All That Glitters Ch. 30

"Huh," was the only comment, though the Pod-Drran pair gave each other significant looks. 'Just a doctor' indeed.

"For now, anything that you can teach us about helping these Pod-Drran would be appreciated," Heyya stated.

The two smiled and began to show the staff what needed to be done and what they needed to look out for while treating the Pod-Drran. In minutes, they had the doctors and nurses working efficiently on the new patients, an unfortunate Mind-Ur being used as a guinea pig to show the staff the baseline for a healthy Pod-Drran...

Piscium Quarters, Hotel Deck, Liramor-23, Piscium System

Junelliya was rolled into a little ball on the couch, Hanalei holding her tightly, when the door chimed.

"Enter," Hanalei said, knowing who would be there.

Vangeliya entered and came quickly to Junelliya.

"What happened?" she asked her student.

"Hatred," Junelliya said quietly. "So much hatred. Raymond was forced into combat with a Rai who wanted to disrupt the contact between the Pod-Drran and humans. He fought her unarmed and defeated her.

"It didn't matter to Kit-Zur that she had been defeated, she was going to kill Raymond. Fortunately, Gillaya and Kim intervened and killed the bitch.

"Those that were backing the bitch, though, they did not like the fact that Raymond defeated one of their best, unarmed, without having to kill her. You would not have wanted to be there, to feel all that hatred from them," Junelliya ended.

"Oh, Junelliya," Hanalei cried holding her mate even tighter. She was upset before, not knowing what had happened. She was even more upset now having discovered the truth. Even the Cats were responding to Junelliya's emotional distress.

"Sit up, Junelliya," Vangeliya ordered. "She then took Junelliya's hand and helped her find her calm. The Cats all settled on Junelliya, Hanaya on her right shoulder, Fayea on her left, and Juneya in her lap reaching up to rub Junelliya's chin with her tiny head. The two Cats on her shoulders rubbed her ears and purred the deep rumbled, trying to help calm her.

Hanalei reached out and took Vangeliya's hand, completing the three-way link between the humans. She revelled in being part of such a powerful duo, feeling the power that these two possessed and used flow through her own body in the link.

Vangeliya managed to help Junelliya find her center, calm her, and begin the treatment for her damaged psyche. Fayad came home an hour later finding them in much the same position. He quickly moved to sit beside Junelliya on the couch and gave her a warm hug.

"I love you, dearest Junelliya," he murmured quietly into her ear.

A smile bloomed on Junelliya's face. Warmth flooded through her. She opened her eyes and kissed her mate.

"Thank-you, Fayad," she said with a tear in her eye. "You always know how to find my heart."

Vangeliya marvelled at the love that showed in this Trine. Where can I find a man like that? she asked herself.

Conference Room One, Liramor-23, Piscium System

Raymond walked into the conference room for the morning brief and suddenly wished he had an excuse to miss it. On the large 3D monitor was the battle that he and Kit-Zur had conducted the day before. Fiona looked livid.

Mind-Ur was conducting a running translation on the commentary being heard from the Pod-Drran. Apparently, the imagery had made the fleet's news channel, with in-depth analysis from many different sources, all claiming to be expert warriors.

"The Pod-Drran have no idea of what to make of your fighting style, or lack there-of," Mind-Ur told Fiona. "They are impressed that a human would go against a seasoned warrior unarmed, especially one of Kit-Zur's standing.

"The one thing they did note was that Raymond had successfully used defensive tactics in conjunction with offensive tactics to take down Kit-Zur, or the former Rai as they are calling her as she has been stripped of her name because of her attack on Raymond after losing to him.

They all watched as Kit-Zur staggered up to Raymond and punched him without warning, snatching her weapon from him and getting ready to strike him down. Gillaya slammed into Raymond, wrapped him up inside of her protective arms and rolled away from the intended strike of Kit-Zur.

Kim came into the picture, jumping up and cutting Kit-Zur down with one stroke of her Katana. The commentary was worded toward the efficiency of the strike, how the sword had cut through to both arms and decapitated the former Rai, and how fast Kim had cleaned and sheathed the weapon after the fact.

There was a lot of debate going on over the battle, however, the one consensus was that humans were not the push-overs that the Pod-Drran had been anticipating. There was serious debate going on of what they would do once they arrived at The Home Star. Most of the debate was bluster, the 'experts' telling the viewers that they could prevail, however, the news readers were indicating that the prevailing attitude was that war with the Union was a foregone conclusion and it would not be in the Pod-Drran's favour.

