The Hunt Begins.

[Dusty Lens]

The icefield slowly moved past his cockpit, a field of lights screaming with hellish intensity. Even with his eyes closed the pinpricks of a thousand reflections needled his senses. With the power in his suit failing, the artificial tinting had slowly begun to fade.

The ships lazy turn slowly brought it into full view of the sun. William gritted his teeth in preparation for the long minutes of glaring pain, as the unrelenting light began to fill his vision he attempted to struggle in futility against the straps forcing him to endure the blinding agony. Unable to turn away, all he could do was scream. The white light filled his vision and he felt as though he was falling into it.

CLEAR

Son

With an effort William turned his aching eyes in the direction of the sound, to see his father standing just outside of his cockpit.

You dropped this

William looked down to notice his fathers outstretched hand holding an object, leaning as far forward as the restraints would allow, he attempted to take a closer look.

It was an eye. He saw the sun.

CLEAR

The ship shuddered, broke and all went black.

Youre a real idiot

The voice was vaguely familiar, though escaped immediate recognition. The accusation on the other hand was like an old friend, though recalling all the times it had been directed at his person would be a real chore.

A real goddam idiot

With a groan Will tried to sit up, but the ton of bricks sitting on his chest had other ideas and he quickly fell back with a weak cough. That was when he noticed the subtle smell of disinfectants in the air, and the gentle humming of medical equipment. Who knows how, but he had ended up back in a medbay, and the curiously smug voice of the doc was the same fellow from earlier in the day. He attempted to open his eyes and was rewarded with little more than a blurry soup. The room was in pretty bad shape though, half of it was completely darkened.

So, not an hour after we pumped you full of enough wakeup meds to set yer veins ablaze, following two days of layin on this here slab at deaths door, you decide to go ahead and throw back a few drinks and pop some speed. Well done! Idiot. The doctor recanted, not without losing his tone of smug self satisfaction. Whoever this guy was he had some serious issues with his bedside manner. So lesse here, managed to set yourself into a state of cardio arrest and at your age thats no mean feat! Like as not you shaved a year or two off your heart in the process, though with brains like yours Im shocked you can shave in the morning without cutting off your own head. As it is you came damn close to punching your own ticket with that damn stupid stunt and after all the bother I went through for Herne to put you back to rights.

The sentencing made a lot of sense. Will felt like crap that had turned into the wrong ally and gotten its ass kicked for its pains, sure he hadnt been particularly clever but the docs mannerisms were getting old but fast. He attempted to lick his lips, but his tongue felt like a dead thing lying in the dry gulch of his throat. This blew.

So The doctor rambled on. For your pains youve brought the following joys into your doubtlessly miserable and turbulent life: Youve spent another thirty hours laying on your ass and taking up a bed in my medbay, serving host to a unruly host of meds to balance out the **** you pumped your renal system full of, (and by the by if youre not pissing blood for a week after everything weve pumped into you Im a Xeno), a couple jolts o my sweet heart paddles whichre going to leave you feeling like twelve kinds of crap and all this coupled with your earlier traumas stressed your right eye beyond useful repair.

In a panic Will reached his hand up to his face, where he felt a thick square of cloth had been taped to his face. The room wasnt dark, he just couldnt see it.

We removed your eye while you were under, as you had already conveniently presented yourself with a reason to be on my table and under my knife as it were, it seemed the time to do it. The Doctor chuckled and leaned in close. You see, within the Bounty Hunters Guild pilots fall under all sorts of classifications depending on which walk of life led them to our door With that Will felt the edge of a card tap into his forehead. The data on your card informs me that your path is of those that places you at the mercy of the Guilds good graces, that or youre sent back to from whence you came. Wherever that was isnt of any great concern of mine, but in the interim your ass, soul and general readiness are at the mercy of the good graces of the Guild, and myself. So no whining, hmm?

With that the owner of the voice returned to standing.

Be here again tomorrow afternoon for surgery. In twenty minutes someone will be along to discharge you. Avoid eating or drinking for the next twenty four hours prior to surgery and failing to comply with my dont do anything stupid policy will make your missing eye the least of your worries.

Three quarters of an hour later William was once again dressed, standing in the door way of a medlab and feeling like hed ended up on the wrong end of a bus.

Time to start living my ass He muttered as made his way into the corridor, seeking out some manner of you are here map to show him the way down to the flightline. He may have been stuck on the friggin station, but at the least he could take a look at the ship Herne had promised him.