Twinks in Space: Fantastic Voyage - Part Two - 63. Chapter 63 - Injury and Death

Lyoth, Stawren, Phentrom, and Captain Suoki were forced at gunpoint into the airlock of the police command ship. The officers did not listen to anything they had to say. One of the men kept his blaster honed on the four prisoners as the others stepped behind the airlock’s control panel.

“They’re going to jettison us,” Lyoth stated flatly. “They’re going to close the inner door, open the outer door, and just watch us float away as frozen husks.”

The airlock’s interior door began to slide closed.

Stawren did not have time to second-guess herself, and she jumped for the opening, kicking her foot into the gap. The door slammed against her shin, and Stawren let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony as the pressure of the metal door ruptured the flesh of her lower leg, bursting her muscles, and digging into her tibia and fibula bones. However, instead of the door severing her limb and sealing, Stawren’s mineral-enhanced bones were temporarily preventing it from closing. She wailed in anguish as the door squeezed the two bones against each other and dislocated them from her knee joint, but the airlock could not be sealed, and the exterior door could not be opened.

The officers were sent into a fury, but then to the surprise of everyone, the clang of another vessel docking against the police command ship rang out. The airlock’s exterior door began to open, and instead of the vast vacuum from the crushing void of space sucking the prisoners out, Fonith came blazing onto the vessel with her blasters in both hands. She rushed to the inner door still being held open by Stawren’s destroyed leg, aimed through the gap, and blasted the officers into oblivion. They fell dead on the other side of the door.

Fonith disengaged the airlock and Stawren’s leg was freed. “Get her on the Cometskipper, now!”

Captain Suoki scooped Stawren up into his arms, and she bawled her suffering against his burly chest. Less than sixty seconds later, the Cometskipper was detached from the command ship with everyone onboard.

“Two cruisers, coming in fast,” Lyoth stated.

“Bye,” Fonith said dismissively, and the Cometskipper entered hyperspace.

Stawren was screaming. She was bleeding badly, and her foot was barely attached to her mangled leg.

“We need to take her to a Hope frigate!” Phentrom declared.

“The ship’s already on its way to the nearest one,” Fonith replied, “but we need to stabilize her.” She grabbed a med kit out of a closet. “Phentrom, call the doctors and tell them what happened to Stawren before we arrive. The Hope ship’s details are onscreen. And mention that she’s an Allarei.”

Phentrom obeyed as Fonith, Lyoth, and Captain Suoki did their best with Stawren. Blood was pouring from her leg, but they managed to secure a tourniquet around her thigh and stop the bleeding, and with some powerful medicine, Stawren slipped into unconsciousness. Phentrom was able to get ahold of the Hope medical frigate, and twenty-six minutes after her terrible injury, Stawren was being taken into an emergency surgery suite.

One of the doctors explained the situation to the four with her. “If she survives this, it’ll be because you all took care of her and got her here in time, but I doubt we can save her leg.” The doctor took Fonith’s hand and added, “Good work.”

Stawren was in surgery for almost fourteen hours, and she was in a coma for over two days. On the third morning, Neptithia got in touch with her.

“Hey, kid, glad you finally woke up.”

“Hi, auntie Thia,” Stawren replied weakly. “I’ve been all messed up.”

Neptithia’s Blue face was smiling on Stawren’s screen. “They tell me you saved everyone’s lives.”

“That’s a bit dramatic,” Stawren replied with a little laugh that turned into a cough.

Neptithia chuckled. “You finally got to prove that Allarei are indestructible, like you’ve always said. I’m glad you’re okay, kid.”

“Auntie Thia, the doctors were able to save my leg and foot, because I’m an Allarei. They said if I didn’t have bones with covialtin, they would have needed to amputate. They also told me I’ve been here for a few days, but I only woke up for the first time last night. Have you heard from Lyoth or Phentrom?”

“They’re with Fonith,” Neptithia replied. “They told me they’ll head back and pick you up when you’re released. I think you’re probably gonna need to stay there for a little while, for observation and testing and whatnot. You sure you’re okay, kid?”

Stawren smiled. “Yeah, auntie Thia, my leg hurts a lot, but I’m glad to be alive.”