Akira’s Team included Miyuki, Sally, Jolene, Mayling, Nanelle, Pieter and Rani with Bella and Ali as the snipers with the blowguns. Akira’s team had several injuries but no deaths including the Cats.
Due to this, Akira’s Team were the first to be well organized, Akira’s injury being painful but not incapacitating. The shot had hit his pack and gone through but the wound was minor. Militarily speaking. Akira was sore and movement was painful! Jolene flew Tue to the Healer Machines along with two badly injured Cats and Bella and Little Ali. Akira then organized Mayling and Miyuki to start ferrying the survivors to the island the Priskya had organized. The planes they used took 50 so the job did not take long. Aliens who were still mobile were organized to do the loading while the Cats and Terrans guarded. Among the survivors here were another two Niseyen. After hearing what Sarah had done, they did the same. They were pulled out and ordered to strip. Sarah had told them Kaz’s recommendation that they had to remain naked in order to keep them in their place. So they would accept their demotion to slave. These were only too happy to help and worked tirelessly loading bodies, alive or dead. To check their truthfulness Sally asked them if they were feeling ill but they both denied any symptoms. All the Terrans were mindful of what they had done and none were nice to them. Although they hadn’t killed anyone presumably, since they were medical staff, they had still participated in the Keulfyd Force.
It was here that the first spaceship landed three hours after the surrender was accepted. They watched in awe as it landed and levelled itself, on nine gigantic legs, next to the city. It dwarfed a cruise liner. Its size was staggering. It seemed impossible that such a huge structure could fly. Also staggering was the gentleness with which it landed. Anti gravity in a practical demonstration.
Akira and Sally went onto the ship. They were met by a sick Keulfyd that said he was the captain. He asked about the cure but was told no cure until they joined the others on the island. Akira stayed to order the ship evacuated and to ensure they complied. Sally wanted to see one of the medical facilities. She ordered a Keulfyd near her to escort her. After going up many levels in a lift, she then walked a considerable distance until she was shown to a familiar looking set of rooms. Inside were nearly 30 very ill Aliens, mostly Keulfyd. In front of them was a very angry Keulfyd. He demanded the cure.
“When all of you are on the island and no further risk to us, you will get it and not before.”
“This is not acceptable,” Isjidakawi said. “I am a doctor. I demand it now.”
“You are in no position to demand anything. I have come to show you examples of the cures we have. They are all colour coded. They are all well labelled with the necessary doses. I have come to ensure you understand how much to give. Are you going to listen?”
“Yes,” he spat.
“These are the Races that have been infected. The disease that hit you this morning is no longer infectious as we have stopped the cause. There was no cure for that one. Write on these vials which Race it is for and how much to use according to the body weight and degree of illness. Write it down and attach it to each vial.”
Reluctantly he took the vials. These ones were empty. She did not tell him that the anti virus would not work for the Keulfyd in the final stages. That was most of these in this room. She also did not tell him that the cure for the Yakkidimux, Vubicik, Relogs, Sasgys and Bidifix, was a placebo, especially since the Yakkidimux and Relogs had never been infected. They had been shot by children with redesigned drain rods! For all the other Aliens of several other Races, was another placebo. The doctors had been shattered by the deaths, from causes unknown, of so many this morning. At this stage, they weren’t questioning anything.
“We have ensured that these cures will degrade quickly so you must use them today and will never be able to duplicate them. Do you understand?” She did not add that most of them were useless.
Sally was not happy with this deceit but knew the danger. If they only knew how few had defeated them. Best they never did. At least not until a lot of reinforcements arrived. Being a practical person, Helkmid had not needed to stress to her, the danger they were still in. Sally understood. Bluff was still needed.
Sally said, “You will order the evacuation of this ship. Now.”
The Keulfyd in the medical facility insisted, “my patients are too sick to move.”
“Then they’ll die here.”
“Give me the cure so I can organise it.”
