Back to Created and Consumed: Ch 7 Pt 1

The Grunts in the room squealed and scuttled out of the medical wing, all except a couple remained. One of which was Vamat. He slowly approached Jik and braved a touch to her feathered shoulder, “Jik okay?” he asked timidly, “Me no wanty her to be mad…”

“Jik’s a girl?” Ehle croaked, “I thought they didn’t let girls in the Covenant?”

“Not ‘leets.” Jik replied, taking a seat on the floor between two large puddles of unmentionable substance, “Jackals though, Prophets gave up trying to figure out sex with them a long time ago.”

“You don’t get discriminated against at all?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“Nup. Most of the time not even other Jackals know Jik is female…” Jik replied. I noticed she never addressed herself as ‘I’, she only spoke in the third person. I made a mental note of this and decided that perhaps the Kig-Yar never fully learned how to speak the native Covenant dialect correctly.

I decided not to think any more on speech impediment and my mind wandered back to training, “Jik, can you tell me more about Merien-Tireth? It would be nice to know more about where I’m to spend my next level of training before utilising the terrain.”

Jik began to stare at the floor, “It’s pretty, that’s all you need to know…” she was quick to change the subject, “Your friend doesn’t look too crash hot… lay him down over there and put a wet compress on his head…”

Ehle and Doxo assisted me, placing Jurdo down on the table Jik had pointed out while I dampened a towel to place over his forehead. Vamat climbed onto the table and looked Jurdo over, pressing him in various places on his feverish body, “Vamat! Stop that!”

“Hey, Jik? Any idea what may have caused such a bad reaction to the flight in here?” Doxo inquired. Jik shook her head gravely.

“Excessive consumption of protein supplements will do it… was it his first flight?”

I turned around and met with a broad-shouldered Sangheili warrior wearing some sort of rawhide body armour. He was looking over Jurdo with apprehension.

“It was…” Doxo answered, “Zyrra’s and Ehle’s too, so what?”

“How many drinks had they consumed the night before?” the Elite asked.

“I had about three, Zee headed off after half o’ one… Jurdo was up long after I was though…” Ehle recalled.

“Protein poisoning…” came a grim reply, “The G-forces during the flight acted like one big centrifuge. His erythrocytes have separated from his leucocytes and the excess proteins have attached to the unprotected oxygenated cells, leaving no room for oxygen to attach to them and be transported around his body.” He took Jurdo by the hand and felt his pulse, “It’s only temporary but it may cause muscle death in some areas…”

“But isn’t protein s’posed to be good for muscle growth?” Ehle asked, cocking his head to the side, “Just give him some more to drink, solve the muscle death like that!” he snapped his fingers.

“Oh, no, we can’t do that.” He placed Jurdo’s hand back down on the table and poured some cool water over his chest. Jurdo’s breathing was steady but he was clearly not feeling well, “What he has thrown up – I’m assuming he has by the smell of him – was mostly partially digested protein supplement. It isn’t a symptom of the centrifugal treatment, it’s just motion sickness he’s feeling in his gut. The fever, however, is. His body is slowly suffocating. Adding more protein will only infect more of his erythrocytes, disallowing any oxygen to reach his muscles. I’m afraid he may lose an entire limb if left untreated and I haven’t a clue how to cure him…”

I took Jurdo by his hand and squeezed it, “Come on, Jurdo, hang in there… you’ve worked so hard to get this far! You can’t just throw it away…”

Jurdo coughed a laugh, “Zyrra, there is no way I’m gonna let some bug kick me in the… wherever…” I smiled, “… I did a course in medicine before joining Gura’s band of merry monsters… listen carefully and you’ll be able to help me out…” he leaned closer, “… Mr. Broad-shoulders should be able to find the things you need, ask him for a tank of pure oxygen; it will help to flush my body of the impure blood…”

I looked up at the new face, “Excuse me er…”

“… Ziuaghi…”

“Ziuaghi, can you find me a tank of pure oxygen? Jurdo says he needs it.”

