Inferno
Author: Earlybird-obi-wan
Timeframe: 43 ABY
Characters: OC’s
Genre: HC/PG
Summary: a story about heroes and a big disaster
Disclaimer: Star Wars is owned by G.L.

Inferno

‘I hate you!’

Flames – burning flames – were dancing on the black and red surface.

‘You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you!’

A hand was outstretched.
A burning man tried to crawl away.
He was trapped.

Why?
Why was no one coming?

He tried to kick away the rubble with his legs.
Arms were flailing.
He was getting free.
But…
He was falling towards….

“Oh nooh … someone help me…. darkness … I am trapped.”

 

Chapter 1
Moniron
Noranan
14 velona
05.30



Moniron, an obscure planet in the outer rim with four habitable continents, uninhabited Polar Regions and great expanses of water dotted with small habitable islands, was unknown to the galaxy since the time that Darth Vader had visited the planet to kill one of the surviving Jedi-healers and to erase memories from his visits with Obi-Wan. A vision – in part due to the influence of the Dunai elder group who had saved the Jedi-healer getting him away before his cabin was destroyed – had him erasing the planet from the galaxy starcharts.
Only those knowing the coordinates or guided by the Force could travel to Moniron. The last group to arrive had been from Lingala and had settled in Noranan on Monira, the continent with mount Moniron that had given the planet its name.

The rising sun was casting Noranan city in a soft light. The city had been founded thousands of years ago as a small village of cottages near an outcropping of rocks forming a natural harbour. It was now sprawling in a large area along the coast and up on the sloping hills to give a home to the increasing population. 70% were Dunai elder and Dunai but humans and various other species had found Noranan a nice place to work and live.


The orange tiled roof of Noranan primary school – the first school to be built – stood out among the greenery of the surrounding forest. In that forest spreading to the north, were trails, lakes and three large buildings. They housed the factories of Jadaki Plastworks, DB wood and Shea Quin metal. The north district of the city – large apartment buildings and a shopping centre – began just east of these three buildings and was separated by a canal and a road. The canal was used by the wood-factory.
Most of the inhabitants slept. But lights could be seen in the old harbour where fishermen were preparing their boats and muttering about the coming bad weather that would have them return early in the afternoon, in the south of the city where the large new industrial area situated near the south harbour and airport was giving work to most of her citizens, in the central area where four shopping centres were gearing up for the day and in the large hospital in the suburb of Noranan north district where the doctors, nurses and workers of the nightshift were busy.


Noranan General Hospital was built a hundred years ago and situated near the long beach with dunes and greenery where many of her employees had their homes in the old cottages. It was a sprawling complex of buildings blending with their natural colours and roofs covered with grasses in the large garden. Lionellan trees gave shade. It was one of the big hospitals on Moniron to have specialised in trauma and child care. It was the only hospital on the continent of Monira to treat leukaemia patients and doing transplants and had two buildings in the neighbourhood – the Vanrood houses – where the relatives could stay to be near their beloved ones.
The second building had seen completion only a week ago and had been a gift for the celebration on 23 helona.


Irol-tanks were readied by droids. Irol – extracted from Sirol-seaweed found in the oceans after being imported by the Sheir-Irel from Irellion twenty years before their planet was destroyed – was used on patients after Bacta and Kolto became unavailable. It was done by droids because most Dunai and all Dunai elder were quite allergic to Bacta, Kolto and Irol. One of those tanks was in prep-room four.
Another prep-room was ready to receive the first young patient. It was special. Dunai elder anaesthetists – able to form a bond with their patient and giving them a dream – used it in a special program preventing a traumatising experience for children.


OT’s were being prepared for the first procedures starting in just a few hours.
Medevacs and specialised units for sea- and wilderness rescue were in the large hangar. Techs were busy preparing them after watching the holonews and the weather-forecast. A big storm was coming from the north-west and would reach the coast near Noranan in the afternoon.
Alarms were set in the bedrooms of the houses and cottages of those getting to work in those OT’s, treatment-rooms and medevacs. At most one hour of rest left was there for the surgeons and nurses going to work.


In the new Vanrood house was a couple enjoying the breakfast prepared by the staff. They had followed the instructions of the anaesthetist and their son was asleep in his bed. A medevac would come to take them to the hospital.

05.45
Duneroad 6


One of the cottages near the beach – Duneroad 6 – was a place of unrest.
The small cottage with two bedrooms, a living-room and a kitchen had recently become the home of two colleagues working in the hospital. Aradan Mirdees – a senior surgeon – and Jehna Er-San – a young anaesthetist – belonged to the long lived Dunai elder race and were with 200 and 72 years young adults. An emergency to save Aaqu Maerhin and Marhin Adin had Jehna, Aradan and their colleague neuro-surgeon Timo Herefa rushing to Noranan now almost two months ago. And liking the work in Noranan General Hospital the three had been among the ones involved in that rescue to stay permanent in Noranan and get a job in the hospital. Treating children was what they liked and had done in the University hospital in the capital Monir. Aradan had bought the cottage and was helping his young colleague to search for a cottage.


“Oh nooh … someone help me…. darkness … I am trapped.”


Some silence and a hard bump followed by a cry “Oww”


Aradan Mirdees – tousled flame red hair standing every which way and green eyes full of concern – bolted out of his bed when he heard the noise coming from the bedroom of Jehna.

“Jehna,” Aradan Mirdees rushed into the bedroom of his colleague and knelt down next to the man tangled in his sweat drenched bed-sheets and on the floor beside his bed.


“Help me…. flames … darkness,” Jehna Er-San – handsome face framed with blonde spiky hair – opened his liquid blue eyes with a far away look in them. He was still living in a nightmare.


“Lights,” Aradan ordered in a tone that had the younger man understanding that he was safe.


“Aaah,” Jehna blinked a few time with his eyes and surveyed his surroundings until he came to settle on the concerned face of his colleague. ‘Trapped!’ And he felt what was trapping him and began to move, getting arms and legs uncovered.


“A dream?” Aradan helped him to untangle and stand up and sit on the rumpled bed and sat down next to him after reaching for a glass of water on the nightstand that had survived the tumbling man and bed-sheets.


“Hmm hmm,” Jehna sipped from the water “and something I haven’t experienced in a long time, a very long time. Unpleasant ones that is…” He remained silent sipping from the glass until it was empty.


“Can you tell me,” Aradan took the empty glass from the trembling hands.


“Uh yes,” Jehna mumbled “you know sixty-two years ago … the great sorrow …”


“When the empire was born,” Aradan supported. “It was four days after my 138th birthday and I felt the great ripple in the Force when I had a child in my treatment room. I helped her to shield. And that night I saw – gazing at the fire in my fireplace – the fight between two brothers on a fiery planet. A Jedi Knight was seduced by the Sith. Maybe he was even conceived by them.”


Jehna nodded and whispered “yes that was Anakin, coming under the influence from Darth Sidious from the moment he met him. The Jedi couldn’t do anything about the rising of the Sith to power. I was nine and felt all the anguish of Anakin and Obi-Wan. I was reliving this in my dream. Friends fighting… Obi-Wan had to leave his best friend behind … his brother … burning on the black shore of that lava river … He had to save the children … uh but … my dream … why?” He put his head in his hands and continued “Two explosions and a big one … I uh was trapped and there were flames … why? Why now?”


“Maybe the unrest among the Jedi causes this,” Aradan stood up to get the glass filled with water. “You know that Jacen Solo must have discovered something when he was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong or after his solo-journeys to become Darth Caedus.”


“A Sith name,” Jehna murmured “he sure followed his grandfather in all that was wrong.”


“Yeah,” Aradan closed the tap. “Jacen felt that following the Sith rules and being a dictator could unite the alliance and stand as one against an unknown menace. The alliance hunted him because of his terrible black deeds.”


“But when Jacen died he returned to the light saving an entire species from a nano-killer,” Jehna accepted the glass of water. “Water; I was guiding a sulking Kaagi to the beach when I saw Jacen convincing Kaagi to let go of his guilt.”


Aradan nodded. He had been among the team to save Kaagi when – after a procedure to donate stemcells – the wake up after sedation turned into a fight to repair blood-vessels in the head. Kaagi lost the function of his lower left leg and had to use a wheelchair or a brace and crutch to move around. “Kaagi couldn’t prevent the turn of master healer Anka Dynarsk and her marriage to Ren Dooku. They gave their son to the Jedi. Count Dooku became the second Sith apprentice and somehow essential for Anakin to turn. But the rise and fall of the Sith didn’t turn the galaxy into a peaceful one. Imperials, Chiss, Yuuzhan Vong, bugs and a civil war…” He paused for a moment and continued with a grumble “there came a kind of union with Natasi Daala as Chief of State.”


“Daala yeah,” Jehna sipped from the water “and her dislike of Jedi and those loyal to the Jedi.”


“Jedi were succumbing to something unknown and the trial of Valin Horn lead to disturbances. We have now Jason Guyet and his friends here because Admiral Lecerce wanted to know who had placed buoys around Pangona. And Jason sent a message to ‘Bullwinkle’ to get help for those planets with buoys.”


“Bullwinkle and you have seen Jason smiling when he got that message from commander Spanish staying on Varanko. He told us that Didier was marrying his great love.” A small smile was appearing for a moment on Jehna’s face. “Captain Kalra left his ship and crew to escape the clutches from Daala. And Jedi Dorne Runia left the Jedi to marry him after some urging from her squadron commander Kyp Durron.” The smile disappeared and he continued “no more battles to be fought for the Alliance for them. Yeah, battles are nasty causing losses to civilians and the innocents.” He paused for a long time gazing towards his chrono and the blinking alarm-settings. “Innocents … yeah that little kid … five years … Nathan Freni is an innocent victim of that incompetent driver wanting to show off to his girlfriend. He is now terrified of all things medical after being treated for his broken arm in Rondor.” He finished the water.


“We have Nathan today under our care for his second surgery. And you will introduce him to the wizard and make his stay here a nice one and maybe even have him liking medical thingies,” Aradan saw a brief smile passing Jehna’s face when he said ‘thingies’ and stood up getting a smile on his face because he had now something to lighten up the mood of his colleague. “We have only a morning of work with the free afternoon and four days of fun in Moniron. And we have planned,” he walked towards the place near the window where running shirts and pants were thrown haphazardly on a pair of shoes. “If this isn’t what it is. What did your mother teach you?” He picked up the rumpled shirt with muddy marks and held it up for Jehna to see.


“Uh,” Jehna began to laugh when he remembered “never get into a mud-fight with an Adin or you will need new running thingies.” Adin-mud-fights were famous during his study in the house of healing at Eled-Hir and moving to Noranan hadn’t changed that at all. “I have the new set in my closet with the new shoes. All is packed and ready for twenty easy k’s this afternoon. Those are my old ones and yes yesterday you missed all that fun after we had washed the husans.”


“I missed some fun,” Aradan eyed the shirt and shoes and shook his head. He had had his share of mud-fun after going with Kaagi to the pool in Noranan forest. “No I didn’t miss some fun because I was with the Guyets and the Kerebuys and you know with Jason telling about his days with Blade squadron and demonstrating how Nash instructed the marines and the Talons it was fun for us when nurse Miu-Miu passed the room in the offices building where we were practising and started to instruct us.” He stretched his arms and felt a soft twinge in his back. “The instructions from Miu-Miu had been quite taxing but entertaining too with Darne Bindy muttering about having to make new rules for sports classes when we passed his office. ‘Only the aerobics room on this floor or you can go outside,’ was what he shouted when the bunch of doctors and nurses ran through the corridor and the directors offices in hot pursuit of the feline instructor who used every obstacle – tables, desks and archive-chests – to remain in the lead. Sia-Miu – one of the feline nurses and sister of Miu-Miu – had been close on her heels and I was lagging behind after an unhappy landing and twisting my back.”


“Ah that kind of fun and you are still up to some running?” Jehna remembered those instructions from Miu-Miu after she had heard all from Jason about Nash. And he had seen her instructing the nurses with one of the felines making quite a show and copying her immediately.


“Uh yes and you know tomorrow is a day of travel and rest.”


“Rest? With us meeting our colleagues from the university,” Jehna smiled mischievously. “You will have a hard time as captain of our running team. You know what the University bar offers.”


“Mujaa juice, burps and more but the colleagues are on our team too and with Naney Shelby sponsoring the team he will make sure we will be in our beds early during all the evenings.”


“And if not we have the president as second sponsor to have us in our beds after his very inspiring talk,” Jehna snatched his pillow from the floor “and beds have this” and threw that to Aradan.


“Young one no pillow fights either,” Aradan dropped the shirt and missed the pillow that dropped on the muddy shoes “and you’re messy. Get showering and clean your bed and don’t put your coloured things with these sheets in the laundry machine.”


“No,” Jehna grinned “I have had instructions from Erenya and Lynne. And that was after they saw ‘your’ laundry.” He picked up his pillow and started to remove the pillowcase. “Two sheets and this is not enough. Your laundry too?”


“I will get it and make us breakfast,” Aradan went back to his bedroom. Life in the University hospital had been simple with professional laundry-care, the dormitories and apartments and a large restaurant. But he liked his new life, learning new things like cooking and tidying the house. And he liked to see Jehna learning these things as well for the moment that he was getting a cottage of his own.


Jehna went to his fresher and noticed only now the slightly sore feeling in his buttocks. ‘Nothing to worry about and with running this will go away.’



Outside – near the back fence that separated the garden of Duneroad 6 from the grassy meadows of Beachroad 8 – was a greying husan. It was the three year old colt Andar and he had escaped from the shelter. He had somehow sensed the unrest of his master. But a soft whistling sound had him running back to the shelter where Aaqu and Lynne Maerhin were filling the manger with grains and carrots.

06.00
Duneroad 3
Another cottage – Duneroad 3 – was a place of unrest too. This unrest was coming from the kitchen where Timo Herefa was making breakfast. He had done that for the past weeks since his marriage to Adanel Finn, getting instructions from her and enjoying it. Eggs were frying in the pan and porridge was ready and steaming in a big bowl when Adanel came downstairs.
She eyed that bowl on the counter and asked “more energy needed?”


“Yup I like to stay close to Jehna and Aradan,” Timo grinned. “They were far ahead of me two days ago when we were training on the beach. This afternoon we are taking the trail through Noranan forest. And maybe I can defeat them in the Monir 21 K memorial run.”


“Maybe,” Adanel started to open various cupboards and closets “but anyway it will be nice to see your parents and get them here.”


“Yup,” Timo opened the fridge “seeking this?”


“Yes and you know,” Adanel beamed when she saw the jar with pickled sprouts.


“Sure,” Timo put the jar down “and that’s why I suggested to director Er-Quin to ask my parents to come here when he was asking me if I knew some folks from my days in Monir. Dad will love to take my job when our baby is born.”


“And the same is for your mother taking my job,” Adanel opened the jar and took one sprout and started to eat it, smiling when Timo scrunched up his nose and placed the eggs on two plates. Her husband had been the one to buy the jar.


“You are eating for three,” Timo commented when Adanel got more sprouts and started on the eggs, his eggs included.


“You never know,” Adanel finished all the eggs and reached for the toast on Timo’s plate and had that buttered and spread with sprouts and more stuff coming from a second jar.


“Eech,” Timo finished his porridge in a hurry. He didn’t like the combination of chocolate and pickles at all. “Marhin did warn me about weird food and Kaagi...” He stood up “Kaagi is starting early” and he picked up his satchel with running gear and headed to the door. He turned his head “take it easy.”


“I will,” Adanel leaned back. She had been quite nauseous the last week but weird food had her regaining her strength. But the first bout of nausea had her ending her duty in the IC-ward and applying for a less demanding job at the pediatrics ward. She knew why Kaagi was starting early. She smiled when she saw the door closing and headed to the study. Like her husband she would become a therapist for the children. And like her husband she knew that she was carrying twins.

06.30
Nello road 45
‘Jadaki Plastworks’ was visible on the front of the old building standing quite near the large wood-factory. For ages it had been a thriving business for the Jadaki family packing base ingredients for the industries from the plastbins and large wire-mesh plastbins into smaller units until young Chuck Jadaki became her new director. With his university education Chuck had given a new impulse adding the making of the base ingredients to the packing business and making it too big for the building. Noranan citizens loved to work at Jadaki. Generous wages, securities and safe work were the norm. Chuck got permission to build a new factory near the airport and harbour of Noranan where a new business park and industrial area was attracting even more clients. The opening had been four weeks ago. And with the store-rooms completed he had given the small but reliable company ‘Sukenik movers and demolishers’ the contract to get all the materials and usable machines to the new building. He had seen what Jaldor Norondon had done with the old factory on Ikraan road turning it into a home away from home for the parents staying close to their child needing treatment in the hospital. He planned to demolish the old factory and build a new educational building and playground. The restaurant in the factory had been a place for educational activities in the evenings.

Scowling at the screeching sound Azaua Dupree shook her red curls that piped under her helmet when she opened the rusty gate to give access to the first truck. She had enjoyed the ride from her home – an apartment near the town-hall in the south of the city – to the factory and had arrived before the two trucks with ‘Sukenik movers and demolishers’ in bold lettering on the sides. At the controls of the first truck was her boss Wayne Sukenik.


“A few days Azaua and we will have the remaining containers away, the building stripped and ready to be demolished,” Wayne Sukenik grinned when he saw Azaua getting her speederbike to get that inside the fence. “I have the ‘works’ in my truck and store them in the secure materials room at the back. You know; I cannot store them at home with Donna’s beauty-shop materials stashed in the secure room.”


