Read Online Solbidyum Wars Saga 5: Desolation by Dale C. Musser - Free Book Online
Authors: Dale C. Musser
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out in the crash.”
“What crash? Where are we? Did we get shot down?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I’ve not had time to find out, right now we need to get you to the med unit.” We were only steps away from the door to our cabin when suddenly Kala stiffened and screamed.
“Ohhh,” she moaned as the first contraction hit her.
“Don’t hold your breath, “I told her. You need to breathe. Remember the training vid that Doctor Danjuma had us watch on child birth?”
Kala’s face was contorted in pain, and she began to pant… “Oh Tibby, I didn’t think it would be like this.”
“Neither did I,” I answered as I kicked the cabin door open and helped Kala onto the bed. I opened the panel to the med unit, and it swung out over the bed, nearly hitting Kala in the head, and for the first time since I woke I noted the ship was not sitting evenly on the planet surface and that the room was slanted to one side.
“Let’s hope the med unit is working,” I said and then realized that perhaps I should not have said that.
“It’s not working?” Kala asked, her first contraction now having passed.
“I don’t know yet,” I answered, and I looked for the switch to activate it. “It should work. I seem to recall that it has its own back-up power supply that’s good for several days if the ships power is lost.”
“We must have ship’s power,” Kala said. “The lights are still on.”
“Yes but they could be on the emergency back-up. I'll need to check later,” as I was saying this the lights on the med unit began to flicker, and the vid screen on the unit began to light up.
“Place sensor pad over the patient," the mechanical voice of the med unit instructed.
I did as the machine asked as Kala settled back on the bed.
“Patient is in child birth labor.” The machine stated flatly. “Patient appears to have undergone non-threatening physical trauma and is in near state of shock. Administering medications to assist in delivery and in restorative life functions.”
“Fetuses appear to be several weeks premature but healthy. Administering medication to help with fetus lung and heart functions. Time until birth estimated to be 1 hour and 18 minutes. Contraction starting to commence,” the voice continued as Kala stiffened and began panting again as moisture off her face, as she was starting to perspire. I ultimately got a towel from the bathroom and gently wiped her brow.”
“Tibby, you’re going to need to deliver the babies,” Kala blurted out as she stared me in the eyes, “I don’t want that machine delivering our babies. I want the first hands that touch them to be those of their father.”
“But I'm not sterile,” I said in dismay.
“Of course you aren’t or we wouldn’t be having these babies!” Kala said through a grin. Her words shocked me, and it took a second for me to realize that even in her labor Kala was joking with me.
“Okay, you got me on that one. However, my hands aren’t sterile, and I don’t want to get any germs on the babies.” I answered.
“Tibby, you can sterilize your hands using the med unit. Just place your hands in that hole in the middle of the machine, and they will be sterilized.”
I did as Kala asked and noted a bluish light come on and reflect off the surfaces around the opening.
“Tibby, what happened? Where are we and how did we get here?”
“I don’t know Kala. When I woke up, the ship was warning that we were about to crash. I took a chance and tried to bring the nose of the ship up at the last second, so we would skid across the surface in hopes of less damage and injuries, and then I blacked out again. When I woke up, we were on the ground, your water had broken, and you had begun labor. That’s all I know.”
“Ship’s computer, this is Kalana. Damage report.”
“Ship has sustained substantial damage. Flight systems are inoperable. Fusion reactor
“What crash? Where are we? Did we get shot down?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I’ve not had time to find out, right now we need to get you to the med unit.” We were only steps away from the door to our cabin when suddenly Kala stiffened and screamed.
“Ohhh,” she moaned as the first contraction hit her.
“Don’t hold your breath, “I told her. You need to breathe. Remember the training vid that Doctor Danjuma had us watch on child birth?”
Kala’s face was contorted in pain, and she began to pant… “Oh Tibby, I didn’t think it would be like this.”
“Neither did I,” I answered as I kicked the cabin door open and helped Kala onto the bed. I opened the panel to the med unit, and it swung out over the bed, nearly hitting Kala in the head, and for the first time since I woke I noted the ship was not sitting evenly on the planet surface and that the room was slanted to one side.
“Let’s hope the med unit is working,” I said and then realized that perhaps I should not have said that.
“It’s not working?” Kala asked, her first contraction now having passed.
“I don’t know yet,” I answered, and I looked for the switch to activate it. “It should work. I seem to recall that it has its own back-up power supply that’s good for several days if the ships power is lost.”
“We must have ship’s power,” Kala said. “The lights are still on.”
“Yes but they could be on the emergency back-up. I'll need to check later,” as I was saying this the lights on the med unit began to flicker, and the vid screen on the unit began to light up.
“Place sensor pad over the patient," the mechanical voice of the med unit instructed.
I did as the machine asked as Kala settled back on the bed.
“Patient is in child birth labor.” The machine stated flatly. “Patient appears to have undergone non-threatening physical trauma and is in near state of shock. Administering medications to assist in delivery and in restorative life functions.”
“Fetuses appear to be several weeks premature but healthy. Administering medication to help with fetus lung and heart functions. Time until birth estimated to be 1 hour and 18 minutes. Contraction starting to commence,” the voice continued as Kala stiffened and began panting again as moisture off her face, as she was starting to perspire. I ultimately got a towel from the bathroom and gently wiped her brow.”
“Tibby, you’re going to need to deliver the babies,” Kala blurted out as she stared me in the eyes, “I don’t want that machine delivering our babies. I want the first hands that touch them to be those of their father.”
“But I'm not sterile,” I said in dismay.
“Of course you aren’t or we wouldn’t be having these babies!” Kala said through a grin. Her words shocked me, and it took a second for me to realize that even in her labor Kala was joking with me.
“Okay, you got me on that one. However, my hands aren’t sterile, and I don’t want to get any germs on the babies.” I answered.
“Tibby, you can sterilize your hands using the med unit. Just place your hands in that hole in the middle of the machine, and they will be sterilized.”
I did as Kala asked and noted a bluish light come on and reflect off the surfaces around the opening.
“Tibby, what happened? Where are we and how did we get here?”
“I don’t know Kala. When I woke up, the ship was warning that we were about to crash. I took a chance and tried to bring the nose of the ship up at the last second, so we would skid across the surface in hopes of less damage and injuries, and then I blacked out again. When I woke up, we were on the ground, your water had broken, and you had begun labor. That’s all I know.”
“Ship’s computer, this is Kalana. Damage report.”
“Ship has sustained substantial damage. Flight systems are inoperable. Fusion reactor
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