vital information. I must get her back to High Command as soon as possible, but she's wounded and I don't think she'll make it. I need you to treat her now!"
"Let's have a look." The doctor poked and prodded Aeryn for what seemed like an age. "Umm, nasty; broken arm, torn ligaments in her leg, a couple of broken ribs and, if I'm not mistaken, internal bleeding. It looks like she's been severely beaten, but these wounds are from some days ago. Why didn't you get treatment before?"
"You know that I can't give you any details and it would be better for you if I didn't. Lets just say that she got the dren beaten out of her by some people that you wouldn't want to know. She seemed alright at first, I mean she was fully conscious until a couple of arns ago, but then she started to get worse and worse.
"Hmm, well she will require surgery, but I don't have the necessary team here. She'll have to go to Mandon"
"How far is that" replied John with concern; the pursuing Peacekeepers could arrive at any time.
"It's the next planet"
"Please, we have to get back. It's vital. Can't you just patch her up enough to get back to High Command alive? They'll fix everything else." John knew he was taking a risk with Aeryn's life, but he figured that it would be better for her to die of her injuries as a free woman than return to Peacekeeper custody and execution. The doctor reluctantly agreed and got to work. It was over an arn later before he beckoned John back into the room. Aeryn lay asleep on the operating table. The doctor started telling him what he had done but all John could do was stare at her too pale face, marred as it was by the vivid bruises.
"..and the internal bleeding was quite extensive; that's what took the time. Oh, and I had to remove her IC but that shouldn't be a problem for the time being. High Command can sort everything out when you get back"
"Thanks Doc, you've done a great job. I'm gonna go and get our ship and take her off you hands"
"You shouldn't move her yet, it would be most dangerous" exclaimed the doctor
"I know Doc, but I don't have any choice. I will be court marshalled if I don't get her back as quickly as possible." More glib lies
John left in search of a new ship. He knew that he needed to change from the old one, which was out of fuel and would also be easy for the Peacekeepers to track. At the spaceport he found what he wanted; a small unobtrusive transport vehicle left unattended and unlocked.
"Now I'm a car thief as well. Oh well, just add it to the list with all the other crimes," he thought as he powered up the ship and flew it down to the medical centre. He carried Aeryn in, thanked the doctor again and took off. As he did, he saw ship lights landing in the area where he had left the other ship. It would be only a matter of time before they would be coming after them again.
Having escaped the immediate threat of the command carrier, John didn't dare slow down. A quick look at the scanner before they had shot away from the planet confirmed that a number of Prowlers had been launched from the carrier and were coming in pursuit. He had a very good head start on them but if they did catch up with him they were faster and more manoeuvrable than his transport ship. He also knew that they had extremely powerful weapons as he'd seen what Aeryn's Prowler could do. He wouldn't win against them in a straight race or a fight in space. He wanted to put as much distance between them and High Command as possible. After a couple of arns flying at top speed he was aware that the ship was almost out of fuel. He went to check on Aeryn. She was unconscious and ice cold. He remembered that she had been like that when Larraq had pierced her paraphoral nerve. He knew it was time to find somewhere to land with a good sized spaceport and a medical facility. On the scanner there was a series of planets coming up. They were all listed as inhabited. He landed on the farthest of the four planets, hoping that their pursuers would spend time checking the others first.
They had landed near a reasonable sized settlement. He stopped the first person he saw. They may recognise him if the Peacekeepers came but it couldn't be helped.
"My comrade is injured. Do you have medical facilities here?" He followed the directions he was given and entered the small medical centre, carrying the unconscious Aeryn. Time to use the Peacekeeper guise again. "My commander has vital information. I must get her back to High Command as soon as possible, but she's wounded and I don't think she'll make it. I need you to treat her now!"
"Let's have a look." The doctor poked and prodded Aeryn for what seemed like an age. "Umm, nasty; broken arm, torn ligaments in her leg, a couple of broken ribs and, if I'm not mistaken, internal bleeding. It looks like she's been severely beaten, but these wounds are from some days ago. Why didn't you get treatment before?"
"You know that I can't give you any details and it would be better for you if I didn't. Lets just say that she got the dren beaten out of her by some people that you wouldn't want to know. She seemed alright at first, I mean she was fully conscious until a couple of arns ago, but then she started to get worse and worse.
"Hmm, well she will require surgery, but I don't have the necessary team here. She'll have to go to Mandon"
"How far is that" replied John with concern; the pursuing Peacekeepers could arrive at any time.
"It's the next planet"
"Please, we have to get back. It's vital. Can't you just patch her up enough to get back to High Command alive? They'll fix everything else." John knew he was taking a risk with Aeryn's life, but he figured that it would be better for her to die of her injuries as a free woman than return to Peacekeeper custody and execution. The doctor reluctantly agreed and got to work. It was over an arn later before he beckoned John back into the room. Aeryn lay asleep on the operating table. The doctor started telling him what he had done but all John could do was stare at her too pale face, marred as it was by the vivid bruises.
"..and the internal bleeding was quite extensive; that's what took the time. Oh, and I had to remove her IC but that shouldn't be a problem for the time being. High Command can sort everything out when you get back"
"Thanks Doc, you've done a great job. I'm gonna go and get our ship and take her off you hands"
"You shouldn't move her yet, it would be most dangerous" exclaimed the doctor
"I know Doc, but I don't have any choice. I will be court marshalled if I don't get her back as quickly as possible." More glib lies
John left in search of a new ship. He knew that he needed to change from the old one, which was out of fuel and would also be easy for the Peacekeepers to track. At the spaceport he found what he wanted; a small unobtrusive transport vehicle left unattended and unlocked.
"Now I'm a car thief as well. Oh well, just add it to the list with all the other crimes," he thought as he powered up the ship and flew it down to the medical centre. He carried Aeryn in, thanked the doctor again and took off. As he did, he saw ship lights landing in the area where he had left the other ship. It would be only a matter of time before they would be coming after them again.