“Yep, your insurance wouldn’t cover that,” Azaua stated. “When did they arrive?”


“Today,” Wayne answered “I got a call from the airport and that wake-up call had me…”


“Calling all and I don’t mind beginning early,” Azaua straddled her speederbike and guided it inside whipping up dust and making screeching noise. But that was noise she liked. And the noise ‘the works’ would produce when the building was going down was something she liked even more. She had been the designer of the shaped charges years ago when she was studying at the technical university in Monir and would be placing them after the ‘moving’ part of the work was done. Today window-removal – to bring them to a specialized recycle company – would be finished and more materials from the first floor would be transported. With only the large plastbins and mesh-wire plastbins on the ground-floor and smaller plastbins and metal containers in the store-rooms on the first floor to remove the building was almost ready. Various materials and trash had found their way to the terrain surrounding the factory with most stashed at the north side. A long cable was salvaged and wound on a reel. The building and terrain would be free of materials when the shaped charges were going to reduce it to duracrete and metal rubble.


“Your early wake-up call will give us more time to sample Trucky Bill’s delicacies,” Ben Folsen grinned when he saw the second truck with Bill Dorsett at the controls and Estala Masila coming down on the sloping road towards the entrance. “And the sleep inducing hot weather isn’t inviting to work long.”


“Hot weather yes but today a storm will drive the heat away,” Wayne drove his truck inside. With his four employees he had a successful team. “I only hope the storm will be delayed. You know what we have planned.”


“Yup,” Ben replied “You will leave with Estala and Azaua and this truck loaded with machines and materials for the new factory and I will stall Trucky long enough to have all of you at his apartment. And his wife knows. Gerri saw her yesterday at the beauty-salon.”


“CL-company will help you,” Wayne gave a wink with his left eye. Window-removal was also a bit early because of the offer from CL-company.

- - -

A bush rustled and one pair of feet hurried away. They belonged to a man who had been there at the same time yesterday and the days before. And there was a slightly disappointed look on his face. The ‘works’ were far apart from the place where he had worked during the night. But that was the only disappointment. The charges were there. He had made sure of that, giving Sukenik an offer he couldn’t resist, two offers to be precise. And a place without potentially victims was even more to his liking. Only material damage was his trade-mark.


tbc

 

Chapter 2

14 velona 06.30

Ikraan road 115
Noranan General Hospital
Auditorium
Dunai elder Kaagi Adin – a surgeon and former Jedi master – was early to prepare for classes. An offer by him to the directors to give short courses like the ones he had done at Eled-Hir’s house of healing to the interested employees was met with approval. He had posted messages everywhere and the result was a first course filled to the maximum of ten students by the end of the first day.

Kaagi was moving things, sitting in his wheelchair and using his crutch to grab a chair and tow it to the other things. Tables and chairs were piled up on one side of the stage. He had asked for the aerobics room in the offices building or one of the classrooms or meeting-rooms but with those unavailable he had gotten the large auditorium near the surgery wing. For his group – interested nurses and doctors – the stage was enough. With the lesson he was about to give he didn’t need to walk and he had doffed his brace enjoying the freedom of a lower left leg without the icky thingy. It had been very icky due to the last days with the sunny and hot weather. He had more braces to use for his work. They were cleaned and ready to use in his locker in the changing room of the IC-ward.

A soft chuckle had him looking up and down and he wasn’t surprised to see Timo Herefa lifting one of the two remaining chairs with the Force and depositing that near the other chairs. “You’re early. Chocolate and sprouts?”

“How did you know,” Timo grinned when he took the steps leading to the stage.

“Lenwe was complaining yesterday when he was visiting us,” Kaagi lifted the last chair with the Force. “Arianna passed him and sped to the kitchen to see if her mother had chocolate and pickled sprouts. And with both missing I had to get the horrible stuff. Eech.” He made a face and saw his expression reflected in the other man’s face. But the disgust couldn’t hide the pleasure of becoming a grandfather again. Twice; Marhin’s wife Erenya was also pregnant. Aranella had had the same preferences for weird food when she was pregnant.

“I will ask dad if mom had the same preferences,” Timo voiced “they are coming with me to Noranan after the Monir 21 K memorial run.”

“With your dad taking your job,” Kaagi began to spread mattresses on the stage getting intense delight in zooming them around and over Timo. “I see. You want to become a therapist.”

“For the children,” Timo grinned when one mattress sailed past him. He too used the Force and had it settling before him. “I have followed those lessons in Monir and want to refresh my knowledge. I want to see my twins growing up.”



06.35
Nello road 43
‘DB-WOOD Noranan’ Bold letters in black on a yellow illuminated sign were dominating the front of the large wood-factory. The Direux and Bargony families had added the factory seven months ago to their growing business of wood-factories. DB-wood had more factories on the continents of Monira, Aarga and Harada. Most were a thriving business using only certified wood and abiding the government standard of nature conversation. The factory in Noranan was one of the two to process the Lionellan trees, known for their fire-resistant properties. The other factory was in Dojeyna on Aarga.

But Dion Bargony director of the factories on Harada and his partner – Craig Direux senior and director on Aarga – were not content. One of the machines in Noranan – a sawing machine installed when they took over –was not working as expected and was the main cause for Noranan to be not as thriving as their factories on the Harada and Aarga continents. And the building had been 60 years old when they bought it from her former owner.

Craig Direux – the oldest son of Direux senior – had settled in Noranan to become the boss of the new factory. He had arrived minutes ago and had seen Ruben Shang – his account manager – going to the offices. Ruben used the early hours to communicate with the factories on the other continents.

Shang’s wife – chief of publicity and management – would arrive after having breakfast with their teenage daughter Julia and seeing her going to school. Like Direux, the Shang family had moved to Noranan. ‘We will get this factory on top’ was what Shang had said.

‘Shang and his creative accounting,’ Craig grinned. ‘He will get the credits to us and not to the government. And if trouble arises he has that lawyer Arvo. But not for this time; I will get Mogvitch.’ He put his expensive coat in the wardrobe when the door to his office opened. He turned towards the men entering and got a sly smile on his face when he eyed the man with the pale face and cold grey eyes standing next to his dad’s co-director. “You brought the expert from Haradan?”

“Sure,” Dion Bargony grinned “he made the difference for DB in Avana.” Bargony’s son was now the boss of the new building in Avana on the continent of Haradan with state of the art equipment after a devastating fire destroyed the old factory.

The expert – Griff Lerox – blinked once with his eyes. He had pulled off that job without any trouble and was sure that – with the details provided by Direux senior – DB-wood in Noranan would become very profitable. For him it was getting a share of the insurance and for the owners getting a new building on the new industrial park. He was even considering a retirement getting now enough credits to live somewhere comfortably on one of the islands he visited regularly. But he loved his work. His fascination for fire had started at the technical university in Monir when he met Azaua Dupree, Linde Melliana and Dack Jorton. Azaua had been a genius designing bombs with Dack helping her. She returned to her hometown Noranan and found work at ‘Sukenik movers and demolishers.’ Dack Jorton became famous after his graduation founding Jorton fireworks. Jorton had been the supplier of the shaped charges now present in Sukenik’s truck. And Linde Melliana became a physics teacher, was chosen as president from Moniron and found in Dack her great love. She was now a senator and giving arguments to keep the fire-works available for all during the festivities of New Year but found senators – mostly Dunai and Dunai elder – opposing her. Even the current president Jed Dinkara was leading the opposition.

“You picked the right time,” Craig called up a chart on his desk and pointed at the storm-front coming from the north-west. “And with Sukenik bringing in the charges today…” He paused and saw a curt nod from Griff when the man put his satchel down. “We have a fire to get us out of the fire.”

“Just this,” Griff squeaked with his high pitched voice. He was rummaging in his satchel and took out a small package. It had held two shaped charges of a similar design as those provided by Jorton fireworks and two primers and timers. “I have set the timers at fourteen-thirty and fourteen-thirty-one.” He placed the package on the desk.

“There is only the fence barring the entrance of unwanted visitors,” Craig continued “but as you have no doubt observed …”

“I could crawl under the fence,” Griff interrupted “and there is that place near the shrubs that’s rusted through. I know, I have been busy last week and the doors have no locks either. Sukenik isn’t known for using guard-droids to keep kids away, being one of the cheapest companies. Last night I have surveyed the entire building. There is a great amount of plastbins left on both floors. Combustible contents you know,” and a sly smile passed his face. “I made sure that Sukenik is moving the windows today and not the plastbins and pressurized containers. Jadaki’s plastworks demise will be the start of a new future for us. And I have been observing your employees stashing wood near the north fence. My only concern is that the fire can reach Shea Quin metal.”

Dion had a snug smile on his face. Griff was very thorough in the preparations. He was glad that he had given the contract weeks ago to the man. Investigations in Avana had given the cause of that fire as being one of negligence of one of the workers. He remembered getting the messages from Griff. The first request had been to buy a boat from a certain firm. And shortly thereafter the owner – a Greg Serroxo – had shown up and taken residence in the boat. Another request had been a call to CL-company to request the windows to be delivered today and another to get shaped charges. Dion grinned “DB Noranan will be a shaped charge disaster with a fire spreading rapidly because the windows aren’t there.”

“Sure and beginning as a neglected container disaster,” Griff laughed “Sukenik will have no time today to remove the plastbins from the first floor because he is busy with the windows. My charges near the combustibles on the first floor will weaken the floor and ceiling and the burning stuff will ignite the rest. No one will know that there were extra shaped charges. I am sure there will be no kids playing on the grounds with the coming bad weather. And you don’t have to place that call to Sukenik to get him and his company away. They are gone before the party.”

“And we will have enough time to evacuate before the fire jumps to DB Noranan,” Craig saw on the security monitor embedded in his desk more employees arrive. “The ratchet of exploding shaped charges and plastbins will be heard above our machines.” He grinned. DB Noranan met – even with the faulty sawing machine producing more noise than produce – the high standards of a silent running factory to the outside world.

Dion opened the package and placed a key in it. “This is what you requested for today as a first payment for the job.”

“The key to reveal my new boat,” Griff took the package and returned it to his satchel. “I have seen her in her berth in my house-boat. And I will be far away cruising south to Umni Island. A few days of rest and I will be island hopping towards Haradan.”



06.35
Ikraan road 115
Noranan General Hospital
Reception area
“Worried?”

“We have seen worse on New Holstice during the wars brother.”

“In our Eta-actis fighters or after those Vultures had a go at our colleagues?”

“Both and you know what came to New Holstice after the second battle for Kamino.”

“Kaminoan surg uh butchers.”

“We had to save our patients before they became parts and trash.”

Karoun Aatifa looked up from his desk when he heard the two brothers entering and grinned when he saw them looking at two human colleagues – internists Kirsten Bellah and Nasra Dromm – busy with the status-board or not. Kirsten and Nasra were known to be discussing ‘girl’ things endlessly until a pager had them going to do their duty.

Jim and Mick Kerebuy – two Dunai – had been in the group arriving from Lingala and had found a job in the hospital being both experienced surgeons and pilots. Mick was born on Bor Rhimmol and had travelled with his parents to New Holstice where his brother Jim was born. A tragic accident – the parents were firefighters – had the two being adopted by foster-parents and becoming surgeons and pilots because the foster-parents were doctors and one of their teachers at the university was a starfighter-pilot too. Mick had formed and commanded ‘hospital squadron’ on New Holstice during the clone wars and had like his brother a great aversion for the methods used by the Kaminoan cloner surgeons who had been using parts harvested from clones to help other clones. Mick tried to save ‘hopeless’ causes and was usually successful. And he and his brother loved to counter ‘girl’ talk with ‘war’ talk or some other ‘boy’ talk. This time it was the clone wars.

“You saw Alpha when he visited members of his group.”

“Yup he was telling about Rattatak, Ventress and general Kenobi saving him.”

“Old stories doctor Kerebuy,” Kirsten Bellah interrupted when she turned away from the status-board. She had been softly discussing her newest beauty treatment with her friend until the ‘war’ story from the brothers interfered. That she had heard part of it only once didn’t matter.

“But with some lessons in them,” Jim countered. “Sneezer was one of that group and he was with Alpha and general Kenobi on Boz Pity where Asajj Ventress died. Asajj turned back to the light despite the horrible artificials added to her body. And Sneezer was telling me all about general Kenobi after he woke up and he asking where Alpha was had me telling him that the shuttle with Ventress and Alpha was lost. Clones were humans and…”

“Programmed killers,” Nasra Dromm muttered. “They turned as one and became the stormtroopers and the templates for what you see now in the military serving the alliance.”

“I am glad to be living on a planet that isn’t there for the alliance,” Kirsten began when a pager began to buzz. She took it from her pocket and walked to the internist wing.

And that had Jim going to the status-board and seeing that he was scheduled for medevac duty. “You have the easy part with ER-duty.”

“Easy?” Mick took his buzzing comlink and sped away.

Jim hurried to the hangar when he saw the first call on his comlink. His first job was to guide a boy and his parents to the hospital.



07.30
Prep room 8
Nathan Freni had been very sleepy when he stirred awake and saw his parents in the room fifteen minutes ago but now he was fully awake when he saw the wizard – dressed in his large grey cloak, pointed hat and black synth-leather gloves – coming in with a large box. Yesterday he had seen a holo of that same wizard with his tricks and telling a story to a group of children. And yes the box was what he had seen and that box contained the presents. His eyes lighted up. Even the room he was in was the one where the children had been. “Mom, dad you have brought me to the wizard.”

“We did sweetie,” Shana hugged her son.

“You recognise me and the room,” Jehna winked with his left eye and placed the box on the covers of the bed when he saw the boy nodding eagerly. “I have come from afar to see more little ones and especially you. And I am sure you will want to see my castle.”

Nathan nodded again. In the holo-program the wizard had taken the children with parents to his castle where the story was told. All children had received presents. “Mom and dad can come?”

“Follow me all of you young ones,” Jehna took the bed and guided that towards two double doors with the parents helping him. He had been the one to provide them with the holo and the instructions after hearing that the boy was terrified of hospitals after being treated in Rondor after the accident. Nathan had arrived yesterday with his parents in the Vanrood house and had been given sleep-medicines. This morning one of the medevacs had brought him and the parents to the hospital where the nurses guided them to the prep-room.

Two double doors parted to reveal a hallway of a castle. Prep room 8 was with columns and dark corners designed to match with that shown in the holo and used for children. Holographic projections enhanced the scene.

Nathan was awed.

“Nathan,” Jehna opened the box to reveal a book, a wand and a fluffy Gizmo, “he will be yours and I will tell you his story before we go to the castle but you have to hold him for me. I have the book and the wand. You will be part of the story.”

“Yes,” Nathan reached with his little hands to the toy and grabbed it awkwardly. His entire right arm was in a cast. The light was becoming brighter, focussing on him, the toy and the wizard. And he saw the assistant of the wizard clad in a bright blue dress and cloak just as she had been in the program coming towards his bed. “Master Girith.”

Jehna opened the book and began “there was a little Gizmo and he was liked by his teacher the wizard. The Gizmo saw the teacher waving with his wand. His friend holding him was to become a student too and had to be introduced.”

“That tickles,” Nathan grinned when the wand touched his hand and moved a few times over the skin.

“The wizard moved the wand and the Gizmo wanted to join his teacher,” Jehna had – using the Force – the Gizmo stirring. And he had now – after doffing his gloves to reveal the usual blue medical gloves – the boy’s hand in his hand and had the IV ready to apply. The set had been in the box resembling a book. He had used the wand covered with a powerful soothing and cleaning salve to numb the hand.

“Don’t leave my son master Gizmo,” Jon Freni urged. He took the cues from the lights now shining on his face.

“He can not, I am holding him with my hands,” Nathan smiled. “I will become a student of the wizard. Master Girith and the Gizmo will help me” and turned with his head to his father and mother.

“They will help you Nathan,” Shana Freni stated and gave her son a big smile.

That was for Jehna the moment to slip in the powerful drug to sedate Nathan. He would continue the story during the sequence to guide Nathan out of the sedation, making it a dream for the boy with a nice wake up in a room in the pediatrics wing.

“Come with me,” Dunai elder nurse Jana Girith said.

Jon and Shana Freni followed her.

Jehna pushed the bed to the opening doors of the OT where Nurse Kerlan Gulnare was waiting with Aradan Mirdees.

The other nurse on their team – Jilan Gherian – was ready to help to transfer the boy on the table. He and Kerlan – both Dunai elder – had been the designers of the ‘wizard-program’ and had enrolled Jehna in their group.

“Continue your story wizard,” Aradan grinned when Jehna dropped cloak and hat in a similar way as he had seen Aaqu Maerhin doing before giving a lightsaber demonstration. ‘All Jedi knights drop their cloaks’ was what Aaqu had told him during his visit to Monir University. Aradan was looking forward to the time that Aaqu and Marhin – he had received the lightsaber from his dad – could do another demonstration with their full Force powers back.

tbc---

 

Chapter 3


14 velona

08.30
Kando apartments 17
Tina Benelli was happy. She craved for contacts with men, interesting men and not the dull ones. Yesterday she had met a nice man. She acted nice to him resulting in him inviting her to dinner in the expensive New Harbour restaurant. Today Leroy Folsom was going to take her on a two day boating trip to Umni Island. He had been planning that to do it alone. But she had insisted that company would be nice and he had agreed. She was donning her new outfit; blue pants with matching blouse and jacket and soft sneakers. And she had more outfits packed in her bags and a fully stocked picknic basket. ‘Maybe I will need all to seduce him. My pastries are famous. Tupa Wiay has been right to point me at the man. He will like the pictures.’ She hung the necklace as the last item around her neck. It had a hidden cam in the Corusca-stone. And she had a larger hovercam to use.

