The Last Hunter by J.N. Chaney & Terry Mixon

Author:J.N. Chaney & Terry Mixon [Chaney, J.N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2022-02-19T14:00:00+00:00

19

The results of their search ended up being a mixed bag. Sickbay was nonfunctional and closed off, but there was a medical aid station that was well-stocked with ordinary medicines and even some surgical gear. Considering that all of the equipment looked to be a grab bag of military and civilian stuff, it was probably purchased through non-standard channels.

Jack didn’t catch the medic’s name and didn’t ask any questions, content to let the medic examine the wounded commodore.

“It’s a deep puncture but seems to have missed her arteries,” he said after using some instruments to open the wound and look inside. “There’s a fair amount of bleeding, and I’m going to have to take care of that in short order. I’ll need a surgical assistant. Is anyone here trained as a medic?”

Tina Chen stepped up. “I’ve had field training and should be able to assist you, Doctor.”

“I’m not a doctor anymore, just a medic. We can save this woman’s life, but we need to get started. Everyone else, out. I’ll let you know when we’re done.”

Somewhat nonplussed, Jack retreated from the aid station with the Marine and Klein. He’d intended to ask Chen for more details, but that would have to wait.

Meanwhile, he needed to anticipate what the reaction was going to be to the commodore’s disappearance. To do that, he’d have to figure out a way to get information out of headquarters without incriminating himself.

Frankly, he wasn’t sure how he could manage that.

Maybe the best answer was to just let sleeping dogs lie. They’d eventually discover that Nastasi was missing and start a search. If there was evidence of her being attacked in her own quarters, it would only make things happen with more urgency.

His assumption was that Tina Chen left the crime scene as she’d found it. She had an injured woman to take care of, and time had been of the essence.

Then again, she’d apparently moved the wounded woman from senior officer’s housing to the small craft bay without anyone seeing her. He wasn’t sure how that was possible, but if the woman was capable of doing that, then maybe he shouldn’t rule out the possibility that she’d sanitized the crime scene as well.

He was still thinking about that when Dubsky came trotting down the corridor. She came to a halt in front of him, staring more at the door to the aid station than at him.

“I heard that somebody had been injured. Are you okay, Commodore?”

He nodded. “My steward’s wife arrived with someone that had been attacked. We still don’t know the details, but our medic seems to think he can operate successfully. Once that’s done, we can find out what happened.”

Tiredly, he rubbed his face. “All I can say for sure at this point is that this is going to complicate our situation. I don’t want to react until we have more information, but the injured woman is Commodore Nastasi from the Judge Advocate General’s office.

“The little information that I’ve received indicates that she was attacked in her quarters, and her protective detail was not present.

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