While Isabella talked about the Healing Heart, Mackenzie couldn't stop trying to imagine it. A medical ship so large that it could hold more than 16,000 people in times of crisis, including medical staff and patients, and she would soon be there, walking through its corridors, learning from Isa, and working side by side with MFE professionals. That meant playing in higher leagues, or at least that's what it seemed to Wilson, who had never considered herself anything more than a small-town doctor. Mac was smiling happily as she listened to Saito describe the ship, and she was pleasantly surprised when the psychologist said that there was even a shelter for women victims of domestic violence.
"Good for Dr. Wilke!" Mackenzie emphasized her approval by tapping her finger on the table. "It's very hopeful that safe places like this can exist for women who are beaten or abused by their partners. These types of initiatives aren't abundant on Sirius, and domestic violence remains as serious a problem for the Mankind as it has been for millennia. It's unfortunate that I can no longer also meet Dr. Wilke and congratulate her on an initiative like this. A woman capable of getting out of something as hard as domestic abuse, training as a doctor, not forgetting where she comes from and dedicating part of her time to helping other people who suffered what she suffered... without a doubt she should have been an admirable person." Mac raised her glass to clean her throat, and before drinking she made a small gesture of toast to the air, dedicating that sip to Dr. Sonja Wilke. She really would have liked to meet her, Wilke had to be a very interesting person. "I see that MFE covers practically all fronts of social and medical assistance to people in need, it is truly inspiring. It will be an honor to be part of something so great, even if it is only during my brief time of study and learning."
Mac laughed when Isabella compared the size of the biodomes at Healing Hearts to those at Faith Haven. "Well, yes, they are very big, really. We brought the two that are currently operational disassembled from Gran Canaria in the ships in which we fled here. There we used them mainly as greenhouses and scientific botanical gardens for research on plant species from other planets, which needed different atmospheres, but of course, in Gran Canaria we didn't need them to be able to survive on the surface of the planet." She smiled, imagining Healing Hearts again. "I'm very sure that I will love the biodomes on the ship. They may be smaller, but they can travel through space! I think that gives them a lot of points. It must be beautiful to observe the iridescence of nebulas, stars and planets, and all the immensity of space as the Healing Heart heads to its next destination."
Wilson was also interested when Saito described the examination system she would have to pass. It was what she imagined, the classic method, she would have to pass a trial in front of a panel of doctors from the General Academy to obtain her degree, once she finished her training period. She didn't feel pressured, nor scared, she was sure that having Isabella as her mentor, she would have no problem overcoming any trial that was placed on her. Then, she took the opportunity while Greta asked about MFE's action protocols to finish the exquisite cured donkey meat that had been served on her plate, and she drank some fresh water to cleanse her palate before the stew for the second course was brought out.
Greta showed some surprise when Isabella explained that normally all factions and powers respected MFE's interventions. "Even the Gallic royalists? After what they did in Leeds I find it hard to believe, but hey, I guess that means there's still hope that Mankind can really one day unite under the same feeling of brotherhood, and under the banner of mutual respect. After all, that is precisely what our Church fights for, so I can only rejoice about it. And Dr. Wilke..." Greta paused briefly, and smiled, showing that she was impressed. "...oh my, she had to have guts to jump into the middle of a pitched battle and collect escape pods. She had to be quite a character, it's a shame she's no longer with us, but from my point of view, someone so dedicated to others will have merged with Deux upon her death. Without a doubt, she must be now looking at all of us from the eyes of Our Lord, smiling at us, and giving us strength to continue our endless work of helping those who need it."
Meyer quickly made the gesture of the Sacred Gear on her chest, and fell into silence. Mac knew that she was probably saying a Deux prayer to herself, probably on behalf of Dr. Wilke. Mac watched as Isabella took advantage of the pause in the conversation to take out a portable communications device and began to search for something on it. While the psychologist was searching, Mac couldn't help but notice a photograph in which Isabella appeared next to a man that Wilson identified as Dr. John Holiday. They both seemed happy together and seemed to be in a cozy living room with a lit fireplace. The photograph was enough for Wilson to confirm what she had already suspected since Saito first said Dr. Holiday's name: There was something more between them than a simple working relationship, even something more than a simple friendship.