The necklace brought fond memories. Tupa Wiay had given it to her after their last meeting. It had been essential for her future with Tupa as her real lover. She had met him for the first time at a party where Felix Metfor was one of the attendants too. Tupa had given her the feeling that she was perfect and had given her substances to enhance that perfection. He had steered her towards Metfor and she had married the rich but dull man. ‘Marry him but I will be there for you.’ But she didn’t see Tupa that much after the marriage. ‘My boss has some business. I will come back’ was what he told her when he left the party. She got Kyle one year after her marriage. An accident she called it and she never loved the boy. She met Tupa again when Kyle was a toddler. It made her happy and she wanted to plan to be with him. But Tupa went away on an assignment for his boss for more than 12 years. She only received packages once a month from him and a little message in each package. ‘I will be back’ was what he wrote. And she sent back messages each time telling Tupa about the luxury prison she was in. He came back when she wrote about the inheritance Felix got from his parents and gave her the necklace and instructions how to use it. It was the ticket to a new future. She began to argue with Felix, getting angry at him, egging him to start a divorce procedure. He did and she had him where she wanted him.

She was a free woman again after that procedure to get rid of Felix culminating in moving from Rondor to a luxurious apartment in Noranan in the building where Tupa Wiay had his apartment. Moving was six months ago. Now she had the credits to spend on luxury and parties. Her job at an expensive sports-club gave her even more pleasure. Tupa Wiay was her supplier of all Tina needed now to live in luxury. He had a lawyer – Noranan citizen Jonis Arvo – for her who had squeezed her former husband almost dry. He made sure that she met only human judges. Even Kyle – their only child – was given to her thanks to the influence of the lawyer. She wanted to hurt her former husband by taking away all his wealth and Kyle.

Felix Metfor did want his son to live with him – he had offered almost everything to have Kyle in Rondor – but her lawyer and she had given the judges the impression that she was the best to care for Kyle. Felix with his shifts as an airport controller was not the right parent to care for a teenager. Omitted were of course the facts that Felix was caring more for Kyle than the mother, who didn’t love the child at all. The first month had been more or less normal for Kyle; his mother just gave him the nourishments, the apartment was new for the boy and he had a new school. But after that month Kyle coming home and seeing a letter addressed to him – she usually intercepted those letters but her son beat her at the mailbox – had him arguing that he wanted to go to his father. She grabbed the letter and saw more and more the – in her view – despicable traits of Felix Metfor reflected in the son. The man didn’t care for status and income and had even applied for a less demanding job at the airport with regular office hours. ‘I have a new job at the airport. I can care for you. Reply to me Kyle’ were the words from her ex-husband.

She denied Kyle that visit. He ran away and got arrested for a very little offence. That arrest had given her arguments to deny him all visits to his father. All contacts were severed by her with her lawyer taking care of all the legal work. She began to treat Kyle harshly, denying him almost everything and letting him tend for himself. Kyle responded by going to stay with friends or at the educational facilities or just stayed at school convincing the teachers that he had to study. And that suited her. She was free and could spend quality time with adventurous men, seducing them and having a nice night. And the credits coming from Tupa after she had given him the pics suited her even more. It was very convenient to live in the same building. And when Tupa was not at home she went to Jonis Arvo and got the same rewards.



08.30
Ikraan road 115
Noranan General Hospital
Hospital hangar
It was a large group gathered in the cavernous hangar where the medevacs, ambulances and more exotic rescue-vehicles were parked in their berths. With Noranan General Hospital being the centre for trauma victims and children those were frequently used.

The hospital was the centre for sea- and wilderness rescue and had specialized care for drowning victims and divers.

The Beast as it was called by the rescue crews of the hospital was a versatile transport packed to the brim with tools to rescue victims in every possible situation. It had hover-capabilities enabling it to stay at one place for five hours. Even refuelling was possible. It was bristling with grapplers giving it the appearance of a many legged insect. It had various hoists enabling the crew to get their equipment and workers down to difficult sites. And it could land on water with its inflatable floats, quite useful for Noranan being on the shore of the big Monira Ocean.

The Big Fish – very large with floats and with the number BF 47 on the orange coloured hull – had interchangeable modules parked near its berth. It was mainly used for accidents at sea. It was easy to fly and very stable in all weather-conditions. And it was fast with a cruising speed of 800 K an hour.

Two craft were very special.

One was the X-wing of Jason Guyet and flown by him or his old teacher Jeffrey Harmon. The astromech Iffy was staying with Jeffrey and helping him.

The other was the X-wing of Kaagi Adin. He used it to travel to hospitals to give lectures. His astromech Beesie was a great help getting the wheelchair and tugging him along. Beesie stayed at his home or at the home of his son Marhin and family.

MDC – short for Medevac Dispatch Centre – controlled all calls for the craft and was situated near the hangar. And it was the nerve-centre for the hospital placing calls for doctors, nurses and technicians for emergencies or to ready this or that. One dispatcher had called the first-responder team twenty minutes ago and saw them reporting back at the hangar.



Technicians and EMT-nurses and EMT-drivers were in the first-responder team room – one of the smaller rooms in the hangar – where four men were doffing BA-gear and their fatigues.

For Kevin Kaol – EMT-nurse and firefighter – it was the second call of the shift. His first had been to bring Nathan Freni and his parents to the hospital. A clinking and clanking sound on the tiled floor of nuts and bolts dropping from a rip in the pocket of the coveralls of his companion on that call standing next to him had Kevin looking down with a smile on his face.

“Escaping nuts and bolts,” Leod Irwihan – a chief-engineer in the hospital – bent down to retrieve them. “I will get the sewing gear and don’t you worry Kevin; they didn’t end up in my boots.”

“I am lucky. No blisters for you and for me to treat.” Alwin Elenion had double duty as surgeon and as chief of the first responder-team. He slipped in the green clogs matching with his medical greens and put his boots with scrunched down trousers in his locker. He had joined the team after settling in Noranan during the Maerhin and Adin emergency. He had seen many kitchen accidents. One of the first had been in the Jeditemple when he – initiate Karao – was going with his crèche-master to the restaurant of Serinka. Not being chosen as a padawan he had been sent away to the Alladea-agristation on Alderaan with a retiring Jedi-spy, Magin Bhik. Disbanding the agristation after the great purge had him joining the Alladea fire-department and a friendship with a former Jeditemple firefighter had him ending up on Moniron where he met his parents. As an instructor for the fire-department he had became famous from the day he moved with his family to Noranan and met professionals and volunteers during the show for the celebration of 100 years Noranan General Hospital.

“Jeruan again,” Rudi Selco – EMT-pilot and technician – laughed when he sniffed and caught the unmistakable scent of burnt pancakes with his nose.

“Yup chef Mouraha was busy and flipped one pancake too high and had that landing on the stove and flames were a result before he used the fire-blanket. But the alert was doing its work and had us hurrying and leaving our caf to cool,” Alwin replied with a big smile on his face.

“And engine seven could stay at home,” Kevin grinned. “I had dispatch on the com to tell them that it was just a fried pancake when they were clearing the doors. And that will have my mates muttering or not when I see them tomorrow.”

“I will keep them very busy and they won’t have the time to complain about a missed opportunity to get pancakes from Mouraha as a nice addition to breakfast,” Alwin laughed. “Chief Dupree will have the great challenge to battle a factory fire. And we will end the exercise with a barbecue and cake as dessert.”

“Nah, our Nerf-burgers are gone,” Ersan Koroni poked his head around the door of the ready-room of the EMT-crews. He had been the first to be ready with changing fatigues and had been busy preparing his lunch. “Jim! You again?”

“Blame Jason Guyet and his grease-is-bad-for-your-health lessons,” Jim Kerebuy replied. “You can ask him. He is there with Sef stashing the Beast with new supplies.”

Ersan made a beeline to that place where the specialized rescue craft had one of the sliding doors open.

Nurse Sef Hanief was giving a tray with energy-drinks to the man inside.

Ersan climbed aboard and asked “what’s wrong with my Nerf-burgers?”

“They were greasy like those prepared by Bullwinkle and...”

Sef hopping aboard too and a door sliding shut had Alwin guessing what that was about but Kevin laughed “Jason telling about his Blade-squadron adventures is always entertaining.”

“But not for…” Jim began.

BEEWEEEEP BEEWEEEP. Med one respond. Med two respond.

That had Kevin, Leod and Jim hurrying to the first medevac, .followed by Ersan, Sef and Jason opening the sliding door and hurrying to the second one.



08.35
Auditorium
Standing in the back of the auditorium were Marhin Adin and Aaqu Maerhin. Both had ER-duty but the laughter coming from the auditorium had the two headed inside.

“Frivolous use of the Force,” Aaqu whispered only for Marhin to hear when he saw Kaagi lifting a therapy-ball high in the air and sailing towards one of the nurses sitting on the mattress.

“That’s dad and he will have us as his students when our midis are again crowding our cells,” Marhin whispered back. Like Aaqu he was without the Force after the crash in the Darrin valley. Almost all midi-chlorians had been killed. Research of very old books and records had Kaagi and friends mounting a daring expedition to get the cure to get the few remaining midis again multiplying. “And with dad’s lightsaber retrieved from the Darrin valley wreck by a droid we can practise again after the metal thingies are removed from our legs.” He looked from the naked feet of his father down towards his clogs. Only thirteen days ago he had been able to discard the icky braces that had been supporting his legs.

“Lightsaber training but without the intricate moves using the Force,” Aaqu moved unconsciously with his right foot to keep the leg supple. He was still regaining his strength after the complicated breaks of the femur and tibia. “You have seen the last report.”

“Yeah,” Marhin grumbled “twice as much as when we started the treatment but a long way to go and...”

Beep pi beep pi
Two pagers had the two hurrying as fast as they could to the ER-rooms and their teams.



08.40
Junior wing
A dream? Was it all a dream? For Nathan Freni opening his eyes the holo-program had been real but what had followed has been a dream or was it. There had been a Gizmo in the dream. But wait. The Gizmo was in his bed with his arm now sporting a bandage. And he remembered. With the wizard he had taken care of the Gizmo when a funny moment resulted in the Gizmo getting injured after slipping on a fruit-peel. ‘It is only a scratch and a bump’ was what the wizard had told him.

“A bump, yes my assistant wizard,” Jehna had his hands now on the covers. “We are in that hospital where I took you and master Gizmo.”

“Hey, it was not a dream,” Nathan saw that he was in a normal hospital room with the usual things that had been very frightening. Not anymore. He had seen the treatment-room when he guided with the wizard the Gizmo in that room. He had seen his arm being treated by the wizard. He moved with his right arm and saw his bandage matching the one on the Gizmo. The large cast that had held his arm immobile for weeks since the accident was gone. That had been one of the first things to go when the wizard touched it with his wand. Playing with assistants of the wizard had resulted in again an injury to his arm. But he had felt no pain at all with the wizard comforting him immediately. “I was injured too before master Gizmo slipped and helped by you.”

“Yes, I needed an assistant and you have passed your first test,” Jehna raised his wand and waited for one of the nurses to come with Nathan’s parents to the bed. Only minutes ago he had sent nurse Girith to fetch the parents.

“Master Girith,” Nathan began with a smile on his face. She had helped him with the Gizmo. And he continued “mom, dad, I have passed the first test.”

“And that Nathan gives you the right to take master Gizmo to your home and care for him,” Jehna tapped softly with his wand on the boy’s shoulders. “Master Girith will help you today. After your lunch you can go home and you know” he gave a wink with his left eye.

“Master Mirdees will remove our bandages next week,” Nathan smiled. He had seen Master Mirdees acting funny with the Gizmo and Master Girith.

“And you will see me,” Jehna bowed and sped away like the wizard had done in the holo. He heard the laughter of the four in the room when his cloak almost got caught on the doorknob revealing his green sneakers but could keep it covering his surgical greens. ‘Next outfit will be a green cloak and hat. We have to get a new holo.’



09.30
Noranan harbour
“Leroy, she is beautiful,” Tina Benelli stepped on the deck of the blue boat, dropped her bag and the large picknick basket and threw her arms around the man with the beautiful grey eyes.

“I could cancel the smaller powerboat and hired her today,” Leroy laughed. “I hope she is up to your standard. She is fast and has everything I wish for a nice two day trip to Umni Island.”

“The blue island,” Tina almost melted in his strong arms now encircling her. The man was perfect for a few days away from her job in Noranan. She knew that he would go back to his home in Rondor. “I have lots of experience with this type of boat. I have brought the refreshments.”

“Home made?”

“Yes and drinks to enhance them.” Tina smiled. Felix and Kyle had always complained when she made pastries and had those drinks. ‘Stop using them, they are changing you’ was what her former husband had shouted.

“I see. And the fridge is stocked with fruit-juices if you need them.”

Tina giggled when Leroy led her up the stairs to the pilot-house with large transparisteel windows.

“You take the steering wheel and I will get her released from the quay,” Leroy put her in the seat before the large wheel, secured the safety straps and went towards the aft deck.

Eyes glued on the muscled form of Leroy Folsom showing through the wetsuit he was wearing and seeing him busy with the ropes Tina waited until she got the signal.

“Steer her to the west.” Leroy sat down next to her and secured his safety straps. For him it was safety first and he would ask Tina to don safety gear once the boat was on automatic. He was a professional power-boat pilot teaching customers of his boss to guide a boat.

Tina guided the throttle half-way. “Umni Island here we come.”



The boat leapt away passing another rather big boat used as a house-boat with a grizzled old man – looking with cold grey eyes that were not showing that age – about to get the last rope aboard. He had heard the last shout. And by the looks of them; they didn’t expect a storm to be rising. He only hoped that they wouldn’t be in his way when he was scuttling the boat to reveal the fast powerboat.

The harbour master – Yadak Garion – was helping him with the last rope. “Have a nice trip Mr. Serroxo.”

“Thank you,” Griff replied with a wheezing cough. “I will be at my destination before the storm is there. It isn’t that far, only a few hours cruising south west.”

Yadak Garion saw him steering from the quay when he walked back to his office. ‘I hope he will. Greg Serroxo was nice and generous with his payment of the rent since he came here to live in his new boat. He even gave my wife new ideas for making a new pillowcase, giving her that painting of his old sailing boat.’ And he saw the list with shopping items on his desk. Jana had her needles and pins party at Mel and Ashley Donovan’s house. He had to get them and hoped that Jana would be home by the time he had dinner ready. She was one of the volunteer firefighters and a storm would have her busy. But that storm would end the heat-wave.

 

*has read through this very carefully and can get out only "Wow!" for now*

I call you on your birthday and say a little more than, okay? You really updated like a mad person. But it is good stuff. Intense and emotional, with events of the past throwing their shadows into the presence. A real "bird" story!

 

One more update before it's weekend




Chapter 4


14 velona

13.00
Ikraan road 115
Noranan General Hospital
Surgery wing
“WOW this is the room of the wizard.”

“We will see all of it next week when we return.”

Jehna Er-San had a big smile on his face when he saw Nathan Freni – Gizmo held secure in his arms – walking to the exit with his parents after passing one of the treatment rooms with a sign on it. He was headed to the changing room after ending his shift. It had been a busy shift for him with after the surgical procedure to help Nathan more emergencies coming his way. Lunch had been done behind his desk filing the last report and another emergency had him rushing to the ER-rooms and the equally busy Aradan Mirdees.

Now Jehna was looking forward to the training and the days ahead.



13.00
Hospital hangar
Ersan Koroni sighed. He had had a Nerf-burger – gotten as a surprise from chief Mouraha – sizzling in the pan when Alan Guyet entered. And like son the father had begun a lesson about grease being bad for your health leading him away from the stove until a beeping pager had Alan running away to help his son who was busy in the ER. Ersan had tried to save the burger but it ended up blackened on one side in the wastebin.

Nurse Jamy Norwick – busy to prepare a sandwich – asked “what’s with you and Nerf-burgers?”

“Ah they seem to meet Guyets and end up there,” Ersan pointed to the wastebin.

“I will ask rookie Jerome to bring new burgers. He will begin in half an hour and he likes to visit chief Mouraha before his shift.” Jamy took out her comlink.

“Get one for Rudi too,” Ersan grinned. “He is busy preparing the Big Fish and that will have him hungry.”

“Yeah with a storm coming and folks ignoring the warnings and going to Umni Island nasty things can happen,” Jamy had her comlink activated and ordered “Chief give Jerome four Nerf-burgers when he visits you.”

“Make it five,” a newcomer added.

“Koranar,” Jamy grinned “you had enough of Guyet lectures?”

“No,” Koranar Finn replied. “Dad and the Guyets have given Chief Mouraha a new recipe and the new Nerf-burgers are up to their specifications” and he paused to hear Ersan grumping something unintelligible and continued. “But they are tasty.”

“I will be the judge of that,” Ersan continued his grumping.



13.00
Colwood road 4
North district middle school
North district middle school, one of the four schools for children to attend after their education at the primary schools, taught children aged from 13 – 18 years in four groups. For group three – fifteen and sixteen year olds – the school day ended early because the last three lessons had been cancelled due to a sick teacher and another teacher visiting a congress of sports-teachers.

Sophia Zenon, Tidi Monetti and Julia Shang – who was just exiting the building – were friends and lived in the sprawling complex of four apartment-buildings rising ten stories tall with names as Eswa, Bella, Riva and Kando. Noranan middle school was only three blocks away and the Gala-shopping centre – one of the ten centres in Noranan – just across the road.

