“No…no…” Luke shouted as the monster closed to within striking distance. All he could hear was the sound of his heart about to explode and the sickening hissing sound from the beast. His arms wobbled and his head felt like his brain was on fire. Sweat ran in torrents from his forehead and his vision started to blur and his ears ring.

BOOM!

A great, white wall slammed down in front of Luke landing just inches from his feet and he cried out in terror and closed his eyes tightly thinking he was about to die, by one way or the other. Nothing happened. The hissing sound had gone. Luke opened his eyes to see the beast had vanished. All he could hear was the ringing in his ears. The massive white wall lifted revealing a green, gooey mess where his attacker had stood ready to strike. Luke could see a mix of slimy red and green tendrils stretching from the underside of the wall to the mess on the floor. Luke’s arms gave way and he fell back against the cold metal floor. The world started to go dark just as he caught the glimpse of an angelic, pale face and long blonde hair hanging high above him.

“Luke…” he heard before he slipped from consciousness.

“Luke…Luke…Luke?!” Aisell said looking down at the tiny, unconscious body at her feet.

Aisell dropped to her knees and examined Luke’s limp form. She gently nudged him in his chest but he didn’t move. Given his reaction to the time she touched him she knew this definitely wasn’t good. Her eyes were drawn to a small red pool by his leg and she realised the bug had hurt him.

“Oh no! Luke!” she gasped and gently used one hand to roll his lifeless body into her palm. She could feel heat radiating from him, even in her warm palm. He was alive, though burning up. Aisell thought back to about nine months previous. She was on a desert moon taking in the sights at an ancient temple when she felt a stabbing pain in her foot and looked down to see a green bug called a Scilith, with its arm embedded in her foot. She developed a mild fever, headache and was woozy for the rest of the day. The wound itself ached for days. It looked to be the same type of bug she had just killed in front of Luke.

She stood up, holding Luke and sat down at a table. She retrieved a small pad from her pocket and set it on the table. It was much easier to work with both hands but she too worried to put Luke down. She quickly typed in a search for information on Scilith wounds on Humans and the pad quickly brought up information from a veterinary dictionary.

“There are many different varieties of Scilith found throughout the Empire having spread on Imperial trading ships from world to world. The Scilith is a highly evolved predatory insect that hunts other insects and small mammals, notably Tupps. It is armed with two large, scythe like forearms which each secrete a poison designed to render its victims unconscious and cause organ failure within minutes. Sciliths have been known to attack Titans and the resulting wound….”

“Humans…humans…humans…” Aisell muttered as she scrolled through the information. “Ah! Gotcha!”

“Due to their small size Humans are particularly vulnerable to Scilith attacks, often being seen as prey rather than a threat. The Scilith will primarily attack the torso, usually puncturing the lung and/or heart of its victim, excreting poison as it does so. At this point death is unavoidable and will usually occur within just a few minutes. If a Human receives a wound to an extremity the poison will slowly seep into the victim’s bloodstream causing a high fever that will quickly render the victim unconscious. Unless they receive the antidote within four hours the victim’s major organs will fail causing death. This time can be extended by reducing the victim’s body temperature until the antidote can be administered. Given quickly the victim should make a full recovery within one to two days and will suffer no long term harm…..”

“Ohhh…it’s late! The vet’s clinic is shut!” Aisell panicked and looked around her for ideas and then back down to the pale, clammy Human in her hand. She could feel her palm getting moist from the sweat running off his feverish body.

“I’m making him worse…” she said gently placing him on the table realising she was only warming him up. “I’ve got to keep him cool…”

Aisell sprang up and darted through to the cleaning store room. She grabbed a soft cloth and ran it under a cold taps until it was soaked through with cold water and then ran back out to the table where she had left Luke. She was so worried about hurting him more but she had no choice but to pinch his limp body between her thumb and forefinger and place him into the soaking cloth, leaving behind a pool of blood where his leg had been lying.

“Ok…I need to get him the antidote…but where? The vet won’t be open for another 25 hours! He’ll be dead by then! The infirmary maybe? No…they’ll just laugh me out…There’s got to be something I can do…”

Aisell slumped into the seat and braced her elbows off the faded silver table top, resting her face in her palms. She was staring down directly at Luke’s pale, vacant face. She was desperately trying to think of something she could do, some way to keep him alive long enough to get treatment in the morning. It’d mean her staying on the station for another few days but she could live with that. She just needed him to stay alive.

“I’m so sorry Luke…” Aisell croaked, her voice breaking. “This is all my fault. If I had been on time then I would have been here to protect you…” A tear ran down her cheek and she sniffed. “…or if only I hadn’t been so pushy with you. You could have come home with me and I could have kept you safe with me.”

Her tears quickly turned to sobs, tears raining down around Luke’s tiny body. She had failed the one person she felt she had made any kind of connection with in months. She knew they could have been friends, she could have taken him home with her, cleaned him up and fed him. She would have had a friendly person to talk to and he would have had everything he could have wanted but now he was going to die and it was her fault. She dug her hand into her pocket looking for something to wipe away the moisture from her cheeks.

