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'''[Corresponds to Mutineers Episode 705]'''<br><br>
 
'''[Corresponds to Mutineers Episode 705]'''<br><br>
  
She couldn’t sleep. Dr. Grace Tian was beyond exhausted and her job was nowhere near completed, but every time she closed her eyes she relived having to give the order. ''Triage based on severity. Take the severest ones that have a chance of survival directly to the trauma rooms and surgical bays. The ones with no chance… put them in the third ward, make them comfortable.''<br>
+
She couldn’t sleep. Dr. Tian Grace was beyond exhausted and her job was nowhere near completed, but every time she closed her eyes she relived having to give the order. ''Triage based on severity. Take the severest ones that have a chance of survival directly to the trauma rooms and surgical bays. The ones with no chance… put them in the third ward, make them comfortable.''<br>
  
 
No doctor ever wanted to give that order, but military doctors in wartime had to make tough choices. She was no exception. She didn’t really have final say over who lived and who died… she only had final say over who would be treated and who would not. But she’d had only 3 trauma surgeons and 1 other ER doctor besides herself in the emergency center when the base was hit; resources had to be spent to save as many as possible.<br>
 
No doctor ever wanted to give that order, but military doctors in wartime had to make tough choices. She was no exception. She didn’t really have final say over who lived and who died… she only had final say over who would be treated and who would not. But she’d had only 3 trauma surgeons and 1 other ER doctor besides herself in the emergency center when the base was hit; resources had to be spent to save as many as possible.<br>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #660066;"> '''''The summer had been so low-key. A number of ship battles fought in various parts of the system early on, patients coming in with mainly blast traumas. She'd watched it begin to escalate into more terrorist-style attacks throughout the summer, though: IED injuries and gunshot wounds mostly. But tensions continued to rise; there was a sense of expectation in the air as the situation slowly worsened and then all hell broke loose and the powder keg that was Boros exploded. Word came down that the Governor's mansion was gearing up for rioters on the ground, but it was so much bigger. Enraged citizens and Independent Forces attacked Vandenburg itself. Alliance personnel in the hospital were warned told to respond with non-lethal force whenever possible, but the base was under-protected and its personnel spread thin on the ground; it was hit with a full-scale riot assault including aerial bombardment.'''''</span><br><br>
 
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #660066;"> '''''The summer had been so low-key. A number of ship battles fought in various parts of the system early on, patients coming in with mainly blast traumas. She'd watched it begin to escalate into more terrorist-style attacks throughout the summer, though: IED injuries and gunshot wounds mostly. But tensions continued to rise; there was a sense of expectation in the air as the situation slowly worsened and then all hell broke loose and the powder keg that was Boros exploded. Word came down that the Governor's mansion was gearing up for rioters on the ground, but it was so much bigger. Enraged citizens and Independent Forces attacked Vandenburg itself. Alliance personnel in the hospital were warned told to respond with non-lethal force whenever possible, but the base was under-protected and its personnel spread thin on the ground; it was hit with a full-scale riot assault including aerial bombardment.'''''</span><br><br>
  
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #660066;"> '''''The scene in the trauma center was beyond chaos. Soldiers were being brought in a steady stream of ghastly, horrifying injuries, many of them well beyond any help that she or anyone else could offer. The uninjured (or semi-injured) soldiers were dropping off critically injured comrades and returning to the streets with grim expressions. Her emergency room was swamped and undermanned, completely overwhelmed handling the level of incoming wounded. The sounds of bomb blasts and screams could be heard even through the walls of the hospital itself. Comms were a thing of the past, and she was just stepping out of yet another dead soldier’s triage unit, stripping blood-stained gloves off her hands, when an Alliance soldier appeared at her elbow.'''''</span><br><br>
+
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #0d0259;"> '''''The scene in the trauma center was beyond chaos. Soldiers were being brought in a steady stream of ghastly, horrifying injuries, many of them well beyond any help that she or anyone else could offer. The uninjured (or semi-injured) soldiers were dropping off critically injured comrades and returning to the streets with grim expressions. Her emergency room was swamped and undermanned, completely overwhelmed handling the level of incoming wounded. The sounds of bomb blasts and screams could be heard even through the walls of the hospital itself. Comms were a thing of the past, and she was just stepping out of yet another dead soldier’s triage unit, stripping blood-stained gloves off her hands, when an Alliance soldier appeared at her elbow.'''''</span><br><br>
  
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #660066;">'''''“Dr. Grace, we have to evacuate. A transport is being held. We have less than ten minutes to fall back and take anyone who is mobile with us.”'''''</span><br><br>
+
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #0d0259;">'''''“Dr. Grace, we have to evacuate. A transport is being held. We have less than ten minutes to fall back and take anyone who is mobile with us.”'''''</span><br><br>
 
   
 
   
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #660066;">'''''“Make the announcement,” she instructed. “Anyone able to travel needs to go. Anyone able to help other wounded move should do so.” She paused and her chin came up. “And I’m taking volunteers to remain behind with me.”'''''<br><br>
+
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #0d0259;">'''''“Make the announcement,” she instructed. “Anyone able to travel needs to go. Anyone able to help other wounded move should do so.” She paused and her chin came up. “And I’m taking volunteers to remain behind with me.”'''''<br><br>
  
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #660066;">'''''“What?” the lieutenant demanded sharply.'''''</span><br><br>
+
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #0d0259;">> '''''“What?” the lieutenant demanded sharply.'''''</span><br><br>
  