That was Sophia’s destination and she gave a curt nod to Julia Shang when she joined her. The raid the trash can or RTT gang was complete. Sophia gave a sly smile making a tapping noise with her sturdy steel decorated boots encasing fat ankles and with calves bulging over the rim. Hips and thighs wobbled along with her belly. She had wealthy parents. The big girl liked sweets and it was showing. She had given the name to their group when she discovered the leftovers in a trash can after words with her parents, running away to the shopping centre and kicking over a trash can. That event – now six months ago – was seen by Julia and Tidi who joined her.

Tidi was a big teenager, having rich parents more interested in going to meetings than sharing mealtime with their son.

Julia had moved with her parents from Harada to Noranan when her parents got a new job at the new DB-wood factory. She was quite athletic and strong visiting a sport-centre twice a week. She loved kick-boxing.

Trash can fun was for them the searching for usable leftovers and bottles to trade for credits to buy drinks and sweets. And the resulting noise when a trash can was upturned and comments from passers by gave more fuel to their play making impolite and taunting remarks. The teenagers liked to hang around and do not that much.

Kyle Metfor walked with halting steps to the three. He had to follow when he discovered that the trash cans provided him with food. Mother Tina Benelli had taken her son Kyle to Noranan after her divorce. She had gotten enough out of the divorce to live in luxury but denied it to her son and didn’t care much for the upbringing of her son. Kyle lived on the street, getting free lunches and diners when and wherever he could get them.

“Trash bin fun Sophia!” Tidi grinned.

“Let’s take whiny along,” Julia pointed to Glen.

Glen Baldwin was a lanky athletic boy living with his father 5 K away from his school. His mother had died when he was six. He liked to go running with his father, an architect working at Noranan town-hall and a volunteer firefighter. He had slung his bag over his shoulder when he spotted the four coming towards him. He – a rather shy boy unable to make friends – knew that he couldn’t escape an invitation. And there was Kyle; often the subject of teasing by the three. He had tagged along a few times when Kyle was there, was the one to hold back when it came to ugly taunts and had run away taking Kyle with him. “Ah yes,” he had a sincere look on his face “with my home work done at school and my dad working I see no reason to go home yet. And my training with my dad is in the evening.”

Tidi asked with a sneer when he joined them “your home work done at school?”

“Yup, I got help from my dad to prepare for the test and could please teacher Mumbora when I was doing my test and finish early to do my home work. Director Karolan signed my card and now I can go tomorrow with dad to Monir to run in the Monir 21 K memorial run. I will do the 10 K.”

“Running in Monir and help from his dad,” Tidi smirked “I got help from kitty cat giving me the right answers for the test.”

“And Dumbo Mumbo didn’t see me when I was spying on kitty cat,” Julia grinned. “And Kyle was….”

“What’s with me,” Kyle huffed. He was trying to act intimidating to avoid the teasing.

“You were doing your single child with a divorced mother demo,” Julia started.

“And it was very effective,” Kyle mumbled with a mouth full of fruit and slapped her on her back. “No demerits for me and a free lunch from old Mumbo. I got his bread and fruit.” And he gave a rather sympathetic smile to Glen. The boy was often his supplier of lunch, giving half of his away. “My mom is away to one of her spoiled brat parties. She even told me to go sleeping in the school or whatever place I could find because she doesn’t expect to be home tonight.”

“Kyle, you can stay and have dinner with,” Glen began.

“He stays with me,” Tidi interrupted. “Tonight it’s Nerf-burgers and pasta at my place. And you can sleep in the guestroom. My folks are away.”

Kyle got a smile on his face when he picked the last piece of fruit from the bag. Now he had a place for the coming night. And if possible he would follow Glen.

“Yuck,” Sophia smirked when she saw Kyle stuffing the last piece of fruit in his mouth. “Raid the trash” she yelled the name of the group and started for the gate.



13.00
Nello road 42
Noranan primary school
Noranan primary school, one of the ten schools in the city for children aged 6 – 12 was the school for children living in the North district and the northern suburbs. It had been the first school in Noranan. Noranan forest and the small industrial area with three factories were quite near.

Exciting, for the four twelve year old boys the last lessons had been very exciting. The moment the teacher ordered the teenagers to pack their things those boys had rushed to the play-ground to plan what to do with the newly gained knowledge.

“My mom has a beauty salon at home and will have the means to have us getting an exciting afternoon,” Bud Sukenik – a burly boy with blonde hair – stated. “She is away shopping with my brother to get a present but I can get in the salon to get the stuff. And my little sister won’t interfere. Look she is going with the girls and boys to the beach.”

“Darnella friends with Magin and Diora,” Frank Corbin – as tall as Bud – snickered when he saw the ‘little’ girl going with a large group to the school-bus parking. “Months ago I saw her fighting with Diora.”

“Yeah but the celebrations in the hospital have changed her attitude against Diora. And that Magin is a nice boy with a famous grandfather. Henrani Elenion has been president of Moniron.” Mikel Boggs slung his bag over his shoulder. “Where are we waiting for?”

“For your twin,” Frank Corbin had his bag ready. “And there he is.”

“Some fun boys,” Gene Boggs had a big smile on his face “I know a place where we can go. Follow me to the old Plastworks. It’s still there and easy to access crawling under the fence.”

“Yes only the gate is locked and the doors not,” Bud grinned “And we cannot do much harm. The factory is on the demolish list of my father. His crew has started to remove the leftovers and old containers. The transparisteel windows are on the to-do-list for today. Work-time is finished early today because Trucky Bill will celebrate his fiftieth birthday. Dad has planned a surprise for Trucky. They should be gone by now. And that’s another positive one. My father doesn’t hire droid guards.”

“We can play as long as we like and homework is something for after evening meal,” Mikel said.

“But I will be going to Trucky,” Bud said. “It’s a long walk but with Trucky and his barbecue I don’t mind being a bit hungry when I arrive.”

“Let’s get our bags home,” Gene Boggs started for the gate and passed two girls. “We will meet at old Plastworks.”



“Old Plastworks,” eight year old Monica Parls heard that and turned towards her friend “that should be an exciting place to play hide and seek. Jessy and Ginny have been there last week.” She had been lingering behind on the playground of the school with her friend Judy Misk to see if her friend Darnella Sukenik would invite her to come to the beauty salon of her mother. The girls – influenced by mothers and holo-soaps – loved fashion and nice looks. Their clothes and their dolls – always taken with them to school – reflected that taste. And going home after their play was easy. The factories were quite near their homes on Central road.

“Yeah,” Judy Misk huffed “but with only the two of us with Darnella joining Sana to go to Magin…”

“Magin,” Monica scowled “next time I see him without the protection of his friends I will teach him a lesson.”

“You tried two days ago. Magin was alone, waiting for his mom to bring him to the hospital to his father.”

“Yeah to see those stupid exercises for the first responder team with his dad giving instructions,” Monica grumbled “I sneaked up to him but somehow he sensed me and started to run.”

“Must be his ancestry,” Judy mused “he is a Dunai elder and his father was raised by those Jedi. They were weird beings and as history taught us not being allowed to get kids and gone after the empire started to create havoc in the galaxy.”

“And the empire had no knowledge of our little backwater planet but that’s dull history and I don’t want to be reminded of my last history test being a big failure,” Monica – getting another idea to spend a nice afternoon – searched in her bag and produced one of her dolls. “We can play beauty shop in the factory with them. And I know a short cut to the factory.”

“Nice,” Judy felt in her bag if she had her dolls and clothes. “Let’s go.”



13.10
Ikraan road 115
Noranan General Hospital
Changing room
A blue garment sailed through the air and missed almost the laundry-bin filled with blues and greens.

Jehna made a move with his right hand and the robe dropped down in the middle of the bin. Next he grabbed his bag with running gear from his locker where his wizard outfit was stashed away.

“I will let Timo win today. There is no need to overdo it,” he chuckled softly when he entered one of the changing cubicles.

“Great idea Jehna,” that came from a closed changing cubicle.

“Miu-Miu again Timo?”

“Yeah. She saw me eating a large pie and had me following her to the training room. I was doing my rounds when the pager saved me and...”

The first up-beat sounds of ‘Keep on running’ coming from the third cubicle had the next word unintelligible.

“Aradan!” Two colleagues yelled. What their senior called ‘running-music’ was old-fashioned in their view.

“Sorry.” Aradan opened his cubicle, busy with stuffing his comlink in a strap around his right upper arm and turning the volume down. “But I am sure you heard some interesting music in the Jedi-crèche” and he gave a mischievous wink towards the second opening cubicle.

“Ah yes the Coruscant keytones became popular when Mace Windu was in the crèche and loved their song ‘Love potion number nine’ and the Red Stones were quite popular after Anakin and Obi-Wan visited the crèche.” Timo winked back. He had heard from crèche master Rian Solma the stories behind the songs becoming popular.

“Never heard those songs,” Jehna exited his cubicle.

“No,” Timo laughed and began to sing “Do you love me? Do you want me? Do you need me? All I need is Love potion number 9” And he was only a bit surprised when he heard in another changing cubicle Aaqu Maerhin starting to sing “Medroom number 9.” He had met the surgeon during his lunch-break telling about the two cases he had to deal with. The first had the two ER-teams busy after a large traffic accident and the second was for Aaqu and his team.
“Medroom number 9, medroom number 9, we can’t leave it, we are trapped, trapped in medroom number 9.” Aaqu was donning a new set of green robes and grinned when he heard the echo coming from another changing cubicle.

“Trapped in medroom number 9,” Alwin Elenion was ending his shift and changing in comfortable pants and a shirt.

“Ah that song!” Jehna smiled and hummed along when he adjusted his belt with four water-bottles and started for the exit of the scrub-room followed by Timo and Aradan.

The latter donned his earplugs and the noise from the ‘keep on running’ song faded from soft to nothing. The volume was set low. Aradan didn’t like the loud volumes popular with youths of human ancestry. In his years in Monir university had had seen enough young patients coming in with damaged or even totally deaf ears.



13.15
North Beachroad 7
Walking past the kitchen and seeing his mother and his wife busy making cake Alwin Elenion was entering the large cottage that he shared with his parents when the school-bus stopped before that cottage. And he smiled when he saw three children spilling out and making a beeline to his cottage.

“Dad,” Magin halted a moment to give his father a hug and continued “is granddad home?”

“No, he has started his shift in the surgery wing.”

That got a bit of a sulking look on Magin’s face and he muttered “we wanted to ask him about presidents. Our history-lesson today was about Moniron presidents and the great republic.”

“But your grandmother is,” Alwin decided to give the children a change at scraping the remains of the batter from the pots and pans. All loved batter above the finished product. “And your mom is baking cake with her.”

And that had Magin, Diora and Darnella following the beeline to the kitchen and Alwin headed to the library. He had some books about presidents and would help the children after they had finished the cleaning of the cake-utensils.

“My mom will come soon to take me and my brother to a party. She knows I am here.”

“A party Darnella?”

“Yes. Trucky Bill is celebrating his 50th birthday.”

“Do you like to decorate a fruit-pie to take to your party? I have one finished already.”

Alwin heard that before closing the door to his library.

 

It´s wonderful and sucks me in, but are you sure that you want to update so often and such long updates? I know you missed the boards and so did I, but wouldn´t it be better to start a bit slower? To get more readers interested in this story? You certainly have me hooked, you always do. I also know that you hurry up because you are away this weekend for your birthday.

I am telling you this because dear SWpants666 also warned me against shooting off all my fanfic in one go. To be careful with my enthusiasm is also difficult for me.

Now something else, coincidence that Trucky Bill turns 50?

 

I turned 56 yesterday and came home this evening.
And the action is coming with


Chapter 5



14 velona 13.20
Nello road 45
Jadaki Plastworks
Bushes rustled and two girls appeared atop of a hill looking down towards the factory. They had taken the trail through Noranan forest, passed Nello road to take the Nello-lake trail and had left that to head to the factory. The large lake could be seen through the bushes.

“There,” Judy grinned when she saw a man clad in coveralls closing the gate of the factory where a truck loaded with transparisteel windows in their frames was running stationary. The man hopped aboard.

“That was our last visit to Jadaki’s restaurant. Get going Trucky Bill.”

“Eager to get….”

And what was said more was not heard by the two girls when the truck moved up the sloping pavement towards the main road.

“And we can crawl under the fence where those Konjies have dug their hole,” Monica slithered down the hill. “All kids use that entrance.”

“And if you are as big as Darnella you can use that,” Judy followed and pried a piece of the fence apart and stepped through. She headed with Monica to the front entrance. She waited for a few moments but saw no workers from DB-wood near the fence separating the two factories where large loads of wooden planks were stashed. The noise coming from the machines of the wood-factory was there but muted because all doors were closed. A door creaked when she touched the handle.

“Scary,” Monica giggled when she stepped inside and saw a spider-web drifting this and that way because of the draft created by windows without their transparisteel. A door to an office was open. It was one of the few remaining doors. Other doors leading to the big store-rooms on the ground-floor were removed.

“But not for us,” Judy eyed the old file-cabinet and the stacks of old flimsies and bins with stripped wire and base ingredients. “Tomorrow we will persuade Darnella to come with Sana. Hide and seek will be real nice with all those bins and workbenches.”

“The girls should bring Magin too.”

“Yeah to see if he is up to a scary experience. Maybe he will use his Jedi powers to scare the spiders and bugs away.” After seeing store-rooms filled with big metal mesh-wire plastbins an that the elevators were not working Judy headed to the stairs near the entrance and leading to the first floor. “Eech,” she grumbled when her left foot was caught by a piece of rubble. She pulled and her foot was free.

Rooms were inspected and passed by the two girls. Some rooms were empty. Others – one near a cargo-elevator – contained plastbins. A large room at the back of the factory – next to stairs and another cargo-elevator – was to their liking. It had been the restaurant. Chairs and tables were there and obviously used by the demolish crew. Wrappers from sandwiches and pastries, a cake-box with happy birthday written on it and empty caf cups were standing on one table. Windows – one very large facing north giving a nice view on the landscape with Nello Lake and trail visible and smaller ones facing east and giving a view on Central road and Central canal and the apartments surrounded by greenery – made it a nice and light place. A counter and a partially demolished kitchen were a perfect setting for the beauty salon. The girls set up shop and were soon playing.



13.30
Monira Ocean
The boat was performing excellent being set on auto-pilot once the open water was reached. In the four hours since leaving the harbour of Noranan the craft had crossed the halfway point between Noranan and the destiny, a group of small islands with Umni Island as the biggest one. More boats had passed them.

“There are a lot of people with the same ideas,” Tina giggled. She had changed in a blue simmersilk dress, a metal studded belt and elegant knee-high boots to tease the man and pointed to a boat following in their wake.

“We will have a candle-light dinner at the blue lagoon,” Leroy smiled and sipped from a drink offered by Tina, who was downing another one. “Your Corusca-stone necklace will shine.”

“Candle light enhances the stone,” Tina grinned. ‘He is seeing only the beauty and not the hidden menace.’ “And it gave my husb…” she voiced aloud and corrected “uh I am glad that I have no son to bother me for three days.”

“A son,” Leroy heard only now that she had a son. “He is staying with friends?”

“Yes Kyle is and he does that almost every night,” Tina lied. “Kyle lives on the street, doesn’t like me and he won’t miss me at all. He even dislikes his father Felix, my former oh so annoying husband. No more questions about them. And no more arguments,” she felt the drink burning down her throat. And she saw clouds and turned the conversation another way. “Look at those!”

“Some nasty weather is coming this way,” Leroy saw them too. He had seen them far away in the north-west two hours ago but they were gaining. He had donned a life-preserver and had offered Tina one and a wetsuit but she had declined. That had led to arguments.

Tina wasn’t worried at all. She saw only clouds in nice patterns after consuming the drinks and pastries. She had more of those drinks in the picknic basket and had found some fruit-juice to mix them in the well stocked refrigerator in the cabin after Leroy complained that they were ‘tingling’ and not tasty. She liked ‘tingling’ drinks and she was a bit disappointed that Leroy didn’t like them. It was her second disappointment. The man was a stickler to rules arguing with her about the safety measures for this type of boat. But she had the pastries and she would give him one. ‘He will be like wax after one pastry.’



13.40
Gala-shopping centre
‘Beng’ the second trash-can was upturned with a loud noise when Sophia, followed by the two members of her RTT-gang spurted away.

Tidi had given the can a kick with his foot to elude the following feline employee of the Gala Caf and Juice store. Felines were something he wanted to avoid at any cost after tangling once with one in his years at the primary school. And with a group of burly fishermen enjoying an early home-coming because of the expected bad weather the opposition was just too nasty.

“I know more and if they are nothing we can head to the harbour-district,” Sophia ran towards the Kando apartments where a beautiful maintained garden was her next target. It had trash-cans and a bus-stop on Central road near the building to go to any district she knew that had more fun than the simple trash.

Glen trotted along. Kando was on the road home and he liked the environment.

People living in the apartments had worked together to turn the terrain around the buildings in beautiful gardens. If possible he would enter one of the gardens and avoid being with the gang.

And Kyle followed. He had to sleep somewhere and would follow Glen’s lead.



13.40
Nello road 43
DB wood
From the outside DB-wood Noranan was a nice and quiet building, blending in the environment. Sorted stacks of tree-trunks – to be processed – were stored on the terrain near the east fence where the back gate gave access to a dock at the bank of Central canal and trucks came with regular intervals – giving a slight increase in noise when a slide-door opened to reveal that truck – to collect the trunks. The trunks had been brought in by ships using Harbour canal and Central canal.

