The Torid Affair by Laurann Dohner

Chapter Four

 

“I really hope they do come to arrest the governor and all his goons,” Jessa whispered. “Any timeline on that?”

Maith shook his head as he ate his third sandwich, lifting his wrist to show her the bands.

“You’ll get a warning?”

He nodded.

“The mansion guards will probably try to use some of us as hostages.” She didn’t believe for a second that any of them had a functioning moral compass. “What do you want me to do?”

“Are you closely associated to any of the medical fleet?”

Jessa met his gaze. “Not really. I know some of them from the weekly meetings. Does that matter though? We’re all fleet.”

“I’ll speak to the other tactical team medics. They can go around and whisper warnings for everyone to be prepared to retreat to the sleeping area. We can easily defend that part of the building.”

“What about the patients?”

“You know fleet protocol for shelter in place.”

Jessa did—but that didn’t mean she agreed with it. If unrest happened while they were on a mission, all non-combat fleet personnel were to retreat to the safest shelter nearest them, lock in together, and defend the position until reinforcements arrived. “We can’t abandon the patients, Maith. The asshole guards could kill some of them.”

“There are too many access points to defend that part of the building. It’s best to use the sleeping area. There are only two ways in or out.”

That was true. “Well, I’m grabbing a gurney with a kid if we have to shelter in place. I hope some of the other doctors and nurses do the same.”

“It’s not protocol.”

Jessa scowled at him. “I don’t care.”

He held her gaze for a beat, then nodded. “Cubs only. Protocol is there for a reason. I don’t agree with it but my grouping swore to follow fleet rules when we moved onto Defcon Red to assist your people.”

“I know why it’s a rule. Civilians could turn on us. It’s happened in the past. But I refuse to leave kids in the line of fire if shit hits the fan.”

Maith nodded. “I agree.”

“That was nice of you to walk that boy past the outside guards.”

He glanced around before looking back at her. “I gave the cub a tracker.”

“Why?”

“The policing authorities set fire to his home while he was still inside. That was the cause of his injuries. He had to jump out a window to escape death. There was a near-adult female too frightened to come inside with him. I believe she may be his sister. They had the same hair and eye coloring. I sent my grouping to take them to one of the temporary camps the tactical teams have set up. They will be protected there.”

Jessa couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a big softy, aren’t you?”

He glowered. “Cubs should always be safe.”

“I agree. This entire mission has been so messed up. Sometimes I forget how horrible people can treat each other. All these colonists came here with big dreams for a brighter future. Instead, they got a corrupt government that probably made things worse than wherever they’d come from. I’ve yet to see anyone from the poorer parts of this city have decent shoes or clothes, or hell, even looking a healthy weight. It makes me wonder how long this shit was going down before the fleet was made aware…or how all of this was missed the first time we were called here.”

Maith watched her silently.

“The fleet probably sent down a single delegation team to check things out and the shitheads government lied their asses off and forced all the disloyal citizens to hide. I feel so bad for them.”

“You are a softy too, Jessa.”

She shook her head. “Not really. I just relate to the ones getting the shit end of the stick.”

“I don’t understand the meaning of what you said.”

She avoided his gaze, focusing on wrapping up her trash. “It’s Earth slang, meaning in this case, the poor people got screwed over by the system charged with protecting them. Shit end of the stick; they got the bad end.”

“Why do you relate?”

She stood, disposing of her trash before meeting his gaze again. “I’m a fleet-raised orphan. I was stripped of basic human rights the second I was put into the system.” She shrugged. “Choices were made for me without my permission or input.”

He stood and stepped close to her. “Explain.”

It was her turn to glance around. They were in the hallway by the catering kitchen. Other fleet personnel were farther down the hall or milling around in the entry to the sleeping area, on their break.

She looked at Maith again and lowered her voice. “Can you give me your Veslor word to never repeat what I say? Your ultimate vow?”

“You have it.”

She saw sincerity in his striking green eyes. “I get the occasional brief call from my sister, but I’m lucky to speak to her twice a year. Voice-only communications that are always kept under three minutes. I’d give anything to be able to hug Anabel, or even just to see her face again. But the fleet keeps us apart. I resent the hell out of them sometimes, but I can’t ever say that aloud.

