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Grady just sighed, helpless in his own right when it came to health issues. Straight faced, he just quietly chatted with Alvin.
"Well, Sir, I really don't know," he answered. As he was about to continue, a red light flashed on the com and it beeped.
"Excuse me, Sir, but it seems we have a message coming in," he said as he went over to answer it while Alvin stood to listen in.
Opening the screen, a man appeared, dressed in a Zoner uniform of the Zoner Trading Consortium.
Good day. I am William Topper, friend and colleague of the Hollidays. I was instructed by the Ambassador to send a message home. I trust this message finds you well. Both Corfu Base and Freeport 5 were bombed by a terrorist and he has been aboard Med.Force.One since then saving lives and comforting the dying. I must admit, I don't envy his job in times such as this.
He wanted me to say that he is tired but well and doesn't know when he will be home again as many of the wounded are critically so. He also said that we have plenty of support out here although medical supplies and pharmaceuticals are in need. Midori, he said you know where he keeps a stock pile of them. Take what you can in your gunship and head here. Your nursing will come in handy as well. The casualties here are in the hundreds.
His transport is safely moored at Lividia. Safe travels and may Eris guide you.
Grady looked a bit sadly at Midori and then at Alvin. "Blood hell," he said, "if we had only received that an hour ago instead of this, none of this would have happened." He then handed the coffee stained message to Alvin, the message the she had read and gotten sick over. As Alvin read it, he walked to the bar and poured himself some Brandy.
"Mr. Katz, I don't know what you drink but please, help yourself or tell me and I'll make it up for you."
Out of the corner of Alvin's eye, he noticed Midori starting to stir. He also noticed that from where she was, she wouldn't see anyone near her and that all she still knew was the first report she had read.
Katz moved to kneel down beside her, his dark great coat pooling around him as he gently touched her arm.
"Midori, it's Alvin... John's all right, are you all right?" He glanced over at Grady. "Get some warm green tea." he ordered.
She looked groggy, out of it and was saying something, as Katz gently lifted her head and brought an extra pillow under it to make her comfortable.
"John needs some medical supplies Midori, he's treating the injured out at Freeport Five... but he needs someone to get supplies out to him there. I need to know where the supply stock pile is so I can take it out to him..." he smiled at her reassuringly.
She groggily looked into the blurry face before her. As her eyes cleared, she saw the friendly face of Alvin Katz and managed a weak smile.
"John OK?'' she asked in a soft voice to which Alvin just nodded.
"I must be with him," she spoke.
About that time, Grady brought the cup of tea over, handing it to Alvin. Grady too took a knee just behind Midori's head, "Relax, Mrs. Holliday," he said with his thick Bretonian accent, "you need rest. You shouldn't travel in your condition."
As the two men were talking to her, Kathy returned. "If you will excuse me, Gentlmen, I need to check her over." Both men moved to allow her access to her patient as she pulled back the blanket, placed her hand on the skin of her stomach and began pressing gently and rubbing some spots. Midori winced at the touch of some spots and after a couple of minutes, Kathy addressed her.
"Well, you strained some stomach muscles and will be sore for a few days but beyond that, you will be OK. And I'm sorry I gave you that shot of reglan but I didn't want you to hurt yourself or the baby."
Then and only then did she realize her slip. Not even her own husband knew but now Alvin did. She then turned to Alvin, "I wasn't supposed to say that she is expecting so please, keep it quiet." She then moved to allow Alvin to return to her.
"If you let the meds wear off for awhile, I will allow her to travel if you are heading to Theta but she must be kept comfortable for today." She then sat down to do some paperwork.
"Commissar," interrupted Grady, "I know where the medicine stash is. I will take you to it."
"With Alvin kneeling by Midori, she smiled at him and said, "Go. It give me time to put myself together. Grady will help you." She clutched his hand with both of hers and then let him go with a final, "Go!"
Married to Ambassador John Henry "Doc" Holliday
Katz watched as the last crate was loaded into the hold of the Social Credit, his arms folded, Lt. Razin, his Executive Officer standing close by.
"Why are we helping the Zoners?" Razin asked quietly.
Katz glanced at his friend, "because we aren't like the rest of Sirius, when a friend needs help, we deliver that help. Get up to the cockpit and take off."
Katz marched back down the ramp and shook Grady's hands, "We'll make best possible time to Freeport 5 and Corfu. Don't worry, we'll reach it."
With that he re-boarded the ship, depressing the control to seal the ramp, as the Coalition Gunship curved skyward, Katz's coat billowing around him as he raised a final hand in goodbye, the hatch closing him inside as his ship shot for orbit.
