Some days, you just aren't going to win, Kade thought, as she tended Nick Goodin. Nick moaned and Kade shifted her gaze from the approaching Earthers to her seriously wounded comrade. They had no food or water and the contents of their personal first aid packs had been used up. At least, Nick might have a chance of surviving now. For sure, it wasn't gonna happen if someone hadn't showed up. Too bad, though, it was the Earthers instead of their own people. One of the Earther anti-gravity scout pods had found them and continued to circle over them. The crew had inquired through loudspeakers to see if she needed any assistance with Nick. They even dropped her a very complete first-aid kit, which was good. When their armored scout was hit, it burst into flames. Nick was hurt so badly that he couldn't have escaped the burning vehicle by himself. Somehow, she got the two of them out, but she could still hear Steph's screams in her mind. The last she saw of her, Steph was enclosed in flames. Helplessness and remorse swept through Kade, but she shook away the tears. She still had Nick to care for--at least for a few more minutes. She wasn't surprised when the Earthers popped over the rise, headed in her direction. The crew, in the circling pod, told her they had summoned a squad to take them in. Kade was uneasy, though. Her government's propaganda machine regularly ground out horror stories about the Earthers--how they massacred captured soldiers; if they didn't torture them first, or routinely raped female captives. For ruthless Earthers, these guys were approaching with weapons ready, but nobody was shooting at them. Kade wasn't happy to be breathing her last few minutes of freedom, but so far, she and Nick had been treated decently. She hoped they had some water with them. She and Nick had been without for most of the day and it was hot. Her suit's cooling system had glitched, although Nick's managed to hold. It had been hard on her, so she doubted if Nick could have stayed alive without his. "Stand up slow with hands raised." The voice was firm but not unkind. Kade obeyed. The first soldier continued to keep his weapon aimed at her. A second, a female NCO, arrived and approached her. The sergeant padded her down. Then did the same with Nick. "No weapons, one unconscious." The first soldier lowered his weapon, keeping it ready. By then, the last three members of the squad had reached them and quickly spread around Kade and Nick. "You can lower your arms," the woman said. Kade made a point of lowering them slowly. "Don't worry about your friend. We'll take care of him." The sergeant waved at one of the soldiers. "Sato!" One of the soldiers nodded and rushed up carrying a medical kit. Kneeling down beside Nick, he examined him. Looking up at the sergeant, he said, "Need to give him fluids to stabilize him, then air-evac him out." He paused. "He needs immediate attention, but should make it, if we get him to the doctors in time." "The scouts say an Air evac will be arriving in 3 minutes," said the sergeant to Kade. "At least, you won't have to walk out of this place." She actually smiled at Kade. Kade stared back in astonishment. "Pete? How about some water for the lady?" Another soldier stepped up to Kade and handed her his canteen. "Take as much as you need," he said. "I can get more." Gratefully, Kade drank from the canteen, savoring the wetness cleansing her dry throat. She handed the canteen back, making a point of honor to leave most of the water in the container. The sergeant placed a reassuring hand upon Kade's shoulder. "Don't worry. We have conventions. Nobody's going to harm you. In a way, I almost envy you. For you, this war is over." ****************************************************** This one took a lot of postwork. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Comments are always appreciated. Jeremy