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Code Blue Emergency by James White
Copywrite 1987
Other BOOKS BY JAMES WHITE
The Secret Visitor (1957)
Second Ending (1962)
Deadly Litter (1964)
Escape Orbit (1965)
The Watch Below (1966)
All Judgement Fled (1968)
The Aliens Among Us (1969)
Tomorrow Is Too Far (1971)
Dark Inferno (1972)
The Dream Millennium (1974)
Monsters and Medics (1977)
Underkill (1979)
Future Past (1982)
Federation World (1988)
The Silent Stars Go By (1991)
The White Papers (1996)
Gene Rodden berry's Earth:
Final Conflict-The First Protector (Tor, 2000)
THE SECTOR GENERAL SERIES
Hospital Station (1962)
Star Surgeon (1963)
Major Operation (1971)
Ambulance Ship (1979)
Sector General (1983)
Star Healer (1985)
Code Blue-Emergency (1987)
The Genocidal Healer (1992)
The Galactic Gourmet (Tor, 1996)
Final Diagnosis (Tor, 1997)
Mind Changer (br, 1998)
Double Contact (br, 1999)
Species Classification
The Classification System
by Gary Louie
James White's Sector General stories used a unique four letter
classification system that helped describe the species quickly and
effectivly, as one would require when the hospitol is a multi species
enviroment.
Gary Louie was working on a James White concordance. As part of that he
completed a classification system, for the sector general series which
covers all characters up to Final Diagnosis.
This article appeared in the White Papers. Unfortunatly Gary Louie passed
away, before the concordance was completed.
Classification:AACL
Planet:Unknown
Species:Crepellian Pet No Individual Names Known
A non-intelligent pet kept by AMSOs. It has six python-like
ten-tacles which poke though seals in the cloudy plastic of its
suit. The tentacles are each at least twenty feet long and tipped
with a horny substance which must be steel-hard.
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Classification:AACP
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown No Individual Names Known
A race whose remote ancestors were a species of mobile vegetable.
They are slow moving, but the carbon dioxide tanks which they wear
seem to be the only protection they need. AACPs do not eat in the
normal manner but plant themselves in specially prepared soil during
their sleep period, and absorb nutriment in that way.
Classification:AMSL
Planet:Unknown
Species:Creppelian, Crepellian
Individuals:Nurse Towan, Diagnostician Vosan
A species of water breathing octopoids.
Classification:AMSO
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
No Individual Names Known
A larger life-form, in the habit of keeping non-intelligent
AACL-type creatures as pets.
Classification:AUGL
Planet:Chalderescol IT
Species:Chaldor, Chalder
Individuals:Patient AUGL-1 13, Patient AUGL-1 16, Patient AUGL-122,
Patient AUGL-126, Patient AUGL-187, Patient AUGL-193, Patient
AUGL-211, Patient AUGL-218, Patient AUGL-22 1, Patient AUGL-233,
Muromeshomon
The denizens of Chalderescol, an armored fish-like species are
water-breathers who can not live in any other medium for more than a
few seconds. A heavily plated and scaled being, slightly re-sembling
a forty-foot long armour-plated crocodile, except that instead of
legs there is an apparently haphazard arrangement of stubby fins,
and a heavy knife-edged tail. A fringe of ribbon-like tentacles
encircles its middle, projecting through some of the only openings
visible in its organic armor. Chaldors have six rows of teeth in an
over-large mouth. The Chalders are one of the frw in-telligent
species whose personal names are used only between mates, members of
the immediate family, or very special friends.
Classification:BLSU
Planet:Groalter
Species:Groalterri
Individual:Hellishomar the Cutter
The Groalterri overall body configuration is that of a squat
octopoid with short, thick tentacular limbs. Its central torso and
head seem disproportionately large. The eight limbs terminate
alternately in four sets of claws (that will with maturity evolve
into manipula-tory digits) and four flat, sharp-edged, osseous
blades. The organ of speech and hearing is centered above the four
heavily lidded eye that are equally spaced around the cranium. A
macrospecies, there is an element of risk involved to any life-form
of more or less nor-mal body mass which approaches it too closely.
Classification:BRLH
Planet:Tarla
Species:Tarlan
Individuals:Surgeon-Captain/Trainee/Padre Lioren, Sedith and
Wrethrin the Healers
Tarlans are an erect quadrupedal life-form with its for short-legs
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supporting a tapering, cone-shaped body. Four long, multi-jointed,
medial arms for heavy lifting and handling sprout from waist-level.
Another four that are suited for more delicate work encircle the
base of the neck. Equally spaced around the head are four eyes whose
stalks are capable of independent motion. Tarlans have very large
teeth. An adult Tarlan stands eight feet tall.
Classification:CLCH
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
No Individual Names Known
Apparent typographical error for Classification CLHG.
Classification:CLHG
Planet:Drambo
Species:Roller
Individuals:Camsaug, Surreshun
The Rollers resemble animated donuts rolling on their outer edge,
with manipulatory appendages in the form of a fringe ofshort
ten-tacles sprouting from the inner circumference between the series
of gill mouths and eyes. Its visual equipment must operate like a
coeleostat since the contents of its field of vision are constantly
rotating. The Rollers must roll to stay alive-there is an ingenious
method of shifting its center of gravity while keeping itself
upright by partially inflating the section of its body which is on
top at any given moment. The continual rolling causes blood to
circulate-it uses a form of gravity feed system instead of a
muscular pump. The species reproduce hermaphroditically. Each parent
after mating grows twin offspring, one on each side of its bodies
like continu-ous blisters encircling the side walls of a tire.
Injury, disease or the mental confusion immediately following birth
could cause the parent to lose balance, roll on to its side, stop
and die. The points where the children eventually detach themselves
from their par-ents remain very sensitive areas to both generations
and their posi-tions are governed by hereditary factors. The result
is that any close blood relation trying to make mating contact
causes itself and the other being considerable pain. The rollers
really do hate their fa-thers and every other relative. The species
is water-breathing with a warm-blooded oxygen-based metabolism. The
life-support mechanism for the species is physically complicated, to
allow the occupant to roll naturally within it. The concept of
modesty is com-pletely alien to this race. This species does not
know the meaning of sleep. There is no such thing as sleeping,
pretending to be dead or unconsciousness. A Roller is either moving
and alive or still and dead.
Classification:CLSR
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
No Individual Names Known
Apparent typographical error for Classification CPSD.
Classification:CPSD
Planet:Unknown
Species:The Blind Ones
No Individual Names Known
These beings are roughly circular, just over a meter in diameter
and, in cross section, a slim oval flattened slightly on the
under-side. In shape they very much resemble their ship, except that
the ship does not have a long, thin horn or sting projecting aft or
a wide, narrow slit on the opposite side which is obviously a mouth.
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The upper lip of the mouth is wider and thicker than the lower, and
can be curled over the lower lip, apparently sealing the mout shut.
The beings are covered, on their upper and lower surfaces and around
the rim, by some kind of organic stubble which varies in thickness
from pin-size to the width of a small finger. The stubble on the
underside is much coarser than that on the upper surface, and it is
plain that parts of it are designed for ambulation. The Blind Ones
evolved underground, and have no organs for sight. They formed an
alliance with the Protectors of the Unborn, each species providing
something that other lacked.
Classification:CRLT
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
No Individual Names Known
Senior Physician Conway was unable to classi~ this life-form with
complete certainty. The initial analysis was performed on a cadaver,
an independent portion of a larger composite being. The compos-ite
is a warm-blooded oxygen breather with the type of basic me-tabolism
associated with the physiological grouping CRLT. Even a segment is
massive, measuring approximately twenty meters in length and three
meters in diameter, excluding projecting append-ages. Physically it
resembles the DBLF Kelgian life-form, but it is many times larger
and possesses a leathery tegument rather than the silver fur of the
Kelgians. Like the DBLF's it is multipedal, but the manipulatory
appendages are positioned in a single row along the back. There are
twenty-one of these dorsal limbs, all showing evidence of early
evolutionary specialization. Six of them are long, heavy, and
claw-tipped and are obviously evolved for defense since the being is
a herbivore. The other fifteen are in five groups of three, spaced
between the six heavier tentacles, which terminate in four digits,
two of which are opposable. These thinner limbs are ma-nipulatory
appendages originally evolved for gathering and trans-ferring food
to the mouths-three on each flank opening into three stomachs. Two
additional orifices on each side open into a very large and complex
lung. The structure inside these breathing ori-fices suggests that
expelled air could be interrupted and modulated to produce
intelligence-bearing sounds. On the underside are three openings
used for the elimination of wastes. The mechanism of reproduction is
unclear and the specimen shows evidence of p05-sessing both male and
female genitalia on the forward and rear extremities respectively
The brain, if it is a brain, takes the form of a cable of nerve
ganglia with localized swellings in three places, running
longitudinally through the cadaver like a central core. There is
another and much thinner nerve cable running parallel to the thicker
core, but below it and about twenty-five centimeters from the
underside. Positioned close to each extremity are two sets of three
eyes. Two are mounted dorsally and two on each of the forward and
rear flanks. They are recessed but capable of limited extension;
together they give the being complete and continuous vision
vertically and horizontally. The type and positioning of the visual
equipment and appendages suggest that it evolved on a very
unfriendly world. The tentative Classification is an incomplete CRLT
Classification:DBDG
Planets:Earth, Gregory (Colony)
Species:Earth-human, Gregorian
Individuals:Theologian Augustine, Lieutenant Braithwaite,
Sur-geon-Lieutenant Brenner, Corpsman Briggs, Lieutenant Briggs,
Captain Chaplain Bryson, Lieutenant Carrington, Lieutenant Chen,
Major Chiang, Clarke, Lieutenant Clifton, Junior Intern/Senior
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PhysicianlDiagnostician-in-Charge of Surgery Peter Conway, Sergeant
Davis, Major/Colonel Jonathan Dermod, Fleet Commander Dermod,
Lieutenant Dodds, Lieutenant Dowling, Major-Captain Fletcher, Fox,
Trainee Hadley, Harmon, Lieuten-ant Haslam, Patient Hewlitt, Tailor
George L Hewlitt, Mrs. George L Hewlitt, Captain Hokasuri, Major
Holyrod, OR Nurse Hudson, Lieutenant-General Lister, MacEwan, Major
Madden, Captain Mallon, Senior Physician/Diagnostician/Patient
Mannen/Man non, Nurse/Pathologist Murchison, Major Nelson,
Mister/Major/Chief Psychologist O'Mara, Captain Sigvard Nyberg,
Doctor Pelling, General Prentiss, Reviora, Lieutenant-Colonel
Simmons, Colonel Skempton, Surgeon-Lieutenant/Major Stillman,
Lieutenant-Sur-geon Sutherland, Corpsman Timmins, Lieutenant
Wainright, Waring, Corpsman/Colonel-Captain Williamson
Probable Individuals:Lieutenant Carmody, Lieutenant Carson, Section
Chief Caxton, Major Colinson, Major Craythorne, Major Edwards,
Doctor Hamilton, Dietician-in-ChiefKW Hardin, Lieu-tenant Harrison,
Lieutenant Hendricks, Kellerman, Colonel Okaussie, Captain Stillson,
Captain Summerfield, TrooperTeirnan, Surgeon-Captain Telford
This species shows their teeth in a silent snarl when displaying
amusement or friendship and make an unpleasant barking sound that
denotes amusement. The sound, called laughing, in most cases a
psychophysical mechanism for the release of minor degrees of
tension. An Earth-human laughs because of sudden relief from worry
or fear, or to express scorn or disbelief or sarcasm, or in
re-sponse to words or a situation that is ridiculous, illogical or
funny, or out of politeness when the situation or words are not
funny but the person responsible is of high rank. The Earth-human
voice is reputed to be one of the most versatile instruments in the
Galaxy. The Earth-human DBDGs are the only race in the Galactic
Fed-eration with a nudity taboo, and one of the very few member
spe-cies with an aversion to making love in public. The Earth-human
DBDGs make up the majority of the Monitor Corps forces.
Classification:DBDG
Planets:Etlan Empire, Central World (Capital), Imperial Etla
(Capital), Etla, Etla the Sick (Colony)
Species:Etlan, Imperial
Individuals:Heraltnor, Imperial Representative Teltrenn
The physiology of the citizens of the Empire is the same as the
population of their colony Etla. The physiological resemblance is so
close to Earth-human DBDGs that no other disguise other than native
language and dress is needed. There are theories about a prehistoric
colonization program by common, star-travelling an-cestors. Attempts
at procreation between Earth-human DBDGs and Etlans have been
unsuccessful.
Classification:DBDG
Planet:Nidia
Species:Nidian
Individuals:Chief of Procurement Creon-Emesh, Senior Physi-cian and
Tutor Cresk-Sar, Surgeon-Lieutenant Dracht-Yur, Lieu-tenant-Colonel
Dragh-Nin, Senior Physician Lesk-Murog, Senior Food Technician
Sarnyagh-Sa, Yoragh-Kar
Probable Individual:Surgeon-Lieutenant Krack-Yar
The Nidians have seven-fingered hands, stand only four feet tall.
They have a thick red fur coat, and look like a very cuddly
teddy-bear.
Classification:DBDG
Planet:Orligia
Species:Orlig, Orligian
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Individuals:Grawlya-Ki/Grulyaw~Ki, Surgeon-Lieutenant Krach-Yul,
Major Sachan-Li, Colonel Shech-Rar, Surgeon-Lieutenant Turragh-Mar
Like the neighboring Nidians, Orligians resemble an Earth-hu-man
child's first non-adult friend's teddy bear.
Classification:DBLF
Planet:Ia
Species:Ian (pre-adolescent)
No Individual Narnes Known
The being appears ring-shaped, rather like a large balloon tire.
Overall diameter of the ring is about nine feet, with the thickness
between two and three feet. The tegument is smooth, shiny and grey
in color where it is not covered with a thick, brownish
incrus-tation. The brown stuff, which covers more than half of the
total skin area, looks cancerous, but may be some type of natural
cam-ouflage. There are five pairs of limbs, and no evidence
ofspecial-ization. No visual organs or means of ingestion can be
seen. The being isn't a doughnut, but possesses a fairly normal
anatomy of the DBLF type~a cylindrical, lightly-boned body with
heavy musculature. The being is not ring-shaped, but gives that
impres-sion because for some reason, known best to itself, it has
been try-ing to swallow its tail. Senior Physician Conway, convinced
all along that the patient is undergoing a natural metamorphosis,
observes that the new patient, after the process is complete, is of
classifica-tion GKNM.
Classification:DBLF
Planet:Kelgia
Species:Kelgian
Individuals:Patient Henredth, Senior Physician Karthad, Charge Nurse
Kursedd, Diagnostician Kursedth, Patient Morredeth, Charge Nurse
Naydrad, Fleet Commander Roonardth, Charge Nurse Segroth,
Diagnostician Suggrod, Student Nurse Tarsedth, Diagnostician Towan,
Senior Physician Yarrence
Probable Individual:Charge Nurse Kursenneth
Kelgians are warm-blooded, oxygen-breathing, multipedal, and with a
long, flexible cylindrical body covered overall by highly mobile,
silvery fur. The Kelgian forelimbs have three digits. There are
twenty sets of short, thin, and not heavily muscled walking limbs.
The feet, which have no toe-nails or other terminations, are like
small, hard sponges.The fur moves continually in slow ripples from
the conical head right down to the tail. These are completely
involuntary movements triggered by its emotional reactions to
outside stimuli. The evolutionary reasons for this mechanism are not
clearly understood, not even by the Kelgians themselves, but it is
generally believed that the emotionally expressive fur comple-ments
the Kelgian vocal equipment, which lacks emotional flex-ibility of
tone.The movements of the fur make it absolutely clear to another
Kelgian-what a Kelgian feels about the subject under discussion. As
a result they always say exactly what they mean be-cause what they
think is plainly obvious-at least to another Kelgian.They can not do
otherwise. Kelgians have an intense aver-sion towards any surgical
procedure which would damage or dis-figure its most treasured
possession, its furs. To a Kelgian the re moval of a strip or patch
of fur, which in their species represents ~ means of communication
equal to the spoken word, is a personal tragedy which all too often
results in permanent psychological damage. A Kelgian's fur does not
grow again and one whose pelt is damaged can rarely find a mate
because it is unable to fully display its feelings. Kelgians are
very close to Earth-humans in both basic metabolism and temperament.
Except for the thin-walled, narrow casing which houses the brain,
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the DBLF species has no boney structure. Their bodies are composed
of an outer cylinder of mus-culature which, in addition to be being
its primary means of loco-motion, serves to protect the vital organs
within it. To the mind of a being more generously reinforced with
bones, this protection is far from adequate. Another severe
disadvantage in the event of in-jury is its complex and extremely
vulnerable circulation system; the blood-supply network which has to
feed the tremendous bands of muscle encircling its body runs close
under the skin, as does the nerve network that controls the mobile
fur. The thick fur of the pelt gives some protection here, but not
against chunks ofjagged-edged, flying metal. An injury which many
other species would consider superficial could cause a DBLF to bleed
to death in min-utes. Kelgians are herbivorous.
Classification:DBPK
Planet:Dwerla
Species:Dwerlan
No Individual Names Known
A warm-blooded oxygen-breathing herbivore that does not walk
upright. Judging by the shape of the spacesuits, the beings are
flat-tened cylinders about six feet long with four sets of
manipulatory appendages behind a conical section which is probably
the head, and another four locomotor appendages. Apart from the
smaller size and number of appendages, the beings physically
resemble the Kelgian race. The pointed, fox-like head and the thick,
broad-striped coat make it look like a furry, short-legged zebra
with an enormous tail. These beings seem not to possess natural
weapons of offrnce or defense, or any signs of having had any in the
past. Even their limbs are not built for speed, so they can not run
from danger. The set used for walking are too short and are padded,
while the fotward set are more slender, less well-muscled and end in
four highly flexible digits which don't possess so much as a
fingernail among them. There are the fur markings, of course, but it
is rare that a life-form rises to the top of its evolutionary tree
by camou-flage alone, or by being nice and cuddly. The species has
two sexes, male and female, and the reproductive system seems
relatively nor-mal. Both sexes use a water soluble dye to enhance
artificially the bands of color on their body fur~clearly the dyes
are for cosmetic reasons. The immature do not use dyes, but use a
brownish pig-ment on a bare patch above the tail.
Classification:DCNF
Planet:Sommaradva
Species:Sommaradvan
Individual:Trainee Cha Th rat
Four Ambulatory limbs; Four waist-level heavy manipulators; and a
set of manipulators for food provisions and fine work encircling the
neck. This being has two stomachs. Sommaradvan society is stratified
into three levels~serviles, warriors, and rulers~which strictly
govern how an individual acts within the society.
Classification:DCSL
Planet:Cromsag
Species:Cromsaggar
No Individual Names Known
This species has three sets of limbs: two ambulators, two medial
heavy manipulators, and two more at neck level for eating and to
perform more delicate work. It has a cranium covered by thick, blue
fur that continues in a narrow strip along the spine to the
vestigial tail.
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Classification:DHCG
Planet:Wemar
Species:Wem
Individuals:First Hunter Creethar, Hunter Druuth, Youth Evemth,
First Cook Remrath, First Teacher Tawsar
The Wem life-form is a warm-blooded, oxygen-breathing species with
an adult body mass just under three times that of an Earth-human
and, since Wermar's surface gravity is one point three eight
standard Gs, a healthy specimen is proportionately well-muscled. It
resembles the rare Earth beast called a kangaroo. The differences
are that the head is larger and fitted with a really ferocious set
of teeth; each of the two short forelimbs terminate in six-fingered
hands possessing two opposable thumbs, and the tail is more massive
and tapered to a wide, flat triangular tip composed of immobile
osseous material enclosed by a thick, muscular sheath. The
flattening at the end of tail serves a threefold purpose: as its
principal natural weapon, as an emergency method of fast locomotion
while hunting or being hunted, and as a means of transporting infant
Wem who are too small to walk. The Wem hunt by adopting an awkward,
almost ri-diculous stance with their forelimbs tightly folded, their
chins touch-ing the ground, and their long legs spread so as to
allow the tail to curve sharply downwards and forwards between the
limbs so that the flat tip is at their center of balance. When the
tail is straight-ened suddenly to full extension, it acts as a
powerful third leg ca-pable of hurling the Wem forward for a
distance of five or six body lengths. If the hunter does not land on
top of its prey, kicking the creature senseless with the feet before
disabling it with a deep bite through the cervical vertebrae and
underlying nerve trunks, it piv-ots rapidly on one leg so that the
flattened edge of the tail strikes its victim like a blunt, organic
axe. While the tail is highly flexible where downward and forward
movement is concerned, it cannot be el-evated above the horizontal
line of the spinal column.The back and upper flanks are, therefore,
the Wem's only body areas that are vul-nerable to attack by natural
enemies, who must also possess the el-ement of surprise if they are
not to become the victim.
Classification:DRVJ
Species:Name Unknown
Individual:Doctor Yeppha
Planet:Unknown
A small, tripedal, fragile being. From the furry dome of its head
there sprout singly and in small clusters, at least twenry eyes.
Classification:DTRC
Species:Rhum
Planet:Unknown
Individual:Crelyarrel
Flat, roughly circular beings, dark gray and wrinkled on one
sur-face, and with a paler, mottled appearance on the other, smooth,
surface. The beings attach to their FGHJ hosts with thick tendrils
growing from the edge of the disk. The tendrils penetrate into their
FGHJ hosts' spinal columns and rear craniums. The DTRCs have their
own special needs that in no way resemble those of their hosts,
whose animal habits and undirected behavior are highly repugnant to
them. It is vital to the DTRCs continued mental well-being that the
masters escape periodically from their hosts to lead their own
lives~usually during the hours of darkness when the tools are no
longer in use and can be quartered where they can not harm
them-selves.
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Classification:DTSB
Planet:Traltha
Species:Tralthan
No Individual Names Known
Apparent typographical error for Classification OTSB.
Classification:EGCL
Planet:Duwetz
Species:Dewatti
No Individual Names Known
A warm-blooded, oyxgen-breathing life-form of approximately twice
the body weight of an adult Earth-human. Visually it re-sembles an
outsize snail with a high, conical shell which is pierced around the
tip where its four extensible eyes are located. Equally spaced
around the base of the shell are eight triangular slots from which
project the manipulatory appendages. The carapace rests on a thick,
circular pad of muscle which is the locomotor system. Around the
circumference of the pad are a number of fleshy pro-jections,
hollows and slits associated with its systems of ingestion,
respiration, elimination, reproduction, and nonvisual sensors. The
EGCLs are organic empaths. They are organic transmitters,
reflec-tors and focusers and magnifiers of their own feelings and
those of the beings around them. The faculty has evolved to the
stage where they have no conscious control over the process.
Classification:ELNT
Planet:Melf Four
Species:Melfan
Individuals:Maintenance Technician Dremon, Senior Physician Edanelt,
Diagnostician Ergandhir, Patient Kennonalt, Patient KIetilt,
Maintenance Technician Kiedath, Nurse Lontallet, Senior Physician
Medalont, Senreth
Melfans are large, low slung crab-like crustaceans. The six thin,
bony, tubular, multi-jointed legs project from slits where the bony
carapace and underside join. The legs and all of the body are
ex-oskeletal. The head has large, protruding, vertically-lidded
eyes, enormous mandibles, and pincers projecting forward from the
place where ears should be. Two long, thin and fragile feelers grow
from the sides of the mouth. The species is amphibious.
Classification:EPLA
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
Individual:Lonvellin
Apparent typographical error for Classification EPLH.
Classification:EPLH
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
Individual:Lonvellin
The being is large, about one thousand pounds mass, and resembles a
giant, upright pear. Five thick, tentacular appendages grow from the
narrow head section and a heavy apron of muscle at its base gives
evidence of a snail-like, although not necessarily slow, method of
locomotion. The being is warm-blooded and has fairly normal gravity
requirements. Five large mouths are situated below the root of each
tentacle, four being plentifully supplied with teeth and the fifth
housing the vocal apparatus. The tentacles themselves show a high
degree of specialization at their extremities: three of them are
plainly manipulatory, one bears the patient's visual equipment, and
the remaining member terminates in a horn-tipped, boney mace. The
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head is featureless, being simply an osseous dome housing the brain.
The cranium is pierced at regular intervals for visual, aural and
olfactory sensors. Their life-span, lengthy to begin with, is
ar-tificially extended. Because they have tremendous minds, they
have plenty of time, but they constantly have to fight against
boredom. Because part of the price of such longevity is an
ever-growing fear of death, they need to have their own personal
physicians~no doubt the most efficient practitioners of medicine
known to them-constantly in attendance.
Classification:FGHJ
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
No Individual Names Known
The being has six limbs, four legs and two arms, all very heavily
muscled, and is hairless except for a narrow band of stiff bristles
running from the top of the head along the spine to the tail, which
seems to have been surgically shortened at an early age. The body
configuration is a thick cylinder of uniform girth between the fore
and rear legs, but the forward torso narrows towards the shoulders
and is carried erect. The neck is very thick and the head small.
There are two eyes, recessed and looking forward, a mouth with very
large teeth, and other openings that are probably aural or olfactory
sense organs. The legs terminate in large, reddish-brown hooves.
Each hoof has four digits and does not appear particularly
dexterous. This creature serves as a host to beings of
Classification DTRC.
Classification:FGLI
Planet:Traltha
Species:Tralthan
Individuals:Patient Cossunallen, Crajarron, Chief Dietitian
Gurronsevas, Patient Horrantor, Senior Physician Hossantir,
Surriltor, Senior Diagnostician-in-Charge of Pathology Thorn-nastor
A massive entity with an osseous dome housing its brain, six
el-ephantine feet connected to its triple massive shoulders, and
four extensible eyes on an immobile head. Its six stubby legs
normally give the Tralthan species such a stable base they
frequently go to sleep standing up. Even healthy Tralthans have
great difficulty get-ting up again if they fall onto their sides.
Tralthans must not be rolled onto their backs under normal gravity
conditions since this causes organic displacement which would
increase their respira-tory difficulties. Standard gravity at Sector
General is just over half Tralthan normal. Tralthans are
vegetarians.
Classification:FOKT
Planet:Goglesk
Species:Gogleskan
Individuals:Healer '(hone and child
The Gogleskan FOKT resembles a large, dumpy cactuslike plant whose
spikes and hair are richly colored in a pattern which seems less
random the more you look at it. A faint smell comes from the entity,
a combination of musk and peppermint. The mass of un-ruly hair and
spikes covering its erect, ovoid body are less irregular in their
size and placing than is at first apparent. The body hair has
mobility, though not the high degree of flexibility and rapid
mo-bility of the Kelgian fur, and the spikes, some of which are
extremely flexible and grouped together to form a digital cluster,
give evi-dence of specialization. The other spikes are longer and
stiffer, and some of them seem to be partially atrophied, as if they
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were evolved for natural defense, but the reason for their presence
has long since gone. There are also a number of long, pale tendrils
lying amid the multicolored hair covering the cranial area, used for
contact telepa-thy. Its voice seems to come from a number of small,
vertical breath-ing orifices which encircles its waist. The being
sits on a flat, mus-cular pad, and it has legs as well. These
members are stubby and concertina-like, and when the four of them
are in use they increase the height of the being by several inches.
The being al50 has two additional eyes at the back of its
head~obviously this species has had to be very watchful in
prehistoric times.
Classification:FROB
Planet:Hudlar
Species:Hudlar, Hudlarian
Individuals:Patient FROB-3, Patient FROB-lO, Patient FROB-18,
Patient FROB-43, Patient FROB-1 132, Trainee FROB-61, Trainee
FROB-73, Senior Physician Garoth, Infant Patient Metiglesh
Hudlars are blocky, pear-shaped beings whose home planet pulls four
Earth gravities and has a high-density atmosphere so rich in
suspended animal and vegetable nutrients that it resembles thick
soup. Although the FROB life-form is warm-blooded and techni-cally
an oxygen-breather, it can go for long periods without air if its
food supply, which it absorbs directly through its thick but highly
porous tegument, is adequate. Hudlars are massive six legged
be-ings. Each leg is an immensely strong tapering tentacle, which
ter-minates in a cluster of flexible digits, curled inward so that
the weight is born on heavy knuckles and the fingers remain clear of
the floor. The two lidless, recessed eyes are protected by hard,
trans-parent and featureless casings. Hudlars communicate using a
speak-mg membrane, which grows like a cock's comb from the top of
the head. The speaking membrane also serves as a sound sensor. The
skin resembles a seamless covering of flexible armor in appearance
and texture. Food is ingested through organs of absorption that
cover both flanks and the wastes are eliminated by a similar
mecha-nism on the underside. Both systems are under voluntary
control. Because of the physiological necessity for avoiding further
sexual contact with its life-mate, a gravid Hudlar female changes
gradu-ally into male mode and, concurrently, its life-mate slowly
becomes female. A Hudlar year after partuition the changes to both
are com-plete.The Hudlar FROBs are acknowledged to be, physically,
stron-gest life-forms of the Galactic Federation and to have the
least-pervious body tegument. Contact with chlorine is instantly
lethal to them. Hudlar blood is yellow and circulates under great
pres-sure and pulse rate. Hudlars consider their names to be their
most private and personal possession, and do not give or use their
names in the presence of anyone who is not a member of the family or
a close friend.
Classification:FSOJ
Planet:Unknown
Species:Protectors of the Unborn
No Individual Names Known
The Protector of the Unborn is a large, immensely strong life-form
that resembles aTralthan, but is less massive with stubbier legs
pro-jecting from a hemispherical carapace flared out slightly around
the lower edges. The deployment of the legs and tentacles is
simi-lar to the Hudlar FROB life-form, but the carapace is a thicker
ELNT Melfan shell without markings, and the FSOJ is plainly not
herbivorous. From openings high on the carapace sprout four
ten-tacles. Two different types of tentacles have been observed on
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dif-ferent beings: long and particularly thin tentacles which
terminate in flat, spear-like tips with serrated boney edges, and
thick tentacles terminating in a cluster ofsharp, bony projections
which make them resemble spiked clubs. The four stubby legs also
have osseous pro-jections which enable them to be used as weapons as
well. Midway between two of the tentacle openings there is a larger
gap in the carapace from which protrudes a head, all mouth and
teeth. The large upper and lower mandibles are capable of deforming
all but the strongest metal alloys. A little space is reserved for
two well-protected eyes at the bottom of deep, boney craters. A
serrated tail also protrudes from the heavily slitted carapace.
While the under-side is not armored, as is the carapace, this area
is rarely open to attack, and it is covered by a thick tegument
which apparently gives sufficient protection. In the center of this
area is a thin, longitudi-nal fissure which opens into the birth
canal. It will not open, how-ever, until a few minutes before giving
birth. The FSOJ brain is not in its skull, but deep inside the torso
with the rest of the other vital organs. It is positioned just under
the womb and surrounding the beginning of the birth canal. As a
result, the brain is compressed as the embryo grows. If it is a
difficult birth, the parent's brain is destroyed and junior comes
out fighting, with a convenient food supply available until it can
kill something for itself Senior Physi-cians Conway's first
impression was that the entity was little more than an organic
killing machine. Considering the fact that it is warm-blooded and
oxygen-breathing, and its appendages show no evidence of the ability
to manipulate tools or materials, Patholo-gist Murchison tentatively
classified it as FSOJ and probably non-intelligent. The Unborn young
of the bisexual FSOJ is retained in the womb until it is well-grown
and fully equipped to survive. The Unborn is an intelligent and
telepathic being, but loses these fac-ulties at birth.
Classification:GKNM
Planet:Ia
Species:Ian (adult)
Individual:Patient Makolli
The metamorphosed form of the adolescent DBLF life-form. The species
created a colony in this galaxy, coming from an adjoining one. The
race is oxygen-breathing and oviparous, having a long, rod-like but
flexible body, and possessing four insectile legs, ma-nipulators,
the usual sense organs, and three tremendous sets of wings. The
life-form looks something like a large dragonfly.
Classification:GLNO
Planet:Cinruss
Species:Cinrusskin
Individual:Senior Physician Prilicla
Cinrusskins are enormous, incredibly fragile flying insects, with a
tubular exoskeletal body. Six sucker-tipped pencil-thin legs, four
even more delicately fashioned, tiny, precise manipulators, and four
sets ofwide, iridescent, and almost transparent wings project form
the body. The head is a convoluted eggshell, so finely structured
that the sensory and manipulatory organs that it supports seem ready
to fall off at the first sudden movement. The eyes are large and
triple-lidded. The Cinrusskin are the Federation's only empathic
race. Cinruss has a dense atmosphere and one-eighth gravity.
Cinrusskins are sexless.
Classification:LSVO
Planet:Nallaji
Species:Nallajim
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Individuals:Kytili, Senior Physician Seldal
The species has a birdlike, fragile, low-gravity physiology, with
three legs, two not-quite-atrophied wings, and no hands at all. When
LSVOs eat, they are sickened by anything which doesn't look like
bird seed.
Classification:MSVK
Planet:Euril
Species:Eurils
No Individual Names Known
Fragile, tn-pedal, stork-like beings from a low gravity world. The
MSVK environment has dim lighting and a opaque fog for an
at-mosphere. The race is driven by an intense curiosity and hampered
by extreme caution. They are the galaxy's prime observers, and are
content to look and learn and record through their long-probes and
sensors without making their presence known. MSVKs have a low
tolerance to radiation.
Classification:OTSB
Planet:Traltha
Species:Tralthan
No Individual Names Known
Tralthan Surgeons are really two beings instead of one, a
combina-tion of FGLI and OTSB.The OTSB is a nearly mindless symbiont
which lives with its FGLI host. At first glance the OTSB looks like
a furry ball sprouting a long ponytail, but a closer look shows that
the ponytail is composed of scores of fine manipulators, most of
which incorporate sensitive visual organs. A cluster of wire-thin,
eye- and sucker-tipped tentacles sends infinitely detailed visual
in-formation to its giant host and receives instructions from the
host. The Tralthan combinations are the best surgeons the Galaxy has
ever known. Not all Tralthans choose to link up with a symbiote, but
FGLI medics wear them like a badge of office.
Classification:PVGJ
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
Individual:Doctor Fremvessith
Apparent typographical error for Classification PVSJ.
Classification:PVSJ
Planet:Illensa
Species:Illensan
Individuals:Senior Physician Gilvesh, Charge Nurse Hredlichi,
Diagnostician Lachlichi, Charge Nurse Leethveeschi
Probable Individual:Charge Nurse Lentilatsar
Illensans are chlorine breathers with shapeless spiny bodies and
dry, rustling membranes joining the upper and lower appendages. The
body resembles a haphazard collection of oily, yellow-green,
un-healthy vegetation. The two stubby legs are covered by what look
like oily blisters. Their loose protective suits are transparent
except for the faint yellow fog of chlorine contained within. The
Illensans are generally held to be the most visually repulsive
beings in the Federation, as well as the most vain regarding their
own physical appearance. Illensans suffer digestive upsets if they
exercise after meals. Contact with water is instantly lethal to
chlorine-breathers. PVSJs are not physiologically suited to the use
of stairs and have very sensitive hearing.
Classification:QCQL
Planet:Unknown
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Species:Name Unknown
No Individual Names Known
Apparent typographical error for Classification QLCL. Senior
Phy-sician Mannen did not know there was any such beastie, but
Ma-jor O'Mara had a tape. There were two casualties of this
classifica-tion at Sector General. The operations were suit jobs,
since the gunk that the QCQLs breath would kill anything that walks,
crawls or flies, excluding them.
Classification:QLCL
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
No Individual Names Known
Recent, and very enthusiastic, members of the Federation, this
species had never been to Sector General until the war with the
Empire. Then a small ward was prepared to receive possible QLCL
casualties. The ward was filled with the horribly corrosive fog the
QLCLs used for an atmosphere, and the lighting was stepped up to the
harsh, actinic blue which the they consider restful.
Classification:SNLU
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name: Vosan
Individual:Diagnostician Semlic
The SNLU life form requires a refrigerated life-support system for
its ultra-low-temperature environment while on the Chlorine and
Oxygen levels. A frigid-blooded methane-breather, it is most
com-fortable in an environment only a few degrees above absolute
zero. The SNLUs have a complex mineral and liquid crystalline
struc-ture. The species evolved on the perpetually dark worlds which
detached from their original solar systems and now drift through the
interstellar spaces. Physically they are quite small, averaging
one-third the body mass of a being like a Kelgian. In order to allow
contact with other, warmer, species, the SN LUs are required to wear
a large, complex, highly refrigerated life-support and sensor
trans-lation system, which requires frequent power recharge. The
scales covering the SNLU's eight-limbed, starfish-shaped body shine
coldly through the methane mist like multihued diamonds, mak-ing it
resemble some wondrous, heraldic beast. The SNLUs live and work in
the almost total silence of beings with a hypersensitiv-ity to
audible vibrations. These fragile, crystalline, methane-based
life-forms would decompose at temperatures in excess of eighteen
degrees above absolute zero and be instantly cremated if the
tem-perature rose above minus one-twenty on the temperature scale in
use in the Federation.
Classification:SRJH
Planet:Drambo
Species:Healers or Physicians or Protectors
No Individual Names Known
The Drambon Physicians are glorified leucocytes to the Drambon
Strata Creatures, treating the many independent organisms living in
and around those immense living carpets. The stupid, slow moving
Drambon Physicians stay close to the most active and dan-gerous
stretches of the Drambon shoreline. They resemble jelly-fish, so
transparent that only their internal organs are visible. A
leech-like form of life, the SRJHs seem comfortable in either air or
water. Their reactions in the presence of severe illness or injury
are instinctive. Using their spines or stings, they practice their
profes-sion by withdrawing the blood of their patients and pun fying
it of any infection or toxic substances before returning it to the
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patients' bodies. (The process repairs simple physical damage as
well.) How-ever, not all the withdrawn blood is returned. It has not
been es-tablished whether it is physiologically impossible for the
SRJH to return it all or whether the Physician retains a few ounces
as pay-ment for services rendered. A Physicians can kill as well as
cure. It can barely touch a beast, causing a predator to go into a
muscular spasm so violent that parts of its skeleton pop through the
skin. There is no evidence that they communicate verbally, visually,
tac-tually, telepathically, by smell or by any other system known to
Sector General. The quality of their emotional radiation suggests
that they do not communicate at all in the accepted sense. The
Physicians are simply aware ofother beings and objects around them
and, by using their eyes and a mechanism similar to the empathic
faculty, they are able to identi~ friend and foe.
Classification:SRTT
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
No Individual Names Known
This physiological type is amoebic, possessing the ability to
extrude any limbs, sensory organs or protective tegument necessary
to the environment in which it finds itself. It is so fantastically
adaptable that it is difficult to imagine how one of these beings
could ever fall sick in the first place.
Classification:TLTU
Planet:Threcald 5
Species:Name Unknown
Individual:TLTU Diagnostician
A TLTU doctor breathes superheated steam and has pressure and
gravity requirements three times greater than the environment of the
oxygen levels. The local protection needed by a TLTU doctor is a
great, clanking juggernaut which hisses continually as if it is
about to spring a leak. The large protective suit resembles a
spheri-cal pressure boiler bristling with remote handling devices
and mounted on caterpillar treads, and has to be avoided at all
costs. The large size is needed to allow for heaters to render the
occupant comfortable, and surface insulation and refrigerators to
keep the vicinity habitable by other life-forms. The small TLTU
life-form inhabits a heavy-gravity, watery planet with edible
minerals, which circles very close to its parent sun. The TLTU's
blood consists of superheated liquid metal. TLTU patients are
transported in their protective spheres anchored to stretcher
carriers. These spheres emit a high-pitched, shuddering whine as
their generators labor to main-tain the internal temperature at a
comfortable, for their occupants, five hundred degrees.
Classification:TOBS
Planet:Fotawn
Species:Name Unknown
Individual:Trainee/Doctor Danalta
This being can extrude any limbs, sense organs, or protective
tegu-ment necessary to the environment or situation in which it
finds it-self. It evolved on a planet with a highly eccentric orbit,
and with climatic changes so severe that an incredible degree of
physical adapt-ability was necessary for survival. It became
dominant on its world, and developed intelligence and a
civilization, not by competing in the matter of natural weapons but
by refining and perfecting its adap-tive capability. When it is
faced by natural enemies, the options are flight, protective
mimicry, or the assumption of a shape frightening to the attacker.
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The speed and accuracy of the mimicry, particularly in the almost
perfect reproduction ofbehavior patterns, suggests that the entity
may be a receptive empath. The empathic faculty is under voluntary
control, so that the level of emotional radiation reaching its
receptors can be reduced, or even cut off at will, should it become
too distressing. With such effective means of self-protection
avail-able, the species is impervious to physical damage other than
by com-plete annihilation or application of ultrahigh
temperatures.The con-cept of curative surgery would be a strange one
indeed to members of that race. They do not require mechanisms for
self-protection, so they are likely to be advanced in the
philosophical sciences but back-ward in developing technology. When
not trying to look like some-thing else, TOBSs take the
configuration of a large, dark-green, uneven ball.
Classification:TRLH
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
No Individual Names Known
The TRLH casualty was an ally of the Empire during that war.
Classification was aided by the fact that the patient's spacesuit
was transparent as well as flexible. The atmosphere the being
breathes is as exotic as that of the QCQLs, but can be reproduced.
The TRLH has a thin carapace which covers its back and curves down
and inwards to protect the central area of its underside. Four
thick, single-jointed legs project from the uncovered sections. It
has a large but lightly boned head, four manipulatory appendages,
two recessed but extensible eyes, and two mouths.
Classification:VTXM
Planet:Telf
Species:Telfi, Telphi
Individual:Astrogator-part Cheixic
A group-mind species whose small beetle-like bodies live by the
direct conversion of various combinations and intensities of hard
radiation. Mthough individually the beings are quite stupid, the
gestalt entities are highly intelligent. The Telfi operate in groups
as contact telepaths to pool their mental and physical abilities.
The Telfi have a spoken language as well as the telepathic faculty
used between individuals, especially members of a family gestalt.
An-other variant of the species resembles a large, terrestrial
lizard, just under five feet long from the bulbous head to vestigial
tail, with an extra set of fore-limbs growing from the base of the
neck. The only visible features are two tiny, lidless eyes and the
mouth. The four stubby walking limbs can be bent double to lie flat
against the body while the two, longer forward manipulators can
stretch forward and cross so as to allow the chin to rest on the
crossover point. The skin of a dead Telfi is pale gray with a
mottled and veined effect that resembles unpolished marble. The
color is a symptom of ad-vanced radiation starvation and a lethal
failure of the absorption mechanism. A healthy Telfi reflects no
light at all, looking like liz-ard-shaped black holes. A
healthyTelfi's temperature is below room temperature. Investigating
their ultra-hot metabolism closely is to risk radiation poisoning.
There is a fallacy among non-medics that the Telfi cannot be closely
approached or touched without the use of remotely controlled
manipulators. To live they must absorb the radiation normally
provided by their natural environment but when, for clinical
reasons, the radiation is withdrawn for several days and they are
week from their equivalent of hunger, their ra-dioactive emissions
drop to a harmless level.
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Classification:VUXG
Planet:Unknown
Species:Name Unknown
Individual:Dr. Arretapec
The VUXG resembles nothing so much as a withered prune float-mg in a
spherical gob of syrup. The species has telepathic, teleportive,
and~sort of~precognitive abilities. The precognitive ability does
not appear to be of much use because it does not work with
individuals but only with populations, and so far in the fu-ture and
in such a haphazard manner that it is practically useless.
Classification:Unknown
Planet:Drambo
Species:Farmer Fish
No Individual Names Known
The large-headed Farmer Fish are responsible for cultivating and
protecting benign growth and destroying all other growth in the
Drambon Strata Creature. Farmer Fish have stubby arms sprout-ing
from the base of their enlarged heads.
Classification:Unknown
Planet:Drambo
Species:Strata Creatures
No Individual Names Known
The largest creature on the planet Drambo~so large that at a
scoutship's suborbital velocity of six thousand plus miles per hour
it takes just over nine minutes to travel from one side of the
pa-tient to the other. The creature is so vast that it has many
indepen-dent parts performing specialized functions, such as the eye
plants, air renewal plants, Farmer Fish, Thought Controlled Tools,
and vegetable teeth. The parts can communicate via a mineral-rich
sap. The creature uses water instead of blood as its working fluid.
It is not clear if the entire creature is an animal or a plant,
there being components of both in its immense expanse. There is only
one intelligent Strata Creature on Drambo, and it is being treated
for radiation poisoning.
Classification:Unknown
Planet:Drambo
Species:Thought Controlled Tools
No Individual Names Known
Under the mental control of its user, a "tool" can assume any
use-ful shape imagined. At Sector General, one appeared as a Hudlar
type six scalpel, a medium-sized box spanner, a metallic sphere, a
miniature bust of Beethoven, a set of Tralthan dentures, and a
Hudlar food sprayer, among other things. The tools belong to the
only sentient Strata Creature on Drambo, and were used to attack the
medical and military forces attempting to treat the Strata Crea-ture
for radiation poisoning.
Classification:Unknown
Planet:Dutha
Species:Duthan
Individuals:Patient Bowab, His Excellency the Lord Scrennagle of
Dutha
Duthans have a centaur-like body. The torso from the waist up
resembles that of an Earth-human, but the musculature of the arms,
shoulders and chest are subtly different. The hands are five-digi
ted, each comprised of three fingers and two opposable thumbs. The
head is carried erect above a very thick neck, which seems
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dispro-portionately small.The face is dominated by two large, soft,
brown eyes that somehow make the slits, pro tuberan ces, and fleshy
petals which comprise the other features visually acceptable.
Classification:Unknowm
Planet:Keran
Species:Keranni
No Individual Names Known
No description given.
Classification:Unknown
Planet:Unknown
Species:Kreglinni
No Individual Names Known
No description given.
Classification:Various
Planet:Meatball
Species:CLCH/CLHG Drambon Rollers, Drambon Farmer Fish, Drambon
Strata Creatures, Drambon Thought Controlled Tools, SRJH Drambon
Healers or Physicians or Protectors
The planet was originally named by the crew of Descartes, but the
name was considered derogatory by one of the native intelligent
species. The planet is now referred to as Drambo.
Chapter 1
The ruler of the ship sat beside Cha Thrat at the recreation deck's viewscreen
while the fuzzy blob of light that was the space hospital grew into a gigantic,
complex structure ablaze with every color and intensity of light that her eyes
could detect. She had strong feelings of awe, wonder, excitement, and great
embarrassment.
Ruler Chiang, she had learned, carried the rank of major in the Monitor Corps
Extraterrestrial Communications and Cultural Contact division. But the ruler
seriously confused her at times by behaving like a warrior. Now it was sitting
beside her because it felt some strange, Earth-human obligation to do so. It had
wanted to pay her the compliment of allowing her to watch the approach to the
hospital from its control deck, but as she was physiologically unable to enter
that small and already crowded compartment, it had felt obliged to desert its
post and sit with her here.
The compliment was a completely unnecessary piece of time-wasting nonsense,
considering wide disparity in the social and professional levels of the people
involved, but Chiang seemed to derive some pleasure from the foolishness and it
had, after all, been a patient of hers.
The muted conversation in Control was being relayed with the image on the
repeater screen and, while ChaThrat's translator gave her the equivalent of
every word, the particular technical jargon that the ship's warriors were using
made the total meaning of what they were saying unclear. But suddenly there was
a new, amplified voice whose words were simple and unambiguous, accompanied by a
picture of the disgustingly hairy being who was speaking them.
"Sector General Reception," it said briskly. "Identify yourself, please.
Patient, visitor, or staff; degree of urgency; and physiological classification,
if known. If uncertain, please make full visual contact and we will classify.â€
"Monitor Corps courier vessel Thromasaggar," a voice from Control responded.
"Short-stay docking facilities to unload patient and staff member. Crew and
patient classification Earth-human DBDG. Patient is ambulatory, convalescent,
treatment nonurgent. Staff member is classification DCNF and is also a
warmblooded oxygen-breather with no special temperature, gravity, or pressure
requirements.â€
"Wait," the obnoxious creature said, and once again the image of the hospital
filled the screen. A definite improvement, she thought.
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"What is that thing?" she asked the ruler. "It looks like a... a scroggila. You
know, one of our rodents.â€
"I've seen pictures of them," the ruler said, and made the unpleasant barking
sound that denoted amusement with these people. "It is a Nidian DBDG, about half
the body mass of an Earth-human with a very similar metabolism. Its species is
highly advanced technologically and culturally, so it only looks like an outsize
rodent. You'll learn to work with much less beautiful beings in that place—â€
It broke off as the image of the Nidian returned.
"Follow the blue-yellow-blue direction beacons," the receptionist said. "Debark
patient and staff member at Lock One Zero Four, then proceed to Dock Eighteen
via the blue-blue-white beacons. Major Chiang and the Som-maradvan healer are
expected and will be met.â€
By what? she wondered.
The ruler had given her a great deal of helpful advice and information about
Sector Twelve General Hospital, most of which she did not believe. And when they
entered the lock antechamber a short time later, she could not believe that the
smooth, waist-high hemisphere of green jelly occupying the deck between the two
waiting Earth-humans was a person.
Ruler Chiang said, "This is Lieutenant Braithwaite of the Chief Psychologist's
Office, and Maintenance Officer Timmins, who is responsible for preparing your
accommodation, and Doctor Danalta, who is attached to the ambulance ship,
Rhabwar...â€
Except for minor differences in the insignia on their uniforms, she could not
tell the two Earth-humans apart. The large blob of green stuff on the floor, she
guessed, was some kind of practical joke, or perhaps part of an initiation
ritual for newcomers to the hospital. For the time being she decided not to
react.
"... And this is Cha Thrat," it went on, "the new healer from Sommaradva, who is
joining the staff.â€
Both Earth-humans moved their right hands up to waist level, then lowered them
as the ruler shook its head. Cha Thrat had already told Chiang that grasping a
strange person's appendage was considered quite vulgar where she came from, and
it would have been much more considerate of them if they had given her some
indication of their status. Ruler Chiang had spoken to them as equals, but then
it had often done that whileaddressing subordinates on the ship. It was very
careless of the ruler and most confusing for her.
"Timmins will see that your personal effects are moved to your quarters," the
ruler went on. "I don't know what DanaJta and Braithwaite have in mind for us.â€
"Nothing too onerous," Braithwaite said as the other Earth-human was leaving.
"On hospital time it is the middle of the day, and the healer's accommodation
will not be ready until early evening. In midafternoon you are due for a
physical, Major. Cha Thrat is expected to be present, no doubt to receive the
compliments of our medics for what was obviously a very tidy piece of, for a
Sommaradvan, other-species surgery.â€
It looked in her direction and for some reason inclined its head forward from
the neck, then went on. "Immediately following the examination both of you have
appointments in Psychology: Cha Thrat for an orientation talk with O'Mara, and
you for an investigation, purely a formality in your case, to ensure that there
is no non-physical trauma resulting from your recent injuries. But until then...
Have you eaten recently?â€
"No," said Chiang, "and I would welcome a change from ship food.â€
The other Earth-human made soft barking sounds and said, "You haven't tasted a
hospital meal yet. But we try hard not to poison our visitors...â€
It broke off to apologize and explain hastily that it was making an in-hospital
joke, that the food was quite palatable, and that it had been given full
instructions regarding Cha Thrat's dietary requirements.
