Free Warrior's Valor by Gun Brooke Page A

Emeron crawled toward the opening. “Don’t go to bed just yet. I’ll be right back.”
    Dwyn sighed. Now what? She pulled the shirt over her head, grimacing at the pain, and acknowledged for the first time that she must have injured herself when fighting the bots.
    Emeron returned a moment later with a medical scanner and a derma fuser. “I borrowed these from Mogghy. He was already asleep. Oches and Noor have the first watch.” She sat down next to Dwyn. “Why did you put your shirt on? Now I can’t see your entire bruise.”
    â€œI was cold.” It wasn’t a lie, exactly.
    â€œAll right. Here.” Emeron tugged at the thermo blanket and wrapped it around her. “I’ll just pull the strap down like this.” She slid the strap down Dwyn’s shoulder, which effectively locked Dwyn’s left arm against her side.
    Emeron ran the medical scanner over the bruise. “Thank the stars. You don’t have any deep tissue damage or fracture. I didn’t think so, but you’re so tiny, we have to take extra care of you. Today was a rough day on all of us, and even harder on you.”
    â€œTiny?” Dwyn raised her voice and stared at Emeron. “I’m not tiny.”
    â€œDepends on who you compare yourself with. In the present company, you’re tiny. Miniscule.” Emeron seemed in an unusually good mood, teasing her like this, and Dwyn couldn’t help but smile.
    â€œWhat are you then? Humongous?”
    â€œExactly.” Emeron’s voice gave away that she was smiling. “You’ll feel a warm tingle now. Ready?”
    â€œNo problem. This is hardly my first bruise, or my first derma fuser.” Dwyn paused. “But it is my first ultra-modern derma-fuser experience.”
    â€œWhat kind of injuries did you experience before?” Emeron’s free hand on her waist steadied Dwyn, and the warm touch sent shivers throughout her belly. She shifted nervously and tried to remember if she’d ever reacted like this to anyone.
    â€œLet me see,” Dwyn said slowly. “The last time I needed a derma fuser, and a bone knitter for that matter, I had fallen inside a volcano on Earth. I fractured three ribs, my left wrist, and had contusions on my head, back, and…well, bottom.”
    â€œOh, stars. What the hell were you doing there? I mean, by the volcano?”
    â€œProtesting along with other nonprofit organizations.”
    Emeron didn’t answer at first, but administered the derma fuser precisely, as if she was preoccupied with something. “Protesting against what? And why?”
    â€œRare birds, pilgrim falcons, protected by the EDA, Environmental Department Authorities, have made this inactive volcanic area their home for over two hundred years. The SC Science & Development Center was conducting tests there and disturbing the hatching season. Their actions threatened an entire generation of falcons.”
    â€œYou risked your life for a flock of birds?” Emeron looked incredulously at Dwyn. “You’re joking, right?”
    â€œI risked my life because the SC thought they could break the law and endanger an already near-extinct species,” she spat, annoyed at how Emeron dismissed the importance of her work. “A flock of birds may not seem much to you, but a flock of birds today, and then they extend this approach to include a flock of people, or worse—”
    â€œAre you suggesting that the SC would stoop to genocide?” Emeron raised her voice too, placing the derma fuser back in its casing. “Are you crazy?”
    â€œNo, I’m not. And if you read all aspects of SC history, back to before any of our people conquered space, you’ll see that our worlds have committed countless atrocities.”
    â€œThat was then. We live in enlightened times. Our council wouldn’t sit idly by—”
    She shook her head slowly, exasperated and sad at