51
“I’m getting too old for this.” Nubern had his arm folded in a sling, his face bruised and puffy. A red splotch split his lip. Medical screens on tall, metal poles with wheels surrounded Nubern even though Austin had been assured his mentor would be fine. “These doctors descended on me like a swarm of lykers since I saw you last.”
He smiled. “You sound like the movies.”
“How?”
Shaking his head, Austin sat down at the edge of the bed near Nubern’s feet. “In all the action movies, someone is always too old for what’s about to happen.” He added with wry grin, “You have to know Earth culture to understand.”
“Earth culture? Ha!” he laughed, wincing. “I know enough of your culture.”
The image of Nubern’s fighter crashing into the ocean flashed across his mind. “I thought I had lost you,
