Blood Brothers by Vicky Seleya

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Rain started to fall as the caravan rendezvoused with Alonzo. He sprang from the ATV as Devon drew the DuneRail alongside.

"I thought right here would be good," he explained. "It's level here and there's a stream right over there.

"This area looks good, Alonzo," Devon agreed, as she surveyed the surrounding territory.

"Wish I could say the same for the ATV," Danziger groused, as he surveyed the damaged vehicle.

Sparing a quick glance to gauge the mechanic's mood, Alonzo grinned at Devon as he nodded at the pile next to the vehicle. "I gathered some extra firewood. I'd better get something to cover it before it gets wet." The pilot grabbed up his sack and quickly strode towards the TransRover.

Devon watched the pilot stride away with amusement. Behind her, Danziger grumbled to the accompaniment of distant thunder. Devon watched as Julia intercepted Alonzo and started to scan his right leg. Concerned, she approached the couple while they quietly debated. As Devon drew near, she could see the jagged tear in his pants leg. She winced when she saw the open laceration, the thigh echoing the tear.

"How many times do you think I can patch up this leg and expect good results?" Julia admonished Alonzo as Devon walked up. "With this many injuries in the same site in such a short span of time, I'm going to have a hard time finding viable tissue to work with. Why don't you try injuring a different part of your anatomy, or, perhaps as a change of pace, avoiding injury altogether?"

"I like it when you play doctor..." Alonzo whispered into the doctor's ear, raising his eyebrows innocently as Devon overheard.

Julia bit her lip to quell a smile, then frowned disapprovingly at the pilot. "This is no small matter, Alonzo. Don't give me that Fly-boy tough act. This has to hurt and I need to seal it."

"Come on, Doc. It really doesn't hurt much. Wouldn't it be easier to work in an assembled med-tent with all of your equipment where you like it? Let me help set up camp before the rain gets worse. Then you can do whatever you want. I promise I'll be good." Alonzo lifted Julia's chin to face him and solemnly held his fingers up in a pledge, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Julia regarded him for a minute then turned to acknowledge Devon before rummaging in her med-kit. She withdrew a small capsule and inserted it into her Derm-applicator. "Remember, I'm holding you to your promise," she admonished the pilot as she injected the medication into his hip and lightly bandaged the wound. As she stood up, he gave her arm a quick squeeze and trotted off. "Absolutely no lifting!" she called to his back, smiling as he spun to give her a jaunty salute before continuing to the vehicle. Julia glanced back to Devon, the ghost of a smile still on her lips.

Amused, Devon nodded in Alonzo's direction. "Is he all right? That looked pretty serious."

Julia crossed her arms, adopting her clinical manner. "It's impressive to look at, but not too serious. It's shallow but I'll still need to seal it. I'll want to keep him quiet overnight, but then he should be able to do light duty."

"How did he get injured?" Devon asked the doctor, who was looking intently into the sack the pilot had left behind.

"He fell onto a large piece of metal from the cargo pod when he was thrown from the ATV," Julia replied, not looking up.

Devon unconsciously leaned forward, curious about what had interested the doctor. Julia looked up at her friend and smiled slightly as she opened the sack further and offered it for inspection. Devon's eyes widened at the masses of dark red berries the pilot had collected, filling his rucksack almost to overflowing. Julia shook the pack gently so she could seal the closure, and placed it on the ground next to her medical bags.

"Where did he get those? Are they edible?"

"The bushes are nearby. He said the Terrians told him about them, so he's convinced they're edible." Julia shook her head. "It took me quite a bit of effort to get him to wait, but I want to examine them further. They do look good and the preliminary scans are promising."

________________________________________

Later in the evening, Devon dodged through the rain and raced into the med-tent. Shaking the water from her eyes, she surveyed the large tent. Yale and Julia stood at the exam table, bent over their work. In the corner, Alonzo lounged on his cot in his old, cut-off pants, cheerfully watching them, his leg neatly bandaged. He flashed Devon a wink then conspicuously tossed two berries into the air, deftly catching them both in his mouth with a grin. Devon brightened visibly and turned to Julia, who looked up to watch Alonzo's demonstration with a fond smile.

"The berries are safe?" Devon asked rhetorically.

"Not only safe, but quite pleasing," Yale remarked.

Julia nodded. "They'll be a welcome addition to our diet as long as they last. It will be a nice change of pace to have something sweet to eat. They are comprised of fructose, fiber and a number of planet specific components we have found to be safe. Additionally, they provide a number of important vitamins. Some of them are slightly tart. It seems to depend on how dark they are and where they grew on the bush. Here, Devon, try some," Julia offered, indicating the bowl of fruit on the table.

