A week later I was having breakfast when a Federal officer asked me to join him for breakfast. I politely declined and he stared as though it wasn't a request. I finished breakfast and went back to the med bay. The man followed me in and kept requesting that I come with. Soon it sounded like he was a cyborg whose primary functions have warped. He managed to unwarp himself after I said in firm and calm tone that I am not a citizen of his system. I reminded him I am a non-combatant which means I am forbidden to comply with his wishes should it harm anyone on board this vessel or innocent civilians elsewhere. This made him furious but he said nothing as the patients requested that I do my daily check up. I checked their pulse, their temperature. I double checked the bandages in case I needed to redo the dressing. The general came and requested that I use water to heal the men and I said that I am not obliged to do so and healing takes a toll on my body. He took that into consideration and walked out the door. I changed the dressing and Q walked in. He said that the Federated state requested that I join them on a secret mission. Trojians said that I am here as a medic and if I go then there will be no one to treat the wounded. The Troj have good healers but I was an accredited certified medic. Which means they can't hand me over even if they wanted to.
The Federal army official somehow got a hold of my service record where I went along with allies as a medic but used my gifts in a non-violent manner. So they petitioned me to be on the field. But I was a citizen of Arman as a full civilian. So the only position I can fill is a medic. This rubbed them in so many ways but fortunately they are law abiders so I had nothing to worry about. The Lieutenant was not pleased so he started to devise ways in which I would have to accompany them but the law dictates that if I have been forced to do something that is against the law laid out contentious objector then I must return to Arman. As a safety measure I would be forbidden to do any and all forms of space exploration for the next fifty years. The Lieutenant was convinced that he can reason with the governor to hand me over for emergency reasons. He ordered the communication unit to contact Arman and the governor requested my immediate return. My ship and I were to go to the Celia system in the Parez quadrant. This was a peaceful system that loved collecting and passing knowledge. Which is why Arman goes there once every twenty years. The floating library loves to share and collect data. So if knowledge was eradicated like it almost was during the Karen wars. They burned down libraries all over the Galaxy. If history repeats itself then the knowledge in the library can be uploaded to the data bank of the galactic Lexicon. Which will automatically update the data to every school in the galaxy.
I boarded Strata after I gave Q a comm link. He promised to call me the moment the war ends so we can go on our adventures again. The Lieutenant was staring with hatred as I took off. The star bridge opened as I waved at the starburst battleships. As I passed through the starry view. I hopped off and searched the ship for trackers. I found all of them and ejected them from the garage chute. I sat down to see the birth of a star. The death of another star. A meteor shower and more bits and pieces of ships blasted to smithereens. I got to Arman and the Guardian marshal walked out with his chest puffed out but was deflated when the governor escorted me back to my garden. Arman had a new security force called STAR. It stands for Special Taskforce for Assessment and Rescue. The head of the team was watching as I walked towards the civilian quarters. The guardian marshal was protesting. He reminded the governor that I was back from a war zone. The governor reminded him that I was there as a medic. Which is why he can't abscond me to be a soldier.
I walked into the elevator and my tattoo was changed again. This time the tattoo was an hourglass. The glass was sapphire in color. The rods were ruby red and the sand was gold. The top and bottom plates were bronze. There was a copper colored scroll in that unfurled on the top that says 'Time is life's greatest teacher. But it gives the test before the lesson' I asked them to change it to 'Time is the only currency you can't earn back so spend it wisely' they said they will tattoo those words on me if I live to see another hundred years. I also get to choose the design as well. I grinned, "See you then" The arbiter chuckled and his chins jiggled. I walked to my honeycomb house to see that it was fully furnished. I was moved out of the nightingale halls. I had placed the request after the stowaway was fried. The committee took too long to respond and I almost landed in Megapolis. I would have been lost for a thousand years. How they manage to commute is beyond me. I was getting ready when the comms crackled to life. Q was held captive in a Chimerean Prison called the Vortex. I used the signal to let the Trojians know his location but they said that they are too preoccupied to help. So I snuck out after my tattoo was set. I pretended to have problems in my ship so I took Strata down to the Valerie K2. A planet renowned for its technological advancement. It is in the Sagittarius region. There is so much interference that no one will know if I give them the slip. So I hopped on Lexicon and told the repairmen that I am taking a tour of the planet I will be back in a few hours.
Lexicon activated the ghost mode and we had lift off. I opened the star bridge and got to the Vortex. It was a dimly lit planet. It gave off a sense of dread. Hope felt bleak and happiness felt like a myth. The front door was guarded by rows of shooting black flames. I used fire manipulation to gain access. The door had serpents twisted and untwisted. It was as if they held the door shut. So I used metal manipulation to move the serpents to open the door. The place was guarded by Akhlut. This is a shape shifter that exists in water and land. Once they sense you. You had better run because they will rip you to shreds. I sunk into the cold marmoreal stone. I used seismic waves to identify my friend and moved as quietly as possible. Q was the prisoner who was sentenced to death so he was dangling over a Jörmungandr or the dreaded world serpent. This beast never sleeps and is always hungry. The water and fire manipulation combo is the only temporary defense. I can use this combo only one and then I had better hide because it will start demolishing the entire area looking for the one that was foolish enough to boil it. I started slowly so it won't be able to sense me. Then as the temperature grew it became restless. So it went to the depths of the pool. I used earth and air combo to cut him loose and we snuck out. He thanked me as we made it. Q said Seven betrayed him in exchange for her safety. She has joined the Chimerean army as a Sargeant. She set the Bordurian quadrant on fire as Alû blasted several cities to dust particles. The fire power was so intense that the sand had turned to glass. Fulgurite samples were taken to run tests. The results weren't pretty. Regardless I got him out and got him to the starburst battleship called The Ignot. It was parked outside the Buskirk highway. It is not an actual highway. It is called so because the lane is the easiest and safest path to the central and core systems. The Troj who let us in was Arbor and he promised to keep my appearance a secret. He gave me permission to leave after he deleted the last known location of my ship. He scanned the cosmos and gave me the green light to go.
I opened the star bridge and made it back before anyone knew I was away. I made it back and spent a few hours enjoying the festival of life. The locals wore colorful masks, bright outfits and carried multiple gifts as though they were attending a wedding fit for royalty. The next day was their independence day. There will be all sorts of sports, a parade and the rarest of delicacies sold in the refreshment stands in the carnival. I came here dressed as a Nin so no one can identify me. I managed to go around and buy a few things. I even got three new tattoos. The first one was inked with a mother of pearl luster to it. The tattoo was dragon disguised as an S hook. The second was inked with lavender. It was a dagger with intricate designs synonymous with local tradition. The final was inked with Carrara. It gave a faint bluish gray tint with white feathery veins. Tattoo was a series of hexagonal and circular patterns that were interconnected in odd angles. She asked me about the significance and I said that it shows the uncertainty and unpredictability of life. So she added a few octagons and a quadrilateral design. I tried to pay her but she said that it is unnecessary. I bought some sweets and some herbal remedies for study. The governor watched with amusement as I happily catalogued the items. Their name and the region the items come from and of course how it is made.