"Oh God.
Oh God.
Dear God.
Why am I here?
It
is
so
coooooollllldddd.....
Dear GOD.....
WHY
is
it
so
coooolllllldddd....."

Below me....... the Silent Sea.......the lights of MegaCityWest......

"Oh God.
Why am I sooooooo cooooold?"

Kelli: "It is alright.....just lean here.....let me hold you...."

"But.....who is that down there?"

"That is you, my dear, you are hallucinating...."

"NO, I'm NOT hallucinating.....I'm COLD....I'm so.....sooo.....soooooo cold....."

"Just put your head here dearest."

Her arm surrounds me.....her palm caresses my forehead.....

"248, the Educator is becoming more restless, please attend him in the case that he needs more sedative."

"Yessir..but, I don't think..."

"I don't care what you THINK 248, I am the Medibot in charge ....now! do what I say!"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...."
"Saaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh...."

Kelli's hand is on my brow., on my cheek...............

"AARRRagha....get off me!"

"No SIR! you MUST remain still or I shall have my assistant further medicate you!'

"WHAT .....what.....what is going on...?

"Sir, you are in Emergency Medibay 346-a13, of the Combined Terran/SpaceNav..."

"NO you#$%^&*( IDIOT what is goING ON!!"

"Sir! Your arm and han..."

"Oh God."
"Oh dear God."
"Why am I so cold...please.....why am I so cold....."

"Saaaaahhhhhhh'
"Saaaaaaahhhhhhh now....everything will be alright......."

'..nd were severely damaged in the action on the boulevard just a short while ago..... The epidermis of your arm was almost sheared from the meso-dermis when you were pulled up from the street, you were held for SUCH a long time....and I am attempting to effect a temporary repair to your arm but you keep..."

"WHY ....WHAT happened......"

"what.....please happened....."

"please..."

"plea......."

"243 please spray more anesthetic, the Educator is becoming incoherent."

"Yessir."

"Who was it that got me out?"

"That I do not know Sir, since my programming is not privy to that information. 243 Please attempt to determine who it was who pulled the Educator into the ship."

"Yessir."

"Oh God, please, please, why am I so cold....."

The Silent Sea ......the lights of MegaCityWest....below me.......the darkness of empty space above me.........'"Why am I here?"

"Saaaaahhhhhh"
Kelli's hand caresses my neck, my cheek....
"Saaaaaaahhhhhhh now.....everything will be alright...."

Suddenly......below me....... kilometeres into the Silent Sea.....I can see the white hot gasses of ships lifting off to do battle in the vast void of the blackness of space.....

'Who are these people who run toward the sound of danger......'

'Who are they.... who are they...?'

"SIR, the person who pulled the Educator from danger is of the name Bryce Taggart; he is a Bosun's Mate in..."

"Thank you 243 that is all we need at this juncture..."

"Sir...did you hear 24..."

"Saaaaahhhhh now......."
Kelli's hand caresses my brow......

"8, that the man who pulled you from the boulevard has the name... "

"243 I need more medication the Educator is becoming restless...."......

The Medibot caressed the tissue reclamation unit.....it leaned over the Educator......it could register that the temperature in the reclamation unit was moving into the danger zone....

"Saaaaaahhhhh now Educator......it will be alright......lay stillllll lay still...." the Medibot leaned over the Educator...

The Medibot's duralimin medical attachment strayed from the tissue reclamation unit to the Educator under it's care......

"Rest now.....rest now......." the Medibot intoned......spoke....caressed....."..and teach another day...Educator........rest now........and teach....another day..... Saaaaahhhhhhhh now......"

Kelli's hand is laying on my cheek......"They are your students...those who go into space......you are an Educator....and.....with you.....they have learned that there is a higher calling...they have learned there is more than the dry facts of science.....and now... ...and now...." Kelli's voice stopped for a nanosecond...."....and .....now.... they are going..they are going........to be the last line of defense for those who stay on Earth.......

.......Saaaaaaahhhhhh now.....saaaahhhh nowww.... they are your students..they honor you by this....

...rest now, rest now..."

woodsmoke