"Well, it looks like something positive came out of your battle yesterday, Raymond," Fiona said. "The attitude of the Pod-Drran has made a significant shift based on your single combat, Kim taking down an angry Nam-Hur Ro and leaving him naked for several hours, and the demonstration of power that was conducted by our Navy a few weeks ago.

"This little episode of yours has also been included in the daily news brief of the fleet back to the home world. By now, this ongoing commentary is also likely being reflected there. We will probably see the effects of the battle going forward, though I wish I knew how that will be reflected. Any suggestions, Mind-Ur?" Fiona asked.

"The Emperor will not be pleased to have this going through the news nets so soon after the demonstration of power that your people made and the trip that we made through the Union, Fiona," Mind-Ur began.

"He will attempt to redirect the flow of public opinion, however, so far, the Emperor has taken several blows to his good standing with the people. It was he who convinced the Empress of this course of action, to send the fleet against the new 'infestation' at The Home Star.

"The Empress had suggested that they do a reconnaissance before sending the fleet, the Emperor told the people that it would be forty-six years before the reconnaissance could return with the vital information necessary and an additional twenty-seven years before the could get the fleet back to The Home Star, ready to deal with the infestation. He suggested instead that they send the fleet to do the reconnaissance in force, ready to deal with whatever they find at The Home Star.

"Now, the fleet and the home world, are at threat from the Union. A threat that could destroy the Pod-Drran. A threat that can be launched at any time and cannot be stopped by the Pod-Drran. The Emperor is getting deeper into a hole of his own making. There is speculation in the news that the Empress may discard him.

"If that happens, the Emperor would lose all. He is getting more and more desperate and he may try something dramatic in order to regain his former position. A Ro in such a desperate position is extremely dangerous, Fiona," Mind-Ur informed them.

Fiona gave Raymond another of those looks that told him he was in it deep. Just then, Heyya came into the conference room and saved his bacon.

Hospital, Hotel Deck, Liramor-23, Piscium System

Arl-Hal sin Dae, and her mate, Qan-Har Sin-Don, had just finished giving a lecture on the physiology of the Pod-Drran. They, Dr. Heyya and Dr. Xavier Margo, the Chief Surgeon, were working on a comparative anatomy study in the wing that had been set aside for the Pod-Drran that had just joined the House Ur.

The doctors and nurses were working with the new patients to familiarize themselves with Pod-Drran physiology. Their injuries had been extensive and serious. Heyya was pleased to see that the group was beginning to show signs of major improvement after a little more than three days of intensive support.

"It's a good thing that Kit-Zur Rai is dead," Heyya stated for the record. "Otherwise I would have killed her myself. I cannot believe the condition that these Pod-Drran were in when they arrived.

"What's worse, is the two Warrior Class left on the Koh-Tan. Have we received the daily notice on them yet?" she asked.

"Yes, it came in before we began our lecture," Qan-Har informed her. "They are improving to the point that they have been taken off the critical list, though they are still listed as serious."

"That sounds like a major improvement then," Heyya breathed a sigh of relief. "How long before you think that we can retrieve them?" she asked.

"When they are removed from the serious list, then you can retrieve them, not before," Arl-Hal informed Heyya.

Heyya's comp gave the flash of colour and sound of the medical emergency. Heyya opened it immediately.

"Dr. Heyya," she said.

"Dr. Heyya, this is Miner James Granson. I'm in the cafeteria at Kilo-five with a pregnant woman who is in major distress," Granson said.

"Do you know the name of the woman, Granson?" Heyya asked, already knowing the answer.

"She says her name is Jennifer Roust, doctor," Granson replied.

"Katanya, grab an orderly with a grav-chair and get down to K-5 now. Cuff her and let me know her condition right away. Looks like Mama may be in labour," she ordered Katanya, who left immediately.

"Granson, we have people on the way down now, please stay with Jennifer until they get there. Was there no one with her?" Heyya asked.

"Yes, but they went to do something while Jennifer stayed behind. Then she started having some trouble," Granson replied.

"Thank-you for your support Mr. Granson, it is greatly appreciated," Heyya complimented him.

"Think nothing of it, doctor, I would want someone to be there if my wife suddenly went into labour," Granson explained.

