Co-Or

  Chapter 9

  Medi-Unit

  The Warman had Scott in his grasp and shook him then he turned him around to see the remains of a…a…

  ”What the hell is this?” Scott could not believe his eyes. Smoking debris of ashes, cloth, ceramic, composites and circuit boards occupied a small area of the control room floor. “Where did this pile of junk come from? We can’t have a mess like this littering the ship, it's not sanitary. Where is the visitor that beamed over? Why do I have this terrific headache? Won’t someone speak to me, what is going on?” Scott was truly shaken and sick to his stomach and almost hysterical.

  Both Nard and the Warman were waiting for him to run down so they could tell him what had transpired while he was under some sort of spell or something.

  Once he stopped running off at the mouth, Nard politely asked. “Do you now want the sensor report of the visitor’s ship?”

  Was that sarcasm in Nard’s voice again? “Will it make any sense to me if you tell me? Do I really want to hear it?” Scott hesitantly asked.

  “The ship was not too unusual. It did not have a life support system on board and there were no environmental, space type, suits that might maintain life.” Nard began reporting in his precise annunciation and continued. “The ship had no identifying marks and did not transmit a code that would allow one to know its deportation site. There was very little fuel on board as if it was at the end of its journey.”

  After a short pause Nard continued. “In my calculated opinion and computer analysis, you were its intended target and the end of its mission. The ship and its passenger, whatever it was, had been dialed into you and you only.”

  A sudden violent increase in gravity and the exterior ports were filled with a blinding flash of light. Nard started correcting immediately with a whisper of cooling fans and solenoid actions. Pieces of debris were disintegrating and burning upon contact with the ship’s screen. Dismembered pieces of the alien ship rocketed in all direction from the violent explosion that was evidently meant to remove Scott from the living and breathing people of the universe.

  This was the second time someone had tried to take that action and it was the second time that someone or something had protected him from elimination. Nard’s action in making sure the force field screens were up and at maximum output was more than just a plus. This time there was no loss of life due to the explosion being mechanical only.

  The ship’s console had moved and blurred as the floor of his ship rushed at him. Blackness engulfed him before contact with the floor could occur. The pull of gravity no longer matter to one that was unconscious.

  Scott's eyes opened and the quiet sound of the Medi-Unit gave him the first clue. The glass canopy was closed and the air was full of that familiar medicinal smell found in most hospital room from the beginning of time. Being inside this unit told him that he had something wrong that a band-aid would not fix or cure.

  Seriously speaking, Nard must have sensed something serious and was leery of his chance of survival. That would be the only reason he ended up inside the Medi-Unit.

  How long he had been out, he had no idea. From his position he could not see the ship’s time display and he could not move his arms to see his wrist chronometer because of the tight fitting Medi-Unit.

  There was no communication system inside the unit and Nard relied on the monitors to decide when to open the lid and release his patient.

  Scott's headache had decreased in intensity but was still significant to his well being. He closed his eyes and darkness recaptured him, this time there were dreams of explosions, beautiful android and screaming shooting aliens putting phasers burns all over his body while Nard rattled on with no emotions.

  The Warman stood by, on the flat asteroid, and laughed as he juggled the three contractual moons, their colors swirling and changing.

  Colby was on one of the monitors with a camera, taking still shots of all the action. Each time the shutter snapped, the action would freeze, it would be completely silent and that frozen position would hold for a moment before returning to motion. The return to motion was at a very slow pace. First as ultra slow motion, medium pace and then to normal speed with sound returning at that time.

  Scott woke in a cold sweat. The lid of the Medi-Unit was open and the smell of medication had dissipated. The smell that hit him now was the aroma of an old fashion breakfast, eggs, bacon, toast and coffee. He rose up and turned to the left. Sure enough there was his breakfast. Just as the aroma had told him, it was eggs, bacon, toast and coffee. It of course looked a little different from what his mind had dreamily envisioned. He had dreamed of crunchy bacon strips, two sunny side up eggs, sourdough toast with butter and jalapeno jelly on the side. A steaming hot cup of coffee with whiffs of steam slowly wavering as it rose from the hot liquid. What he actually saw was three bio-edible tubes slitting open with the exterior skin dissolving into and becoming part of the enclosed ingredients.

  These tubes are kept and stored at the temperature of space. When they are exposed to any temp above freezing a chemical reaction is initiated that dissolves the protective coating and at the same time heats the foodstuff to its normal cooking temperature. The smells of the food was the same as the originals product, however, the only item that had a reasonable degree of resemblance to his original dream was the cup of hot coffee.

  Of course this, on the other hand was the one item that left a lot to be desired with the taste. He had yet to get a really good cup of coffee that was made by a computer. He actually thought it was the computer's use of exact measurements of coffee grounds, down to the last granule, with the water level within a millimeter and the temperature at exactly the exact degree. All this precision actually destroyed the variety of expected flavor.

  He picked up his simulated toast, applied his simulated butter and jelly, dipped it in his simulated egg yolk then put it in his real mouth. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feast. The coffee was hot and reasonable and the food was palatable, alas his strength returneth.