But she was only vaguely aware of what it was saying because her attention was
on the hemisphere of green stuff, the surface of which had begun to ripple
andpucker and grow pseudopods. It wobbled sluggishly and heaved itself upright
until it was as tall as she was, its skin coloration became mottled, the wet
gleam of what could only be eyes appeared, the number of short, crudely formed
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appendages increased until it looked like something a young child on Sommaradva
might make from modeling clay. She felt sudden nausea, but her feelings of
curiosity and wonder were even stronger as the body firmed out, became more
finely structured, and the features appeared. Then the clothing and equipment
pouch grew into place, and there was standing before her the figure of another
female Sommaradvan identical in every detail to herself.
"If our Earth-human friends intend subjecting you to the environment of a
multispecies dining hall within minutes of your arrival," it said in a voice
that was not, thankfully, hers, "I must counteract their lack of consideration
by providing you with something familiar, and friendly, to whom you can relate.
It is the least I can do for a new member of the staff.â€
"Doctor Danalta," Braithwaite said, barking again, "is not as altruistic as it
would have you think, Cha Thrat. Due to the incredibly savage environment of its
planet of origin, the species evolved protective mimicry of a very high order.
There are few warm-blooded oxygen-breathing life-forms in Sector General that it
cannot accurately reproduce within a few minutes, as you've seen. But we suspect
that any new, intelligent life-form to arrive at the hospital, be it patient,
visitor, or staff, is regarded by Danalta as a challenge to its powers of
physical mimicry.â€
"Nevertheless," she said, "I am impressed.â€
She stared eye to eye at her utterly alien but identical twin, thinking that the
being had displayed concern forher present mental well-being by using its
incredible talent to make her feel more comfortable. It was the action of a
healer of rulers, and it might even be a ruler itself. Instinctively she made
the gesture of respect to superiors, then belatedly realized that neither the
Earth-humans nor her Danalta-copy would recognize it for what it was.
"Why, thank you, Cha Thrat," said Danalta, returning the gesture. "With
protective mimicry there is an associated empathic faculty. While I don't know
what the limb gesture means exactly, I could feel that I was being
complimented.â€
Danalta, she had no doubt, was also aware of her embarrassment, but as they
followed the two Earth-humans from the compartment the shape-changer did not
speak of it.
The corridor outside was thronged with a menagerie of creatures, a few of whom
resembled, in shape if not in size, nonintelligent species found on Sommaradva.
She tried not to flinch as one of the small, red-furred bipeds of the species
she had seen in charge of Reception brushed past, and she felt acutely anxious
when enormous, six-limbed, multitentacled monsters of many times her body mass
bore down on her. But not all of the creatures were frightening, or even ugly. A
large crustacean with a beautifully marked carapace and hard exo-skeletal limbs
clickedpast, its pincers opening and closing slowly as it talked to a truly
lovely being who had at least thirty short, stubby legs and an overall coat of
rippling, silvery fur. There were others she could not see clearly because of
their protective envelopes and, in the case of the occupant of a mobile pressure
vessel from which steam was escaping, she had no idea what weird or wonderful
shape the vehicle was concealing.
The cacophony of hooting, chirping, gobbling, and moaning conversation could not
be described, because it was totally unlike anything she had previously
experienced.
"There is a much shorter route to the dining hall," Danalta said as a spiney,
membraneous being who looked like some kind of dark, oily vegetable shuffled
past, its physical details clouded by the thick yellow fog inside its
transparent suit. "But it would mean a trip through the water-filled Chalder
wards, and your protective envelopes won't be ready for another six, maybe seven
days. How do you feel, and what do you think of the place so far1?â€
It was disconcerting and embarrassing to have Danalta, who could be nothing less
than a wizard-healer of rulers, ask such questions of a mere warrior-surgeon.
But the questions had been asked, and answers were expected. If the being wished
to practice its art in the middle of a crowded corridor, it was certainly not
her place to criticize.
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Promptly she replied, "I feel confused, frightened, repelled, curious, and
unsure of my ability to adapt. My confusion is such that I am unable to be more
specific. I'm beginning to feel that the two Earth-humans walking in front of
us, member of a species that a short time ago I would have considered totajly
alien, have an almost welcome normality about them. And I feel that you, because
you have made yourself the most familiar and reassuring entity in the hospital,
are by your very nature the most alien of all. I haven't had enough time, nor
have I sufficient direct experience, to form any useful impressions or opinions
about the hospital, but it may well be that the empathic faculty you possess has
already made you aware of my feelings.
"Is the environment of the dining hall," she added worriedly, "much worse than
this?â€
Danalta did not reply at once, and the two Earth-humans had been silent for some
time. The one called Braithwaite had fallen slightly behind the other, and its
head was turned to one side so that the fleshy protuberance that was one of its
auricular organs would be better able to pick up her words. It seemed that her
feelings were of interest not only to the shape-changer. When Danalta did speak,
its words resembled a lecture rather than a simple reply to her question.
"A low level of empathy is common in most intelligent life-forms," it said, "but
only in one species, the natives of Cinruss, is there a perfect empathic
faculty. You will meet one of them soon because it, too, is curious about newly
discovered life-forms and will want to seek you out at the first opportunity.
You can then compare my limited empathic faculty with Prilicla's.
"My own limited faculty," it went on, "is based on the observation of body
movements, tensions, changes in skin coloration, and so on, rather than the
direct reception of the subject's emotional radiation. As a healer you, too,
must have a degree of empathy with your patients, and on many occasions are able
to sense their condition, or changes in their condition, without direct physical
investigation. But no matter how refined the faculty may be, your thoughts are
still private, exclusively your own property, and it is simply your stronger
feelings that I detect—â€
"The dining hall," Braithwaite said suddenly. It turned into the wide, dooriess
entrance, narrowly avoided colliding with a Nidian and two of the silver-furred
beings who were leaving, and barked softly as they made derogatory remarks about
its clumsiness. It pointed. "Over there, an empty table!â€
For a moment Cha Thrat could not move a single limb as she stared across the
vast expanse of highly polished floor with its regimented islands of eating
benches and seats, grouped by size and shape to accommodate the incredible
variety of beings using them. It was much, much worse than her experience of the
corridors, where she had encountered the creatures two or three at a time. Here
there were hundreds of them, grouped together into species or with several
different life-forms occupying the same table.
There were beings who were terrifying in their obvious physical strength and
range of natural weapons', others who were frightening, horrifying, and
repugnant in the color and slime-sheen and nauseous growths covering their
teguments; and many of them were the phantasms of Sommaradvan nightmare given
frightful solidity. At a few of the tables were entities whose body and limb
configurations were so utterly ridiculous that she had trouble believing her
eyes.
"This way," said Danalta, who had been waiting for Cha Thrat's limbs to stop
trembling. It led the way to the table claimed by Braithwaite, and she noticed
that the furiture suited neither the physiologies of the Earth-humans nor the
trio of exoskeletal crustaceans who were vacating it.
She wondered if she would ever be able to adapt to the ways of these chronically
disorganized and untidy beings. At least on Sommaradva the people knew their
place.
"The mechanism for food selection and delivery is similar to that on the ship,"
Braithwaite said as she lowered herself carefully into the dreadfully
uncomfortable chair and her weight made the menu display light up. "You tap in
your physiological classification and it will list the food available. Until the
catering computer hasbeen programmed with details of the combinations,
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consistencies, and platter displays you favor, it is likely to come in unsightly
but nutritious lumps. You'll soon get used to the system, but in the meantime
I'll order for you.â€
"Thank you," she said.
When it arrived the biggest lump looked like an uneven block of tasam. But it
smelled like roasted cretsi, had the consistency of roasted cretsi, and, she
found after trying a small corner, it tasted like roasted cretsi. She realized
suddenly that she was hungry.
"It sometimes happens," Braithwaite continued, "that the meals of your fellow
diners, or even the diners themselves, are visually distressing to the point
where it is affecting your appetite. You may keep one eye on your platter and
close all the others; we won't be offended.â€
She did as it suggested, but kept one eye slightly open so that she could see
Braithwaite, who was still watching her intently while pretending, for some odd,
Earth-human reason, not to do so. While she ate, her mind went back to the
incident with the ship ruler on Som-maradva, the voyage, and her reception here,
and she realized that she was becoming suspicious, and irritated.
"On the subject of your stronger feelings," Danalta said, seemingly intent upon
resuming the lecture it had broken off at the entrance, "do you have any strong
feelings against discussing personal or professional matters in the presence of
strangers?â€
The ship ruler, Chiang; paused with what looked like a piece of what had once
been a liying creature halfway to its eating orifice. It said, "On Sommaradva
they prefer to hear directly what other people think of them. And conversely,
the presence of interested witnesses during a discussion of their affairs is
often considered beneficial.â€
Braithwaite, she saw, was concentrating too much attention on its disgusting
meal. She turned as many eyes as would bear on the shape-changer, ignoring the
many things she did not want to see in the background.
"Very well," Danalta said, turning its alien mimic's eyes on her. "You must
already have realized, Cha Thrat, that your situation is unlike that of the
other staff members who join the hospital for a probationary period.
Appointments to Sector General are much sought after, and candidates must pass
rigorous professional examinations and deep psychological investigation on their
home worlds to ensure that they will have a fair chance of adapting to a
multispecies hospital environment so that they will profit from our training.
"You were not screened in this manner," her alien twin went on. "There were no
professional examinations, no birth-to-maturity psych profiles, no objective
measure of your worth as a healer. We know only that you come with a very high
recommendation, from the Cultural Contact department of the Monitor Corps and,
presumably, your professional colleagues on Sommaradva, a world and society
about which we know little.
"You appreciate our difficulty, Cha Thrat?" it continued. "An untrained,
unprepared, single-species-oriented being could cause untold harm to itself and
to the hospital staff and patients. We have to know what exactly it is that
we're getting, and quickly.â€
The others had stopped eating and so did she, even though there was a mouth free
for speaking. She said, "As a stranger arriving and expecting to take up an
appointment here, I thought that my treatment showed a lack of sensitivity, but
I decided that alien behavior patterns, of which I have very limited experience,
were to blame. Then I began to suspect that the harsh and insen-sitive treatment
was deliberate, and I was being tested in some fashion. You have confirmed this
suspicion, but I am seriously displeased that I was not informed of the test.
Secret tests, to my mind, can often show a failure in the examiner.â€
There was a long silence. She looked at Danalta and away again. The
shape-changer's body and features and expression were the mirror of her own, and
told her nothing. She turned her attention to Braithwaite, who had been taking
such a continuous and covert interest in her, and waited for a reaction.
For a moment the Earth-human's two recessed eyes looked calmly into her four,
and she began to feel very sure that the being was, in fact, a ruler and not a
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warrior as it said, "A secret test is sometimes given to avoid the
unpleasantness of telling a candidate that it has failed. By pretending that no
test took place, another and more acceptable reason, one that does not imply any
lack of professional competence or psychological or emotional weakness, can be
given for refusing the candidate an appointment. I'm sorry that you are
displeased by the covert nature of the test, but in the circumstances we decided
that it was better to... to...â€
It broke off and began to bark quietly, as if there was something humorous in
the situation, then went on. "We Earth-humans have an expression that covers
your position very well. We threw you in at the deep end of the pool.â€
"And what," Cha Thrat said, deliberately omitting the gesture of politeness due
a ruler, "did you discover from this secret test?â€
"We discovered," Braithwaite said, and this time it did not bark, "that you are
a very good swimmer.â€
Chapter 2
BRAITHWAITE left before the others had finished eating, saying that O'Mara would
have its intestines for hosiery supports if it was late back from lunch two days
in a row. Cha Thrat knew nothing of the entity other than that it was a greatly
respected and feared ruler of some kind, but the punishment for tardiness
sounded a bit extreme. Danalta said that she should not worry about it, that
Earth-humans frequently made such ridiculously exaggerated statements, that
there was no factual basis to the remark, and that it was some kind of
linguistic code they used among themselves which had a tenuous connection with
the mental associative process they called humor.
"I understand," Cha Thrat said.
"I don't," Danalta said.
Ship ruler Chiang barked quietly but did not speak.
As a result, the shape-changer was their only guide on an even longer and more
complicated journey to the place where Chiang was to undergo its examination—
one of the casualty reception and observation wards, she was informed, reserved
for the treatment of warmblooded, oxygen-breathing patients. Danalta had
returned to its original body configuration of a large, dark-green, uneven ball
that guided itself, with surprising speed and accuracy, through the wheeled and
walking traffic in the corridors. Was the Sommaradvan form too difficult to
maintain, she wondered, or did it now feel that such psychological props were no
longer necessary?It was a surprisingly large compartment, rendered small by the
number and variety of examination tables and associated equipment covering the
floor and walls. There was an observation gallery for the use of visitors and
trainees, and Danalta suggested that she choose the least uncomfortable chair
while they were waiting. One of the silver-furred beings had already taken
Chiang away to be prepared for the examination.
"We shall be able to see and hear everything that is happening," Danalta said,
"but they will not hear us unless you press the transmit button, just there, on
the side of your chair. You may have to use it if they ask questions.â€
Another silver-furred being, or perhaps it was the same one, undulated into the
compartment, performed a seemingly purposeless act on an as-yet incomprehensible
piece of equipment, then looked up at them briefly as it was leaving.
"And now we wait," Danalta went on. "But you must have questions, Cha Thrat.
There is enough time to answer a few of them.â€
The shape-changer had retained the form of'a lumpy green hemisphere, featureless
except for one bulbous eye and a small fleshy protuberance that seemed to
combine the functions of hearing and speech. In time, she thought, one could
become used to anything—except the lack of discipline among these people, and
their unwillingness to define properly their areas of authority and
responsibility.
Choosing her words with care, she said, "As yet I am too ignorant and confused
by all this to ask the rightquestions. But could 1 begin by asking for a
detailed clarification of your own duties and responsibilities, and the class of
patient you treat?â€
The answer left her feeling more confused than ever.
"I don't treat patients," Danalta replied, "and unless there was a major
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surgical emergency, I would not be asked to do so. As for my duties, I am part
of the medical team on Rhabwar. That is the hospital's special ambulance ship,
which carries an operational crew of Monitor Corps officers and a medical team
that assumes overall authority once the ship has reached the location of the
vessel in distress or, as the case may be, the site of the disaster.
"The medical team," it went on, ignoring Cha Thrat's confusion, "which is led by
the Cinrusskin empath, Prili-cla, also comprises Pathologist Murchison, an
Earth-human female; Charge Nurse Naydrad, a Kelgian experienced in space rescue
work; and myself. My job is to use the shape-changing ability to reach and
render first aid to casualties who might be trapped in areas inaccessible to
beings of limited physical adaptability, and do whatever I can to help the
injured until the rescue crew is able to extricate and move them to the
ambulance ship for rapid transfer to the hospital here. You will understand that
by extruding limbs and sensors of any required shape, useful work can be done in
the very restricted conditions found inside a badly damaged space vessel, and
there are times when I can make a valuable contribution. But in honesty I must
say that the real work is done by the hospital.
"And that," it concluded, "is how I fit into this medical madhouse.â€
With every word, Cha Thrat's confusion had increased. Able and physically gifted
this entity might be,but was it, in truth, merely a servant? But if Danalta had
j sensed her confusion, it mistook the reason for it.
"I have other uses, too, of course," it went on, and \ made a very Earth-human
barking sound with its un-Earthly mouth. "As a comparative newcomer to the
hospital, they send me to meet new arrivals like you on the assumption that—Pay
attention, Cha Thrat! They're bringing in your ex-patient.â€
Two of the silver-furred beings, identified by Danalta as Kelgian operating room
nurses, moved Chiang in on a powered litter, even though the ship ruler was
quite capable of walking and was constantly reminding them of this fact. The
Earth-human's torso was draped in a green sheet so that only its head was
visible. Chiang's protests continued while they were transferring it to the
examination table, until one of the nurses, in a manner completely lacking in
the respect due a ruler, reminded it that it was a fully grown, mature entity
who should stop acting like an infant.
Before the nurse had*finished speaking, a six-legged, exoskeletal being with a
high, richly marked carapace entered and approached the examination table.
Silently it held out its pincers and waited while a nurse sprayed them with
something that dried into a thin, transparent film.
"That is Senior Physician Edanelt," Danalta said. "It is a Melfan, physiological
classification ELNT, whose reputation as a surgeon is—â€
"Apologies for my personal ignorance," Cha Thrat broke in. "Beyond the fact that
I am a DCNF, the Earth-human is a DBDG, and the Melfan is an ELNT, I know
nothing of your classification system.â€
"You'll learn," the shape-changer said. "But for now, just watch and be ready
for questions.â€
But there were no questions. While the examinationproceeded, Edanelt did not
speak and neither did the nurses or the patient. Cha Thrat learned the purpose
of one of the mechanisms, a deep scanner that showed in minute detail the
subdermal blood supply network, musculature, bone structure, and even the
movement of the deepest underlying organs. The images were relayed to the
observation gallery's screen, together with a mass of physiological data that
was presented graphically but in a form that was completely unintelligible to
her,"That is something else you will learn," Danalta said. Cha Thrat had been
watching the screen closely, so captivated by Edanelt's meticulous charting of
her surgical repair work that she had not realized that she had been thinking
aloud. She looked up in time to see the arrival of yet another and even more
incredible being. "That," Danalta said simply, "is Prilicla." It was an insect,
an enormous, incredibly fragile, flying insect that was tiny in comparison with
the other beings in the room. From its tubular, exoskeletal body there projected
six pencil-thin legs, four even more delicately formed manipulators, and four
sets of wide, iridescent wings that were beating slowly as it flew toward the
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examination table and hovered above it. Suddenly it flipped over, attached its
sucker-tipped legs to the ceiling, and curved its extensible eyes down to regard
the patient.
From somewhere in its body came a series of musical clicks and trills, which her
translator relayed as "Friend Chiang, you look as if you've been in a war.â€
"We're not savages!" Cha Thrat protested angrily. "There hasn't been a war on
Sommaradva for eight generations—â€
She stopped abruptly as the long, incredibly thin legs and partly folded wings
of the insect began to shake. It was as if there were a strong wind blowing
through theroom. Everyone on and around the examination table was staring at the
little being, and then they were turning to look up at the observation gallery.
At her.
"Prilicla is a true empath," Danalta said sharply. "It feels what you are
feeling. Please control your emotions!" •It was very
difficult to control her emotions: not only her anger at the implied insult to
her now unwarlike race but also the feeling of utter disbelief that such control
was necessary. She had often been forced to hide her feelings before superiors
or patients, but trying to control them was a new experience. With a great
effort, which in some obscure fashion seemed to be a negation of effort, she
made herself calm.
"Thank you, new friend," the empath trilled at her. It was no longer trembling
as it returned its attention to Chiang.
"I'm wasting your valuable time, Doctors," the Earth-human said. "Honestly, I
feel fine.â€
Prilicla dropped from the ceiling to hover above the site of Chiang's recent
injuries, and touched the scar tissue with a cluster of feather-light digits. It
said, "I know how you feel, friend Chiang. And we are not wasting our time.
Would you refuse us, a Melfan and a Cinrusskin who are both keen to enlarge our
other-species experience, the opportunity of tinkering with an Earth-human, even
a perfectly healthy one?â€
"I suppose not," Chiang said. It made another soft, barking sound and added,
"But you would have found it more interesting if you'd seen me after the crash.â€
The empath returned to the ceiling. To the Melfan it said, "What is your
assessment, friend Edanelt?â€
"The work is not as I would have performed it," the Melfan replied, "but it is
adequate.â€
"Friend Edanelt," the empath said gently, with a briefglance in the direction of
the gallery, "we are all aware, with the exception of the newest member of our
staff, that you consider as merely adequate the kind of surgery which Conway
himself would describe as exemplary. It would be interesting to discuss the pre-
and postoperative history.â€
"That was my thought as well," the Melfan said. There was a rapid, irregular
tapping of its six boney feet, and it turned to face the observation gallery.
"Will you join us, please.â€
Quickly Cha Thrat disentangled herself from the alien chair and followed Danalta
into the ward and across to the group at the table, aware that it was now her
turn to undergo an even more searching examination, one that would establish her
professional rather than her physical fitness to practice in Sector General.
The prospect must have worried her more than she realized because the empath was
beginning to tremble again. And it was disconcerting, even frightening, to be so
close to the Cinrusskin. On Sommaradva, large insects were to be avoided because
they invariably possessed lethal stings. Her instincts told her to swat or run
away from this one. She had hated insects and always avoided looking closely at
them. Now she had no choice.
But there was a subtle visual attraction in the intricate symmetry of the
extraordinarily fragile body and trembling limbs, whose dark sheen seemed to be
reflecting colors that were not present in the room. The head was an alien,
convoluted eggshell, so finely structured that the sensory and manipulatory
organs that it supported seemed ready to fall off at the first sudden movement.
But it was the complex structure and coloration of the partially folded wings,
seemingly made of iridescent gossamer stretched across a framework of impossibly
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thin twigs, that made her realize that, alien or not, this insectwas one of the
most beautiful creatures she had ever-seen—and she couid see it very clearly
because its limbs] were no longer trembling.
"Thank you again, Cha Thrat," the empath said. "Youi learn quickly. And don't
worry. We are your friends and| are wishing for your success."
,_Edaneit's feet were making irregular clicking noises
against the floor, a sound that might possibly be indicating impatience. It
said, "Please present your patient,1 Doctor.â€
For a moment she looked down at the Earth-human,: at the pink, oddly formed
alien body that, as a result of the accident, had become so familiar to her. She
remembered how it had looked when she first saw it: the bleeding, open wounds
and the fractured, protruding bones; the general condition that strongly
indicated the immediate use of comforting medication until casualty termination.
Even now she could not find the words to explain why she had not ended this
Earth-human's life. She looked up again at the Cinrusskin.
Prilicla did not speak, but she felt as if waves of reassurance and
encouragement were emanating from the little empath. That was a ridiculous idea,
of course, and probably the result of wishful and not very lucid thinking, but
she felt comforted nonetheless.
"This patient," Cha Thrat said calmly, "was one of three occupants of an
aircraft that crashed into a mountain lake. A Sommaradvan pilot and another
Earth-human were taken from the wreck before it sank, but they were already
dead. The patient was taken ashore and looked at by a healer who was
insufficiently qualified, and, knowing that I was spending a recreation period
in the area, he sent for me.
"The patient had sustained many incised and lacerated wounds to the limbs and
torso caused by violentcontact with the metal of the aircraft," she went on.
"There was continuing blood loss. Differences in the appearance of the limbs on
the right and left sides indicated the presence of multiple fractures, one of
which was visible where it projected through the tegument of the left leg. There
was no evidence of blood coming from the patient's breathing and speaking
orifices, so it was assumed that no serious injuries had been sustained in the
lung and abdominal areas. Naturally, very careful consideration had to be given
before I agreed to take the case." "Naturally," Edanelt said. "You were faced
with treating a member of an off-planet species, one possessing a physiology and
metabolism of which you had no previous experience. Or had you previous
experience? Did you consider sending for same-species medical assistance?â€
"I had not seen an Earth-human before that time," Cha Thrat replied. "I knew
that one of their ships was in orbit around Sommaradva and that the process of
establishing friendly contact was well advanced. I had heard that they were
traveling widely among our principal cities, and that they often used our air
transport, presumably to gain some experience of our level of technology. I sent
a message to the nearest city hoping that they would relay it to the
Earth-humans, but it was unlikely that it would arrive in time. The area is
remote, mountainous, heavily forested, and thinly populated. The facilities were
limited and time was short.â€
"I understand," Edanelt said. "Describe your procedure.â€
Remembering, Cha Thrat looked again at the network of scars and the dark,
contused areas where the subder-mal bleeding had not completely dispersed.
"At the time of treatment I was not aware of the fact that native pathogens have
no effect on life-forms which evolved on a different planet, and it seemed to me
thatthere was a grave danger of infection. It was also thought] that Sommaradvan
medication and anesthetics would bel ineffective if not lethal. The only
indicated procedur^. was to thoroughly irrigate the wounds, particularly those]
associated with the fractures, with distilled water. While j reducing the
fractures, some minor repairs were required to damaged blood vessels in the
area. The incised, wounds were sutured, covered, and the fractured limbs |
immobilized. The work was done very quickly because the patient was conscious
and...â€
"Not for long," Chiang said in a low voice. "I passed out.â€
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"... and the pulse seemed weak and irregular," she went on, "even though I
didn't know the normal rate. The only means available to counteract shock and
the effects of blood loss were external heating, provided by wood fires placed
downwind so that smoke and ash would not contaminate the operative field, and
pure water given intravenously when consciousness was lost. 1 was unsure whether
our saline solution would be beneficial or toxic. I realize now that I was being
overcautious, but I did not want to risk losing a limb.â€
"Naturally," Edanelt said. "Now describe your postoperative treatment.â€
"The patient regained consciousness late that evening," Cha Thrat went on. "It
appeared to be mentally and verbally lucid, although the exact meaning of some
words were unclear since they referred to the consigning of the faulty aircraft,
the whole current situation, and myself to some hypothetical but extremely
unpleasant afterlife. Since the native edible vegetation was likely to prove
harmful, only water administered orally could be given. The patient complained
of severe discomfort at the site of the wounds. Native pain-relief medication
could not be given because it might prove toxic, so thatthe condition could only
be treated, however inadequately, by verbal reassurance and encouragement—â€
"For three days she never stopped talking," Chiang said. "Asking questions about
my work, and what I would be doing after I returned to active duty, when I was
pretty sure that I would be returning in a box. She talked so much, sometimes,
that I just fell asleep.â€
There was a slight tremor apparent in Prilicla's limbs. Cha Thrat wondered if
the Cinrusskin was sensitive even to the Earth-human's remembered pain.
She resumed. "In response to several urgent requests, five members of the
patient's species, one of whom was a healer, arrived with supplies of suitable
food and supportive medication. Progress toward recovery was rapid thereafter.
The Earth-human healer gave advice on diet and medication dosage, and it was
free to examine the patient at any time, but I would not allow further surgical
intervention. I should explain that on Sommaradva, a surgeon will not share or
in any other way avoid personal responsibility for a patient. There was strong
criticism, both personal and professional, of my standpoint, particularly from
the Earth-human healer. I would not allow the patient to be moved to its ship
until eighteen days after the operation, when I was convinced that full
recuperation was assured.â€
"She watched over me," Chiang said, barking softly, "like an old mother hen.â€
There was silence for what seemed to Cha Thrat to be a very long time, during
which everyone looked at the Melfan while it regarded the patient. It was
tapping one hard-tipped leg against the floor, but the sound it made was a
thoughtful rather than an impatient one.
Finally it said, "Without immediate surgical attention you would undoubtedly
have died as a result of your injuries, and you were fortunate indeed to receive
thenecessary attention from an entity completely unfamiliar j with your
physiological classification. Fortunate, too, in that the entity concerned was
not only skilled, resource-, ful, and deeply concerned with your aftercare, but
made the proper use of the limited facilities available to it. I can find no
serious fault with the surgical work performed here, and the patient is, indeed,
wasting the hospital's time.â€
Suddenly they were all looking at her, but it was the empath who spoke first.
"From Edanelt," Prilicla said, "that is praise indeed.â€
Chapter 3
THE private office of the Earth-human O'Mara was large, but the floor area was
almost entirely covered by a variety of chairs, benches, recliners and frames
designed for the use of the entities having business with the Chief
Psychologist. Chiang took the indicated Earth-human chair and Cha Thrat chose a
low, convoluted cage that looked as if it might not be too uncomfortable, and
sat down.
She saw at once that O'Mara was an old Earth-human. The short, bristling fur
covering the top and sides of its head, and the two thick crescents above its
eyes, were the gray color of unpainted metal. But the heavy muscle structure
apparent in the shoulders, upper limbs, and hands was not that of the other aged
Earth-humans she had seen. The flexible, fleshy covers of its eyes, which were
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similar in color to its hair, did not droop as it studied her in every physical
detail.
"You are a stranger among us, Cha Thrat," it said abruptly. "1 am here to help
you feel less strange, to answer questions you have been unable or unwilling to
ask of others, and to see how your present abilities can be trained^and extended
so that they may be put to the best possible use by the hospital.â€
It turned its attention to Chiang. "My intention was to interview you
separately, but for some reason you wish to be present during my initial talk
with Cha Thrat. Can it be that you have heard, and believed, some of the things
the staff say about me? Do you have delusions of being a gentleman and Cha Thrat
a lady, albeit of a different physiological classification, who if not actually
in distress is a friend in need of moral support? Is that it,Major?â€
Chiang barked quietly but did not speak.
"A question," Cha Thrat said. "Why do Earth-humans make that strange
barking sound?â€
O'Mara turned its head to regard her for a long moment, then it exhaled loudly
and said, "I had expected your first question to be more... profound. But very
well. The sound is called laughing, not barking, and in most cases it is a
psychophysical mechanism for the release of minor degrees of tension. An
Earth-human laughs because of a sudden relief from worry or fear, or to express
scorn or disbelief or sarcasm, or in response to words or a situation that is
ridiculous, illogical, or funny, or out of politeness when the situation or
words are nor funny but the person responsible is of high rank. I shall not even
try to explain sarcasm or the Earth-human sense of humor to you, because we
don't fullyunderstand them ourselves. For reasons that will become clearer the
longer you stay here, I rarely laugh.â€
For some reason Chiang barked—laughed—again.
Ignoring it, O'Mara went on. "Senior Physician Edan-elt is satisfied regarding
your professional competence and suggests that I assign you to a suitable ward
as soon as possible. Before that happens you must become more familiar with the
layout, operation, and work of the hospital. You will find that it is a very
dangerous and frightening place to the uninformed. At present, that is you.â€
"I understand," Cha Thrat said.
"The people who will impart this very necessary information," it went on, "are
of many different physiological types and medical and technical specialities.
They will range from Diagnosticians, Senior Physicians, and healers like, or
totally unlike, yourself, to nursing staff, and laboratory and maintenance
technicians. Some of them will be your medical or administrative superiors,
others will be nominally subordinate to you, but the knowledge they impart is
equally valuable. I'm told that you are averse to sharing patient
responsibility. While learning you may, at the discretion of the doctor in
charge, be allowed to practice, but under close supervision. Do you understand,
and agree?â€
"1 do," Cha Thrat said unhappily. It was going to be her first year in the
School for Warrior-Surgeons on Sommaradva all over again but, hopefully, without
the attendant nonmedical problems.
"This interview," O'Mara went on, "will not decide whether or not you are
accepted as a permanent member of the hospital staff. I cannot tell you what or
what not to do in every situation that will arise; you must learn by observation
and attention to the words of your tutors and decide that for yourself. But if
there are really serious problems that you are unable to solve for yourself,
youmay come to me for guidance. Naturally, the fewer visits you make to this
office the better disposed I shall feel toward you. I shall be receiving
continuous reports on your progress, or lack of it, and it is these that will
decide whether or not you remain here.â€
It paused briefly and moved the digits of one hand through*the short gray
head-fur. She watched carefully but saw no sign of dislodged parasites, and
decided that the movement was an unthinking one.
"This interview," O'Mara continued, "is intended to explore some of the
nonmedical aspects of your treatment of Chiang. In the short time available I
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would like to learn as much as possible about you as a person: your feelings,
motivations, fears, likes, and dislikes, that sort of thing. Is there any area
in which you would not want to answer questions, or would give obscure or false
answers, because of moral or parental or community tribal conditioning during
childhood or maturity? I must warn you that I am capable of detecting a lie,
even the weird and wonderfully complicated lies that some of our
extraterrestrials tell, but it takes time and 1 have none of thatto waste.â€
She thought for a moment, then said, "There are matters involving sexual
encounters that I would rather not discuss, but all other answers will be
complete andtruthful.â€
"Good!" O'Mara said. "I have no intention of entering that area and, hopefully,
may never have to do so. At present I am interested in your thoughts and
feelings between the time you first saw your patient and the decision to
operate, any relevant discussion between the healer who was first on the scene
and yourself, and the reason for the delay in starting the operation when you
did take charge. If you had any strong feelings at thattime, please describe and
explain them if you can, and speak as the thoughts come to you.â€
For a moment Cha Thrat tried to recall her exact feelings at the time, then she
said, "I was spending but not enjoying an enforced vacation in the area, because
I would have preferred to continue working in my hospital instead of trying to
devise ways of wasting time. When I heard of the accident I was almost pleased,
thinking at first that the survivor was a Sommaradvan, and there was proper work
for me to do. Then I saw the Earth-human's injuries and knew that the local
healer would not dare touch it because he was a healer of serviles. Even though
the survivor was not a Sommaradvan warrior, it was plainly a warrior injured in
the course of its duty.
"I am uncertain about your units of time measurement," she went on. "The crash
occurred just before sunrise, and 1 reached the shore of the lake where Chiang
had been placed shortly before the time of the morning meal. Without proper
medication or knowledge of the body structure, many things had to be considered.
The sensible course would have been to allow the survivor to bleed to death or,
out of kindness, expedite matters by immersing it in the lake...â€
She stopped for a moment because O'Mara seemed to have a temporary blockage of
the breathing passages, then she resumed. "After several examinations and
evaluations of the risks, surgery was begun early in the afternoon. At the time
I did not know that Chiang was the ruler of a ship.â€
The two Earth-humans exchanged looks, and O'Mara said, "That was five, maybe six
hours later. Do you usually take as long as that to reach a professional
decision? And would it have made any difference if you had known of Chiang's
importance?â€
"There were many risks to consider—I did not want to risk losing a limb," she
replied sharply, sensing a criticism. "And yes, it should have made a
difference. A warrior-surgeon is in the same position to a ruler as the
servile-healer is in relation to a warrior. I am forbidden to practice beyond my
qualifications. The penalties are most severe, even allowing for the
increasingly lax standards so prevalent these days. But in this instance, well,
it was a unique situation. I felt frightened, and excited, and I would probably
have acted in the same way.â€
O'Mara said, "I'm glad you don't normally practice surgery beyond your level of
competence...â€
"It's a good thing she did," Chiang said softly.
"... And your tutors will be relieved as well," O'Mara went on. "But I'm
interested in this stratification of the Sommaradvan medical profession. Can you
tell me aboutthat?â€
Puzzled by what seemed to be a nonsense question, she replied, "We are not
forbidden to talk about anything. On Sommaradva there are three levels of
persons —serviles, warriors, and rulers—and three levels of healers to care for
them...â€
At the bottom were the serviles, the people whose work was undemanding and
repetitious—important in many respects, but completely without risk. They were a
contented group, protected from gross physical damage, and the healers charged
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with their care used very simple procedures and medication such as herbs,
poultices, and other traditional remedies. The second level, less numerous than
the serviles, were the warriors, who occupied positions of responsibility and
often great physicaldanger.
There had been no war on Sommaradva for many generations, but the warrior class
had kept the name. They were the descendants of the people who had fought
toprotect their homelands, hunted for food, raised city defenses, and generally
performed the dangerous, responsible jobs while the serviles saw to their
physical needs. Now they were the engineers, technicians, and scientists who
still performed the high-risk jobs associated with mining, power generation,
large-scale construction, and the protection of rulers. For that reason the
injuries sus- \ tained by warriors were and always had been traumatic in nature,
requiring surgical intervention or repair, and this work was the responsibility
of the warrior-surgeons.
The ruler-healers had even greater responsibilities and, at times, much less
reward or satisfaction in their work.
Protected against all physical accident or injury, the ruler class were the
administrators, academics, researchers, and planners on Sommaradva. They were
the .j people charged with the smooth running of the cities and the continents
and the world, and the ills that affected them were invariably the phantasms of
the mind. Their healers dealt in wizardry, spells, sympathetic magic, and all
the other aspects of nonphysical medicine.
"Even from the earliest times the practice of healing has been so divided," Cha
Thrat concluded, "into physicians and surgeons and wizards.â€
When she finished speaking, O'Mara looked down for a moment at its hands, which
were placed palms down on its desktop, and said quietly, "It's nice to know that
I would rate the top level of the Sommaradvan medical profession, but I'm not
sure that I like being called a wizard." It looked up suddenly. "What happens if
one of your warriors or rulers gets a simple tummyache, instead of a traumatic
injury or an emotional problem? Or if a servile should accidentally break a leg?
Or what if a ser-vile or a warrior is dissatisfied and wants to better itself?â€
"The Cultural Contact people sent you a full report onall this," Chiang broke
in, "as background material on the new medic." Apologetically it added, "The
decision to send Cha Thrat was taken at the last moment, and possibly the report
arrived with us on Thromasaggar,â€
O'Mara exhaled loudly, and she wondered if it was an expression of irritation at
the interruption, then said, "And the hospital's internal mail system operates
at a speed considerably less than that of light. Please go on,Cha Thrat."^"In
the highly unlikely event of a servile having such an accident," she said, "a
request for treatment would be made to a warrior-surgeon who, depending on
assessment of the injuries, would or would not agree to do the work.
Responsibility for a patient is not taken lightly on Sommaradva, as is shown by
the delay in treating Chiang, and the loss of a life, an organ, or a limb has
serious repercussions for the surgeon.
"Should a warrior or ruler require simple medical attention," she continued, '"a
servile-healer would be instructed, and would indeed be honored, to provide
thenecessary assistance.
"If a discontented servile or warrior is able as well as ambitious," she went
on, "elevation to a higher level is possible. But the examinations are
wide-ranging and difficult, and it is much easier to remain at the level
traditionally occupied by the family or tribe or, if a release from problems and
responsibilities is desired, to go down a level. Promotions, even minor
promotions within a level, are not easy on Sommaradva.â€
"Nor are they easy here," O'Mara said. "But why did you come to Sector General?
Ambition, curiosity, or a release from problems at home?â€
This was an important question, Cha Thrat knew, and the quality and accuracy of
the answer would have an important bearing on whether or not she was accepted by
the hospital. She tried to frame the answer so that it would be accurate,
truthful, and brief, but before she could reply the ship ruler was talking
again.
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"We were grateful to Cha Thrat for saving my life," Chiang said, speaking very
quickly, "and we told her colleagues and superiors so in no uncertain language.
The subject of treatment by other-species medics came up, and Sector General,
where it was the rule rather than the exception. It was suggested to us, and we
agreed, that Cha Thrat should come here. The Sommaradvan cultural contact is
going very well and we didn't want to risk offending, perhaps insulting, them by
refusing.
"I realize that we bypassed the normal candidate selection procedure," it
continued. "But her already-proven ability to perform other-species surgery, on-
me, made us sure that you would be interested in—â€
O'Mara was holding up one hand, and it had not taken its attention from Cha
Thrat while the other Earth-human had been speaking. It said, "Is this a
political appointment, then, which we must accept whether we like it or not? But
the original question remains. Why did you want to come here?â€
"I didn't want to come here," she replied. "I was sent.â€
Chiang covered its eyes suddenly with one hand, a gesture she had never seen it
make before. O'Mara looked at her for a moment, then said, "Explain.â€
"When the warriors of the Monitor Corps told us of the many different
intelligent species who make up the Galactic Federation," she replied, "and
talked to me at great length about Sector General, where I could meet and work
with many of these life-forms, I was curious and interested, but much too
frightened by the prospect of meeting not one but nearly seventy different
species to risk undergoing an experience that might give me a ruler's disease. I
told everyone who would listen my feelings, and reminded them of my utter lack
of competence in relation to the level of surgery practiced here. I was not
pretending to modesty. I really was, and am, ignorant. Because I was warrior
level, I could not be forced, but it was strongly suggested by my colleagues and
local rulers that I come.â€
"Ignorance can be a temporary condition," O'Mara said. "And it must have been a
pretty strong suggestion. Why was it made?â€
"In my hospital I am respected but not liked," she went on, hoping that the
anger in her voice was not reproduced by the translator. "In spite of being one
of the first female warrior-surgeons, an innovation in itself, 1 am a
traditionalist. I will not tolerate the reduced standards of professional
behavior that are becoming increasingly prevalent, and I am critical of
colleagues and superiors alike if they become lax. It was suggested to me that
if I did not take advantage of the opportunity being offered by the
Earth-humans, there would be a continuing increase of the nonmaterial pressures
associated with my work as a surgeon. The situation was too complex for me to
describe briefly, but my rulers made suggestions to the Monitor Corps, who were
very reassuring and persuasive. The Earth-humans pulled while my superiors
pushed, and I am here.
"Now that I am here," she ended, "I shall use my limited abilities, under
direction, as best I can.â€
O'Mara was looking at the ship ruler now. Chiang had taken its hand away from
its eyes, but its pink face was a deeper color than she had ever seen before.
"The Sommaradvan contact was widening nicely,†Chiang said, "but it was at a
delicate stage. We didn't | want to risk refusing what seemed to them to be such
a small favor. And anyway, we were pretty sure that they were giving Cha Thrat a
hard time and we—I—thought she would be happier here.â€
"So," O'Mara said, still looking at the ship ruler, whose face was now an even
deeper shade of pink, "we have not only a political appointee but an unwilling
volunteer and possibly a misfit. And, out of a misplaced sense of gratitude, you
tried to conceal the true situation from me. That's great!â€
It turned to face Cha Thrat again and said, "I appreciate your truthfulness.
This material will be useful in the preparation of your psych profile but it
does not, in spite of what your misguided friend may think, preclude your
acceptance by the hospital provided the other requirements are satisfied. Those
you will learn during training, which will begin first thing in our morning.â€
The words were coming faster than before, as if O'Mara's time for talking were
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limited, as ;t went on. "In the outer office you will be given an information
package, maps, class schedules, general rules, and advice, all printed in the
most widely used language on Sommar-adva. Some of our trainees will tell you
that their first and most difficult test was finding their rooms.
"Good luck, Cha Thrat.â€
As she was picking her way between the alien furniture toward the door, O'Mara
was saying "I'm primarily interested in your postoperative emotional condition,
Major Chiang. Have there been any waking fears, recurrent nightmares,
unexplained episodes of tension, with or without accompanying perspiration,
associated with the operation? Any feelings of drowning, strangulation,
increasing and unreasoning fear of the dark?...â€
Truly, she thought, O'Mara was a great wizard.
In the outer office, the Earth-human Braithwaite gave verbal as well as printed
advice together with a white band to wear on one of her upper arms. It signified
to all that she was a trainee, it said, laughing, and likely to become confused
and lost. Should that happen she could ask any member of the hospital staff for
directions. It, too, ended by wishing her well.
Finding the way to her room was a nightmare worse, she was sure, than any that
Chiang might be relating to O'Mara. She needed directions on two occasions, and
each time she asked groups of the silver-furred Kelgians who seemed to be
everywhere in the hospital, rather than any of the great, lumbering monsters or
the squishy beings in chlorine envelopes who crowded past her. But on both
occasions, in spite of the respectful manner of her request, the information was
given in a most rude and abrupt fashion.
Her immediate feeling was one of severe personal offense. But then she saw that
the Kelgians were rude and short-tempered even to other members of their own
species, and she decided that it might be better not to upbraid them for their
extreme lack of politeness toward astranger.
When she at last located her room, the door was wide open and the Earth-human
Timmins was lying prone on the floor and holding a small metal box that was
making quiet noises and winking its lights.
"Just testing," Timmins said. "I'll be finished in a moment. Look around. The
operating instructions for everything are on the table. If there is anything you
don't understand, use the communicator to call Staff Training, they'll help
you." It rolled onto its back and got to its feet in a way that was physically
impossible for a Som-maradvan, and added, "What do you think of the place?â€
"I'm—I'm surprised," Cha Thrat said, feeling almostJMIWCS WHII fflshocked by its
familiarity. "And delighted. It's just likfl my quarters at home.â€
"We aim to please," Timmins said. It raised one hand! in a gesture she did not
understand, and was gone.
For a long time she moved about the small room ex-j amining the furniture and
equipment, not quite believing i what she saw and felt. She knew that
photographs and i measurements had been taken of her quarters in the war- j
rior-surgeon level at the Calgren House of Healing, but ' she had not expected
such close attention to detail in the reproduction of her favorite pictures,
wall coverings, ' lighting, and personal utilities. There were differences, too,
some obvious and others subtle, to remind her that this place, despite
appearances to the contrary, was not on her home world.
The room itself was larger and the furniture more comfortable, but there were no
joints visible in the construction. It was as if every item had been fabricated
in one piece. All the doors and drawers and fastenings in the replicas worked
perfectly, which the originals had never done, and the air smelled different—in
fact, it did not smell at all.
Gradually her initial feelings of pleasure and relief were being diluted by the
realization that this was nothing more than a tiny, familiar bubble of normality
inside a vast, alien, and terrifyingly complex structure. The fear and anxiety
she was beginning to feel were greater than she had ever experienced on her
incredibly distant home planet, and with them was a growing degree of loneliness
so acute that it felt like an intense, physical hunger.
But she was not liked or wanted on far Sommaradva, and here, at least, they had
taken positive measures to welcome her, so much so that she had to remain in
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this terrible place if only to discharge the obligation. And she would try to
learn as much as she could before the hospital rulers decided that she was
unsuitable and sent her home.
She should start learning now. Was the hunger real, she wondered, rather than
imaginary? She had not been able to eat to repletion during the earlier visit to
the dining hall because her mind had been on matters other than food. She began
to plan the route there, and to the location of her first lecture in the
morning, from her present position. But she did not feel like another trip along
the hospital's weirdly populated corridors just yet. She was very tired, and the
room had a limited-menu food dispenser for trainees who did not wish to
interrupt their studies by going to the dining hall. She referred to the list of
foods suited to her metabolism and tapped for medium-to-large portions. When she
was feeling comfortably distended, she tried to sleep.
The room and the corridor outside were full of quiet, unidentifiable sounds, and
she did not know enough to be able to ignore them. Sleep would not come and she
was beginning to feel afraid again, and to wonder if her thoughts and feelings
were of the kind to interest the wizard O'Mara, and that made her even more
fearful for her future at Sector General. While still lying at rest, physically
if not mentally, she used the ceiling projection facility of the communicator to
see what was happening on the entertainment and training channels.
According to the relevant information sheet, ten of the channels continuously
screened some of the Galactic Federation's most popular entertainment, current
interest, and drama programs with a translator output, if required. But she
discovered that while she could understand the words that the different
physiological types were saying to and about each other, the accompanying
actions were in turn horrifying, mystifying, ridicu-lous, or downright obscene
to Sommaradvan eyes. Sh switched to the training channels.
There she had a choice of watching displays of cur-rently meaningless figures
and tabulations on the temper atures, blood pressures, and pulse rates of about
fif different life-forms, or surgical operations in progress that were visually
disquieting and not calculated to luJ anyone to sleep.
In desperation, Cha Thrat tried the sound-only chan-nels. But the music she
found, even when the volums was reduced to bare audibility, sounded as if it
were coming from a piece of malfunctioning heavy machinery So it was a great
surprise when the room alarm began reminding her, monotonously and with steadily
increas-ing volume, that it was time to awaken if she required breakfast before
her first lecture.
Chapter 4
The lecturer was a Nidian who had been intro- I duced as Senior Physician
Cresk-Sar. While it was speaking, it prowled up and down the line of trainees
like some small, hairy, carnivorous beast, which meant that every few minutes it
passed Cha Thrat so closely that she wanted to either fold her limbs in
defensive mode or run away.
"To minimize verbal confusion during meetings with other-species entities," it
was saying, "and to avoid in-advertently giving offense, it is assumed that all
members of the medical and support staff who do not belong to your own
particular species are sexless. Whether you are addressing them directly or
discussing them in their absence, you will always think of them as an 'it'. The
only exception to this rule is when an other-species patient is being treated
for a condition directly related to its sex, in which case the doctor must know
whether it is male or female, or one of the multisexed species, if the proper
treatment is to be carried out.
"I am a male Nidian DBDG," Cresk-Sar went on, "but do not think of me as 'he' or
'him'. Think of me as'it'.â€
As the disgusting, hairy shape moved to within a few paces of her before turning
away again, Cha Thrat thought that she would have no difficulty in thinking of
this Senior Physician as "it.â€
With the intention of finding someone less repulsive to look at, she turned her
eyes toward the trainee closest to her—one of the three silver-furred Kelgians
attending the lecture. It was strange, she thought, how the Ni-dian's fur made
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her cringe inwardly while the equally alien covering of the Kelgian relaxed and
calmed her like a work of great art. The fur was in constant motion, with long,
slow ripples moving from the creature's conical head right down to its tail,
with occasional cross-eddies and wavelets appearing, as if the incredibly fine
pelt was a liquid stirred by an unfelt wind. At first she thought the movements
were random, but a pattern of ripples and eddies seemed to be developing the
more closely shewatched.
"What are you staring at?" the Kelgian said suddenly, its translated words
overlaid by the moaning and hissing sounds of its native speech. "Do I have a
bald patch, or something?â€
"I'm sorry, I had not meant to give offense," Cha Thrat said. "Your fur is
beautiful and I couldn't help ad-| miring it the way it moves—â€
"Pay attention, you two!" the Senior Physician saidj sharply. It moved closer,
looked up at each of them in turn, then went prowling down the line again.
"Cresk-Sar's fur," the Kelgian said softly, "is a sight.'] It makes me think
that invisible and no doubt imaginary ; parasites are about to change their
abode. It gives me a terrible psychosomatic itch.â€
This time Cresk-Sar gave them another long look, made an irritated, snuffling
sound that did aot translate, and continued with what it was saying.
"... There is a great deal of illogical behavior associated with sexual
differences," it went on, "and I must emphasize once again, unless the sex of a
particular entity has a direct bearing on its course of treatment, the subject
must be ignored if not deliberately avoided. Some of you may consider that such
knowledge of another species would be helpful, conversationally useful during
off-duty meetings or, as often happens in this place, when a particularly
interesting piece of gossip is circulating. But believe me, in this area,
ignorance is a virtue.â€
"Surely," said a Melfan trainee halfway down the line, "there are interspecies
social occasions, shared meals or lectures, when it would be a gross act of bad
manners to ignore another intelligent and socially aware person's gender. I
think that—â€
"And / think," Cresk-Sar said with a bark, or laugh, "that you are what our
Earth-human friends call a gentleman. You haven't been listening. Ignore the
difference. Consider everyone who is not of your own species as neuter. In any
case, you would have to observe some of our other-species people very closely to
tell the differ-ence, and that in itself could cause serious embarrassment. In
the case of Hudlar life-mates, who alternate between male and female mode, the
behavior patterns are quite complex.â€
"What would happen," the Keigian beside her said, "if they should go, completely
or partly, out of synchronization?â€
From the line of trainees there were a number of different sounds, none of which
registered on her translator. The Senior Physician was looking at the Kelgian,
whose fur, for some reason, had begun to move in rapid, irregular ripples.
"I shall treat that as a serious question," Cresk-Sar said, "although I doubt
that it was intended as such. Rather than answer it myself, I shall ask one of
you to do so. Would the Hudlar trainee please step forward." So that, Cha Thrat
thought, is a Hudlar. It was a squat, heavy life-form with a hard, almost
featureless dark-gray skin, discolored by patches of the dried paint she had
seen it spraying on itself before they had entered the lecture theater, and she
had decided then that it was extremely careless in its application of cosmetics.
The body was supported on six heavy tentacles, each of which terminated in a
cluster of flexible digits, curled inward so that the weight was borne on heavy
knuckles and the fingers remained clear of the floor.
