Story of Marsh: Chapter One

Chapter One
The sound of screeching metal pierced my ears as the door slid open. I watched as the bright eyed nurse pushed an unconscious boy on an old fashioned wheelchair into the room. Another metallic squeal and the three of us were alone in the room. The only source of light was small Window Light above the bed.

“How’s he gonna be?” The nurse sighed and rolled the boy to the bed situated on the wall opposite the door.

“Let’s get him into bed and let him rest. Then I’ll tell you.” She started to lift the child into the bed. “Could you get his legs for me?”

I reached for his legs and swung them up onto the bed. His robe shifted and revealed a short row of stitches on his lower left abdomen.

“So what happened?” I stroked the healing incision with my finger as to not cause pain. Still I could feel his breaths shorten and his muscles tense every time my finger ran over the black medical thread.

“He should be fine. There will probably be some scarring.”

The nurse stroked the boy’s hair for a moment, then sat down in a chair at the end of the bed and continued.

“Kāsian, his appendix burst.” I watched the cut turn red out of irritation from my touch. “The first operation went well and he was recovering fine but he got an infection in his large intestine. After that they didn’t use enough antibiotics.”

“You said the first operation.” The nurse knew the question was coming but she didn’t want to hear it. A twitch of her temple gave away here discomfort. “There was a second?” The question felt like weighted chains that hung over us all. What other things are they not telling me?

“There was no other way. At first they thought that it would be safe to just increase the amount of antibiotics, but they were happy they decided to operate. An entire section of his lower large had to be replaced with his brother’s. There was no other way.”

Again the nurse stroked the boy’s hair and still there was no reaction.

“How soon will he wake up?”

“He should have been awake hours ago, but it’s not uncommon for people to oversleep, even after the drugs wear off. If he doesn’t wake up within the next, oh, five decicycles,” the nurse stood up and walked halfway to the door before finishing her sentence, “contact me and I’ll see if he needs medical assistance. In the meantime, let him rest and turn down the window light.”

“Thank you,” I said. In all reality, I didn’t know what to say.

“If everything goes well,” the nurse paused to allow the door to screech open without interrupting, “your flight will be three cycles from now.”

The nurse turned to leave and glanced at the boy who still lay still with has scar showing. She walked through the door and I couldn’t wait any longer.

“Jessica.” The nurse turned to face me. “Thank you.” This time I really meant it and she knew I did. A tear clung to her eye, too afraid to let anyone see it fall.

“Really, I should be thanking you and Marsh. I don’t know if I’ll see you again so I’m telling you now that there was a lot I learned from my experience working with you two.” The tear trickled down her cheek and found its way to the upturned corner of her mouth.

With that she turned and walked away. I felt a tear of my own fall to the floor. “Thank you.” I whispered.

“Mom?” I whipped around to see Marsh sitting up as best he could; pain on his face.

“Lay back down honey. He grimaced as he eased himself back into bed. “You were awake the whole time weren’t you?”

“Yes, momma.” How could this little boy be mine? The one I gave birth to was a very large baby and they told me this child was mine. He always seemed small and frail compared to the other boys in this ward. He was not the smallest in his class but was close. He didn’t have any resemblance to me either. His eyes were red like those the iahlitz gave birth to. Of course a few humans had given birth to red eyed children and a few iahlitz gave birth to blue or green eyed children. But it didn’t matter, I still loved him the same.

“I thought you liked Jessica. Didn’t you want to see her?” He looked away trying to hide his face which was now turning pink.

“Yes, but Jessica was sad. I thought I could feel that she was happy, but I could hear her cry. I didn’t want to bother her.”

“She wasn’t sad, or at least not only sad. I think she was happy that you’re going to be okay, but sad that we’re leaving.” Marsh had that far-off look of someone in deep thought.

“I think I get it,” He said. However, he still looked confused. I laughed quietly and covered him with the blankets by his bed.

“So where are we going?” Marsh’s expression brightened dramatically despite his paleness.

“We won’t be going anywhere if you don’t get some rest and get better.”


* * *



“James?” There was no answer. A knot formed where my heart should have been. “I know you’re in there. Please… I need to talk.”

I stood facing his door. A polished brass sign read “Dr. James Ackerman.”

I could see my tear streaked reflection in the sign. In my attempt to rub away the dried paths of tears, I succeeded only in smearing my mascara more.

Another sign flashed the words “Do Not Disturb” in bright red letters. I didn’t care; I had to talk to James.

I knocked. Not for any particular reason. Mostly I just wanted to know everything was going to be okay. Just listening to his voice would help me feel better.

“Not now.” His voice was more of a sigh than anything else.

“James…” I could hear his chair groan as he shifted his weight. A second later the door opened to a reveal dimly lit office and James already halfway back to his chair. Slumping into it, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

“When is the child leaving?” Urgency tainted his otherwise emotionless voice.

“A little less than three cycles from now. Why do you ask?”

“I finally contacted the man Marsh’s father told me about and I need to get the information to Kāsian.”

