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“Such as?”

“Well, I could secure Haseon and repair all the broken systems. That would take both time and resources. Even if I had everything here I needed--and I don’t--it would take weeks to truly bring Haseon’s systems back online,” Jace explained. “But while I’m doing that, what about the other worlds? They’ll be exposed while I’m here. There’s one of me and so many Khul. So maybe I should concentrate on finding a base where better ships can be manufactured and sent out. Again, that will take time and resources and--”

“The Khul will attack?” she guessed.

He nodded. “Or I can go after the Khul myself with a crew. Get the Osiris bristling with weapons and power and take out as many Khul as possible.”

“I would imagine that not even the Osiris can destroy all the Khul itself?” Dr. Isa’s brow was furrowed.

“No, we can’t. So that’s probably not a good plan.” Jace let out a breath of air between his teeth. “The thing is that I need to do all of what I’ve told you all at once. Not piecemeal. And I can’t even get up from this bed!”

He thumped his hands on the mattress. That had Khoth immediately turning around to him. Khoth made to give Chili back to Matias and come back to him, but Jace shook his head and indicated that he should stay there. Khoth regarded him unreadably, but did as he asked, though his eyes tracked Jace.

“I do not think it is possible for you to do all of this yourself even with your great power, Pilot,” Dr. Isa said when he refocused upon her.

“No, I don’t think I can. But who can I trust to do this? I don’t even have Gehenna!” Just like with the frustration of being ill again, the loss of his other AI felt like a punch in the gut. He needed her. He wanted her back. She had to be okay!

Dr. Isa put a hand on his arm. “I understand a little of what you are going through. I was one doctor during uprisings. There were so many injured. I knew I couldn’t get to them all. I cursed that I was one person with limitations, and I, too, felt there was no one I could trust to do the job that needed doing as well as I. Or, even half as well.”

He nodded. “So what did you do?”

“I triaged my patients. Those I could help quickly. Those who would survive. Those who could wait. I lost many. Saved many. Got through it,” she told him. “Then when the acute danger had passed I reached out to people in the nearby villages and cities. They did not have to have experience. They just needed the will to learn. And then I trained them. Was it perfect? No, but it meant I had more than two hands.” She held up those hands. “And that made all the difference.”

“The other members of the Alliance are coming to meet with me,” Jace said, taking from her story what she had intended to impart.

“My humble opinion is that you should get well and then meet with them. Task whoever is willing to do what you need. Are they as good as you? No, but we cannot allow perfection to be the enemy of good enough in a triage situation,” she told him.

“Thank you, Dr. Isa.” He clasped her nearest hand in his.

She squeezed his hand back. “You are not alone, Jace. We are with you. We will do whatever is necessary.”

He loved that she had used his name at that moment. His eyes prickled a little with tears. “You were the first one I reached out to, Daraja, to be a member of the crew. I’m so glad you’re here.”

Another squeeze. “I would be nowhere else.”

Khoth came over with Chili in his hands like an offering. Jace found himself reaching towards the pink animal who oinked and moved her little trotters in anticipation of getting to him.

“Chili! Oh, I missed you!” Jace said.

Khoth tenderly handed over the pig and Jace stroked her and kissed her little head and snout. He was already feeling better. Whether it was the goo or the pig he didn’t know. He thought it might be the pig.

While Khoth sat on the bed with him and Dr. Isa, Matias and Dr. Kerr stood at the base of it. They smiled at him like proud parents as he adored Chili. She really was the best.

“Thank you all for coming,” Jace said. “I know that you had as hard a time of it up on the Osiris as we did here. My understanding is that you behaved admirably.”

“I believe I clutched a bunch of animals to my chest and prayed,” Matias told him.

Dr. Kerr added, “I would have clutched animals, but I didn’t have any.”

“Oh, you should come to my clinic anytime,” Matias offered.

“I most certainly will,” Dr. Kerr assured him. “I did walk amongst the crew as the battle was happening.”

“I know you assisted greatly. As did you, Dr. Isa,” Jace said.

“A few bumps and bruises, but nothing more. Dr. Hayter’s injury was the most severe I had to treat,” Dr. Isa assured him. “And he will be fine, by the way. The stim is the only thing that I truly am unsure about.”

“Typhon should not have administered that,” Khoth said with a frown.