There were no body openings that she could see, not even in the head, which
contained eyes protected by hard, transparent shells and a semicircular membrane
that vibrated to produce the creature's words as it turned toward them.
"It is very simple, respected colleagues," the Hudlar said. "While I am
presently male, Hudlars are all sexually neutral until puberty, after which the
direction taken is dependent on social-environmental influences,sometimes quite
subtle influences that do not involva body contact. A picture of an attractive
male-mode Hudi lar might impel one from neuter toward female mode, or the other
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way around. A conscious choice can be made if the career one intends to follow
favors a particular sexj Unless one is mated, the postpuberty sex choice is
fixed for the remainder of one's life.
"When two adults become life-mates," the Hudlar went on, "that is, when they
join for the purpose of becoming parents and not simply for temporary pleasure,
the sex changes are initiated shortly after conception. By the time the child is
born the male has become much less aggressive, more attentive and emotionally
oriented ward its mate, while its mate is beginning to lose the female
characteristics. Following parturition, the process continues, with the
father-that-was taking responsibility for the child while progressing to full
female mode, and the mother develops all the male characteristics that will
enable it to be a father-to-be.
"There is, of course, a time during which both life-mates are emotional
neuters," the Hudlar added, "but this is a period of the pregnancy when physical
coupling is contraindicated.â€
"Thank you," the Senior Physician said, but held up a small, hairy hand to
indicate that the Hudlar should remain where it was. "Any further comments,
questions?â€
It was looking at the Kelgian beside her, the one who had asked the original
question, but Cha Thrat spoke on impulse.
"It seems to me that the Hudlars are fortunate," she said, "in that they are not
troubled by the situation of the members of one sex considering themselves
innately superior to the other, as is the case on Sommaradva..
"And on too many other worlds of the Federation,†the Kelgian interjected, the
fur rising into tufts behind itshead.
"... I thank the Hudlar for its explanation," Cha Thratwent on, "but I was
surprised to find that it is presently a male. My first thought, based on
observation of what I mistakenly assumed to be cosmetic paint on its body, was
that it was female.â€
The Hudlar's speaking membrane began to vibrate, but Cresk-Sar held its hand up
for silence and said, "What are your second thoughts?â€
Confused, she stared at the hairy little creature, wondering what she was
expected to say.
"Come, come," Cresk-Sar barked. "Tell us what other thoughts, observations,
assumptions, mistaken or otherwise, have been going through your Sommaradvan
mind regarding this life-form. Think and speak clearly.â€
Cha Thrat turned all her eyes on it in a way that, had it been a Sommaradvan,
would have elicited an immediate verbal and physical response. She said, "My
first thoughts were as described. My second was that it might be Hudlar males
rather than females, or perhaps both, who wear decorative paint. Then I observed
that the being's movements were careful, as if it was afraid of injuring nearby
people and equipment, the movements of a gentle being of immense physical
strength. That taken in conjunction with the low, squat form of the body, with
six rather than two or four limbs, suggested that it was a native of a dense,
heavy-gravity world with comparable atmospheric pressure, where an accidental
fall would be damaging. The very hard but flexible skin, which is unbroken by
any permanent body orifices for the intake or elimination of food, suggested
that the paint which I had observed the Hudlar spraying onto itself might be a
nutrient solution.â€
The eyes of Cresk-Sar, and the variegated visual sen-sors of the other trainees,
were watching her steadily. Nobody spoke.
Hesitantly she added, "Another thought, wonderful and exciting but, I expect,
pure supposition, is that if this heavy-gravity, high-pressure creature can live
unprotected in the hospital surroundings, its body must be capable of containing
its own very high internal pressures, and an even lower pressure environment
should not inconvenience it. .
"It might be possible," she went on, expecting a storm of ridicule from the
Nidian Senior, "for it to work unprotected in space. This would mean that—â€
"At any moment," Cresk-Sar said, holding its hand up, "you will give me its
physiological classification coding, even though we haven't covered that yet. Is
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this the first time you've seen a Hudlar?â€
"I saw two of them in the dining hall," she replied, "but at the time I was too
confused to know what I was seeing.â€
"May your confusion continue to diminish, Cha Thrat," Cresk-Sar said. Turning
its head toward the others, it went on, "This trainee has displayed the
qualities of observation and deduction that, when trained and refined, will
enable you to live among, understand, and . treat your other-species
colleagues and patients. However, I would advise you not to think of a
particular life-form as a Nidian, a Hudlar, a Kelgian, a Melfan, or a I
Sommaradvan, that is, by their planets of origin, but by • their
physiological classifications, DBDG, FROB, DBLF, ELNT, or DCNF. That way
you will always be ; reminded of their pressure, gravity, and atmosphere
requirements, basic metabolism and other physiological needs, and know
immediately when there is a potential environmental threat to them or to
yourselves.â€
It continued, "Should a PVSJ, a chlorine-breathingnative of Illensa,
accidentally rupture its pressure envelope, the risk to the being concerned and
to any oxygen-breathing D, E, and F prefixes in the vicinity would be extreme.
And, if you are ever called to a space rescue situation, there may be times when
an urgent and accurate identification of the casualty's physiological
classification, and therefore its life-support requirements, may depend on a
single limb or small area of body surface glimpsed under shifting wreckage.
"You must train yourselves to be aware, instinctively, of all the differences of
the people around you," Cresk-Sar went on, giving a low laugh-bark, "if only to
know whom it is safe to jostle in the corridors. And now I will take you to the
wards for your initial patient experience before my next class in—â€
"What about the classification system?" said the silver-furred Kelgian—the DBLF,
Cha Thrat corrected herself—beside her. "If it is as important as you say it is,
surely you are lacking in the qualities of a teacher not to have explained it to
us.â€
Cresk-Sar walked slowly toward the speaker, and she wondered if she could
possibly reduce the verbal violence to come by asking the Senior Physician
another and more politely worded question. But for some reason the Nidian
completely ignored the DBLF and spoke instead to Cha Thrat.
"You will already have observed," it said, "that these Kelgian DBLF life-forms
are outspoken, ill-mannered, rude, and completely lacking in tact...â€
You should talk, Cha Thrat thought.
"... But there are good psychophysiological reasons for this," it went on.
"Because of inadequacies in the Kelgian speech organs, their spoken language
lacks modulation, inflection, and all emotional expression. But they are
compensated by their highly mobile fur that acts, so far as another Kelgian is
concerned, as a perfect but uncontrollable mirror to the speaker's emotional
state. As a result the concept of lying, of being diplomatic, tactful, or even
polite is completely alien to them. A DBLF says exactly what it means or feels,
because the fur reveals its feelings from moment to moment and to do otherwise
would be sheer stupidity. The opposite also holds true, because politeness and
the verbal circumlocution used by many species confuses and irritates them.
"You will find some of the personalities here as alien as the persons," it
continued. "Considering the fact that you have met only one other-species being
before your arrival here, your behavior today makes me sure that you will have
not trouble in adapting to—â€
"Teacher's pet," the DBLF said, its fur tufting into spikes. "I was the one who
asked the question, remember?â€
"That you did," Cresk-Sar replied, looking at the wall chronometer. "Tapes
covering the life-form physiological classification system will be sent to your
quarters sometime today. You must study the visual material they con- -| tain,
carefully and repeatedly, and use your translators on the spoken commentary. But
now I have time only to outline the basics of the system.â€
It turned suddenly and resumed its place facing them, > Plainly the answer to
the question was being directed,! toward everyone.
"Unless you have already been attached to one of the smaller, multienvironment
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hospitals," Cresk-Sar said, "you will normally have encountered off-world
patients one species at a time, probably on a short-term basis as a result of a
ship accident, and you would refer to them by their planets of origin. But I
must stress once again, the rapid and accurate identification of incoming
patients isvital, because all too often they are in no condition to furnish the
necessary physiological data themselves. Here we have evolved a basic,
four-letter physiological classification system that enables us to provide the
required life-support and initial treatment pending a more detailed
investigation, if that should be necessary, by Pathology. It works like this.
"The first letter denotes the level of physical evolution reached by the species
when it acquired intelligence," it continued. "The second indicates the type and
distribution of limbs, sense organs, and body orifices, and the remaining two
letters refer to the combination of metabolism and food and air requirements
associated with the home planet's gravity and atmospheric pressure, which in
turn gives an indication of the physical mass and protective tegument possessed
by the being.â€
Cresk-Sar barked softly before saying "Usually I have to remind our
other-species trainees at this point that the initial letter of their
classification should not be allowed to give them feelings of inferiority,
because the degree of physical evolution is controlled by environmental factors
and bears little relation to the degree of intelligence...â€
Species with the prefix A, B, or C, it went on to explain, were water-breathers.
On most worlds, life had originated in the sea, and these beings had developed
intelligence without having to leave it. D through F were warm-blooded
oxygen-breathers, into which group most of the intelligent races of the
Federation fell, and the G and K types were also oxygen breathing, but
insectile. The Ls and Ms were light-gravity, winged beings.
Chlorine-breathing life-forms were contained in the O and P groups, and after
these came the more exotic, the more highly evolved physically, and the
downright weird types. Into these categories fell the radiation-eaters, the
ultra-cold-blooded or crystalline beings, and entities ca-pable of modifying
their physical structure at will. However, those beings possessing extrasensory
powers, telekinesis, or teleportation sufficiently well developed to make
ambulatory or manipulatory appendages unnecessary were given the prefix V
regardless of their size, shape, or environmental background.
'There are anomalies in the system," the Senior Physician continued, "and these
must be bjamed on the lack of imagination and foresight of the originator. The
AACP life-form, for example, has a vegetable metabolism. Normally the A prefix
denotes a water-breather, there being nothing lower on our evolutionary coding
scale than the piscatorial life-forms. But the double-A prefix, the AACPs, are
mobile, intelligent vegetables, and plant life evolved before the fish.
"And now," it said, looking at the chronometer again, "you will meet some of
these weird and wonderful and perhaps horrifying creatures. It is the hospital's
policy to give you the earliest possible opportunity of getting to know and work
with the patients and staff members. Regardless of your position or seniority in
your home-planet hospitals, your rank here will be that of Junior or Trainee
Nurse—until, that is, you can convince me that your professional competence
warrants a higher rating.
"I am not easy to convince," Cresk-Sar added as it began moving toward the exit.
"Follow me, please.â€
It was not easy to follow the Senior Physician because it moved fast for such a
small being, and Cha Thrat had the feeling that the other trainees were more
experienced in navigating the hospital corridors than she was. But then she
noticed that the Hudlar—the FROB—was falling behind as well.
"For obvious reasons," the FROB said as they drew level, "the people here give
me plenty of room. If youwere to stay directly behind me, together we might
significantly increase our speed.â€
She had a sudden and shocking feeling of unreality, as if she had been plunged
into a nightmare world that was both terrifying and wonderful, a world in which
courtesy was being shown by a horrendous beast that was capable of tearing her
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apart without straining a muscle on one of its six tentacles. But even if this
were a dream, the proper response had to be made.
"You are most considerate," she said. "Thank you." The being's membrane vibrated
but the sound did not translate. Then it said, "About the nutrient paint you
noticed earlier, to complete your information and to show how close your
deductions were to the actuality, the paint is not necessary at home. There the
atmosphere is so dense and thickly packed with edible, floating organisms that
it resembles a semiliquid soup, a food source that, because of our high
metabolic rate, is absorbed continuously. As you can see, the last paint
application has almost disappeared and is due for renewal.â€
Before she could reply, one of the Kelgian DBLFs fell back and said, "I was
nearly walked on by a Tralthan just now. This looks like a good idea. There's
room for one more.â€
It moved closer to Cha Thrat so that they were both protected by the Hudlar's
massive body. Choosing her words carefully, she said, "I do not wish to give
offense, but I cannot tell the difference between one Kelgian and another. Are
you the DBLF whose fur I was admiring during the lecture?â€
"Admiring, you used the right word!" the Kelgiansaid, its fur running in
concentric waves from head totail. "Don't worry about it. If we had more than
oneSommaradvan, I couldn't tell the difference either.â€
Suddenly the Hudlar stopped and, looking past itsspeaking membrane, she saw why.
The whole group ofl trainees had halted and Cresk-Sar was beckoning to af Melfan
and the other two Kelgians.
"This is a Tralthan post-op recovery ward," it said.l You two will report here
after lectures every day until] instructed otherwise. You don't need protective
suits,; the air is breathable, and trace quantities of Tralthan) body odor
should be ignored. Go in, you're expected.â€
When the party was on its way again she noticed aJ few of the trainees detaching
themselves without being told, and assumed that they had joined the class
earlier and had already been assigned wards. One of them was her Hudlar crowd
controller. Very soon the group had shrunk until there was only the DBLF and
herself left, and Cresk-Sar was pointing at the Kelgian.
"This is a PVSJ medical ward," it said briskly. "You will be met inside the lock
antechamber and instructed in the use of your protective envelope before going
through. You will then—â€
"But they're chlorine-breathers in there!" the Kelgian protested, its fur
standing out in spikes. "Can't you give me a ward where I can at least breathe
the air? Do you try to make it as difficult as possible for the new people? What
happens if I accidentally rupture my suit?â€
"To answer your questions in turn," the Senior Physician replied, "No. You've
discovered that. And the nearby patients would have their existing injuries
complicated by oxygen contamination.â€
"What about me, stupid?â€
"You," Cresk-Sar said, "would suffer chlorine poisoning. And what the Charge
Nurse would do to you if you recovered doesn't bear thinking about.â€
She had to concentrate so hard on keeping pace with the Senior Physician as they
descended three levels, and traversed seemingly endless and overpopulated
corri-dors, that there was no chance to ask what she would be expected to do.
But then Cresk-Sar stopped at an enormous lock entrance that was visually
identified in the Galactic Federation's principal written languages—but which
did not, of course, include Sommaradvan—and answered the unasked question.
"This is the hospital's AUGL ward," it said. "You will find that the patients,
all natives of the ocean work! of Chalderescol, are among the most visually
fearsome beings you are ever likely to encounter. But they are harmless so long
as you—â€
"The A prefix^" Cha Thrat broke in urgently, "denotes water-breathers.â€
"Correct," the Nidian said. "What's wrong? Is there a problem O'Mara didn't tell
me about? Are you uncomfortable or afraid in water?â€
"No," Cha Thrat said. "1 enjoy swimming, on the surface. The problem is my lack
of a protective garment.â€
Cresk-Sar barked and said, "There is no problem. The more complex protective
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equipment for heavy-gravity, high-pressure, and elevated temperature work needs
time to produce, but a simple, water-impermeable, contoured envelope with air
and communication systems is an easy job for the fabricator. Your suit is
waiting for youinside.â€
This time the Senior Physician went with her, explaining that, as she was a new
life-form to the hospital, it had to ensure that her equipment functioned
properly and comfortably. But in the event, it was the being waiting for them in
the lock antechamber who immediately took charge and did all the talking.
"Cha Thrat," it said briskly, "I am Charge Nurse Hredlichli, a PVSJ. Your
protective envelope is in two pieces. Climb into the lower half, pulling on one
leg at a time, in whichever order you find most convenient,using the heavier
arms encircling your waist. Use the same four arms to pull on the top half,
inserting the head; and four shoulder-mounted arms first. You will think that
the limb end-sections are small, but this is to ensure a tight fit and maximum
sensitivity for the digits. Don't seal the waist joint until you know that your
air supply is working. When you are sealed in, I'D show you the systems checks
that must be performed at every dressing. Then you will remove the envelope and
put it on again, repeating the process until we are both happy with your
performance. Please begin.â€
Hredlichli circled her, giving advice and directions during the first three
dressings, and then seemed to ignore her while it talked to the Senior
Physician. The spiney, membraneous body, looking like a haphazard collection of
oily, unhealthy vegetation, was obscured by the yellow chlorine fog inside the
being's protective envelope. It was impossible to tell where the Charge Nurse's
attention was directed, because Cha Thrat had been unable to locate its eyes.
"We are seriously understaffed at present," Hredlichli was saying, "with three
of my best nurses on special post-op recovery cases to the exclusion of all
else. Are you hungry?â€
Cha Thrat felt that the question was for her, but was unsure of the type of
answer to give—the subservient, self-negating reply expected by a ruler or the
accurate, truthful kind due a warrior-level colleague. Ignorant as she was of
Hredlichli's exact status, she did her best to combine the two.
"I am hungry," she replied, using the opportunity to test her suit's
communicator, "but the condition is not yet so advanced that it would impair me
physically.â€
"Good!" said Hredlichli. "As a junior-in-training you will soon discover that
practically everyone and every-thing takes precedence over you. If this causes
emotional tension, which may be expressed as verbal resentment or anger, try not
to release it until you are out of my ward. You will be allowed to visit your
dining hall, for a strictly limited period, as soon as someone returns to
relieve you. And now I think you know how your suit works...â€
Cresk-Sar turned toward the entrance. Lifting one tiny, hairy hand, it said,
"Good luck, Cha Thrat.â€
"... So we'll go inside to the Nurses' Station," it went on, seeming to ignore
the departing Nidian. "Double-check your suit seals and follow me.â€
She found herself in a surprisingly small compartment that had one transparent
wall giving a view into a dim green world where the difference between the
inhabitants and the decorative vegetation designed to make them feel at home was
unclear. The other three sides of the room were covered by storage units,
monitor screens, and equipment whose purpose she could not even guess at. The
entire ceiling was devoted to brightly colored signs and geometrical shapes.
"We have a very good staff and patient safety record in this ward," the Charge
Nurse went on, "and I don't want you to spoil it. Should you damage your suit
and be in danger of drowning, however, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is not
advisable between oxygen- and chlorine-breathers, so you must move quickly to
one of the emergency air chambers marked so"—she indicated one of the ceiling
designs—"and await rescue. But the accident, or should I say the serious
inconvenience, that you must guard against is pollution by patient body wastes.
Filtration or replacement of the water volume in a ward this size is a major
maintenance operation that would hamper our work and get us talked about in
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derogatory fashion all over the hospital.â€
"I understand," Cha Thrat said.
Why had she come to this awful place, she wondered, ] and could she justify to
herself her immediate resignation? In spite of the warnings from O'Mara and
Cresk-Sar that she would be starting at the lowest level, this was not work for
a Sommaradvan warrior-surgeon. If word of what she was expected to do were to
get back to her erstwhile colleagues, she would be forced into the life of a
recluse. But these people were not likely to tell her people about it because,
to them, such activities were so commonplace as to be unworthy of mention.
Perhaps she would be found unsuitable or incompetent and dismissed from the
hospital with this demeaning and unpleasant episode secret and her honor intact.
But she was dreading what was coming next.
But it was not nearly as bad as she had expected.
"The patients usually know in advance when they need to evacuate," Hredlichli
went on, "and will call the nurse with time to spare. Should you be called for
this purpose, the equipment you require is stored in the compartment with its
door marked like this." A frondlike arm appeared inside its protective envelope,
pointing to another distinctively marked panel on the ceiling, then to its
distant, brightly lit twin that shone through the green dimness of,the ward. It
went on, "But don't worry, the patient will know all about the operation of the
equipment and will prefer to help itself. Most of them dislike using the thing,
you'll find that Chalders embarrass easily, and any who are not immobilized will
prefer to use the room marked with that symbol. It is a long, narrow compartment
barely large enough to contain one Chalder and is operated by the user.
Extraction and filtration of the wastes is automatic, and if anything goes wrong
it is a Maintenance problem.â€
Hredlichli's appendage rose again to point toward theconfusion of shapes at the
other end of the ward. "If you need help with a patient, ask Nurse Towan. Most
of its time is being spent with a seriously ill patient, so don't distract it
unnecessarily. Later today I shall instruct you on the Chalder optimum pulse
rate, pressure, and body temperature, and how and where to obtain them. The
vital signs are taken and recorded at regular intervals, the frequency depending
on the condition of the patient. You will also be shown how to sterilize and
dress surgical wounds, which is not a simple job on a water-breather, and in a
few days you may be allowed to do it yourself. But first you must get to know
your patients.â€
The appendage was pointing at a doorless opening into the main ward. A sudden
paralysis seemed to be affecting all twelve of Cha Thrat's limbs, and she tried
desperately to delay any movement by asking questions. "Nurse Towan," she said.
"What species is it?" "An AMSL," the Charge Nurse replied. "A Creppel-lian
octopoid, and Sector General qualified, so you have nothing to worry about. The
patients know that we are being assigned a new-species trainee and are expecting
you. Your body configuration is well suited to the water medium, so I suggest
that you go in and begin by teaching yourself how to move about the ward.â€
"Please, a further question," Cha Thrat said desperately. "The AMSL is a
water-breather. Why aren't all of the medical attendants here water-breathers?
Wouldn't it be simpler if they were Chalders, the same species astheir
patients?â€
"You haven't even met a patient and already you're trying to reorganize the
ward!" Hredlichli said, producing another appendage from somewhere and
gesticulating with them both. "There are two reasons why we don't do as you
suggest. One is that very large patients can be effectively treated by small
medics, and SectorGeneral was designed with precisely that situation in mind.
The second is structural. Personnel accommodation and recreation space is at a
premium here, and can you imagine how much of it would be taken up by the
life-support requirements of, say, a basic medical and nursing staff of one
hundred water-breathing Chalders?"But enough of this," the Charge Nurse said
impatiently. "Go into the ward and act as if you know what you're doing. We'll
talk later. If I don't go for lunch this instant, they'll find me in a corridor
dead from malnutrition ...â€
It seemed like a very long time before she was able to venture into the green
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immensity of the ward, and then she swam only as far as a structural support
less than five body-lengths from the entrance. The harsh, angular contours of
the metal had been visually softened by irregular areas of paint and the
attachment of artificial foliage, Cha Thrat saw as she swam around it, no doubt
to make it resemble the vegetation of the home world.
Hredlichli had been right; she was able to adapt quickly to movement in water.
When she kicked out with her feet and simultaneously swept the four mid-arms
downward, she spurted forward and coasted for three body-lengths. When one or
two of the mid-arms were held steady and the hands angled, quite delicate
directional and positional control was possible. Previously she had never been
able to remain under water for more than a few moments, and she was beginning to
really enjoy the sensation. She continued to circle the structural member,
moving up and down its entire length and examining the artificial vegetation
even more closely. There were clusters of what could have been underwater fruit,
which glowed with multihued light at her approach, revealing themselves to be a
part of the ward lighting system. But the pleasures of discovery were
short-lived.
One of the long, dark-green, motionless shadows lying along the floor of the
ward had detached itself and was rushing silently toward her. It slowed, took
monstrous, terrifying, three-dimensional form and began to circle her slowly as
she had been circling the structuralsupport.
The creature was like an enormous, armored fish with a heavy, knife-edged tail,
a seemingly haphazard arrangement of stubby fins, and a thick ring of ribbon
tentacles projecting from the few gaps in its organic body-armor. The tentacles
lay flat along its sides when it was moving forward, but they were long enough
to reach beyond the thick, blunt wedge of the head. One tiny, lidless eye
watched her as it circled closer.
Suddenly the head divided to reveal a vast pink cavern of a mouth edged with row
upon row of enormous white teeth. It drifted closer, so that she could even see
the periodic fogging of the water around its gills. The mouth opened even wider.
"Hello, Nurse," it said shyly.
Chapter 5
ChaThrat was not sure whether the AUGL ward's duty roster had been drawn up by
Charge Nurse Hredlichli or a seriously deranged computer overlooked by the
Maintenance staff, and she could not ask without calling into question someone's
level of mental compe-tence. It was unbalanced, she thought, whether "it" re*i
ferred to the roster, some anonymous Maintenance entity, or Hredlichli itself.
After six days and two and a half nights darting about like an overworked minnow
among her outsized Chalders, she had been given two whole days in which she
could do whatever she liked— provided that part of the free time was spent at
her studies.
The proportion suggested by their noxious Nidian tutor, Cresk-Sar, was
ninety-nine percent.
Sector General's corridors held fewer terrors for her now, and she was trying to
decide whether to go exploring or continue studying when her door signal
sounded.
"Tarsedth?" she called. "Come in.â€
"I hope that question refers to my purpose in calling," the Kelgian trainee said
as it undulated into the room, "and not another expression of doubt regarding my
ideality. You should know me by new!â€
Cha Thrat also knew that no reply was often the best reply.
The DBLF came to a halt in front of the viewscreen and went on. "What's that, an
ELNT lower mandible? You're lucky, Cha Thrat. You've gotten the hang of this
physiological classification business a lot faster than the rest of us, or is it
just that you study every waking minute? When Cresk-Sar pulled that three-second
visual on us and you identified it as a blow-up of an FGLI large metatarsal and
phalange before the picture was off the screen—â€
"You're right, I was lucky," Cha Thrat broke in. "We had Diagnostician
Thornnastor in the ward two days earlier. There was a small misunderstanding, a
piece of clumsiness on my part, while we were presenting the patient for
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examination. For a few moments I had a veryclose look at a Tralthan large toe
while the foot was trying not to step on me.â€
"And I suppose Hredlichli jumped on you with all five of those squishy things it
uses for feet?â€
"It told me..." Cha Thrat began, but Tarsedth's mouth and fur had not stopped
moving.
"I'm sorry for you," it went on. "That is one tough chlorine-breather. It was
Charge Nurse on my PVSJ ward before it applied for other-species duty with the
Chalders, and I've been told all about it, including something that happened
between it and a PVSJ Senior Physician on Level Fifty-three. I wish I knew what
did happen. They tried to explain it to me but who knows what is right, wrong,
normal, or utterly scandalous behavior where chlorine-breathers are concerned?
Some of the people in this hospital are strange.â€
Cha Thrat stared for a moment at the thirty-limbed, silvery body that sat like a
furry question mark in front of the viewscreen. "I agree," she said.
Returning to the original question, Tarsedth said, "Are you in trouble with
Hredlichli? About your clumsiness when a Diagnostician was in the ward, I mean?
Will it report you to Cresk-Sar?â€
"I don't know," Cha Thrat replied. "After we'd finished the evening surgical
round, it said that I should take myself out of its sight for the next two days,
and no doubt I would enjoy that as much as it would. Did I tell you that it
allows me to change some of the surgical dressings now? Under its supervision,
of course, and the wounds concerned are almost healed.â€
"Well," Tarsedth said, "your trouble can't be too serious if it's having you
back again. What are you going to do with your two days? Study?â€
"Not all the time," she replied. "1 want to explore the hospital, the areas
where my protective suit will take me,that is. Cresk-Sar's high-speed tour and
lecture sessions don't give me enough time to stop and ask questions.â€
The Kelgian dropped another three or four sets of limbs to the floor, a clear
indication that it was about to leave.
"You'll be living dangerously, Cha Thrat," it said. "I'm content to learn about
this medical madhouse a little at a time; that way I'm less likely to end up as
one of the casualties. But I've been told that the recreation level is well
worth a visit. You could start your explorations from there. Coming?â€
"Yes," she said. "There at least the heavies will be relaxing and at rest, and
not charging along the corridors like mobile disasters waiting to happen to us.â€
Later, Cha Thrat was to wonder how she could have been so wrong.
The signs over the entrance read:recreation level, species DBDG, DBLF, DBPK,
DCNF, EGCL, ELNT, FGLI, & FROB. species GKMN & GLNO at own risk.
For members of the staff whose written languages were not represented, the same
information was repeated endlessly via translator.
"DCNF," Tarsedth said. "They've got your classification up there already.
Probably a routine updating by Personnel.â€
"Probably," Cha Thrat said. But she felt very pleased and, for the first time,
important.
After days spent in crowded hospital corridors, her tiny room, and the even more
cramped confines of the suit she had to wear in the tepid, green depths of the
AUGL ward, the sheer size of the place made her feel insecure and unsteady. But
the spaciousness, the opensky, and the long distances were apparent rather than
real, she soon realized, and the initial shock diminished quickly to become a
feeling of pleased surprise.
Trick lighting and some inspired landscaping had given the recreation level its
illusion of tremendous spaciousness. The overall effect was of a small tropical
beach enclosed on two sides by cliffs and open to a sea that stretched out to a
horizon rendered indistinct by heat haze. The sky was blue and cloudless, and
the water of the bay was deep blue shading to turquoise where the waves ran onto
the bright, golden sand of the beach.
Only the light from the artificial sun, which was too reddish for Cha Thrat's
taste, and the alien greenery fringing the beach and cliffs kept it from looking
like a tropical bay anywhere on Sommaradva.
But then, space was at a premium in Sector General, she had been told before her
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first visit to the dining hall, and the people who worked together had to eat
together. Now it seemed that they were expected to play togetheras well.
"Realistic cloud effects are difficult to reproduce," Tarsedth volunteered, "so
rather than risk them looking artificial, they don't bother trying. The
Maintenance person who suggested I come here told me that. It also said that the
best thing about the place was that the gravity was maintained at half
Earth-normal, which is close enough to half Kelgia- and Sommaradva-normal. The
people who like to rest actively can be more active, and the others find the
sand softer to lie on—Watch out!â€
Three Tralthans on a total of eighteen massive feet went thundering past them
and plowed into the shallows, scattering sand and spray over a wide area. The
half-G conditions that allowed the normally slow and ponderous FGLIs to jump
about like bipeds also kept the sand theyhad disturbed airborne for a long time
before it settled back to the beach. Some of it had not settled because Cha
Thrat was still trying to blink it out of her eyes.
"Over there," Tarsedth said. "We can shelter between the FROB and the two ELNTs.
They don't look as if they are very active resters.â€
But Chat Thrat did not feel like lying still and doing nothing but absorb
artificial sunlight. She had too much on her mind, too many questions of the
kind that could not be asked without the risk of giving serious offense, and she
had found in the past that strenuous physical activity rested the
mind—sometimes.
She watched a steep, low-gravity wave roll in and break on the beach. Not all of
the turbulence in the bay was artificial—it varied in proportion to the number,
size, and enthusiasm of the swimmers. The most favored sport, especially among
the heaviest and least streamlined life-forms, was jumping into the bay from one
of the springboards set into the cliff face. The boards, which seemed to her to
be dangerously high until she remembered the reduced gravity, could be reached
through tunnels concealed within the cliff. One board, the highest of them'all,
was solidly braced and without flexibility, probably to avoid the risk of an
overenthu-siastic diver fracturing its cranium on the artificial sky.
"Would you like to swim?" she asked suddenly. "That is, I mean, if DBLFs can.â€
"We can, but I won't," the Kelgian said, deepening the sandy trench it had
already dug for itself. "It would leave my fur plastered flat and unable to move
for the rest of the day. If another DBLF came by I wouldn't be able to talk to
it properly. Lie down. Relax.â€
Cha Thrat folded her two rear legs and gently collapsed into a horizontal
position, but it must have beenobvious even to her other-species friend that she
was not relaxed.
"Are you worried about something?" Tarsedth asked, its fur rippling and tufting
in concern. "Cresk-Sar? Hred-lichli? Your ward?â€
Cha Thrat was silent for a moment, wondering how a Sommaradvan warrior-surgeon
could explain the problem to a member of a species whose cultural background was
completely different, and who might even be a servile. But until she was sure of
Tarsedth's exact status, she would consider the Kelgian her professional equal,
and speak.
"I do not wish to offend," she said carefully, "but it seems to me that, in
spite of the wide-ranging knowledge we are expected to acquire, the strange and
varied creatures we care for, and the wonderful devices we use to do it, our
work is repetitious, undignified, without personal responsibility, invariably
performed under direction, and well, servile. We should be doing something more
important with our time, or such a large proportion of it, than conveying body
wastes from the patients to the disposal facility.â€
"So that's what's bothering you," Tarsedth said, twisting its conical head in
her direction. "A deep, incised wound to the pride.â€
Cha Thrat did not reply, and it went on. "Before I left Kelgia I was a nursing
superintendent responsible for the nursing services on eight wards. Same-species
patients, of course, but at lettst I had come up through nursing. Some of the
other trainees, yourself included, were doctors, so I can imagine how they—and
you—feel. But the servile condition is temporary. It will be relieved when or if
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we complete our training to Cresk-Sar's satisfaction. Try not to worry about it.
You are learning other-speciesmedicine, if you excuse the expression, from the
bottom up.
"Try taking more interest in the other end of the patient," Tarsedth added,
"instead of concerning yourself with the plumbing all the time. Talk to them and
try to understand how their minds work.â€
Cha Thrat wondered how she could explain to the Kelgian, who was a member of
what seemed to be an advanced but utterly disorganized and classless
civilization, that there were things that a warrior-surgeon should and should
not do. Even though the medical fraternity on Sommaradva could not have cared
less what happened to her, in Sector General she had been forced by
circumstances into behavior that was wrong, in both the negative and positive
sense, for someone of her professional status. She was acting above and below
her level of competence, and it worried her.
"I do talk to them," she said. "One especially, and it says that it likes
talking to me. I try not to favor any particular patient, but this one is more
distressed than the others. I shouldn't be talking to it as I'm not qualified to
treat it, but nobody else can or will do anything for the patient.â€
Tarsedth's fur rippled with concern. "Is it terminal?" "I don't know. I don't
think so," Cha Thrat replied. "It's been a ward patient for a very long time.
Seniors examine it sometimes with advanced trainees present, and Thornnastor
spoke to it when the Diagnostician was in the ward with another patient, but not
to ask about its condition. I haven't access to its case history, but I'm pretty
sure that the medication prescribed for it is palliative rather than curative.
It is not neglected or ill treated so much as politely ignored. I'm the only one
who will listen to its symptoms, so it talks to me at every opportu-nity. I
shouldn't talk to it, not until I know what's wrong with it, because I'm not
qualified.â€
The movement of Tarsedth's fur settled down to a more even rhythm as it said,
"Nonsense! Everybody is qualified to talk, and a bit of verbal sympathy and
encouragement can't harm your patient. But if its condition is incurable, your
ward water would be teeming with Diagnosticians and Seniors intent on proving
otherwise. That's the way things work here; nobody gives up on anybody. And your
patient's problem will give you something to think about while you do the less
attractive jobs. Or don't you want to talk to it?â€
"Yes," Cha Thrat said, "I'm very sorry for the great, suffering brute, and I
want to help it. But I'm beginning to wonder if it is a ruler, in which case I
should not be talking to it.â€
"Whatever it is, or was, on Chalderescol," Tarsedth said, "has no bearing, or
shouldn't have, on its treatment as a patient. What harm can a little nonmedical
sympathy and encouragement do either of you? Frankly, I don't see your
difficulty.â€
Patiently Cha Thrat said again, "I'm not qualified.â€
Tarsedth's fur was moving in a manner that denoted impatience. "I still don't
understand you. Talk, don't talk to it. Do whatever you want to do.â€
"I have talked to it," Cha Thrat said, "and that's what worries me— Is something
wrong?â€
"Can't it leave me alone!" said Tarsedth, its fur tufting into angry spikes.
"I'm sure that's Cresk-Sar coming this way, and it's seen our trainee badges.
The first question it will ask is why we aren't studying. Can't we ever escape
from its infuriating 'I have .questions for you' routine?â€
The Senior Physician detached itself from a group of two other Nidians and a
Melfan who had been movingtoward the water's edge and stopped, looking down at
them.
"I have questions for both of you," it said inevitably, but unexpectedly went
on. "Are you able to relax in this place? Does it enable you to forget all about
your work? Your Charge Nurses? Me?â€
"How can we forget about you," Tarsedth said, "when you're here, and ready to
ask us why we're here?â€
The Kelgian's seeming rudeness was unavoidable, Cha Thrat knew, but her reply
would have to be more diplomatic.
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"The answer to all four questions is, not entirely," she said. "We were relaxing
but were discussing problems relating to our work.â€
"Good," Cresk-Sar said. "I would not want you to forget your work, or me,
entirely. Have you a particular problem or question that I can answer for you
before I rejoin my friends?â€
Tarsedth was burrowing deeper into the artificial sand and pointedly ignoring
their tutor who, now that it was off duty, seemed to Cha Thrat to be a much less
obnoxious Nidian. Cresk-Sar deserved a polite response, even though the recent
topic of discussion, the psychological and emotional problems associated with
the removal of other-species body wastes, was not an area in which a Senior
Physician would have firsthand experience. Perhaps she could ask a general
question that would satisfy both the social requirements of the situation and
her own curiosity.
"As trainees," Cha Thrat said, "we are assigned to the less pleasant, nonmedical
ward duties, in particular those involving organic wastes. These are an
unpleasant but necessary by-product common to all species whose food is
ingested, digested, and eliminated. However,there must be wide differences in
the chemical composition of other-species wastes. Since the hospital was
designed so far as was possible to be a closed ecological system, what becomes
of all this material?â€
Cresk-Sar seemed to be having difficulty with its breathing for a moment, then
it replied, "The system is not completely closed. We do not synthesize all our
food or medication and, 1 am pleased to tell you, there are no intelligent
life-forms known to us who can exist on their own or any other species' wastes.
As for your question, I don't know the answer, Cha Thrat. Until now the question
has never come up.â€
It turned away quickly and went back to its Melfan and Nidian friends. Shortly
afterward the ELNT started to make clicking sounds with its mandibles while the
furry DBDGs barked, or perhaps laughed, loudly. Cha Thrat could not find
anything humorous in the question. To the contrary, she found the subject
actively unpleasant. But the loud, untranslatable noises coming from the group
showed no sign of stopping—until they were drowned out by the sharp, insistent,
and even louder sounds coming from the public address system.
"Emergency," it blared across the recreation level and from her translator.
"Code Blue, AUGL ward. All named personnel acknowledge on nearest communicator
and go immediately to the AUGL ward. Chief Psychologist O'Mara, Charge Nurse
Hredlichli, Trainee Cha Thrat. Code Blue. Acknowledge and go at once to—â€
She missed the rest of it because Cresk-Sar had come back and was glaring down
at her. It was neither barking nor laughing.
"Move yourself!" it said harshly. "I'll acknowledge the message and go with you.
As your tutor I am responsible for your medical misdeeds. Hurry.â€
As they were leaving the recreation level it went on,"A Code Blue is an
emergency involving extreme danger to both patients and medical staff, the kind
of trouble during which untrained personnel are ordered to stay clear. But they
have paged you, a trainee, and, of all people, Chief Psychologist O'Mara. "What
have you done!
Chapter 6
Cha Thrat and the Senior Physician arrived at the AUGL ward minutes before
O'Mara and Charge Nurse Hredlichli, and joined the other three nurses on
duty—two Kelgian DBLFs and a Melfan ELNT—who had abandoned their patients to
take shelter in the Nurses' Station.
This normally reprehensible behavior was not being considered as a dereliction
of medical duty, the tutor explained, because it was the first time in the
hospital's wide experience in staff-patient relations that a Chalder had become
violently antisocial.
In the green dimness at the other end of the ward a long, dark shadow drifted
slowly from one side-wall to the other, as Cha Thrat had seen many of the
mobile, bored, and restless Chalders doing while she had been on duty. Except
for a few pieces of decorative greenery detached and drifting untidily between
the supports, the ward looked peaceful and normal.
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"What about the other patients, Charge Nurse?â€
Cresk-Sar asked. As the Senior Physician present it had overall medical
responsibility. "Is anyone hurt?â€
Hredlichli swam along the line of monitors and said, "Disturbed and frightened,
but they have sustained no injuries, nor has their food and medication delivery
system been damaged. They've been very lucky.â€
"Or the patient is being selective in its violence—" O'Mara began, then broke
off.
The long shadow at the other end of the ward had foreshortened and was enlarging
rapidly as it rushed toward them. Cha Thrat had a glimpse of fins blurred by
rapid motion, ribbon tentacles streaming backward, and the serried ranks of
gleaming teeth edging the enormous, gaping mouth before it crashed against the
transparent wall of the Nurses' Station. The wall bulged inward alarmingly but
did not collapse.
It was too large for the dooriess entrance, she saw, but it changed position and
moved three of its tentacles inside. They were not long enough or strong enough
to pull anyone outside to the mouth, although one of the Kelgian nurses had a
few anxious moments. Disappointed, the Chalder turned and swam away, with
detached vegetation eddying its wake.
O'Mara made a sound that did not translate, then said, "Who is the patient, and
why was trainee Cha Thrat called?â€
"It is the long-stay patient, AUGL-One Sixteen," the Melfan nurse replied. "Just
before it became violent it was calling for the new nurse, Cha Thrat. When I
told the patient that the Sommaradvan would be absent for a few days, it stopped
communicating and has not spoken to us since, even though its translator is
still in position and working. That is why the trainee's name was included when
I called in the Code Blue.â€
"Interesting," the Earth-human said, turning its atten-lion to Cha Thrat. "Why
did it want you especially, and why should it start taking the ward apart when
you weren't available? Have you established a special relationship with AUGL-One
Sixteen?â€
Before she could reply, the Nidian said urgently, "Can the psychological
ramifications wait, Major? My immediate concern is for the safety of the ward
patients and staff. Pathology will give us a fast-acting anesthetic and a dart
gun to pacify the patient, and then-you can—â€
"A dart gun!" one of the Kelgians said, its fur rippling in scorn. "Senior
Physician, you are forgetting that your dart has to travel through water, which
will slow it down, and then penetrate that organic suit of armor One Sixteen
wears! The only sure way of placing the dart effectively would be to shoot it
into the soft tissues of the inner mouth. To place it accurately, the person
using the gun would have to be very close and might find itself following the
dart into the open mouth, with immediately fatal results. 1 am not
volunteering!â€
Before Cresk-Sar could reply, Cha Thrat turned to the Senior Physician and said,
"If you will explain what exactly it is that I must do, I shall volunteer for
this duty.â€
"You lack the training and experience to—" began the Nidian, and broke off as
O'Mara held up its hand for silence.
"Of course you will volunteer," O'Mara said quietly. "But why, Cha Thrat? Are
you exceptionally brave? Are you naturally stupid? Do you have an urge to commit
suicide? Or are you, perhaps, feeling a measure of responsibility and guilt?â€
"Major O'Mara," Hredlichli said firmly, "this is not the time for apportioning
responsibility or undertaking deep analysis. What is to be done about Patient
One Sixteen? And my other patients?â€
"You're right, Charge Nurse," O'Mara said. "I shalldo it my way, by attempting
to pacify and reason with One Sixteen. I've spoken to it many times, enough for
it to tell me apart from other Earth-humans if I wear this lightweight suit.
While I'm working with it I may also need to talk to Cha Thrat, so stay by the
communicator, trainee.â€
"No need, I'll go with you," Cha Thrat said firmly. Silently she began the
mental and moral exercises that were supposed to help reconcile her to an
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untimely ending of her life.
"And I," O'Mara said, making another sound that did not translate, "will be too
busy with our demented friend to stop you. Come along, then.â€
"But it is only a trainee, O'Mara!" Cresk-Sar protested. "And in a lightweight
suit it might recognize you, all right, as a convenient piece of plastic-wrapped
meat. This life-form is omnivorous and until recently they—â€
"Cresk-Sar," the Earth-human said, as it swam toward the entrance. "Are you
trying to worry me?â€
"Oh, very well," the Nidian said. "But I, too, shall do things my way, in case
you can't talk yourselves through this problem. Charge Nurse, signal immediately
for a four-unit patient transfer team with heavy-duty suits, dart guns, and
physical restraints suitable for a fully conscious and uncooperative AUGL...â€
The tutor was still talking as Cha Thrat swam into the ward behind O'Mara.
For what seemed a very long time they hung silent and motionless in the middle
of the ward, watched by an equally still and silent patient from the cover of a
patch of torn artificial greenery. O'Mara had told her that they should not do
anything that One Sixteen might construe as a threat, that they must therefore
appear defenseless before it, and that the first move was up to the patient. Cha
Thrat thought that the Earth-Human was probablyright, but her whole body was
slippery with perspiration, and much warmer than could be explained by the
temperature of the green, lukewarm water outside her protective suit. Plainly
she was not yet completely reconciled to the ending of her existence.
The voice of the Senior Physician in her suk 'phones made her twitch in every
limb.
"The transfer team is here," Cresk-Sar said quietly. "Nothing much is happening
at your end. Can I send them in to move the other patients into OR? It will be a
tight squeeze in there, but they will be able to receive treatment and be
comfortable for a few hours, and you will have One Sixteen all to yourselves.â€
"Is the treatment urgent?" O'Mara asked softly.
"No," Cha Thrat said, answering the question before Cresk-Sar could relay it to
the Charge Nurse. "Just routine observation and recording of vital signs, wound
dressing changes, and administration of supportive medication. Nothing really
urgent.â€
"Thank you, Trainee," Hredlichli said in a tone as corrosive as the atmosphere
it breathed, then went on. "I have been Charge Nurse here for a short time,
Major O'Mara, but I feel that I, too, have the patient's trust. I would like to
join you.â€
"No, to both of you," the Earth-human said firmly. "I don't want our friend to
be frightened or unsettled by too many comings and goings within the ward. And
Hredlichli, if your protective suit were to rupture, contact with water is
instantly lethal to a chlorine-breather, as you very well know. With us
oxygen-breathers, we can drown in the stuff if help doesn't reach us in time,
but it isn't poisonous or— Uh-oh!â€
Patient AUGL-One Sixteen was silent but no longer still. It was rushing at them
like a gigantic, organic tor-pedo, except that torpedoes did not have suddenly
opening mouths.
Frantically they swam apart so as to give the attacking Chalder two targets
instead of one, the theory being that while it was disposing of one the other
might have enough time to make it to the safety of the Nurses' Station. But this
was planning for a remote contingency, the Earth-human had insisted. O'Mara
would not believe that AUGL-One Sixteen, who was normally so shy and timid and
amenable, was capable of making a lethal attack on anyone.
On this occasion it was right.
The vast jaws snapped shut just before the Chalder swept through the gap that
had opened between them. Then the great body curved upward and over them, dove,
and began swimming around them in tight circles. Turbulence sent them spinning
and twisting like leaves at the center of a whirlpool. Cha Thrat did not know
whether it was circling them in the vertical or horizontal plane, only that it
was so close that she could feel the compression waves every time the jaws
snapped shut, which was frequently. She had never felt so helpless and
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disoriented and frightened in all her life.
"Stop this nonsense, Muromeshomon!" she said loudly. "We are here to help you.
Why are you behavinglike this?â€
The Chalder slowed but continued to circle them closely. It mouth gaped open and
it said, "You cannot help me, you have said that you are not qualified. Nobody
here can help me. I do not wish to harm you, or anyone else, but I am
frightened. I am in great pain. Sometimes I want to hurt everyone. Stay away
from me or I will hurt you...â€
There was a muffled, underwater clang as its tail flicked out and struck her air
tanks a glancing blow,sending her spinning again. An Earth-human hand grasped
one of her waist limbs, steadying her, and she saw that the patient had returned
to its dark corner and was watching them.
"Are you hurt?" O'Mara asked, releasing its grip. "Is your suit ail right?â€
"Yes," Cha Thrat said, and added, "It left very quickly. I'm sure the blow was
accidental.â€
The Earth-human did not reply for a few moments, then it said, "You called
Patient One Sixteen by name. I am aware of its name because the hospital
requires this information for possible notification of the next-of-kin, but I
would not consider using its name unless there were very exceptional
circumstances, and then only with its permission. But somehow you have learned
its name and are using it as lightly and thoughtlessly as you would Cresk-Sar's
or Hredlichii's, or my name. Cha Thrat, you must never—â€
"It told me its name," Cha Thrat broke in. "We exchanged names while we were
discussing my observations regarding the inadequacy of its treatment.â€
"You discussed..." O'Mara said incredulously. It made an untranslatable noise
and went on. "Tell me what exactly you said to it.â€
Cha Thrat hesitated. The AUGL had left its dark corner and was moving toward
them again, but slowly. It stopped halfway down the ward and hung with its fins
and tail still and the ribbon tentacles spread like an undulating, circular fan
around it, watching and probably listening to every word they said.
"On second thought, don't tell me," O'Mara said angrily. "I'll tell you what I
know about the patient first, then you can try to reduce my level of ignorance.
That way we will avoid repetition and save time. I don't know how much time it
will give us to talk without anotherinterruption. Not a lot, I suspect, so I'll
have to speak quickly...â€
Patient AUGL-One Sixteen was a long-stay patient whose time in Sector General
exceeded that of many of the medical staff. The clinical picture had been and
still remained obscure. Several of the hospital's top Diagnosticians had
examined it, finding signs of strain in certain areas of the patient's body
plating that partly explained its discomfort—a being who was largely
exoskeletal, lazy, and something of a glutton could only put on weight from the
inside. The generally agreed diagnosis was hypochondria and the condition
incurable.
The Chalder had become seriously ill only when there was talk of sending it
home, and so the hospital had acquired a permanent patient. It did not mind.
Visiting as well as hospital medics and psychologists had given it a going over,
and continued to do so, as did the interns and nurses of all the life-forms
represented on the staff. It had been probed, pried into, and unmercifully
pounded by trainees of varying degrees of gentleness, and it loved every minute
of it. The hospital's teaching staff were happy with the arrangement and so was
the Chalder.
"Nobody mentions going home to it anymore," O'Mara ended. "Did you?â€
"Yes," Cha Thrat said.
O'Mara made another untranslatable noise and she went on quickly. "This explains
why the nurses ignored it when other patients needed treatment, and supports my
own diagnosis of an unspecified ruler's disease that—â€
"Listen, don't speak!" the Earth-human said sharply. The patient seemed to be
drifting closer. "My depart-mep^has tried to get to the root causes of One
Sixteen's hypochondria, but I was not required to solve its problem so it
remained unsolved. This sounds like an excuse,and it is. But you must understand
that Sector General is not and can never be a psychiatric hospital. Can you
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imagine a place like this where a large proportion of the multispecies patients,
the mere sight of which gives sane people nightmares, are physically fit and
mentally disturbed? Can you imagine the problems of other-species treatment and
restraint? It is difficult enough to be responsible for the mental well-being of
the staff without adding disturbed patients, even a harmlessly disturbed patient
like One Sixteen, to my load. When a medically ill patient displays signs of
mental instability it is kept under close observation, restrained if necessary,
and returned to its own people for the appropriate treatment as soon as it is
physically well enough to be discharged.â€
"I understand," Cha Thrat said. "The explanation excuses you.â€
The Earth-human grew pinker in the face, then said, "Listen carefully, Cha
Thrat, this is important. The Chalders are one of the few intelligent species
whose personal names are used only between mates, members of the immediate
family, or very special friends. Yet you, an other-species stranger, have been
told, and have spoken aloud, One Sixteen's personal name. Have you done this in
ignorance? Do you realize that this exchange of names means that anything you
may have said to it, or any future action you may have promised, is as binding
as the most solemn promise given before the highest imaginable physical or
metaphysical authority?â€
"Do you realize now how serious this is?" O'Mara went on in a tone of quiet
urgency. "Why did it tell you its name? What, exactly, was said between you?â€
She could not speak for a moment because the patient had moved very close, so
close that she could see the individual points of its six rows of teeth. A
strangely detached and uncaring portion of her mind wonderedwhat evolutionary
imperative had caused the upper three rows to be longer than the lower set. Then
the jaw snapped shut with a boney crash that was muffled by the surrounding
water, and the caring part of her mind wondered what it would sound like if a
limb or her torso were between those teeth.