“No. No cure until you are on the island.”
The two stood and glared at each. Sally was disgusted with him. She turned and walked away.
“Take me back to the captain,” she ordered the Keulfyd that had brought her here. “As soon as you are on the island, you will get the cure and not before.”
This Keulfyd quickly complied.
A few minutes later as Sally walked back, she could see that the evacuation was now going at speed. The sick were being transferred on floating platforms. Anti gravity again? It certainly gave a smooth ride.
In two hours, all the personnel were off the ship and waiting impatiently to get to the island and get their treatment. Sarah had worked out the next phase. One of the Niseyen slaves was ordered to take the cures across in a boat. He was very unhappy but when Akira suggested he could shoot him and his companion might like to go instead, the man got the point and went. The Priskya towed him across as he cowered in the bottom of the boat. The vials were delivered as promised.
From there, things did not go well. In the stampede, some of the vials were broken. Others People took many times the recommended dose. Some took the wrong ones. Some took several different wrong ones. The Keulfyd doctor was one of those who took many times the recommended dose. This was not wise. There was not enough left to go around. There was also fighting and several of the ill were just abandoned to die. The Priskya were guarding the islands. They were sickened by what they saw. The prisoners were also not happy about their diet. Some of the slave goop was given to them also via the unhappy Niseyen. They were told to drink sea water.
By night time the urgent task was completed. All the sick and dying were on their respective islands and under guard. Some of the dead had been dumped, many in the same ocean trenches as their victims. The Terrans were exhausted. It was too far to return to the Southern continent so they all decided to go to the city now named Tasha.
The power was on. Kaz and Az showed them how to use the Cleaners for themselves and their bedding. Kaz and Az were also required to show them what was fit to eat. Then both had to leave on more medical flights. Li went with Az but Stella remained behind as Kelly needed her. Li was so tired she couldn’t stop yawning and noticed Az was the same. She started to get worried. She couldn’t stay awake and he was probably more tired than she was. This wasn’t safe. But they couldn’t land in the dark. She sat and thought. They should have brought one of the other pilots with them but all were exhausted. She yawned widely.
“Az.”
“Mmm?”
“We’re both exhausted. This isn’t safe. I have an idea. Let me fly now while you have a sleep. I’ll wake you, then I’ll sleep while you fly. We’ll take it in turns.”
Az was not keen on this idea but saw the wisdom in it. He thought. “You sleep. I’ll wake you when we’re over sea.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Li noticed that more and more he was speaking English and she was hearing his voice not the Translator’s.
She lay down on the bag in the back and was asleep almost instantly.
Az continued to fly, determined to stay awake, but the events of the last few weeks and the drain on him followed then by the release of tension when it was all over and they had won, was too much. Several times, he drifted off only to jerk himself awake. This was no good. Li was right.
“Li!”
Li was awake and up in seconds. He was impressed!
They swapped places and he stood up, stretching. “We’re here,” he
indicated on the screen. “Wake me here.” He indicated the start of land and went back to lie down.
Li looked at her iphone, set to ‘clock’ as usual, which she still wore out of habit. The clock did not have the capacity to adjust to Torroxell time so it was always wrong and the phone was useless without cell phone towers so it was turned off, but she felt naked without it. She had slept just over two hours. She had an idea. She slipped it off her wrist and adjusted the alarm clock to vibrate every two minutes. Genius! Her own ‘deadman’ switch. She slipped it back onto her wrist. She checked the chart and settled in to fly on. She would try to give him at least two hours.
Two hours later they switched and she showed Az what she had done with her iphone leaving it with him. She went into the back to sleep. But Az had forgotten something and finally remembered. He gained altitude and set the auto pilot, the destination and the alarm, feeling rather embarrassed.
Li was awake but sleepy as Az joined her on the bag and told her about the autopilot. She started to laugh and hugged him. They started kissing and one thing led to another. Finally, in the back of a speeding plane, they made love.