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #660066;">'''''She gave the young man, who was probably not seeing his first combat but was clearly rattled by the scope of being in a full-fledged war, a stern look. “You heard me. Any medical personnel who are willing to stay are welcome to do so. We have a building full of critically wounded soldiers. I’m saving as many as I can."'''''</span><br><br>
+
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #0d0259;">'''''She gave the young man, who was probably not seeing his first combat but was clearly rattled by the scope of being in a full-fledged war, a stern look. “You heard me. Any medical personnel who are willing to stay are welcome to do so. We have a building full of critically wounded soldiers. I’m saving as many as I can.'''''</span><br><br>
  
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #660066;">'''''Yanking on a fresh pair of gloves and joining the nurses and medics meeting the incoming injured, Tian waded into the fray once more. There were bodies everywhere; the place looked like a cross between a food riot and a morgue though orderlies were doing their best to remove the dead and dying as fast as possible so the doctors could get to the living.'''''</span><br><br>
+
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,  serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #0d0259;">'''''Yanking on a fresh pair of gloves and joining the nurses and medics meeting the incoming injured, Tian waded into the fray once more. There were bodies everywhere; the place looked like a cross between a food riot and a morgue though orderlies were doing their best to remove the dead and dying as fast as possible so the doctors could get to the living.'''''</span><br><br>
  
 
So much misery. There were few tears, for which she had an abstract moment in the middle of it all to be grateful. It was one reason she preferred working on soldiers: They weren’t prone to histrionics. But she remembered the feeling of being underwater, the whole hallway seeming a surreal nightmare.<br><br>
 
So much misery. There were few tears, for which she had an abstract moment in the middle of it all to be grateful. It was one reason she preferred working on soldiers: They weren’t prone to histrionics. But she remembered the feeling of being underwater, the whole hallway seeming a surreal nightmare.<br><br>
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She wasn’t sure how to live with the notion that her own government had taken such drastic measures. And for what? Blowing Ares and dropping scores of missiles onto Boros wasn’t going to deter the Independent movement. And Boros itself had always been a world divided—some were adamantly Independent while others supported the Alliance, working jobs in the orbiting shipyard or other such things. They’d all managed a sort of peace with one another, political ideologies aside. Until now at least.<br>
 
She wasn’t sure how to live with the notion that her own government had taken such drastic measures. And for what? Blowing Ares and dropping scores of missiles onto Boros wasn’t going to deter the Independent movement. And Boros itself had always been a world divided—some were adamantly Independent while others supported the Alliance, working jobs in the orbiting shipyard or other such things. They’d all managed a sort of peace with one another, political ideologies aside. Until now at least.<br>
  
She fell into an uneasy sleep punctuated with dreams of the dying.<br>
+
She fell into an uneasy sleep punctuated with dreams of the dying. Over the next few weeks, Tian found her days falling into a routine. She slept some, got up and went to work. The Independent and civilian doctors welcomed her expertise and despite her status as a prisoner of war, she was treated well and given the freedom to move as she pleased around Vandenburg.<br>
 
 
 
 
----<br>
 
 
 
Over the next few weeks, Tian found her days falling into a routine. She slept some, got up and went to work. The Independent and civilian doctors welcomed her expertise and despite her status as a prisoner of war, she was treated well and given the freedom to move as she pleased around Vandenburg.<br>
 
  
 
Those on Boros who had wanted independence seemed thrilled. But they were all in the same boat when it came to dealing with the aftermath of the Alliance retreat—war is waged by soldiers but the civilians are always the ones who have to pick up the mess. Tian and a team of nurses and medics made the rounds of the city once a week to help where they could as people looked for lost, dead, or wounded relatives. A dozen refugee camps at the edge of the city housed families huddled around fires built from scraps of their former lives. There were food and water shortages everywhere.<br>
 
Those on Boros who had wanted independence seemed thrilled. But they were all in the same boat when it came to dealing with the aftermath of the Alliance retreat—war is waged by soldiers but the civilians are always the ones who have to pick up the mess. Tian and a team of nurses and medics made the rounds of the city once a week to help where they could as people looked for lost, dead, or wounded relatives. A dozen refugee camps at the edge of the city housed families huddled around fires built from scraps of their former lives. There were food and water shortages everywhere.<br>
  
The days were long and the more she was out among the population, the angrier Tian became. NONE of these people deserved what the Alliance had done to Boros. She found herself more and more unwilling to align herself with the military uniform she’d worn with such pride for the past 20 years. Nearly three months went by before she heard anything at all. <br>
+
The days were long and the more she was out among the population, the angrier Tian became. NONE of these people deserved what the Alliance had done to Boros. She found herself more and more unwilling to align herself with the military uniform she’d worn with such pride for the past 20 years.<br>
  
“Dr. Grace? Colonel Han would like to see you, ma’am.”<br>
+
Nearly three months went by before she heard anything at all. “Dr. Grace? Colonel Han would like to see you, ma’am.”<br>
  
 
Tian looked up from where she was gently removing the stitches from a 7-year-old girl’s face and nodded. “Give me a few minutes to finish here, all right?”<br>
 
Tian looked up from where she was gently removing the stitches from a 7-year-old girl’s face and nodded. “Give me a few minutes to finish here, all right?”<br>
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Tian merely nodded silently. ''And that in and of itself may be my downfall when I get back. If it’s not, sir… you may be seeing me again.''
 
Tian merely nodded silently. ''And that in and of itself may be my downfall when I get back. If it’s not, sir… you may be seeing me again.''
 
 
 
<br><br><br>
 
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