The New Holland Incident

It seemed surreal to her and a bit insane that she had been the one flying, but the doctor and medics had affirmed it. And while it was still quite patchy, parts of her memories did seem to corroborate their story. She leaned back and attempted to rest her eyes. Her tendrils were sore and the new dressing the medic had applied to her head was itchier than the one Edan had used, but the softness of the cloth bedding was inviting enough for her to ignore it. They had offered her some kind of gown to wear after they had finished treating her thigh but she had declined, opting for a simple pair of quite baggy pants that one of the Human's had given her. She had been asked at least three times if she was sure she didn't want something to cover the rest of her body, but after being cramped up in a pressure suit she wanted to let her tendrils breath.

The Human medic had looked at her quite odd after that. He was quite deliberately making sure that his gaze didn't fall to her chest. Vas figured it was probably a Human modesty thing. Her saviors did seem to have very little of their bodies that was not covered by some sort of clothing. So the next time the medic had come around she had requested a light sheet to drape over herself. No sense in offending the people who had saved her, she owed them that... and so much more. Besides, the fabric seemed breathable enough that it wasn't much of an issue.

Vas figured she must have dozed off because when she awoke she glanced over to find Edan sitting in a chair beside her. He was joined by two other men she didn't recognize, well not immediately anyways. One of the men who was standing she knew as the doctor who had come around to check on her periodically. The other seemed familiar but Vas couldn't yet place it. He wore the same uniform as Edan, so a Marine for sure, but held himself much straighter than her medic friend did. They were quietly talking to one another. About what however she couldn't make out. They stopped once they noticed she was awake.

"Good to see you awake, Miss Hiteal. How are you feeling?" The unknown Marine said in a strikingly familiar voice.

Immediately Vas recognized it as that of the Marine leader, 'Leftenant' Southers. It was a bit of a shock at first. During the entirety of their time on board the transport she had never actually once seen him without his purposely dark and opaque helmet. She had simply associated his voice with his armor and size. Now however she got to see the man as he naturally was. Vas wasn't really sure what she had been expecting. The pale white coloring of his skin was put at odds with the blackness of his hair and the deep blue of his eyes. The angles of his face seemed to accent those features, and the same as when she had first seen Edan, it was alien but not unpleasant. Regardless, the woman was happy that she could now put a proper face to the man who had rescued her.

"Sore." She replied, changing her position so she was sitting up on the bed. Previously having discovered that parts of the bed could move up and down, she adjusted it so it would support her back while she sat. The ship's gravity was a little heavier than she was used to, so anything to take some of that load off she was thankful for.

"I don't doubt it." The man said after she had finished playing with the beds controls. "It was quite the ordeal you went through."

She was about to open her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a sorry looking Edan before she could.

"I'm sorry about what I did to you." The younger man apologized. "I should have known that you might respond differently. I wasn't thinking clearly at the time."

Vas frowned at him. "Why sorry? You saved me. I would be dead right now, maybe worse." She reached out and attempted to touch him. He moved closer and took her hand. "So no apologies. Thank you for saving my life." She cupped his hand and gently squeezed. "Just please, don't inject me with whatever that was again."

Edan laughed. "Yeah, I'll know better for next time." He smiled at her. "It must have been one hell of an experience for you."

Vas withdrew her hand and laid back. "I only remember small pieces."

"I'm not surprised." The doctor said. "Your brain activity was incredibly chaotic during your first exam. I had to get three orderlies to hold you still so I could even examine you." The man let out a chuckle, re-positioning himself so he could address the group as a whole. "As far as I can tell the combination of pain medication and the artificial adrenaline caused your brain to start a chain reaction of sorts. Nearly every part of it was overactive. I had to forcibly sedate you just so I could treat your wounds and flush your system. I also needed to give myself a crash course on Lohi biology so I knew what drugs I could give you." The doctor gave her a confident smile. "No need to worry now, you'll be in good hands with us until we can get you back to your people."

"Thank you, doctor." Vas said as sincerely as she could. She really hoped he was being truthful about reading up on her biology. A repeat of her previous state was not really something she was all to excited to experience again.

"You're very welcome, miss." He replied. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to check on my other patients."

