aftermath: life debt | the bad batch

xxxiii. obroa-skai

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xxxiii.

obroa-skai

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•••

"I didn't think you guys would be back so soon," Kix said. They had landed back on Obroa-Skai around ten minutes prior, but it took a while for Kix to come to their ship. After all, they had landed on the outskirts of the planet.

"We had to amputate Hunter's arm," Rex said. Hunter had slipped into a coma by then, which meant they really needed to hurry.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me correctly," Rex replied.

"But why?"

"When we were on Bracca-" Echo started to say, before Kix interrupted him.

"Why the hell were you guys on Bracca?! That place is infested with imperials."

"Yeah that's because of us. Anyway, when we were escaping, Hunter was involved in an explosion, which severely injured his arm," Echo continued, sparing Kix the details. "He didn't tell us about it, and we found out too late to do anything other than amputate it. You'll have to hurry, he's losing a lot of blood, fast."

"So I have to patch up his arm and give him a prosthetic arm in replacement?" Kix asked.

"That's what we were hoping you could do."

"I don't know..." Kix said, sounding uncertain.

"What do you mean 'you don't know?!' Hunter is dying!"

"I don't know how I'd be able to do this. I would have to complete this procedure privately," Kix said. "Tech's issue was easy enough. Give him the anecdote and fix a couple wounds. With this, I'm going to have to give him a prosthetic arm. It'll be tough to hide this from the empire. We have an endless supply of anecdotes, but not an endless supply of prosthetics."

"So then how will you be able to complete the operation?"

"The empire gave me my own private lab. I should be able to get the operation done there. I may need some help. Tech, do you mind? I know you have a certain level of expertise in the medical field, and it'll help me a lot. We don't usually do larger procedures here, so I may be a little rusty."

"No, I don't mind," Tech said. "I'd be happy to help."

"I can help too!" Omega said, excited about possibly helping them.

"Do you know your way around the medical field?" Kix asked, doubting that she could actually help.

"It's all I've been taught throughout my entire life," she continued, trying to convince Kix to let her help him and Tech on the operation.

"While Omega is skilled when it comes to medicine, I don't think it would be good for her to go," Tech said, adjusting his goggles.

"What?" Omega replied, a little shocked. "Why?"

"The empire is looking for you primarily."

"But I can help! I understand what's going on."

"No, Omega. That's final," Tech said.

Omega sighed, knowing there was no arguing with that.

"It's for your own good."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."