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Aboard Med.Force.One, John Holliday was in his quarters catching some rest and cleaning up the coffee he had spilled a short time earlier. He was also in a very sour but somber mood having learned of the death of his friend, Sam Nichols. But true to form, things would change as his com horn started going off.
"What is it?" he asked sharply.
"Doctor, I just got a report of the......Coalition delivering supplies to Freeport 5. It doesn't make sense," reported the young Ensign on the other end.
"Any ID on any of them?" asked a confused Doc.
"Yes, Sir, an Alvin Katz is leading," responded the ensign.
Doc sighed with some relief. "Alvin," he said to himself, "finally, something good around here." He then returned to his com.
"Can you patch me through to him?" he asked.
"I'll try, Sir. Stand by." replied the Ensign.
Doc paced in his quarters while he waited over several minutes of silence.
"Doctor, I did get through but I was told that they were unable to chat due to rocks, radiation and Corsairs but will either get back to us or arrive shortly," reported the Ensign.
"Very well, keep me posted," answered Doc, "and good work, Ensign."
"Thank you, Doctor," he answered with a smile and the signal faded out.
Still upset with all the death of late, he nodded as he was happy to see some good for the day.
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Location: [TAZ]Med.Force.One
Omicron Theta
Dr. John Holliday had spent the last two weeks on his investment tending to the injured from the Freeport bombings. Med Force stayed on site, providing external energy to the station while repairs were made. The entire base staff of Freeport 5 also considered Med.Force home until there own base was fixed. For some, they had to stay due to severe blast and radiation burns, many undergoing skin graft operations.
For one night, he put his best suit on as Midori had arrived courtesy of Commissar Katz. It had been awhile since they were together. On this night, she decided to make a candlelight dinner in their quarters. Traditional Kusari foods were prepared as they both enjoyed them. But, something was different, very different, at least for him.
"Go ahead," she motioned, "go sit. I be right in with our dinner." He just smiled and went into the dining room in their quarters which had a great view of space. Approaching the table, he noticed something....different. At first in the candlelight, he didn't pick it up. Two place settings, fork on the left over a napkin, knife and spoon on the right with the knife on the inside, blade turned in and a pair a chopsticks on either plate. Nothing unusual there. Still, something was different.
The wine glasses. No, they were the same. Then he found it. It should have been obvious but after a long stretch of days, even easy things get overlooked.
A chair was on the side of the table, a high chair with a teddy bear in it. "What the..." he said quietly, taking the bear and looking at it. He then stood frozen for a moment. He turned with the bear in his hands to find his wife silently standing a few feet away in her evening dress. She saw the bear in his hands and the look of shock in his face. She cracked a weak smile as some tears ran down her face.
He cocked his head a bit, "When did you find out?"
"A few days ago," she whispered, "I was not feeling well. Kathy check me over and tell me." She then stood silently for a moment as she choked back a bit to control her tears of joy, unsure of how he felt. "John Henry, I hope you are happy."
He turned to put the bear down. Turning back, he approached her and placed his hands over her stomach. He smiled a bit himself as he looked into her eyes, "Miss Sato, I have never been happier." He then kissed her and dried her face.
"You will notice that I put out bottle of fruit bubbly to celebrate with," she explained.
He then poured the glasses full of fruit bubbly. Toasting each other, they drank.
"Did Kathy say how far along you were?" he asked.
"She say about 2 months," she replied.
With that, they had their dinner and enjoyed a peaceful night together.
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Locations: Planet Honsu, Honshu System
It had been a few weeks since the bombing of Corfu. Minus those killed in the blast and the few who died shortly thereafter, most had been treated and sent to Gran Canaria for some much needed rest to include the Command staff. Taking a short leave from his work, Dr. and Mrs. Holliday boarded her gunboat and left for Honshu to spend a few days with her family. It was time they both needed.
They arrived at the small fishing village where her parents lived to a grand welcome. All had heard of the bombings and all had been concerned, concerns that seem to dissipate upon their arrival. The travel weary couple were brought inside to celebrate their return and relax.
"Let us celebrate," declared a smiling Kenji Sato. He then poured each person a shot of Saki and offered a toast.
"Let us celebrate the safe return of our children," he proudly announced. Then, all raised their glasses and drank the Saki.....except for his daughter who casually put it down. Perplexed, her mother asked her if she was OK.
"I fine, Mother," stated Midori with a smile, "never better."
"Then why do you not drink your Saki?" she asked of her daughter, "you know that can be taken as insult."
