Homestar Saga

Chapter 52: Literally Pirates

The flerg woman woke with a cry, bolting upright and smacking her head against the top of the medpod. Yvian turned off the audiobook she was listening to and removed her helmet. She walked over to the pod and pressed a button. The cylindrical covering of the pod lifted, then compacted itself back into the compartment at the end of the med table.

The flerg was short, with a body gone soft with middle age. Her eyes were solid black, making it hard to trace which way she was looking. Yvian had the impression they darted around the med bay before settling on her. The woman was panting, scared, but the sight of a female pixen reassured her somewhat. Her breathing slowed.

"Where... Where am I?" After asking the question, the woman looked down, noticing the white bathrobe Yvian had stuffed her into. Mims had retrieved some of the lady's clothes from the Niroco, but none of them had any idea how to use the complicating cloth wrappings the flerg wear. The woman plucked at the material, then noticed the robe had slipped open. The gap didn't reveal anything inappropriate by pixen standards, but showed more cleavage than the average flerg would consider proper. Yvian politely looked away while the woman adjusted her wardrobe.

"You're on the Random Encounter," said Yvian. "This is the med bay." She knew perfectly well that the medpod had repaired all the damage done by the pirates and exposure to the void, but she asked anyway. "How do you feel?"

The woman ignored the question. "My children! Where are my children?"

"They're fine," Yvian assured her. "They're safe." Yvian shifted to the side and pointed. A pair of chairs reclined near the wall of the med bay, containing a ten year old male and a four year old female. The flerg woman rushed past her. She ran her hands over the children, calling their names.

"They're still sedated," Yvian told the flerg. "We didn't want them to wake up without their parents."

The woman looked up from her children. Her eyes were wet, but she was still holding herself together. "Thank you." She looked back down. "I... What are we going to do?." A sob escaped her. "Their father..."

Oh. Right. The man had been shot. The woman must have seen it. "He's alive." Yvian pointed past the medpod the woman had been using. There was another pod on the other side. "He was in rough shape, but the pod's working on him." The woman ran to the other pod, staring through the clear portion at the man inside. "He should be alright in... an hour or so? I think?"

"Velgan..." Relief and confusion washed through the flerg's expression. "But how? They shot him."

"The Captain used a Lifeline injection." Yvian walked to the far wall and opened one of the cabinets as she spoke. "Nanotechnology. Shuts down most bodily functions, but it'll keep the brain alive for a few hours. As long as the brain's not damaged, the med pod can fix him up." At least theirs could. Venturetech medpods were top of the line, and cost more than most ships. A regular medpod wouldn't have been able to save the man.

The flerg sobbed again. Yvian rummaged around in the cabinet. She found a box of tissues and turned back to the flerg. She was shaking, shuddering. The small woman's tears awakened a strong protective instinct in Yvian. She felt the urge to wrap her arms around the poor lady, to offer comfort. Yvian decided against it. She knew what the pirates had done to this woman. Just because she was more concerned with her family didn't mean the trauma wasn't there. The touch of a stranger wouldn't be comforting after an experience like that.

Yvian worked to school her expression. She wasn't as good at it as she'd like, but she managed a look of mild concern instead of outright pity. Pity would not help this woman. If anything, it would hurt her more. Yvian walked back to the flerg and offered her the box of tissues.