Aisell’s eyes shot open and she lifted her head up. She could feel something hard and cool in her pocket. She gripped it and pulled it out in front of her face; the market place’s master access card. Part of her duties as a cleaner required her to have access to areas of the market the station’s visitors and traders usually weren’t allowed into.

“This could open the vet’s clinic…” she muttered as she realised she did have an option. “It would be breaking in…stealing…I could get arrested…”

She looked back down at Luke and thought for just under a second before making her decision. She wrapped the cloth around him tightly and picked up him, holding him into her stomach before getting up. She walked at a brisk pace down the wide, curved market area passing locked shop fronts with colourful displays still visible through their windows or metal shutters. She passed the pet shop and a sign in the window caught her eye.

“Humans for sale. Only two left!”

Aisell smiled and looked down affectionately at Luke. He’d escaped and survived on his own. Humans never did that. They always wanted to get bought. He was definitely was not the average Human. There was something about him. He was special.

Aisell arrived outside the veterinary clinic and approached it cautiously. She looked over her shoulders and made sure there was no one else around. The last thing she needed was to get caught. It could land her in a holding cell and cost her, her job and ticket home. It would mean much worse for Luke.

She held her breath for a second as she extended her arm, master key card in hand, towards the access panel. There was a quick chirp and the locking mechanism disengaged.

“Phew…” Aisell sighed. She didn’t know what she had expected. Alarms, sirens, guards rushing out. Something other than one solitary chirp. She pressed the door handle down and pushed the door open and walked into the clinic.

The clinic was small, not many people on the station kept pets. There was a small waiting area with two chairs just inside the door and a chest high partition off to the right separating it from the treatment area. Aisell crossed the waiting area in a few strides and approached the high table in the middle of the treatment area. She placed Luke down on the table’s polished metal surface and placed her pad down beside him.

“Ok…antidote…what is it?” Aisell said brushing her free flowing hair back behind her ears to keep her view unobstructed. She typed her search into the pad and the result appeared instantly.

“Scilith poison antidote: Hapiselias Urasas Solution”

“Happ-e-si-si-elis Ur-as-ass?” Aisell whispered a frustrated scowl ruffling her brow.

She looked around the cramped space. It was dark, this would have been a lot easier with the light on but she didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention. All around the table at ground level there were cupboards with a flat work surface on top with medical instruments and equipment for various types of creatures. Well above her head height were dark shelves, she couldn’t quite make out their contents. She decided speed was the most important thing and dropped to her knees and opened the nearest cupboard and glanced inside.

“Towels…beakers…tubs…” Aisell muttered to herself as her eyes glanced over each object before quickly moving on to the next cupboard.

“No…no…no…” she said growing slightly more frustrated at the lack of progress slamming the cupboard doors shut.

Aisell let out an exhaustive sigh before moving on to the next cupboard. Empty mixing tubes and sealed glass jars of different coloured powders lined the two levels inside. She lifted out a glass jar and examined the label.

“Noo-man-chea extract…” she read.

“Are you lost Miss?” A deep voice spoke behind her.

Aisell jumped in fright and the jar shot from her hand. Her hands darted for it, bouncing between her outstretched fingers before she managed to get a firm grip on it.

“Ehhh…no…just cleaning…” Aisell lied as she returned the jar to its place and stood up turning to face the stranger.

He was a tall, large, older man. He had large broad shoulders and chest, his tight uniform looked like it was barely holding in his substantial frame. His hairline was receding and showed speckles of grey and he had a rather serious look on his face. He made Aisell feel very anxious, almost as much as she seemed to make Luke. He may not have been a towering giant but he was nearly a head taller and looked to be very strong and capable.

“Somehow I doubt that Miss, a bit hard to clean in the dark.” The gruff soldier spoke.

Aisell shifted nervously and braced her shaking hand off the metal table to hold herself steady while she tried to think of an excuse. “I…I…”

“What’s your name Miss?” He spoke. His tone wasn’t angry or aggressive but blunt and firm. He had the calm air of a consummate professional.

“A…Aisell…Maris”

“Well Aisell Maris, I’m Chief Kir, Security Officer and unless I hear a very good reason I’m afraid I’ll be escorting you to a holding cell.” Kir puffed out his chest and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

Aisell trembled as she felt emotion welling inside her. She fought to hold back the tears she knew were coming and swallowed hard before deciding she should beg for Luke’s life.

“Please…please Mr Kir! I had to! My Human got stabbed by a Scilith…he’s dying!” Aisell’s voice cracked and tears started to slowly run down her cheeks. “I HAD to…I couldn’t let him die. By the time the clinic opens it will be too late…I just need to find the antidote! Please, you can arrest me then. Just let me give him the antidote.”

Kir looked at the crying young woman. She didn’t have the look or the manner of a thief. She seemed genuine. He had a niece of similar age and he could never say no to her when he visited his brother on leave. He was having a hard time saying no to the small, sobbing face in front of him now.

“Where is it then?” Kir asked with a sigh, his arms dropping to his side. He slowly walked forward towards the table.