“So do you know where to find him?”

“The man was an Iahlitz physician. His knowledge of unusual diseases is astounding, but he published all of his findings as if he was human. I decided it was best only to touch base with him. If he was found out, I don’t want to be the one responsible for his imprisonment. Safer for us all that I didn’t ask for that information over the Line, but I can see why Fahian wanted the Kāsian to be able to contact him. He is already adept at avoiding confrontation and capture, knowledge I am sure Marsh will need.”

“That makes much more sense now.” I began to feel a bit better though my stomach still ached from my soft sobbing.

He pressed a small button on the side of his desk. A small door on the working surface of it dropped down and slid out of the way for a circular rack of semi-rectangular glass disks to immerge.

“Here,” he selected a disk with a red label, “Give this to Kāsian. It holds the contact information she’ll need. And I do think she’ll need it.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Honestly, he’s half Iahlitz and someone is going to find out. He doesn’t exactly look human.”

“I see what you mean. Even when he isn’t stripped of his clothes, his eyes and ears will give it away.”

“That’s what I realized. I had a pair of contacts ordered to hide his red eyes.”

“What color are they?”

“I had them made green to match Kāsian’s. At least this way there’ll be some resemblance between the two.”

“What about the retina scans?”

“I had his retinas beat up a while ago so they should be scarred beyond recognition of species. Since Marsh is neither human nor Iahlitz, I didn’t know which species his retinas would most resemble. I decided to play it safe.”

We had gone over all the concerns I had and yet something bothered me. It had to be something in his voice, the tone maybe. Or perhaps it was the way he kept closing his eyes as he talked as if he was trying to hide from the gaze of some unbearable truth.

“Will Marsh be alright?” Despite my efforts, I couldn’t prevent my voice from shaking a bit.

“I wish I could say he will.” James rubbed his temples and sighed “But honestly, I don’t know”

I began sobbing again. I thought I could hold my tears back, but something kept me from doing so.

“I’m sorry,” he said. The sincerity of his voice did nothing to ease my pain, but I knew he had said the only thing he knew to say in this situation.

Seeing that his words didn’t help, James stood up and walked over to me. Putting a hand on my shoulder, he repeated his apology. This time it didn’t seem to be directed to anyone in particular.

“Jessica, we’ve done all we can. No one could expect more.” He hugged me and I collapsed into his arms. His breathing suddenly became short and accented. He most certainly hadn’t been expecting that reaction.

James held me tighter and his breathing returned to normal. He released me and I stood there not knowing exactly what happened or what to do. He placed a finger under my chin sending shivers up and down my spine. My whole body ached for him to hold my again.

Certainly he had been nice, but nothing he did gave any inclination that he had any feelings for me. And nothing he did merited the feelings I never wanted to believe I had for him. He was kind and gentle, but never had shown any interest in me. He never gave me any special treatment. He was never rude on purpose and always apologized for his short comings. Never once did he fail to acknowledge my presence if we passed in the hall. He always treated everyone this way though. Any man worthy of that title would do those things.

With his finger under my chin, he lifted my head until our eyes locked. A small smile filled with hope and worry matched the look in his eyes, only they showed one more thing. His eyes showed a deep admiration, one I don’t know if I deserve. They showed love.

“I’m sorry.” He leaned down and kissed me. It wasn’t long but it was long enough. It felt like eternal bliss cut short.

Our lips parted and we stood there in an awkward silence until he managed a short apology.

“I am sorry,” he said, “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m-”

“Don’t be.” Well this is awkward. “I returned it, didn’t I? I’m as much at fault as you.” I leaned forward and gave him a short peck on the cheek.

“I had better leave so you can get back to work.” I knew that wasn’t going to happen but I had to get out and think about what had just happened and get back to the task of getting Marsh to Iath safely and still balance my normal work load.

“True.” James returned to his face his desk and walked to his chair while I quietly slid out of the office.


* * *


“Hurry mommy!”

“He certainly likes the new chair doesn’t he?” Marsh was speeding along in his new handicap chair. Unlike the old one he had, this one hovered a couple inches off the ground. It still had wheels for times when the anti-gravity magnet system wouldn’t work.

“Yes, he does. Thank you Jessica. One thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Is there any way to keep track of him? A curious boy with that kind of mobility is going to get himself into trouble.”

“Not really. There is a switch inside the back compartment that lets you set the maximum speed, and if you’re willing to use a little cash, you could buy one of those gps tracking systems.”

“At least I’ll be able to catch him when he runs off. Marsh, get back here.” I watched Kāsian as she jogged to catch up with her son. Marsh sped off down a branching hall and into one of the hanger’s control rooms.

“Marsh. Get your butt back here.” As usual, Marsh did as he was told and came back to Kāsian.

“Actually, that was the right room.”

“See, mommy? I know where I’m going.”

“Sure you do, hun.”

The room was small even without all the equipment that kept the air and space traffic flowing in and out of the terminal. An older man sat in the corner watching a monitor intently and uttering indistinguishable words into a small head set.

