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Soorn wrung his lower arms and switched his bushy tail nervously as he sat in the family room of the medical facility.  A glass of cool green liquid sat untouched on the small table beside him.  A young refreshment boy had brought it to him earlier but he didn't feel much like drinking it.  Smoke and industrial fumes permeated his clothes and hair.  The strange metallic-smelling blood that stained his shirt and all four arms was beginning to darken.  He looked as though he had been on the wrong end of a Konian fireworks festival, and he smelled like it too.  He had been tempted to dip in the shallow complementary pool in the center of the room, but he knew all he would end up doing was contaminating the water.  And he was too polite to do that.

He didn't know how long he had been waiting but it seemed like a lifetime since he had found the crashed ship and it's sole, injured passenger.  It was fortunate that he had brought his com into the field that morning and was able to call for and emergency medical teleport.  The moment he had materialized on the arrival platform the medical technicians had taken the limp, bleeding alien from his arms and whisked the young creature away.  He had heard virtually nothing since.

He could have just gone home, taken a skimmer back to Nool and forgot all about the incident.  After all the alien wasn't family, it wasn't even his species.  But somehow he couldn't.  He kept seeing that pale little face in his mind.  Perhaps it was instinct.  Jssfloon males and most especially Third children seemed to have a strong nurturing desire.  Or maybe he felt responsible because he was the one who had discovered the crash.  One way or another Soorn couldn't bring himself to leave until he knew the fate of the child.

A medical assistant entered the room and Soorn quickly stood.  She approached him almost gingerly, her curly lavender tail stiff with discomfort.  She didn't want to talk to a Third, especially one that looked and smelled as badly as this one, but duty and politeness overruled her distaste.

Soorn's tail switched intently behind him.  "Is it alive?"  He would not at all be surprised if it wasn't.  He had never in all his life seen a creature in such a condition.

She let out an almost imperceptible chuffing sound.  Soorn had ignored any kind of greeting...rude.  "Presently."  She answered.  "The technitions are doing all they can.  But performing any kind of procedure on an unfamiliar species is...unpredictable.  And the injuries are extensive."

"Can you help it?"

" 'It' is a 'he'."  She said with a large flick of her tail.  "And I'm afraid there a some things we could not manage.  We are in the process of replacing ribs and an arm."

Soorn felt his soul spots flush purple in sympathy.  "His arm will grow back, though."  He stated hopefully.

The assistant narrowed her eyes in an expression that was not entirely impolite but clearly told him that she thought he was disgustingly ignorant.  "Not all species have that ability."

He felt his tongue twist around itself.  "He's young, isn't he?"

"He appears to be quite young, yes.  They can't be certain, of course, but they don't believe it has even reached it's first metamorphasis."

He nodded.  Somehow Soorn had guessed that.  "Have they been able to contact his family?"

She flicked her tail in what might have been frustration.  "His origins are still a mystery.  We can't contact what we don't know."

Soorn's double eyebrows lowered.  "They still don't know what he is?"  This surprised him.  Being a farmer and a Third with very little education Soorn had assumed it had been simple ignorance that he had not been able to identify the creature and vessel that had crashed in his field.  He had thought surely someone else would know.

The assistant looked puzzled as well.  "The species is not in any of our databases.  Nothing like him has ever been recorded visiting Jssfloon.  She looked down, curiously examining the info padd in her upper hand.  "We even contacted the Drek.  Even with their extensive exploration fleets they have never encountered one."

Soorn's mouth straightened seriously.  "So he has no one."  The Drek knew every sentient species for several hundred lightyears in every direction, even the minor moon colonies.  If they didn't know about this little creature, where could he possibly have come from?  And why was he alone so very far from his home?

She let out a frustrated chuff through her nostril slits.  This was clearly bothering her a well.  "Perhaps if he wakes up he can tell us where he belongs.  Then we will have something to go on."

"I hope so."

The assistant watched him curiously for a moment.  "You can go home if you like.  We appriciate your actions but there is nothing you can do now. The facility will see to the alien."

Soorn deliberately sat back in his cushioned chair, letting her know that he had no intention of going anywhere.  Now that he knew the creature was all alone he was even more determined to somehow help him.  "I would like to stay.  I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to inform me when I'm allowed to see him."

She gave a small nod.  "As you wish."  She turned to leave but stopped in the doorway.  "Perhaps you would enjoy the lagoon across the square you wait.  It is self-cleaning."

She had managed to efficiantly insult him while managing to sound helpful. But he didn't mind. Perhaps he would make use of the lagoon.  They would never let him into a sanitary patient room smelling the way he did, and Soorn wanted to be there when the alien woke up.  He really hoped he would wake up.

----
I honestly didn't have any intention of contiuing this.....but it kind of just happened. I kind of like Soorn and wanted to do just a bit more with him. Gave me a chance to draw some more Jssfloon.

