<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #FF0000">Major Tom ‘TT’ Theophilus Peters</span></span></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/o793/Galvin_Fugazi/0b1c5703-1ec6-4951-9974-ee41ec21aa28_zps54ccd4dc.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: justify;">Tom tried to remain calm, he really tried it, but looking at Karra, hearing her illogical words made him shiver. He loved Karra, had always loved her and never been courageous enough to tell her. And now that he finally did, when they had hoped to start a new life together, it should be the end? He couldn't allow that, not at all. And all that was standing between his love and death was this doctor, this young girl, awfully young girl. How old may she be?<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF8000">"You are looking very young to be a doctor. How old are you? 25?"</span><br/><br/>She had opened the bag, rolled its contents out and nearly all of those things looked different to medical instruments on earth. But she seemed concentrated and self-assured. A chuckle escaped her lips and she gave him a quick glance, that immediately turned on Tania.<br/><br/><span style="color: #80FF00">"Not even close. 18. But don't worry, I made my first surgery at age 14 and I know what I am doing."</span> She seemed to ponder a moment how much to tell him, but then she added, <span style="color: #80FF00">"My mother is the head surgeon at Ovia, I am the number two there, I can save your friend and I will."</span><br/><br/>Tom was impressed, he couldn't help it. He was used to fourteen year old girls learning how to use a computer properly and this one did surgeries? But then another thought surfaced in his worried mind, something about Freya and why someone like those two girls, the cousine of the queen and one of the best doctors, may travel through a jungle all alone. He watched her cut the clothes away from Karra's belly and then placing a small instrument with a screen on her skin. She moved it slowly over the skin, while Tom held Karra's hand and Tania held her head.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF8000">"Was it your mother who placed those devices in Freya's head? The ones controlling her?"</span><br/><br/>He caught her, he knew it the moment he saw her hand stop moving and her body becoming stiff. She knew of the devices and as he doubted that a lot of people were involved in this thing, he wouldn't wonder if she assisted her mother in this.<br/><span style="color: #FF8000"><br/>"I see, you know what I am talking about. Let me guess, you helped your mom with it, right?"</span><br/><br/>She lifted her head to look at him and for the first time he could see something in her eyes, that had not been there before, not even when he had threatened her with killing her. Fear. Deadly fear. The white of her eyes was taking over and sweat appeared on her forehead. Her voice was barely a whisper.<br/><br/><span style="color: #80FF00">"How do you know? And does the Princess know of it?"</span><br/><br/>Tom nodded and the device slipped out of her hands, sliding over Karra's belly and she started to shiver. He remembered what Gleywine had told them about the Arena and that even privileged members could be sent there and he knew what was going on in her head. He put his hand on her arm and his voice turned soft.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF8000">"Kira, Freya knows about the devices and she is absolutely pissed, as you may imagine. But she knows too that you may have had your hand in planting them, but not in deciding about it. If you save Karra, if you save the one I love, if you give me my love of my life back, then I owe you one. I won't allow Freya to kill you for what you did, you are under my protection then and I might not like what you did to Freya, but what you did for Karra will be more important to me. I know you fear Freya and her family and you may think now that you are doomed anyway, but I am your only chance out of this. Help me and I help you."</span><br/><br/>It took a long time, a painfully long time until the eyes of the young doctor cleared. She took the device back in her hands and started to move it again over Karra's belly. Tom had to admit that he was frightened of this young doctor then. Yes, he had shown her a way that saving Karra may save her. But he had expected more fight or more despair. Kira couldn't possibly know what Freya knew, she couldn't know if Freya would listen to him, something he doubted already. She should have bickered, asked for securities or remained panicked, but non of that happened. It seemed to him like Kira had assessed the situation, made calculations and then decided to take the way that would offer her some time. Some time to plan or to flee or whatever was going on in the head of this young doctor. This ability for calm calculation in the moment of the fear to die, it told Tom never to underestimate this young girl. She was lethally dangerous.<br/><br/><span style="color: #80FF00">"Alright, this thing went far in. It pierced the liver and she has internal bleeding. But only the soft parts are damaged, not the spine, that is good. Nothing I can't heal, but I may need some assis..."</span><br/><br/>Tom had listened to her like in trance, the words reaching his ears, but after liver and internal bleeding his brain had switched off. Karra would die, that was for sure. She would bleed out into her belly and nothing would stop it. Tears appeared in his eyes and he bend down and hugged Karra. It had something desperate, as if it was the last time to hug her warm body.</div>