Other trucks deposited sawed planks – sealed in clearplast – on other stacks with sealed planks near the fence that separated DB-wood from Jadaki. They were for customers needing planks.

Inside one of the halls of the wood-factory it was a cacophony of sound near the machines all being used to reduce big tree-trunks and planks to parts in various forms from round poles to frames and mouldings. Planks were brought by load-lifters to other halls where cabinets were assembled in an equally noisy hall.

The more expensive Lionellan wood was used for cabinets only.

All employees were wearing head and ear protecting helmets.

One machine was very noisy but not now. A plank was stuck and a muttering technician was screwing the top-cover from the machine. It was the machine that gave him trouble at least once a week. “Guts-inspection; here comes doctor Maffei.”

14.00
North Beachroad 7
A kitchen was a mess. With children helping to make cake and fruit-pies Janeah Elenion was glad when her son Alwin came back from his research in the library. He was at least trying to get the batter for the next cake in the pan without spoiling some on the floor.

Magin was helping his father. “Frivolous use of the…”

Ting dong. A doorbell rang.

Janeah left and came back with Donna and Dan Sukenik.

“Look mom,” Darnella beamed “I am decorating a fruit-pie for Trucky and it’s almost finished. Just this and it’s ready.” 50 was written in pieces of fruit.

“He will like it,” Donna took the box with the fruit-pie and left with her daughter and son after thanking the Elenion family.

And Magin was doubled over with laughter when a spoon filled with batter passed Diora Kerebuy and spilled some of the batter on his father’s face.



14.00
Monira Ocean
“Oops,” Tina giggled when she felt arms encircling her and leading her to the steering wheel.

“I am a bit sleepy after your drinks and pastries,” Leroy mumbled with a soft voice. “It is your turn to see the boat running to Umni lagoon.”

“You loved my ‘tingling’ drinks and pastries,” Tina laughed.

“Uh no,” Leroy whispered “I really shouldn’t have taken them. What was in them? And that storm. You should don the wetsuit and life-preserver.”

“Nah,” Tina grinned. “We have had that argument. And I don’t want to discus it anymore. Uh…” she saw him blinking with his eyes, a sure sign that the pastry was working. “Is it a big storm?”

“I saw the warning on the screen. But you know, just follow this course and we are at the blue lagoon before you know it. That dot is our destination.”

“I see,” Tina saw the dot on the navigation touch-screen. She sat down without strapping herself in, touched the screen on the symbol ‘steering’ and took the wheel in her hands. She turned to give Leroy a pat on his arm but saw him slightly unsteady descending the stairs to the cabin. ‘He will be mine when he is sleeping like that when we reach the islands. I will have his pics and Tupa will be very pleased.’ And turning back to the touch-screen she saw now two wiggling dots and slapped at those with her hand until there was one. With her other hand she yanked at the steering-wheel. ‘Ah yes, towards those beauties. And I like more speed.’ A blinking ‘manual steering’ on the touch-screen was observed by her and she touched the ‘auto steering’ again when ‘confirm old harbor’ came on the screen. She pushed the power-controls to their forward stops.

But the boat had made a long turn to the left and was now headed towards the darkening horizon and back to Noranan on an intercept course with a sinking boat.


14.00
Harbour road

Harbour road – leading to the old fishing harbour – was the scene of three runners. They were using the trail hugging the south bank of Harbour canal and would cross that canal and turn left when Nello road was reached.

Jehna was getting his second bottle of water from his belt. He was still keeping up with Timo and Aradan but felt the slight twinge in his buttocks. And he grinned when he saw Aradan tuning his comlink after adjusting the earplugs and finishing his second bottle. The man was huffing slightly. Red hair was now dark with sweat. Obviously the being very busy the entire shift was now taking its toll. The hot and humid air sure added to being tired. But Timo was picking up speed on the sloping road. The former Jedi initiate wasn’t bothered by balmy hot weather at all.

They were now almost half-way with about 10 K to go.


14.10
Colwood road 2
Noranan police station 5
After ending his shift more than one hour ago police officer Mel Donovan was only now putting his almost depleted comlink in the power-charger. It had been an uneventful one with a large traffic accident on the highway handled by the Monira regional police and a few calls to the old harbour. He had lingered behind chatting with his friends. Sixty days and he would turn in his badge celebrating his 60th birthday that marked his retirement after being almost forty years in the service. With his wife Ashley he owned a nice house on Lake-drive. Humans were allowed to retire on their 60th birthday.

Mel had waited for Dick Kerebuy and Sam Koskin – beginning their duty in the morning and away on a call to the harbour – to return but had heard that the two were visiting Sam’s brother at the ‘fish and fries shack’ after finishing that call. And ‘fish and fries’ were for the forever hungry Sam – thin as a reed – a delicacy.

Chief Jarin Laurie had left only moments ago after briefing his brother Garmin.

Garmin Laurie – like his brother a towering Dunai elder with intense short cropped black hair and kind brown eyes – had a big smile on his face when he saw the light on the power-charger blinking orange and asked “turning in Mel and finally going to the tea and biscuits?”

“And the party,” Mel grumbled “Ashley is having her pins and needles party with her friends.”

“Only once a week isn’t that much,” Akina Meader stated with her friendly voice “you can always make the biscuits for them after your retirement and bring some here you know.”

“I know,” Mel’s face became bright. He was famous for his cooking and the barbecue-parties at the police station were always a success.

“Take one of the reserve-comlinks,” Yves Onitsa remarked. “That way we can pry you away from the party. We are studying for the exams and might have some questions.” He gave a wink to Akina.

“Uh no. I better get going or I will be missing my biscuits. The ladies have a sweet tooth.” Mel headed with a brisk pace towards the door. Coming home before the storm became nasty was something he appreciated.

“I will take care of our students,” Garmin grinned. Mel had been the one to persuade Akina – a Dunai – to become a student again. And with Ives coming recently to station 5 the competition to get the grade to replace Mel after his retirement was fierce but friendly. Both would be promoted but only one could get Mel’s desk.

- - -

“Yves and Akina; one will get my badge and the other my desk,” Mel chuckled softly. Walking on Central road he saw the still quiet water at the junction of Central canal and Harbour canal. Following the canal was something he preferred over going through the shopping centre. Waterfowl and the greenery and gardens were a delight for him to see.

14.10
Monira Ocean
The storm coming in from the north-west had reached a part of the ocean where two boats were bobbing on the high waves. Griff Lerox liked the storm. He had transferred his few belongings to the boat hidden in the aft section of the large boat that had been his home during his stay in Noranan. He had seen Falgans coming towards the boat when he stopped the engine and had activated the mechanism to release the powerboat. Griff really appreciated their concern and had shouted that he didn’t need help. They had left when they saw him safe and well on the powerboat. The big boat was listing to one side, each time a wave rolled over the side getting more water inside. The boat would soon follow the satchel with the package that had held the shaped charges and timer and after that the key to the new powerboat. The depth in this part of the ocean would be enough to bury her.

Griff gunned the engine of the powerboat and sped away using his skills at piloting fast boats.


14.10
Lake drive 11
Ashley Donovan was serving tea and biscuits with a smile on her face when she saw the chrono.

“Mel trying to avoid us,” Asta Garion laughed when she took a biscuit and saw her sister Jana taking another one of the delicacies after putting down her pillowcase with a beautiful sailing-boat on it.

“He will be home before the last cookie goes,” Ashley sat down “and if not, he will make more this evening.”

“He sure will be home before the storm,” Jana said. “Yadak warned me and maybe…” and she patted the pager secured on her belt “that storm will have me busy.”

Ashi-Mi and Sita-Si Tayback, Gema Lou and Marcia Cavat resumed after the tea and biscuits what they were doing and that was working on their pillow-cases.

Jana began with a new thread to work on the sails of her ship. Her pillowcase was different from the ones made by the others.

tbc

 

Jana began with a new thread to work on the sails of her ship. Her pillowcase was different from the ones made by the others.


You also begin new threads. Your pillowcase is stuffed with fanfic ideas.

 

Thank you AzureAngel2

The first cliffie:


Chapter 6


14 velona

14.10
Nello road 45
Jadaki Plastworks
Bags had been brought home by the boys and parents – the ones that were at home – had been assured that homework would be done after evening meal. Warnings had been given about the coming storm and promises had been given by the boys to come home. Four teenagers headed to their meeting in the factory with their prize, a bottle of hair-paint.

“Look, the fence is easy,” Mikel just held the swinging piece of fence to one side and was in.

“More kids have been playing here,” Gene looked down and saw footprints in the dirt. And he had met kids playing in the large Noranan forest between school and factory and walking to their home in the suburb. “And DB-wood is producing the usual noise.”

“They don’t have a party,” Bud grinned, strained his ears to hear the ‘usual noise’ and opened the door and slipped inside with his friends.

A stairwell and cargo-elevator was passed and a large room stashed with bins.

“A store room,” Bud opened the next door. In that room – at the back – he saw more bins but also small windows giving some daylight and making it a perfect place to do their experiment undisturbed and unseen by unexpected passers by. “There is the secure materials room where dad has stored the shaped charges.” He pointed with his finger to a room near the back of the factory before entering the store room remembering his early wake up when his father got the airport on the com.

“And these old flimsies and that metal bin are perfect to start our experiment,” Mikel picked up a crate with flimsies.

The crate was emptied in a large metal bin and a quarter of the contents of the bottle of hair-paint were poured in a smaller metal container.

Flimsies were used to make the fire. It was the start of their experiment and – remembering the captivating tale of their teacher – the boys sought a hiding place beneath a stack of bins after placing the bottle at the other end of the room.

“It should be contained by that metal bin,” Bud saw the vapour from the container drifting up.

Gene and Frank cast looks at the open door just behind them and leading to the stairwell.

A very soft giggling sound was drowned by the crackling fire in the bin.



14.25
Monira Ocean
Tina saw the rain creating rivulets of water on the transparisteel windows. “Leroy! What’s this?” She listened. No Leroy answering her. She turned to the view-screen and saw the ‘auto steering’ engaged. “Has the storm taken a different path? And what’s that?” She saw a dark shape moments before the boat rammed the right side of that shape and had her propelling towards the left window. That broke on impact. A Corusca-stone hanger got stuck in the window-sill of the breaking window. A necklace strangled. Tina’s vision was turning dark. A chain broke. And she was flying towards the churning water when the boat listed sharply to the left. She was unconscious when she hit the water. A metal studded belt and elegant knee-high boots, filling with water had her disappearing beneath the waves.The boat broke free, listing to the left.

And a dark shape – the wreck of a house-boat – disappeared in the waves headed to the bottom of the deep ocean.

A Falgan dove after the sinking woman.

Another stayed close when he sensed one living being on the listing boat. His mate came up shortly thereafter. ‘She is gone. We will give him support.’


14.30
Ghin road
Kando apartments
Sophia was getting annoyed. The first three trash-cans had revealed nothing and the next one – standing near a bench – was now the object of Tidi. No passers-by to harass either and the weather was changing. And the most annoying was the fact that her bus-ticket wasn’t valid because she had to upgrade it. With her stuck at Kando the others decided to stay.

Even Glen, but he had other reasons. He had put his bag before him and was observing a colony of ants marching on the pavement, around his bag and under the bench towards the flowerbed. And he saw the darkening clouds and wind picking up fallen petals. ‘They are headed home before the storm breaks loose.’

Kyle, Sophia, Julia and Glen were on the bench next to the upturned trash can. And the first three were using the bench like they used to do; by sitting on the backrest with smudgy boots on the seat. ‘Our backpacks don’t like the backrest,’ was what Tidi said when he hopped on the seat. Glen didn’t object. The three couldn’t disturb the ants march that way.

Kyle noticed a uniformed man – alone – walking with a brisk step on Ghin road towards the Kando apartment building. He put one finger up indicating a coming police-man. Since his arrest five months ago for a small offence – denting a speeder by jumping on it – he had a serious grudge against anything uniformed. He had stayed a day and night on the police-station and had been taken home by his mother. And to make things worse his mother had his visit to his father in Rondor cancelled. Even contact wasn’t allowed. His hope to join his father was shattered. Living with his mother became nasty.

“Now what,” Tidi grumbled when he was with his hands sorting the assorted trash.

“Folks being tidy,” Kyle accented the tidy and got of course a reaction.

“Tidy?” Tidi huffed.

“Yes Tidy. And stop what you’re doing. I don’t want another stay at the police-station. My mom will throw me out when she returns home tomorrow.”

“Whiny, pathetic mommy boy,” Tidi – in for some action and seeing the man too – picked up a sticky peel from a Mujaa fruit and threw that with a wicked smile on his face towards Kyle.

Kyle avoided the peel by jumping from the bench into a well maintained flower-bed surrounded by an intricately carved duracrete fence.

Tidi had now Kyle where he wanted him, followed before Kyle could leave the flowerbed and started a fist fight with the frightened boy.

“Hey please stop that!” Mel Donovan urged with his friendly voice and walked with a trot towards the boys trampling with their feet on the flowers.

“Please stop that,” Julia grinned “what’s that?” The big athletic girl hopped over the back of the bench, turned and pushed Sophia against Glen.

“That is trash,” Sophia feigned to balance by standing up as well, hit Glen with one boot powerful against his buttocks and hopped down on the pavement next to the trash can. She saw action coming.

“Aauw!” Glen made an awkward jump to avoid the back of the bench and fence and was the third to land in the flower-bed.

“Please leave the flower-bed before the flowers become trash,” Mel stayed friendly. Angering the kids was never productive and he had often solved situations like this. He was now standing before the bench with his arms folded before his chest and keeping his face friendly and neutral towards the two boys wreaking havoc with their feet and one just standing there with a pained look on his face, trying to hold back his tears and rubbing his buttocks. And he saw that one was doing most of the fighting and the other just trying to avoid being hit. “Noranan citizens have spent time making this and …”

“I will,” Glen gave the officer a friendly nod, put one leg over the fence and on the pavement. And encouraged by the gentle manners of the officer he began “Tidi, Kyle stop the destruction and …”

“Trash, he is going to take us to the office,” Sophia shouted when she saw Glen following with his other foot. This was not to her liking. It would lead to following the police officer, visiting the station and facing the parents. She had experienced that before. But at that time there had been two officers and two girls – Julia and she – hanging around and harassing an elderly couple. She saw Kyle dodging a swing from Tidi and jumping behind Glen on the pavement. “Don’t help him whinies!” She kicked hard with her boot against the trash-can sending that against the police-officer’s left leg.

“Aww boys,” Mel – more surprised at the unexpected movement than injured from the impact – stumbled arms moving to the bench and trying to balance. “I am only asking…”

“Girls,” Julia interrupted with a snickering voice when she saw the left arm coming her way and grabbed it.

Sophia kicked with her foot and tripped the unbalanced man sending him to the bench and the flowerbed and towards Tidi.

Tidi grabbed the right arm and twisted it.

Mel gave a grunt when he began to topple over the back of the bench. A loud crack was heard coming from his right thigh. “Aaahh!” He went down in the flower-bed and met the boots of Tidi colliding with his head. Sturdy steel decorated boots from Sophia trampling down on his back followed by high heels from Julia didn’t register anymore. He had lost consciousness.

“Don’t hurt him!” Kyle was whimpering and holding his head between his hands. Julia had given him a hard kick to his head before jumping on the downed man.

Julia ripped something from the uniform and gave a triumphant shout “look I have his name-tag. Officer Donovan; I am a girl” and she gave another hard kick and stuffed the nametag in a pocket of her jacket.

“Stop it,” Glen shouted.



14.30
Nello road 45
Jadaki Plastworks
A whooshing and tingling sound had the boys looking towards their bin.

The small container had cleared briefly the rim of the bin and was falling down creating another metallic bump.

“Did it reach the ceiling? Look!” Bud grinned when he pointed to the crack where now a small chunk of plastcrete was missing.

“Is that all,” Frank started but what he wanted more to say was drowned by another muffled explosion coming from the direction of that ceiling.

It came from the second shaped charge placed by Griff Lerox under and up a stack of plastbins reaching up to the ceiling and was in the worst possible place, a room filled to the brim with small plastbins and pressurised metal containers with flammable liquids. The first explosion had created a hole in the floor and the second had the roof bursting open at a weak point, making it possible for the fire to have the oxygen it needed to spread rapidly over the two floors and the roof where rubble – leaves and branches from trees – had gathered during the years.

“That’s not ours,” Mikel dove through the door leading to the stairwell when he saw the ceiling getting more cracks and crumbling creating much noise.

“No, we didn’t use the amount our teacher used,” Gene followed his twin with Bud and Frank. “Or was it the bottle?”

“Or a store-room with over-heating plastbins and metal containers,” Bud muttered, “One of them must have been near the roof.”

“But whatever that is,” Frank muttered “is blocking our primary escape route.” He pointed to the fiery flames starting to devour the first metal mesh-wire plastbin.

“We can try to reach the stairs near the front,” Bud commanded. “Follow me upstairs. I have seen the drawings on my dad’s desk. Now!”

Frank, Gene and Mikel followed Bud.

Exiting the stairwell Bud grumbled “now what” when he saw the corridor filled with thick black smoke and part of the floor gone and making any navigating towards the front stairs impossible. “The big windows and their drapes in the restaurant will make our escape possible.” He took of towards the restaurant.