"Your people have just arrived, I'll sign off now, Dr. Heyya." Granson cut the link.

Almost immediately, Katanya's image came up on her comp. Heyya listened in as Katanya went through her survey.

"Heyya, it's 'Mama' from The Wanderer," Katanya began her official report. "She is having severe abdominal cramps, her BP is elevated, as is her heart rate. No sign of her water having broken yet. Other than being in pain, she seems to be good so far," Katanya gave her report. "We have her on the grav-chair and are on are way back up. Should be there in less than ten."

"Alright, people," Heyya snapped to all present. "We are about to open up Room Bravo One and use all the new maternity equipment that we have received. Those of you currently on duty in this wing, please remain, the rest, I need B1 prepped now."

People moved quickly to ready the birthing room and set up a room beside it for Mama and the baby once her little girl had graced the platform with her presence.

"Dr. Heyya," Arl-Hal stopped her briefly. "May I and my mate attend as observers? We promise not to get in the way. This would be the first and possibly the only human birth we might witness."

Heyya smiled and indicated that she and her mate should follow. They came to the birthing room and Heyya quickly filled them in on the different equipment that was in the room, everything from a fully functional birthing chair to equipment to monitor both the mother and the baby.

Qan-Har was impressed with the equipment in the room.

"Our females will have a brood of anywhere from three to six infants at a time. How many will human's have?" he asked.

"Usually one infant at a time, though two are not uncommon," Heyya informed the pair.

"I see," Arl-Hal nodded her head. "With so few infants in a brood, you would work hard to ensure the success of a birth."

Heyya smiled but that was cut off as the doors opened and a Jennifer was whisked into the birthing room.

"Has anyone contacted The Wanderer yet?" she asked as Roust was helped out of her cloths and into a hospital gown.

"Yes, ma'am," Silliya informed her. "I contacted Ayesha a couple of minutes ago, she is making arrangements to come over with Jennifer's mate, Daniel Polit."

"Dr. Heyya, this does not look good," Katanya stated. Heyya moved over to take a look. The scanner showed the baby was breach, which was why Roust was in so much distress.

"Arl-Hal, Qan-Har. Human babies are meant to come down the birth canal headfirst. This baby is reversed. Worse, it looks like the umbilical cord is wrapped around her neck."

"What will you do, Heyya?" Arl-Hal asked.

"We will massage the abdomen to push the baby into the correct position," Heyya explained. "Hopefully, as the baby moves, the cord will slip from around her neck and allow her to move down the birth canal with no issues.

"Jennifer, how are you feeling?" Heyya asked the woman.

"Stomach really hurts," she told Heyya.

"Yes. Did you hear what I said to our friends here?" Heyya asked.

"I did. It's not going to be comfortable for me is it?" Jennifer asked.

"No, but we should be able to get the baby turned shortly. Your water still hasn't broken yet, so that should allow us to move the baby reasonably freely.

"Jennifer, this is Arl-Hal Sin-Dae and her mate Qan-Har Sin-Don," Heyya indicated the two Pod-Drran. "They are here to help with the injured that Raymond brought from the Koh-Tan. They have requested to observe the birth, if you have no objection?"

Jennifer smiled at the two medical specialists. "I saw how you worked with the injured Pod-Drran while you were on The Wanderer coming here," she told them. "You have good ethics and I would not object to you being present," she informed them, with a smile.

"OK, people, show our guest doctors where to clean up," Heyya told her nurses. It only took a few minutes to prep the new doctors.

"Give me your hands Arl-Hal," Heyya said, pulling her in close. "I going to press slightly on the abdomen above where the baby is. Can you feel the shape of the baby?"

"OH! Yes I can!" an excited Arl-Hal remarked. "Our brood are always so small. We cannot feel them like this," she commented.

"Right, feel what we are pressing here. This is the head of the child. It should be down and not up as it is now." Heyya showed her what she meant then switched her out for Qan-Har.

"What we will do now is to gently push in one direction to begin turning the baby. But we must decide what direction to push in. There are multiple factors involved in this decision. How is the cord wrapped around the neck? We must push opposite the direction of the rotation of the wrapping. Otherwise, we will just tighten the cord on the neck.

"But we must also take into account how the baby is settle into the lower half of the womb. It may not allow us to move it in the direction we need to.