"Have you fallen asleep?" O'Mara snapped. "No," she said, wondering why an
intelligent being had asked such a stupid question. "We talked because it was
lonely and unhappy. The other nurses were busy with a post-op patient and I was
not. I told it about Som-maradva and the circumstances that led to me coming
here, and some of the things I would be able to do if I qualified for Sector
General. It said that I was brave and resourceful, not sick and old and
increasingly fearful likeitself.
"It said that many times it dreamed of swimming free in the warm ocean of
Chalderescol," she went on, "instead of this aseptic, water-filled box with its
plastic, inedible vegetation. It could talk about the home world to other AUGL
patients, but much of their post-op recovery time was spent under sedation. The
medical staff were pleasant to it and would talk, on the rare occasions when
they had time to do so. It said that it would never escape from the hospital,
that it was too old and frightened and sick.â€
"Escape?" O'Mara said. "If our permanent patient has begun to regard the
hospital as a prison, that is a very healthy sign, psychologically. But go on,
what were you saying to it?â€
"We spoke of general subjects," she replied. "Our worlds, our work, our past
experiences, our friends and families, our opinions—â€
"Yes, yes," the Earth-human said impatiently, looking at One Sixteen, who was
edging closer. "I'm not inter-ested in the small talk. What did you say that
might have brought on this trouble?â€
Cha Thrat tried to choose the words that would describe the situation concisely,
accurately, and briefly as she replied, "It told me about the space accident and
injuries that brought it here originally, and the continuing but irregular
episodes of pain that keep it here, and of its deep unhappiness with its
existence generally.
"I was uncertain of its exact status on Chalderescol," she went on, "but from
the way it had described its work I judged it to be an upper-level warrior, at
least, if not a ruler. By that time we had exchanged names, so I decided to tell
it that the treatment being provided by the hospital was palliative rather than
curative, and it was being treated for the wrong sickness. I said that its
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malady was not unknown to me and, although I was not qualified to treat the
condition, there were wizards on Sommaradva capable of doing so. I suggested, on
several occasions, that it was becoming institutionalized and that it might be
happier if it returned home.â€
The patient was very close to them now. Its massive mouth was closed but not
still, because there was a regular chewing motion that suggested that the teeth
were grinding together. The movement was accompanied by a high-pitched, bubbling
moan that was both frightening and strangely pitiful.
"Go on," O'Mara said softly, "but be very careful what you say.â€
"There is little more to tell," Cha Thrat said. "During our last meeting I told
it that I was leaving for a two-day rest period. It would speak only of the
wizards, and wanted to know if they could cure its fear as well as the pains. It
asked me as a friend to treat it, or send for one of our Sommaradvan brothers
who would be able to cureit. I told it that I had some knowledge of the spells
of the wizards, but not enough to risk treating it, and that I lacked the status
and authority to summon a wizard to the hospital.â€
"What was the response to that?" O'Mara asked.
"None," Cha Thrat said. "It would not speak to methereafter.â€
Abruptly they were looking into the AUGL's open mouth, but it was keeping its
uncomfortably short distance as it said, "You were not like the others, who did
nothing and promised nothing. You held out the hope of a cure by your wizards,
then withdrew it. You cause me pain that is many times worse than that which
keeps me here. Go away, Cha Thrat. For your own safety, goaway.â€
The jaws crashed shut and it swept around them and headed for the other end of
the ward. They could not see clearly but, judging by the voices coming from the
Nurses' Station, it seemed intent on wrecking the place.
"My patients!" Charge Nurse Hredlichli burst out. "My new treatment frames and
medication cabinets...â€
"According to the monitors," Cresk-Sar broke in, "the patients are still all
right, but they've been lucky. I'm sending in the transfer team now to knock out
One Sixteen. It will be a bit tricky. Both of you get back here,quickly.â€
"No, wait," O'Mara said. "We'll try talking to it again. This is not a violent
patient and I don't believe that we are in any real danger." On Cha Thrat's
frequency it added, "But there is always a first time for being wrong.â€
For some reason a picture from Cha Thrat's childhood rose suddenly to the
surface of her adult mind. She saw again the tiny, many-colored fish that had
been herfavorite pet, as it circled and butted desperately and hopelessly
against the glass walls of its bowl. Beyond those walls, too, lay an environment
in which it would quickly asphyxiate and die. But that small fish, like this
overlarge one, was not thinking of that.
"When One Sixteen gave you its name," O'Mara said with quiet urgency, "it placed
a binding obligation on both of you to help the other in every way possible, as
would a life-mate or a member of your family. When you mentioned the possibility
of a cure by your Sommarad-van wizards, regardless of the efficacy of such
other-species treatment, you were expected to provide the wizard regardless of
any effort, cost, or personal danger to yourself.â€
There were noises of tearing metal and the complaining voices of the other AUGLs
being transmitted through the green water, and Hredlichli sounded very agitated.
O'Mara ignored them and went on. "You must keep faith with it, Cha Thrat, even
though your wizards might not be able to help One Sixteen any more than we can.
And I realize that you haven't the authority to call in one of your wizards. But
if Sector General and the Monitor Corps were to put their combined weight behind
you—â€
"They wouldn't come to this place," Cha Thrat said. "Wizards are notoriously
unstable people, but they are not stupid— It's coming back!â€
This time One Sixteen was coming at them more slowly and deliberately, but still
too fast for them to swim to safety, nor could the transfer team with their
anesthetic darts reach them in time to do any good. There was no sound from the
patients in the ward and the beings watching from the Nurses' Station. As the
AUGL loomed closer she could see that its eyes had theferal, manic look of a
wounded predator, and slowly it was opening its mouth.
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"Use its name, dammit!" O'Mara said urgently. "Mu-Muromeshomon," she
stammered. "My—my friend, we are here to help you.â€
The anger in its eyes seemed to dim a little so that they reflected more of its
pain. The mouth closed slowly and opened again, but only to speak.
"Friend, you are in great and immediate danger," the AUGL said. "You have spoken
my name and told me that the hospital cannot cure me with its medicines and
machines, and it no longer tries, and you will not help me even though you have
said that a cure is possible. If our positions were reversed I would not act, or
refuse to act, as you have done. You are an unequal friend, without honor, and I
am disappointed and angry with you. Go away, quickly, and protect your life. I
am beyond help.â€
"No!" Cha Thrat said fiercely. The mouth was opening wider, the eyes were
showing a manic gleam once more, and she realized that when the AUGL attacked,
she would be its first victim. Desperately she went on. "It is true that I
cannot help you. Your sickness does not respond to the healer's herbs or the
surgeon's knife, because it is a ruler's disease that requires the spells of a
wizard. A Sommaradvan wizard might cure you but, since you are not yourself a
Sommaradvan, there is no certainty. Here there is the Earth-human, O'Mara, a
wizard with experience of treating rulers of many different life-forms. I would
have approached it about your case at once but, being a trainee and unsure of
the procedure, I was about to request a meeting for another, an unimportant,
reason during which I would have spoken of you in detail...â€
The AUGL had closed its mouth but was moving its jaws in a way that could be
indicating anger or impatience. She went on quickly. "In the hospital I have
heard many people speak of O'Mara and his great powers of wizardry—â€
"I'm the Chief Psychologist, dammit," O'Mara broke in, "not a wizard. Let's try
to be factual about this and not make more promises we can't possibly keep!â€
"You are not a psychologist!" Cha Thrat said. She was so angry with this
Earth-human who would not accept the obvious that for a moment she almost forgot
about the threat from One Sixteen. Not for the first time she wondered what
obscure and undefined ruler's disease it was that made beings who possessed high
intelligence, and The Power in great measure, behave so stupidly at times. Less
vehemently, she went on. "On Sommaradva a psychologist is a being, neither
servile-healer nor warrior-surgeon, who tries to be a scientist by measuring
brain impulses or bodily changes caused by physical and mental stress, or by
making detailed observations of behavior. A psychologist tries to impose
immutable laws in an area of spells and nightmares and changing realities, and
tries to make a science of what has always been an art, an art practiced only by
wizards.â€
They were both watching her, eyes unblinking, motionless. The patient's
expression had not changed but the Earth-human's face had gone a much deeper
shade of pink.
"A wizard will use or ignore the instruments and tabulations of the
psychologist," she continued, "to cast spells that influence the complex,
insubstantial structures of the mind. A wizard uses words, silences, minute
observation, and intuition to compare and graduallychange the sick, internal
reality of the patient to the external reality of the world. That is the
difference between a psychologist and a wizard.â€
The Earth-human's face was still unnaturally dark. In a voice that was both
quiet and harsh it said, "Thank you for reminding me.â€
Formally Cha Thrat said, "No thanks are required for that which needs to be
done. Please, may I remain here to watch? Before now I have never had the chance
to see £ wizard at work.â€
"What," the AUGL asked suddenly, "will the wizard do to me?â€
It sounded curious and anxious rather than angry, and for the first time since
entering the ward she began to feel safe.
"Nothing," O'Mara said surprisingly. "I shall do nothing at all...â€
Even on Sommaradva the wizards were full of surprises, unpredictable behavior
and words that began by sounding irrelevant, ill chosen, or stupid. What little
of the literature that was available to one of the warrior-surgeon level, she
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had read and reread. So she composed herself and, with great anticipation,
watched and listened while the Earth-human wizard did nothing at all.
The spell began very subtly with words, spoken in a manner that was anything but
subtle, describing the arrival of AUGL-One Sixteen at the hospital as the
commanding officer and sole survivor of its ship. The vessels of water-breathing
species, and especially those of the outsize denizens of Chalderescol, were
notoriously unwieldy and unsafe, and it had been exonerated of all blame for the
accident both by the Monitor Corps investigators and the authorities on
Chalderescol—but not by itself. This was realized when the patient's physical
inju-ries had healed and it continued to complain of severe psychosomatic
discomfort whenever the subject of returning home was discussed.
Many attempts were made to make the patient realize that it was punishing
itself, cutting itself off from its home and friends, for a crime that was very
probably imaginary, but without success—it would not con-, sciously admit that
it had committed a crime, so telling it that it was not guilty had no effect. A
Chalder's most prized possession was its personal integrity, and as an authority
that integrity was unassailable. AUGL-One Sixteen was a sensitive, intelligent,
and highly qualified being who, outwardly, was a submissive and cooperative
patient. But where its particular delusion was concerned it was as susceptible
to influence as the orbit of a major planet.
And so Sector General had acquired a permanent patient, an AUGL specimen in
perfect health and a continuing and strictly unofficial challenge to its
Department of Psychology, because only in the hospital could it be pain-free and
relatively happy.
Silently Cha Thrat apologized to the Earth-human for thinking that it had been
negligent, and listened in admiration as the speil took positive form.
"And now," O'Mara went on, "due to a combination of circumstances, a significant
change has occurred. The talks with transient AUGL patients have made you
increasingly homesick. Your anger over your neglect by the medical staff has
been growing because, subconsciously, you yourself were beginning to suspect
that you were not sick and their attention was unnecessary. And then there was
the unwarranted, but for you fortunate, interference by Trainee Cha Thrat, who
confirmed your suspicion that you were not being treated as a patient. "You have
much in common with our outspokentrainee," it continued. "Both of you have
reasons, real or imaginary, for not wanting to go home. On Sommaradva as on
Chalderescol, personal integrity and public honor are held in high regard. But
the trainee is woefully ignorant of the customs of other species and, when you
took the unprecedented step of saying your name to a non-Chalder, it
disappointed and hurt you grievously by continuing to act toward you as had the
other members of the staff. You were driven to react violently but, because of
the constraints imposed by your personality type, the violence was directed at
inanimate objects.
"But," the Earth-human went on, "the simple act of giving your name to this
sympathetic and untutored Sommaradvan, whom you had known only a few days, is
the clearest possible indication of how badly you wanted help to get away from
the hospital. You do still want to go home?â€
AUGL-One Sixteen replied with another high-pitched, bubbling sound that did not
translate. Its eyes watched only the Earth-human, and the muscles around its
closed jaws were no longer clenched into iron rigidity.
"It was a stupid question," O'Mara said. "Of course you want to go home. The
trouble is, you are afraid and also want to stay here. A dilemma, obviously. But
let me try to solve it by telling you that you are once again a patient here,
subject to the hospital regimen and my own special and continuing treatment, and
until I pronounce you cured you will not go home...â€
On the surface the situation had not changed, Cha Thrat thought admiringly. The
hospital still retained its permanent AUGL patient, but now there was doubt
about the permanency of the arrangement. Now it fully understood its position
and had been given a choice, to stay or leave, and its departure date was
unspecified so as to relieve its natural fears about leaving. But it was
nolonger completely satisfied with its life in the hospital, and already the
Earth-human wizard was altering its internal reality by gently stressing the
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rehabilitative aspects of the therapy. Material would be provided by the Monitor
Corps on the changes that had occurred on the home world in its absence, which
would be useful if it decided to leave and informative should it stay, and there
would be regular and frequent visits by O'Mara itself and other persons it would
specify.
Oh, yes, she thought as it talked on, this Earth-human wizard was good.
The transfer team and their anesthetic dart guns had long since left the Nurses'
Station, which meant that Cresk-Sar and Hredlichli must have decided that the
danger from AUGL-One Sixteen had passed. Looking at the passive and
distress-free patient who was hanging on O'Mara's every word, she was in entire
agreement with them.
"... And you should now realize," the Earth-human was saying, "that if you want
to go, and can convince me that you are able to adapt to home-planet life, I
shall with great pleasure and reluctance kick you out. You have been a patient
for a very long time and, among many members of the senior staff, our
professional concern has developed into the personal variety. But the best thing
that a hospital can do for a friend is to send it away, as quickly as possible,
cured.
"Do you understand?" O'Mara ended.
For the first time since the Earth-human had begun talking to it, AUGL-One
Sixteen turned its attention to Cha Thrat. It said plaintively, "I am feeling
much better, I think, but confused and worried by all that I must do. Was that a
spell? Is O'Mara a good wizard?â€
Cha Thrat tried to control her enthusiasm as she said,"It is the beginning of a
very fine spell, and it is said that a really good wizard makes its patient do
all the hardwork.â€
O'Mara made another one of its untranslatable noises and signaled Hredlichli
that it was safe for the nurses to return to their patients. As they turned to
leave AUGL-One Sixteen, who was once again its friendly and docile self, the
Chalder spoke again.
"O'Mara," it said formally, "you may use my name." When they were again in the
air of the lock antechamber and all but Hredlichli had their visors open, the
Charge Nurse said angrily, "I don't want that—that interfering sitsachi anywhere
near me! I know that One Sixteen is going to get better and leave sometime, and
I'm glad about that. But just look at the place! Wrecked, it is! I refuse to
allow that trainee in my ward. That'sfinal!â€
O'Mara looked at the chlorine-breather for a moment, then in the quiet,
unemotional tones of a ruler it said, "It is, of course, within your authority
to accept or refuse any trainee. But Cha Thrat, whether or not it is accompanied
by me, will be granted visiting facilities whenever and as often as the patient
itself or myself consider it necessary. I do not foresee a lengthy period of
treatment. We are grateful for your cooperation, Charge Nurse, and no doubt you
are anxious to return to your duties.â€
When Hredlichli had gone, Cha Thrat said, "There was no opportunity to speak
until now, and I am unsure how my words will be received. On Sommaradva good
work is expected of a wizard or any high-level ruler, so that the praise of a
subordinate for a superior is unnecessary and insulting. But in this case—â€
O'Mara held up a hand for silence. It said, "Anything you say whether
complimentary or otherwise, will haveno effect on what is to happen to you, so
save your breath.
"You are in serious trouble, Cha Thrat," it went on grimly. "The news of what
happened here will soon be all over the hospital. You must understand that to a
Charge Nurse the ward is its kingdom, the nursing staff its subjects, and
troublemakers, including trainees who exercise too much initiative too soon, are
sent into exile, which can, in effect, mean home or to another hospital. I'd be
surprised if there is a single Charge Nurse willing to accept you for practical
ward training.â€
The Earth-human paused, giving her a moment to assimilate its words, then went
on. "You have two options. Go home, or accept a nonmedical and servile position
with Maintenance.â€
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In a more sympathetic tone than she had ever heard it use before, Cresk-Sar
said, "You are a most promising and diligent trainee, Cha Thrat. If you were to
take such a position you would still be able to visit and talk to One Sixteen,
and attend my lectures, and watch the teaching channels during your free time.
But without practical ward experience you could not hope to qualify here.
"If you don't resign," the Senior Physician went on, "it may well be that you
will discover firsthand the answer to the question you asked me this morning on
the recreation level.â€
Cha Thrat remembered that question very well, and the amusement it had caused
among the tutor's friends. She also remembered her initial feelings of shock and
shame when her duties as a trainee nurse had been explained to her. Nothing
could be more demeaning for a warrior-surgeon than that, she had thought at the
time, but she had been wrong.
"I am still ignorant of the laws governing the hospi-tal," she said. "But 1
realize that I have transgressed them in some fashion and must therefore accept
the consequences. I shall not take the easy option.â€
O'Mara sighed and said, "It is your decision, ChaThrat.â€
Before she could reply, the Nidian Senior Physician was talking again. "Putting
it into Maintenance would be a criminal waste," the tutor protested. "It is the
most promising trainee in its class. If we were to wait until the Hredlichli
outcry died down, or until the grapevine is overloaded with another scandal, you
might be able to find a ward that would take it for a trial period and—â€
"Enough," O'Mara said, visibly relenting. "I don't believe in having second
thoughts because the first are usually right. But I'm tired and hungry and I,
too, have had enough of your trainee.
"There is such a ward," it went on. "FROB Geriatric, which is chronically
understaffed and may be desperate enough to accept Cha Thrat. It is not a ward
where I would normally assign a trainee who is not of the patients' own species,
but I shall speak to Diagnostician Conway about it at the first opportunity.
"Now go away," it ended sourly, "before I cast a spell consigning both of you to
the center of the nearest whitedwarf.â€
As they were heading for the dining hall, Cresk-Sar said, "It's a tough ward
and, if anything, the work is even harder than a job in Maintenance. But you can
say whatever you like to the patients and nobody will mind. Whatever else
happens, you can't get into troublethere.â€
The Nidian's words were positive and reassuring, butits voice carried undertones
of doubt.
Chapter 7
She was given two extra days off duty, but whether they were a reward for her
help with AUGL-One Sixteen or because it took that long for O'Mara to arrange
for her transfer to FROB Geriatric, Cresk-Sar would not say. She paid three
lengthy visits to One Sixteen in the AUGL ward, during which her reception was
enough to turn its tepid water to ice, but she would not risk returning to the
recreation level or exploring the hospital. There was less chance of getting
into trouble if she stayed in her room and watched the teaching channels.
Tarsedth pronounced her certifiably insane and wondered why O'Mara had not
confirmed this diagnosis.
Two days later she was told to present herself at FROB Geriatric in time for
morning duty and to make herself known to the DBLF nurse in charge. Cresk-Sar
said that it would not need to introduce her on this occasion because Charge
Nurse Segroth, and probably every other being on the hospital staff, would have
heard all about her by now. That may have been the reason why, on her
meticulously punctual arrival, she was given no opportunity to speak.
"This is a surgical ward," Segroth said briskly, indicating the banks of
monitors occupying three walls of the Nurses' Station. "There are seventy Hudlar
patients and 90a nursing staff of thirty-two counting yourself. All the nurses
are warm-blooded oxygen-breathers of various species, so you will not need
environmental protection other than a gravity compensator and nasal filters. The
FROBs are divided into pre- and post-op patients, segregated by a light- and
soundproof partition. Until you learn your way around you will not concern
yourself, or go anywhere near, a post-op patient.â€
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Before Cha Thrat had time to say that she understood, the Kelgian ran on. "We
have an FROB trainee and classmate here who will, I'm sure, be happy to answer
any questions you are afraid to ask me.â€
Silvery fur puckered into irregular waves along its flanks in a way, she had
learned from observing Tarsedth, that indicated anger and impatience. It
continued. "From what I've heard of you, Nurse, you are the type who will
already have studied the available Hudlar material and will be eager to make a
contribution. Don't even try. This is a special project of Diagnostician Conway,
we are breaking new surgical ground here, so your'knowledge is already out of
date. Except for those times when you are required by O'Mara for AUGL-One
Sixteen, you will do nothing but watch, listen, and occasionally perform a few
simple duties at the direction of the more experienced nurses or myself.
"I would not want to be embarrassed," she ended, "by you producing a miracle
cure on your first day.â€
It was easy to pick out her FROB classmate from among the other nurses on
duty—they were either Kelgian DBLFs or Melfan ELNTs—and even easier to tell it
apart from all the FROB patients. She could scarcely believe that there was such
a horrifying difference between a mature and an aged Hudlar.
Her classmate's speaking membrane vibrated quietly on her close approach. It
said, "I see you've survivedyour first encounter with Segroth. Don't worry about
the Charge Nurse; a Kelgian with authority is even less charming than one
without. If you do exactly as it tells you, everything will be fine. I'm glad to
see a friendly, familiar face in the ward.â€
It was an odd thing to say, Cha Thrat thought, because Hudlars did not possess
faces as such. But this one was trying hard to reassure her and she was grateful
for that. It had not, however, called he'r by name, and whether the omission was
deliberate or due to an oversight she did not know. Perhaps the Hudlars and
Chalders had something in common besides great strength. Until she was sure that
their names could be used without giving offense, they could call each other
"Nurse" or "Hey, you!â€
"I'm spraying and sponging-off at the moment," the Hudlar trainee said. "Would
you like to strap on a spare nutrient tank and follow me around? You can meet
some of our patients.â€
Without waiting for her reply, it went on. "This one you won't be able to talk
to because its speaking membrane has been muffled so that the sounds it makes
will not distress the other patients and staff. It is in considerable discomfort
that does not respond very well to the pain-killing medication, and, in any
case, it is incapable of coherent speech.â€
It was immediately obvious that this was not a well Hudlar. Its six great
tentacles, which normally supported the heavy trunk in an upright position for
the whole of its waking and sleeping life, hung motionless over the sides of its
support cradle like rotted tree trunks. The hard patches of callus—the knuckles
on which it walked while its digits were curled inward to protect them against
contact with the ground—were discolored, dry, and cracking. The digits
themselves, usually so steadyand precise in their movements, were twitching in
continual spasm.
Large areas of its back and flanks were caked with partially absorbed nutrient
paint, which would have to be washed off before the next meal could be sprayed
on. As she watched, a milky perspiration was forming on its underside and
dripping into the suction pan under its cradle.
"What's wrong with it?" Cha Thrat asked. "Can it, is it being cured?â€
"Old age," the nurse said harshly. In a more controlled and clinical tone it
went on. "We Hudlars are an energy-hungry species with a greatly elevated
metabolic rate. With advancing age it is the food absorption and waste
elimination mechanisms, both of which are normally under voluntary control, that
are first to suffer progressive degeneration. Would you respray this area as
soon as I've washed off the dried food, please?â€
"Of course," Cha Thrat said.
"This in turn causes a severe impairment in the circulation to the limbs," the
Hudlar went on, "leading to increasing deterioration in the associated nerve and
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muscle systems. The eventual result is general paralysis, necrosis of the limb
extremities, and termination.â€
It used the sponge briskly and moved clear to enable Cha Thrat to apply fresh
nutrient, but when it resumed speaking its voice had lost some of its former
clinical calm.
"The most serious problem for the Hudlar geriatric patient," it said, "is that
the brain, which requires a relatively small proportion of the available energy,
remains organically unimpaired by the degenerative process until a few moments
after its double heart has ceased to function. Therein lies the real tragedy.
Rare indeed is the Hudlar mind that can remain stable inside a body
whichC.B.E.----5is disintegrating painfully all around it. You can understand
why this ward, which has been recently extended for the Conway Project, is the
closest that the hospital comes to providing treatment for psychologically
disturbed patients.
"At least," it added, forcing a lighter tone as they moved to the next patient,
"that was so until you started analyzing your AUGL-One Sixteen.â€
"Please don't remind me of that," Cha Thrat said.
There was another thick, cylindrical muffler encasing the next patient's
speaking membrane, but either the sounds the Hudlar was making were too loud for
it or the equipment was faulty. Much of what it was saying, which was clearly
the product of advanced dementia and great pain, was picked up by her
translator.
"I have questions," Cha Thrat said suddenly. "By implication they may be
offensive to you, and perhaps critical of Hudlar philosophical values and
professional ethics. On Sommaradva the situation within the medical profession
may be different. I do not wish to risk insulting you.â€
"Ask," the other nurse said. "I shall accept your apology, if required, in
advance.â€
"Earlier I asked if these patients could be cured," she said carefully, "and you
have not yet replied. Are they incurable? And if so, why were they not advised
to self-terminate before their condition reached this stage?â€
For several minutes the Hudlar continued to sponge stale nutrient from the
second patient's back without speaking, then it said, "You surprise but do not
offend me, Nurse. I cannot myself criticize Sommaradvan medical practice
because, until we joined the Federation a few generations ago, curative medicine
and surgery were unknown on my world. But do I understand correctly that you
urge your incurable patients to self-terminate?â€
"Not exactly," Cha Thrat replied. "If a servile-healer • or warrior-surgeon or a
wizard will not take personal responsibility for curing a patient, the patient
will not be cured. It is given all the facts of the situation, simply,
accurately, and without the kindly but misguided lying and false encouragement
that seem to be so prevalent among the nursing staff here. There is no attempt
to exert influence in either direction; the decision is left entirely to the
patient.â€
While she was speaking the other had stopped working. It said, "Nurse, you must
never discuss a patient's case with it in this fashion, regardless of your
feelings about our medical white lies. You would be in very serious trouble if
you did.â€
"I won't," Cha Thrat said. "At least not until, or unless, the hospital once
again gives me the position and responsibilities of a surgeon.â€
"Not even then," the Hudlar said worriedly. "I don't understand," she said. "If
I accept total responsibility for a patient's cure—â€
"So you were a surgeon back home," the other nurse broke in, obviously wanting
to avoid an argument. "I, too, am hoping to take home a surgical qualification.â€
Cha Thrat did not want an argument, either. She said, "How many years will that
take?â€
"Two, if I'm lucky," the Hudlar replied. "I don't intend going for the full
other-species surgical qualification, just basic nursing and the FROB surgical
course, taken concurrently. I joined the new Conway Project, so I'll be needed
at home as soon as I can possibly make it. "And to answer your earlier
question," it added. "Believe it or not, Nurse, the condition of the majority of
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these patients will be alleviated if not cured. They will be able to lead long
and useful lives that will be pain-free, mentally and, within limits, physically
active.â€
"I'm impressed," Cha Thrat said, trying to keep the incredulity she felt from
showing in her voice. "What is the Conway Project?â€
"Rather than listen to my incomplete and inaccurate description," the Hudlar
replied, "it would be better for you to learn about the project from Conway
itself. It is the hospital's Diagnostician-in-Charge of Surgery, and it will be
lecturing and demonstrating its new FROB major operative techniques here this
afternoon.
"I shall be required to observe the operation," it went on. "But we will need
surgeons so badly and in such large numbers that you would only have to express
an interest in the project, not actually join it, to be invited to attend. It
would be reassuring to have someone beside me who is almost as ignorant as I
am.â€
"Other-species surgery," Cha Thrat said, "is my principal interest. But I've
only just arrived in the ward. Would the Charge Nurse release me from duty so
soon?â€
"Of course," the FROB said as they were moving to the next patient. "Just so
long as you do nothing to antagonize it.â€
"I won't," she said, then added, "at least, not deliberately.â€
There was no muffler around the third patient's speaking membrane, and a few
minutes before their arrival it had been having an animated conversation about
its grandchildren with a patient across the ward. Cha Thrat spoke the ritual
greeting used by the healers on Sommaradva and, it seemed, by every medic in the
hospital.
"How are you feeling today?â€
"Well, thank you, Nurse," the patient replied, as she knew it would.
Plainly the being was anything but well. Although it was mentally alert and the
degenerative process had notyet advanced to the stage where the pain-killing
medication had no effect, the mere sight of the surface condition of the body
and tentacles made her itch. But, like so many of the other patients she had
treated, this one would not dream of suggesting that her ability was somehow
lacking by saying that it was not well.
"When you've absorbed some more food," she said while her partner was busy with
its sponge, "you will feel even better.â€
Fractionally better, she added silently. "I haven't seen you before, Nurse," the
patient went on. "You're new, aren't you? I think you have a most interesting
and visually pleasing shape.â€
"The last time that was said to me," Cha Thrat said as she turned on the spray,
"it was by an overardent young Sommaradvan of the opposite sex.â€
Untranslatable sounds came from the patient's speaking membrane and the great,
disease-wasted body began twitching in its cradle. Then it said, "Your sexual
integrity is quite safe with me, Nurse. Regrettably, I am too old and infirm for
it to be otherwise.â€
A Sommaradvan memory came back to her, of seriously wounded and immobilized
warrior-patients of her own species trying to flirt with her during surgical
rounds, and she did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Thank you," she said. "But I may need further reassurance in this matter when
you become convalescent ...â€
It was the same with the other patients. The Hudlar nurse said very little while
the patients and Cha Thrat did all the talking. She was new to the ward, a
member of a species from a world about which they knew nothing, and a subject,
therefore, of the most intense but polite curiosity. They did not want to
discuss themselves or their distressing physical conditions, they wanted to
talkabout Cha Thrat and Sommaradva, and she was pleased to satisfy their
curiosity—at least about the more pleasant aspects of her life there.
The constant talking helped her to forget her growing fatigue and the fact that,
in spite of the gravity compensators reducing the weight of the heavy nutrient
tank to zero, the harness straps were making a painful and possibly permanent
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impression on her upper thorax. Then suddenly there were only three patients
left to sponge and feed, and Segroth had materialized behind them.
"If you work as well as you talk, Cha Thrat," the Charge Nurse said, "I shall
have no complaints." To the Hudlar, it added, "How is it doing, Nurse?â€
"It assists me very well, Charge Nurse," the FROB trainee replied, "and without
complaint. It is pleasant and at ease with the patients.â€
"Good, good," Segroth said, its fur rippling in approval. "But Cha Thrat belongs
to another one of those species that require food at least three times a day if
a pleasant disposition is to be maintained, and the midday meal is overdue.
Would you like to finish the rest of the patients by yourself, Nurse?â€
"Of course," the Hudlar said as Segroth was turning away.
"Charge Nurse," Cha Thrat said quickly. "I realize that I've only just arrived,
but could I have permission to attend the—â€
"The Conway lecture," Segroth finished for her. "Naturally, you'll find any
excuse to escape the hard work of the ward. But perhaps I do you an injustice.
Judging by the conversations I have overheard on the sound sensors, you have
displayed good control of your feelings while talking with the patients and,
considering your surgical background, the practical aspects of the lecture
should not worry you. However, if any part ofthe demonstration distresses you,
leave at once and asunobtrusively as possible.
"Permission would normally be refused a newly joined trainee like yourself," it
ended, "but if you can make it to the dining hall and back inside the hour, you
may attend.â€
"Thank you," Cha Thrat said to the Kelgian's already departing back. Quickly she
began loosening the nutrient tank harness.
"Before you go, Nurse," the Hudlar trainee said, "would you mind using some of
that stuff on me? I'mstarving!â€
Cha Thrat was among the first to arrive and stood— Hudlars did not use chairs,
so the FROB lecture theater did not provide them—as close as possible to the
operating cradle while she watched the place fill up. There was a scattering of
Melfan ELNTs, Kelgian DBLFs, and Tralthan FGLIs among those present, but the
majority were Hudlars in various stages of training. She was hemmed in by FROBs,
so much so that she did not think that she would be able to leave even if she
should want to, and she assumed—she still could not tell them apart —that the
one standing closest to her was her partner of the morning.
From the conversations going on around her it was obvious that Diagnostician
Conway was regarded as a very important being indeed, a medical near-deity in
whose mind resided, by means of a powerful spell and the instrumentation of
O'Mara, the knowledge, memories, and instincts of many other-species
personalities. Having seen the hapless condition of the FROB ward's pre-op
patients, she was looking forward with growing anticipation to seeing it
perform.
In appearance Conway was not at all impressive. It was an Earth-human DBDG,
slightly above average inheight, with head fiir that was a darker gray than the
wizard O'Mara's.
It spoke with the quiet certainty of a great ruler, and began the lecture
without preamble.
"For any of you who may not be completely informed regarding the Hudlar Project,
and who may be concerned with the ethical position, let me assure you that the
patient on which we will be operating today, its fellows in the FROB ward, and
all the other geriatric and pre-geriatric cases waiting in great distress on the
home world, are all candidates for elective surgery.
"The number of cases is so great—a significant proportion of the planetary
population, in fact—that we cannot possibly treat them in Sector General...â€
As the Earth-human Diagnostician talked on, Cha Thrat became increasingly
disheartened by the sheer magnitude of the problem. A planet that contained, at
any given time, many millions of beings in the same horrifying condition as the
patients she had been recently attending was an idea that her mind did not want
to face. But it became clear that Conway had faced it and was working toward an
eventual solution—by training large numbers of the medically untutored Hudlars,
assisted by other-species volunteers, to help themselves.
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Initially, Sector General would provide basic tuition in FROB physiology, pre-
and postoperative nursing care, and training in just one simple surgical
procedure. The successful candidates, unless they displayed such an unusually
high aptitude that they were offered positions on the staff, would return home
to establish their own training organizations. Within three generations there
would be enough own-species specialist surgeons to make this dreadful and
hitherto unavoidable scourge of the Hudlars a thing of the past.
The sheer scale and what appeared to be the utter,criminal irresponsibility of
the project shocked and sickened Cha Thrat. Conway was not training surgeons, it
was turning out vast numbers of conscienceless, organic machines! She had been
surprised when the Hudlar trainee had mentioned the time required for
qualification, and it was possible that the hospital's tutors would be able to
provide the necessary practical training during that short period. But what
about the long-term indoctrination, the courses of mental and physical exercises
that would prepare the candidates for the acceptance of responsibility and pain,
and the long, presurgery novitiate? As the Diagnostician talked on, there was no
mention of these things.
"This is incredible!" Cha Thrat said suddenly. Softly the Hudlar beside her
said, "Yes, indeed. But be quiet, Nurse, and listen.â€
"The degree and extent of the suffering among aging FROBs is impossible to
imagine or describe," the Earth-human was saying. "If the majority of the other
races in the Federation were faced with the same problem, there would be one
simple, if completely unsatisfactory, answer for the individuals concerned. But
the Hudlars, unfortunately or otherwise, are philosophically incapable of
self-termination.
"Would you bring in Patient FROB-Eleven Thirty-two, please.â€
A mobile operating frame driven by a Kelgian nurse glided to a stop in front of
the Diagnostician. It held the patient—one of the Hudlars she had sprayed that
mom-ing—already prepared for surgery.
"The condition of Eleven Thirty-two," the Earth-human went on, "is too far
advanced for surgical intervention to reverse the degenerative processes
completely. However, today's procedure will ensure that the remainder of the
patient's life will be virtually pain-free, which, in turn, means that it will
be mentally alert, and, it will be able to lead a useful if not very active
life. With Hudlars who elect for surgery before the onset of the condition, and
there are few members in the age groups concerned who do not so elect, the
results are immeasurably better.
"Before we begin," it continued, unclipping the deep scanner, "I would like to
discuss the physiological reasons behind the distressing clinical picture we see
before us...â€
What miracle of irresponsible and illegal surgery, Cha Thrat wondered sickly,
could make Eleven Thirty-two well again?But her curiosity was outweighed by a
growing fear. She did not know whether or not she could bear to hear the answers
that this terrible Earth-person would give, and still retain her sanity.
"In common with the majority of the life-forms known to us," the Diagnostician
continued, "the primary cause of the degenerative process known as aging is
caused by increasing loss of efficiency in the major organs and an associated
circulatory failure.
"With the FROB life-form," it went on, "the irreversible loss of function and
the abnormal degree of calcification and fissuring in the extremities is
aggravated by the demand for nutrient, which is no longer available.
"From your FROB physiology lectures," it continued, "you know that a healthy
adult of the species possesses an extremely high metabolic rate that requires a
virtually continuous supply of nutrient, which is metabolized, via the
absorption mechanism, to supply major organs such as the two hearts, the
absorption organs themselves, the womb when the entity is in gravid female mode,
and, of course, the limbs. These six immensely strong limbsform the most
energy-hungry system of the body, and demand close to eighty percent of the
total nutrient metabolized.
"If this excessive demand is removed from the energy equation," the
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Diagnostician said slowly and emphatically, "the nutrient supply to
less-demanding systems is automatically increased to optimum.â€
There was no longer any doubt in Cha Thrat's mind regarding the surgical
intentions of the Earth-human, but still she was trying to convince herself that
the situation was not quite as bad as it seemed. With quiet urgency she asked,
"Do this life-form's limbs regenerate?â€
"That is a stupid question," the Hudlar beside her said. "No, if such were the
case, the limb musculature and circulation would not have degenerated to their
present state in the first place. Please be quiet, Nurse, and listen.â€
"I meant the Earth-human's limbs," Cha Thrat said insistently, "not the
patient's.â€
"No," the Hudlar impatiently said. When she tried to ask other questions, it
ignored her.
Conway was saying, "The major problem encountered while performing deep surgery
on any life-form evolved for heavy gravity and high atmospheric pressure
conditions is, of course, internal organ displacement and decompression damage.
But with this type of operation there is no real problem. The bleeding is
controlled with clamps, and the procedure is simple enough for any of you
advanced trainees to perform it under supervision.
"In fact," the Diagnostician added, showing its teeth suddenly, "I shall not
even lay a cutter on this patient. The responsibility for the operation will be
collectively yours.â€
A quiet, polite uproar greeted the Earth-human'swords and the trainees surged
closer to the barrier, imprisoning Cha Thrat within a barricade of metal-hard
Hudlar bodies and tentacles. So many conversations were going on at once that
several times her translator was overloaded, but from what she did hear it
seemed that they were all in favor of this utterly shameful act of professional
cowardice, and stupidly eager rather than afraid to take surgical
responsibility.
She had never in her wildest and most fearful imaginings expected anything like
this, nor thought to prepare herself for such a vicious and demoralizing attack
on her ethical code. Suddenly she wanted away from this nightmare with its group
of demented and immoral Hudlars. But they were all too busy flapping their
speaking membranes at each other to hear her.
"Quiet, please," Diagnostician Conway said, and there was silence. "I don't
believe in springing surprises, pleasant or otherwise, but sooner or later you
Hudlars will be performing multiple amputations like this on your home world
hour after hour, day after day, and I feel that you should get used to the idea
sooner rather than later.â€
It paused to look at a white card it was holding in one hand, then said,
"Trainee FROB-Severity-three, you will begin.â€
Cha Thrat had an almost overwhelming urge to shout and scream that she wanted
out and far away from this hellish demonstration. But Conway, a Diagnostician
and one of the hospital's high rulers, had commanded silence, and the discipline
of a lifetime could not be broken—even though she was far from Sommaradva. She
pushed silently against the wall of Hudlar bodies enclosing her on three sides,
but her attempts to pass through were ignored if they were even noticed.
Everyone's eyes were focused exclusively on the operating cradle and pa-tient
FROB-Eleven Thirty-two and, in spite of her attempts to look elsewhere, hers
were turned in the same direction.
It was obvious from the start that Seventy-three's problem was psychological
rather than surgical, and caused by the close proximity of one of the hospital's
foremost Diagnosticians watching every move it made. But Conway was being both
tactful and reassuring during its spoken commentary on the operation. Whenever
the trainee seemed hesitant, it managed to include the necessary advice and
directions without making the recipient feel stupid and even more unsettled.
There was something of the wizard in this Diagnostician, Cha Thrat thought, but
that in no way excused its unprofessional behavior.
'The Number Three cutter is used for the initial incision and for removing the
underlying layers of muscle," Conway was saying, "but some of us prefer the
finer Number Five for the venous and arterial work, since the smoother edges of
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the incisions make suturing much easier as well as aiding subsequent healing.
"The nerve bundles," it went on, "are given extra length and covered with inert
metal caps, and are positioned just beneath the surface of the stump. This
facilitates the nerve impulse augmentors that will later control the
prosthetics...â€
"What," Cha Thrat wondered aloud, "are prosthetics?â€
"Artificial limbs," the Hudlar beside her said. "Watch and listen; you can ask
questions afterward.â€
There was plenty to see but less to hear because Trainee FROB-Seventy-three was
working much faster and no longer seemed to be in need of the Diagnostician's
covert directions. Not only could Cha Thrat lookdirectly at the operative field,
but the internal scanner picture was also being projected onto a large screen
above and behind the patient, so that she could watch the careful, precise
movements of the instruments within the limb.
Then suddenly there was no limb—it had fallen stiffly, like the diseased brnch
of a tree, into a container on the floor—and she had her first view of a stump.
Desperately she fought the urge to be physically sick.
"The large flap of tegument is folded over the stub limb," Conway was saying,
"and is attached by staples that dissolve when the healing process is complete.
Because of the elevated internal pressure of this life-form and the extreme
resistance of the tegument to puncturing by needle, normal suturing is useless
and it is advisable, in fact, to err on the generous side where the staples are
concerned.â€
There had been unsavory rumors of cases like this on Sommaradva, traumatic
amputation of limbs during a major industrial or transportation accident, after
which the casualty had survived, or insisted on surviving. The wounds had been
discreetly tidied up, usually by young, nonresponsible and as yet unqualified
warrior-surgeons or even, if nobody else was available, by an amenable
servile-healer. But even when the warriors concerned had sustained the wounds as
a result of an act of bravery, the matter was hushed up and forgotten as quickly
as possible.
The casualties went into voluntary exile. They would never dream of revealing
their disabilities or deformities to the public gaze, nor would they have been
allowed to do so. On Sommaradva they had too much respect for their bodies. And
for people to parade around with me-chanical devices replacing their limbs was
abhorrent and unthinkable.
"Thank you, Seventy-three, that was well done," the Earth-human said, glancing
once again at its white card. "Trainee Sixty-one, would you like to show us what
you can do?â€
Abhorrent and repulsive though it was, Cha Thrat could not take her eyes from
the operating cradle while the new FROB demonstrated its surgical prowess. The
depth and positioning of every incision and instrument was burned into her
memory as if she were watching some horrid but fascinating perversion. Sixty-one
was followed by two other advanced trainees, and patient FROB-Eleven Thirty-two
was left with only two of its six limbs remaining in place.
"There is still a fair degree of mobility in one of the forelimbs," Conway said,
"and, considering the advanced age and reduced mental adaptability, I feel that
it should be left intact for psychological as well as physiological reasons. It
may well be that the increased blood and available nutrient supply due to the
absence of the other limbs will partially improve the muscle condition and
circulation in this one. As you can see, the other forelimb has degenerated
virtually to the point of necrosis and must be removed.
"Trainee Cha Thrat," it added, "will perform the amputation.â€
Suddenly they Were all looking at her, and for a moment Cha Thrat had the
ridiculous feeling that she was in the center of a three-dimensional picture,
frozen in this nightmare for all eternity. But the real nightmare lay a few
minutes in the future, when she would be forced into a major professional
decision.
Her partner from the ward vibrated its speaking mem-brane quietly. "This is a
great professional compliment, Nurse.â€
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Before she could reply, the Diagnostician was speaking again, to everyone.
It said, "Cha Thrat is a native of a newly discovered world, Sommaradva, where
it was a qualified surgeon. It has prior experience of other-species surgery on
an Earth-human DBDG, a life-form that it had encountered for the first time only
a few hours earlier. In spite of this, the work was skillfully done, Senior
Physician Edanelt tells me, and undoubtedly saved the entity's limb and probably
its life. And now it can further increase its other-species surgical experience
with a much less difficult procedure on an FROB.â€
Encouragingly it ended, "Come forward, Cha Thrat. Don't be afraid. If anything
should go wrong, I will be here to help.â€
There was a great, cold fear inside her mixed with the helpless anger of having
to face the ultimate challenge without adequate spiritual preparation. But the
Diagnostician's concluding words, suggesting that her natural fear might somehow
keep her from doing the work, filled her with righteous anger. It was a hospital
ruler and, no matter how misguided and irresponsibile its orders to her had
seemed, they would be obeyed—that was the law. And no Sommaradvan of the warrior
class would show fear before anyone, and that included a group of other-species
strangers. But still she hesitated.
Impatiently the Earth-human said, "Are you capable of performing this
operation?â€
"Yes," she said.
Had it asked her if she wanted to perform the operation, Cha Thrat thought sadly
as she moved toward the cradle, the answer would have been different. Then,
jwith the incredibly sharp FROB Number Three cutter in her hand, she tried
again.
"What," she asked quickly, "is my precise responsibility in this case?â€
The Earth-human took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then said, "You are
responsible for the surgical removal of the patient's left forelimb.â€
"Is it possible to save this limb?" she asked hesitantly. "Can the circulation
be improved, perhaps by surgical enlargement of the blood vessels, or by—â€
"No," said Conway firmly. "Please begin.â€
She made the initial incisions and proceeded exactly as the others had done,
without further hesitation or need of prompting by the Diagnostician. Knowing
what was to happen, she suppressed her fear and steadfastly refused to worry
about or feel the pain until the moment it would engulf her. She was utterly
determined now to show this strange, highly advanced but seemingly
nonre-sponsible medic how a truly dedicated warrior-surgeon of Sommaradva was
expected to behave.
As she was inserting the last few staples into the flap covering the stump, the
Diagnostician said warmly, "That was fast, precise, and quite exemplary work,
Cha Thrat. I am particularly impressed by— What are you doingT'She thought that
her intentions were obvious as soon as she lifted the Number Three cutter.
Sommaradvan DCNFs did not possess forelimbs as such but, she thought proudly,
the removal of a left-side medial limb would satisfy the professional
requirements of the situation. One quick, neat slice was enough, then she looked
at it lying in the container among the Hudlar limbs and gripped the stump
tightly to control the bleeding.
Her last conscious memory of the episode was ofDiagnostician Conway shouting
above the general uproar into the communicator.
"FROB lecture theater on the double," it was saying urgently. "One DCNF, a
traumatic amputation, self-inflicted. Ready the OR on Level Forty-three, dammit,
and assemble a microsurgery team!â€
Chapter 8
She could not be sure about the time required for her post-op recuperation, only
that there had been lengthy periods of unconsciousness and a great many visits
from Chief Psychologist O'Mara and Diagnosticians Thornnastor and Conway. The
DBLF nurse assigned to her made caustic comments about the special attention she
was receiving from the hospital's hierarchy, the quantity of food she was moving
for a supposedly sick patient, and about a newly arrived Nidian trainee whose
furry little head had been turned by Cresk-Sar of all people. But when she tried
to discuss her own case it was obvious from the Kelgian nurse's agitated fur
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that that was a forbidden subject.
It did not matter because, by accident or design, the medication she was
receiving had the effect of making her feel as if her mind was some kind of
dirigible airship, moving at her direction but detached and floating free of all
mundane problems. It was, she realized, a very comfortable but suggestible
state.
During one of its later visits, O'Mara had suggested that, regardless of her
reasons for acting as she had, she had discharged her particularly strict
professional obligations, so that no further action was required on her part.
The limb had been completely severed and removed from the torso. The fact that
Conway and Thornnastor had together performed some very fancy microsurgery to
reattach it, with no loss of function or feeling, was a piece of good fortune
that she should accept gratefully and without guilt.
It had taken a long time to convince the wizard that she had already arrived at
the same conclusion, and that she was grateful, not only for her good fortune,
but to Diagnosticians Conway and Thornnastor for giving her back the limb. The
only part of the incident that continued to puzzle her, she had told O'Mara, was
the adverse reaction of everyone to the noble and praiseworthy thingshe had
done.
O'Mara had seemed to relax then, and it had proceeded with a long, devious spell
that involved subjects which Cha Thrat had considered too personal and sensitive
to be discussed with a fellow Sommaradvan, much less a stranger. Perhaps it was
the medication that reduced her feelings of shock and outrage, and made the
suggestions of the wizard seem worthy of consideration rather than outright
rejection.
One of its suggestions had been that, when viewed nonsubjectively, the action
she had taken had been neither noble nor praiseworthy, but a little bit silly.
By the end of that visit she almost agreed with it, and suddenly she was allowed
visitors.
Tarsedth and the Hudlar trainee were the first callers. The Kelgian came
bustling forward to ask how she was feeling and to examine her scars, while the
FROB remained standing in silence just inside the entrance. ChaThrat wondered if
there was anything bothering it, forgetting for the moment that her medication
frequently caused her to vocalize her thoughts.
"Nothing," said Tarsedth. "Just ignore the big softie. When I arrived it was
outside the door, don't know for how long, afraid that the mere sight of another
Hudlar would give you some kind of emotional relapse. In spite of all that
muscle, Hudlars are sensitive souls. According to what O'Mara told Cresk-Sar,
you are unlikely to do anything sudden or melodramatic. You are neither mentally
unbalanced nor emotionally disturbed. Its exact words were that you were
normally crazy but not certifi-ably mad, which is the condition of quite a few
people who work in this place.â€
It turned suddenly to regard the FROB, then went on. "Come closer! It is in bed,
with a limb and most of its body immobilized, it has been blasted into low orbit
with tranquilizers, and it isn't likely to bite you!â€
The Hudlar came forward and said shyly, "We all, everyone who was there, wish
you well. That includes Patient Eleven Thirty-two, who is pain-free now and
making good progress. And Charge Nurse Segroth whose good wishes were, ah, more
perfunctory. Will you recover the full use of the limb?â€
"Don't be stupid," Tarsedth broke in. "With two Diagnosticians on the case it
doesn't dare not make a complete recovery." To Cha Thrat it went on. "But so
much has been happening to you recently that I can't keep up. Is it true that
you ticked off the Chief Psychologist in front of everybody in the Chalder ward,
called it some kind of witch-doctor, and reminded it of its professional duty
toward Patient AUGL-One Sixteen? According to the stories going around—â€
"It wasn't quite as bad as that," Cha Thrat said.
"It never is," the DBLF said, its fur subsiding in dis-appointment. "But the
business during the FROB demonstration, now. You can't deny or diminish what
happened there.â€
"Perhaps," the Hudlar quietly said, "it would rather not talk about that.â€
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"Why not?" Tarsedth asked. "Everyone else is talking about it.â€
Cha Thrat was silent for a moment as she looked up at the head and shoulders of
the Kelgian projecting like a silver-furred cone over one side of her bed and
the enormous body of the Hudlar looming over the other. She tried to make her
unnaturally fuzzy mind concentrate on what she wanted to say.
"I would prefer to talk about all the lectures I've missed," she said finally.
"Was there anything especially interesting or important? And would you ask
Cresk-Sar if I could have a remote control for the viewscreen, so I can tune in
to the teaching channels? Tell it that I have nothing to do here and I would
like to continue with my studies as soon as possible.â€
"Friend," Tarsedth said, its fur rising into angry spikes, "I think you would be
wasting your time.â€
For the first time she wished that her Kelgian classmate was capable of
something less than complete honesty. She had been expecting to hear something
like this, but the bad news could have been broken more gently.
"What our forthright friend should have told you," the Hudlar said, "is that we
inquired about your exact status from Senior Physician Cresk-Sar, who would not
give us a firm answer. It said that you were guilty not so much of contravening
hospital rules but of breaking rules that nobody had dreamed of writing. The
decision on what to do with you has been< referred up, it said, and you could
expect a visit from O'Mara quite soon.