Frank, Gene and Mikel ran like they had never done before. A door was closed securely to keep smoke outside. The restaurant was built above the secure materials room, giving it a solid foundation and had big windows facing north and east – no transparisteel – offering a possible escape if the drapes were still in place.

But coming to those windows – passing two girls who had been playing with their toys behind a counter and began now to shriek seeing those boys – Bud paled when he saw the ground far below and no drapes. And to make things worse there was a lot of rubble making a jump very hazardous.

“We cannot escape from the fire,” Bud started.

“Fire?” Judy – annoyed by the boys interfering with her play – stood up looking towards the entrance, saw smoke and began to shriek “oh nooh Monica!”

“Judy, fire!”

And Gene added his shouting. Someone from DB wood could hear them if that someone was outside. “We are trapped. Help us. We are in Jadaki Plastworks.”


tbc--

 

Riveting edge of seat action. You weave so many threads together seemingly effortlessly. It all has an SW and an "our" world feel.

 

Phew, finally caught up again.

And Gene added his shouting. Someone from DB wood could hear them if that someone was outside. “We are trapped. Help us. We are in Jadaki Plastworks."

Just to be tortured with a cliffhanger.

 

Some of the events are based on real life. One of our police officers met a gang of youths and is still recovering. And the fire is based on the fire I was fighting in 2002

More cliffies are coming starting with this one. Will the children be rescued?





Chapter 7



14 velona 14.31

Ghin road
Kando apartments
“Nooh! Don’t hurt him.”

“Stop it please. Don’t you see?”

Nuran Rimac – a retired police inspector – had been shopping and was returning with a flimsyplast bag of groceries and walking past the Kando apartments when he heard the cries. He turned his head to the left and saw the group of teenagers stomping around in the flowerbed with one waving frantically with his arms and urging them to stop and another just standing there with his hands on his head and crying and shouting loudly and supporting the first boy. He was a Dunai elder with a fuzz of short brown hair and kind hazel eyes under bushy eyebrows. Kind eyes turned fierce and eyebrows beetled up when he looked this and that way for assistance. Finding none he dropped his bag, rummaged in his pocket for his comlink and gave a loud yell infused by the powers of his race “Move it!” And he spotted a darker cloud among the darkening clouds. And he recognised it, pointed with his arm and yelled “fire!” That would have the teenagers distracted. With his hand he activated the pre-programmed key on his comlink and began without waiting for a reply “I am at Kando apartments and need assistance.”

- - -

Tidi – about to see who the intruder was when he was punching with his left foot at the back of the fallen officer – turned towards where the newcomer was pointing. “Fire!”

“That will be a spectacle to watch,” Sophia gave a hard kick, stepped on the back of the man and left the flowerbed, followed by Julia.

“That man is warning the cops,” Tidi grabbed a slightly dazed and loudly crying Kyle by his arm and dragged him to the junction on Central road and waited there.

Julia halted when Glen made no haste to follow and asked “are you coming Glen?”

“I uh, that officer is hurt,” Glen took one step back and started to search for his comlink in his right trouser-pocket. “He might die. I will…”

“You don’t want to get arrested and I neither,” Julia grabbed him rather painful by his right upper arm digging her long nails in.

“Ouch!” Glen – hand out of his pocket and because of the grip unable to hold on to his comlink and dropping that on the pavement – stumbled a few steps and almost fell over his bag. She was too strong for him.

“Come whiny,” Sophia grabbed Glen by his other arm and twisted that behind his back.

Not wanting a dislodged arm Glen had to follow. Sophia and Julia were too strong for him. And stumbling over his bag and dragged along by the two teenagers he saw the old man hurrying with a speed that baffled him to the flowerbed. But an opportunity to escape his tormentors could come if he gave them a direction. If it was a real large incident his father would come. “Go to Nello Lake or Central canal. The firefighters have to get water. And you will have an excellent vision there.”

“Whiny puppy getting smart,” Julia sneered. “Nello Lake it is if we don’t see engines on Central road. And you’re a wet puppy if you begin to yell when we start to disturb the fire-fighting. We had that fire-boy going into the lake last year.” And she laughed “He deserved it. He was disturbing our fireworks on Central road and he was wet and shivering whoot.” And she gave no thought to the fact that the fire could be raging at DB-wood where her parents were working.

Glen paled. Now he knew. Julia was one of the girls to harass his father and crew during the celebrations of New Years Eve.

They turned right on Central road. Tidi had Kyle’s arm in an iron grip and marched the crying boy towards the Nello lake trail. And Julia and Sophia were guiding a protesting Glen along to their destination. It would take some time to get there.

- - -

Nuran Rimac had heard all with his very good ears.

“Noranan city rescue state your emergency.”

“Officer down, Kando apartments, I need medics,” Nuran was again in full police mode when he jumped in the flowerbed and saw the man with a rumpled and bloody uniform and a head-wound. The fallen comlink was left undisturbed. Nuran had heard the boy’s words. And the manners indicated a rather shy boy. And the scrawny crying boy; there was something about him too to make it necessary to tag along with the three offenders. And the cries and shouts of the two had alerted him.

“Alerted inspector Rimac and nice to hear you.”



14.32
Noranan forest and Nello road
Jehna was far behind and had first seen Timo picking up speed and getting far ahead of him and Aradan. And he could sense the joy in the Force coming from Timo that he was now near the end of the trail and winning the training. He didn’t mind and was feeling his buttocks. He had signalled Aradan that he could go if he liked. Aradan – of course wanting to show to Timo that he was the best – had grinned deviously when he spurted away. Now he could just see the little speck that was Aradan headed upwards on the Noranan forest trail when he heard with his very sharp hearing something that sounded like an explosion followed by a loud crackling noise. He heard a second explosion. That was followed a short time later by a loud shout.

“Judy, fire!”

“We are trapped. Help us. We are in Jadaki Plastworks.”

Those cries and the explosions had Jehna running towards the source. “Aradan get help,” he shouted at the top of his lungs and spurted down the embankment of the trail through the shrubs and ran down the sloping road leading to the factory. Looking forward he saw black smoke pouring up in the darkening sky.



14.32
Noranan forest

“Aradan get help!”

Aradan – running fast to catch up with Timo on the winding road through Noranan forest leading to Nello road and back to the hospital – heard the anguished shout in the Force and looked backwards and to his left. He saw dark smoke becoming visible. ‘Fire!’ Taking his comlink from the pouch on his arm he silenced the music and pressed the pre-programmed key. He knew that he had to help the rescue crews. And he saw Timo – far ahead of him on the next hilltop – halting for a moment and gazing back and starting to run as if he was doing a short sprint, a Force enhanced sprint. ‘Timo knows and he…’

“Noranan city rescue state your emergency.”

“Fire somewhere and children trapped,” Aradan replied. “I will head to Nello-road and lead you to the site.” He put the comlink – still activated – back in the pouch, pelted down the trail towards the distant glimmering black surfaced road and tried to avoid brambles and other nasty shrubs.



14.33
Colwood road 212
Fire-station six
Fire-station six – situated near the highway – was one of the seven stations performing fire suppression and emergency services to the city and neighbourhood. It housed a ladder, a rescue-vehicle and two engines. The second one was for the volunteer unit.

“Noranan city dispatch. Emergency Nello road. Engine Six-One, Ladder Six respond. Children trapped.”
A flimsy with pictures of his husans Sarhan, Injanin and Nejan floated down on the table in the common room and firefighter Lionel Keranan – the only Dunai elder on the engine team of this shift, lanky and sporting a crew-cut of black hair – rushed to the hall and his fatigues standing next to the crew-cabin of the engine, donned boots and trousers and took his jacket sprawled over the BA-gear. He had come on duty at eighteen hundred on the evening before and was assigned the number one on this shift, green shift to be precise. He took his helmet and activated his BA-gear when his mate Leon Tyler – same length and even shorter hair – jumped aboard and began to don his jacket. And he grinned when he felt the other Dunai elder on the shift – Anwar Baldavin – responding and hurrying to the ladder.

“Serious business,” Leon began when number three – Bob Magnee – and number four – Jack Leland – hopped aboard.

The two could be twins, short of length and both sporting flame-red hair and hazel eyes, but had come from Rondor and Monir to settle after their education in Noranan.

“Very serious,” Bob continued and donned his jacket after wiping his hands on his trousers. He had been peeling carrots for evening meal.

“And there are Dunai elder involved,” Lionel had the thermal imaging cam out of its holding place. “One is there helping those kids and one is running towards the factory.”

Leon just nodded. Being mate with Lionel brought no more surprises for him since he had come to know the powers of the Dunai elder.

For Jack Leland it was something else. He had graduated two weeks ago from the firefighter school in Monir where he had been in a class with four humans, two Zabraks and a Cathar feline and two Shistavanen. He was the rookie on the team and this was his second shift. “What?”

“You will see,” Bob patted his mate on his arm. He was the veteran on the engine team – not counting Lionel who had been a firefighter for 210 years – and had taken the task to help the rookie. He activated the screen before him to get the schematics for Jadaki. “There the emergency gate at the north side of the fence will enable us to get our tank filled with water using the submersible pump and our pump going.”

Jack listened. He had seen the submersible pump being used during the last exercise in Monir before his graduation.

The last set of ‘twins’ – blonde hair and grey eyes and of medium length – driver Ramon Zekan and Lieutenant – but always called Chief – Trudy Dargis were aboard when the four in the back were ready.

With 6 K to go Ramon guided the controls to their forward stops, clearing the gate of the fire-station and making a screeching turn to the left. And he hoped that he could be on time to save those kids.

Ladder six with Anwar Baldavin behind the controls and Lieutenant Hugh Kleist – a human with many years of experience – followed.



14.33
Nello road 45
Jadaki Plastworks
The fire on the ground-floor was eating at the wire-mesh plastbins, seeking more fuel and finding it in the contents of those bins. Highly volatile chemicals, liquids and oils fed the fire and durasteel and duracrete started to weaken, beginning at the place where the first shaped charge had made a hole in the floor. A large wire-mesh plastbin had cracked open and liquid trails of flammable chemicals – needing just a higher temperature to combust – were going everywhere. And one of those places was the secure materials room in the back of the building where the shaped charges were stored. Only one room filled with plastbins – now all at the point of igniting – was separating the seeking fire from those charges.

Another trail of liquid on the first floor was seeping to the central part of the building where more plastbins were.

- - -

If it had been a competition Jehna would have broken the record for cross country running. He arrived only slightly winded at the front entrance of Jadaki Plastworks and started to search for an entrance through the fence. ‘It’s Jadaki Plastworks,’ he shouted, knowing that Aradan would pick that up in the Force. Scaling the gate was a no but looking carefully he discovered the konjy-hole and the rusted part. He was in and hurried to the front of the building where dirty smoke belching from the door and windows made entrance impossible. He remembered the lessons from the first responder teams in Monir University. ‘Don’t go in if there is dirty smoke.’ To have developed in such a short time in a blazing inferno, the fire must have been fuelled by highly combustible materials. ‘And it must have been the explosion from something starting the fire,’ Jehna thought when he heard another cry.

“Help!”

The cries were coming from the back.

Jehna spurted to the north side and the back and looked up. There, four very frightened looking boys were looking down. And he heard the loud crying of girls.

“Help me down!” Bud Sukenik was almost crying until he looked towards the two girls and saw them crying. He regretted getting the hair-paint.

“Please!” Gene was now very sorry to have come up with the idea to go to the factory. “Help us man!”

No, Jehna saw that there was no way for the children to jump down to safety. For lifting a child and guide it down using the Force he didn’t have enough power. “Stay there, I am coming up. The restaurant has support columns and beams making a slide possible beginning at the large window facing north.” For that he spotted just the things he needed among the rubble of crates and containers. One reel contained coiled heavy duty power-cable, thick enough to hold a person climbing or sliding down. Wizard lessons were now coming in handy. Jehna tugged at the cable until he had enough to guide up. A piece of bent metal rod was just long enough. He knotted the end of the cable at the end of the rod. “Get this.”

“How do you get it up?” Frank was the first to see hope.

“I am a wizard,” Jehna soothed and used what he had learned from Aaqu Maerhin during his days of studying at the house of healing of Eled-Hir. The metal rod was taken in two hands. “Help me counting and catch the flying rod.”

“One, two, three, just like that?” Bud began but saw the rod coming his way. He with Gene and Mikel was able to catch it at the first throw from Jehna, who had used the Force.

“Now twice around one of the duracrete ceiling beams and down through the window,” Jehna directed. He glanced inside the factory through an open window and saw smoke and flames appearing between the plastbins and knew that he had to hurry.

“Coming,” Mikel threw the rod twice over a duracrete beam and back through the window and had it going down.

“He is planning a slide for us,” Bud commented and began to remove his shoelaces.

“Yes, rappelling down,” Gene was now sure that he could escape. “We have done that during the last school-trip.”

Jehna smiled when he heard the boys, bent the rod even more, hooked it to a sturdy crate filled to the brim with metal scrap and forced the ends to form a ring. ‘Material matters not,’ he remembered a lesson from Kaagi using quotes from a great Jedi. He took the reel with power-cable and rolled that further away from the factory. He climbed into the fence near the emergency entrance and used a sturdy fencepost to tie a loop of the cable making sure that there was some slack in the long cable. He had now two cables, one for the children to rappel down and the other to get himself up in the factory. Two minutes had passed when Jehna sped back to the factory and picked up enough smaller pieces of rope.

tbc

 

Oooh, hurry Jehna.

 

Yeah, she better hurry up there!

 

Jehna is hurrying but will it be enough? new cliffie ahead




Chapter 8



14 velona

14.33
Noranan forest

Aradan had his comlink still activated and heard Jehna’s cry in the Force. He took a jump to avoid a bramble-bush and shouted in his comlink “Noranan city rescue it’s Jadaki Plastworks.” And he landed in a puddle of mud and slid down the embankment to land on the next piece of shrubs heavy terrain. “Great, more mud and nasties.”

“Repeat!”

“Jadaki!” Aradan grumbled. “I am going to that place.” He was glad to see the road getting nearer.



14.33
Old harbour
Fish and fries shack
Noranan police patrol 5
“Patrol five to Kando apartments. Officer down.” The com in the patrol became active.

“That’s us,” Sam Koskin dropped his bag with fries and scowled when he saw his partner Dick Kerebuy spurting ahead of him to the police-speeder. He had been getting a – in his eyes – well deserved break to satiate his ever hungry stomach after solving the dispute between two tourists about who had been the culprit causing the bump in the speeder.

Dick – he had a bad feeling just prior to the call – jumped in the speeder and took the com. “Patrol five responding.”

“Inspector Rimac needs assistance.”

“Patrol five to Kando,” Dick was fastening his seatbelt with his other hand when Sam gunned the engine.

And Sam too had now a worried frown on his face. His partner had only once before reacted like that and that was when his daughter Diora had been involved in an accident.



14.33
Ikraan road 115
Noranan General Hospital
Hangar
“Med one; Ghin road, Kando apartments; officer down,” blared through the hangar.
Kevin Kaol jumped aboard the medevac and saw Jim Kerebuy taking the com when Leod Irwihan was activating the engine.

“Back-up crews incident code S two alert.”

“The storm will have all of us busy,” Kevin muttered. “MDC is calling all free employees to come to the hospital. And I will activate my pager as soon as I am back.”

“Our shift is ending but I don’t mind doing another one. MDC will keep me busy and you can go and help Sig and his volunteers,” Leod guided the medevac through the opening doors and took the craft in the air for the very short trip.

Kevin looked down and saw the building of Fire-station seven coming into view. It had a volunteer crewed engine inside.



14.34
Monira Ocean
“Oww,” Leroy opened his eyes to see the cabin-walls swaying and rain lashing against the transparisteel window. His head was hurting and bleeding from a small wound. And he was lying in a puddle of water. How he had ended up on the floor getting a bleeding bump on his head was unknown to him. ‘This is not right. Even the floor is wet. What was in those pastries?’ He stood up on unsteady legs after slipping on the wet floor and stumbled towards the exit of the cabin. Rain was lashing at him, clearing some of his mind and seeping in the wetsuit. It was cold first but soon getting warm and comfortable. He groped his way to the pilot-house to see no-one. “Tina where are you?” He looked this and that way and saw the broken window and the boat listing to the left. Two Falgans were in the water, giving a mournful sound. “Tina!” He activated the red emergency mark on the touch-screen and sagged down in the chair and was securing the straps when a reply came.

“MDC state your emergency.”
“Tina!” And he saw the Corusca-stone hanger and reached weakly with one hand for it.


14.34
Ghin road
Kando apartments
Inspector Rimac was well known on Moniron and especially in the capital Monir during his long tenure at the police headquarters and academy, having graduated there with the highest score of the year and asked to become a teacher besides his job as an inspector. 250 years after his graduation he had been the one to investigate the last big murder case to take place on Moniron being the Adin murder and had been among the authorities to give the Jedi permission to take the sole survivor – a two year old boy named Kaagi Adin – to the Jedi Temple. More feats included the investigations after the destruction by Imperials of the seven settlements forming the village Moneyna and after the riots during the festivities to celebrate the destruction of the second Death Star. And he was a successful hunter to bring the culprits dealing with intoxicating substances to justice. The death of his parents of old age now one month ago had him asking for retirement and returning to live in Noranan in the home on Lake-drive 5 where he was born. The cottage he owned on Ghin road 24 was for sale. And he had begun to pay visits to the police-stations starting with Noranan Central.

“Inspector Rimac a patrol is coming and a medevac.”