“I’m trusting you with this confession, Maith. They’d yank me into forced therapy to work out my resentments if they suspected I was even a tiny bit pissed. That would be hellish, and they’d remove me from Defcon Red. I’d end up at some secret location until they deemed me mentally stable again. It’s not acceptable when someone like me shows anger toward them. I’m supposed to kiss their feet and be grateful. But bottom line—my sister and I won’t be together again physically until we’ve both worked off our contracts.”

“Why did you agree to that?”

She stepped closer and peered up at him. “We didn’t. Our careers were chosen for us and we were told how many years of service we owed. Orphans aren’t given choices, Maith. The fleet takes us in, educates us, feeds and houses us, and in cases like my sister and me, perform medical modifications that most people could never afford to make us whole again. The only people we could complain to are United Earth leaders. They run everything, so they’re already aware of what happens.

“I don’t really hate the fleet. They do amazing things and keep the peace. They’re here to protect the people who really need help. I’m grateful for everything they’ve done for me and my sister. Anabel can walk, and I can see out of both eyes thanks to them paying for all our medical needs. But sometimes I hate the cost of what they’ve given us. It’s a very high price to repay. Too high.”

“Not seeing your sister,” he growled. “But why keep you apart?”

Jessa glanced around yet again, making sure no one stood close enough to overhear them. When she was certain that was the case, she met his gaze again and lowered her voice even more. “She’s given me hints. I think they made her a spy.”

Maith appeared confused.

“Secret undercover agent for the fleet. That means she pretends she’s not fleet to catch criminals. If anyone found out who she really works for, it could mean her death. That’s why they keep us apart. She can’t risk being linked to me because I’m visibly fleet.”

A tear filled her eye but she blinked it back, pointing to her med kit. “She sent that to me, since she couldn’t come to my graduation from med school. There’s also a bullshit file on her, because anyone who checks my history can learn that I have a sister who was born on Mars if they dig deep enough. It’s all lies about some fake company she works for on some remote, harsh planet no one visits, and a picture that isn’t even her. Hell, they created fake pictures of me with that same person. I have to keep them in my cabin and lie when asked about Anabel. The only real image I have of her is a hidden one she sent me so I could see what she looked like as an adult. The fleet would shit if they knew I had it. I haven’t seen her in the flesh since I was ten years old, when they separated us. She was twelve. Sometimes my memory of her even gets a bit fuzzy.”

Maith shocked her by reaching out and tugging her against his chest. She tensed when he wrapped his arms around her but relaxed within seconds. He smelled good, was so warm, and his hug actually felt soothing. It also made her tear up again.

“That must be difficult,” he rasped.

“It is. I know I can be a bitch sometimes, but I need to be tough to stay sane until my sister and I can finally be a family again. I promised Anabel that I’d be okay without her…but sometimes I’m not.”

He held her tighter and rested his chin on the top of her head.

Jessa startled a little when his chest began to lightly vibrate and a low purring sound came from the big Veslor. Smiling, she snuggled closer to his firm body. It was nice to be held.

“Get a room,” a man chuckled as he walked by.

The vibrating and purring coming from Maith halted, turning into a threatening growl.

Jessa was reminded of where they were. She pulled away and he let her go. She reached up and wiped her wet cheek but kept her chin tucked. Only being able to cry from one eye made the rare times she did so easier to hide. “Thank you, Maith. For the hug and for listening to me.” She sniffed and pulled herself together. “We should get back to work.” She noticed that several fleet members were openly staring at them, appearing stunned.

“We are a copulating couple,” Maith loudly stated. “This is my female. Do you have a problem with that?”

A few of them quickly shook their heads and rushed away. The remaining ones appeared too scared to move. It caused Jessa to laugh.

Maith frowned as he met her gaze. “Why are you amused?”

“I like the way you can be sweet, yet scary as hell at the same time. That’s a skill I can admire.”

He grumbled before picking up his med kit. “Break is over.”

She retrieved her kit too. “Yes, it is. I’ll spread word to be ready for a possible shelter-in-place protocol.”

“Quietly,” Maith reminded her. “We don’t want to give any warning.”

She nodded. Jessa didn’t want the governor or his people to attempt to flee. Not that they could get very far if they did. Any private shuttles leaving the surface would be easy for Defcon Red to disable. Even if anyone managed to avoid capture, they’d be labeled as criminals. It would only be a matter of time before they were arrested on some space station or another colony world.

The more important part was that the jerks wouldn’t be able to make conditions on Torid horrible anymore.