"When asked if we could bring you lecture material," it ended apologetically,
"Cresk-Sar said no.â€
It did not make any difference how it was broken, she thought after they had
gone, the news was equally bad. But the sudden, raucous sound of her bedside
communicator kept her from dwelling for too long on her troubles.
It was Patient AUGL-One Sixteen who, with Charge Nurse Hredlichi's cooperation,
was shouting into one of the Nurses' Station communicators from the entrance to
the Chalder ward. It began by apologizing for the physiological and
environmental problems that kept it from visiting her in person, then told her
how much it was missing her visits—the Earth-human wizard O'Mara, it said,
lacked her sympathetic manner and charm—and it hoped she was recovering with no
physical or mental distress.
"Everything is fine," she lied. It was not a good thing to burden a patient with
its medic's troubles, even when the medic was temporarily a patient. "How are
you?â€
"Very well, thank you," the Chalder replied, sounding enthusiastic in spite of
the fact that its words were reaching her through two communicators, a
translator, and a considerable quantity of water. "O'Mara says that I can leave
and rejoin my family very soon, and can start contacting the space
administration on Chalder about my old job. I'm still young for a Chalder, you
know, and I do really feel well.â€
"I'm very happy for you, One Sixteen," Cha Thrat said, deliberately omitting its
name because others might be listening who were not entitled to use it. She was
surprised by the strength of her feelings toward the creature.
"I've heard the nurses talking," the Chalder went on, "and it seems like you are
in serious trouble. I hope all goes well for you, but if not, and you have to
leave thehospital... Well, you are so far from Sommaradva out here that if you
felt like seeing another world on your way home, my people would be pleased to
have you for as long as you liked to stay. We're pretty well advanced on
Chalderescol and your food synthesis and life-support would be no problem.
"It's a beautiful world," it added, "much, much nicer than the Chalder ward...â€
When the Chalder eventually broke contact, she settled back into the pillows,
feeling tired but not depressed or unhappy, thinking about the ocean world of
Chalderescol. Before joining the AUGL ward she had studied the library tape on
that world with the idea of being able to talk about home to the patients, so
she was not completely unfamiliar with the planet. The thought of living there
was exciting, and she knew that, as an off-planet person entitled to call
Muromeshomon by name, its family and friends would make her welcome however long
or short her stay. But thoughts like that were uncomfortable because they
presupposed that she would be leaving the hospital.
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Instead she wondered how the normally shy and gentle Chalder had been able to
prevail upon the acid-tongued Hredlichli to use the Nurses' Station communicator
as it had done. Could it have forced cooperation by threatening to wreck the
place again? Or, more likely, had the Chalder's call to her been supported,
perhaps even suggested, by O'Mara?That, too, was an uncomfortable thought, but
it did not keep her awake. The continuing spell of the Earth-human wizard or the
medication it had prescribed, or both, were still having their insidious effect.
During the days that followed she was visited singly and, where physiological
considerations permitted, in small groups by her classmates. Cresk-Sar came
twicebut, like all the other visitors, the tutor would not talk about medical
matters at all. Then one day O'Mara and Diagnostician Conway arrived together
and would discuss nothing else.
"Good morning, Cha Thrat, how are you feeling?" the Diagnostician began, as she
knew it would.
"Very well, thank you," she replied, as it knew she would. After that she was
subjected to the most meticulously thorough physical examination she had ever
experienced.
"You've probably realized by now that all of this wasn't strictly necessary,"
Conway said as it replaced the sheet that had been covering her body. "However,
it was my first opportunity to have a really close look at the DCNF
physiological classification as a whole, as opposed to one of the limbs. Thank
you, it was interesting and most instructive.
"But now that you are completely recovered," it went on, with a quick glance
toward O'Mara, "and will require only a course of exercises before you would be
fit for duty, what are we going to do with you?â€
She suspected that it was a rhetorical question, but she badly wanted to reply
to it. Anxiously she said, "There have been mistakes, misunderstandings. They
will not occur again. I would like to remain in the hospital and continue my
training.â€
"No!" Conway said sharply. In a quieter voice it went on. "You are a fine
surgeon, Cha Thrat—potentially a great one. Losing you would be a shameful waste
of talent. But keeping you on the medical staff, with your peculiar ideas of
what constitutes ethical behavior, is out of the question. There isn't a ward in
the hospital that would accept you for practical training now. Segroth took you
only because O'Mara and I requested it.
"I like to make my surgery lectures as interesting andexciting as possible for
the trainees," Conway added, "but there are limits, dammit!â€
Before either of them could say the words that would send her from the hospital,
Cha Thrat said quickly, "What if something could be done that would guarantee my
future good behavior? One of my early lectures was on the Educator tape system
of teaching alien physiology and medicine that, in effect, gives the recipient
an other-species viewpoint. If I could be given such a tape, one with a more
acceptable, to you, code of professional behavior, then I would be sure to stay
out of trouble.â€
She waited anxiously, but the two Earth-humans were looking at each other in
silence, ignoring her.
Without the Educator or physiology tape system, she had learned, a multispecies
hospital like Sector General could not have existed. No single brain, regardless
of species, could hold the enormous quantity of physiological knowledge required
to successfully treat the variety of patients the hospital received. But
complete physiological data on any patient's species was available by means of
an Educator tape, which was simply the brain record of some great medical mind
belonging to the same or a similar species as the patient to be treated.
A being taking such a tape had to share its mind with a completely alien
personality. Subjectively, that was exactly how it felt; all of the memories and
experiences and personality traits of the being who had donated the tape were
impressed on the receiving mind, not just selected pieces of medical data. An
Educator tape could not be edited and the degree of confusion, emotional
disorienta-tion, and personality dislocation caused to a recipient could not be
adequately described even by the Senior Physicians and Diagnosticians who
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experienced it.
The Diagnosticians were the hospital's highest medical rulers, beings whose
minds were both adaptable andC.B.E.----6stable enough to retain permanently up
to ten physiology tapes at one time. To their data-crammed minds was given the
job of original research into xenological medicine and the treatment of new
diseases in newly discovered life-forms.
But Cha Thrat was not interested in subjecting herself voluntarily, as had the
Diagnosticians, to a multiplicity of alien ideas and influences. She had heard
it said among the staff that any person sane enough to'be a Diagnostician had to
be mad, and she could well believe it. Her idea represented a much less drastic
solution to the problem.
"If I had an Earth-human, a Kelgian, even a Nidian personality sharing my mind,"
she persisted, "I would understand why the things I sometimes do are considered
wrong, and would be able to avoid doing them. The other-species material would
be used for interpersonal behavioral guidance only. As a trainee I would not try
to use its medical or surgical knowledge on my patients without permission.â€
The Diagnostician was suddenly overcome by an attack of coughing. When it
recovered it said, "Thank you, Cha Thrat. I'm sure the patients would thank you,
too. But it's impossible to... O'Mara, this is your field. You answer it.â€
The Chief Psychologist moved close to the bedside and looked down at her. It
said, "Hospital regulations do not allow me to do as you ask, nor would I do so
if I could. Even though you are an unusually strong and stubborn personality,
you would find it very difficult to control the other occupant of your mind. It
isn't an alien entity fighting for control, but because the type of leading
medical specialist who donates the tapes is frequently a very strong-minded and
aggressive person used to getting its own way, it would feel as if it is
takingcontrol. The ensuing purely subjective conflict could give rise to
episodes of pain, skin eruptions, and more troublesome organic malfunctionings.
All have a psychosomatic basis, of course, but they will hurt you just as much
as the real thing. The risk of permanent mental damage is great and, until a
trainee has learned to understand the external personalities of the beings
around it, it would not receive one of their Educator tapes.
"In your case there is an additional reason," O'Mara added. "You are a female.â€
Sommaradvan prejudices, she thought furiously, evenhere in Sector General! and
made a sound that at homewould have resulted in an immediate and probably vio-*
lent breakdown in communication. Fortunately, thesound did not translate.
"The conclusion you have just jumped to is wrong," O'Mara went on. "It is simply
that the females of all the two-sexed species yet discovered have evolved with
certain peculiarities, as opposed to abnormalities, of mind. One of them is a
deeply rooted, sex-based fastidiousness and aversion toward anything or anyone
entering or trying to possess their minds. The only exception is in the
situation when life-mating has taken place, where, in many species, the
processes of physical and mental sharing and the feelings of possession
complement each other. But I can't imagine you falling in love with an
other-species mind impression.â€
"Do male entities," Cha Thrat asked, both satisfied and intrigued by the
explanation, "receive mind recordings from other-species females, then? Could /
be given a female tape?â€
"There is only one'recorded instance of that..." O'Mara began.
"Let's not go into that," Conway broke in, its face becoming a darker shade of
pink. "I'm sorry, Cha Thrat,you cannot be given an Educator tape, now or ever.
O'Mara has explained why, just as he has explained the political circumstances
of your arrival here and the delicate state of the cultural contact on
Sommaradva that would be jeopardized if we simply dismissed you from the
hospital. Wouldn't it be better for all concerned if you left of your own free
will?â€
Cha Thrat was silent for a moment, her eyes turned toward the limb that she had
thought would be lost forever, trying to find the right words. Then she said,
"You don't owe me anything for my work on ship ruler Chiang. I have already
explained, during my first meeting with the Chief Psychologist, that the delay
in attending to its injuries was caused by my not wanting to lose a limb because
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if, as a result of my decision to perform the operation it lost a limb, then so
would I. As a warrior-surgeon I cannot escape a responsibility willingly
accepted.
"And now," she went on, "if I were to leave the hospital as you suggest, it
would not be of my own free will. I cannot do, or leave undone, something that I
know to be wrong.â€
The Diagnostician was also looking at the replaced limb. "I believe you," it
said.
O'Mara exhaled slowly and half turned to leave. It said, "I'm very sorry I
didn't pick up on that 'losing a limb' remark you made at our first meeting; it
would have saved us all a lot of trouble. Against my better judgment I relented
after the AUGL-One Sixteen business, but the bloody drama during the FROB
demonstration was too much. The remainder of your stay here will not be very
pleasant because, in spite of the earlier recommendations you've had from
Diagnostician Conwayand myself, nobody wants you anywhere near their patients.
"Let's face it, Cha Thrat," it ended as both Earth-humans moved toward the door,
"you're in the doghouse.â€
She heard them talking with a third person in the corridor, but the words were
too muffled for translation. Then the door opened and another Earth-human
entered. It was wearing the dark-green uniform of the Monitor Corps and looked
familiar.
Cheerfully it said, "I've been waiting outside in case they couldn't talk you
into leaving, and O'Mara was pretty sure they wouldn't. I'm Timmins, in case you
don't remember me. We have to have a long talk.
"And before you ask," it went on, "the doghouse, so far as you're concerned, is
the Maintenance Department.â€
Chapter 9
It was obvious from the beginning that Lieutenant Timmins did not consider its
job to be either servile or menial, and it was not long before the Lieutenant
had her beginning to feel the same way. It wasn't just the Earth-human's quiet
enthusiasm for its job, there was also the portable viewer and set of study
tapes it had left at her bedside that convinced her that this was work
forIwarriors—although not, of course, for warrior-surgeons. The wide-ranging and
complex problems of providing technical and environmental support for the
sixty-odd— some of them very odd indeed—life-forms comprising the hospital's
patients and staff made her earlier medical and physiological studies seem easy
by comparison.
Her last formal contact with the training program was when Cresk-Sar arrived,
carried out a brief but thorough examination, and, subject to the findings of
the eye specialist, Doctor Yeppha, who would be visiting her shortly, pronounced
her physically fit to begin the new duties. She asked if there would be any
objection to her continuing to view the medical teaching channels in her free
time, and the Senior Physician told her that she could watch whatever she
pleased in her spare time, but it was unlikely that she would ever be able to
put any of the medical knowledge gained into practice.
It ended by saying that while it was relieved that she was no longer the
Training Department's responsibility, it was sorry to lose her and that it
joined her erstwhile colleagues in wishing her success and personal satisfaction
in the new work she had chosen.
Doctor Yeppha was a new life-form to her experience, a small, tripedal, fragile
being that she classified as DRVJ. From the furry dome of its head there
sprouted, singly and in small clusters, at least twenty eyes. She wondered
whether the overabundance of visual sensors had any bearing on its choice of
specialty, but thought it better not to ask.
"Good morning, Cha Thrat," it said, taking a tape from the pouch at its waist
and pushing it into the viewer. "This is a visual acuity test designed primarily
to check for color blindness. We don't care if you have muscles like a Hudlar or
a Cinrusskin, there are ma-cniiies lu uu me icaiiy ncavy worn., oui you nave 10
oe able to see. Not only that, you must be able to clearly identify colors and
the subtle shades and dilution of color brought about by changes in the
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intensity of the ambient lighting. What do you see there?â€
"A circle made up of red spots," Cha Thrat replied, "enclosing a star of green
and blue spots.â€
"Good," Yeppha said. "I am making this sound much simpler than it really is, but
you will learn the complexities in time. The service bays and interconnecting
tunnels are filled with cable looms and plumbing all of which is color coded.
This enables the maintenance people to tell at a glance which are power cables
and which the , less dangerous communication lines, or which pipes carry oxygen,
chlorine, methane, or organic effluvia. The danger of contamination of wards by
other-species atmospheres is always present, and such an environmental
catastrophe should not be allowed to occur because some partially sighted
nincompoop has connected up the wrong set of pipes. What do you see now?â€
And so it went on, with Yeppha putting designs in subtly graduated colors on the
screen and Cha Thrat telling it what she saw or did not see. Finally the DRVJ
turned off the viewer and replaced the tape in its pouch.
"You don't have as many eyes as I do," it said, "but they all work. There is no
bar, therefore, to you joining the Maintenance Department. My sincere
commiserations. Good luck!â€
The first three days were to be devoted exclusively to unsupervised lessons in
internal navigation. Timmins explained that whenever or wherever an emergency
occurred, or even if a minor fault was reported, the maintenance people were
expected to be at the site of the trouble with minimum delay. Because they
wouldnormally be carrying tools or replacement parts with them on a self-powered
trolley, they were forbidden the use of the main hospital corridors, except in
the direst of emergencies—staff and patient traffic there was congested enough
as it was without risking a vehicular thrombosis. She was therefore expected to
find her way from A to B, with diversions through H, P, and W, without leaving
the service bays and tunnels or asking directions of anyone she might meet.
Neither was she allowed to make an illegal check on her position by emerging
into the main corridor system to go to lunch.
"Wearing the lightweight protective envelope will probably be unnecessary,"
Timmins said as he lifted the grating in the floor just outside her room, "but
maintenance people always wear them in case they have to pass through an area
where there may be a nonurgent seepage of own-species toxic gas. You have
sensors to warn you of the presence of all toxic contaminants, including
radiation, a lamp in case one of the tunnels has a lighting failure, a map with
your route clearly shown, a distress beacon in case you become hopelessly lost
or some other personal emergency occurs, and, if I may say so, more than enough
food to keep you alive for a week much less a day!
"Don't worry and don't try to hurry, Cha ThraC' it went on. "Look on this as a
long, leisurely walk through unexplored territory, with frequent breaks for a
picnic. I'll see you outside Access Hatch Twelve in Corridor Seven on Level One
Twenty in fifteen hours, or less.â€
It laughed suddenly and added, "Or possibly more.â€
The service tunnels were very well lit, but low and narrow—at least so far as
the Sommaradvan life-form was concerned—with alcoves set at frequent
intervalsalong their length. The alcoves were puzzling in that they were empty
of cable runs, pipes, or any form of mechanisms, but she discovered their
purpose when a Kelgian driving a powered trolley came charging along the tunnel
toward her and yelled, "Move aside, stupid!â€
Apart from that encounter she seemed to have the tunnel to herself, and she was
able to move much more easily than she had ever been able to do in the main
corridor whose floor was now above her head. Through the ventilator grilles she
could clearly hear the sounds of thumping and tapping and slithering of
other-species ambulatory appendages overhead, and the indescribable babbie of
growling, hissing, gobbling, and cheeping conversation that accompanied it.
She moved forward steadily, careful not to be surprised by another fast-moving
vehicle as she consulted her map, and occasionally stopped to dictate notes
describing the size, diameter, and color codings on the protective casings of
the mechanisms and connecting pipes and cable runs that covered the tunnel walls
and roof. The notes, Timmins had told her, would enable it to check her progress
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during the test, as well as give her an important check on her general location.
The power and communication lines would look the same anywhere in the hospital,
but most of the plumbing here bore the color codings for water and the
atmospheric mixture favored by the warm-blooded, oxygen-breathing life-forms
that made up more than half of the Federation's member species. Under the levels
where they breathed chlorine, methane, or super-heated steam the colors would be
much different and so would be her protective clothing.
A mechanism that did not appear to be working caught her attention. Through its
transparent cover shecould see a group of unlit indicators and a serial number
that probably meant something to the entities who had built the thing, but to
nobody else who was not familiar with their written language. She located and
pressed the plate of the audible label and switched on her translator.
"I am a standby pump on the drinking water supply line to the DBLF ward
Eighty-three diet kitchen," it announced. "Functioning is automatic when
required, currently inoperative. The hinged inspection panel is opened by
inserting your general-purpose key into the slot marked with a red circle and
turning right through ninety degrees. For component repair or replacement
consult Maintenance Instructions Tape Three, Section One Twenty. Don't forget to
close the panel again before you leave.
"I am a standby pump..." it was beginning again when she took her hand away,
silencing it.
At first she had been worried by the thought of traveling continuously along the
low, narrow service tunnels, even though O'Mara had assured Timmins that her
psych profile was free of any tendency toward claustrophobia. All of the tunnels
were brightly lit and, she had been told, they remained so even if they were
unoccupied for long periods. On Sommaradva this would have been considered a
criminal waste of power. But in Sector General the additional demand on the main
reactor for continuous lighting was negligible, and was more than outweighed by
the maintenance problem that would have been posed if fallible on-off switches
had been installed at every tunnel intersection.
Gradually her route took her away from the corridors and the alien cacophony of
the people using them, and she felt more completely and utterly alone than she
had believed it possible to feel.
The absence of outside sounds made the subduedhumming and clicking of the power
and pumping systems around her appear to grow louder and more threatening, and
she took to pressing the audible labels at random, just to hear another
voice—even though it was simply a machine identifying itself and its often
mystifying purpose.
Occasionally she found herself thanking the machine for the information.
The color codings had begun to change from the oxygen-nitrogen and water
markings to those for chlorine and the corrosive liquid that the Illensan PVSJ
metabolism used as a working fluid, and the corridors were shorter with many
more twists and turns. Before her confusion could grow into panic, she decided
to make herself as comfortable as possible in an alcove, substantially reduce
the quantity of food she was carrying, and think.
According to her map she was passing from the PVSJ section downward through one
of the synthesizer facilities that produced the food required by the
chlorine-breathers and into the section devoted to the supply of the AUGL
water-breathers. That explained the seemingly contradictory markings and the
square-sectioned conduits that made hissing, rumbling noises as the solid,
prepackaged PVSJ food was being moved pneumatically along them. However, a large
corner of the AUGL section had been converted to a PVSJ operating room and
post-op observation ward, and this was joined to the main chlorine section by an
ascending spiral corridor containing moving ramps for the rapid transfer of
staff and patients, since the PVSJs were not physiologically suited to the use
of stairs. The twists and turns of the service tunnel were necessary to get
around these topo-logically complex obstructions. But if she got safely past
this complicated interpenetration of the water- andchlorine-breathing sections,
the journey should be much simpler.
There was no shortage of vocal company. Warning labels, which spoke whether she
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pressed them or not, advised her to check constantly for cross-species
contamination.
Provision had been made to take food without unsealing her protective suit, but
her sensors showed the area clear of toxic material in dangerous quantities, so
she opened her visor. The smell was an indescribable combination of every sharp,
acrid, heavy, unpleasant, and even pleasant smell that she had ever encountered
but, fortunately, only in trace quantities. She ate her food, quickly closed the
visor, and moved on with increased confidence.
Three long, straight sections of corridor later she realized that her confidence
had been misplaced.
According to her estimates of the distances and directions she had traveled, Cha
Thrat should be somewhere between the Hudlar and Tralthan levels. The tunnel
walls should have been carrying the thick, heavily insulated power cables for
the FROBs' artificial gravity grids and at least one distinctively marked pipe
to supply their nutrient sprayers, as well as the air, water, and return waste
conduits required by the warm-blooded, oxygen-breathing FGLIs. But the cable
runs bore color combinations that should not have been there, and the only
atmosphere line visible was the small-diameterpipe supplying air to the tunnel
itself. Irritated with herself, she pressed the nearest audible label.
"I am an automatic self-monitoring control unit for synthesizer process One
Twelve B," it said importantly. "Press blue stud and access panel will move
aside. Warning. Only the container and audible label are reus-able. If faulty,
components must be replaced and not repaired. Not to be opened by MSVK, LSVO, or
other species with low radiation tolerance unless special protective measures
are taken.â€
She had no desire to open the cabinet, even though her radiation monitor was
indicating that the area was safe for her particular life-form. At the next
alcove she had another look at her map and list of color codings.
Somehow she had wandered into one of the sections that were inhabited only by
automatic machinery. The map indicated fifteen such areas within the main
hospital complex, and none of them was anywhere near her , planned route.
Plainly she had taken a wrong turning, perhaps a series of wrong turnings, soon
after leaving the spiral tunnel connecting the PVSJ ward with its new operating
room.
She moved on again, watching the tunnel walls and roof in the hope that the next
change in the color codings would give her a clue to where she might be. She
also cursed her own stupidity aloud and touched every label she passed, but soon
decided that both activities were nonproductive. It was a wise decision because,
at the next tunnel intersection, she heard distant voices.
Timmins had told her not to speak to anyone or to enter any of the public
corridors. But, she reasoned, if she was already hopelessly off-course then
there was nothing to stop her taking the side tunnel and moving toward the
sound. Perhaps by listening at one of the corridor ventilating grilles she might
overhear a conversation that would give her a clue to her present whereabouts.
The thought made Cha Thrat feel ashamed but, compared with some of the things
she had been forced tothink about recently, it was a small, personal dishonor
that she thought she could live with.
There were lengthy breaks in the conversation. At first the voices were too
quiet and distant for her translator to catch what was being said, and when she
came closer the people concerned were indulging in one of their lengthy
silences. The result was that when she came to the next intersection, she saw
them before there was another chance to overhear them.
They were a Kelgian DBLF and an Earth-human DBDG, dressed in Maintenance
coveralls with the additional insignia of Monitor Corps rank. There were tools
and dismantled sections of piping on the floor between them and, after glancing
up at her briefly, they went on talking to each other.
"I wondered what was coming at us along the corridor," the Kelgian said, "and
making more noise than a drunken Tralthan. It must be the new DCNF we were told
about, on its first day underground. We mustn't talk to it, not that I'd want
to, anyway. Strange-looking creature, isn't it?â€
"I wouldn't dream of talking to it, or vice versa," the DBDG replied. "Pass me
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the Number Eleven gripper and hold your end steady. Do you think it knows where
it's going?â€
The Kelgian's conical head turned briefly in the direction Cha Thrat was headed,
and it said, "Not unless it was feeling that the tunnel walls were closing in on
itv and it wanted to treat threatened claustrophobia with a* jolt of agoraphobia
by walking on the outer hull. This, is no job for a Corps senior non-com
shortly, if what the Major says is true, to be promoted Lieutenant.â€
"This is no job for anybody, so don't worry about it," the Earth-human said. It
turned to look pointedly along,the corridor to the left. "On the other hand, it
could be contemplating a visit to the VTXM section. Stupid in a lightweight
suit, of course, but maintenance trainees have to be stupid or they'd try for
some other job.â€
The Kelgian made an angry sound that did not translate, then said, "Why is it
that nowhere in the vast immensity of explored space have we discovered yet a
single life-form whose body wastes smell nice?â€
"My furry friend," the Earth-human said, "I think you may have touched upon one
of the great philosophical truths. And on the subject of inexplicable phenomena,
how could a Melfan Size Three dilator get into their waste-disposal system and
travel through four levels before it gummed up the works down here?â€
She could see the Kelgian's fur rippling under its coveralls as it said, "Do you
think that DCNF is stupid? Is it going to stand there watching us all day? Is it
intending to follow us home?â€
"From what I've heard about Sommaradvans," the DBDG replied, still not looking
directly at her, "I'd say it wasn't so much stupid as a bit slow-witted.â€
"Definitely slow-witted," the Keigian agreed.
But Cha Thrat had already realized that, cloaked though they were by statements
that were derogatory and personally insulting, the overheard conversation had
contained three accurate points of reference which would easily enable her to
establish her position and return to the planned route. She regarded the two
maintenance people for a moment, sorry that she was forbidden to speak to them
as they were to her. Quickly she made the formal sign of thanks between equals,
then turned away to move in the only direction the two beings had nor discussed.
"I think," the Kelgian said, "it made a rude gesture with its forward medial
limb,â€
"In its place," the Earth-human replied, "I'd have done the same.â€
During the remainder of that interminable journey she double-checked every
change of direction and kept watch for any unexpected alterations in color
codings on the way to Level One Twenty, and paused only once to make another
large dent in her food store. When she opened Access Hatch Twelve and climbed
into Corridor Seven, Timmins was already there.
"Well done, Cha Thrat, you made it," the Earth-human said, showing its teeth.
"Next time I'd better make the trip a little longer, and a lot more complicated.
After that I'll let you help out with a few simple jobs. You may as well start
earning your keep.â€
Feeling pleased and a little confused, she said, "I thought I arrived early.
Have I kept you waiting long?â€
Timmins shook its head. "Your distress beacon was for your own personal
reassurance in case yoir felt lost or frightened. It was part of the test. But
we keep permanent tracers on our people at all times, so I was aware of every
move you made. Devious, aren't I? But you passed very close to a maintenance
team at one stage. I hope you didn't ask them for directions. You know the
rule.â€
Cha Thrat wondered if there was any rule in Sector General so inflexible that it
could not be bent out of shape, and she hoped that the outer signs of her
embarrassment could not be read by a member of another species.
"No," she replied truthfully, "we didn't speak to eachotherâ€
Chapter 10
In the event, she was not given a job until Timmins had shown her the full range
and complexity of the work that, one day, she might be capable of taking on. It
was obvious that the Earth-human was quietly but intensely proud of its
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Maintenance Department and, with good reason, was showing off while trying to
instill a little of its own pride in her. True, much of the work was servile,
but there were aspects of it that called for the qualities of a warrior or even
a minor ruler. Unlike the rigid stratification of labor practiced on Sommaradva,
however, in the Maintenance Department advancement toward the higher levels was
encouraged.
Timmins was doing an awful lot of encouraging, and seemed to be spending an
unusually large proportion of its time showing her around.
"With respect," she said after one particularly interesting tour of the
low-temperature methane levels, "your rank and obvious ability suggest that you
have more important uses for your time than spending it with me, your most
recent and, I suspect, most technically ignorant maintenance trainee. Why am I
given this special treatment?â€
Timmins laughed quietly and said, "You mustn't think that I'm neglecting more
important work to be with you, Cha Thrat. If I'm needed I can be contacted
without delay. But that is unlikely to happen because my subordinates try very
hard to make me feel redundant.
"You should find the next section particularly interesting," it went on. "It is
the VTXM ward, which, strange as it may seem, forms part of the main reactor.
You know from your medical lectures that the Telfi are a gestalt life-form who
live by the direct absorption of hard radiation, so that all patient examination
and treatment is by remote-controlled sensors and manipulators. To be assigned
to maintenance in this area you would need special training in—â€
"Special training," Cha Thrat broke in, beginning to lose her patience, "means
special treatment. I have already asked this question. Am I being given special
treatment?â€
"Yes," the Earth-human said sharply. It waited while a refrigerated vehicle
containing one of the frigid-blooded SNLU methane-breathers rolled past, then
went on. "Of course you are being given special treatment.â€
"Why?â€
Timmins did not reply.
"Why do you not answer this simple question?" she persisted.
"Because," the Earth-human said, its face deepening in color, "your question
does not have a simple answer, and I'm not sure if I am the right person to give
it to you, since I might also give offense, cause you mental pain, insult you,
or make you angry.â€
Cha Thrat walked in silence for a moment, then said, "I think that your
consideration for my feelings makes you the right person. And a subordinate who
has acted wrongly may indeed feel mental pain or anger or intense" self-dislike
but surely, if the superior speaks justly, no offense can be taken nor insult
given.â€
The Earth-human shook its head in a gesture, she had learned, that could mean
either negation or puzzlement. It said, "There are times, Cha Thrat, when you
make me feel like the subordinate. But what the hell, I'll try to answer. You
are being accorded special treatment because of the wrong we did to you and the
mental discomfort we have caused, and there are several important people who
feel obligated to do something about it.â€
"But surely," she said incredulously, "I am the one who has behaved wrongly.â€
"That you have," Timmins said, "but as a direct result of us wronging you first.
The Monitor Corps are responsible for allowing, no, encouraging you to come here
in the first place, and waiving the entry requirements. The wrongdoing that
followed this combination of misguided gratitude for saving Chiang's life and
sheer political opportunism was the inevitable result.â€
"But I wanted to come," Cha Thrat protested, "and I still want to stay.â€
"To punish yourself for recent misdeeds?" Timmins asked quietly. "I've been
trying to convince you that we are originally to blame for those.â€
"I am not mentally or morally warped," she replied, trying to control her anger
at what, on her home world, would have been a grave insult. "I accept just
punishment, but I would not seek to inflict it on myself. There are some very
disquieting and unpleasant aspects to life here, but in no level of Sommaradvan
society could I be subject to such a variety and intensity of experience. That
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is why I would like to stay.â€
The Earth-human was silent for a moment, then it said, "Conway, O'Mara, and
Cresk-Sar among others, even Hredlichli, were sure that your reasons for wanting
to stay here were positive rather than negative and thatthere was little chance
of my getting you to agree to a return home...â€
It broke off as Cha Thrat stopped dead in the corridor. Angrily she said, "Have
you been discussing with all these people my deeds and misdeeds, my competence
or incompetence, perhaps my future prospects, without inviting me to be
present?â€
"Move, you're causing a traffic problem," Timmins said. "And there is no reason
for anger. Since that business during the Hudlar demo there isn't a single being
in the hospital who has not talked about your deeds, misdeeds, competence, or
lack thereof, and your highly questionable future prospects in the hospital.
Having you present at ail those discussions was not possible. But if you want to
know what was said about you in great and interminable detail—the serious
discussions, that is, as opposed to mere hospital gossip—I believe O'Mara has
added the recordings to your psych file and might play them back to you on
request. Or again, he might not.
"Alternatively," it went on when they were moving again, "you may wish me to
give you a brief summary of these discussions, inaccurate in that the excess
verbiage and the more impolite and colorful phraseology will be deleted.â€
"That," Cha Thrat said, "is what I wish." "Very well," it replied. "Let me begin
by saying that the Monitor Corps personnel and all of the senior medical staff
members involved are responsible for this situation. During the initial
interview with O'Mara you mentioned that the lengthy delay in your decision to
treat Chiang was that you did not want to lose a limb. O'Mara assumed, wrongly,
that you were referring only to Chiang's limb, and he thinks that in an
other-species interview he should have been more alert to the exactmeaning of
the words spoken, and that he is primarily responsible for your self-amputation.
"Conway feels responsible," it went on, "because he ordered you to perform the
Hudlar limb removal without knowing anything about your very strict code of
professional ethics. Cresk-Sar thinks it should have questioned you more closely
on the same subject. Both of them believe that you would make a fine
other-species surgeon if you could be deconditioned and reeducated. And
Hred-lichli blames itself for ignoring the special friendship that developed
between you and AUGL-One Sixteen. And, of course, the Monitor Corps, which is
originally responsible for the problem, suggested a solution that would give the
minimum displeasure to everyone.â€
"By transferring me to Maintenance," she finished for it.
"That was never a serious suggestion," the Earth-human said, "because we
couldn't believe that you would accept it. No, we wanted to send you home.â€
A small part of her mind was moving her body forward and around the heavier or
more senior staff members, while the rest of it felt angry and bitterly
disappointed in the life-form beside her that she had begun to think of as a
friend.
"Naturally," Timmins went on, "we tried to take your feelings into account. You
were interested in meeting and working with off-planet life-forms, so we would
give you a cultural liaison position, as an advisor on Sommar-advan affairs, on
our base there. Or on Descartes, our largest specialized other-species contact
vessel, which will be orbiting your world until another new intelligent species
is discovered somewhere. Your position would be one of considerable
responsibility, and could not be influenced in any way by the people who dislike
you on Sommaradva.
"Naturally, nothing could be guaranteed at this stage," it continued. "But
subject to your satisfactory performance with us you would be allowed to choose
between a permanent position with the Corps' Sommar-adva establishment as an
interspecies cultural advisor or as a member of the contact team on Descartes.
We tried to do what we thought was best for you, friend, and everyone else.â€
"You did," Cha Thrat said, feeling her anger and disappointment melting away.
"Thank you.â€
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"We thought it was a reasonable compromise," Tim-mins said. "But O'Mara said no.
He insisted that you be given a maintenance job here in the hospital and have
the Corps induction procedures attended to as quickly as possible.â€
"Why?â€
"I don't know why," it replied. "Who knows how a Chief Psychologist's mind
works?â€
"Why," she repeated, "must I join your Monitor Corps?â€
"Oh, that," Timmins said. "Purely for administrative convenience. The supply and
maintenance of Sector General is our responsibility, and anyone who is not a
patient or on the medical staff is automatically a member of the Monitor Corps.
The personnel computer has to know your name, rank, and number so as to be able
to pay your salary and so we can tell you what to do.
"Theoretically," it added.
"I have never disobeyed the lawful order of a superior. .." Cha Thrat began,
when it held up its hand again.
"A Corps joke, don't worry about it," Timmins said. "The point I'm trying to
make is that our Chief Psychologist bears the administrative rank of major, but
it is difficult to define the limits of his authority in this place., because he
orders full Colonels and Diagnosticiansaround, and not always politely. Your own
rank of junior technician, Environmental Maintenance, Grade Two, which became
effective as soon as we received O'Mara's instructions, will not give you as
much leeway.â€
"Please," she said urgently, "this is a serious matter. It is my understanding
that the Monitor Corps is an organization of warriors. It has been many
generations on Sommaradva since our warrior-level citizens fought together in
battle. Peace and present-day technology offer danger enough. As a
warrior-surgeon I am required to heal wounds, not inflict them.â€
"Seriously," the Earth-human said, "I think your information on the Corps came
chiefly from the entertainment channels. Space battles and hand-to-hand combat
are an extremely rare occurrence, and the library tapes will give you a much
truer, and more boring, description of what we do and why we do it. Study the
material. You'll find that there will be no conflict of loyalty between your
duties to the Corps, your home world, or your ethical standards.
"We've arrived," it added briskly, pointing at the sign on the heavy door before
them. "From here on we'll need heavy radiation armor. Oh, you've another
question?â€
"It's about my salary,"she said hesitantly.
Timmins laughed and said, "I do so hate these altruistic types who consider
money unimportant. The pay at your present rank isn't large. Personnel will be
able to tell you the equivalent in Sommaradvan currency, but then there isn't
much to spend it on here. You can always save it and your leave allowance and
travel. Perhaps visit your AUGL friend on Chalderescol sometime, or go to—â€
"There would be enough money for an interstellar trip like that?" she broke in.
The Earth-human went into a paroxym of coughing, recovered, then said, "There
would not be enough money to pay for an interstellar trip. However, because of
the isolated position of Sector General, free Corps transport is available for
physiologically suitable hospital personnel to travel to their home planets or,
with a bit of fiddling, to the planet of your choice. The money could be spent
there, enjoying yourself. Now will you please get into that armor?â€
Cha Thrat did not move and the Earth-human watched her without speaking.
Finally she said, "I am being given special treatment, shown areas where I am
not qualified to work and mechanisms that I can't hope to use for a very long
time. No doubt this is being done as an incentive, to show me what is possible
for me to achieve in the future. I understand and appreciate the thinking behind
this, but I would much prefer to stop sightseeing and do some simple, and
useful, work.â€
"Well, good for you!" Timmins said, showing its teeth approvingly. "We can't
look directly at the Telfi anyway, so we aren't missing much. Suppose you begin
by learning to drive a delivery sled. A small one, at first, so that an accident
will damage you more than the hospital structure. And you'll have to really
master your internal geography, and be able to navigate accurately and at speed
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through the service tunnel network. It seems to be a law of nature that when a
ward or diet kitchen has to be resupplied, the requisition is always urgent and
usually arrives late.
"We'll head for the internal transport hangar now," it ended, "unless you have
another question?â€
She had, but thought it better to wait until they were moving again before
asking it.
"What about the damage to the AUGL ward for whichI was indirectly responsible?"
she said. "Will the cost be deducted from my salary?â€
Timmins showed its teeth again and said, "I'd say that it would take about three
years to pay for the damage caused by your AUGL friend. But when the damage was
done you were one of the medical trainee crazies, not a serious and responsible
member of the Maintenance Department, so don't worry about it.â€
She did not worry about it because, for the rest of the day, there were far more
important things to worry about—principally the control and guidance of the
uncontrollable and misguided, multiply accursed heap of machinery called an
antigravity sled.
In operation the vehicle rode a repulsion cushion so that there was no contact
with the deck, and changes in direction were effected by lowering friction pads,
angling the thrusters, or, for fine control, leaning sideways. If emergency
braking was necessary, the power was switched off. This caused the vehicle to
drop to the deck and grind noisily to a halt. But this maneuver was discouraged
because it made the driver very unpopular with the service crew who had to
realign the repulsor grids.
By the end of the day her vehicle had slipped and spun all over the transport
hangar floor, hit every collapsible marker that she was supposed to steer
around, and generally displayed a high level of noncooperation. Timmins gave her
a packet of study tapes, told her to look over them before next morning, and
said that her driving was pretty good for a beginner.
Three days later she began to believe it.
"I drove a sled with a trailer attached, both fully loaded, from Level Eighteen
to Thirty-three," she told Tarsedth, when her one-time classmate visited her for
the customary evening gossip. "I did it Using only theservice tunnels, and
without hitting anything or anybody.â€
"Should I be impressed?" the Kelgian asked.
"A little," Cha Thrat said, feeling more than a little deflated. "What's been
happening to you?â€
"Cresk-Sar transferred to me LSVO Surgical," Tar-sedth said, its fur rippling in
an unreadable mixture of emotions. "It said I was ready to broaden my
other-species nursing experience, and working with a light-gravity life-form
would improve my delicacy of touch. And anyway, it said, Charge Nurse
Lentilatsar, the rotten, chlorine-breathing slimy slob, was not entirely happy
with the way I exercised my initiative. What tape is that? It looks massively
uninteresting.â€
"To the contrary," Cha Thrat said, touching the pause stud. The screen showed a
picture of a group of Monitor Corps officers meeting the great Earth-human
MacEwan and the equally legendary Orligian Grawlya-Ki, the true founders, it was
said, of Sector General hospital. "It's the history, organization, and present
activities of the Monitor Corps. I find it very interesting, but ethically
confusing. For example, why must a peace-keeping force be so heavily armed?â€
"Because, stupid, it couldn't if it wasn't," Tarsedth said. It went on quickly.
"But on the subject of the Monitor Corps I'm an expert. A lot of Kelgians join
these days, and I was going to try for a position as Surgeon-Lieutenant, a
ship's medic, that is, and might still do it if 1 don't qualify here.
"Of course," it went on enthusiastically, "there are other, nonmilitary,
openings...â€
As the Galactic Federation's executive and law-enforcement arm, the Monitor
Corps was essentially a police force on an interstellar scale, but during the
first century since it had come into existence it had becomemuch more.
Originally, when the Federation naa comprised a rather unstable alliance of only
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four inhabited systems—Nidia, Orligia, Traltha, and Earth—its personnel had been
exclusively Earth-human. But those Earth-humans were responsible for discovering
other inhabited systems, and more and more intelligent life-forms, and for
establishing friendly contact with them.
The result was that the Federation now numbered among its citizens close on
seventy different species— the figure was constantly being revised upward—and
the peace-keeping function had taken second place to that of the Survey,
Exploration, and Other-species Communications activities. The people with the
heavy weaponry did not mind because a police force, unlike an army, feels at its
most effective when there is nothing for it to do but keep in training by
carving up the odd mineral-rich asteroid for the mining people, or clearing and
leveling large tracts of virgin land on a newly discovered world in preparation
for the landing of colonists.
The last time a Monitor Corps police action had been indistinguishable from an
act of war had been nearly two decades ago, when they had defended Sector
General itself from the badly misguided Etlans, who had since become law-abiding
citizens of the Federation. A few of them had even joined the Corps.
"Nowadays membership is open to any species," Tarsedth continued, "although for
physiological reasons, life-support and accommodation problems on board the
smaller ships, most of the space-going personnel are warm-blooded
oxygen-breathers.
"Like I said," the Kelgian went on, undulating forward and restarting the tape,
"there are lots of interesting openings for restless, adventurous, home-hating
types like us. You could do worse than join.â€
"I have joined," Cha Thrat said. "But driving a gravity sled isn't exactly
adventurous.â€
Tarsedth's fur spiked in surprise, then settled down again as it said, "Of
course you have. Stupid of me, I'd forgotten that all nonmedical staff are
automatically coopted into the Monitor Corps. And I've seen how you people
drive. Adventurous verging on the suicidal best describes it. But you made a
good decision. Congratulations.â€
The decision had been made for her, Cha Thrat thought wryly, but that did not
mean that it was necessarily a wrong decision. They had settled back to watch
the remainder of the Monitor Corps history tape when Tarsedth's fur became
agitated again.
"I'm worried about you and the Corps people, Cha Thrat," the Kelgian said
suddenly. "They can be a bit stuffy about some things, easy-going about others.
Just study and work hard. And think carefully before you do anything that will
get you kicked out.â€
Chapter 11
Time slipped past and Cha Thrat felt that she was making no progress at all,
until one day she realized that she was performing as routine tasks that only a
little earlier would have been impossible. Much of the work was servile but,
strangely, she was becoming increasingly interested in it and felt proud when
she did it well.
Sometimes the morning assignments contained unpleasant surprises.
"Today you will begin moving power cells and other consumables to the ambulance
ship Rhabwar," Timmins said, consulting its worksheet. "But there is a small job
I want you to do first—new vegetable decoration for the AUGL ward. Study the
attachment instructions before you go so that the medics will think you know
what you're doing... Is there a problem, Cha Thrat?â€
There were other and more senior technicians in her section—three Kelgians, an
Ian, and an Orligian—waiting for the day's assignments. She doubted her ability
to take over one of their jobs, and hers was probably too elementary for the
Lieutenant to consider swapping assignments, but she had to try.
Perhaps the Earth-human would accord her some of the earlier special treatment
that, for some reason, had been completely absent since she had been put to
work.
'There is a problem," Cha Thrat said quietly. The note of pleading in her voice
was probably lost in the process of translation, she thought as she went on. "As
you know, I am not well liked by Charge Nurse Hred-.< lichli, and my presence in
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the AUGL ward is likely tjb cause, at very least, verbal unpleasantness. The bad
fe/al-ing for which I am largely responsible may fade in tim<e, but right now I
think that it would be better to seiud someone else.â€
Timmins regarded her silently for a moment, then it smiled and said, "Right now,
Cha Thrat, I wouldn't want to send anyone else to the AUGL ward. Don't worry
about it.
"Krachlan," it went on briskly. "You are for Level Eighty-three, another fault
reported in the power converter at Station Fourteen B. We may have to replace
the unit...â€
All the way to the Chalder level, Cha Thrat seethed quietly as she wondered how
such a stupid, insensitive, cross-species miscegenation as Timmins had risen to
its high rank and responsibilities without sustaining mortal injury at the
hands, claws, or tentacles of a subordinate. By the time she reached the AUGL
ward and entered inconspicuously by the service tunnel lock, she had calmed
sufficiently to remember a few, a very few, of Timmins's good qualities.
She was relieved when nobody came near her as she went to work. All of the
patients and nursing staff seemed to be congregated at the other end of the ward
and dimly, through the clouded green water, she could see the distinctive
coveralls of a transfer team member. Plainly something of great interest was
happening back there, which meant that with luck she would be able to complete
her work undisturbed and unnoticed.
Seemingly it was not to be her lucky day.
"It's you again," said the familiar, acid-tongued voice of Hredlichli, who had
approached silently from behind her. "How long will it take for you to finish
hanging that vile stuff?â€
J "Most of the morning, Charge Nurse," Cha Thrat re-•plifed politely.
t She did not want to get into an argument with the chilorine-breather, and it
seemed as if one were about to stiirt. She wondered if it was possible to
forestall it by doing all the talking herself on a subject that Hredlichii could
not argue about, the improved comfort of its patients.
"The reason for it taking so long to install, Charge Nurse," she said quickly,
"is that this vegetation isn't the usual plastic reproduction. I've been told
that it has just arrived from Chalderescol, that it is a native underwater
plant-form, very hardy and requiring the minimum of at-tention, and that it
releases a pleasant, waterborne aroma that is said to be psychologically
beneficial to the recuperating patient.
"Maintenance will periodically check its growth and genera! health," she went on
before the chlorine-breather could respond, "and supply the nutrient material.
But the patients could be given the job of caring for it, as something
interesting to do to relieve their b<5redom, and to leave the nurses free to
attend—â€
"Cha Thrat," Hredlichli broke in sharply, "are you telling me how I should run
my ward?â€
"No," she replied, wishing not for the first time that her mouth did not run so
far ahead of her mind. "I apologize, Charge Nurse. I no longer have
responsibility for any aspect of patient care, and I did not wish to imply that
I did. While I am here I shall not even talk to a patient.â€
Hredlichli made an untranslatable sound, then said, "You'll talk to one patient,
at least. That is why I asked Timmins to send you here today. Your friend,
AUGL-One Sixteen, is going home, and I thought you might want to wish it
well—everybody else in the ward seems to be doing so. Leave that disgusting mess
you're working on and finish it later.â€
Cha Thrat could not speak for a moment. Since the transfer to Maintenance she
had lost contact with her Chalder friend, and knew only that it was still on the
hospital's list of patients under treatment. The most she had hoped for today,
and it had been a pretty forlorn hope, was that Hredlichli would allow her a few
words with the patient while she was working. But this was completely
unexpected.
"Thank you, Charge Nurse," she said finally. "This is most considerate of you.â€
The chlorine-breather made another untranslatablenoise. It said, "Since I was
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appointed Charge Nurse here I've been agitating to have this antiquated
underwater dungeon redecorated, reequipped, and converted into something
resembling a proper ward. Thanks to you that is now being done, and once I
recovered from the initial trauma of having my ward wrecked, I decided that I
owed you one.
"Even so," it added, "I shall not suffer terminal mental anguish if I don't see
you again after today.â€
AUGL-One Sixteen had already been inserted into its transfer tank and only the
hatch above its head remained to be sealed, after which it would be moved
through the lock in the outer hull and across to the waiting Chalder ship. A
group comprised of well-wishing nurses, visibly impatient transfer team members,
and the Earth-human O'Mara hung around the opening like a shoal of ungainly
fish, but the loud, bubbling sounds from the tank's water-purifying equipment
made it difficult to hear what was being said. As she approached, the Chief
Psychologist waved the others back.
"Keep it short, Cha Thrat, the team is behind schedule," O'Mara said, turning
away and leaving her alone with the ex-patient.
For what seemed a long time she looked at the one enormous eye and the great
teeth in the part of its head visible through the open seal, and the words she
wanted to speak would not come. Finally she said, "That looks like a very small
tank, are you comfortable in there?â€
"Quite comfortable, Cha Thrat," the Chalder replied. "Actually, it isn't much
smaller than my accommodation on the ship. But that constriction will be
temporary, soon I'll have a planetary ocean to swim in.
"And before you ask," the AUGL went on, "I am feeling fine, really well, in
fact, so you don't have to gopoking about in this pain-free and disgustingly
heaitny body checking my vital signs.â€
"I don't ask questions like that anymore," Cha Thrat said, wishing suddenly that
she could laugh like Earth-humans to hide the fact that she did not feel like
laughing. "I'm in Maintenance now, so my instruments are much larger and would
be very much more uncomfortable.â€
"O'Mara told me about that," the Chalder said. "Is the work interesting?â€
Neither of them, Cha Thrat felt sure, were saying the things they wanted to say.
"Very interesting," she replied. "I'm learning a lot about the inner workings of
this place, and the Monitor Corps pays me, not very much, for doing it. When
I've saved enough to take some leave on Chalderescol, I'll go and see how
everything is with you.â€
"If you visited me, Cha Thrat," the AUGL broke in, "you would not be allowed to
spend any of your hard-earned Monitor currency on Chalderescol. As you are a
name-user and off-world member of my family, they would be deeply insulted, and
would probably have you for lunch, if you tried.â€
"In that case," Cha Thrat said happily, "I shall probably visit you quite soon.â€
"If you don't swim clear, Technician," said an Earth-human in Transfer Team
coveralls who had appeared beside her, "we'll seal you in the tank now, and you
can damn well travel there with your friend!â€
"Muromeshomon," she said quietly as the seal was closing, "may you fare well.â€
When she turned to go back to the unplanted vegetation, Cha Thrat's mind was
concentrated on her Chalder friend to such an extent that she did not think of
the impropriety of what she, a mere second-grade techni-cian, said to the
Earth-human Monitor Corps Major as she passed it.
"My congratulations, Chief Psychologist," she said gratefully, "on a most
successful! spell.â€
O'Mara responded by opening its mouth, but not even an untranslatable sound came
out.
The three days that followed were spent on the Rhab-war resupply job, bringing
crew consumables and time-expired equipment to the largely Earth-human
maintenance people charged with bringing the ambulance ship to peak operating
efficiency, and occasionally assisting with the installation of some of the
simpler items. On its next trip Rhabwar would be carrying Diagnostician Conway,
a former leader of its medical team, and the present crew did not want it to
find any cause for complaint.
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On the fourth day, Timmins asked Cha Thrat to wait while the other assignments
were given out.
"You seem to be very interested in our special ambulance ship," the Lieutenant
said when they were alone. "I'm told that you've been climbing all over and
through it, and mostly when it's empty and you are supposed to be off-duty. Is
this so?â€
"Yes, sir," Cha Thrat said enthusiastically. "It is a complex and beautifully
functional vessel, judging by what I've heard and seen, and it is almost a
miniature version of the hospital itself. The casualty treatment and
other-species environmental arrangements are especially. .." She broke off, to
add warily, "I would not try to test or use any of this equipment without
permission.â€
"I should hope not!" the Lieutenant said. "All right, then. I have another job
for you, on Rhabwar, if you think you can do it. Come with me.â€
It was a small compartment that had been convertedfrom a post-op recovery room,
ana it suit reiameu us direct access to the ELNT Operating Theater. The ceiling
had been lowered, which indicated that the occupant-to-be either crawled or did
not stand very tall, and the plumbing and power supply lines, revealed by the
incomplete wall paneling, bore the color codings for a warm-blooded
oxygen-breather with normal gravity and atmospheric pressure requirements.
The wall panels that were in place had been finished to resemble rough planking
with a strangely textured grain which resembled a mineral rather than wood.