We continued through another door that led to a small waiting room. This terminal was normally used for staff and cargo. It wasn’t exactly common for civilians to fly through here other than the occasional special delivery of equipment and medicine from deep space worlds.

“When are we leaving, mommy?” Marsh looked at his mother with a puzzled expression. “There aren’t any ships like the ones you showed me with Aunt Jessi’s special Window.”

“Jessica, do you care to explain?”

“You two will be riding in a cargo ship. We weren’t given enough money to pay for a passenger ship and still be assured your whereabouts were kept secret.”

“Why is it secret?” Marsh was always so curious, simple explanations were never enough for his desire for knowledge.

Jessica struggled for a moment trying to get the words just right so a five year old could understand.

“Got that?” she asked.

“Uh-huh,” was his reply and he returned his attention to the activity of the port outside, or rather the lack thereof.

The door slid open with a blast of fresh air and we could see the black star-lit sky. A short bearded man walked in. He had broad shoulders and had an overall strong build. A small dagger was strapped to his side.

“Why is he small?” Marsh looked at the man in wonder. Truth was, the stranger stood at eye level with Marsh even when the boy was standing.

“Don’t be rude, Marsh,” Kāsian turned bright/beet red out of embarrassment.

“Its fine,” said the man. “Us dwarves aren’t too common in these parts and I’m used to it by now.”

He stepped forward and reached to shake Kāsian's hand. She hesitated for a moment before returning the gesture.

“So what be you called?”

“Kāsian.” she took back her hand and put her hand on Marsh’s shoulder. “And this is—”

“I know who this is.” The dwarf looked over to the child. “You must be the one called Marsh.”


* * *



“You must be the one called Marsh.”

The man who called himself a dwarf knew my name. He probably got my name when he was talking to whoever arranged the flight. The other two seem surprised though.

The dwarf squeezed my shoulder before walking over to talk to Jessi

“Now, about the payment Miss. How will I be getting that?”

Reaching into She reached into the small bag she was carrying and pulled out what looked like a miniature clip board.

“I’ll need hand and retina scans along with an account number and you will receive your payment upon proof that Marsh and Kāsian made it to Iath safely.” The dwarf pressed his hand on the board and didn’t look pleased to do so by any standard. Then he looked into a small black rectangle at the top of the board until there was a short blue flash.

“Thank you,” said Jessica. “Your cooperation is essential to your employment; there are many others willing to do your job for less.”

“Now Marsh, lets your stuff get packed and ready to go. Jessica, unloaded already the shipment my men have.”

“That’s good. Marsh go with him, he’ll take you to the ship.”

Running my finger along the side of the chair’s armrest, I started after the dwarf. The two of us followed a long walk way about ten feet across. On either side, there were deep ditches and on the other side of the ditches there was another set of walk ways. This continued four or five walkways in each direction, the ditches getting progressively deeper and wider the farther away they got from the walkway we were on. Speeders and small transports lined the sides of our walkway held off the bottom of the ditch with mechanical arms.

“Docked over a row am I,” said the dwarf. Following his lead, I crossed one of the ditches on an arched metal bridge. Continuing along this dock, we passed a mechanic working on one of the larger skiff type transports. His hands were covered in a greenish sort of jelly substance that appeared to be a lubricant for the skiff’s large turbine.

“Here we are,” said the dwarf after another couple hundred yards. We stopped at a ship different from all the others. I hadn’t seen two identical ships, but this one had a completely different style to it. It was much sleeker than the rest of the ships, a smooth curve from nose to tail. Rather than being held by the dock with the mechanical arms like the other ships, it stood on the bottom of the ditch on its own legs.

“Up here we’re going to have to bring the ship, aren’t we Marsh?”

“I guess.”

“Go see what is so long taking them now while I bring her up.”

“Okay,” I said. I knew the way back easily enough. I turned my chair around and began to head back. Looking back at the ship, I saw the dwarf put something on his head that wrapped around the back of his head and sat on his ears. He pressed his finger to it just over his right ear and spoke something I couldn’t hear. After a moment, I could hear hissing and a mechanical groan as the ship lifted off the floor of the ditch. Continuing back to find Kāsian and Jessica, I passed the mechanic again. The turbine was nearly completely taken apart.

“What are you doing?” I asked. I didn’t think it would bother him.

“The main fan was destroyed. I’m supposed to be looking for what did it. I think it was this rock.” It was a small rock, small enough to fit in my closed hand. “Don’t know how it got in here, but it did some serious damage.”

The rest of the way back to Kāsian, I thought about how something so small could affect something so big.

As I was crossing back over to the dock I had initially come from, I could hear Jessica and Kāsian talking.

“—you need in an emergency is on that. Don’t lose it or let anyone—” Jessica cut her sentence short and Kāsian quickly shoved something red into her jeans pocket.

“Um, hi hun,” Kāsian wore an expression of surprise, “What are you doing here?”

“He sent me to look for you. He said we’re ready to go soon.”