Jessa split from Maith and retook her spot standing inside the ballroom of the mansion. The two civilian doctors glowered at her from their comfortable chairs against the interior wall. She ignored them. Neither had been helpful unless a loyal citizen came in for treatment. She hadn’t taken over triage for those patients.

One of the runners came to her and opened her med kit, took inventory, and refilled her supplies from the backpacks they all carried. He gave her a smile before rushing to the next doctor.

“They can’t even stock their own kits,” one the civilian doctors snorted. “Pathetic.”

Jessa glared at him. “The word you’re looking for is efficient. We’re swamped caring for the people who live on your planet. This way we don’t have to stop treating patients every few hours to do it ourselves. You should look up the definition of efficient, since you’re obviously clueless. Oh, and read your med oath while you’re at it. The one you signed when you graduated and promised to take care of all injured people to the best of your ability.”

A group of five came in, all showing signs of being severely beaten. Their scruffy clothing indicated she wouldn’t be getting help from the other two doctors. But Maith suddenly was there with his scanner, helping her assess the injured. She appreciated it. The two of them quickly sorted the men out, sending them to different sections of the room to be treated. One had to be rushed into surgery.

“Thanks for the help.” Jessa smiled at Maith as the orderlies took away the last patient.

He missed seeing her reaction, too busy snarling at the civilian doctors. He secured his scanner to his belt and fisted his hands, taking a threatening step toward them. “Do you need to feel pain to remind you why patients need treatment?”

Jessa realized how pissed the big Veslor had become and quickly jumped between him and the two idiots cowering in their seats. “They aren’t worth it. All of us have been taking names of the doctors here and plan to report them to the United Earth medical board at the first opportunity. A month from now, they’ll be lucky if they’re even allowed to mop the floors at a health clinic. People stripped of their medical licenses are usually banned from working any jobs even related to healthcare.”

One of the doctors behind her gasped. She spun, glaring at the man. “Don’t act surprised. We all took the same oath—the one you’ve both broken while on duty. You’ve blatantly done so in front of all the fleet members here. Everyone can see you idiots sitting on your asses when poor people come in, doing nothing to help them.”

The thirty-something-year-old doctor who’d gasped rose to his feet. “We’ll see about that!” He stormed off.

The older one stayed, but he looked worried. Jessa didn’t blame him. She faced Maith again. “Not worth it,” she reiterated. “Don’t get written up for assault on a civilian. I’ve managed to contain my temper. You need to do the same.”

“Fine.” He took some deep breaths and appeared to calm down before continuing to treat the patients waiting on gurneys. Many had become exam beds, since they couldn’t separate patients into individual rooms.

She changed her gloves out for new ones and crossed her arms, waiting for the next person to enter the mansion for treatment.

“You people aren’t going to get away with this.”

Jessa turned to stare at the still-seated civilian doctor. His name was Wayne Ham, according to his badge. “Us people? Just because you moved to this colony doesn’t mean you’re immune to U.E. laws or the fleet. United Earth owns Torid. I don’t care how your bosses act; U.E. is the ultimate voice of authority.”

He glanced around before meeting her gaze. “You don’t understand how it works on Torid.”

“What? You moved here and suddenly forgot the difference between right and wrong?”

He lowered his voice. “Go against them and you’re considered disloyal. I have a wife and three young kids. I met her while working on a space station, which is no place to raise kids. We were promised a good life here. Fresh air, generous-sized housing, and no worrying about any riots breaking out. Now we’re trapped, since all requests to leave are denied. My family will pay, too, if I didn’t go along with whatever the governor wants.”

She let his words stew in her head. “I’ll tell you what, Ham. I’ll stand up for you to keep your medical license if you’re willing to testify to fleet investigators about what’s really going on down here. That means giving them the truth. Do you have anything on these assholes that’s juicy enough to get the governor arrested?”

“I do, but they’ll kill my family.”

Jessa saw real fear in his eyes. It actually made her feel bad for him. “Give me their names and locations. I’ll have them taken into safe custody by the fleet. No one down here will be able to get to them. Deal?”

He glanced around before leaning down to grab a data pad from his med kit. The device was the low-grade kind that doctors used to give nurses detailed patient care notes. He tapped something into it and set it down on the chair next to him. Jessa moved over and snatched it up, shoving it into her pocket when she felt no one was paying attention.