There was an untidy heap of decorative vegetation on the floor waiting to be
hung, and beside it a large picture of a landscape that could have been taken in
any forested lakeland on Sommaradva, if it had not been for subtle differences
in the tree formations.
The framework and padding of a small, low-level bed was placed against the wall
facing the entrance. But the most noticeable feature of the room, after she had
blundered painfully against it, was the transparent wall that divided it in two.
At one end of the wall there was a large door, outlined in red for visibility,
and a smaller, central opening that contained remote handling and examination
equipment capable of reaching across to the bed.
"This room is being prepared for a very special patient," Timmins said. "It is a
Gogleskan, physiological classification FOKT, who is a personal friend of
Diagnostician Conway. The patient, indeed its whole species, has serious
problems about which you can brief yourself when you have more time. It is a
gravid female nearing full term. There are psychological factors that require
that it receives constant reassurance, and Conway is clearing his present
workload during the next few weeks so that he will be free to travel to Goglesk,
pick up thepatient, and return with it to Sector General in plenty of time
before the event takes place.â€
"I understand," Cha Thrat said.
"What I want you to do," Timmins went on, "is to set up a smaller and simpler
version of this accommodation on Rhabwar's casualty deck. You will draw the
components from Stores and be given full assembly instructions. The work is
slightly above your present technical level, but there is ample time for someone
else to complete the job if you can't do it. Do you want to try?â€
"Oh, yes," she said.
"Good," the Earth-human said. "Look closely at this place. Pay special attention
to the attachment fittings of the transparent wall. Don't worry too much about
the remote-controlled manipulators because the ship has its own. The patient
restraints will have to be tested, but only under the supervision of one of the
medical team who will be visiting you from time to time.
"Unlike this compartment," it went on, "your casualty deck facility will be in
use only during the trip from Goglesk to the hospital, so the wall covering will
be a plastic film, painted to represent the wood paneling here and applied to
the ship's inner plating and bulkheads. This saves on installation time and,
anyway, Captain Fletcher would not approve of us boring unnecessary holes in his
ship. When you think you understand what you will be doing, collect the material
from Stores and take it to the ship. I'll see you there before you go off-duty.
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..â€
"Why the transparent wall and remote handling equipment?" Cha Thrat asked
quickly, as the Lieutenant turned to go. "An FOKT classification doesn't sound
like a particularly large or dangerous life-form.â€
"... To answer any questions not covered by your information tape," it ended
firmly. "Enjoy yourself." •The days that followed were not particularly
enjoyable except in retrospect. The tri-di drawings and assembly instructions
gave her a permanent headache during the first day and night but, from then on,
Timmins's visits to check on progress became less and less frequent. There were
three visits from Charge Nurse Nay-drad, the Kelgian member of the medical team
who, Tarsedth informed her, was an expert in heavy rescue techniques.
Cha Thrat was polite without being subservient and Naydrad, in the manner of all
Kelgians, was consistently rude. But it did not find fault with her work, and it
an-, swered any questions that it did not consider either irrelevant or stupid.
"I do not fully understand the reason for the transparent division in this
compartment," she said during one of its visits. "The Lieutenant tells me it is
for psychological reasons, so that the patient will feel protected. But surely
it would feel more protected by an opaque wall and a small window. Is the FOKT
in need of a wizard as well as an obstetrician?â€
"A wizard?" said the Kelgian in surprise, then it went on. "Of course, you must
be the ex-medical trainee they're all talking about who thinks O'Mara is a
witchdoctor. Personally, I think you're right. But it isn't just the patient,
Khone, who needs a wizard, it's the whole planetary population of Goglesk. Khone
is a volunteer, a test case and a very brave or stupid FOKT.â€
"I still don't understand," Cha Thrat said. "Could you explain, please?â€
"No," Naydrad replied. "I don't have the time to explain all the ramifications
of the case, especially to a maintenance technician who has a morbid curiosity
but no direct concern, or who feels lonely and wants to talkinstead of work. Be
glad you have no responsibility, this is a very tricky one.
"Anyway," it went on, pointing toward the viewer and reference shelves at the
other side of the compartment, "our copy of the case-history tape runs for over
two hours, if you're that interested. Just don't take it off the ship.â€
She continued working, in spite of a constant temptation to break off for a
quick look at the FOKT tape, until the maintenance engineer who had been
checking Control poked its Earth-human head into the casualty deck.
"Time for lunch," it said. "I'm going to the dining hall. Coming?â€
"No, thank you," she. replied. "There's something 1 have to do here.â€
"This is the second time in three days you've missed lunch," the Earth-human
said. "Do Sommaradvans have some kind of crazy work ethic? Aren't you hungry, or
is it just an understandable aversion to hospital food?â€
"No, yes very, and sometimes," Cha Thrat said.
"I've a pack of sandwiches," it said. "Guaranteed nutritious, nontoxic to all
oxy-breathers and if you don't look too' closely at what's inside, you should be
able to make them stay down. Interested?â€
"Very much," Cha Thrat replied gratefully, thinking that now she would be able
to satisfy her complaining stomach and spend the whole lunch period watching the
FOKT tape.
The muted but insistent sound of the emergency siren brought her mind back from
Goglesk and its peculiar problems to the realization that she had spent much
longer than the stipulated lunch period watchjng the tape, and that the empty
ship was rapidly filling with people.
She saw three Earth-humans in Monitor Corps greengo past the casualty deck
entrance, heading toward Control, and a few minutes later the lumpy green ball
that was Danalta rolled onto the casualty deck. It was closely followed by an
Earth-human, wearing whites with Pathology Department insignia, who had to be
the DBDG female, Murchison; then Naydrad and Prilicla entered, the Kelgian
undulating rapidly along the deck and the insectile Cinrusskin empath using the
ceiling. The Charge Nurse went straight to the viewer, which was still running
the FOKT tape, and switched it off as two more Earth-humans came in.
One of them was Timmins and the other, judging by the uniform insignia and its
air of authority, was the ship's ruler, Major Fletcher. It was the Lieutenant
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who spoke first.
"How long will it take you to finish here?" it said.
"The rest of today," Cha Thrat replied promptly, "and most of the night.â€
Fletcher shook its head.
"I could bring in more people, sir," Timmins said. "They would have to be
briefed on the job, which would waste some time. But I'm sure I could shorten
that to four, perhaps three hours.â€
The ship ruler shook its head again.
"There is only one alternative," the Lieutenant said.
For the first time Fletcher looked directly at Cha Thrat. It said, "The
Lieutenant tells me that you are capable of completing and testing this facility
yourself. Are you?â€
"Yes," Cha Thrat said.
"Have you any objections to doing so during a three-day trip to Goglesk?â€
"No," she said firmly.
The Earth-human looked up at Prilicla, the leader of the ship's medical team,
not needing to speak.
"I fee! no strong objections from my colleagues to this being accompanying us,
friend Fletcher," the empath said, "since this is an emergency.â€
"In that case," Fletcher said as it turned to go, "we leave in fifteen minutes.â€
Timmins looked as if it wanted to say something, a word of caution, perhaps, or
advice, or reassurance. Instead it held up a loosely clenched fist with the
oppos-able thumb projecting vertically from it in a gesture she had not seen it
make before, and then it, too, was gone. Cha Thrat heard the sound of its feet
on the metal floor of the ship's boarding tube and, in spite of the four widely
different life-forms closely surrounding her, suddenly she felt ail alone.
"Don't worry, Cha Thrat," Prilicla said, the musical triils and clicks of its
native speech backing the translated words. "You are among friends.â€
"There's a problem," Naydrad said. "No acceleration furniture to suit that
stupid shape of yours. Lie down on a casualty litter and I'll strap you in.â€
Chapter 12
The FOKT facility was completed and thoroughly tested, first by Naydrad and
then, on the orders of Major Fletcher, by Rhabwar^ engineer officer, Lieutenant
Chen. That, apart from brief meetings on the way to or from the combination
dining area and recreationdeck, was her only direct contact with any of the
ship'sofficers.
It was not that they tried to discourage such contact between the officer-ruler
level and a being of the lowest technical rank, or that they deliberately tried
to make her feel inferior. They did neither. But all Monitor Corps personnel who
passed the very high technical and academic requirements for service on
interstellar ships were automatically considered, at least to the
status-conscious mind of a Sommaradvan, to be as close to ruler status as made
no difference. Without meaning to give offense they kept slipping into a highly
technical and esoteric , language of their own, and they made her feel very
uncomfortable.
In any case she felt more at home with the civilian medics than with the beings
who, apart from a few small but significant badges on their collars, wore the
same uniform as she did. As well, it was impossible to be in the same company as
Prilicla without feeling very comfortable indeed. So she made herself as
inconspicuous as her physiology would permit, reminded herself constantly that
she now belonged to the maintenance rather than the medical fraternity, and
tried very hard not to join in while the others were discussing the mission.
Goglesk had been a borderline case so far as the Cultural Contact people were
concerned. Full contact with a technologically backward culture could be
dangerous because, when the Monitor Corps ships dropped out of their skies, they
could never be sure whether they were giving the natives evidence of a future
technological goal at which they could aim or a destructive inferiority complex.
But the Gogleskans, in spite of their backwardness in the physical sciences and
the devastating racial psychosis that forced them to remain so, were
psychologi-cally stable, at least as individuals, and their planet had not known
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war for many thousands of years.
The easiest course would have been for the Corps to withdraw and leave the
Gogleskan culture to continue as it had been doing since the dawn of its
history, and write their problem off as insoluble. Instead they had made one of
their very few compromises by setting up a small base for the purposes of
observation, investigation, and limited contact.
Progress for any intelligent species depended on increasing levels of
cooperation among its individuals and family or tribal groups. On Goglesk,
however, any attempt at close cooperation brought drastically reduced
intelligence, a mindless urge to destruction, and serious physical injury in its
wake, so that the Gogleskans had been forced into becoming a race of
individualists who had close physical contact only during the brief reproductive
period or while caring for the very young.
The problem had come about as the result of a solution forced on them in
presapient times. They had been a food source for every predator infesting their
oceans, but they, too, had evolved natural weapons of offense and defense—stings
that paralyzed or killed the smaller life-forms and long cranial tendrils that
gave them the faculty of telepathy by contact. When threatened by large
predators they had linked bodies and minds together to the size required to
neutralize any attacker with their combined stings.
There was fossil evidence on Goglesk of a titanic struggle for survival between
them and a gigantic and particularly ferocius species of ocean predator, a
battle that had raged for many, many thousands of years. The FOKTs had won in
the end, and had evolved into intelligent land-dwellers, but they had paid a
terrible price.
In order to sting to death one of those giant predators,physical and telepathic
link-ups ot hundreds of individual FOKTs had been required. A great many of them
had perished, been torn apart or eaten during every such encounter, and the
consequent and oft-repeated death agonies of the slain had been shared
telepathically by every single member of the groups. In an attempt to reduce
their suffering, the effects of the group telepathy had been diluted by the
generation of a mindless urge to destroy indiscriminately everything within
reach. But even so, the mental scars inflicted during their prehistory had not
healed.
Once heard, the audible signal emitted by Gogleskans in distress that triggered
the process could not be ignored ' at either the conscious or unconscious
levels, because that call to join represented only one thing—the threat of
ultimate danger. And even in present times, when such threats were imaginary or
insignificant, it made no difference. A joining led inevitably to the mindless
destruction of everything in their immediate vicinity—housing, vehicles,
mechanisms, books, or art objects—that they had been able to build or accomplish
as individuals.
That was why the present-day Gogleskans would not allow, except on very rare
occasions, anyone to touch or come close to them or even address them in
anything but the most impersonal terms, while they fought helplessly and, until
Conway's recent visit to the planet, hopelessly against the conditioning imposed
on them by evolution.
It was plain to Cha Thrat that the only subjects that the medical team wanted to
discuss were the Gogleskan problems in general and Khone in particular, and they
talked about them endlessly and without arriving anywhere except back to where
they had started. Several times she had wanted to make suggestions or ask
questions, but found that if she kept quiet and waited patiently, a form of
behavior that had always been foreignto her nature, the ideas and the questions
were suggested! and answered by one of the others.
Usually it was Naydrad who asked such questions, although much less politely
than Cha Thrat would have j done.
"Conway should be here," the Kelgian said, fur ruffling in disapproval. "It made
a promise to the patient J There should be no excuses.â€
The yellow-pink face of Pathologist Murchison deepened in color. On the ceiling
Prilicia's iridescent wings were quivering in response to the emotional
radiation being generated below, but neither the empath nor the female
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Earth-human spoke.
"It is my understanding," Danalta said suddenly, moving the eye it had extruded
to regard the Kelgian, "that Conway was successful in breaching the conditioning
of just one Gogleskan, by an accidental, dangerous, and unprecedented joining of
minds. For this reason the Diagnostician is the only other-species being who has
any chance of approaching the patient closely, much less of touching it before
or during the birth. Even though the call came much earlier than expected, there
must be many others in the hospital who are capable and willing to take over the
Diagnostician's workload for the few days necessary for the trip.
"I, too, think that Conway should have come with us," the shape-changer ended.
"Khone is its friend, and it promised to do so.â€
While Danalta was speaking, Murchison's face had retained the deep-pink
coloration except for patches of whiteness around its lips, and it was obvious
from Prilicla's trembling that the Pathologist's emotional radiation was
anything but pleasant for an empath.
"I agree with you," Murchison said in a tone that suggested otherwise, ''that
nobody, not even the Diagnosti-cian-in-Charge of Surgery, is indispensable. And
rm not defending him simply because he happens to be my life-mate. He can call
for assistance from quite a few of the Senior Physicians who are capable of
performing the work. But not quickly, not while surgery is actually in progress.
And the briefings for his operating schedule would have taken time, two hours at
least. The Goglesk call had the Most Urgent prefix. We had to leave at once,
without him.â€
Danalta did not reply, but Naydrad's fur made discontented waves as the Kelgian
said, "Is this the only excuse Conway gave you for breaking its promise to the
patient? If so, it is unsatisfactory. We have all had expe-'rience with
emergencies arising that necessitated people doing other people's work, without
notice or detailed briefings. There is a lack of consideration being shownfor
its patient—â€
"Which one?" Murchison asked angrily. "Khone or the being presently under his
knife? And an emergency, in case you've forgotten, occurs spontaneously or
because a situation is out of control. It should not be caused deliberately
simply because someone feels hon-orbound to be somewhere else.
"In any case," it went on, "he was in surgery and did not have time to say more
than a few words, which were that we should leave at once without him, and not
worryabout it.â€
"Then it is you who is making excuses for your life-niate's misbehavior..."
Naydrad began when Prilicla, speaking for the first time, interrupted it.
"Please," it said gently, "I feel our friend Cha Thrat wanting to say
something.â€
As a Senior Physician and leader of Rhabwar's medical team it would have been
quite in order for Prilicla to tell them that their continued bickering was
causing itdiscomfort, and that they should shut their speaking ori- 11 fices
forthwith. But she also knew that the little empath 11 Would never dream of
doing any such thing, because the resultant feelings of embarrassment and guilt
over the pain they had caused their inoffensive, well-loved, and
emotion-sensitive team leader would have rendered it even more uncomfortable.
It was therefore in Prilicla's own selfish interests to give orders indirectly
so as to minimize trie generation of unpleasant feelings around it. If it felt
her wanting to speak, it was probable that it could also feel that she, too, was
wanting to reduce the current unpleasantness.
They were all staring at her, and Priiicla had ceased trembling. Plainly the
emotion of curiosity was much less distressing than that which had gone before.
"I, too," Cha Thrat said, "have studied the Goglesk tape, and in particular the
material on Khone__â€
"Surely this is no concern of yours," Danalta broke in. "You are a maintenance
person.â€
"A most inquisitive maintenance person," Naydrad said. "Let it speak.â€
"A maintenance person," she replied angrily, "should be inquisitive about the
being for whose accommodation she is responsible!" Then she saw Priiicla begin
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to tremble again, and controlled her feelings as she went on. "It seems to me
that you may be concerning yourselves needlessly. Diagnostician Conway did not
speak to Pathologist Murchison as if it felt unduly concerned. What exactly did
the message from Goglesk say about the condition of the patient?â€
"Nothing," Murchison said. "We know nothing of the clinical picture. It isn't
possible to send a lengthy message from a small, low-powered base like Goglesk.
A lot of energy is needed to punch a signal through hyperspace so that—â€
"Thank you," Cha Thrat said politely. "The technical problems were covered in
one of my maintenance lectures. What did the message say?â€
Murchison's face had deepened in color again as it said, "The exact wording was
'Attention, Conway, Sector General. Most Urgent. Khone requires ambulance ship
soonest possible. Wainright, Goglesk Base.'“
For a moment Cha Thrat was silent, ordering her thoughts, then she said, "I am
assuming that Healer Khone and its other-species friend have been keeping
themselves informed regarding each other's progress. Probably they have been
exchanging lengthier, more detailed and perhaps personal messages carried aboard
the Monitor Corps courier vessels operating in this sector, which would avoid
the obvious disadvantages of information transmitted through hyperspace.â€
Naydrad's fur was indicating that it was about to interrupt. She went on
quickly. "From my study of the Gogleskan material, I am also assuming that Khone
is, within the limits imposed by its conditioning, an unusually thoughtful and
considerate being who would be unwilling to inconvenience its friends
unnecessarily. Even if Conway had not mentioned the subject directly, Khone
would already have learned from its sharing of the Earth-human's mind the full
extent of the duties, responsibilities, and workload carried by a Diagnostician.
And Conway, naturally, would be equally well informed about Khone's mind and its
probable reaction to that knowledge.
"As the being who wished to be responsible for this patient," she continued,
"the hyperspace signal was for Conway's attention. But it urgently requested an
ambulance ship, not the presence of the Diagnostician.
"Conway knew why this was so," Cha Thrat went on, "because it also knew as much
about Gogleskan preg-nancies as Khone itself did, so it might be that the
literal wording of the signal released Conway from the promise. Knowing that its
patient required nothing more than fasl transport to the hospital, the
Diagnostician was no| overly concerned, and it told you not to be concerned,
either, by its absence.
"It may well be," she ended, "that the recent criticism of Diagnostician
Conway's seemingly unethical behavior' was without basis.â€
Naydrad turned toward Murchison and made the closest thing to an apology that a
Kelgian could make as it said, "Cha Thrat is probably right, and I am stupid.â€
"Undoubtedly right," Danaita joined in. "I'm sorry, Pathologist. If I was in
Earth-human form right now, my face would be red.â€
Murchison did not reply but continued to stare at Cha Thrat. The Pathologist's
face had returned to its normal coloration, but otherwise displayed no
expression that she could read. Prilicla drifted toward her until she could feel
the slight, regular down-draft from its wings.
"Cha Thrat," the Cinrusskin said quietly, "I have a strong feeling that you have
made a new friend...â€
It broke off as the casualty deck's speaker came to life with the overamplified
voice of Fletcher.
"Senior Physician, Control here." it said. "Hyper-space Jump complete and we are
estimating the Goglesk orbiting maneuver in three hours, two minutes. The lander
is powered up and ready to go, so you c transfer your medical gear as soon as
convenient.
"We are in normal-space radio contact with Lieutenant Wainright," it went on,
"who wants to talk to you about your patient, Khone.â€
"Thank you, Captain," Prilicla replied. "We want to talk about Khone as well.
Please relay friend Wainright'smessage to the casualty deck here and to the
lander bay when we move out. We can work as we talk.â€
"Will do," Fletcher said. "Relay complete. You are through to Senior Physician
Prilicla, Lieutenant. Goahead.â€
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In spite of the distortion caused by the translation into Sommaradvan, Cha Thrat
could detect the deep anxiety in Wainright's voice. She listened carefully with
only part of her mind on the job of helping Naydrad load medical equipment onto
the litter.
"I'm sorry, Doctor," it said, "the original arrangements for the pickup on our
landing area will have to be scrapped. Khone isn't able to travel, and sending
transport manned by off-planet people to collect it from its town will be
tricky. At a time like this the natives are particularly, well, twitchy, and the
arrival of visually horrifying alien monsters to carry it and its unborn child
away could cause a joining and—â€
"Friend Wainright," Prilicla interrupted gently, "what is the condition of the
patient?â€
"I don't know, Doctor," the Lieutenant replied. "When we met three days ago
it told me that Junior would arrive very soon and would I please send for the
ambulance ship. It also said that it had to make arrangements to have its
patients cared for, and that it would come to the base shortly before the lander
was due. Then a few hours ago a message was relayed verbally to the base saying
that it could not move from its house, but the bearer of the message could not
tell me whether the cause was illness or injury. Also, it asked if you had
another power pack for the scanner Conway left with it. Khone has been
impressing its patients with that particular marvel of Federation medical
science and the energy cell is flat, which would explain why Khone was unableto
give us any clinical information on its own present j condition.â€
"I'm sure you are right, friend Wainright," Prilicla I said. "However, the
patient's sudden loss of mobility in- 1 dicates a possibly serious condition
that may be deter- 1 iorating. Can you suggest a method of getting it into the !
lander, quickly and with minimum risk to itself and its j friends?â€
"Frankly, no, Doctor," Wainright said. "This is going to be a maximum-risk job
from the word go. If it was a member of any other species we know of, I could
load it < onto my flyer and bring it to you within a few minutes. But no
Gogleskan, not even Healer Khone, could sit that close to an off-planet creature
without emitting a distress call, and you know what would happen then.â€
"We do," Prilicla said, trembling at the thought of the widespread,
self-inflicted property damage to the town and the mental anguish of the
inhabitants that would ensue.
The Lieutenant went on. "Your best bet would be to ignore the base and land as
close as possible to Rhone's house, in a small clearing between it and the shore
of an inland lake. I'll circle the area in a flyer and guide you down. Maybe we
can devise something on the spot. You'll need some special remote handling
devices to move it out, but I can help you with the external dimensions of
Rhone's house and doorways...â€
While Cha Thrat helped the rest of the medical team move equipment into the
lander, Wainright and the empath continued to wrestle with the problem. But it
was obvious that they had no clear answers and were, instead, trying to provide
for all eventualities.
"Cha Thrat," Prilicla said, breaking off its conversation with the base
commander. "As a nonmember of the crew I cannot give you orders, but we'll need
as manyextra hands down there as we can assemble. You areparticularly well
equipped with manipulatory appendages, as well as an understanding of the
devices used to move and temporarily accommodate the patient, and I feel in you
a willingness to accompany us.â€
"Your feeling is correct," Cha Thrat said, knowing that the intensity of
excitement and gratitude the other's words had generated made verbal thanks
unnecessary.
"If we load any more gadgetry into the lander," Nay-drad said, "there won't be
enough space for the patient, much less a hulking great Sommaradvan.â€
But there was enough space inside the lander to take all of them, especially
when those not wearing gravity compensators, which was everyone but Prilicla,
were further compressed by the lander's savage deceleration. Lieutenant Dodds,
Rhabwar's astrogation officer and the lander's pilot, had been told that speed
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had priority over a comfortable ride, and it obeyed that particular order with
enthusiasm. So fast and uncomfortable was the descent that Cha Thrat saw nothing
of Goglesk until she stepped onto its surface.
For a few moments she thought that she was back on Somrnaradva, standing in a
grassy clearing beside the shore of a great inland lake and with the
tree-shrouded outlines of a small, servile township in the middle distance. But
the ground beneath her feet was not that of her home planet, and the grass,
wildflowers, and all the vegetation around her were subtly different in color,
odor, and leaf structure from their counterparts on Som-maradva. Even the
distant trees, although looking incredibly similar to some of the lowland
varieties at home, were the products of a completely different evolutionary
background.
Sector General had seemed strange and shocking toher at first, but it had been a
fabrication of metal, a gigantic artificial house. This was a different world!
"Is your species afflicted with sudden and inexplicable bouts of paralysis?"
Naydrad asked. "Stop wasting time and bring out the litter.â€
She was guiding the powered litter down the unloading ramp when Wainright's
flyer landed and rolled to a stop close beside them. The five Earth-humans who
manned the Goglesk base jumped out. Four of them scattered quickly and began
running toward the town, testing their translation and public address equipment
as they went, while the Lieutenant came toward the lander.
"If you have anything to do that involves two or more of you working closely
together," it said quickly, "do it now while the flyer is hiding you from view
of the town. And when you move out, remain at least five meters apart. If these
people see you moving closer together than that, or making actual bodily contact
by touching limbs, it won't precipitate a joining, but it will cause them to
feel deeply shocked and intensely uncomfortable. You must also—â€
"Thank you, friend Wainright," Prilicla said gently. "We cannot be reminded too
often to be careful.â€
The Lieutenant's features deepened in color, and it did not speak again until,
walking i a well-separated line abreast, they were approaching the outskirts of
the town.
"It doesn't look like much to us," Wainright said softly, the feelings behind
its words making Prilicla tremble, "but they had to fight very hard every day of
their lives to achieve it, and I think they're losing.â€
The town occupied a wide crescent of grass and stony outcroppings enclosing a
small, natural harbor. There were several jetties projecting into deep water,
and most of the craft tied up alongside had thin, high funnels andpaddle wheels
as well as sails. One of the boats, clearly the legacy of a past joining, was
smoke-blackened and sunk at its moorings. Hugging the water's edge was a widely
separated line of three- and four-story buildings, made of wood, stone, and
dried clay. Ascending ramps running around all four walls gave access to the
upper levels, so that from certain angles the buildings resembled thin pyramids.
These, according to the Goglesk tape, were the town's manufacturing and
food-processing facilities, and she thought that the smell of Gogleskan raw fish
was just as unpleasant as that of their Sommaradvan counterparts. Perhaps that
was the reason why the private ' dwellings, whose roofs and main structural
supports were provided by the trees around the edge of the clearing, were so far
away from the harbor.
As they moved over the top of a small hill, Wainright pointed out a low,
partially roofed structure with a stream running under it. From their elevated
position they could see into the maze of corridors and tiny rooms that was the
town's hospital and Rhone's adjoiningdwelling.
The Lieutenant began speaking quietly into its suit mike, and she could hear the
words of warning and reassurance being relayed at full volume from the speakers
carried by the four Earth-humans who had precededthem.
"Please do not be afraid," it was saying. "Despite the strange and frightening
appearance of the beings you are seeing, they will not harm you. We are here to
collect Healer Khone, at its own request, for treatment in our hospital. While
we are transferring Khone to our vehicle we may have to come very close to the
healer, and this may accidentally cause a call for joining to go out. A joining
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must not be allowed to happen, and so we urgeeveryone to move away from your
homes, deep into th forest or far from the shore, so that a distress signal will
not reach you. As an additional safeguard, we will place! around the healer's
home devices that will make a loud, and continuous sound. This sound will be as
unpleasant to you as it is to us, but it will merge with and change the sound of
any nearby distress signal so that it will no longer be a call for joining.â€
Wainright looked toward Prilicla and when the empath signaled its approval, it
changed to the personal suit frequency and went on. "Record and rerun that,
please, until I either amend the message or tell you to stop.â€
"Will they believe all that?" Naydrad called suddenly from its position along
the line. "Do they really trust us off-planet monsters?â€
The Lieutenant moved several paces down the hill before replying. "They trust
the Monitor Corps because we have been able to help them in various ways. Khone
trusts Conway for obvious reasons and as their trusted healer, it has been able
to convince the townspeople that Conway's horrifying friends are also worthy of
trust. The trouble is, Gogleskans are a race of loners who don't always do as
they're told.
"Some of them," it went on, "could have good reasons for not wanting to leave
their homes. Illness or infirmity, young children to be cared for, or for
reasons that seem good only to a Gogleskan. That's why we have to use the sound
distorters.â€
Naydrad seemed satisfied but Cha Thrat was not. Out of consideration for
Prilicla, who would suffer everyone else's feelings of anxiety as well as her
own, she remained silent.
Like everyone else in Maintenance, she knew about those distorters. Suggested
and designed by Ees-Tawn, the department's head of Unique Technology, in
re-sponse to one of Conway's long-term Gogleskan requirements, the devices were
still in the prototype stage. If successful they would go into mass production
until they were in every Gogleskan home, factory, and seagoing vessel. It was
not expected that the devices would eliminate joinings entirely, but with
sensitive audio detectors coupled to automatic actuators, it was hoped that the
link-ups that did occur would be limited to a few persons. That would mean that
a joining's destructive potential would be negligible, shorter in duration, and
psychologically less damaging to the beings concerned.
Under laboratory conditions the distorters were effective against several FOKT
distress call recordings pro-* vided by Conway, but the device had yet to be
tested onGoglesk itself.
The stink of fish worsened, and the sound of the monitors broadcasting the
Lieutenant's message grew louder as they neared the hospital. Apart from a few
glimpses she had of the Earth-humans moving between the houses at the edge of
the clearing, there were no signs of life inthe town.
"Stop sending now," Wainright briskly said. "Anyone who hasn't acted on the
message by now doesn't intend to. Harmon, take up the flyer and give me an
aerial view of this area. The rest of you place the distorters around the
hospital, then stand by. Cha Thrat, Naydrad, ready with the litter?â€
Quickly, Cha Thrat positioned the vehicle close to the entrance of Khone's
dwelling, ran out the rear ramp, and opened the canopy in readiness to receive
the patient. They could not risk touching Khone within sight of other Gogleskans
and were hoping that the little healer would come out and board the vehicle
itself. In case it did not, Naydrad would send in its remote-controlled probe to
find out why.
Because they would make conversation difficult— and so far nothing had happened
that could cause any Gogleskan to emit a distress call—the distorters remained
silent.
"Friend Khone," Prilicla said, and the waves of sympathy, reassurance, and
friendship emanating from it were almost palpable. "We have come to help you.
Please come out.â€
They waited for what seemed like a very long time, but there was neither sight
nor sound of Khone.
"Naydrad..." Wainright began.
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"I'm doing it," the Kelgian snapped.
The tiny vehicle, bristling with sound, vision, and biosensors as well as a
comprehensive array of handling devices, rolled across the uneven surface and
into Rhone's front entrance, pushing aside the curtain of woven vegetable fibers
that hung there. The view all around it was projected onto the litter's repeater
screen.
Cha Thrat thought that the probe itself, to someone who did not know its
purpose, was a frightening object. Then she reminded herself that Diagnostician
Conway, and through it Khone, knew all about such mechanisms.
The probe revealed nothing but a deserted house.
"Perhaps friend Khone required special medication from the hospital and went to
get it," Prilicla said worriedly. "But I cannot feel its emotional radiation,
which means that it is either far from here or unconscious. If the latter, then
it may require urgent attention, so we cannot afford to waste time by searching
every room and passageway in the hospital with the probe. It will be quicker if
I search for it myself.â€
Its. iridescent wings were beating slowly, already moving it forward when it
went on. "Move well back, please, so that your conscious feelings will not
obscure the fainter, unconscious radiation of the patient.â€
"Wait!" the Lieutenant said urgently. "If you nna u, and it awakens suddenly to
see you hovering aboveit...â€
"You are correct, friend Wainright," Prilicla said. "Itmight be frightened into
sending out a distress call. Use your distorters.â€
Cha Thrat quickly moved back with the medical team beyond the range of maximum
sensitivity for the Cinrusskin's empathic faculty, and they adjusted their
headsets to deaden external sounds while enabling them to communicate with each
other. As a screaming, moaning, whistling cacophony erupted from the distorter
posi-, tions around the hospital, Cha Thrat wondered about the depth of
unconsciousness of their patient. The noise was enough to wake the dead.
It was more than enough to rouse Khone.
Chapter 13
"I feel it!" Prilicla called, excitement causing its hovering flight to become
wildly unstable. "Friend Naydrad, send in the probe. The patient is directly
beneath me, but I don't want to risk frightening it by a sudden, close approach.
Quickly, it is very weak and in pain.â€
Now that it had an accurate fix on Khone's position, Naydrad quickly guided the
probe to the room occupied by the Gogleskan. Priiicla rejoined the others around
thelitter's repeater screen where the sensor data was already being displayed.
The pictures showed the interior of one of the hospital's tiny examination rooms
with the figure of Rhone lying against the low wall that separated the healer
and patient during treatment. A small table contained a variety of very
long-handled, highly polished wooden implements that appeared to be probes,
dilators, and spatulas for the nonsurgical investigation of body orifices, some
jars of local medication, and, incongruously, the lifeless x-ray scanner left by
Conway. A few of the instruments had fallen to the floor, and it seemed likely
that Rhone had been examining a patient on the other side of the wall when the
healer had collapsed. It was also probable that the patient concerned had
originated the last message received by Wainright.
"1 am Prilicla, friend Rhone," the empath said via the probe's communicator. "Do
not be afraid...â€
Wainright made an untranslatable sound to remind Prilicla that, apart from the
initial words of identification, Gogleskans did not address each other as
persons and became mentally distressed if anyone tried to do so.
"This device will not cause pain or harm," Prilicla continued more impersonally.
"Its purpose is to lift the patient, very gently, and convey it to a position
where expert attention is available. It is beginning to do so now.â€
On the repeater screen Cha Thrat saw the probe extend two wide, flat plates and
slide them between the floor and Rhone's recumbent body.
"Stop!â€
The two voices, Rhone's through the communicator and Prilicla's in response to
the Gogleskan's blast of emotional radiation, sounded as one. The empath's
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fragile body was shaking as if caught in a high wind.
'Tm sorry, friend Rhone..." it began, then remembering, went on. "Sincere
apologies are tendered for the severe discomfort caused to the patient. Even
greater gentleness will be striven for in future. But is the patient-healer able
to furnish information on the exact position of, and possible reasons for, the
pain?â€
"Yes and no," Rhone said weakly. Its pain had diminished because Prilicla was no
longer trembling. It went on. "The pain is located in the area of the birth
canal. There is loss of function and diminished sensation in the lower limbs,
and the upper limbs and the medial area are similarly but less markedly
affected. The cardiac action is accelerated and respiration is difficult. It is
thought * that the birth process had begun and was interrupted, but the reason
is unknown because the scanner has not worked for some time and it is doubted if
the patient's digits retain sufficient dexterity to change the powercell.â€
"The probe mounts its own scanner," Prilicla said reassuringly, "and its visual
and clinical findings will be transmitted to the healers out here. It will also
change the power cell in the other scanner so that the patient will be able to
aid the healers outside with its own Gog-leskan observations and experience.â€
The empath began trembling again, but Cha Thrat had the feeling that the shaking
was due to its personal concern for Rhone rather than a return of the other's
pain.
"The scanner is being deployed now," Prilicla went on. "It will approach closely
but will not touch the patient.â€
"Thanks are expressed," Rhone said.
As she watched the increasingly detailed scan of Rhone's pelvic area, Cha Thrat
grew more and more angry over her ignorance of Gogleskan physiology. And it made
little difference that the degree of ignorance ofPrilicla, Murchison, and
Naydrad was only slightly less than her own. The one person with the ability to
help Rhone now was many light-years away in Sector General, and there was a
strong probability that even the presence of the Diagnostician Conway would not
have resolved this problem.
"The healer-patient can see for itself," Prilicla said gently, "that the fetus
is large and is improperly presented to the birth canal. It is also pressing
against the major nerve bundles and impeding the blood supply to the muscles in
the area, making it impossible for the fetus to be expelled in its present
position.
"Would the healer-patient agree," the empath went on, "that the birth cannot
proceed without immediate surgical intervention?â€
"No!" Rhone said vehemently, forgetting to be impersonal. "You must not touch
me!â€
"But we're your..." Prilicla began. It hesitated for an instant, then went on.
"Only friends wishing to help the patient are here. The psychological
difficulties are understood. If necessary the probe can be instructed to
administer sedative medication so that the patient will be unconscious and
unaware of being touched while the operation is in progress.â€
"No," Rhone said again. 'The patient must be conscious during and for a short
period following the birth. There are things that the parent must do for the
newborn. Can your mechanism be instructed to perform the operation? The patient
would be less frightened by the touch of a machine than that of an off-world
monster.â€
Prilicla trembled again with the emotional effort needed to make a negative
reply. It said, "Regrettably not. The remote-controlled manipulators are not
sufficiently accurate or responsive for such a delicate procedure. If an
observation might be made, the patient is in a1severely weakened state and may
shortly become unconscious without the assistance of medication.â€
Rhone was silent for a moment, then with a note of desperation in its voice the
Gogleskan said, "It is consciously realized that the off-world healers feel
friendship and deep concern for the patient. But subconsciously, on the darker,
unthinking levels of the mind, the close approach of one of these visually
horrifying creatures would represent an immediate and deadly threat to the life
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of the patient, which would inevitably lead to a call for joining.â€
"The call would not be heard," Prilicla said, and explained the purpose of the
sound distorters. But Rhone's reply set the empath trembling again.
"A call for joining," it said, "presupposes a condition of extreme mental
distress that is followed by a massive and uncontrolled expenditure of physical
energy. The effect on the patient and fetus could lead to termination.â€
Quickly Prilicla said, "Time is short and the clinical condition is
deteriorating rapidly. Risks must be taken. The probe mechanism can be made to
provide two-way vision, and pictures of the off-world friends will be sent. Will
the patient choose from among them the least frightening being, who will then
try to assist it?â€
While the litter's vision pickup swung to cover each of them in turn, Rhone was
saying "The Earth-humans are familiar and trusted, as are the Cinrusskin and
Kelgian seen during the earlier visit to Goglesk, but all of them would arouse
blind, instinctive terror if they approached closely. The other two beings are
unfamiliar, both to the recollection of the patient or in the memories of the
Earth-human Conway. Are they healers?â€
There was a note of relief in the empath's voice as it replied, "Both are recent
arrivals at the hospital and were unknown to Conway at the time of its first
visit.
The small, globular being is Danalta, an entity capable of taking any required
physical form including, if desirable, that of a Gogleskan, or of extruding any
limbs or sensory organs necessary for the repair or alleviation of an organic
malfunction. It will work under the Senior Physician's direction and is an ideal
choice for—â€
"A shape-changer!" Rhone broke it. "Apologies are tendered to this entity, whose
nonphysical qualities are doubtless admirable, but the thought of such a being
is terrifying, and its close approach in the guise of one of my people would be
unbearably repugnant. No!
"The tall creature," it added, "would be much less disturbing.â€
"The tall being," said Prilicla apologetically, "is a hospital
maintenance-technician.â€
' "And previously," Cha Thrat added quietly, "a warrior-surgeon of Sommaradva,
with other-species experience.â€
The empath was trembling again, and this time because of the storm of mixed
feelings being generated by the other members of the medical team.
"Apologies are tendered," Prilicla said hastily. "A short delay is necessary.
This matter requires discussion.â€
"For clinical reasons," Khone replied, "the patient-healer hopes that the delay
will be very short.â€
It was Pathologist Murchison who spoke first. It said, "Your other-species
experience is limited to an Earth-human DBDG and a Hudlar FROB, both involving
simple, external surgery to a limb. Neither of them or, for that matter, your
own DCNF classification, bears any resemblance to a Gogleskan FOKT. After that
Hudlar limb-for-a-limb business, I'm surprised you want to take the
responsibility.â€
"If this goes wrong," Naydrad joined in, its furtwitching with concern, "if the
patient or newborn terminate, I don't know what piece of medical melodrama you
will pull in atonement. Better keep out of this.â€
"I don't know why," Danalta said, in a tone that suggested that its feelings
were hurt, "it prefers an ungainly, stiff-boned life-form like Cha Thrat to me.â€
"The reason," Khone said, making them realize that they had forgotten to switch
off the probe's communicator, "is degrading and probably insulting to the being
concerned, but it should be mentioned in case the Som-maradvan finds it
necessary to withdraw its offer.â€
Khone went on. "There are physical, psychological, and perhaps ridiculous
reasons why this being might closely approach, but not touch except with
long-handled instruments, the patient.â€
There were few visual similarities between the FOKT and DCNF classifications,
Khone explained, except in the eyes of very young Gogleskans who tried to make
models of their parents. But the mass of hair covering the ovoid body, the four
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short, splayed-out legs, the digital clusters, and the four long, cranial
stings, were beyond their sculptoring skill. Instead they produced lumpy,
conical shapes made from mud and grass, into which they stuck twigs that were
not always straight or of uniform thickness. The results, on a much smaller
scale, had a distinct resemblance to the body configuration of a Sommaradvan.
These crudely fashioned models were fabricated during the years preceding the
change from childhood to maturity, when the young adult's stings became a threat
to its parent's life, and they were kept and treasured by both parent and
offspring as reminders of the only times in their lives when they could feel in
safety the warmth and closeness of extended contact with another of their kind.
It was a memory that, in their later and incredibly lonely adult lives, helped
keep them sane.
Murchison was the first to react after Khone finished speaking. The Pathologist
looked at Cha Thrat and said incredulously, "1 think it is telling us that you
look like an oversized Gogleskan equivalent of an Earth teddy bear!â€
Wainright gave a nervous laugh, and the others did not react. Probably they were
as ignorant about teddy bears as Cha Thrat was. However, if the creature
resembled her in many ways, it could not be entirely unbeauti-ful.
"The Sommaradvan is willing to assist," Cha Thrat said, "and offense has
not'been taken.â€
"And neither," Prilicla said, turning its eyes toward her, "will responsibility
be taken.â€
The musical trills and clickings that were the Cinruss-kin's native speech
changed in pitch, and for the first time in Cha Thrat's experience the little
empath's translated words carried the firmness and authority of a ruler as it
went on. "Unless the Sommaradvan can give an unqualified assurance that there is
no possibility of a recurrence of the Hudlar amputation, the'Sommaradvan will
not be allowed to assist.
"The healer-maintenance technician is being used for one reason only," it
continued, "because the close proximity of the more experienced healers is
contraindicated for this patient. It will consider itself simply as an organic
probe whose mind, sensors, and digits are under the direction of the Senior
Physician, who accepts sole responsibility for treatment and subsequent fate of
the patient. Is this clearly understood?â€
The idea of sharing or, in this instance, completely relegating responsibility
for her actions to another person was repugnant to a warrior-surgeon, even
thoughshe could understand the reasons ror n. rmi than her feeling of shame was
the sudden, warm upsurge of gratitude and pride at once again being called to
work as a healer.
"It is understood," she said.
Silently the empath indicated that it was changing from the probe frequency, so
as not to be verbally hampered by having to use the listening Gogleskan's
impersonal mode of speech.
"Thank you, Cha Thrat," it said quickly. "Use my Cinrusskin instruments, they
are best suited to your upper digits and I would feel more comfortable directing
you in their use. Fit the protective devices before trying to do anything else;
you could not help the patient if you were to be paralyzed by its stings. When
you are with Khone, make no sudden movements that might frighten it without
first explaining the reason for them. I shall be monitoring friend Rhone's
emotional radiation from here, and will warn you if any action causes a sudden
increase of fear. But you are well aware of the situation, Cha Thrat. Please
hurry.â€
Naydrad had her carrier pack already filled and waiting. She added the
replacement power cell for Rhone's scanner and began climbing from the top of
the litter on to the hospital roof.
"Good luck," Murchison said. Naydrad ruffled its fur and the others made
untranslatable noises.
The roof sagged alarmingly under Cha Thrat's weight, and one of her forefeet
went right through the flimsy structure, but it was a much quicker route than
crawling through a maze of low-ceilinged corridors. She dropped into the
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uncovered passageway leading to Rhone's room, crouched awkwardly onto two knees
and three of her medial limbs, and, with Prilicla warning the patient of her
arrival, moved only her head and shouldersthrough the entrance. For the first
time she was able to study a Gogleskan FOKT at close quarters.
"The intention," Cha Thrat said carefully, "is not to touch the patient
directly.â€
"Gratitude is expressed," Khone replied in a voice that was barely audible above
the sound of the distorters.
The mass of unruly hair and spikes that covered the erect, ovoid body were less
irregular in color and position than the probe pictures had suggested. The body
hair had mobility, although not to the extent as that possessed by the Kelgians,
and lying motionless amid the multicolored cranial fur were a number of long,
pale tendrils that were used only during a joining to link the member minds of
the group. Four small, vertical orifices, two for breathing and speaking and two
for food ingestion, encircled its waist.
The spikes covering the body were highly flexible, grouped together into digital
clusters, and were capable of fine manipulation, and the lower body was
encircled by a thick apron of muscle, under which the four short legs could be
withdrawn when the being wished to rest.
Now it lay on its side, a position from which even a fully fit and active
Gogleskan would have difficulty in recovering.
Quietly Cha Thrat said, "Instruct the probe to bring the scanner here. When the
power cell has been replaced, return it to within easy reach of the patient,
then move the machine aside.â€
To Khone she went on. "Unlike the visiting healers, the patient has been unaware
of its own condition and an immediate self-examination is requested. Since the
patient is also a healer with extensive knowledge of its own life processes, any
comments or suggestions it cares to make would be helped to the off-planet
colleagues.â€
Prilicla's voice came from her earpiece but not the probe's speaker, which meant
that the empath wanted to talk to her alone. It said, "That was well spoken, Cha
Thrat. No patient, no matter how ill or injured, wants to feel completely
useless and dependent. Otherwise well-intentioned healers sometimes forget
that.â€
That was one of the first lessons she had learned at the medical school on
Sommaradva. Another, which had obviously been learned by Prilicla, was that
junior medics facing a new and difficult job benefited from encouragement.â€
"The patient," Khone said suddenly, "is unable toguide the scanner.â€
There was nothing in the Cinrusskin's instrument pack long enough to reach Khone
from Cha Thrat's present position. Impersonally she asked, "Is it permitted to
use the Gogleskan instruments?" "Of course," Khone said.
On the side table there was a set of long, expanding tongs, made from highly
polished wood and with hinges of a soft, reddish metal, used for bringing
instruments or dressings to bear on the otherwise untouchable Gogleskan
patients. Lying beside them was a thin, conical object that had been fashioned
crudely from dried clay, with short twigs and straw stuck all over it. She had
mistaken it at first for a piece of decorative or aromatic vegetation. Now that
she knew what it was, Cha Thrat thought that its resemblance to the
aesthetically pleasing Sommaradvan body shape was close only in the eyes of a
very sick Gogleskan.
Awkwardly at first, she used the tongs to lift the scanner from the limp grasp
of Khone's digits and moved it over the abdominal area. While the patient was
concentrating on the screen, she edged further into the room and closer to the
patient. The unnatural position of herbent forelegs and spine, and the fact that
virtually her entire body weight was being supported on medial limbs normally
used only for manipulation, was threatening to send the associated muscles into
spasm. To ease them she rocked very slowly from side to side, moving a little
closer each time.
"The Sommaradvan healer is larger than was expected," Khone said suddenly,
looking up from the scanner. It did not take Prilicla to tell her that the
Gogleskan was very frightened.
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Cha Thrat held herself motionless for a moment, then said, "The Sommaradvan
healer, despite its size, will no more harm the patient than the sculptured
likeness lying on the floor. The patient must surely know this.â€
"The patient knows this," Khone agreed, with a distinct trace of anger in its
voice. "But has the Sommaradvan healer ever suffered nightmares, in which it is
haunted, and hunted, by dark and fearful creatures of the undermind intent on
its destruction? And instead of fleeing in unreasoning fear, has it ever tried
to stop in the midst of such a nightmare, and think through or around its
terror, and turned to face these dreadful phantasms, and tried to look upon them
as friends?â€
Ashamed, Cha Thrat said, "Apologies are tendered, and admiration for the
patient-healer who is trying to do, who is doing, that which the stupid and
insensitive Sommaradvan healer would find impossible.â€
Prilicla's voice sounded in her earpiece. "You have irritated friend Khone, Cha
Thrat, but its fear has receded a little.â€
She took the opportunity of moving closer and said, "It is realized that the
patient-healer's intentions toward the Sommaradvan are friendly, and any harm
that might befall it would be the result of a purely instinctive reac-tion or
accident. Both the eventualities canbe avoided by rendering the stings harmlessâ€
Khone's emotional reaction to that suggestion had both Prilicla and Cha Thrat
badly worried, but time was running out for this patient and, if anything was
going to be done for it, there was no real alternative to capping those stings.
The little Gogleskan knew that as well as they did. It was being asked to
surrender its only re-maining weapon.
Cha Thrat dared not move a muscle other than her larynx, and that onewas being
seriously overworked as she tried to convince Khone's unconscious as well as its
already half-convinced conscious mind that, in a truly civilized society,
weapons were unnecessary. She told it that she, too, was a female, although she
had yet to produce an offspring. She then spoke of her most personal feelings,
many of them petty rather than praiseworthy, about her past life and career on
Sommaradva and in Sector General, and of the things she had done wrong in
bothplaces.
The team member waiting impatiently by the litter must be wondering if she had
contracted a ruler's disease and had lost contact with the reality of the
situation, butthere was no time to stop and explain- Somehow she had to get
through to the Gogleskan's dark undermind and convince it that psychologically
she was leaving herself as open and defenseless by what she was telling it as
Khone was by relinquishing its only natural weapons.
She could hear Naydrad's voice, which was being picked up by the Cinrusskin's
headset, demanding to know whether Khone was a psychiatrist as well as a healer,
and if so, the stupid Sommaradvan had picked the wrong time to lie,on its couch!
Prilicla did not speak and she went on talking unhurriedly to the patient whose
voice, like the rest of it, seemed to be paralyzed by fear.
Suddenly there was a response.
"The Sommaradvan has problems," Khone said. "But if intelligent beings did not
occasionally do stupid things, there would be no progress at all.â€
Cha Thrat was unsure whether the Gogleskan's words represented some deep,
philosophical truth or were merely the product of a mind clouded by pain and
confusion. She said, "The problems of the healer-patient are much more urgent.â€
"There is agreement," Khone said. "Very well, the stings may be covered. But the
patient must be touched only by the machine.â€
Cha Thrat sighed. It had been too much to hope that a few highly personal
revelations would demolish the conditioning of millennia. Without mbving any
closer, she held the scanner in position with the long tongs and used the rear
medial limb to open her pack so that the probe's manipulators, which were being
guided with great precision by Naydrad, could extract the sting covers.
Those covers had been designed to contain the needle-pointed stings and absorb
their venom. Once in position, they released an adhesive that would ensure that
they remained so until Khone reached Sector General. This property of the covers
had not been mentioned to the patient. But with the distorters making it
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impossible for any call for joining to be heard by the other townspeople and its
stings rendered impotent, the Gogleskan would be unable to avoid direct physical
contact with one of the frightful off-worlders.
Considering the rapidly worsening clinical picture, the sooner that happened the
better.
But Khone was not stupid and probably it had already realized what was to
happen, which would explain its growing agitation as two, then three of the four
sting covers were placed in position. Now it was moving itshead weakly from side
to side, deliberately avoiding me last cover. Quickly Cha Thrat tried to give it
something else to think about.
"As can be clearly observed in the scanner and biosensor displays," she said
impersonally, "the fetus is being presented laterally to the birth canal and is
immobilized in this position. It has exerted pressure on important blood vessels
and nerve connections to the parent's mid- and lower body, which has resulted in
loss of muscle function and sensation and, unless relieved, will lead to
necrosis in the areas concerned. The umbilical is also being increasingly
compressed as the involuntary mus-, cles continue trying to expel the fetus. The
fetal heartbeat is weak, rapid, and irregular, and the vital signs of the parent
are not good, either. Has the patient-healer any suggestion or comments on this
case?" Khone did not reply.
