Chapter 18: The Orphans
War Wolves Compound, Cephiro Castle Grounds
Tino was whistling as he worked on one of the squad's mobile armors. This was what he lived for, the daily routine of maintenance and upkeep on these fascinating machines. Ever since he was a pup, he'd been fascinated by the intricacies of machines, especially those in the military. He'd worked his hands raw in the Academy to be accepted into the Mechanics division, and from there he had managed to catch the eye of Kefka and became the squad mechanic for the War Wolves. Of course, he never imagined that one day he'd leave the Imperium behind and be fighting for an alien world, alongside his comrades.
"Funny how life works out, isn't it, buddy?" he asked as he patted the armor plating of the mobile armor. "One second we're conquering planets for the Imperium, the next second we're trying to keep a planet from being conquered. Just wish the locals weren't so afraid of us."
"Hey Tino, you sweet talking the equipment again?"
Tino blinked and turned around. "Hey Meex, you already done with the other suits?" he asked, climbing back down to the ground.
"Yeah, just needed some adjustments to the targeting computers," said Meex. "What about you?"
"Not much, just making sure the joints and gyros are working smoothly," said Tino.
"Well then we're in good hands," said Meex. "I'm about to go to the refugee camp. They need a few extra hands with the equipment Harkoss donated. Want to give me a hand?"
"Why not, it's been a while since I've been called a flea-bitten mongrel by the locals," he said, half-jokingly.
They both walked to the refugee camp where they saw Jiang checking the inventory.
"Oh good, just in time," he said when he saw them. "We need to set up an operating room for some of the more extreme injuries."
"Can do," said Tino. "Just point us in the right direction."
They started setting up the operating room inside of a temporary structure that the refugees had set up. In addition to operating tables, they were bringing in various Zill medical equipment, such as bionic limb printers and healing tanks.
"Boy, this stuff is heavy," said Tino as he and Meex set down the last operating table.
"Yeah, no kidding," said Meex, stretching his back. "I could do with a cold drink."
"My thoughts exactly," said Jiang as he entered, carrying three lightly glowing green vials.
"Ahh, you brought the good stuff," said Tino with a grin, grabbing one of the vials. "You know, I could get used to drinking this straight up, instead of using my helmet's induction port."
"Yeah, same here, " said Meex as he downed half his vial.
"So, how are you guys mixing with these locals?" asked Jiang.
"Slow," admitted Tino. "These people are still afraid of us, even after everything we've done."
"What do you expect," said Meex. "The Imperium is out there blowing them up, burning down their homes and shooting them down like animals. They're homeless and scared half to death, and now we're walking among them like nothing has happened."
"I just wish there was something we could do to put them at ease," said Jiang. "I want them to be able to trust us, not just to tolerate us."
"Yeah, but what can we do?" asked Tino.
Just then Hikaru and Kefka showed up. "Hey guys, are you busy?" asked Hikaru. "We need a few extra hands."
"What did you guys need?" asked Jiang.
"The Zill made another push earlier today to take more territory," said Kefka. "Ended up forcing a civilian orphanage to pull up stakes and make a run for it. They'll be arriving here shortly."
"Ye gods, all those children," said Tino. "I hope they're okay."
"Unfortunately, some of the children are sick and injured," said Kefka. "Not to mention there's a young woman with them who's about to have a baby."
"Say no more," said Meex. "We'll be right there to help."
"Thanks, you guys," said Hikaru.
They started helping set up new spaces for the incoming orphans. New tents, cots, scrounging up medicine and food, the whole nine yards. The refugees were still a little bit standoffish with them, but they were still willing to work with them. Maybe they were starting to warm up to them after all.
About an hour later a horse-drawn wagon appeared, carrying a middle-aged woman and a bunch of children. The woman climbed down, brushing herself off. She wore a faded brown dress, an apron, and had her graying hair tied back in a bun. "Who's the one in charge around here?" she asked, looking around.
"I can assist you, ma'am," said Kefka, stepping forward. "Commander Kefka, War Wolves. You must be the orphanage mother."
"Matron Hulda, actually," she said, looking Kefka over. "What are you supposed to be, some kind of dog man?"
"Zill defector," said Kefka. "So are the rest of my squad. We're here to help."
"So that's what you look like under those helmets," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Well if you're really here to help, give me a hand with the young ones."
"Understood," said Kefka. "Come on, men, let's do this!"
Along with some of the other refugees, the War Wolves and the Magic Knights started helping the children off the wagon. Once they'd done that, they set about getting the children settled in and cleaned up. Raxx was bringing the sick and injured children to his tent for medical care, assisted by Umi and Tino. Shakku and Jiang set about getting the orphans fed.
"Wait, what about the expectant mother?" asked Kefka as the last child was helped off the wagon.
"She'll be along soon," said Hulda. "She stopped off to visit her parents. They live on the outskirts of the castle."