A brief smile passed Nuran’s face when he knelt down after putting his comlink in a pocket and on speaker mode. That way he could keep in contact with dispatch. ‘That was one of the young ones I have taught on the academy in Monir. I have seen him last week when I visited dispatch.’

These thoughts going on in his mind he was examining the man. A hand coming up wet with blood after touching the right thigh and back had him shouting “hurry, trauma-unit request.”

“Coming inspector Rimac. I have alerted a medevac.”

‘Medevac’ gave Nuran the assurance that a doctor would come.

“Do you know the ID of the officer?”

Nuran searched everywhere, not disturbing his patient at all. He felt the rumpled and torn uniform and the belt with nothing attached. He answered “No, he has no comlink and the name-tag has been ripped from his uniform.”



14.36
Noranan forest

Running shoes covered in dirt, shirt and pants torn by bramble-twigs – some of those sticking in his red wet hair – mud all over his body that was Aradan when he jumped from the bushes on the road. Earplugs were dangling on his back after being pulled from his ears by a twig meeting the wire. He took a sprint over the black road and headed to the winding road leading to the factory when he saw smoke and flames belching in the air. ‘Fire-station six will know where I am.’ And in the Force “Jehna I am coming.”



14.36
Nello road 45
Jadaki Plastworks
The fire was finding more fuel and coming closer towards the secure materials room where the shaped charges were stored. A wire-mesh plastbin was heating up and showing the first bulging bubbles of plast. A smaller bin had popped and more liquid, flammable oil was creeping towards the door joining the stream of liquids.

- - -

‘Jehna I am coming.’

‘Hurry Aradan.’ After stuffing seven pieces of rope and two larger pieces in his running shirt Jehna used hands and feet and the Force to climb up. He saw two boys holding shoelaces in their hands removed from their sneakers. They were tied in two loops.

“WOW,” Bud began fascinated by the speed of the man “you are a wizard. I am Bud.”

Jehna guided the first piece of rope around the big cable and tied it until he had two loops. “Bud, take these loops in your hands and jump.” Jehna heard the still distant and small crackling of fire from igniting combustibles through the closed door of the restaurant and coming from the first floor.

Bud smiled sheepish and dropped his shoelaces. He took the two loops, sat down on the windowsill and jumped. “EEAAASSY,” he yelled when he glided down and keeping his knees bent until he passed the rubble on the terrain. About five metres from the fence the slack in the rope had him touching the ground and he let go of the loops.

“Now you,” Jehna had the second rope tied and gave it to the – in his eyes – second boy strong enough to help the girls. “You, you and Bud have to help the girls after they come down.” Two ropes were given to the other boys.

“Yes Frank hurry,” Mikel urged. “I will follow you” and he began to tie the rope.

Frank took the loops and had another yell “YIIPEEE” when he jumped.

Mikel had stuffed the two pair of shoelaces in his pockets during his waiting and had grabbed the bags and the dolls and had put those inside the bags. ‘Never leave toys behind. Those girls will be devastated when they are missing their dolls,’ was what was going through his mind. He had a little sister who was quite fond of her dolls as well. He had slung the bags over his shoulder and saw his brother giving an understanding nod when he took the loops in his hands. If he hadn’t picked the dolls up, Gene would have done that. He had no problems at all rappelling down. “WHOOOOT”

Jehna was busy during that yippee and whoot heard the crackling fire on the roof and had a now giggling girl stepping into two loops. He fastened the end of the rope to the big cable where the loops were. “Hold this little girl.”

Judy shrieked when she felt her feet lifting. The man was using some trick or was it that Force she had seen Magin using? She held on when she saw the ground far below and shrieking and giggling she slid down to be helped by the three boys catching her and guiding her down to a soft landing. She gave a big smile when Mikel gave her the bags with dolls.

Jehna hurried when he heard the muffled explosions coming from the igniting plastbins. He had the second girl – giggling a lot – ready and hooked to the cable and lifted her.

Monica followed – not afraid at all when she heard the excited giggling down below where Judy was with the boys – and had her version of a yell “flying WOOWWW.”

Sirens could be heard in the distance and were coming nearer.

Plastbins popping their seams and liquids igniting could be heard over the roar of the flames.

Only Gene and Jehna were left in the building.


tbc

 

Sirens could be heard in the distance and were coming nearer.

Plastbins popping their seams and liquids igniting could be heard over the roar of the flames.

Only Gene and Jehna were left in the building.


Another cliffie! That is so evil of you bird. Sigh!

 

And a very big cliffhanger coming and you have to wait until the 30th of september



Chapter 9


14 velona

14.36
Ikraan road 115
Noranan General Hospital
Hangar
“Med two; Nello road 45; fire at Jadaki Plastworks; people involved,” was blaring through the hangar when Timo – deeply immersed in the Force and huffing only slightly – cleared the gap in the hangar-door to stop before that medevac where Jerome Verenne – who had been busy with washing the outside – was hopping inside and following Alan Guyet who had been telling him about a bad feeling four minutes ago.

Alan – the doctor on the team – had taken the pilot seat and had been doing the pre-flight check. And Alan had pushed the remote to begin the opening of the hangar-door.

Jerome – the rookie on the team – still had to get used to the weird behaviour of some of the medics and pilots. He had graduated two weeks ago as a medevac pilot with basic medic training and had applied for a job in Noranan and got it. He fastened the straps holding him secure in the seat.

Alan was activating the engine. The second medic – Sef Hanief – was running towards the medevac when MDC – the dispatch centre of the hospital – came with another message for the BF 47. Big Fish had been alerted a minute ago.

“Big Fish, your destination is grid seven four, pleasure craft in trouble.”

“Sef,” Timo was on the strut of the medevac “get going with the Big Fish. They can always use an extra hand. I will ride with Alan and Jerome.” And he hopped on the place of the doctor seeing Sef rushing to the big rescue-craft joining Jamy Norwick, Koranar Finn and Rudi Selco who were donning bright orange survival-suits. Ersan Koroni – suit halfway – was jumping in. They had a sea-rescue and with the rising storm that would be quite challenging.

“No Big Fish needed at Nello road,” Alan pushed the controls and had the craft hovering towards the opening hangar-door.

“Hey,” Jerome began.

“Easy,” Alan grinned “I can squeeze through.”

“Jehna is already there and Aradan,” Timo just sat down. “They should have the fire-crews there and the children out by the time we arrive.” He smiled when he saw Jerome’s startled looks when Alan took the medevac in a sharp turn towards Nello road seconds after clearing the still opening hangar-door. “Hey Alan it’s not an Eta-actis interceptor.”

“An Eta what?” Jerome saw Timo rooted on his seat despite not wearing restraints.

“Alan piloted an Eta-actis interceptor during the clone wars,” Timo began to tell more.


14.38
Big Fish
Sef grabbed a survival-suit from the rack and was donning that when he saw a piece of discarded Nerf-burger in a waste-bin. That had him smiling. As promised Jerome had gotten five Nerf-burgers from chef Mouraha of the new ‘tasty’ variety. Ersan had continued his grumping when he was preparing said Nerf-burgers and had taken a first bite. They were too hot for Ersan’s taste. His colleague still had to get that part of his lunch.

Rudi joined Ersan in the cockpit of the BF 47 when the latter was guiding his arms in the sleeves of his survival-suit after firing up the engine and activating the com. “What’s the emergency?”

“We have a power-boat with a man alone and a woman missing from that boat,” Ersan replied. “MDC only heard her given name Tina. And the man sounded desperate.”

“How long is she missing?” Rudi activated the navigation console and locked it to the coordinates coming in from MDC. That would have the Big Fish heading unerringly to the powerboat.

“The call came four minutes ago,” Ersan answered with a sad tone.

“No one can survive that long in the cold water,” Koranar Finn – the doctor on the team – took his seat just aft of the cockpit. “But we can save the man. MDC is keeping him distracted. Get her out.”

“ETA 12 minutes,” Rudi gazed at his console.

Ersan pushed the controls for the repulsorlifts and had the craft hovering to the open hangar-door. A fast out and in and maybe he would have the time to escape the prying eyes of a Guyet when he was going to the restaurant to get a real greasy Nerf-burger.

Big Fish launched in the air and her crew listened to MDC talking to the man whimpering ‘Tina’ followed by ‘she resembled my wife’ and continuing with how happy he had been with his wife.



14.38
Ghin road
Kando apartments
“Where are they,” Nuran was softly muttering. He had taken a handkerchief from a pocket and was pressing that on a bleeding head-wound.

“You should hear them now.”

Broken flowers and leaves flying all over the place had him looking up. A yellow medevac was dropping vertically between the towering Kando and Riva apartments.

“That sure will have inhabitants alerted in their soundproof apartments and ogling to see what’s happening,” Nuran grinned when he saw curtains being opened and people following the craft that was landing with military precision on the path between the Kando and Riva apartments.

Seconds after touch down the sliding door opened and two medics clad in the fluorescent lime and azure uniforms fancied everywhere guided a stretcher with equipment to the flowerbed.



14.40
Nello road 45
Engine six
“Arrived at Jadaki Plastworks,” Trudi Dargis confirmed when Ramon Zekan stomped on the brakes of the engine. And she saw a man – clad in torn running gear – searching for an entrance and now turning towards the engine.

“I have the master key,” Trudy jumped out of the engine and rushed to the gate, BA-mask swinging on the straps.

“I will help,” Aradan ran towards her and gave the gate a push – enhanced by his powers – when Trudy turned the key. But he was rather tired from the cross country run and was huffing slightly when he started towards the children standing there near the north fence.

Trudy ran back to her engine.



14.40
Jadaki Plastworks
Flammable oil had found a way under the crack of the door and into the secure materials room when the last wire-mesh plastbin ignited and added the fuel to have the temperature building up. The oil ignited and reached the shaped charges.



Gene was the last of the children to glide to safety and saw two vehicles from fire-station 6 coming through the gate when he was holding on to the loops.



14.41
Engine six
“There,” Aradan pointed when he began to run trying to keep up with the engine.

Ramon saw the child rappelling down a cable and headed to where five children were yelling. That was near the gate in the north side of the fence where the designated place for the fire-department gave access to open water being Nello Lake. The engine had enough water in the tank for the first strike with high pressure hoses but for prolonged action water was needed from another source. And the place had enough distance from the burning building.

Trudy – with fifteen years of experience as a chief – saw a big incident in the making. The belching smoke coming from all windows and openings of the factory was pushing and pulling. And it was dirty grey-brown coloured smoke indicating volatile fumes and high – very high - temperatures. Horizontal cracks in the north wall were signs that the building was about to collapse on that side. The fire was craving for oxygen and fuel and was creating a storm of its own adding to the now beginning natural storm that was bringing the first drops of rain. That rain wasn’t enough to smother the fire. But the storm and the building about to become totally engulfed in flames were now a threat to the environment.

Trudy took the com and shouted “incident red four!” That was the highest level she could give and would have an incident commander coming to the place. No, she wouldn’t send her men inside that building. Turning her head towards the back she saw Lionel giving the thermal imaging cam to Jack, who had gleaming eyes.

“Put it back. There is only one man inside and he is about to leave using the cable but he has to hurry.” Lionel clipped his mask to his helmet.

“Stop near the children and shield them from the view and heat radiation of the factory,” Trudy commanded. “They and the man leaving the building are our priority.”



14.41
Jadaki Plastworks
Jehna had needed five minutes to guide the six children down and now he was tying the last piece of rope in loops when he heard the popping sounds of plastbins – many plastbins – igniting. Smoke poured through the closed entrance in the restaurant. Cracks were appearing in the floor. And among the roar of exploding plastbins more explosions were heard.

- - -

Seeing the horizontal cracks appearing in the walls of the restaurant and hearing the creaking columns Jehna took a jump, hanging on to the loops and started to slide down.

A big explosion shook the floor of the restaurant. Columns dislodged and a duracrete beam broke.

‘Again that sound.’ Jehna recognised the sound of the explosions when he was two metres from the window. “Ooh nooh,” he gave a cry when the cable came loose from the ceiling. He was falling.

The shaped charges had destroyed the secure materials room. The whole structure of the factory was weakened. A floor – suddenly not supported anymore by the beams of the room – started to cave in and push the wall outside. And a roof slid down and exposed the burning plastbins to the air.

The fire was now free and finding more fuel in the store-rooms

Among the collapsing rubble was Jehna.

He was reliving his dream.

“Oh nooh … someone help me…. darkness … I am trapped.” Jehna tried to yell but the materials trapping him and the intense pain from broken bones and more injuries and the dust and smoke had him almost choking.



14.41
Engine six
Grit and dirt battered at engine six.

“What was that?” Ramon Zekan steered engine six through the dust towards the fence.

“I don’t know,” Jack Leland shouted. He was awed. His second shift and already a big incident for him to work on.

“It was a massive explosion,” Trudy Dargis grumbled. “Ramon, get to those kids.”

Lionel reached with his hand to the door-handle.



14.41
Nello road 43
DB wood
The cacophony of sound from the machines had the employees unaware that Jadaki Plastworks was about to become a blazing inferno of collapsed rubble and a partly standing building with a high load of combustible material.

“Endel trouble again?” Fikri Webb – foreman in DB-wood – had sauntered in the hall minutes ago. He had a made a beeline to the faulty machine when he saw the growing stack of planks coming from another machine.

“The kriffing thing is making sticks and,” Endel Maffei – head, torso and arms now inside the opened machine – began when a muffled explosion had him extricating head and torso and waving with his arms holding a hydro-spanner and wrench. “What’s that?”



14.41
Ghin road
Kando apartments
“BP 100 over 65,” Jim Kerebuy was taking vitals when Kevin Kaol was taping a large bore IV in place. The heartbeat was sluggish and Jim remembered something from long and not so long ago. ‘Clone-soldiers had a full body suit protecting them against the vacuum of space and it helped to give pressure over the entire body after an injury caused heavy blood-loss. We have those suits on the medevac. I treated a victim on the highway and used one.’ He turned his head. “Leod get the P-suit here. Kevin maintain at fifteen litres O2.”

“The P-suit,” Nuran looked briefly up. He had his hands – holding a wad – on the officer’s head.

Kevin gave the IV-bag to Nuran and adjusted the oxygen mask.

“You have to help too with the patient,” Jim said. He had concentrated solely on his patient, giving the man kneeling there a wad to stem the bleeding after seeing that it was a minor injury.

“And if possible we can use more assistance,” Kevin added when he saw Leod entering the medevac. He reached for the next item, a vacuum-splint.

“Coming,” Nuran said when a police-speeder stopped.

The two officers hurried to the flowerbed.

“Inspector Rimac,” Sam greeted with a smile on his face when he recognised the man seen on holo’s in the news but that smile disappeared when he saw who was down.

“We have to alert his wife,” Dick gave a soft gasp.

Nuran asked “do you know his name?”

“Mel Donovan,” Dick replied. “He should have a name-tag and comlink with him.”

“Nothing there Officer Dick Kerebuy,” Nuran saw the name-tags and saw one of the medics looking up with a startled frown on his face.

“Hmm,” Jim began but stopped when he saw the blonde features and compassionate green eyes of the officer. ‘Officer Kerebuy’ was something from very long ago for him when he was a member of ‘hospital squadron’ on New Holstice. Clones helping him preparing his Eta-actis interceptor saluted him that way. Squadron mates and his brother – Commander Mick – usually used his call sign Gold eight.

“And Officer Sam Koskin,” Nuran continued “the doc needs some assistance with a P-suit before we make contact with his family” and pointed to the medevac.

Dick saw a man climbing out of the medevac and turned to the doctor. ‘You have a vaguely familiar face.’

Jim grinned when he saw the green eyes getting a who-are-you-look in them and said “I am Jim Kerebuy and you have to help us with that,” when he saw Leod hurrying with the large package to the flowerbed. “But first this,” he took the vacuum-splint from Kevin. “I will get the bone in the leg aligned and you have to help Kevin.”

Sam and Dick knelt down and had the vacuum-splint ready when Jim aligned the leg.

Kevin took a clue from Jim and directed “one,” but stopped when he saw Dick following and anticipating Jim’s movements. ‘Family?’

“He will need surgery,” Jim said – keeping his voice light and assuring when he saw the worried faces – when Kevin helped to close the splint and pump the air out to form a rigid structure holding the re-aligned bones in place. “Now the P-suit and an order for blood when we arrive in the ER and your friend will be alright after we have repaired that bone and the bleeders. I sense no serious injuries.” That had faces relaxing. “Kevin, get the suit ready.” He reached for a bag of A-blood and hooked that up to the IV-line and gave it to Nuran.

Kevin and Leod had the P-suit ready on the stretcher.

It was Leod who brought a baffled look on Sam’s face when he and Jim – working as one – lifted Mel gently using the Force and waited for Kevin, Sam and Dick to guide the suit around the patient. ‘All are Dunai or Dunai elder and with them not worried I won’t be,’ was what Sam thought when he helped Mel on the stretcher. And it was Sam who spotted a discarded bag on the pavement and picked it up “Yours?”

“No,” Nuran answered “it must be from one of the kids. My bag is over there.”

Sam threw the bag in the police-speeder and ran to the indicated place.

Jim was busy, bringing pressure in parts of the suit when a soft moan was heard.

Mel was regaining consciousness and opening pain filled eyes.

‘He is conscious and lucid and has no brain-damage. Just as I felt when I examined his head-wound.’ Jim gave a relieved sigh, reached for a hypo and injected the contents in the tap of the IV.