Only Prilicla would know how much Cha Thrat's coldly impersonal tone belied her
true feelings toward the incredibly brave little creature who lay like a tumbled
haystack so close to her, but still too far away in the non material distances
of the mind for her to be able to help it. Yet they were alike in so many ways,
she thought. Both had taken risks that no other members of their species were
willing to take—she had treated an off-world life-form she had never seen
before, and Khone had volunteered itself for treatment by off-worlders. But of
the two, Khone was the braver and its risks the greater.
"Is this condition rare or common among gravid females," she asked quietly, "and
what is the normal procedure in such cases?â€
The other's voice was so weak that the reply was barely audible as it said, "The
condition is not rare. Normal procedure in such cases is to administer
massivedoses of medication that enables the patient and fetus to terminate with
minimum discomfort.â€
Cha Thrat could think of nothing to say or do.
In the stillness of Rhone's room she became increas- I ingly aware of the
external noises: the constant whistling and hissing of the distorters; and
coming to her through the empath's communicator, the voice of Naydrad
complaining about the difficulty of capping the stings of a patient who would
not cooperate; and more quietly, Murchison, Danalta, and Prilicla itself as they
suggested and quickly discarded a number of wildly differing procedures.
"The medical team's voices are unclear," Cha Thrat said anxiously. "Has anything
been decided? What are the immediate instructions?â€
Suddenly the voices became loud and very clear indeed, because they were coming
from the probe's speaker as well as her own earpiece. Naydrad, its attention
concentrated on the probe's remote-controlled manipulators as it tried to fit
the last sting cover, must have decided that she wanted more volume and reacted
to her statement without thinking.
The conversation was completely unguarded.
Prilicla was speaking, quietly and reassuringly, and clearly unaware that its
words were reaching Khone as well as herself, Cha Thrat realized. The intense
and conflicting emotional radiation emanating from the other team members
grouped so closely around it was keeping the empath from detecting her own
sudden burst of surprise and fear.
"Cha Thrat," it said, "there has been some argument, which has since been
resolved in your favor, regarding who should perform the operation. Friend
Rhone's need is urgent, its condition has deteriorated to the stagewhere the
risk of moving it out tor surgery is able, and your only option is to—â€
"No!" she said urgently. "Please stop talking?' "Do not be distressed, Cha
Thrat," the empath continued, mistaking the reason for the objection. "Your
professional competence is not in doubt, and Pathologist Murchison and myself
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have studied Conway's notes on the FORT life-form, as have you, and we will
guide you at every stage of the procedure and take complete responsibility
throughout.
"Immediate surgical intervention is required to relievethis condition," it went
on. "As soon as the last sting iscapped, you will use a Number Eight scalpel to
enlarge' the birth opening with an incision from the pelvis up tothe— What is
happening?â€
There was no need to tell it what was happening because in the time taken to ask
the question it already knew the answer. Rhone, faced with the imminent prospect
of a major surgical attack, had reacted instinctively by emitting the call for
joining and was trying to sting to death the only strange, and therefore
threatening, being within reach. With its legs virtually paralyzed, Rhone was
twisting violently from side to side and using its digital clusters to pull
itself toward Cha Thrat.
The remaining uncapped sting, long, yellow, and with tiny drops of venom already
oozing from its point, was swaying and jerking closer. Frantically Cha Thrat
pushed backward with the forefeet and medial limbs, launching herself toward the
Gogieskan and grasping the base of the sting with three of her upper hands.
"Stop it!" she shouted above the noise of the call.
Forgetting to be impersonal, she went on. "Stop movingor you'll injure yourself
and the young one. I'm a friend,I want to help you. Naydrad, cap it! Cap it
quickly!â€
"Hold it still, then," the Relgian snapped back,C.B.E.—9swinging the probe's
manipulator arm above Rhone's jerking head. "Hold it very still.â€
But that was not easy to do. Her upper, neck-level arms and digits had been
evolved for more precise and delicate operations and lacked the heavy
musculature of the medial limbs, and using them meant that Rhone's head and her
own were almost touching. She strained desperately to tighten her ridiculously
weak grip on the sting, sending waves of pain into her neck and upper thorax.
She knew that if those fingers slipped the sting would immediately be plunged
into the top of her head.
The medical team would probably get to her quickly enough to save her life, but
not those of Rhone and the fetus, which was their only reason for being here.
She was wondering how Murchison, the Diagnostician's life-mate; and Prilicla,
its long-term friend; and Cha Thrat herself would face Con way with the news of
Rhone's death when Naydrad shouted, "Got it!â€
The last sting was covered. She could relax for a moment. But not Rhone, who was
still jerking and writhing on the floor and stabbing ineffectually at her with
all four of its capped stings. Close up, the sound of its distress call was like
a gale whistling and howling through a ruined building.
"At least the distorters are working," Wainright said, and added warningly, "but
hurry it up, they won't last much longer.â€
She ignored the Earth-human and grasped tufts of the Gogleskan's hair in her
upper and medial hands, trying vainly to hold it motionless. Pleadingly she
said, "Stop moving. You're wasting what little strength you've got. You'll die
and the baby will die. Please stop moving. I'm not an enemy, I'm yourfriendlâ€
The call for joining was still howling out with un-diminished volume, making her
wonder how such asmall creature could make so great a noise, but its physical
movements were becoming noticeably less violent. Was it a symptom of sheer
physical weakness, or was she getting through to the Gogleskan? Then she saw
that the long, pale tendrils on its head were uncurling from the concealing hair
and were standing out straight. Two of them fell slowly to lie along the top of
her own head; and suddenly Cha Thrat wanted to scream.
Being Rhone's friend was much, much worse than being its enemy.
Chapter 14
There was fear as she had never known it before—the sudden, overriding, and
senseless fear of everything and everyone that was not joined tightly to her for
the group defense; and a terrible, blind fury that diminished the fear; and the
memories and expectation of pains past, present, and to come. And with those
fearful memories there came a dreadful and confused nightmare of all the
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frightful and painful things that had ever happened to her—on Sommaradva and
Goglesk and in Sector General. Many elements of the nightmare were utterly
strange to her; the feeling of terror at the sight of Prilicla, which was
ridiculous, and the sense of loss at the departure of the male Gogleskan who had
fathered the child within her. But now there was no fear of theoutsized,
off-world animated doll who was trying to help her.
Even with the confusion of fear, pain, and alien experiences dulling her
capacity to think, the conclusion was inescapable. Khone had invaded her mind.
Now she knew what it was like to be a Gogleskan; at a time like this the choice
was simple. Friends joined and enemies—everyone and everything that was not part
of the group—were attacked and destroyed. She wanted to break everything in the
room, the furniture, instruments, decorations, and then tear down the flimsy
walls, and she wanted to drag Khone around with her to help her do it.
Desperately she tried to control the blind and utterly alien fury that was
building up in her.
Amid the storm of Gogleskan impressions a tiny part of her own mind surfaced for
a moment, observing that the tight grip she retained on Khone's fur must have
fooled its subconscious into believing that she had joined with it, and was
therefore a friend worthy of mind-sharing.
/ am Cha Thrat, she told herself fiercely, once a Som-maradvan warrior-surgeon
and now a trainee maintenance technician of Sector General. I am not Khone of
Goglesk and / am not here to join and destroy...
But this was a joining, and memories of a larger, more destructive joining came
crowding into her mind.
She seemed to be standing on top of a land vehicle stopped on high ground
overlooking the town, watching the joining as it happened. The Earth-human
Wainright was beside her, warning her that the Gogleskans were dangerously
close, that they should leave, that there was nothing she could do and, for some
strange reason, while it was saying these things it sometimes called "Doctor"
but more often "sir." She felt very bad because she knew that the joining had
been her fault, that it had happenedbecause she had tried to help, and had
touched, an industrial accident casualty. Below her she could clearly see Khone
attaching itself to the other Gogleskans without being able to understand the
reason, and at the same time she was Khone and knew the reason.
With individual Gogleskans hurrying to join it from nearby buildings, moored
ships, and surrounding tree dwellings, the group-entity became a great, mobile,
stinging carpet that crawled around large buildings and engulfed small ones as
if it did not know or care what it was doing. In its wake it left a trail of
smashed equipment, vehicles, dead animals, and a capsized ship. The group-entity
moved inland to continue its self-destructive defense against an enemy out of
prehistory.
In spite of the terrible fear of that nonexistent enemy in Khone's mind, which
was now her mind, Cha Thrat tried to make herself think logically about what had
happened to her. She thought of the wizard O'Mara and how it had said that
Educator tapes would never be for her, and remembered the reasons it had given.
Now she knew what it was like to have a completely alien entity occupying her
mind, and she wondered if her sanity would be affected. Perhaps the fact that
Khone, like herself, was a female might make a difference.
But there was a growing realization that it was not only Khone's mind and
memories that she had to contend with. The memory and viewpoint from the top of
the land vehicle was not from the Gogleskan's mind, nor her own. There were
memories of the ambulance ship and the exploits of its medical team that were
definitely not her own, and some vivid and—to her—fearful and wonderful
recollections of events in Sector General that were totally outside her
experience. Had O'Mara been right? Were factual recollections and insane
fantasies intermingling, and she was no longer sane?But she did not think she
was insane. Madness was supposed to be an escape from a too-painful reality to a
condition that was more bearable. There was too much pain here and the memories
or fantasies were too painfully sharp. And one of them was of
Lieutenant] Wainright standing beside her, its head on a level with! hers, and
calling her "sir.â€
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With a sudden shiver of fear and wonder she realized what was happening. She was
sharing' Rhone's mind,' and Khone had earlier shared it with someone else.
Conway!
For some time Cha Thrat had been aware of Prilicla's! voice in her earpiece, but
the words were just sounds" without meaning to her already overloaded mind. Then
she felt its warmth and sympathy and reassurance all around her, and the pain
and confusion receded a little so that the meaning came through.
"Cha Thrat, my friend," the empath was saying, "please respond. You have been
holding onto the patient's fur for the past few minutes, not doing anything and
not answering us. I am on the roof directly above you, and your emotional
radiation distresses me. Please, what is wrong? Have you been stung?â€
"N-no," she replied shakily, "there is no physical damage. I feel badly confused
and frightened, and the patient is—â€
"I can read your feelings, Cha Thrat," Prilicla said gently, "but not the reason
for them. There is nothing to be ashamed of, you've already done more than could
be reasonably expected of you, and it was unfair of us to let you volunteer for
this operation in the first place. We are in danger of losing the patient.
Please withdraw and let me perform the surgery—â€
"No," Cha Thrat said, feeling Rhone's body twitch in her hands. The long,
silvery tendrils that were the or-ganic conductors tor metelepathy-by-wire were
still lying across her head, and anything Cha Thrat felt or heard or thought was
immediately available to Khone, who did not like the idea of an alien monster
operating on it, for reasons that were both personal and medical. Cha Thrat
added, "Please give me a moment. I'm beginning to regain control of my mind."
"You are," Prilicla said, "but hurry." Incredibly, it was her mind-partner who
was doing most to aid the process. In common with the rest of its long-suffering
and nightmare-ridden species, it had learned how to control and
compartmentalize its thinking, feelings, and natural urges so that the enforced
loneliness necessary to avoid a joining was not only bearable but, at times,
happy. And now the Conway-memories of Sector General and some of its monstrous
patients were surging into the forefront of her mind.
Be selective, Khone was telling her. Use only what isuseful.
All the memories and experience of a Sommaradvan warrior-surgeon, a Gogleskan
healer, and half an Earth-human lifetime spent in Sector General were hers, and
with that vast quantity of other-species medical and physiological expertise
available she could not believe that, even at this late stage, the Khone case
was hopeless. Then from somewhere in that vast and incredibly varied store of
knowledge, the glimmerings of an idea began to take shape.
"I no longer feel that surgical intervention is the answer," she said firmly,
"even as a last resort. It is unlikely that the patient would survive.â€
"Who the blazes does it think it is?" Murchison said angrily. "Who's in charge
of this op, anyway? Prilicla,pin its ears back!â€
Cha Thrat could have answered both questions, butdid not. She knew that her
words and tone had been wrong for someone in her lowly position—she sounded much
too self-assured and authoritative. But there was no time for either long
explanations or pretensions of humility, and it would be better if the true
explanation was never given. With any luck Pathologist Murchison would believe,
and go on believing, that Cha Thrat was a self-opinionated maintenance
technician and one-time trainee nurse with delusions of grandeur and, for the
time being at least, the team leader was leaving her ears unpinned.
"Explain," Prilicla said.
Quickly Cha Thrat reviewed the current clinical picture, gravely worsened now by
the extreme debilitation that, even in a healthy Gogleskan, followed a joining.
When she said that Rhone lacked the strength and physical resources to withstand
major surgery—it would have to be a cesarean procedure rather than a simple
enlargement of the birth opening—she spoke with absolute certainty because she
had the patient-healer's viewpoint of the case as well as her own. But she did
not mention that, saying instead that Rhone's emotional radiation would confirm
her observations.
"It does," the empath said.
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She went on quickly. "The FOKT classification is one of the few life-forms
capable of resting in the upright position, although they can also lie down.
Since their ancestors emerged from the oceans, their bodies and internal organs
have been acted on by vertical G forces, as are those of the Hudlars and
Tralthans and Rhenithi. I am reminded of a case in Tralthan Maternity a few
years ago that was broadly similar to this one and required—â€
"You didn't learn that from Cresk-Sar," Murchison broke in suddenly. "Trainee
nurses aren't told about the near-failures, at least not in first year.â€
"I liked to study odd cases outside me syuauus, ^u<* Thrat lied smoothly, "and I
still do, when I'm not engrossed in a maintenance manual.â€
Her emotional radiation would tell the Cinrusskin that she was lying, but it
could only guess at what she was lying about. All it said was "Describe your
procedure.â€
"Before I do," she went on quickly, "please remove the canopy from the litter
and reposition the gravity grids to act laterally in opposite directions. Set
the body restraints to the size and weight of the patient under anything up to
an alternating plus and minus three Gs. Move the probe into the passageway, so I
can step from it onto the roof. Hurry, please. I'm bringing out the patient now
and will explain on the way...â€
Cradling the barely conscious Khone in two medial arms and with all of her free
hands gripping its fur tightly to make it feel that it was still joined to a
friend, she climbed awkwardly onto the roof and sidled back the way she had
come. Prilicla hovered anxiously above her all the way, Naydrad complained
bitterly that its litter would never be the same again, and Murchison reminded
it that they had a maintenance technician, or something,with them.
She continued to grip the Gogleskan's fur while Naydrad expertly fitted the
restraints and Murchison attached an oxygen supply to all breathing orifices.
With her head touching Rhone's and the long, silvery tendrils still making
contact, she checked that the other had a clear view of the scanner display,
which she in her present awkward position did not, then braced herself and gave
the signal to begin.
Cha Thrat felt her head and upper limbs being pulled sideways as Naydrad fed
power to the gravity grid positioned above the patient's head. It was difficult
to keep her balance because her lower body and legs were out-side the influence
of the artificial gravity field. But so far I as Khone was concerned, it was
tied upside-down to the litter under double, increasing to treble and Gogleskan
standard gravity pull.
"Heart rate irregular," Prilicla reported quietly. "Blood pressure increasing in
the upper body and head, respiration labored, minor displacement of thoracic
organs, but the fetus hasn't moved.â€
"Shall I increase the pull to four Gs?" Naydrad asked, looking at Prilicla. But
it was Cha Thrat who replied.
"No," she said. "Give it two Gs alternating as rapidly as possible between
normal and reverse pull. You've got to try to shake Junior loose,â€
Now she was being knocked from side to side, as if by the soft, invisible paws
of some great beast, while the patient was suffering the same maltreatment in
the vertical plane. She managed to keep her head and the hands gripping Khone's
fur steady, but she was feeling a growing nausea that reminded her of childhood
bouts of travel sickness.
"Friend Cha Thrat, are you all right?" Prilicla asked. "Do you wish to stop?â€
"Can we spare the time?â€
"No," the empath replied, then: "The fetus is moving! It is—â€
"Reverse, two Gs steady," Cha Thrat said quickly, effectively standing Khone on
its head again.
"—now pressing against the upper womb," Prilicla continued. "The umbilical is no
longer being compressed, and pressure on the blood vessels and nerve linkages in
the area has been relieved. The muscles are beginning rapid, involuntary
contractions...â€
"Enough to expel the fetus?" she broke in.
"No," it replied. "They are too weak to complete thebirth process. In any case
the fetus is sun noi in me optimum position.â€
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Cha Thrat used a swear word that was definitely not Sommaradvan, and said, "Can
we reposition and refocus the gravity grids so as to pull the fetus into the
proper position for—â€
"I would need time to—" Naydrad began.
"There isn't any time," said Prilicla. "I'm surprised friend Khone is still with
us.â€
This was not going nearly as well as the remembered case in the Tralthan
maternity ward had gone, and there was no consolation in telling herself that,
in this instance, the life-form was strange and the operating facilities
virtually non-existent. Khone's mind was no longer sending or receiving
impressions, so that she could not even make the Last Apology to it for her
failure.
"Please do not distress yourself, friend Cha," the Cinrusskin went on, beginning
to tremble violently. "No blame can be attached to you for attempting a task
that, because of the peculiar circumstances, none of us were able to do. Your
present emotional radiation is worrying me. Remember, you aren't even a member
of the medical team, you have no authority, and the responsibility for allowing
you to try this procedure is not yours... You have just thought of something?â€
"We both know," Cha Thrat said, so quietly that her voice reached only Prilicla,
"that I have made it my responsibility. And yes, I've thought of something.â€
In a louder voice she went on quickly. "Naydrad, we need a rapid one-G push-pull
this time, just enough to keep the fetus moving. Danalta, the muscle wall around
the womb is thin, and relaxed due to the patient's unconsciousness. Will you
produce some suitable limbs and hands? Prilicla will tell you the size and shape
needed, and use the scanner to direct your movements of thefetus into the proper
position. Murchison, will you stand by to help withdraw it, if or when it is
born?â€
Apologetically she added, "I cannot assist you. For the time being it would be
better if I retained the closest possible physical contact with the patient. My
feeling is that, unconscious or not, it will derive a greater measure of
emotional comfort from my doing so.â€
"Your feeling is correct," Prilicla said. "But time is short, friends. Let's do
it.â€
While Naydrad kept the fetus twitching slowly within the womb, and Danalta,
using appendages whose shape and movements would give Cha Thrat bad dreams for
many nights to come, tried to press and turn it into optimum position, she tried
desperately to get through to her deeply unconscious mind-partner.
You will be all right. Your child will be all right. Hang on, please don't die
on me!
It was like thinking into a black and bottomless pit. For an instant she thought
there was a flicker of awareness, but it was probably that the feeling had come
because she wanted it to be so. She turned her head slightly, so as not to break
contact with the long, silvery tendrils, and wished that she was in a position
to see the scanner display.
"It's in optimum position now," Prilicla said suddenly. "Danalta, move your
hands lower. Be ready to press when I tell you if the fetus starts turning
again. Naydrad, two Gs steady, down!â€
For a moment there was silence except for the whistling of the distorters, which
now seemed to be wavering in intensity as they labored like the patient, on
reduced power, to perform their function. Time was running out for both of them.
Everyone's attention was on Khone,and even Prilicla was watching the scanner
display too intently to describe what it was seeing.
"I see the head!" Murchison said suddenly. "The top of the head only. But the
contractions are too weak, they aren't helping very much. The legs are at
maximum spread, but the fetal head is moving down, then back again, by a
fraction of an inch with each contraction. Shall I try surgical enlargement of
the—â€
"No surgery," Cha Thrat said firmly. Even if the patient survived it, she had
shared Rhone's mind and knew that serious psychological damage would result from
the inflicting of a surgical wound—not to mention the aftermath when close
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physical contact would be necessary to provide treatment and change dressings—on
one whose species was virtually untouchable. The brief physical and mental
contact with Conway and Cha Thrat had knocked a large hole in Rhone's Gogleskan
conditioning, but psychologically it was still a strong and very rigidstructure.
But there was no time to explain her feeling or argue her point of view.
Murchison had straightened up and was looking questioningly at Prilicla, who
shook in the emotional winds blowing from all sides but said nothing. "It would
be better if we tried to assist the natural process," Cha Thrat went on.
"Naydrad, I want alternating positive and reverse gravity again, this time
between zero and three Gs down, initially for the next five contractions. And
watch out for major displacement of other organs. This species has never been
subjected to increased G forces—â€
"I see the whole head now!" Murchison broke in excitedly. "And shoulders.
Dammit, I've got the wee bugger!â€
"Naydrad," Cha Thrat said quickly, "maintain threeGs down for a moment until the
afterbirth is out, then return to normal gravity conditions. Murchison, place
the newborn between the digital clusters just to the left of my head. My feeling
is that Rhone will derive greater reassurance from holding on to its little one
than from me holding on to its parent.â€
She watched as Rhone's digits curled instinctively around the tiny form, which
looked to the Sommaradvan part of her mind like a slimy, twitching little horror
and which the Gogleskan portion insisted was a thing of indescribable beauty.
Reluctantly she lifted her head from Rhone's and released her grip on its fur.
"Your feeling is accurate, Cha Thrat," Prilicla said, "The patient, although
still unconscious, is already emoting more strongly.â€
"But wait," Murchison said worriedly. "We were told that it must be conscious if
it was to take care of the newborn properly. We've no idea what...â€
She broke off because Cha Thrat, who now knew everything that the Gogleskan
healer had known, was busily doing all that was necessary. It was contrary to
her Sommaradvan upbringing to tell a deliberate lie, but the situation was
fraught with ah1 sorts of interpersonal difficulties and was too complicated for
her to take the time needed to tell the truth.
Instead, Cha Thrat waited until the umbilical had been neatly severed and sealed
off and the patient's lower limbs disposed more comfortably, then said smoothly,
"There are a number of physiological similarities between the FORT life-form and
my own and, in any case, we females have certain instincts in these matters.â€
The Earth-human shook its head doubtfully and said,"Your female instincts are a
lot stronger,and more preccisely directed, than mine.â€
"Friend Murchison," Prilicla said, its voice sounding loud because all but two
of the distorters had ceased their whistling, "let us discuss female instincts
at a more convenient time. Friend Naydrad, replace the litter canopy, turn up
the internal heating three points, and maintain a pure oxygen atmosphere and
watch out for signs of delayed shock. The emotional radiation indicates a
condition of grave debility, but it is stable, there is no immediate danger, and
circulation and mobility are returning to the lower limbs. We will all feel
better, and especially the patient, when it has the ship's intensive-care
equipment looking after it. Please move quickly.
"All except Cha Thrat," it added gently. "With you, my Sommaradvan friend, I
would like private words.â€
Driven by Naydrad and with Danalta and Wainright flanking it, the litter was
already moving off. But Pathologist Murchison was hanging back, its face deep
pink and wearing an expression that Cha Thrat could now read and understand.
"Don't be too hard on it, Prilicla," Murchison said. "1 think it did a very good
job, even if it is inclined to forget who's in charge at times. I mean, well,
let's just say that with Cha Thrat, Maintenance Department's gain was the
medical staff's loss.â€
As Murchison turned abruptly to hurry after the litter, Cha Thrat watched it
from three different and confusing viewpoints and with three sets of very mixed
feelings. To her Sommaradvan mind it was a small, flabby, and unlovely DBDG
female. To the Gogleskan mind it was just another off-planet monster, friendly
but frightening. But from her Earth-human viewpoint it was an altogether
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different entity, one that for many years she had knownto be highly intelligent,
second only to Thornnastor in its professional standing, friendly, sympathetic,
fair-minded, beautiful, and sexually desirable. Some of these aspects of its
personality had just been demonstrated, but the sudden physical attraction Cha
Thrat felt toward it, and the associated mind-pictures of horrible alien
grapplings and intimacies, frightened her so badly that the Gogleskan part of
her mind wanted to call for a joining.
Murchison was a female Earth-human and Cha Thrat was a female Sommaradvan. She
had to stop feeling this stupid attraction toward a member of another species
who was not even male, because in that direction lay certain madness. She
remembered the discussion about Educator tapes with the wizard, O'Mara, and her
own experience of sharing her mind with those of Kelgians, Tralthans, Melfans
among others.
But that was not her experience, she reminded herself firmly. She was and would
remain Cha Thrat. The Gogleskan and Earth-human who seemed to be occupying her
mind were guests, one of them a particularly troublesome guest where thoughts of
the entity Murchison were concerned, but they should not be allowed to influence
her personal feelings. It was ridiculous to think, or feel, otherwise.
When the disturbing figure of Murchison had disappeared into the middle distance
and Cha Thrat was feeling more like herself than two other people, she said,
"And now, I suppose, comes the pinning back of the ears of a big-headed and
grossly insubordinate technician with delusions of medical grandeur?â€
Prilicla had alighted on the roof above Khone's doorway so that its eyes would
be on a level with Cha Thrat's. It said gently, "Your emotional control is
excel-lent, friend Cha. I compliment you on you But your supposition is wrong.
However, your obvious understanding of the Earth-human terms you have just used,
and your earlier behavior during a very tricky clinical situation, leads me to
speculate about what might possibly have happened toyou.
"I am merely thinking aloud, you understand," it went on. "You are not required,
in fact you are expressly forbidden to say whether my speculations are accurate
or not. In this matter I would prefer to remain officiallyignorant.â€
It was evident from the first few words that the empath knew exactly what had
happened to Cha Thrat, even though its certainties were mentioned as suspicions.
It suspected that Cha Thrat had shared minds with Rhone, that the Gogleskan's
mind had previously been shared with that of Conway, and it was the
Diagnostician's medical expertise and initiative that had surfaced before and
during the birth of Khone's child. For this reason the Cinrusskin was not
offended by the incident —a Senior Physician was far outranked by a
Diagnostician, even one who was temporarily in residence within the mind of a
subordinate'. And neither would the other team members feel offended if they
were to suspect thetruth.
But they must not suspect, at least until Cha Thrat was safely lost in the
maintenance tunnels of Sector General.
"From your recent emotional radiation," Prilicla went on, "I suspect that you
had strong if confused feelings of a sexual nature toward friend Murchison that
were not pleasant for your Sommaradvan self. But consider the intensity of
Murchison's embarrassment if it suspected that you, an entity of a completely
different physiologi-cal classification forced by circumstances to work in close
proximity with it, were regarding it with the eyes and the same strength of
feeling as that of its life-mate. And if the others were to suspect as well, the
emotional radiation from the team would be extremely painful and distressing to
me.â€
"I understand," Cha Thrat said.
"Pathologist Murchison is highly intelligent," the Cinrusskin continued, "and in
time she will realize what has happened, if she doesn't learn it from Khone
first. That is why 1 would like you to explain this delicate situation to friend
Khone at the first opportunity, and ask for its silence in this matter.
"Friend Khone," Prilicla added gently, "has the memories and feelings of Cha
Thrat as well as Con way.â€
For a moment Cha Thrat could not speak as the Gog-leskan healer's mind
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threatened to engulf her own with its peculiar mixture of fear, curiosity, and
parental concern. Finally she said, "Will Khone be able to speak?â€
"I have the feeling, not a suspicion, that both our Gogleskans are doing well,"
Prilicla replied, shaking out its wings in readiness for flight. "But now, if we
don't end this conversation soon, the others will wonder what I am doing to you,
and will be expecting you to arrive back bruised and bleeding.â€
The idea of Prilicla inflicting any kind of injury on anyone was so ridiculous
that even a Gogleskan as well as a Sommaradvan and Earth-human considered it
funny. Cha Thrat laughed out loud as, with the down-draft from the empath's
wings stirring her hair, they followed the others back to the lander.
"You realize, friend Cha," the empath said, its trembling limbs a visible
apology for the words that would diminish her pleasure, "that O'Mara will have
to be told.â€
Chapter 15
By the time they had been transfered from the lander to the special FOKT
accommodation of Rhab-war's casualty deck, both patients were fully conscious
and making loud hissing noises. The sounds that the younger one was making did
not translate, but Khone's were divided into repeated expressions of gratitude
for its survival and weak but very insistent reassurances about its clinical
condition. The healer's self-diagnosis was supported by the biosensors and
confirmed by the less tangible but even more accurate findings of the
emotion-sensitive Prilicla. And now that it was separated from its friendly
off-world monsters, and its subconscious fears thereby allayed, by a thick
transparent partition, Khone was quite happy to speak to anyone at anytime.
That included the nonmedical crew members who, with Captain Fletcher's
permission, left their positions in Control and the Power Room briefly to
congratulate the patient and tell complimentary lies about the obvious
intelligence, parental resemblance, and great beauty of the new arrival, a male
child of greater than average weight. In spite of Prilicla's urgings that it
should rest and refrain from overexcitement, the atmosphere around Khone's
accommodation more closely resembled a birthday party than the casualty deck of
an ambulance ship.
207When Captain Fletcher arrived, they did not need an emphatic faculty to feel
the atmosphere change. To Khone the Earth-human made a perfunctory inquiry about
its health, then turned quickly to Prilicla.
"I need a decision, Senior Physician," it went on, "one that only you people can
make. The hospital signaled us a few minutes ago, saying that an emergency
beacon had been detected in this sector. The distressed ship is about five hours
subspace flight away; the distress beacon was not one of the types used by the
Federation, so the casualties might be a species new to us. That makes it
difficult to estimate the time needed for the rescue. It could take a couple of
days rather than hours.
"The question is," it ended, "do your patients require hospitalization before or
after we respond to this distress call?â€
It was not an easy decision to make because their patients, although stable and
not in need of urgent treatment, belonged to a life-form about which little was
known clinically, so that unexpected complications might arise at any time.
Surprisingly the discussion, which was animated but necessarily brief, was ended
by Khone itself.
"Please, friends," it said during one of the rare lulls, "Gogleskan females
recover quickly once the birth trauma is over. I can assure you, both as a
healer and a parent, that such a delay will not endanger either of us. Besides,
here we are receiving much better attention than would be possible anywhere on
Goglesk.â€
"You're forgetting something," Murchison said quietly. "We may be going into a
disaster situation possibly involving a life-form completely new to us. It is
conceivable that they might horrify or scare even us,much less a Gogleskan
leaving its planet for the nrsttime.â€
"They might," Khone replied, "but they would almostcertainly be in a worse
condition than I am.â€
"Very well," Prilicla said, turning back to the Captain. "It seems that friend
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Khone has reminded us of the priorities and of our duty as healers. Tell the
hospital that Rhabwar will respond.â€
Fletcher disappeared in the direction of Control, and the Cinrusskin went on.
"We should now eat and sleep, since there might not be an opportunity to do
either for some time. The patients' biosensors will be monitored automatically
and any change in condition signaled to me at once. They need rest, too, and
they wouldn't get it if I left a team member on duty. Come along, everyone.
Sleep well, friend Khone.â€
It flew gracefully into the gravity-free central well and up toward the dining
and recreation deck, followed in more orthodox fashion by Naydrad, Danalta,
Murchison, and Cha Thrat. But just before they began their weightless climb,
Murchison gripped the ladder with one hand and placed the other on one of her
mediallimbs.
"Wait, please," it said. "I would like to speak to you." Cha Thrat stopped but
did not speak. The sensation of alien digits gently enclosing her arm and the
sight of the flabby, pink Earth-human face looking up at her were giving rise to
feelings that no Sommaradvan, much less a female one, had any business
harboring. Slowly, so as not to give offense, she disengaged the limb from the
other's grip and sought for emotionalcontrol.
"I'm worried about this ship rescue, Cha Thrat," it said, "and the effect on you
of the casualties we may have to treat. Disaster injuries can be pretty bad,
colli-sion fractures and explosive decompressions for the most part, and as a
rule there are very few survivors. You don't seem to be able to keep your
Sommaradvan nose out of the medical area, but this time you must try, try really
hard, not to get involved with our casualties.â€
Before Cha Thrat could reply, it went on. " You did some very nice work with
Khone, even though I'm still not sure what exactly was going on, but you were
very lucky. If Khone or the infant or both of them had died, how would you have
felt? More important, what would you have done to yourself?â€
"Nothing," Cha Thrat said, trying hard to tell herself that the expression on
the pink face below her was one of friendly concern for an other-species
subordinate and not something more personal. Quickly she went on. "I would have
felt very bad, but I would not have injured myself again. The code of ethics of
a warrior-surgeon is strict, and even on Sommaradva there were colleagues who
did not observe it as I have done, and who envied and disliked me for my own
strict observance. To me the code remains valid, but in Sector General and on
Gog-lesk there are other and equally valid codes. My viewpoints have changed...â€
She stopped herself, afraid that she had said too much, but the other had not
noticed that she had used the plural.
"We call that broadening the mind," Murchison said, "and I'm relieved and
pleased for you, Cha Thrat. It's a pity that... Well, I meant what I said about
you being the Maintenance Department's gain and our loss. Your superiors find
you a bit hard to take at times, and after the Chalder and Hudlar incidents I
can't imagine you being accepted for ward training by anyone. But maybe if you
waited until the fuss died down, and didn't doanything else to get yourself
noticed, I could speak to a few people about having you transfered back to the
medical staff. How do you feel about that?â€
"I feel grateful," she replied, trying desperately to find a way of ending this
conversation with a being who was not only sympathetic and understanding as a
person, but whose physical aspect was arousing in her other feelings of the kind
usually associated with the urge to procreate. Most definitely, she thought,
this was a problem that could only be resolved by one of O'Mara's spells.
Quickly she added, "I also feel very hungry.â€
"Hungry!" Murchison said. As the Earth-human turned to resume climbing to the
dining area, it laughed suddenly and said, "You know, Cha Thrat, sometimes you
remind me of my life-mate.â€
She was able to rest after the meal but not sleep and, after three hours of
trying, she made the excuse to herself that Rhone's life-support and synthetic
food delivery systems needed checking. She found the Gogleskan awake, as well,
and they talked quietly while it fed the infant. Soon afterward they were both
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asleep and she was left to stare silently at the complex shapes of the casualty
deck equipment, which looked like weird, mechanical phantasms in the night-level
lighting, until the arrival of Prilicla.
"Have you been able to speak with friend Khone?" the Cinrusskin asked, hovering
over the two Gogles-kans.
"Yes," Cha Thrat replied. "It will do as you suggested, to avoid embarrassing
us.â€
"Thank you, friend Cha," Prilicla said. "I feel the others awake and about to
join us. We should be arrivingat any—â€
It was interrupted by a double chime that announced their emergence into normal
space, followed a few min-utes later by the voice of Lieutenant Haslam speaking!
from Control.
"We have long-range sensor contact with a large] ship," the communications
officer said. "There are noj indications of abnormal radiation levels, no
expanding cloud of debris, no sign of any catastrophic malfunction.! The vessel
is rotating around its longtitudinal axis as well I as spinning slowly end over
end. We are locking the tele-1 scope into the sensor bearing and putting the
image onf your repeater screen.â€
A narrow, fuzzy triangle appeared in the center of the screen, becoming more
distinct as Haslam brought it into focus.
It went on. "Prepare for maximum thrust in ten minutes. Gravity compensators set
for three Gs. We should close with it in less than two hours.â€
Cha Thrat and Khone watched the screen with the rest of the medical team, who
were making Prilicla tremble with the intensity of their impatience. They were
as ready as it was possible to be, and the more detailed preparations would have
to wait until they had some idea of the physiological classification of the
people they were about to rescue. But it was possible for the ship ruler to draw
conclusions, even at long range.
"According to our astrogation computer," Fletcher said, "the nearest star is
eleven light-years distant and without planets, so the ship did not come from
there. Although large* it is still much too small to be a generation ship, so it
is highly probable that it uses a form of hyperdrive similar to our own. It does
not resemble any vessel, past, current, or under development, on the
Federation's fleet list.
"In spite of its large size," the Captain went on, "it has the aerodynamically
clean triangular configuration typical of a vessel required to maneuver in a
planetaryatmosphere. Most of the star-traveling species that we know prefer, for
technical and economic reasons, to keep their combined atmosphere-and-space
vessels small and build the larger nonlanders in orbit where streamlining is
unnecessary. The two exceptions that I know of build their space-atmosphere
ships large because the crews needed to operate them are themselves
physicallymassive.â€
"Oh, great," Naydrad said. "We'll be rescuing abunch of giants.â€
"This is only speculative at the moment," the Captain said. "Your screen won't
show it, but we're beginning to resolve some of the structural details. That
ship was not put together by watchmakers. The overall design philosophy seems to
have been one of simplicity and strength rather than sophistication. We are
beginning to see small access and inspection panels, and two very large features
that must be entry locks. While it is possible that these are cargo locks that
double as entry ports for personnel who are physically small, the probability is
that these people are a very large and massive life-form—â€
"Don't be afraid, friend Khone," Prilicla broke in quickly. "Even a demented
Hudlar couldn't break through the partition Cha Thrat put around you, and our
casualties will be unconscious anyway. Both of you will be quite safe.â€
"Reassurance and gratitude are felt," the Gogleskan said. With a visible effort
it added, more personally,"Thank you.â€
"Friend Fletcher," the empath said, returning its attention to the Captain, "can
you speculate further about this life-form, other than that it is large and
probably lacks digital dexterity?â€
C.B.E.----IO"I was about to," the Captain said. "Analysis of internal atmosphere
leakage shows that—â€
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"Then the hull has been punctured!" Cha Thrat said excitedly. "From within or
without?â€
"Technician," said the ship ruler, reminding her of her position and her
insubordination with the single word. "For your information, it is extremely
difficult, expensive, and unnecessary to make a large, space-going structure
completely airtight. It is more practical to maintain the vessel at nominal
internal pressure and replace the negligible quantity of air that escapes. In
this case, had escaping air not been observed, it would almost certainly have
meant that the ship was open to space and airless.
"But there are no signs of collision or puncture damage," Fletcher went on, "and
our sensor .data and analysis of the atmosphere leakage suggests that the crew
are warm-blooded oxygen-breathers with environmental temperature and pressure
requirements similar to our own.â€
"Thank you, friend Fletcher," Prilicla said, then joined the others who were
silently watching the repeater screen.
The image of the slowly rolling and spinning ship had grown until it was
brushing against the edges of the screen, when Murchison said, "The ship is
undamaged, uncontrolled, and, the sensors tell us, there is no abnormal escape
of radiation from its main reactor. That means their problem is likely to be
disease rather than traumatic injuries, a disabling or perhaps lethal illness
affecting the entire crew. Under illness I would include the inhalation of toxic
gas accidentally released from—â€
"No, ma'am," said Fletcher, who had maintained the communicator link with
Control. "Toxic contaminationof the air supply system on that scale would have
showed up in our leak analyses. There's nothing wrong with theirair.â€
"Or," Murchison went on firmly, "the toxic materialmay have contaminated their
liquid or food supply, and been ingested. Either way, there may be no survivors
and nothing for us to do here except posthumously investigate, record the
physiology of a new life-form, and leave the rest to the Monitor Corps.â€
The rest, Cha Thrat knew, would mean carrying out a detailed examination of the
vessel's power, life-support, and navigation systems with the intention of
assessing the species' level of technology. That might provide the information
that would enable them to reconstruct the elements of the ship's course before
the disaster occurred and trace it back to its planet of origin. Simultaneously,
an even more careful evaluation of the nontechnical
environment—crew accommodation and furnishings, art or decorative objects,
personal effects, books, tapes, and self-entertainment systems—would be carried
out so that they would know what kind of people lived on the home planet when
they succeeded in finding it, as they ultimately would.
And eventually that world would be visited by the Cultural Contact specialists
of the Monitor Corps and, like her own Sommaradva, it would never be the same
again.
"If there are no survivors, ma'am," Fletcher said regretfully, "then it isn't a
job for Rhabwar. But we'll only know when we go inside and check. Senior
Physician, do you wish to send any of your people with me? At this stage,
though, getting inside will be a mechanical rather than a medical problem.
Lieutenant Chen and Technician Cha Thrat, you will assist me with the entry—
Wait, something's happening to the ship!â€
Cha Thrat was very surprised that Fletcher wanted her to help with such
important work, badly worried in case she might not be able to perform to his
expectations, and more than a little frightened at the thought of what might
happen to them when they got inside the distressed ship. But the feelings were
temporarily submerged at the sight of what was happening on the screen.
The ship's rate of spin and roll were increasing as they watched, and irregular
spurts of vapor were fogging the forward and aft hull and the tips of the broad,
triangular wings. She suffered a moment's sympathetic nausea for anyone who
might be inside the vessel and conscious, then Fletcher's voice returned.
"Attitude jets!" it said excitedly. "Somebody must be trying to check the spin,
but is making it worse. Maybe the survivor isn't feeling well, or is injured, or
isn't familiar with the controls. But now we know someone is alive in there.
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Dodds, as soon as we're in range, kill that spin and lock on with all tractors.
Doctor Prilicla, you're in business again.â€
"Sometimes it's nice," Murchison said, speaking to nobody in particular, "to be
proved wrong.â€
While Cha Thrat was donning her suit, she listened to the discussion between the
medical team members and Fletcher that, had it not been for the presence of the
gentle little empath, would have quickly developed into a bitter argument.
It was plain from the conversation that the Captain was Rhabwar's sole ruler so
far as all ship operations were concerned, but at the site of a disaster its
authority had to be relinquished to the senior medical person on board, who was
empowered to use the resources of the ship and its officers as it saw fit. The
main area of con-tention seemea to oe me responsibility ended and Prilicla's
began.
The Captain argued that the medics were not, considering the fact that the
distressed ship was structurally undamaged, on the disaster site until it got
them into the ship, and until then they should continue to obey its orders or,
at very least, act on its advice. Its advice was that they should remain on
Rhabwar until it had effected an entry, because to do otherwise was to risk
becoming casualties themselves if the injured or ill survivor—who had already
made a mess of checking its ship's spin with the attitude jets—decided to do
something equally unsuccessful and much more devastating with the main
thrusters.
If the medical team was waiting outside the distressed ship's entry lock when
thrust was applied, they would either be smashed against the hull plating or
incinerated by its tail flare, and the rescue would be aborted because of a
sudden lack of rescuers.
Fletcher's reasons for wanting the medics to remain behind until the other ship
had been opened were sound, Cha Thrat thought, even though they had given her a
new danger to worry about. But the medical team had been trained for the fastest
possible rescue and treatment of survivors, and they were particularly anxious
not to waste time in this case when there might only be one. By the time she was
leaving for the airlock, a compromise had been worked out.
Prilicla would accompany Fletcher, Chen, and herself to the ship. While they
were trying to get inside, the empath would move up and down the outer hull and
try to pinpoint the locations of survivors by their emotional radiation. The
rest of the medical team would hold themselves ready for a fast recovery of
casualties as soon as the way was open.
She had been waiting only a few minutes in the lock antechamber when Lieutenant
Chen arrived.
"Good, you're here already," the Earth-human said, smiling. "Help me move our
equipment into the lock, please. The Captain doesn't like to be kept waiting.â€
Without giving the impression that it was lecturing her, Chen discussed the
purpose of the equipment they were moving from the nearby stowage compartment to
the lock, so that Cha Thrat felt her level of ignorance was being reduced
without the feelings of stupidity and inferiority that so often accompanied that
process. She decided that the Earth-human was a considerate and helpful person,
in spite of its rank, and one with whom she might risk a small insubordination.
"This is in no sense a criticism of the ship ruler," she said carefully, "but I
am concerned lest Captain Fletcher is giving me credit for more technical
experience than I in fact possess. Frankly, I'm surprised it wanted me along.â€
Chen made an untranslatable sound and said, "Don't be surprised, Technician, of
worried.â€
"Regrettably," Cha Thrat said, "I am both.â€
For a few minutes the Lieutenant went on talking about the sections of portable
airlock they were carrying that, when deployed and attached with fast-setting
sealant around the entry port of the other ship', would enable Rhabwar's
boarding tube to join the two vessels and allow the medics to do their work
unhampered by space-suits.
"But rest your mind, Cha Thrat," Chen went on. "Your maintenance chief, Timmins,
spoke to the Captain about you. It said that you are pretty bright, learn
quickly, and we should give you as much work to do as possible. We should do
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this because, once the FOKT's accommodation was finished, you would havenothing
to do and might fret. It said that, with your past performance in the hospital,
the medical team wouldn't allow you anywhere near one of their patients.â€
It laughed suddenly and went on. "Now we know how wrong Timmins was. But we
still intend to keep you busy. You have four times as many hands as I have, and
I can't think of a better tool-carrier. Do I offend you,Technician?â€
The question had been asked of the trainee technician and not the proud
warrior-surgeon she had been, so the answer had to be "No.â€
"That's good," Chen said. "Now, close and seal your helmet, and double-check
your safety-line attachments. The Captain's on his way.â€
And then she was outside, festooned with equipment and drifting with the two
Earth-humans across the short distance to the distressed vessel, which was now
held by the rigid, nonmaterial beams of Rhabwar's tractors. While immobilizing
the other ship, their own had acquired a proportion of its spin. But the
countless stars that wheeled endlessly around the apparently motionless vessels
aroused a feeling not of nausea butwonder.
Prilicla was already there when they arrived, having exited by the casualty
deck's airlock, and was patrolling along the hull in its careful search for the
emotional radiation that would indicate the presence of survivors.
Chapter 16
As soon as they were standing upright and held to the gray, unpainted hull
plating by their boot magnets, and with the bulk of Rhabwar hanging above them
like a shining and convoluted white ceiling, the Captain began to speak.
It said, 'There are only so many ways for a door to open. It can hinge in or
outward, slide vertically or laterally, unscrew clockwise or anticlockwise or,
if the builders are sufficiently advanced in the field of molecular engineering,
an opening could be dilated in an area of solid metal. We have yet to encounter
a species capable of the latter and, if we ever do, we'll have to be very
careful indeed, and remember to call them 'sir.1â€
Before it had joined the Monitor Corps, she had learned, Fletcher had been a
ruler-academic and one of Earth's foremost, and certainly most youthful,
authorities on Extraterrestrial Comparative Technology, and the old habits died
hard. Even on the hull of an alien ship that might apply thrust at any moment,
it was lecturing —and remembering to include the occasional dry little joke. It
was also speaking for the benefit of the recorders, in case something sudden and
melodramatic happened.
"We are standing on a large door or hatch that is rectangular in shape with
rounded corners," it went on, "sothe probability is that it will open in or out.
Below us, according to the sensors, is a large, empty compartment, which means
that it has to be a cargo or personnel lock rather than an equipment access or
inspection panel. The hatch is featureless, so the external actuator mechanism
should be behind one of the small panels in the door surround. Technician, the
scanner, please.â€
Because this particular scanner was designed to see into the vital organs of
metal-encased machines rather than the softer structures of flesh and blood, it
was much larger and heavier than its medical counterpart. In her eagerness to
appear fast and efficient, Cha Thrat miscalculated the inertia and sent it
crashing into the hatch cover, where it left a long, shallow dent before the
Captain brought it to a halt.
"Thank you," Fletcher said drily, and added, "We are, of course, making no
secret of our presence. A covert entry and our sudden appearance inside their
ship might frighten the survivors, if there are any.â€
Chen made an untranslatable noise and said, "Whacking the hull with a
sledgehammer would have been even better.â€
"Sorry," Cha Thrat said.
Two of the small panels concealed retractable lighting fixtures and the
remaining one turned out to be a large rocker switch set flush with the hull
plating. Fletcher warned them to stand clear, then pressed with its palm on both
ends of the switch in turn. It had to press very hard, so hard that it had
pushed its leg and arm magnets away from the hull, before anything happened.
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A sudden rush of air from the edge of the slowly opening hatch sent Fletcher
spinning away. Cha Thrat, who had the advantage of four foot-magnets holding her
down, grabbed it by one leg and brought the Captain into contact with the hull
again.
"Thank you," Fletcher said, as the fog of escaping air cleared, then went on.
"Everyone inside. Doctor Prilicia, come quickly. The opening of the lock is sure
to register on their control deck. If there are any survivors up there, now is
the most likely time for them to get nervous and apply thrust...â€
"There are survivors, friend Fletcher," the empath broke in. "One of them is
forward, probably on the control deck, and several groups of them' farther aft,
but none in your immediate area. Out here I am too far from the sources to be
able to detect individual emotional radiation, but the predominant feelings are
of fear, pain, and anger. It is the intensity of the anger that worries me,
friend Fletcher, so go carefully. I am returning to Rhabwar for the rest of the
medical team.â€
With the scanner they were able to identify and trace the actuator wiring to a
set of two rocker switches. The first one was locked in position, and when they
pressed the second, the lock's outer seal closed behind them, after which the
first one moved freely and opened the inner seal, simultaneously turning on the
lighting.
Fletcher said a few words for the recorders about the intense greenish-yellow
lighting that would, on later analysis, give useful information about the crew's
visual organs and an indication of the type and proximity of their sun to the
home planet. Then it led the way from the lock chamber into the corridor.
"The corridor is about four meters high, square in cross-section, well lit,
unpainted, and gravity-free," the Captain went on. "We assume an artificial
gravity system, currently malfunctioning or possibly switched off, because the
inner surfaces are bare of ladders, climbing nets, or handholds that the crew
would need to get about in the weightless condition. At this level the section
of corridor visible to us follows the lateral curvature of theinner hull, and
opposite the lock entrance there is a wide opening through which we can see two
ramps, one ascending and the other descending, which lead, presumably, to other
decks. We are taking the ascending one.â€
Consulting the analyzer strapped to its arm, the Captain went on. "Nothing toxic
in the air, pressure low but still breathable, temperature normal. Open your
visors so we can talk together without tying up the suit frequencies.â€
Fletcher and Chen launched themselves into the air above the ascending ramp.
Less expertly, Cha Thrat did likewise and was halfway to the top when the others
arrived—and dropped suddenly onto the deck with a muffled crash of equipment and
a much less quiet burst of strong language. She had enough warning to be able to
land on her feet.
"The artificial gravity system," the Captain said, when it had picked itself up
again, "is still operating in this area. Move quickly, please, we're looking for
survivors.â€
Large inward-opening doors with simple latch fastenings lined the corridor, and
under Fletcher's direction, the search became a routine process. First unlatch
the door, push it wide open while standing well back in case something nasty
came through it, then search the compartment quickly for crew members. But the
compartments held only racks of equipment or containers of various shapes and
sizes whose labels they could not read, and nothing that in any way resembled
furniture, wall decorations, or clothing.
So far, Fletcher reported, the ship's interior seemed incredibly spartan and
utilitarian, and it was beginning to worry about the kind of people who would
build and crew such a vessel.
At the top of the next ramp, in another section ofcorridor that was
gravity-free, they saw one of them. It was hanging weightless, spinning slowly
and occasionally bumping against the ceiling.
"Careful!" Fletcher warned as Cha Thrat moved forward for a closer look. But
there was no danger because she could recognize a cadaver when she saw one,
regardless of its species. A hand placed on its thick, heavily veined neck
confirmed the absence of a pulse and a body temperature that was much too low
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for a warm-blooded oxygen-breather who was alive.
The Captain joined her and said, "This is a big one, almost twice the mass of a
Tralthan, physiological classification FGHI...â€
"FGHJ," Cha Thrat corrected.
Fletcher broke off and took a deep breath, which it expelled slowly through its
nose. When it spoke she could not be sure whether the Captain was being what
Earth-humans called sarcastic, or simply asking a question of a subordinate who
appeared to have more knowledge in a particular area than it had.