With that the doctor took his leave. With the third man gone, Vas felt herself relax a little more. It wasn't that she was unappreciative of everything he had done for her, not at all. It was just that the two marines had been watching over her from the moment they met. It because of this that the Lohi woman found it just that much easier to relax.

"It is good to see that you're feeling better Vas." Edan said as the conversation resumed. Vas smiled and agreed.

The trio chatted for the next few minutes. Mostly it involved filling her in, with what they could tell her, about what had happened while they had been on the transport. The destruction of the Hyande Val-Askanse had stung a little, it being her first real piloting job after all. But the sacrifice of the other Commonwealth ship had come as a bit more of a surprise. The Lohi woman didn't pretend to understand the motivations of her Human saviors, but destroying their entire ship just so that others could escape caught her by surprise. It seemed like both an incredibly selfless and selfish act. One part revenge and another part sacrifice. Vas couldn't help but admit, if only to herself, that the nobility of it was actually quite appealing.

They continued to talk for another few minutes before they were interrupted light beeping that seemed to emanate from somewhere on Marine Medic's lower body. Vas looked curiously as the man leaned back in his chair and retrieved some kind of rectangular handheld device from one of his pockets. He looked at it and nodded at his superior before sliding it back where it had come from.

"Seems like time's up Corporal." Leftenant Southers said, letting out a barely audible sigh as he stood from his chair. Edan matched him with only a split second delay.

"Time for what?" Vas inquired, curious now as to why her friends had to leave so suddenly.

"There's a memorial service for the crew of the Battleaxe that didn't make it." Edan replied, tilting his neck to one side and rolling one of his shoulders. Vas watched as he winced at the movement, proceeding to gently massage the affected muscle before straightening completely.

"Can I come?" The Lohi woman asked. Partly because she was curious about how a Human memorial service would be like, and partly because she had been cooped up in this bed (she wasn't quite sure for how long it had been now) and desperately wanted a change of scenery that didn't include hospital beds, doctors and whatever those pipes on the ceiling she had been staring at were.

"I'm sorry Miss Hiteal, but it is really only for Royal Navy personnel." Southers replied to her.

If he really was sorry Vas couldn't tell. The man seemed to be fairly good at keeping his expressions hidden. Either that or she had been seriously misinterpreting them this whole time. Regardless, the next few words came out of her mouth before she had really stopped to think about them.

"How do I join the Royal Navy then?" She asked.

The duo paused and shot her a quizzical look. Realizing what she had just said, Vas was about to apologize and retract her spur of the moment question when Southers spoke.

"You would have to talk to a recruiter and enlist." The man said. Vas could sense that he was skeptical about her statement, but nonetheless answered it, although cautiously.

The Lohi woman couldn't entirely place where the question had come from. She felt like it was more than just a slip of her words possibly brought on by her not completely healthy current state. Something in her head was telling her that she was serious. Something that had seen how these people, who she had never met before today, were willing to risk everything to help a group of hijacked travelers. And had done so without hesitation, without fear. Asking nothing in return. Instead they dedicated resources to make sure that those who they had rescued were safe and healthy. If it was nothing more than a cultural thing, Vas found herself drawn to the nobility of it all. If it was a learned behavior, the young woman found herself desiring that strength. Either way, Vas had begun to convince herself that it was not just a simple reactionary statement. She, in all of her right mind, wanted to become a part of it.

"Where is a recruiter?" She said, continuing the line of questioning.

"They would be back in Britain." The man answered again, a little less cautiously this time. Vas was about a speak again when the older marine cut her off. "Miss Hiteal, I can appreciate that you want pay your respects. And I will talk to our commander about allowing you to come to the memorial to do so after the service is done. You don't need to join the Navy just to do so."

Vas froze for a moment. She could tell that 'Leftenant' Southers didn't think she was being serious. Of course, why would he? She was just some xeno girl they had rescued. Why would someone like that want to join a military organization like theirs? She wasn't British, let alone Human. From his perspective she must have just sounded foolish. And maybe she was. Maybe it was foolish to think that they would let her in. But she had to try, if anything for her own sake.

"No, I want to enlist." She said, forcing as much confidence into her voice as she could. "I want to be like you."