“I’ll tell the fleet everything if you get my family to safety. I have so much dirt, it will bury a lot of people.”

“Like what? Give me one example, something that would get them arrested.”

He hesitated. “The governor ordered us to not treat patients who weren’t loyal. We’re not allowed to waste medicine on them. He said they’re a drain on our society—and I can prove it because I’ve kept all of Boyd’s communications. I’ve had to turn away hundreds of patients at the hospital. Two doctors I knew were ignoring orders and treating them anyway. Both were arrested and killed.

“I know he’s also been selling medical supplies to aliens. I’ve seen them picking up supplies from our loading dock at the hospital. I even took footage. I carry a copy of it on my person at all times.”

“You’ve got your deal.” Jessa turned, located Maith, and walked over to him as he finished treating a patient. She motioned for him to come closer so they wouldn’t be overheard.

When he reached her, she reached up and ran her fingers over his uniform, hoping anyone watching would just think she was flirting. She lowered her voice to speak. “Don’t look…but the civilian doctor still in triage will give us the dirt we need on the governor if we get his family to safety. He said they’ll be killed otherwise.”

She slid the data pad from her pocket into his. “This has their names and locations. He says he’s got proof of wrongdoings. We’re talking stuff that will take these assholes down for good. Can you send your grouping to collect his wife and three kids? His name is Wayne Ham. We should also try to pull him out of here after his family is safe. I want him taken to an investigator as soon as possible on Defcon Red. Can you make that happen?”

Maith nodded, his gaze locked on hers.

Jessa smiled up at him, cupped his face, and blew him a kiss. She may as well have a little fun with them pretending to be a couple. “I missed you,” she said louder, before winking and walking back to the front door.

“Don’t look so scared,” she muttered to Ham. She faced the door so her back was to the room. “The fleet will get your family to safety and then come pick you up. You might even be flown up to Defcon Red on the same shuttle. You better be honest with the investigators and tell them what you told me.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“Now glare at me like I’m the enemy,” she muttered, turning back around. She noticed one of the civilian nurses working the floor was staring at them.

Jessa shot Ham a dirty look and raised her voice. “Stop insulting me, asshole.”

He crossed his arms and glared as ordered. She hid a smile as she faced the front doors. That should alleviate any suspicion from the nurse who saw them talking.

 

Maith finished relaying the information to Roth. His grouping leader would send a tactical team to retrieve the human family and another to pick up the doctor. He’d spoken in Veslor to avoid anyone understanding what was said. Humans didn’t have a translator with their language. They’d never shared that information with Earth.

Jessa turned to peer at him at one point, a questioning look on her face. He smiled at her and gave a slight nod. She smiled back before resuming her duty at the door when more injured humans came inside.

Ten minutes later, four tactical members from team six entered. The leader, Joshua, looked at Maith. He pointed to the seated doctor near Jessa. The male nodded back and moved toward the doctor.

Jessa scowled. “Finally. This asshole has been threatening me,” she said loudly. “Arrest his ass!”

The human doctor appeared frightened as Joshua cuffed him. Jessa’s lips moved but her words were too low for even Maith to hear. The human doctor started to struggle.

“You can’t do this to me!” the male yelled.

“Bye,” Jessa called out, giving him a wave. “Never threaten fleet.”

The team ushered the doctor away without incident and more patients came in to occupy Jessa. He hoped that the human really did have proof of wrongdoings, and that it would be enough to cease the fighting if the planet leader was arrested.

Maith tensed as three mansion guards rushed toward Jessa about ten minutes later. He dropped his med kit and darted forward, snarling. He reached her before they did, placing his body in front of hers. None of the males pointed their weapons at them.

The lead guard panted a bit, out of breath. “The governor has been stabbed. You’re the chief of staff for fleet, correct? We need your assistance, Dr. Brick.”

Jessa opened her mouth but the guard spoke again before she could say anything.

“One of his trusted secretaries stabbed him. We don’t know which citizens remain loyal. It’s bad. He might die. We need your help.”

“We will come,” Maith decided.

Jessa pressed against his back. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“We don’t know who else to trust. Boyd is dying!” one of the other guards hissed, appearing panicked.

“We will come,” Maith repeated, bending down and grabbing Jessa’s med kit.

“We only want her.” The third guard appeared anxious as he scanned Maith from head to foot. “You’re an alien. We don’t know if you’re trustworthy.”