"An experienced doctor can do this by feel. However, we have the scanner to aid us so we will make use of that. Look, see how the cord is wrapping around the neck?" Heyya indicated on the scanner. "If we push at the baby's hip in this direction, we should be able to turn the baby and loosen the cord at the same time."

Heyya, placed her hands over Arl-Hal and showed her how to push and how much pressure to use.

"No matter what we do, there was going to be some discomfort to the mother. The key is to get the baby moving, then ease off the pressure slightly but keep the baby turning in the direction we want. Once the baby's head falls into the birth canal, we should be good," Heyya instructed.

She worked with the two Pod-Drran to show them what she wanted, then supervised them as they worked one at a time to move the baby. They watched on the scanner as the baby slowly turned and the head dropped down into it's proper place.

"Good job," Heyya praised them. "The baby is properly oriented now, and ready for birth."

Just then, Ayesha came in with Daniel Polit, now done up in a gown. He immediately went to his mate and took her hand, murmuring loving sounds to her, bringing a smile from her.

A sudden gush of fluids wet the end of the bed.

"Her water just broke," Katanya informed them unnecessarily.

"The baby is encased in a sac filled with amniotic fluids. Once that breaks, the baby is going to be born whether we want it too or not," Heyya informed her guests.

The nurses helped Jennifer to stand and swiftly cleaned her before Ayasha and Daniel helped her walk around the room.

"Human babies are large, so we let gravity work to help us in the delivery," Heyya explained to her guests.

"How do you know when to stop her from walking?" They asked.

"When the baby comes far enough down the canal, the mother can no longer comfortably walk. At that point, we will put her into the birthing chair, which can be rotated in different positions to help the mother in the birth," Heyya told them.

"We will let her walk for a little while, it will help her a little. When she gets tired, we will lay her down and inspect the cervix to see how far it has dilated," Heyya explained. "Human babies can come fast but most human labour is a long process."

Piscium Quarters, Hotel Deck, Liramor-23, Piscium System

The door chimed.

"Who is it?" Hanalei asked.

"It's Vangeliya. I have some bad news about tonight," she said.

"Open," Hanalei called out, allowing her guest to enter.

"What's up, Vangeliya?" Junelliya asked as she gave her instructor a hug.

"There has been a minor emergency at the hospital, so the Congress cannot meet tonight," Vangeliya explained.

"Nothing too serious I hope?" Hanalei asked, looking a little worried.

"Not really," Vangeliya told them. "Apparently, Mama came over to do some shopping in the newly opened shopping concourse and went into labour a few days earlier than expected."

"OH!! I'm so thrilled for her!" Junelliya said, skipping around.

"It's still early in the process and Heyya, Katanya, and Silliya are all involved," Vangeliya clarified. "They have no idea how long they will be, so chose to ask that the Congress be postponed."

"I understand completely," Junelliya said, hugging herself. "I hope it goes well and that we will soon have our first little girl running around The Wanderer and the platform."

"Oh, please!" Vangeliya exclaimed. "You're as bad as the Cats. Can you imagine what they will do once the little one is up and walking!"

That brought laughter from all, Cats loved children, as was graphically demonstrated to the Trine during the first day of the Grand Congress of Empaths.

The door chimed again. Junelliya reached out to open it. It was Mind-Ur.

"Hello, Mind-Ur," she greeted her friend. "What can we do for you?"

"Is this a bad time, Junelliya," Mind-Ur asked, seeing Vangeliya there and mindful of what she had been told earlier about Junelliya's 'special needs'.

"It's fine, we were just chatting," Junelliya reassured her friend. "You must have come for a reason?"

"Yes, I'm looking for inspiration," Mind-Ur said.

Junelliya raised an eyebrow, getting a laugh from Mind-Ur. The Pod-Drran had no eyebrows and could not deliberately wiggle the muscles over their eyes like humans could. It fascinated Mind-Ur no end to see her friends doing that.

"I'm trying to design my house crest, and I am not sure what to do," Mind-Ur admitted.

"What did your old house crest look like?" Fayad asked.

"It was a red Garren flower on a shield of green-gold," she told them, calling up an image from her comp.

"That looks rather simplistic for a coat of arms," Vangeliya said.

"Not all coat of arms are over the top," Fayad said. "In ancient times, it was important to be able to identify friend from foe at a glance, so heraldic banners tended to be simple. They only got more complicated in more modern times.