Devon took a berry and examined it before placing it into her mouth. It was dark crimson and an almost perfect sphere, slightly flattened at the poles. When she bit into it, her mouth filled with its sweet, tangy flavor. She smiled at Alonzo. "Great find. You'll have to thank the Terrians for us."

The pilot nodded soberly at her. "I already did."

"Are there enough for everyone?" Devon asked the pilot.

"I picked quite a few. The berries are just coming into season now. I'm not sure how long that lasts." He shrugged. "There's more than enough for now, anyway."

John Danziger ducked into the tent, True at his heels. He scanned the small tent until his eyes rested on the pilot in the corner. Alonzo was chatting with True who had already perched beside him to eagerly nibble from his bowl of berries.

"I fixed your ATV," Danziger stated pointedly.

Alonzo nodded. "Thanks," he mumbled around a berry.

"Be careful with it?!" Danziger added meaningfully.

In an attempt to change the subject, Alonzo offered his bowl to the mechanic. "Want some?"

"They're good, Dad," True supplied helpfully.

"Similar to the blueberries of Earth," Yale provided.

Alonzo glanced into his rapidly depleted bowl then over to True's full cheeks. "Looks more like 'True-berries' to me," he observed wryly.

"Well, I believe we have at least one volunteer for a berry-picking expedition tomorrow," Devon observed with a smile as the young girl nodded enthusiastically. "We might as well stock up as much as we can while the cargo pod is being scavenged. John, any idea how long that will take?"

Turning from the pilot, the mechanic shrugged. "No idea. 'Lonz's P.O.V. scan wasn't much to go on. Looked like there wasn't much left but we won't know until we get there. Let's figure on a day or two. Hopefully, the Grendlers didn't take some of the smaller components out of the 'Rover. It could take a while to dismantle."

"Just don't forget about the kobas when you go out to the bushes," Alonzo cautioned the group.

"Kobas?" Devon and both Danzigers asked in unison with varying emotions -- True with a wide smile, the adults with concern.

"I was just telling Julia and Yale... They live under the bushes. Whole families of them. They don't mind your picking the berries, just don't surprise them by rushing the bushes. Try to leave the bottom branches alone so there are plenty left for them," the pilot advised. He winked at True and added, "You should see the babies!"

"Baby kobas?" True breathed in anticipation.

John Danziger frowned at his daughter. "I think you'd better stay in camp, True-Girl."

"But, Dad!" True protested, looking to Alonzo for help.

"Come on, John. Let her go. They're really friendly unless you attack them. And the little ones are harmless."

"What makes you think that?" Julia asked curiously.

The pilot casually flexed his free hand. "No claws, just little buds. They were climbing all over me, scratched me a couple of times and still no reaction. I had a hard time clearing them from around the ATV so I could get back here," Alonzo explained, frowning as Julia ran her diaglove over the scratches he displayed.

Julia reviewed the readouts then turned towards Danziger. "No sign of any toxins." She rose, directing a steady look towards Alonzo as she crossed the tent.

True rose from the cot and tugged on her father's jacket, drawing him down to meet her eye to eye. "Please, Dad? I promise I'll be careful. Devon and Julia are going. Right?" she asked the two women, who nodded affirmation, then directed a firm gaze at her father once more.

Danziger bemusedly observed the stern look his daughter aimed at him, smiling openly as he nodded his permission and opened his arms for True's triumphant hug. He looked over her shoulder to meet Alonzo's eyes. "Since my best helper is going berry-picking, I'll need all the help I can get. Are you going to be functional in time?"

"Light duty only," Julia interjected, as Alonzo shrugged agreeably.

________________________________________

The following morning, the skies had cleared. Bess organized a berry-picking party while John prepared a salvage crew to go to the pod. The berry-pickers left early, carrying a wide assortment of containers with them. Yale and Julia followed, animatedly discussing possible methods of cultivation and preservation. Leaving a small group to watch camp, Danziger loaded his crew and tools on the TransRover and followed Alonzo's directions to the pod on the DuneRail.

The salvage crew sifted through the devastated pod, sorting what was repairable or critical and what was not. Most of the building supplies were going to have to be left behind for the time being, there simply not being enough room for them. A few of the men descended on the TransRover, beginning the arduous task of reclaiming every intact part they could find. Alonzo and Cameron busied themselves deploying and removing the remaining parachutes. Morgan paced around the pod, organizing and cataloguing each find as the rest of the crew brought them out to him. As the sun descended to the horizon, they secured the cargo pod as best they could, loaded their finds onto their intact TransRover and slowly returned to camp.

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