Mac noticed Isabella quickly close the photo, as if she didn't want Greta or she to see it. Considering that every time Saito had talked too emotionally about Dr. Holiday she had blushed and changed the subject, Wilson figured it was something the psychologist preferred to keep secret, or at least private. It wasn't strange, on the other hand, because in the end Dr. Holiday was her superior, and maintaining an intimate relationship with a superior could lead to misunderstandings and bad thoughts coming from third parties. Furthermore, Isabella had every right to manage her privacy the way she wanted. For this reason, Mac pretended that she had not seen anything, and hid it by paying close attention to the color of the Pygar sky that the projection on the ceiling of the cave showed.
The monsignora seemed to come out of her reverie, at which point Saito took the opportunity to offer her the contact of the woman from Orbital, Spa & Cruise that she had previously talked about. "Oh, many thanks Isa." Meyer pulled out her own communications device and stored the contact. "The truth is that we don't have much experience in maintaining contact with large corporations, it's a bit of a world away for us here in the Omicrons, so I'm very glad that Director Cross is a friendly person. I think that if we started agreeing on some type of organized trip, with controlled numbers of tourists, it could be truly beneficial for our businesses and colonist's private initiatives. Surely that would also encourage more settlers to start a service or tourism business, which would generate benefits for the Church and at the same time bring cultural renewal to the settlement. Furthermore, that would probably end up attracting visitors who could offer services that we cannot guarantee, or even merchants who would regularly bring in more exotic goods." Greta raised her hands, as if to stop herself. "Anyway, as I said, I must speak to the Concilium about this before doing anything, but I hope to be able to present this idea skillfully enough for my colleagues to support me. Then I think it would be a matter of the Ministry of Commerce contacting Director Cross."
The waiter's arrival briefly interrupted the conversation, as he removed the empty plates and took them away. The man, that looked quite similar to Antonio, with equally Cretan features, but with about 20 years younger than him, returned in less than a minute with the three new dishes and placed them on the table, while he introduced them. "Señoras, the stew, with el permiso de ustedes."
The dish contained a hot, brothy stew, composed of chickpeas and various vegetables, seasoned with some pieces of stewed meat that looked like pork. Mac tasted it and noticed the flavor of various spices, pepper, and some garlic. The meat was indeed very similar to pork and the doctor noticed that it had been cooked with some white wine, probably the "not so good" local white wine that Antonio had talked about when showing them the menu. "It's really good, but I didn't know it had meat in it." Mackenzie looked at one of the pieces of meat more closely as she skewered it on the fork. "It looks like pork, but because of the excessively uniform texture I think it could be grown in a laboratory, don't you think Greta?"
The clergywoman nodded as she chewed. "Indeed, I also believe that it is grown from cloned pig cells, I imagine in one of the production laboratories we've here at Faith Haven. However, it must be recognized that the flavor is practically the same as that of real animal meat."
The three women enjoyed the meal, seasoning it with a few sips of the excellent Cretan red wine that the waiter did not allow to be missing at any time. When they were finished, the pods with small cubes of ham were served, although in a much smaller quantity. Antonio probably wanted them to try them too, but he would assume that the stew would have filled them up, so he served less so it wouldn't be too much food. Despite this, once they finished this little third course Mackenzie thought she was going to have to undo the button on her pants.
"Oh Deux..." Wilson said "I haven't eaten so much in a long time. This was a bit excessive..."
Greta laughed good-naturedly, looking at the two doctors. "Well, there are still the torrijas, Antonio's homemade dessert whose recipe he learned from his mother, so if you don't eat it I'm afraid you'll make him terribly upset. You two will have to make space for it." The monsignora seemed quite full too, although she was also happy. It was clear that she liked to eat, and that she was passionate about Hispanic food. She took a big drink of water and leaned on the table to address Mac. "Well, once we finish eating, we're going directly to the Medical Center, isn't it?"