Edan, who had been standing quietly during the whole exchange, let out what the young woman assumed was a chuckle.

"No offense Vas, but I don't think they would take you." The medic said with a grin.

Vas's stomach dropped, leaving an embarrassed feeling flood her. She hadn't thought of that. That they would refuse her simply because what she was. It hadn't been a outright no however. 'Leftenant' Southers didn't say that she couldn't join, only that she didn't have to. Perhaps there was still hope after all, but she had to be sure.

"Is it because I'm not British?" She inquired, deciding to leave the obviously glaring issue of her not being Human out of the question. If only to see how her new friends would respond.

Edan laughed again. "No Vas it's not that. That is actually not really an issue" A small wave of relief. "I just don't think you're cut out to be a Royal Marine."

It was Vas's turn to let out a laugh. "Oh! God forgive me, no! I didn't mean as a marine!" The relief started to build. "I am a pilot. I can fly ships. That is what I'm good at."

The outlook of the conversation was seeming to be more positive now. Hearing that she didn't actually need to be British to join was relieving. It could mean that it was possible for her to enlist even if she wasn't Human. Vas found herself excited at the notion. A part of her made sure to remind that she hadn't actually been given a yes yet. But the possibility was looking better. Her temporary high was knocked down a few notches when a very serious looking 'Leftenant' Southers looked her directly in the face. His gaze seemed to pierce right though her, causing her to immediately stiffen and straighten herself.

"Miss Hiteal." The officer began. "I need to ask you. Why do you want to join the British Royal Navy? I want you to tell me exactly what brought you to this conclusion."

With the previous lighten tone gone, Vas found herself being stared down by two incredibly serious sets of eyes. All illusions of casual conversation had been dismissed and the young woman was now to attempt to explain something that she had only just convinced herself of a mere few moments previously. Gathering all the courage she could muster, she began to explain herself.

"I want to be like you." She said, looking straight back at the marine officer.

"You've said that already." Southers reminded her. "You need to tell me more than that." He pressed.

Vas summoned her courage again and continued. "I don't want to be afraid anymore. I saw how you came and saved us. You risked your lives for strangers and battled an enemy who most run away from. You sacrificed yourselves to keep us safe, and I want to learn that. I want to learn how to be strong and not afraid. I want to be like you."

"Is that all?" Southers asked, causing Vas to frown. Was it not good enough? Did she not use the right words to describe her feelings? She could try again if he gave her another chance. Southers continued to speak. "Why not join your own people's military?" He asked, probing her more.

"My people don't have a military." She responded, realizing that he probably didn't know anything about her people or their politics. "The Kai'ani protect us."

"How come your people don't have a military?" She heard Edan ask, noticing a slightly annoyed sideways glance from his superior. Regardless the medic continued. "That seems odd."

"It's the rule. The Kai'ani protect us, so they tell us we don't need a military." The Lohi responded. "That's how it's always been."

"I see." 'Leftenant' Southers mused. "Why not enlist with them?" He asked.

Vas paused for a moment and locked her eyes on the man's. She wanted to make sure she was being taken as seriously a possible.

"I don't want to join theirs, I want to join yours." She said as straight as possible. "It wasn't the Kai'ani who came to our rescue, and it wasn't the Kai'ani who risked themselves for us. It was you. Besides, the Kai'ani won't accept Lohi into their military."

The marine leader was quiet for a moment and then cracked a small smile. "I understand. However I want you to understand that if you are to enlist with His Majesties Royal Navy that you are not doing it because you feel you have a debt to pay, but are doing so because it is something you want. Do you understand?" The man asked, his tone warming slightly.

Vas didn't even find herself hesitating. "Yes, this is what I want, it's my decision."

"Understood. I will have a talk with my superiors about your desire to enlist." The man said. Vas could feel an almost giddy sense of accomplishment rising within her, but suppressed it. Not wanting to ruin the seriousness of the moment with a child like outburst. "The corporal and I do have to attend the memorial service first however. When it's over I'll come back and we can discuss your proposal in more detail. Until then miss Hiteal."

With a short nod of approval and goodbye from Edan, the duo began to walk away and out of her line of sight. Vas couldn't help but smile.