“He’s fleet,” Jessa snapped. “And an amazing field medic. Do you want me to treat Boyd? Then Maith comes with me.”

“We don’t have time for this.” The first guard spun away. “You can bring the alien. The governor is bleeding out.”

Maith clasped Jessa’s hand and followed the guard. The two others trailed behind them.

Jessa pressed against his side. “I don’t like this,” she whispered. “Why do they want me?”

“Possible trap,” he whispered back. “We will find out.”

Jessa stumbled, but Maith let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her moving steadily. He’d already activated his link to his grouping. Roth’s voice sounded in his ear.

“What is it? We have the male and his family on a transport.”

“Who did you say stabbed your governor?” Maith wanted to give him hints without letting the humans know he spoke to someone on his coms. “How bad is the injury, if you need Dr. Brick and I to treat him?”

“He was stabbed in the stomach,” one of the guards behind them answered. “It’s bad. We’ve taken him someplace secure, since we’re not sure who else might try to attack.”

“Albert turned on the governor,” the guard in front of them added.

Jessa spoke before Maith could. “Who’s Albert?”

“Rodney’s personal secretary,” one of the guards answered. “He stabbed him, then ran away. He might be hurt too. Tony shot at him, but we aren’t sure if Albert was hit or not.”

The humans on Torid were turning on each other. It didn’t surprise Maith.

The lead guard took them to the same hallway they’d been in the night before, heading toward the underground basement they’d tried to breach.

“We’re going underground?” He wanted Roth to know their exact location in the mansion.

“Yeah. We’re going to the bunker. It’s the only safe place for Rodney to be right now. The staff are turning into a bunch of fucking traitors.” The human guard spat the words.

They reached the stairs and went down. No alarms went off. Maith glanced at Jessa. She grabbed hold of the railing on the second set of stairs and gave a slight shake of her head. The sensors must have been turned off.

The door that normally sealed off the bunker stood open and another guard waited there, weapon at the ready. He lowered it fast and moved out of the way. “Hurry, he’s dying!”

Maith had noticed blood on the stairs, smelled it, and the scent was stronger here. A human had definitely been injured. That part wasn’t a lie. They entered a narrow hallway once past the bunker door. It widened to reveal a room about ten feet in. He prepared for a fight.

No attack occurred.

The room was large, with several long desks and dozens of boxes piled from floor to ceiling along one entire wall. On one of the desks lay Governor Rodney Boyd. A human female standing beside him had clearly ripped open his shirt, revealing a bloated, hairy belly and lots of pale skin. Blood covered much of it, pooling on the surface beside him. Drops were hitting the floor.

“Shit,” Jessa muttered. She pulled away from his side and rushed forward, pushing the female out of the way. “Scanner!”

Maith noticed her artificial blue eye flare, glowing slightly. He stepped around the table and placed her med kit down on the edge, opening it and grabbing her handheld scanner. “I see a single stab wound to the governor’s abdomen.” He said the words for Roth.

“Understood,” Roth rasped quietly in his ear. “We’re scrambling a team to you.”

It took only seconds for him to put on gloves and move to the other side of the injured male. He switched to speaking Veslor. Jessa had once shocked them by speaking their language. He didn’t know the extent of her knowledge, though. “How much Veslor have you learned, Jessa?”

She had grabbed something from her kit, injecting foam into the wound. “Enough,” she responded in Veslor. “Fast learner. Why?”

He watched her work. “A team is coming.”

“Speak normal,” one of the guards yelled, getting closer and lifting his weapon.

Jessa washed out the wound, using another tool in her kit that he couldn’t identify. Regret came that he didn’t have his own kit. There wasn’t much he could do with fleet-issued tools. Their medical supplies were largely unfamiliar.

“He’s a Veslor, and that’s what we’re speaking. English isn’t his first language. When we’re working together, it’s easier for me to speak his language. I need his help,” Jessa explained in Earth standard. “Do you want this guy to live? Back the fuck off and let us work. He’s critical.” Jessa switched back to Veslor. “I don’t trust them. I am sedating him to make the injury look more serious. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

Her Veslor pronunciation wasn’t the best, but he was still impressed. Maith planned to question her on how she had gotten so good at understanding and speaking his language.

He leaned forward, studying the wound and using his own scanner still hooked to his belt to check on the male. Jessa had sealed all the bleeders and no major organs seemed damaged. The male would live.