Description
Previous part to this story:

Next part:

Soorn wrung his lower arms and switched his bushy tail nervously as he sat in the family room of the medical facility.  A glass of cool green liquid sat untouched on the small table beside him.  A young refreshment boy had brought it to him earlier but he didn't feel much like drinking it.  Smoke and industrial fumes permeated his clothes and hair.  The strange metallic-smelling blood that stained his shirt and all four arms was beginning to darken.  He looked as though he had been on the wrong end of a Konian fireworks festival, and he smelled like it too.  He had been tempted to dip in the shallow complementary pool in the center of the room, but he knew all he would end up doing was contaminating the water.  And he was too polite to do that.

He didn't know how long he had been waiting but it seemed like a lifetime since he had found the crashed ship and it's sole, injured passenger.  It was fortunate that he had brought his com into the field that morning and was able to call for and emergency medical teleport.  The moment he had materialized on the arrival platform the medical technicians had taken the limp, bleeding alien from his arms and whisked the young creature away.  He had heard virtually nothing since.

He could have just gone home, taken a skimmer back to Nool and forgot all about the incident.  After all the alien wasn't family, it wasn't even his species.  But somehow he couldn't.  He kept seeing that pale little face in his mind.  Perhaps it was instinct.  Jssfloon males and most especially Third children seemed to have a strong nurturing desire.  Or maybe he felt responsible because he was the one who had discovered the crash.  One way or another Soorn couldn't bring himself to leave until he knew the fate of the child.

A medical assistant entered the room and Soorn quickly stood.  She approached him almost gingerly, her curly lavender tail stiff with discomfort.  She didn't want to talk to a Third, especially one that looked and smelled as badly as this one, but duty and politeness overruled her distaste.

Soorn's tail switched intently behind him.  "Is it alive?"  He would not at all be surprised if it wasn't.  He had never in all his life seen a creature in such a condition.

She let out an almost imperceptible chuffing sound.  Soorn had ignored any kind of greeting...rude.  "Presently."  She answered.  "The technitions are doing all they can.  But performing any kind of procedure on an unfamiliar species is...unpredictable.  And the injuries are extensive."

"Can you help it?"

" 'It' is a 'he'."  She said with a large flick of her tail.  "And I'm afraid there a some things we could not manage.  We are in the process of replacing ribs and an arm."

Soorn felt his soul spots flush purple in sympathy.  "His arm will grow back, though."  He stated hopefully.

The assistant narrowed her eyes in an expression that was not entirely impolite but clearly told him that she thought he was disgustingly ignorant.  "Not all species have that ability."

He felt his tongue twist around itself.  "He's young, isn't he?"

"He appears to be quite young, yes.  They can't be certain, of course, but they don't believe it has even reached it's first metamorphasis."

He nodded.  Somehow Soorn had guessed that.  "Have they been able to contact his family?"

She flicked her tail in what might have been frustration.  "His origins are still a mystery.  We can't contact what we don't know."

Soorn's double eyebrows lowered.  "They still don't know what he is?"  This surprised him.  Being a farmer and a Third with very little education Soorn had assumed it had been simple ignorance that he had not been able to identify the creature and vessel that had crashed in his field.  He had thought surely someone else would know.

The assistant looked puzzled as well.  "The species is not in any of our databases.  Nothing like him has ever been recorded visiting Jssfloon.  She looked down, curiously examining the info padd in her upper hand.  "We even contacted the Drek.  Even with their extensive exploration fleets they have never encountered one."

Soorn's mouth straightened seriously.  "So he has no one."  The Drek knew every sentient species for several hundred lightyears in every direction, even the minor moon colonies.  If they didn't know about this little creature, where could he possibly have come from?  And why was he alone so very far from his home?

She let out a frustrated chuff through her nostril slits.  This was clearly bothering her a well.  "Perhaps if he wakes up he can tell us where he belongs.  Then we will have something to go on."

"I hope so."

The assistant watched him curiously for a moment.  "You can go home if you like.  We appriciate your actions but there is nothing you can do now. The facility will see to the alien."

Soorn deliberately sat back in his cushioned chair, letting her know that he had no intention of going anywhere.  Now that he knew the creature was all alone he was even more determined to somehow help him.  "I would like to stay.  I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to inform me when I'm allowed to see him."

She gave a small nod.  "As you wish."  She turned to leave but stopped in the doorway.  "Perhaps you would enjoy the lagoon across the square you wait.  It is self-cleaning."

She had managed to efficiantly insult him while managing to sound helpful. But he didn't mind. Perhaps he would make use of the lagoon.  They would never let him into a sanitary patient room smelling the way he did, and Soorn wanted to be there when the alien woke up.  He really hoped he would wake up.

----
I honestly didn't have any intention of contiuing this.....but it kind of just happened. I kind of like Soorn and wanted to do just a bit more with him. Gave me a chance to draw some more Jssfloon.