14.41
Nello road 45
Jadaki Plastworks
“Oh nooh … someone help me…. darkness … I am trapped.”

Fatigue forgotten Aradan ran like he had never done before through the settling dust to the burning rubble that had been half a factory. The other half was still standing but would soon become a prey to the flames. And with the storm now whipping up more dust and smoke he feared the worst. Jehna’s dream had been a vision coming true. And he wasn’t surprised when he saw one of the firefighters – a bright beacon in the Force – jumping out of the fast moving engine, joining him and starting to remove the rubble where only a dirty blonde tuft of spiky hair could be seen.

 

Riveting! Will be eager to see what happens next. Enjoyed the quick, coordinated efforts of the rescue teams.

 

“Oh nooh … someone help me…. darkness … I am trapped.”

Fatigue forgotten Aradan ran like he had never done before through the settling dust to the burning rubble that had been half a factory. The other half was still standing but would soon become a prey to the flames. And with the storm now whipping up more dust and smoke he feared the worst. Jehna’s dream had been a vision coming true. And he wasn’t surprised when he saw one of the firefighters – a bright beacon in the Force – jumping out of the fast moving engine, joining him and starting to remove the rubble where only a dirty blonde tuft of spiky hair could be seen.


Iedere keer als ik denk, ik mag relaxen komt hij weer. Een heel gemeen cliffhanger. / Each time I think that I am allowed to relax a nasty cliffhanger comes along. / Immer wenn ich denke, ich darf relaxen kommt er wieder. Ein gemeiner Cliffhanger!

 

Thanks again for reading and more cliffies coming


Chapter 10


14 velona



14.41
Nello road 45
Jadaki Plastworks
Medevac two
Alan Guyet was searching for a place to land Medevac two when he saw Aradan running to the smoking and burning rubble. An engine headed to the fence and a door opening and a masked firefighter clad in full gear jumping out of the crew cabin – moments before the engine came to a stop – and running towards Aradan had him fearing the worst. Firefighters were known to follow orders from their commander. There a place near the fence on the north side was to his liking and he had the Medevac dropping down the last twenty meters and landing it soft and with precision on the only spot free of rubble when the engine stopped and five firefighters exited the craft.

Jerome was awed when he saw Alan moving with his hands to unfasten his straps, jumping up and out of the medevac. He began to unfasten his straps. “Alan is a pilot wizard.”

“I will tell you more when we are back,” Timo – not strapped in – was reaching for the scoop-stretcher.

“Victim trapped first priority. High pressure hose to Keranan. Magnee, Leland help Tyler. Baldavin, Kleist here.”

“Scoop-stretcher ready,” that was Timo. “We have to get him away from the rubble as soon as possible.”

Alan heard the commands when he ran to the rubble and saw three men getting a high pressure hose out and to the rubble when he joined the Force digging.


14.42
Engine six
“Wow a firefighter woman,” Mikel gazed with awe on his face to the woman clad in full gear giving orders. A man coming from the driver-place moments ago had hurried past him and the other children to the back of the engine. The engine was keeping him from seeing the rubble and he didn’t know if their rescuer had jumped out of the building. He saw the cable still attached to the fence. Now she was coming towards him with two men in tow. “She will get the man who rescued us out.”

Hugh Kleist opened the door to the crew-cabin.

“My crew will and is getting help from the medics,” Trudy Dargis began. “Come hop inside and,” she stopped when a small hand touched her hand.

“Uh we thought we could play here and were just playing beauty-shop in the restaurant,” Monica said with a small trembling voice. She was clutching her bag with dolls.

“And there was smoke and boys coming in when we were playing,” Judy added “and maybe they made a fire and they started to yell for help.”

That got her slightly angry looks from Bud. “You did the crying and we…”

“We were having an experiment,” Gene began and stopped when he got a small push from Bud. Gene mounted the steps.

“Experimental excursion in the factory where my father is leading the moving and demolishing,” Bud interfered and followed. “And we heard some noise coming from very obviously a plastbin overheating and there were cracks in the ceiling and we couldn’t get to the exit and took the stairs. I had seen the schematics on my dad’s desk.”

“And we were trapped in the restaurant until a man in running gear came and made a slide for us,” Frank got a small smile on his face when he stepped inside. “That was fun going down and we could help the girls. And I hope to see the man and thank him soon.”

“You will and get inside,” Trudy saw Ramon giving the signal that the pump was almost ready. “We will get you some drinks.”

“Inside,” Mikel helped Judy and grinned when a big man lifted Monica with ease inside and had her taking the place where he had wanted to sit.

“And don’t touch anything,” Trudy warned. “You can ask questions and we will answer them but no touching of equipment or…”

“No drinks and food,” Anwar said with a voice full of authority. “And was the excursion an experiment?” He kept his eyes glued on Bud.

“Uh,” Bud began to tremble.

“No!” Gene cast his eyes down.

“Not at all,” Mikel was very sure.

“No,” Frank whispered.

“Uh no, it ‘was’ an experimental excursion,” Bud was the last and saw the big man counting on his fingers, all the while keeping his brown eyes glued on him.

“Four times no is yes for me,” Anwar kept his voice neutral but he was smiling inwardly. “And playing with fire is dangerous.” Eyes turned fierce for a moment.

“And work for me and my engine,” Ramon had sauntered towards the cabin.

“And work for Magin’s dad,” Judy snickered.

Four boys nodded, faces were turning red.

“But it could have been a plastbin,” Gene tried “there were lots of those inside on both floors.”

“Yes lots of them and wire-mesh plastbins with liquids,” Bud added. “I heard them exploding.”

“That’s for the fire-inspector to investigate,” Trudy said and turned towards Anwar and Ramon. “Get those fire-boys and girls something to eat and drink.” And mounting the steps and turning to the girls she asked “who is Magin’s dad?”

“Instructor Alwin Elenion. I have once met him in Monir during exams and he is now a member of unit seven,” Anwar headed to the ladder. Upon returning he would ask more about the explosion or excursion. And he was very sure that his twin – Jera Baldavin – would come with his unit from Fire-station one, the first house to being built in Noranan and housing big and many units. With Jera here, he was sure he could get the boys talking about what was the cause.

Hugh Kleist was on the steps at the other side of the engine. The children were now secure.
“I will get the box with drinks,” Ramon grinned when he saw the baffled looks on the faces of all the girls and boys and walked to the back of the engine. There near the pump he kept a supply of drinks to give to a colleague during the changing of the tank of the BA-gear. ‘Even Trudy can learn more from instructor Elenion.’

14.43
Noranan central dispatch
Offices
Noranan central dispatch was a sprawling complex of buildings situated near the airport and the new industrial district. Fire- and police dispatchers had their work in one of the buildings. Another one housed the offices and workplaces of the officers of the firedepartment.

“Incident red four!”

Battalion chief and incident commander Ivano Arvedai dropped his datapad when he heard the PA-system coming on line. He had been reviewing the large traffic-accident on the highway. And each time – and he had a lot of those accidents to review being a middle aged Dunai elder – he was saddened when beings were injured or lost their life due to some reckless driving. The accident of this day – youths showing their speeder – had two drivers being admitted to the hospital after being extricated from the wrecks by crews of fire-station two and four. The datapad dropped next to a flimsy with a report about a sea rescue giving more work to the hospital and flimsies about accidents in the central area.

Ivano received all reports from the firedepartments on his desk and the first of the day had him smiling. It had been the pancake incident in the hospital solved by the volunteer crew of the hospital.

“Jadaki Plastworks, Nello road 45.”

That was blaring through the room when Ivano Arvedai ran outside and to the garage where his fatigues were waiting.

“A bad one commander,” Erdin Felaron – his driver and a battalion chief and fire-inspector himself – was donning his jacket when Ivano started to pull on his boots.

“Plastworks and that means plastbins, mesh-wire bins and whatever may be in those bins giving lots and lots of fuel for the flames and giving us work to keep it contained to just the plastworks and nothing else,” Ivano grumbled when he was fastening his jacket. “And to make it real nasty there is Die Bie wood with lots and lots of dry wood craving for flames.”

“Die Bie shouldn’t give too much trouble. The building is fifteen meters away. I have certified the schematics for Jadaki 600 years ago and after Quantral sold his factory to Die Bie I was there to certify the new sawing machine.” Erdin got in the red airspeeder and gunned the engine.

“Yeah but the storm coming from the north-west could be fatal.” Ivano took his place. Felaron had taught him all but had never left Moniron. Ivano had. He wanted to see some planets before settling on Moniron. He had been on the transport of a group of humans leaving Moniron and settling on Alderaan. And there he had seen incidents in factories. Coruscant had been a totally new experience with all the high-rise fires and big industrial areas giving lots and lots of reasons to give trouble. On Lingala he had seen wildfires and a visit to the oceans and the Lingalans had him returning to Moniron.

Ivano had the com in his hand when Erdin was guiding the speeder in the air and turning north-west.

The sight of a black smoke column against a backdrop of dark grey clouds and drifting to the south had him beginning to order two more units. The volunteer unit from station six was the first. Engine one and ladder one the second and a big pumper the third. And he ordered Erdin to turn the thermal imaging cam on as soon as they reached the site. He wanted to know where the fire had started.


14.43
Monira Ocean
Leroy was grieving, pouring all out when he heard the friendly voice from MDC asking him all about his wife. She had died after a ravaging disease. He had seen her suffer, had seen the doctors in Rondor trying all to ease the pain.

- - -

And in the Big Fish speeding towards him a doctor listened.


14.43
Nello road 43
DB wood
“Get on with your work,” Fikri Webb was looking this and that way to see if there was another machine acting up and the cause for that unexpected noise. It wasn’t and he continued “Sukenik must have dropped a window or plastbin.”

And Endel Maffei put head, torso and arms again in the faulty machine and continued to have a go at it with his hydrospanner.

 

Glad the casualties and damage wasn't even more severe. Now need to mop up and get everything situated at sea before the storm comes.

 

the trouble is only just beginning

Next cliffie







Chapter 11


14 velona

14.43
Sekinstreet 2
A party was in full swing. Trucky Bill Dorset had been very surprised when Ben Folsen joined him in his truck after closing the gate at Jadaki. ‘Estala, Wayne and Azaua will deliver the machines to Jadaki new. We have to get the transparisteel windows to CL-company,’ was what Ben told him. And – surprise – CL-company had them waiting, asking them to come inside and have some refreshments and well wishes coming from the company. Bill began to suspect something when Ben was behind the controls when he exited CL-company. Ben sure did take the scenic route home and drove the truck on Sekinstreet when Bill saw what the entire group had been planning.

Neighbors had decorated Trucky’s home and street leading to his home with ‘fifty’ the dominant decoration and ‘Sukenik and company’ had the welcoming committee lining up when Ben stopped the truck. That had been fifteen minutes ago and Trucky was holding a glass of ale in his hands when his brother Jeff had his hand going to his belt, silencing the pager and spurting away.

Darnella Sukenik looked up briefly and resumed what she was doing and that was sharing a piece of fruit-pie with her brother Dan who was in a bit of a hurry. They were allowed to visit the attic with more opportunities to play. The fruit-pie had been a gift from the Elenion family and she had decorated it. Trucky had been pleased with the gift and had been distributing the pieces.


14.43
Lake drive 11
“No Mel, you have to make new ones,” Ashley Donovan presented the last biscuits to her friends when three pagers had three women hurrying to their parked speeders.

“Probably another false alert,” Gema took her cup of tea.

“And my sister complaining when she returns,” Asta remarked when she picked up one of the three pillowcases with now a smudge of biscuit and tea on it.

“That’s Ashi-Mi’s pillowcase,” Ashley said “and the thread is missing the needle. We have to search for it. I don’t want Mel to complain about needles-and-pins-parties.” She began to search with Sita-Shi, Asta and Gema joining her.

14.43
Ghin road
Kando apartments
Feeling some dull but diminishing pain everywhere Mel Donovan opened his eyes and saw familiar figures. One – only seen by him on the holotube and being quite famous – was holding two bags. ‘Inspector Rimac is helping me.’ And the other was showing relief in his green eyes. ‘Dick sent to my rescue?’

“Don’t worry. I have given you something for the pain and it should be diminishing. You will be alright after the docs in the hospital have taken care of your injuries.”

“Dick?” Mel whispered and felt the pain fading to almost nothing.

“I am Jim Kerebuy and will help you.” Jim had taken the bags from Nuran and had put them between the straps of the stretcher. “Mel, just relax. We will do the work.”

Nuran reached for the comlink.

“Inspector Rimac,” Mel saw the movement and turned his head a bit. “There were three kids acting nasty but there were two boys following my orders immediately.”

“I know. When I arrived they were trying to get help and I will locate them,” Nuran soothed and showed what he was holding. “I have the comlink of Glen to return to him but first you. Jim Kerebuy will help.”

“He is family for sure,” Dick said and his face appeared in Mel’s vision giving a wink with his green eyes. “And I will contact your wife as soon as I am back in the patrol.”

“And disturb her needles-and-pins-party,” Mel felt some strength returning.

“Sure,” Dick laughed.

“Tell her not to worry,” Mel said. “And that I have a Kerebuy to care for me.”

Jim, Dick and Sam nodded.

“We are ready to transport,” Kevin had placed the monitoring equipment on the stretcher and lifted the frame of the stretcher.

Leod had the rest of the equipment in his hands and led the way to the medevac.

“You can go with us,” Jim climbed aboard the medevac and took his place after securing – with help from Kevin and Leod – the stretcher to the floor.

“Or with us,” Sam had returned with the bag with groceries and saw the inspector hopping in the medevac.

“We are going too after getting his wife,” Dick grinned “I want to get to know you because there is something that tells me that you're family. And you have to make a report for us.”

“See you,” Jim closed the slide-door. He knew what kind of report the police wanted.

Leod took the medevac up zooming past the windows where now spectators could be seen.

“Wow look at that,” Kevin saw black smoke spiraling up in the air and driven south by the rising storm.

“Kevin, you are in the hangar when your call comes for that,” Leod pushed the controls to their forward stops.

Jim was relaying stats to the hospital after connecting the monitor to the unit in the medevac. And he kept the conversation with his patient easy and assuring and gave him information when requested.


14.44
Nello road 45
Jadaki Plastworks
Rookie Jack Leland was awed when he saw the flying rubble. He was with Bob – at the reel – and Leon – on the nozzle – helping to get the high pressure hose as fast as he could to the rubble. And the wind was picking up speed too.

“Spray.” That came from Lionel and was slightly distorted by the BA mask he was wearing.

Leon opened the nozzle set to spray while he was still running towards the rubble.

Lionel – taking deep breaths from his tank – was getting the burning parts of the rubble with his gloved hands and shovelling them away with all the speed he could muster.

Aradan had Jehna’s head free and was supporting him. When he had first touched Jehna’s head he was relieved that there was no serious head- or neck-injury but now holding the head stable he was sensing the thoughts.

The half open eyes were filled with tears and soot and a look of unspeakable fear. Jehna was living his dream.‘Help me I am trapped! I won’t join you. Let go of me! Anakin no!’
Alan – glad to be wearing his pilot’s gloves but wheezing when he inhaled the smoke – was having a go at the bricks and pieces trapping Jehna’s legs. He heard running feet approaching and saw a durasteel scoop-stretcher appearing in the smoke.

Jerome and Timo had arrived.

Three minutes had passed since Jehna had become trapped.

Blue gloved hands took an arm and torso and lifted them gently.

Other hands – firefighter gloved and pilot gloved – guided the scoop-stretcher around the man and closed it.

“Lift and away,” Aradan – hacking viciously and eyes and nose running – was holding the head stable. But he was getting very worried when he sensed Jehna’s thoughts and saw the eyes full of fear. He put his shields up to prevent Jehna from feeling that worry.

“We will stabilise before getting him inside,” Alan urged when he saw the laboured heaving of the chest and slightly blue lips.

The gentle spray was used to cool the burns seen on Jehna’s legs and arms. Running gear was a partly melted and burned mess and hid more burns and injuries.

The five rescuers didn’t mind that they were getting wet and carried the stretcher to the medevac that offered some protection against the wind.

Leon – helped by Jack – followed with the hose and continued to use the water.

And drops of rain became more drops of rain.

Trees began to sway.

After helping to get the stretcher down Jerome jumped into the medevac to get the first aid kit, sedation and monitoring unit and the medicines bag.


14.44
Ikraan road 115
Noranan General Hospital
Ready room
Father and son Adin working as one and helping a patient from the ER-room to the proper treatment in one of the wings were doffing soiled greens in the ready room of the ER-area when the PA system became active.

“Medevac one coming from Kando. Relaying stats to board ER two and OT-four. Irol-immersion is necessary after surgery.”

The board in the ready room began to display the stats.

“We will need Jadin Finn on this one,” Marhin remarked. “The patient has a broken femur. We have to work on that and that thingy. Jim Kerebuy will help us.”

Kaagi – using the Force – took a new green garment. He was sitting in his wheelchair and guided the pants around his left leg encased in the brace and slid his other leg in. “Get Rihan to help me,” he stood up and had pants and shirt donned. “I will help with the sedation” and he sat down, ready for his patient.

“Use one of these,” Marhin threw a package with a clearplast full face mask and a green cap and packages with blue synthrubber gloves in his father’s lap and activated the com.

Kaagi wheeled to the sink and began to scrub his hands.

tbc

 

Whew! Glad the Adins are there with Jadin - those burns sound serious though

 

“Use one of these,” Marhin threw a package with a clearplast full face mask and a green cap and packages with blue synthrubber gloves in his father’s lap and activated the com.

Kaagi wheeled to the sink and began to scrub his hands.

Did you ever get burns in the line of work, bird?