Bright Horizons

Chapter 20

"Hold still, General." Doctor Amanda Reeling was trying to look at the small wound on the back of his shoulder.

"I thought you were a geologist or something, Amanda. How were you on the Danube?" Kyle asked.

"I am, but I was an LPN before I fell in love with inorganic chemistry and went back to school. When the war broke out, I felt I owed it to Emily to join up. They didn't need a lot of geologists, but they did need nurses."

Kyle felt his sister squeeze his hand and looked down at her.

"I still can't believe this," Cindy said.

"I know, sis, but you are safe now."

Kiskaliski stood nearby watching another of the medics who was patching up Sergeant Wills. The grenade shrapnel was mostly absorbed by his body armor and aside from some severe bruising and a few minor punctures and lacerations, he would be fine. Three of the marines in the Otina lab were not so lucky, and the Earth forces lost twelve in all. The rescued prisoners and the most seriously injured marines were put aboard the Danube, and each of the other vessels took a couple of medics to treat the minor injuries. Cindy was supposed to go on the medical scooter, but she was insistent that she stay with her brother. When Kyle mentioned that he was heading straight to the Iltia system, K-man asked permission from Salazar to accompany the General.

"I'm telling you, it was amazing. I never saw anything like it." Wills was telling K-man. "The General came in, pulled his saber from its sheath, grabbed his KA-BAR from his belt and just ran into the blue field. I don't think the Otina knew what was happening."

K-man nodded. "I saw the results of his action. I was pretty stunned, and I never thought I would be stunned again."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "You were both trained to know that a knife is the deadliest weapon in an enclosed environment."

"A knife, yeah, but a sword? Why did you think to go get a sword?" K-man asked.

Kyle was about to speak when he heard his sister start to laugh. All three of the marine's looked at her to see what was so funny.

"You mean he doesn't tell everyone?" she asked.

"Tell everyone what?" Wills asked.

"Cindy, it's no big deal. Just drop it," Kyle said quietly.

"No, don't drop it, what does he tell everyone?" insisted K-man.

"When he first graduated the Academy, it was all he told anyone who would listen. He was the fencing champion his senior year. He thought it was the biggest deal in the world and he wouldn't shut up about it," Cindy said as tears of laughter streaked down her cheeks.

"Well...," Kyle cleared his throat. "I guess it did pay off today, didn't it?"

They all laughed at that.

Cindy moved closer to her brother as the two medics finished up their work and started to pack up their kits. "How long has it been since we were taken from the Endeavor?" Cindy asked finally.

"Two years, ten months and twelve days," said Kyle.

"And who were the other two humans with us?" she inquired.

"One was Chinese and we were able to get some information about him. The other was in such shock that we couldn't get him to say anything or even acknowledge whether he understood us," Doctor Reeling said as she came back over and sat with them.

"I know there is obviously a lot of information that I am missing, but can someone bring me up to speed. Aliens, interstellar travel, my brother rescuing me... I'm a little lost," Cindy said to Kyle.