"Well, Hahaoya, John and I come not just to spend time with you," she carefully explained, "we bring news."
"Oh?" replied her mother.
Midori just smiled as a tear ran down her cheek as she placed her hand over her stomach.
"Congratulations, Obasaan," she said as she looked at her mother and then turned to her father, "and to you to, Ojiisan."
There was a brief moment of silence as the faces of her parents went from a look of concern to one of total joy. They began to laugh in joy as they hugged their daughter and then did the same to her husband who was standing totally confused. Through the celebrating, Midori noticed her husband's dumbfounded look as he asked out loud to himself, "Obasaan? Ojiisan?"
She snickered and said, "It mean Grandmother and Grandfather."
Relieved that he now understood, John Holliday himself smiled.
"Now I know why you not drink Saki," her father said, "I would not want your doctor to get upset." Finishing his comment, he looked over at his son-in-law and winked through his smile.
"How far along are you?" Mikiko asked of her daughter.
"I about 2 months so it very early," she said.
The buzz continued for several minutes. Finally, the initial shock wore off as Kenji asked John, "so how long do you plan to stay?"
"A few days," answered John, "I may have a meeting with some government officials so this puts me closer. Besides, I heard the fishing was good lately."
Kenji smiled his approval, "that it has, John, that it has."
Dinner for the evening was made to which the Hollidays slipped into some comfortable evening wear. As promised, they would spend the many days on Honshu.
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Location: Planet New Tokyo, Kusari Space
He hadn't been home in weeks and the constant work was beginning to show. He had been shuttling between the Rheinland and Kusari, sitting in on the trial of Christian Nagger and preparing for a meeting with the Emperor of Kusari himself.
Once again, it was a trying time for the Zoners. Zoner ships opening fire upon Samura and Kishiro ships in Omega 49, the struggle for the Zoner people to re-unite continued and the big bomb, Aurelia Silvan, the Council Chairwomen, had revealed her true backround as a member of the Gallic Royals. It angered John Holliday and greatly so that someone he had once trusted wronged him and the Zoners. There was little doubt in his mind that she purposely left the Zoners in a complete state of dissarray and to make it worse, returned to Gallia with some of the secrets the Zoners kept locked away.
On this morning in New Tokyo, he was just waking up from a good night's sleep. He and his wife were given an Ambassador's suite in the Emperor's Palace. Per usual, he ventured out to the veranda into the morning air in his bathrobe to enjoy his morning coffee in the veranda's garden. Already out there was Midori, who had been accompanying him on his travels. If it was tough on him it was harder on her as she was in her third month of pregnancy. Still, she didn't show too through the many kimono gowns she commonly wore.
She was standing with her face in the morning breeze, still in her kibuki gown when he came up behind her. He placed his hands around her, resting them on her stomach.
"Mornin', Dahlin'," he said, kissing her from behind, "Mornin' to too," he added as he rubbed her belly.
She just smiled and leaned her head back onto his shoulder, "ygu-tenmorugenou, John Henry," she replied.
Even if he didn't understand it, he loved it when she spoke Kusari to him. He began kissing the side of her neck.
"John Henry," she said with a giggle, "you misbehaving."
"So?" was his answer. After a few more kisses, he just stood upright and let her body nestle against his as they returned to their morning coffee.
"What do I do, Dahlin'," he asked of her.
"About what?" she asked.
He just sighed, "I have nothing to offer your Emperor," he explained, "Yet, I came to, well, keep peace with him."
She thought about what he had said, knowing he sort of asked her for advice. She thought for a moment as she sipped her coffee.
"If I know Emperor Jogen," she explained, "he not want something from you as much as he want your friendship, your honor and your understanding."
He was still confused. "He will want some resolve from me, for me to settle the matter, for me to do something against Zoners I have no authority over and over a planet I have no power on."
She turned to him and explained, "Emperor Kogen wise man. He know what you do not have. What he want is, if nothing else, a pledge from you to at least try. He not call you here if he not want to work with you."
She then turned back around, nestling her back against his body, "Trust me, John Henry, you will do fine." She then turned her head around and smiled up at him, "I promise."
They stood in silence, just enjoying their company as much as they enjoyed their coffee. He thought about what she had said and finally said, ''Dahlin' I do hope you are right....for all of our sakes."
I realized that you and Doc have been extremely busy of late, but I'd like to extend an invitation to both of you to drop by the Veranda.
Moira has finally put the finishing touches on the place, and it feels like home again. We'd love to have you by for coffee and crullers at your convenience.
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