"They didn't evacuate with the others?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They're stubborn folk," said Hulda. "But they know how to handle themselves."
"Alright, I'll have my men keep an eye out for her," said Kefka.
Raxx was in his tent, tending to a small boy with a missing leg. Umi was there as well, assisting him. Tino was bandaging and tending to another child with some minor cuts and bruises.
"I wonder how he lost his leg," said Umi, passing Raxx some clean bandages.
"Looks like plasma burns," said Raxx, examining the stump of the missing limb. "Sometimes our artillery doesn't explode on impact, so it just sits there cooking off until some poor soul comes along."
Umi shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "That's horrible," she said, shaking her head.
"Yeah, it is," said Raxx. "Especially when it hurts children like this."
"Is everything going okay in here?" asked Fuu, poking her head in the tent.
"Yeah, so far so good," said Tino. "How are the other kids doing?"
"Jiang and Shakku are getting them fed right now," said Fuu. "I never would have guessed Shakku knew his way around a kitchen."
"A big guy like that, a good cook?" asked Umi. "Color me surprised."
"Hey Fuu, would you be willing to do me a favor?" asked Raxx. "Would you help keep an eye on my patients? Your healing magic could come in handy if my treatments don't go far enough."
"Of course, Raxx, I'd be glad to," said Fuu with a smile as she left.
Hulda came by next, entering the tent. "So you're the camp healer?" she asked.
"Volunteer, but yes," said Raxx. "Lieutenant Raxx, Chief Medical Officer for the War Wolves."
"Umi Ryuuzaki," said Umi. "I'm one of the Magic Knights. I also help Raxx with the injured and sick."
"Well I owe both of you big time," said Hulda. "These kids were in bad shape, and I can only do so much, especially at my age."
"Has the young mother-to-be arrived yet?" asked Raxx, taking a sip of water.
"No, not yet," said Hulda. "Honestly I'm getting worried. It shouldn't have taken her this long."
"If you'd like, I could ask some of my squadmates to go looking for her," said Raxx.
"If you could do that, I'd be grateful," said Hulda. "If the poor thing goes into labor before she reaches us, I'm afraid for both of them."
Raxx stood up. "Tino, you and Meex go take a look," he said. "Make sure she gets here safely."
"Yeah, you got it," said Tino, leaving the tent and going to collect Meex.
Cephiro Castle Outskirts
Shortly afterwards, both Tino and Meex were out of the camp and searching for traces of the missing woman. "I sure hope she's alright," said Tino. "Between the Zill and the monsters, it isn't safe to be walking out alone at night like this."
"Monsters don't come this close to the castle," said Meex, "and so far the Zill haven't come anywhere near this territory. I just hope we can keep it that way."
Just then Tino's ears perked up. "Shh! I heard something!" he whispered, pointing towards some forest brush. He reached for his pistol, and Meex did the same thing. They watched closely as something emerged. It was the missing woman, clutching her belly.
"Miss Hulda… Miss Hulda," she said weakly before collapsing. In the moonlight the two Zill could see a small tear in her dress, surrounded by a dark red stain.
"Ye gods, it's the pregnant girl! She's been shot!" shouted Meex, rushing to her side.
"Come on, we need to get her back to the camp, fast!" said Tino, rushing over to help.
Cephiro Castle, Refugee Camp
"Talk to me, what happened to her?" asked Raxx, heading for the operating tent.
"She was shot, right through the lower abdomen," said Tino. "From the looks of it, it was a sniper shot."
"So the Zill actually came this close to the castle," said Raxx. "Someone has to warn Ferio and Lafarga as soon as possible."
"Raxx, I came as soon as I heard!" said Umi, running over to join him. "How is she doing?"
"It's not good," said Raxx. "From the sounds of it, she's bleeding out from her injury. I'm going to have to do an emergency birth along with the needed surgery or we may lose them both."
"How can I help?" she asked.
"Let's get sterilized and I'll tell you," said Raxx.
Quickly he, Tino and Umi washed up, dressed in some sterile medical gear, and entered the tent. Raxx grabbed a small headset and put it on. "Umi, I need you to pass me my equipment and keep track of her vitals," he said, passing her another headset. "Tino, you oversee the equipment. She's lost a lot of blood, you need to run the blood pump and keep her as stable as possible."
"Right," she said with a nod, putting on the headset.
"You got it," said Tino.
Raxx picked up a laser scalpel and quickly got to work. The headsets projected small holographic displays that tracked the vital signs of not only the mother but her unborn child as well. They also allowed them to perform deep scans to determine the extent of the injury.
"I was right, the shot cut right through her uterine artery," said Raxx. "Umi, you remember that device I used on you when I healed you?"
"Yeah, got it," said Umi, quickly grabbing it from among his other operating tools.