The Elite nodded and produced a small capsule-shaped metal container and a face-mask, “Here…”

Jurdo motioned for me to place the mask over his mouth. I did so and he breathed in the gas as deeply as he could. Ehle, Doxo, Jik and Vamat all watched as Ziuaghi and I kept tabs of Jurdo’s vital signs.

“Zyrra…” Jurdo drowsed, “… I’m going to fall asleep for a while… the pure oxygen is making me sleepy…”

I nodded, “Do you want us to take you onto the transport?”

“Please…” Jurdo uttered a laugh before relaxing completely.

I looked up at the others, “Well? You heard the boy. Ehle, Doxo, take that end of the stretcher, Ziuaghi, you help me out with this end. Jik and Vamat, you two are our scouts. If you see anyone, tell us, alright? We don’t want to have any collisions.” They both saluted and exited the ward in two directions,

“Clear!” Jik called from one end of the hall.

“Clear!” Vamat called from the other.

“Alright… on three…” Ziuaghi ordered, “One… two… three… ”

We each lifted our respective ends and carried Jurdo out to the landing where a collaboration of Unggoy, Kig-Yar and Sangheili had joined with half a horde of Yanm’ee and two dozen Lekgolo. They weren’t arranged in any particular fashion but our small group seemed to be the only mixed-species ensemble to be seen.

“Time to get onboard!” Jik called from a ramp leading into a brilliantly lit Seraph, “Got a place for Jurdo to rest up the back here!”

Each of us followed and carefully placed him down, then, after checking him over again and establishing that he was recovering, Ziuaghi, Doxo, Ehle and I each took a seat on either side of Jurdo’s stretcher. Vamat eventually ventured onboard after we heard more Unggoy obscenities and throwing of blunt objects outside - he had obviously payed his instructor a visit before boarding – and then Nanik, Mazap and Piptik followed him along with some other nameless Grunts.

Then came the Kig-Yar, noisy and bickering. I noticed Jik lower her head as one walked by with a trimmed scarlet crest. I heard her mutter, “Riko…” as he sat down beside her and folded his arms.

“Hey, Ziuaghi?” I asked, feeling a new concern bubble inside of me.

“Hmm?” He leaned over to hear me over the deep hum of the Seraph’s energy cells.

“Wouldn’t another trip in a Seraph hinder Jurdo’s recovery?”

My gut turned when I saw him nod, “It could quite possibly make his illness worse…”

I gulped, “… marvellous…”

“Don’t worry, Zyrra. Jurdo may be a nut, but he’s a tough nut. He wouldn’t let this travelling thing beat him down, and besides, he’s thrown up most of that excess protein already! He can’t possibly absorb any more.” Ehle assured, giving my shoulder a light rub, “Chin up, he’ll be fine!”

I hope you’re right…” I replied as the Seraph rose.

“Attention passengers, this is your pilot speaking…” came a voice over the intercom in the Seraph, “We are now in bare and open space, if you at all feel the need to vomit, please utilise the chutes either side of the exit… you may now remove your harnesses.”
Upon this announcement several Grunts made a beeline for the chutes. “We will be in flight for approximately forty hours so make yourselves comfortable and I’ll provide updates on travel progress every two hours or so.” I unclipped my own harness and stretched out on the floor, “I’ll warn passengers an hour before touchdown. Enjoy the trip and good day.”

Ehle lowered himself down beside me and rested on his stomach, “Four months of intense training, one week of intense waiting and one day of intense events… when I sighned up for this, I never imagined it would be like this…”

“Me neither…” I replied, “… my whole vision of the future, of where I am now, it didn’t involve other individuals. I didn’t think I would ever view males as kind and caring people…”

“Ah, you’ve been through a tough bout, Zee…” Ehle patted me roughly on the head, “I’d be willing to give my life for you, I’m that damn caring!”

“We all would, Zyrra.” Doxo agreed, “It’s the way of the Covenant, valour, truth, virtue, they all make a warrior. All of those who have not shown these qualities during Guild training have not been permitted to higher training.”

“Ah,well, I’m gonna catch the Banshee to Snoozeville… next stop…” Ehle yawned and trailed off.

“… home…” Jik finished quietly.

Onward to Created and Consumed: Ch 8 - The Meeting