Aisell stood to one side revealing Luke, wrapped tightly in the red cloth behind her on the table. Kir approached and glanced down at the small creature, his upper chest and head were the only parts of him visible.

“He doesn’t look too good.” Kir said noting the Human’s deathly pale face and sopping skin.

“Please…can…can I get him the antidote?” Aisell looked up into the tall man’s eyes, her own eyes pleading with him.

“Go on then…” Kir sighed trying to keep his gruff exterior intact and not show just how sorry for her he felt.

Aisell didn’t say anything but shot back to the floor and opened the next cupboard.

“Ehhh Miss…”

Aisell looked around from the cupboard and the tall security officer gestured upwards with his eyes. Aisell stood up and looked up to the shelf Kir had pointed her towards. She couldn’t see what was up there, it was too high. She hopped up trying to get a glimpse but it was too dark and the shelf too high.

“Here…let me.” Kir said approaching the shelf. He reached up and pulled down a tray with several rows of vials containing liquids and placed it on the table before Aisell. The tray was labelled “Antidotes”.

She practically pounced on the tray of multi-coloured vials and started to flick through, looking for the antidote she needed.

“Happ-es –lis Ur-as-is” she muttered and she flicked through each vial one by one. Each had a label down the side with long names of varying complexity. She was starting to get anxious as she approached the second last row. Her eyes lit up as she lifted a pink vial out baring the correct name, she lifted it out and read and reread the label just to be certain it was the correct one.

“Here.” Kir said handing her heavy metal implement. It was nearly as long as her hand and was made from brushed steel with a display panel on one side. It had a hole in the top where the vial was to be inserted. She tapped the screen and it lit up.

“Insert Vial” it displayed.

Aisell inserted the vial, missing the tight opening several times due to her shaking hands.

“Select species” appeared on the screen as the injection device automatically recognised the serum that had been inserted.

Aisell scrolled through the list and selected Human. The device hissed as it automatically prepared the dosage and the end extended into a short, thin arm, scaled correctly for its tiny recipient.

She glanced over Luke’s shivering form unsure where to inject him. She turned her head to Kir, anxious not to make a mistake.

“The top of his arm Miss…” Kir instructed.

The trembling girl peeled back the moist cloth exposing Luke’s torso. Now free of the tight cloth he started to visibly shake. Aisell brought the injector towards Luke’s arm but stopped as Kir spoke.

“You’ll need to hold him steady, you want to get it done cleanly.” Kir advised having seen this done to men in the field many times.

Aisell placed a finger across Luke’s chest, it was only slightly thinner than he was and held him steady. She brought the injector device closer to Luke and tightened the muscles in her forearm, doing her best to steady her hands. She wanted to shut her eyes in fear of making a mistake but forced herself to keep them open. She firmly pressed the end into Luke’s triceps and it automatically injected its contents with a distinct hiss.

“Phew…” Aisell said as she withdrew her trembling hand and pulled the vial from the instrument, returning it to its place in the tray. She bent over the table and waited for Luke to show some sign of change. She felt a large hand on her shoulder and she looked up to Kir’s concerned looking face.

“It’ll take time Miss…” Kir spoke softly.

Aisell reached for her pad and searched for details on the antidote. She read the details on the pad’s screen, occasionally glancing over to Luke for any sign of change. “It says the fever should abate quickly but it might take time for him to wake up.” She sighed looking back to Luke and placed the back of her finger on his chest. It was noticeably cooler. She didn’t know if it was the effect of the cloth or if the antidote had started to work but she decided it best to remove him from the cold cloth. She carefully lifted the cloth and placed Luke into her palm.

Kir glanced down at the fully exposed figure in her hand, clad in dirty rags. He could see the deep red gash in his leg from the Scilith’s claw. “That looks nasty…” He reached into a pouch in his belt and pulled a black metal device with an emerald green tip. “Here, run this over the wound.”

Aisell slid the activation switch with her thumb as she pinched the device. It glowed green and made a high pitched buzzing sound. She pressed it into the wound and Luke’s unconscious body squirmed at the pain. Aisell could see the deep wound through his lower leg start to close over and she held it in place long after the wound seemed to close just to make sure.

“Humans heal quickly, they’re tough little blighters. I’m sure he’ll be back to his usual self in no time.” Kir said returning the healing device to his belt.

Aisell cupped Luke in her hand and held him into her stomach. “Thank you Kir. I don’t know how I could possibly repay you…”

“No need Miss…” Kir held up a hand. “Just get this place back as it was and we can both go about our business.”

Aisell smiled and started to put everything back where she had found it and close the cupboard doors, all the while holding Luke close to her. Kir lifted the tray and returned it to the shelf.

“One more thing…” He spoke. “I will be back tomorrow morning to inform the vet I let you in to get the antidote. I shall also tell him to expect you so you can pay. I will be most unhappy if he tells me you don’t turn up. Understood?”

“Yes Kir, I’m not a thief and thank you again.”

“Good, now let’s be on our way then.” Kir said ushering her out of the clinic. “And the next time you break into somewhere, remember not to leave the door lying open.”