Raxx aimed it, shining that soft blue light over the gunshot wound. Slowly but surely the destroyed tissue began to grow back, closing up. "Tino, pump some more blood in! Her BP is dropping!"
"Right," said Tino, quickly making the needed adjustments to the blood pump.
"That's all we can do for the mother now, I'm going after the baby," said Raxx. "Umi, hand me the laser scalpel."
"Is she going to be okay?" asked Umi as she handed over the tool.
"Tino, how's it look on your end?" asked Raxx, powering up the small energy blade.
"BP is barely holding, and I'm already doing what I can here," said Tino, shaking his head.
Raxx began making the incision. "That shot came awfully close to the baby," he said. "Everyone, if you're a believer, say a prayer."
Outside, Shakku was standing outside the tent entrance, occasionally looking in to see how things were going. He wasn't alone, either; a small crowd had gathered, all of them just as worried.
"Shakku!"
He turned around and saw Hikaru, Fuu and Kefka approaching. "Oh, there you guys are," he said.
"We just heard, how is she?" asked Hikaru, looking worried.
"Poor thing, she's barely hanging on," said Shakku. "And I'm not even sure if the child is alright."
Seconds later there was a noise from inside the tent. The distinct cry of a new life taking its first breath.
"The baby, it's okay!" cried Fuu almost in happy tears.
"Another soul among the living," said Kefka with a smile.
"Now we just have to hope the mother pulls through," said Shakku.
Hikaru went into the tent. "Raxx, is it a boy or a girl?" she asked eagerly.
"Well if the pictures I saw in medical school are still accurate, it's a little boy," said Raxx with a smile.
"And he's really okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, that shot grazed him, though," said Raxx. "He's got a nick in his little butt. Going to be like that forever."
Hikaru blinked and said, "Wow…at least he wasn't seriously hurt. What about the mother?"
"She's in rough shape, but she should pull through," said Raxx. "This family is going to stay together after all."
Hikaru quickly ran out of the tent and yelled, "Hey, they're okay! They're both going to be okay!"
Raxx looked up as he heard the crowd cheering. "Well that's more good news for these people," he said with relief. "That was pretty touch and go there for a while."
"You were amazing, Raxx," said Umi. "They both made it because of you."
"Well I had some great help," said Raxx, smiling at her. "You ever consider becoming a nurse?"
"Not really," she laughed, "but I was happy to assist you."
"Hey, I got an idea," said Tino. "Why don't we go celebrate the little guy's birthday?"
"Sounds good to me," said Raxx. "What about you, Umi?"
"Yeah, let's go," she said.
The Next Day
Kefka sat beside the bed where the young mother lay holding her newborn. "As commanding officer of the War Wolves, and by the authority vested in me by Prince Ferio of Cephiro," he said, "it is my great pleasure to present to the son of…" He paused and looked at the woman. "I'm sorry, your name?"
"Elora," she said with a smile.
"To the son of Elora the Corridai Cross for wounds received in the line of duty," he finished, removing one of the medals from his uniform. He smiled, leaned down and pinned the medal to the baby's blanket, adding, "It's my great privilege to honor the little guy."
The baby smiled and cooed up at Kefka. Elora cuddled him closer and looked over to Raxx. "I'm in your debt," she said. "You saved both of our lives."
"I was more than happy to help, ma'am," said Raxx with a smile. "I'm just glad you both came out okay."
"Just keep on resting for now," said Kekfa as he stood up.
Hikaru was waiting by the tent entrance for Kefka to join her. As soon as he stepped out, she said, "That was a really sweet thing you did for them."
"Well I figured the little guy deserved it," said Kefka, walking away with Hikaru. "After all, what's worse than getting shot in the butt on your birthday?"
"Fair point," said Hikaru with a laugh, holding his arm.
As they walked, people smiled and greeted them. It was a pleasant change from the cold shoulders and stares that Kefka and the War Wolves usually got. Even the other War Wolves seemed to be more welcomed than usual. Shakku was hard at work in the mess tent, feeding the orphans again. Meex was teaching a small group of people about their machinery, how to work and maintain it. Jiang was telling a story to another group of orphans, which Kefka recognized as a popular children's tale from their homeworld.
"Hey, Kefka! Over here!"called Tino, who was approaching them quickly. In one hand he was clutching a small bouquet of wildflowers.
"Oh, hi Tino, how are you?" asked Hikaru with a smile. "Oh, who are the flowers for?"
"I was on my way to check on the new baby and his mother," said Tino." Thought I'd bring her some flowers to brighten up the tent."
"Well that's really sweet of you, Tino," said Hikaru. "I'm sure she'll love it."
"I really hope so," said Tino, looking at the little bouquet he'd put together. "Well, I'll see you guys later!" He jogged towards the medical tent.
"Well there's no telling what can happen from here," said Kefka with a smirk. Hikaru just laughed and continued to walk with him.