Wilson nodded. "Yes, I think visiting our medical facilities will be of interest to Isa. Plus, this way she can give us her expert opinion about what she sees here." Mackenzie looked at Saito and continued. "As you will see Isa, our medical center is very modest compared to what surely you've been able to see in the MFE facilities. We've sufficient resources to be able to take care of our patients, but the technology we have isn't as advanced as yours may be. This happens mainly because our doctors lack experience with cutting-edge equipment, myself included, and that is one of the reasons why the Church has decided to expand the training of many of us. Furthermore, despite my efforts to have Psychology included as a field as important as any other in our system of medicine, we are understaffed. The closest thing to a psychologist in Faith Haven is me, and I'm certainly not one yet. Once I return from my studies I intend to change that. We may have to send more people to the General Academy, but we will do so once I have the necessary knowledge to know exactly what we need." Wilson refilled her wine glass and took a small sip, savoring it. "You will undoubtedly wonder how it's possible that after so many years, our Church has not until now considered having doctors with good training in psychology. Well, let's say that under the previous administration of Pontiff Paolus," Mac pointed to the nearby photograph of Antonio with the former Pontiff "it was understood that the mental state of the people was something that depended mainly on Faith. If you had faith on Deux, it would comfort you enough for your mind to be healthy. Isn't that right Greta?"
The cleric nodded, looking Isabella with a sad gaze. "Unfortunately yes. And don't get me wrong, the Church continues thinking that Faith makes us mentally stronger, since it gives us answers to our questions and gives deeper meaning to our lives. However, now the Church understands that there are many more factors that are merely physical, that affect mental health, and that must be treated by medical professionals. That's how we humans are, and that's how Deux loves us. We cannot expect Deux to solve our problems, since the Deux Mandate precisely asks us to be the ones to do something to solve the problems that humans have." Greta shrugged. "That's how we believers interpret it now, and in my opinion, that's how we should have always interpreted it."
Wilson made a gesture pointing to herself. "Anyway, that is the reason why there were no psychologists in our old clinic in Gran Canaria, and why currently the Mental Health Department of our Medical Center is made up of a neuropathologist who has read some Psychology books." Mac looked appreciatively at the monsignora. "But I hope that the completion of my studies will be the first step to a reform that I intend to make in all of this, and fortunately I know that I have Greta's support in the Concilium. Proof of this is the monetary investment that the Church has made in MFE training our doctors. I know that without Greta putting pressure on the Concilium, it's likely that this money would have been used for something else."
Meyer blushed a little and stammered a few words trying to downplay what her friend had said. "Well... I'm the Minister of Science, and Healthcare System is under my responsibility. I would be a real stupid if I weren't able to realize the truth in your ideas, Mac... You convinced me that this investment was necessary for our colonist brothers to enjoy better health, so my duty was to make the rest of the Concilium see things as we do..." Greta made a gesture with her hand, as if she were swatting away a fly. "In any case, it doesn't matter, it's done and it's the right thing to do."
Mac smiled looking fondly at her friend. Another thing she liked about her was that the monsignora hated being complimented. Meyer, despite her high position in the Church and all that it entailed, had always been a kind and selfless person, who had risen to her position with joy, because she truly believed that she could do good things for her believing brothers. Therefore, she didn't like being constantly thanked for doing what she saw simply as a duty. Wilson turned to Isabella and wanted to know what she thought about the plan to see the Medical Center. "So, is it okay if we go directly to the Medical Center after the meal? It will probably take us a while to see everything in it carefully, and it may be a little late when we leave. If you're tired then, we can accompany you to the Pontifical Palace and let you rest until tomorrow. You will can walk through the gardens, take a walk through the urban center of Biodome 1, or even walk through the Pontifical Palace. Or if you still have the strength to see something else, no problem, we can do it. You rule."
Meyer intervened supporting her friend. "Oh yes, of course, and if at any time you are hungry again my assistants will serve you the dinner in your room, or wherever you want, just by asking."
Mackenzie thought that she should pay one last visit to Matt Brennan, the worker sick from mercury inhalation, when they were at the medical center, since it was likely that when Saito left Pygar she would have to accompany her. That led her directly to asking Isabella. "By the way, finally when you leave Faith Haven, from what I understand, I will accompany you on your Dromedary to the Healing Heart, right? Actually I already have my bags packed and I've left instructions to other fellow doctors on how to treat my patients, but if I'm going to leave directly with you, I would like to make one last visit to one of them, who is quite bad, to verify one last once the treatment I've prescribed him is correct."
Greta looked towards the patio door when she noticed Antonio coming towards them, carrying with him three plates of his famous dessert. "Well, there comes dessert, ladies." she said, rubbing her hands in satisfaction. "Prepare your stomachs for the last effort."