"Technician," it said, laying heavy emphasis on the first word, "would you like
to take over?â€
"Yes," she said eagerly, and went on. "It has six limbs, four legs and two arms,
all very heavily muscled, and is hairless except for a narrow band of stiff
bristles running from the top of the head along the spine to the tail, which
seems to have been surgically shortened at an early age. The body configuration
is a thick cylinder of uniform girth between the fore and rear legs but the
forward torso narrows toward the shoulders and is carried erect. The neck is
very thick and the head small. There are two eyes, recessed and looking forward,
a mouth with very large teeth, and other openings that are probably aural or
olfactory sense organs. The legs...â€
"Friend Fletcher," Prilicla broke in gently. "Wouldyou please switch on your
vision pickup and spotlight, and hold them very steady? We want to see what Cha
Thrat is describing.â€
Suddenly every surface detail of the dead FGHJ was illuminated by a light even
more intense than that of thecorridor.
"You won't see a good picture," the Captain said. "The shielding effects of the
ship's hull will cause foggingand distortion.â€
"That is understood," the empath said. "Friend Nay-drad is preparing the large
pressure litter. We will be with you very soon. Please continue, Cha Thrat.â€
"The legs terminate in large, reddish-brown hooves," she went on, "three of
which are covered by thick, heavily padded bags fastened tightly at the tops,
possibly to deaden the sound their feet make on the metal deck. Cylinders of
metal, padded on the inner surfaces, encircle all four legs just below
knee-level, with short lengths of chain attached to them. The links at the end
of the chains have been broken or forced apart.
"The creature's hands are large, with four digits," she continued, "and do not
appear particularly dexterous. There is a complicated harness suspended from and
belted around the upper torso and flanks. Pouches of different sizes are
attached to the harness. One of them is open and there are small tools scattered
around thebody.â€
"Technician," the Captain said, "remain here until the medic team arrives, then
follow us. We're supposed to find and help the live ones and—â€
"No!" Cha Thrat said without thinking. Then apologetically she added, "I'm
sorry, Captain. I mean, be verycareful.â€
Chen was already moving down the corridor, but the Captain checked itself as it
was about to follow.
"I am always careful, Technician," it said quietly, "but why do you think I
should be very careful?â€
"I do not have a reason," she said, with three of her eyes on the cadaver and
one on the Earth-human, "only a suspicion. On Sommaradva there are certain
people, warriors as well as serviles, who behave badly and without honor toward
their fellow citizens and, on rare occasions, grievously injure or kill them.
These lawbreakers are confined on an island from which there is no escape. On
the vessel that transports them to this island the non-crew accommodation lacks
comfort, and the prisoners themselves are immobilized by leg restraints. With
respect, the similarities to our present situation are obvious.â€
Fletcher was silent for a moment, then it said, "Let's take your suspicion a
stage further. You think this might be a prison ship, in distress not because of
a technical malfunction but because its prisoners have broken free and may have
killed or injured all or part of the crew before they realized that they were
unable to work the ship themselves. Perhaps some crew members are holed up
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somewhere, in need of medical attention, after inflicting serious casualties
among the escapees.â€
Fletcher looked briefly at the cadaver, then returned its attention to Cha
Thrat.
"It's a neat theory," it went on. "If true, we are faced with the job of
convincing the ship's crew and a bunch of unruly prisoners, who are on less than
friendly terms with each other, that we would like to help all of them without
becoming casualties ourselves. But is it true? The leg restraints support your
theory, but the harness and too! pouches suggest a crew member rather than a
prisoner.
"Thank you, Cha Thrat," it added, turning to followChen, "I shall bear your
suspicions in mind, and be verycareful.â€
As soon as the Captain had finished speaking, Prilicla said quickly, "Friend
Cha, we can see wounds all over the body surface, but the details are
indistinct. Describe them please. And do they support your theory? Are they the
type of injuries that might be sustained by an entity being moved violently
about inside a spinning ship, or could they have been inflicted deliberately by
another member of the same species?â€
"On your answer," Murchison joined in, "depends whether or not I go back for a
heavy-duty spacesuit.â€
"And I," Naydrad said. Danalta, who belonged to a species impervious to physical
injury, remained silent.
She looked closely at the brightly lit surfaces of the corridor for a moment,
then gently rotated the cadaver so that its entire body was presented to the
vision pickup. She was trying to think like a warrior-surgeon while at the same
time remembering one of the basic physics tapes she had viewed as a trainee
technician.
"There are a large number of superficial contusions and abrasions," she said,
"concentrated on the flanks, knees, and elbows. They appear to have been made by
grazing contact with the metal of the corridor, but the wound that caused its
death is a large, depressed fracture located on and covering the top of the
skull. It does not look as if it was caused by any type of metal tool or
implement but by violent contact with the corridor wall. There is a patch of
congealed blood, comparable to the area of the injury, on the wall where I am
directing the vision pickup.
"Remembering that the cadaver's position in the vessel is approximately
amidships," she went on, wondering if the Captain's lecturing manner was a
psychological contagion, "it is unlikely that the spinning could havebeen
responsible for such a grievous head injury. My conclusion is that the being,
whose legs are very strong, misjudged a jump in weightless conditions and hit
its head against the wall. The lesser wounds could have been caused while it was
tumbling, unconscious and dying, inside the spinning ship.â€
Murchison's voice sounded relieved as it said, "So you're telling us that it had
an accident, that no other antisocial type bashed in its skull?â€
"Yes," ChaThrat said.
"I'll be with you in a few minutes," it said.
"Friend Murchison," Prilicla began anxiously.
"Don't worry, Doctor," said the Pathologist. "If anyone or anything nasty
threatens, Danalta will protectus.â€
"Of course," the shape-changer said.
While she was waiting for them to arrive, Cha Thrat continued to study the
cadaver while listening to the voices of Prilicla, Fletcher, and Rhabwar's
communications officer. The Cinrusskin's empathic faculty had given it
approximate locations for the survivors who, apart from the single crew member
in Control, seemed to be gathered together in three small groups of four or five
persons on one deck. But the Captain had decided that it would be better to make
contact with a single crew member before approaching a group, and was heading
directly for the survivor on the Control deck.
Cha Thrat steadied the cadaver and took one of its large, strong hands in two of
her upper manipulators. The fingers were short and stubby and tipped with claws
that had been trimmed short, and none of the digits were opposable. In this
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species' prehistory she could imagine those clawed hands conveying freshly
killed food to the mouth that even now was filled with long and very
nasty-looking teeth. It did not, she thought, look like amember of a species
capable of building ships that traveled between the stars.
It did not look, well, civilized. "You can't always judge by external
appearance," Murchison said, making Cha Thrat realize that she had been thinking
aloud. "Your Chalder friend from the AUGL ward makes this one look like a
pussy-cat.â€
The rest of the medical team were following closely behind the Pathologist:
Naydrad guiding the litter; Prilicla walking the ceiling on its six,
sucker-tipped legs; and, as she watched, Danalta extruded a thicker,
sucker-tipped limb of its own and attached itself to the wall like some
watchful, alien vegetable.
Quickly Murchison attached its instrument pack to the wall with magnetic pads
and used larger magnets and webbing to immobilize the cadaver. It said, "Our
friend here was unlucky, but at least it is helping the others. I can do things
to it which I would not think of doing to a living survivor, and without wasting
time on—â€
"Dammit, this is ridiculous*" a voice said in their suit phones, so distorted by
surprise and incredulity that she did not recognize it at first as belonging to
the Captain. Fletcher went on. "We're on the control deck and we've found
another crew member, alive, apparently uninjured, occupying one of five control
positions. The other four positions are empty. But the survivor is wearing
restraints on all four legs and is chained to its controlcouch!â€
Cha Thrat turned away and left without speaking. The Captain had told her that
she should follow Chen and itself as soon as the medical team arrived, and she
wanted to do just that before Fletcher had a chance to countermand the earlier
order. Her curiosity about this strange, chained-up ship's officer was so
intense that it was almost painful.
It was not until she had ascended two decks that she noticed Prilicla silently
following her.
Fletcher was saying "I've tried communicating with it, with the translator and
my making the usual friendly signs. Rhabwar's translation computer is capable of
converting simple messages into any conceivable language that is based on a
system of word-sounds. It growls and barks at me but the sounds don't translate.
When I approach closely it acts as if it wants to tear my head off. At other
times its body and limb movements are erratic and uncoordinated, although it
seems anxious to be free of its leg restraints.â€
Prilicia and Cha Thrat arrived at that moment, and the Captain added, "See for
yourselves.â€
The Cinrusskin had taken up a position on the ceiling just inside the entrance,
well away from the crew member's wildly flailing arms. It said, "Friend
Fletcher, the emotional radiation disturbs me. There are feelings of anger,
fear, hunger, and blind, unthinking antagonism. There is a coarseness and
intensity in these emotions not usually found in beings possessing high
intelligence.â€
"I agree, Doctor," the Captain said, moving back instinctively as one of the
clawless hands stabbed out at its face. "But these couches were designed for
this particular life-form, and the controls, switches, and doorhandles that
we've seen so far in the ship are suited to those particular hands. At the
moment it is completely ignoring the controls, and the sudden increase in spin
we noticed during our approach was probably caused by it accidentally striking
the keys concerned.
"Its couch, like the other four, is mounted on runners," Fletcher went on. "It
has been moved back to the limit of its travel, which makes it very difficult
for the being's hands to reach the control consoles. Have you any ideas, Senior
Physician, because I haven't.â€
"No, friend Fletcher," Prilicla said, "but lei us move to a lower deck where it
cannot see or hear us.â€
A few minutes later it continued. "The levels of fear, anger, and antagonism
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have diminished, and its hunger remains at the same intensity. For reasons that
aren't clear to me at the moment, the crew member's behavior is irrational and
emotionally unstable. But it is in no immediate danger where it is, and it is
not in any pain. Friend Murchison.â€
"Yes?" the Pathologist responded. "When you are examining that cadaver," it went
on, "pay special attention to the head. It has occurred to me that the cranial
injury may not have been an accident, ' but was deliberately self-inflicted in
response to acute and continuing cranial discomfort. You should look for
evidence of an area of infection or cell degeneration affecting the brain
tissues, which may have adversely affected or destroyed its higher centers of
mentation andemotional control.
"Friend Fletcher," it went on without waiting for a reply, "we must quickly
locate and check the condition of the other survivors. But carefully, in case
they are behaving like our friend in Control.â€
With Prilicla's empathic faculty to guide them, they quickly found the three
large dormitory compartments containing the remaining conscious survivors, five
in one room and four in each of the others. The doors were not locked but the
occupants had not used the simple latch system that would have opened them from
the inside. The artificial gravity system was in operation, and the brief look
they were able to catch before the occupants spotted and began to attack them
showed plain, unde-corated metal walls and flooring that was covered by
disordered bedding and wrecked waste-disposal equip-ment. The smell, Cha Thrat
thought, could have been cut with a knife.
"Friend Fletcher," Prilicla said as they were leaving the last dormitory, "all
of the crew members are physically active and without pain, and if it wasn't for
the fact that they are clearly no longer capable of working their ship, I would
say that they are quite healthy. Unless friend Murchison discovers a clinical
reason for their abnormal behavior, there is nothing we can do for them.
"I realize that I am being both cowardly and selfish," it went on, "but I do not
want to endanger our casualty deck equipment and terrify friend Khone by moving
in close on twenty oversized, overactive, and, at present, underintelligent
life-forms who—â€
"I agree," Fletcher said firmly. "If that lot got loose, they could wreck my
ship and not just the casualty deck. The alternative is to keep them here,
extend Rhabwar's hyperspace envelope, and Jump both ships to Sector General.â€
"That was my thought as well, friend Fletcher," Prilicla replied. "Also, that
you rig the boarding tube so that we can have rapid access to the survivors,
that we gather samples of all packets and containers likely to hold this
life-form's food or nutritious fluids. The only symptom these people display is
intense hunger and, considering the size of their teeth, I would like to relieve
it as soon as possible in case they start eating each other.â€
"And," the Pathologist's voice joined in, "you want me to analyze the samples so
as to tell you which containers hold paint and which soup?â€
"Thank you, friend Murchison," the empath said, and went on. "As well as your
cranial investigation would you look at the cadaver's general metabolism with a
view to suggesting a safe anesthetic for use on these people, something
fast-acting that we can shoot into them at adistance. They must all be
anesthetized very quickly because—â€
"For fast work like that," Murchison broke in, "I'll need Rhabwar1* lab, not a
portable analyzer like this one. And I'll need the whole team to help me.â€
"Because," Prilicla resumed quietly, "I have a feeling that there is another
survivor who is not healthy and active and hungry. Its emotional radiation is
extremely weak and characteristic of an entity who is deeply unconscious and
perhaps dying. But I am unable to locate it because of the stronger, overriding
emanations from the conscious survivors. That is why, as soon as the samples are
gathered for friend Murchison, I would like ' every hole, comer, or compartment
large enough to hold an FGHJ searched.
"It must be done quickly," the Cinrusskin ended, "because the feeling is very
weak indeed.â€
Awkwardly Fletcher said, "1 understand, Senior Physician, but there is a
problem. Pathologist Murchison needs all of the medical team and extending
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Rhabwar's hyperenvelope and realigning our tractors for the Jump and deploying
the boarding tube will require all of theship's officers...â€
"Which leaves me," Cha Thrat said quietly, "withnothing to do.â€
"... So which should be given priority?" the Captain went on, seeming not to
have heard her. "The search for your unconscious FGHJ, or getting it and the
rest of them to Sector General as quickly as possible?â€
"I will search the ship," she said, more loudly.
"Thank you, Cha Thrat," Prilicla said, "1 felt you wanting to volunteer. But
think carefully before you decide. The survivor, should you find it, will be too
weak to harm you. But there are other dangers. This ship is e, and as strange to
us as it is to you.â€
"Yes, Technician," the Captain said. "These aren't the maintenance tunnels at
Sector General. The color codings, if present, will mean something entirely
different.! You can't make assumptions about anything you see, and if you
accidentally foul a control link... Very well, you may search, but stay out of
trouble.
Fletcher turned to look at Prilicla and added plaintively, "Or do you feel me
feeling that I'm wasting my breath?â€
Chapter 17
With the printouts from Rhabwar's sensors providing information on the ship's
layout, and in particular on the size and location of its empty spaces, Cha
Thrat began a rapid and methodical search of the alien vessel. She ignored only
the control deck, the occupied dormitories, and areas close to the ship's
reactor that the sensor maps showed to be uninhabitable by the FGHJ life-form
or, for that matter, any other species who were not radiation-eaters. She was
very careful to check all interiors with sound sensors and the heavy-duty
scanner before opening every door or panel. She was not afraid, but there were
times when shivers marched like tiny, icy feet along the length of her spine.
It usually happened when the realization came that she was searching an alien
starship for survivors of a species whose existence she could not have imagined
ashort time ago, at the direction of other unimaginable beings from a place of
healing whose size, complexity, and occupants were like the solid manifestations
of a disordered mind. But the unthinkable and unimaginable had become not only
thinkable but acceptable to her, and all because a discontented and unloved
warrior-surgeon of Sommaradva had risked a limb and her professional reputation
to treat an injured off-world ship ruler.
At the thought of what her future would have been had she not taken that risk
she shivered again, in dread.
Even though the first search was to be a fast, perfunctory one, it took much
longer than Cha Thrat had expected. By the time it was completed, Rhabwar's
boarding tube was in position, and she could feel and hear the empty grumbling
of both her stomachs.
Prilicla told her to relieve these symptoms before making her report.
When she arrived on the casualty deck, Prilicla, Mur-chison, and Danalta were
working on the cadaver while Naydrad and Rhone, its hairy body pressed against
the transparent dividing wall, watched with an interest so intense that only the
Cinrusskin sensed her arrival.
"What's wrong, friend Cha?" the empath asked. "Something disturbed you on the
ship. I felt it evenhere.â€
"This," she replied, holding up one of the leg restraints that Murchison had
removed from the cadaver and discarded before the dead FGHJ had been moved to
Rhabwar. "The chain is not locked to the leg cuff, it is attached with a simple
spring-loaded bolt that can be released easily when pressure is applied just
here.â€
She demonstrated, then went on. "When I was searching the control deck area I
looked at the crew member chained to its couch, without being seen, and noticed
that similar fastenings hold the chains to all fourof its leg cuffs. It and the
cadaver here could have freed themselves simply by releasing the fastenings,
which are within easy reach of its hands. It did not have to break free, and
neither does the crew member chained to the control couch, who nevertheless
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continues to struggle violently against restraints that it could so easily
remove. It is all very puzzling, but I think we must now discard the theory that
any of these people were, prisoners under restraint.â€
They were all watching her closely as she went on. "But what is affecting them?
What is it that leaves a crew member normally a responsible, highly trained
individual capable of guiding a starship, in such a state that it cannot
unfasten its couch restraints? What has rendered the other crew members
incapable of opening their own dormitory doors or finding food for themselves?
Why has their behavior degenerated to that of unthinking animals? Could
contaminated food, or the absence of specific foods, have caused this? And
before you left me, the Senior Physician suggested that an organism might have
invaded the brain tissues. Is it possible that—â€
"If you will stop asking questions, Technician," Mur-chison broke in crossly,
"I'll have a chance to answer some of them. No, the food supply is plentiful and
contains nothing toxic to this life-form. I have analyzed and identified several
varieties carried on the ship, so you will be able to feed them when you go
back. As for the brain tissues, there are no indications of damage, circulatory
impairment, infection, or any pathological abnormality.
"I found trace quantities of a complex chemical structure that, in the
metabolism of this life-form, would act as a powerful tranquilizer. The residual
material suggests that a massive dose was absorbed perhaps three or four days
ago, and the effect has since worn off. A large sup-ply of this tranquilizer was
found in one of the cadaver's harness pouches. So it seems that the crew members
tranquilized themselves before confining themselves to the control couch and
their dormitories.â€
There was a long silence that was broken by Khone, who was holding up its
offspring where the scrawny little entity could see all the strange creatures on
the other side of its transparent panel. Cha Thrat wondered if the Gogleskan was
already trying to weaken the young one's conditioning, even at the tender age of
two days.
Impersonally it said, "It is hoped that the time of more intelligent and
experienced healers will not be wasted by this interruption, but on Goglesk it
is accepted that in certain circumstances, and against their will, otherwise
intelligent and civilized beings will behave like vicious and destructive
animals. Perhaps the entities on the other vessel have a similar problem, and
must take strong and repeated doses of medication to keep their animal natures
under control so that they can live civilized lives, and make progress, and
build starships.
"Perhaps they are starved," Khone ended, "not of food but of their civilizing
drug.â€
"A neat idea," Murchison said warmly, then matching the Gogleskan's impersonal
tone it went on. "Admiration is felt for the originality of the healer's
thinking but, regrettably, the medication concerned would not increase awareness
and the ability to mentate, it would decrease it to the point where continuous
use would cause these people to spend their entire lives in a state of
semi-consciousness.â€
"Perhaps," Cha Thrat joined in, "the state of semi-consciousness is pleasant and
desirable. It shames me to admit it, but on Sommaradva there are people who
deliberately affect and often damage their minds with sub-stances for the purely
temporary pleasure they give the user...â€
"Sommaradva's shame," Naydrad said angrily, "is shared by many worlds in the
Federation.â€
"... And when these harmful substances are withdrawn suddenly from habitual
users," she went on, "their behavior becomes irrational and violent and similar,
in many respects, to that of the FGHJs on the other ship.â€
Murchison was shaking its head. "Sorry, no again. I cannot be absolutely certain
because we are dealing with the metabolism of a completely new life-form here,
but I would say that the traces found in the cadaver's brain was a simple
tranquilizer that deadens rather than heightens awareness, and is almost
certainly nonaddic-tive. Had this not been so I would have suggested using it as
an anesthetic.
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"And before you ask," the Pathologist went on, "progress with the anesthetic is
slow. I have gone as far as I can go with the physiological data provided by the
cadaver, but to produce one that will be safe to use in large doses I require
blood and gland secretion samples from a living FGHJ.â€
Cha Thrat was silent for a moment, then she turned to include Prilicla as she
said, "I could not find any trace of injured or unconscious survivors during my
preliminary search, but I shall search again more diligently when the required
samples have been obtained. Is the being still alive? Can you give me even an
approximate guide to its location?â€
"I can still feel it, friend Cha," Prilicla replied. "But the cruder, conscious
emoting of the other survivors is obscuring it.â€
"Then the sooner Pathologist Murchison has its samples the sooner we'll have the
anesthetic to knock outthe emotional interference," Cha Thrat said briskly. "My
medial digits are strong enough to restrain the arms of the FGHJ on the control
couch while my upper manipulators take the samples. From which veins and organs,
and in what quantities, must they be removed?â€
Murchison laughed suddenly and said, "Please, Cha Thrat, let the medical team do
something to justify its existence. You will hold the crew member tightly to its
couch, Doctor Danalta will position the scanner, and I will obtain the samples
while—â€
"Control here." Fletcher's voice broke in from the wall speaker. "Jump in five
seconds from . • •now- The extra mass of the distressed ship will delay our
return somewhat. We are estimating Sector General parking orbit in just under
four days.â€
"Thank you, friend Fletcher," Prilicla said. Suddenly there was the familiar but
indescribable sensation, unseen, unheard, and unfelt but indisputably present,
that signaled their removal from the universe of matter to the tiny, unreal, and
purely mathematical structure that the ship's hyperdrive generators had built
around them. She forced herself to look through the casualty deck's direct
vision panel. The tractor and pressor beams that laced the ships rigidly
together were invisible, so that she saw only the ridiculously flimsy boarding
tube joining them and, at the bottom of the metal chasm formed by the two hulls,
the heaving, flickering grayness that seemed to reach up through her eyes and
pull her very brain out of focus.
She returned her attention to the solid, familiar if temporarily unreal world of
the casualty deck before hyper-space could give her an eyestrain headache.
Cha Thrat had time for only a few words with Rhone before following Murchison,
Danalta, and Naydrad to the boarding tube. The Charge Nurse was helping hercarry
packages of the material that Murchison had identified as food, and she had only
to compare them with the hundreds of others in the other ship's stores to be
able to feed all of the surviving crew members until they bulged at the seams.
Her last sight of the casualty deck for a long time, although she did not know
it just then, was of Senior Physician Prilicla hovering above the .widely
scattered remains of the cadaver and interspersing its quiet words to Khone with
untranslatable duckings and trillings to the younger Gogleskan.
"If we can spare the time," Cha Thrat said to the Pathologist when they were
standing around the control couch and its agitated and weakly struggling
occupant, "we could feed it before taking your samples. That might make the
patient more contented, and amenable.â€
"We can spare the time for that," Murchison replied, then added, "There are
times, Cha Thrat, when you remind me of somebody else.â€
"Who do we know," Naydrad asked in its forthright Kelgian manner, "who's that
weird?â€
The Pathologist laughed but did not reply, and neither did Cha Thrat. Without
realizing it, Murchison had moved into a sensitive and potentially highly
embarrassing area, and, if it ever did learn exactly what had happened to the
Sommaradvan's mind on Goglesk, it should be from its life-mate, Conway, and not
Cha Thrat—Prilicla had been quite insistent about that.
There was surprisingly little variety in the FGHJs' food containers—two
differently shaped plastic bottles, one holding water and the other a faintly
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odorous nutrient liquid, and there were uniform blocks of a dry, spongy material
wrapped in a thin plastic film with a large ring for tearing it open. The liquid
and solid foods were synthetic, according to Murchison, but nutrition-ally
tailored to the requirements of the FGHJs' metabolism, and the small quantities
of nonnutrient material present were probably there to excite the taste buds.
But when Cha Thrat tossed one of the packages into the crew member's hands, it
began tearing at it with its teeth without removing the plastic wrapping. The
simple, spring-loaded caps sealing the bottles were also ignored. It tore open
the neck of the container with its teeth and sucked out the liquid that it had
not already spilled down its chest.
A few minutes later the Pathologist made an untranslatable sound and said, "Its
table manners certainly leave a lot to be desired, but it doesn't appear to be
hungry anymore. Let's get started.â€
Feeding the crew member made no perceptible difference to its behavior except,
perhaps, to give it more strength to resist them. By the time Murchison had
withdrawn its samples, Naydrad, Cha Thrat, and the Pathologist itself were
displaying several areas of surface bruising and Danalta, whose body could not
be injured or deformed except by the application of ultrahigh temperatures, had
been forced into some incredible shape-changes in order to help them immobilize
the brute. When the task was done, Murchison sent Naydrad and Danalta ahead with
its test samples while it remained, breathing rapidly, and with its eyes fixed
on the crew member.
"I don't like this," it said.
"It worries me, too," Cha Thrat said. "However, if a problem is restated often
enough, in different words, a solution sometimes emerges.â€
"I suppose some wise old Sommaradvan philosopher said that," Murchison said
drily. "I'm sorry, Technician. What were you going to say?â€
"An Earth-human Lieutenant called Timmins said it,â€
she replied. "And I was about to restate the problem, which is that we are faced
with a ship's crew who are apparently suffering from a disease that leaves them
completely healthy, but mindless. Not only can they not operate their own
undamaged and fully functioning ship, they do not remember how to unfasten their
leg restraints, unlatch doors, or open food containers. They have become like
healthy animals.â€
Murchison said quietly, "The problem is being restated, but in the same words.â€
"The living quarters are bare and comfortless," Cha Thrat went on, "which made
us think at first that this was a prison ship. But is it possible that the crew
members, for reasons that may be psychological and associated with space-travel,
or a disease that affects them during space travel, know that bodily comforts,
pleasant surroundings, and valued personal possessions would be wasted on them
during a voyage because they expect to become animals. Perhaps the condition is
brief, episodic, and temporary, but on this occasion something went wrong and it
became permanent.â€
"Now," Murchison said, twitching her shoulders in the movement that Earth-humans
called a shiver, "the words are different. But if it is of any help to you,
among the samples Naydrad brought me for analysis there was medication as well
as food. The medication was of one kind only, the tranquilizer capsules of the
type found on the cadaver, in a form intended for oral self-administration. So
you may be right about them expecting the condition and taking steps to reduce
accidental damage to themselves during the mindless phase. But it's strange that
Naydrad, who looks very carefully for such things, found only this one type of
medication, and no sign of any instruments for the purposes of examination,
diagnosis, or surgery. Even if they knew in advance that theywere going to take
sick, it looks as if the ship's crew did not include a medic.â€
"If anything," Cha Thrat said, "this new information increases the problem.â€
Murchison laughed, but the pallor of its normally pink face showed that it found
nothing humorous in the situation. It said grimly, "I could not find anything
wrong with the being I examined, apart from the accidental head injury that
killed it, nor can I see anything clinically wrong with the other crew members.
But something has trace-lessly destroyed their higher centers of intelligence
and wiped their minds clean of all memory, training, and experience so that they
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are left with nothing but the instincts and behavior patterns of animals.
"What kind of organism or agency," it ended with another shiver, "could cause
such a selectively destructive effect as that?â€
Cha Thrat had a sudden urge to wrap her medial arms around the Pathologist and
comfort it, and an upsurge of the kind of emotion that no Sommaradvan, male or
female, should feel for an Earth-human. With difficulty she controlled the
feelings that were not her own and said gently, "The anesthetic might give you
the answer. We are seeing patients in whom the disease, or whatever, has run its
course. If they are knocked out and we found the other one, isn't it possible
that the disease might not have run its course with this survivor, or the
survivor has natural resistance to it? By studying the disease and the resistant
patient you might discover the cure for all of them.â€
"The anesthetic, yes," Murchison said, and smiled. "Your tactful way of
reminding a stupid Pathologist of the elements of her job would do credit to
Prilicla itself. I'm wasting time here.â€
It turned to leave, then hesitated. Its face was still very pale.
"Whatever it is that is affecting these people," it said grimly, "is outside my
clinical experience, and possibly that of the hospital. But there should be no
danger to us. You already know from your medical lectures that other-species
pathogens can effect only life-forms that share a common planetary and
evolutionary background, and have no effect on off-planet organisms. But there
are times when, in spite of everything we know to the contrary, we wonder if we
will someday run into the exception that proves the rule, a disease or a
clinical condition that is capable of crossing the species barrier.
"The mere possibility that this might be that exception," it went on very
seriously, "is scaring the hell out of me. If this should be our bacteriological
bogeyman, we must remember that the disease does not appear to have any physical
effects. The onset and symptomology of the condition are more likely to be
psychological rather than physical. I shall discuss this with Prilicla, and we
shall be watching you for any marked behavioral changes, just as you must keep a
watch on your own mental processes for uncharacteristic thoughts or feelings.â€
The Pathologist shook its head in obvious self-irritation. "Nothing can harm you
here, I'm as sure of that as I can possibly be. But please, Cha Thrat, be very
careful anyway.â€
Chapter 18
SHE did not know how long she spent watching the mindless struggling of the FGHJ
on its couch, and its strong, blunt-fingered hands that had guided this great
vessel between the stars before she left the control deck, feeling depressed and
angry at her inability to produce a single constructive idea, to begin
collecting food for the other, still-hungry crew members. But when she entered
the nearest food storage compartment a few minutes later, she was startled to
find Prilicla alreadythere.
"Friend Cha," the empath said, "there has been achange of plan...â€
The anesthetic that Murchison was producing would have to be tested, in minute
but gradually increasing doses, initially on the FGHJ in Control. That process
could take anything up to three days before the Pathologist could pronounce it
safe for use. Prilicla felt sure that the survivor did not have three days and
another method of pacifying the crew members, not as effective as anesthesia,
must be tried. Adequate supplies of the crew's own tranquilizers were available,
and large doses of these would be added to the crew's food and drink in the hope
that, heavily tranquilized and with their hunger satisfied, the intensity of
their emotional radiation would be245reduced to a level where the empath could
isolate and locate the remaining and seriously ill or injured survivor.
"I would like all of the crew members to be fed and tranquilized as quickly as
possible," Prilicla went on. "Our friend's emotional radiation is characteristic
of a mind of high intelligence presently degraded by pain, rather than one in
the condition of its crew-mates, but it grows steadily weaker. I fear for its
life." ,At Prilicla's direction she heavily dosed the liquid food and water,
then distributed it quickly to the dormitories while the Cinrusskin moved from
deck to deck, with its empathic faculty extended to its maximum range and
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sensitivity. With full stomachs and dulled minds— some, of them even went to
sleep—the crew members' emotional radiation became less obtrusive, but otherwise
the results were negative.
"I still can't get a fix," Prilicla said, its body trembling to its own as well
as Cha Thrat's disappointment. "There is still too much interference from the
conscious survivors. All we can do now is return to Rhabwar and try to assist
friend Murchison. Your charges will not grow hungry again for some time.
Coming?â€
"No," she said, "I would prefer to continue the normal, physical search for your
dying survivor.â€
"Friend Cha," Prilicla said, "must I remind you again that I am not a telepath,
and that your secret, inner thoughts remain your own property. But your feelings
are very clear to me, and they are of low-intensity excitement, pleasure, and
caution, with the excitement predominating and the caution barely detectable.
This worries me. My guess is that you have had an idea or come to a conclusion
of some kind, which will involve personal risk before it can be proved or
disproved. Would you like to tell me about it?â€
The simple answer would have been "No," but shecould not bring herself to hurt
the empath's hypersensitive feelings with such a verbal discourtesy. Instead she
said carefully, "It may be that the idea came as a result of my ignorance
regarding your empathic faculty, hence my reticence in mentioning it until I was
sure that it had some value and 1 would avoid embarrassment.â€
Prilicla continued to hover silently in the center of the compartment, and Cha
Thrat went on. "When we first searched the ship you were able to detect the
presence of the unconscious survivor, but not locate it because of the conscious
emoting of the others. Now that they are pacified into near-unconsciousness, the
situation is the same because our survivor's condition has worsened, and I fear
that it will remain the same even when the anesthetic becomes available and the
others, too, are deeply unconscious.â€
"I share that fear," the empath said quietly. "But go on.â€
"In my ignorance of the finer workings of your empathic faculty," she continued,
"I assumed that a weak source of emotional radiation positioned nearby would be
more easily detectable than a stronger source at a distance. If there had been
any such variation in strength, I'm sure you would have mentioned it.â€
"I would," Prilicla said, "and you are right in many respects. In others, well,
my emphathic faculty has limitations. It responds to the quality and intensity
of feelings as well as their proximity. But detection is dependent on factors
other than distance. There is the degree of intelligence and emotional
sensitivity, the intensity of the emotions being felt, the physical size and
strength of the emoting brain, and, of course, the level of consciousness.
Normally these limitations can be ignored when I'm searching for just one source
and my friends, usually the medical team, move away or controltheir emotions
while I'm searching. That isn't the case here. But you must have reached some
conclusions. What are they?â€
Choosing her words carefully, Cha Thrat replied, "That, because of its location,
the unconscious survivor's radiation is and will remain obscured, and that it is
very close to, or surrounded by, the conscious sources. This narrows the volume
to be searched to the dormitory deck and perhaps the levels above and below it,
and I shall concentrate on that volume only. And you said just now that the
physical size of the emoting brain is a factor. Could it be that the survivor is
a very small, and young, FGHJ hiding close to the mindless parent?â€
"Possibly," Prilicla replied. "But regardless of age or size, it is in very bad
shape.â€
Controlling her growing excitement, she went on. 'There must be small storage
cabinets, systems inspection centers, and odd holes and corners where a crew
member or child would not normally go, but where a barely conscious entity whose
injuries caused it to act irrationally might have hidden itself. I feel sure
than I will find it soon.â€
"I know," Prilicla said. "But there is more.â€
Cha Thrat hesitated, then said, "With respect, Cinrusskins are not a robust
species, and for that reason are more sensitive to the risk of physical injury
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than beings like myself. I can assure you that I have no intention of placing
myself at risk, for whatever reason. But if I was to tell you my plan in detail,
the possibility exists that you would forbid me to carry it out.â€
"Would you obey me if I did?" Prilicla asked.
She did not reply.
"Friend Cha," Prilicla said gently, "you have many qualities that I find
admirable, including that of moderate cowardice, but you worry me. You have
shown yourselfreluctant to obey orders that you personally feel to be wrong or
unjustified. You have been disobedient in Sector General, on this ship, and, I
suspect, on your home world. This is not a quality that people find admirable in
a person of subordinate rank. What are we going to do with you?â€
Cha Thrat was about to tell the little empath how sorry she felt at causing it
mental distress, then realized that it already knew exactly how she felt toward
it. Instead she said, "With respect, you could allow me to proceed, and ask the
Captain to concentrate the sensors on the reduced search area I have indicated,
and report any changes to me at once.â€
"You know that I was thinking in the longer term," Prilicla said. "But yes, I
shall do as you suggest. I share friend Murchison's feelings about this
situation. There is something very strange here, and possibly dangerous, but we
cannot even guess where the threat, if there is a threat, will come from. Take
great care, friend Cha, and guard your mind as well as your body.â€
Cha Thrat began the search as soon as Prilicla left her, starting with the level
above the dormitory deck, then moving to the one below it. But from the start
her principal intention had been to enter and search those occupied dormitories,
and, as soon as she did so, she knew that there would be a reaction from whoever
was watching the sensor displays.
When it came, the voice in her earpiece was that of the Captain itself.
"Technician!" it said sharply. "The sensors show a body of your mass and
temperature entering one of the dormitories. Get out of there at once!â€
It was possible to argue politely and be circumspect with a gentle little entity
like Prilicla, Cha Thrat thought sadly, but not with the Captain. She had just
been givena direct order that she had no intention of obeying, so she spoke as
if she had not heard it.
"I have entered a dormitory and am moving sideways around the room with my back
to the wall," she said calmly. "I am moving slowly so as not to disturb or
frighten the occupants, who seem to be half asleep. Two of them have turned
their heads to watch me but are making no threatening movements. There is a
small door, tight-fitting and mounted flush with the wall, probably a recessed
storage cabinet, that might be large enough for an FGHJ to force a way in to
hide. I am opening the door now. Inside there are...â€
"Switch on your vision pickup," Fletcher said angrily, "and save your breath.â€
"... shelves containing what appears to be cleaning materials for the
waste-disposal facility," she continued. "In case a fast retreat is necessary, I
have left the heavier equipment outside and am wearing only a headset. Now I'm
moving toward the wall facing the entrance where there is another small door.â€
"So you can hear me," Fletcher said coldly. "And you heard my order.â€
"I've opened it," she went on quickly, "and the missing survivor isn't there.
Beside the door at floor level there is a small, flat, rectangular flap.
Possibly it conceals a recessed handle for an upward-opening door. I will have
to lie flat on the floor, and try to avoid the body wastes, to examine it.â€
She heard the Captain make an untranslatable but very unsympathetic sound, then
she said, It is a tight-fitting flap, hinged on the top side, and free to move
in or out with gentle pressure. There is a layer of sponge around the edges that
suggests that it is nearly airtight. I can't get my head close enough to the
floor to see insidethe flap, but when I open it there is a strong smell that
reminds me of the Sommaradvan glytt plant.
"I'm sorry," she went on. "Quite apart from the fact that you don't know what a
glytt plant smells like, one wonders whether the seal is intended to keep the
unpleasant smell of FGHJ wastes in or the other smell out. Or maybe it is just
an inlet point for some kind of deodorant ...â€
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"Friend Cha," Prilicla broke in. "In the short time since you inhaled the odor,
has there been any irritation of your breathing passages, nausea, impairment of
vision, or dulling of sensation or intellect?â€
"What intellect?" Fletcher murmured in a disparaging voice.
"No," she replied. "I am opening the door of the last remaining storage closet
to be searched. It is larger than the others, filled with racked tools and what
looks like replacement parts for the dormitory furniture, but is otherwise
empty. The crew members are still ignoring me. I'm leaving now to search the
next dormitory.â€
"Technician," Fletcher said quietly. "If you can reply to Prilicla I know you
can hear me. Now, I'm willing to consider your earlier disobedience as a
temporary aberration, a fit of overenthusiasm, and a minor disciplinary matter.
But if you continue the search in direct contravention of my orders you will be
in major trouble. Neither the Monitor Corps nor the hospital has time for
irresponsible subordinates.â€
"But I take full responsiblity for my actions," Cha Thrat protested, "including
any credit or discredit that may result from them. I know that I lack the
training to investigate an other-species ship properly, but I am simply opening
and closing doors and being very careful while I'm doing it.â€
The Captain did not reply and maintained its silenceeven when the sensors must
have been showing Cha Thrat entering the second dormitory. It was Prilicia who
spoke first.
"Friend Fletcher," the empath said quietly, "I agree that there is a small
element of risk in what the technician is doing. But it has discussed some of
its ideas with me and is acting with my permission and, well, limited approval.â€
Ignoring the tranquilized FGHJs and riot speaking at all, Cha Thrat was able
search the dormitory much more quickly, but with the same negative result. None
of the storage cabinets revealed the missing survivor, adult or child, and the
.narrow, floor-level flap held nothing but the smell of glytt, which never had
been one of her favorite aromas.
But the Cinrusskin's attempts to divert the Captain's anger from her aroused
such a sudden emotional warmth in her that she hoped the empath would feel her
gratitude. Without breaking into the conversation, and hoping that Prilicia
could not feel her growing disappointment, she began searching the third and
last dormitory.
"... In any case, friend Fletcher," the empath was saying, "the responsibility
for whatever happens on the distressed ship until the survivors are treated and
evacuated is not yours, but mine.â€
"I know, I know," the Captain agreed irritably. "On the site of a disaster the
medical team leader has the rank. In this situation you can tell a Monitor Corps
ship commander like myself what to do, and be obeyed. You can even give orders
to a Corps Maintenance Technician Grade Two called Cha Thrat, but I seriously
doubt if they would be obeyed.â€
There was another long silence, broken by the subject of the discussion. She
said, "I've finished searching thedormitories. All three contain identical
arrangements of fittings and storage compartments, none of which contains the
FGHJ we're looking for.
"But the first and second dormitories share a common wall," she went on, trying
to sound hopeful, "likewise the second and third. But the first and third are
divided by a short corridor leading inboard toward what must be another, fairly
large storage compartment whose sides are common to the inner walls of the three
dormitories. The missing FGHJ could be there.â€
"I don't think so," Fletcher said. "The sensors show it as an empty compartment,
about half the size of a dormitory, with a lot of low-power circuitry and
ducting, probably environmental control lines to the dormitories, mounted on or
behind the wall surfaces. By empty we mean that there are no large metal objects
in the room, although organic material could be present if it was stored in
nonmetal containers. But a piece of organic material of the body mass and
temperature of a living FGHJ, whether moving or at rest, would show very
clearly.
"All the indications are that it is just another storeroom," the Captain ended.
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"But no doubt you will search it, anyway.â€
With difficulty, Cha Thrat ignored Fletcher's tone as she said, "During my first
search of this area I looked into this corridor and saw the blank end-wall
containing what I mistakenly thought to be a section of badly fitted wail
plating. My excuse for making this mistake is that there is no external handle
or latch visible. On closer examination I see that it is not a badly fitted
plate but an inward-opening door that is very slightly ajar, and the scanner
shows that it fastens only from the inside.
"The vision pickup is on," she added. "I'm pushing the door open now.â€
The place was a mess, she thought, with weightlessness adding to the general
disorder so that floating debris made it difficult to see any distance into the
room. There was a very strong smell of glytt.
"We aren't receiving a clear picture," said Fletcher, "and something close to
the lens is blocking most of the view. Have you attached the pickup correctly or
are we seeing part of your shoulder?â€
"No, sir," she replied, trying to keep her tone properly subordinate. "The
compartment is gravity-free and a large number of flat, roughly circular objects
are floating about. They appear to be organic, fairly uniform in size, dark gray
on one surface and with a paler, mottled appearance on the other. I suppose they
could be cakes of preprepared food that escaped from a ruptured container, or
they might be solid body waste, similar to that found in the dormitories, which
has dried and become discolored. I'm trying to move some of it out of the way
now.â€
With a sudden feeling of distaste, she cleared the visual obstructions from the
front of the pickup, using her medial hands because they were the only ones
still covered by gloves. There was no response from Rhabwar.
"There are large, irregular clumps of spongelike or vegetable material attached
to the walls and ceiling," she went on, moving her body so that the pickup's
images would let the others see, however unclearly, what she was trying to
describe. "So far as I can see, each clump is colored differently, although the
colors are subdued, and under each one there is a short length of padded shelf.
"At floor level," she continued, "I can see three narrow, rectangular flaps.
Their size and positions correspond to those found in the dormitories. These
pancakes, or whatever, are all over the place, but I cansee something large
floating in a corner near the ceiling ...It's the FGHJ!â€
"I don't understand why it didn't register on the sensors," Fletcher said. It
was the kind of Captain who insisted on the highest standards of efficiency from
its crew and the equipment in its charge, and treated a malfunction in either as
a personal affront.
"Good work, friend Cha," Prilicla said, enthusiastically breaking in. "Quickly
now, move it to the entrance for loading into the litter. We'll be with you
directly. What is the general clinical picture?â€
Cha Thrat moved closer, swatting more obstructions from her path as she said, "I
can't see any physical injuries at all, not even minor bruising, or external
evidence of an illness. But this FGHJ isn't like the others. It seems to be a
lot thinner and less well muscled. The skin appears darker, more wrinkled, and
the hooves are discolored and cracked in several places. The body hair is gray.
I... I think this is a much older FGHJ. It might be the ship ruler. Maybe it hid
itself in here to avoid what happened to the rest of its crew...â€
She broke off, and Prilicla called urgently, "Friend Cha, why are you feeling
like that? What happened to you?â€
"Nothing happened to me," she replied, fighting to control her disappointment.
"I am holding the FGHJ now. There is no need to hurry. It is dead.â€
"That explains why my sensors didn't register," Fletcher said.
"Friend Cha," Prilicla said, ignoring the interruption, "are you quite sure"! I
can still feel the presence of a deeply unconscious mind.â€
Cha Thrat drew the FGHJ toward her so that she could use her upper hands, then
said, "The body temperature is very low. Its eyes are open and do not react
tolight. The usual vital signs are absent. I'm sorry, it i dead and..." She
broke off to look more closely at th creature's head, then went on excitedly.
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"And I think know what killed it! The back of the neck. Can you s< it?â€
"Not clearly," Prilicla replied quickly, obviously feeling her own growing
excitement, and fear. "One of those disklike objects is in the way.â€
"But that's it," she said. "I thought at first that one of them had drifted
against the cadaver and stuck to its head. But I was wrong. The thing attached
itself deliberately to the FGHJ with those thick white tendrils you can see
growing from the edge of the disk. Now that I'm looking for them, I can see that
they all have the tendrils and, judging by their length, the penetration into
the cadaver's spinal column and rear cranium is very deep. That thing is, or
was, alive, and could have been responsible for—â€
"Technician," Fletcher broke in harshly, "get out of there!â€
"At once," Prilicla said.
Very carefully Cha Thrat released her hold on the dead FGHJ, removed her vision
pickup, and attached its magnetic clips to a clear area of wall. She knew that
the medical team would want to study this strange and abhorrent life-form that
was infesting the ship before deciding how to deal with it. Then she turned
toward the entrance, which now seemed to be very far away.
The disks hung thickly like an alien minefield between the door and herself.
Some of them were still moving slowly in the air eddies caused by her entry or
by the blows with which she had so casually knocked them aside, or perhaps of
their own volition. They presented views from every angle—the smooth surface of
the mot-tied side, the gray and wrinkled reverse side, and the edges with their
fringe of limp white tendrils.
She had been so busy searching for an FGHJ survivor that she had scarcely looked
at the objects she had mistaken for cakes of food or dried wastes floating in
the room. She still did not know what they were, only of what they were capable,
which was the utter destruction of the highly trained and intelligent minds of
their victims to leave them with nothing but the basic and purely instinctive
responses of animals.
The thought of a predator who did not eat or physically harm its prey, but
gorged itself on the intelligence of its victim, made her want to seek refuge in
madness. She was desperately afraid of touching one of them again, but there
were too many of them for her to avoid doing so. But if any of them got in her
way, Cha Thrat decided grimly, she would touch it, hit it, very hard.
The gentle, reassuring voice of Prilicla sounded in her earpiece. It said, "You
are controlling your fear well, friend Cha. Move slowly and carefully and
don't—â€
She winced as a high-pitched, piercing sound erupted from the earpiece,
signifying that too many people were talking to her at once and had overloaded
her translator. But they realized immediately what was happening because the
oscillation wavered and died to become one voice, the Captain's.
"Technician, behind yourBy then it was too late.
All of her attention had been directed ahead and to the sides, where the
greatest danger lay. When she felt the surprisingly light touch, followed by a
sensation of numbness on the back of her neck, a cool, detached part of her mind
thought that it was considerate of the thing to anesthetize the area before
inserting its tendrils. She swung an eye to the rear to see what was happening,
andinstinctively raised her upper hands to push away the disk that had left the
dead FGHJ and was attaching itself to her. But the hands fumbled weakly, their
digits suddenly powerless, and the arms fell limply away.
Other parts of her body ceased working, or began twitching and bending in the
random, uncoordinated fashion of a person with serious brain damage. The calm,
detached portion of her mind thought that her condition was not a pleasant sight
for friends to see.
"Fight it, Cha Thrat!" Murchison's voice shouted from her earpiece. "Whatever
it's doing, fight it! We're on our way.â€
She heard and appreciated the concern in the Patholo-gist's voice, but her
tongue was one of the organs that was not working just then because her jaw was
clamped shut. Altogether, she was in a state of considerable physiological
confusion as muscles continued to twitch uncontrollably, her body writhed in
weightless contortions, and sensations of heat, cold, pain, and pleasure
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affected random areas of her skin. She knew that the creature was exploring her
central nervous system, trying to find out how her Sommaradvan body worked so
that it would be able to control her.
Gradually the twitchings and writhings and even her fear diminished and were
gone, and her body was able to resume its interrupted journey. The lens of the
vision pickup turned to follow her. When she reached the door, she slammed it
closed and locked it with fastenings that had suddenly become familiar.
"Technician," Fletcher said sharply, "what are you doingTIt was obvious that she
was locking the door from the inside, Cha Thrat thought irritably. Probably the
Captain meant why was she doing it. She tried to reply but her lips and tongue
would not work. But surely her actionswould tell all of them that she, it, both
of them, did not wish to be disturbed.
Chapter 19
They were all talking at once again. She had to bend the earpiece back to
reduce the sudden howl of translator oscillation that was making it difficult to
think. The vision pickup was still following her and they must have realized the
significance of her action because the babble died quickly and became one voice.
"Friend Cha," Prilicla said, "listen to me carefully. Some kind of parasitic
life-form has attached itself to you and the quality of your emotional radiation
is changing. Try, try hard to pull it off and get out of there before your
condition worsens.â€
"I'm all right," Cha Thrat protested. "Honestly, I feel fine. Just leave me
alone until I can—â€
"But your thoughts and feelings aren't your own anymore," Murchison broke in.
"Fight, dammit! Try to keep control of your mind. At least try to open that door
again so we won't waste time burning through it when we get to you.â€
"No," the Captain said firmly. "I'm very sorry, Technician, they aren't leaving
this ship...â€
The argument that ensued immediately overloaded Cha Thrat's translator again,
which made it impossible for her to talk to any of them. But there were parts of
it,particularly when Fletcher was speaking in its ruler's voice, that she heard
clearly.
The Captain was reminding them, and calling on Prili-cla to support it, that the
strictest possible rules of quarantine governed this situation. They had
encountered a life-form that absorbed the memory, personality, and intelligence
of its victims and left them like mindless animals. Moreover, judging by their
recent observations of Technician Cha Thrat, the things were capable of adapting
to and quickly controlling any life-form.
By then nobody was trying to interrupt Fletcher as it went on. "This could mean
that they are not native to the planet of the FGHJs, that they may have come
aboard anywhere, and are capable of doing this to the members of every
intelligent species in the Federation! I don't know what drives them, why
they're content to suck out the intelligence of their victims instead of feeding
on the bodies, and I don't even want to think about it. Or about how, or how
rapidly, they can reproduce themselves. There are dozens of them in the room
with Cha Thrat, and they're so small that more of them could be hidden in odd
corners all over the ship.
"Until we get a properly equipped and protected decontamination squad in there,"
Fletcher went on, "I have no choice but to seal and place a guard on the
boarding tube. This is something completely new to our experience, and it may
well be that the hospital will advise the complete destruction of the ship, and
its contents.
"If you will all think about it for a moment," the Captain ended, sounding very
unhappy with itself, "you will realize that we cannot take the slightest risk of
that life-form getting onto this ship, or running loose in Sector General.â€
There was silence for several moments while theythought about it, and Cha Thrat
thought about the strange thing that had happened, and was still happening, to
her.
While trying to help Rhone she had experienced a joining, and with it the shock
and disorientation and excitement of having her mind invaded, but not taken
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over, by a personality that was completely alien to her. The effect had been
rendered even stranger and more frightening by the fact that the Gogleskan's
mind had also contained material from a previous joining with a mind whose
memories were even more confusing, those of the Earth-human Conway. But this
sensation was entirely different. The approach and entry was gentle, reassuring,
and even pleasant, giving her the feeling that it was a process perfected after
a lifetime of experience. But like herself, this invader seemed to be badly
confused by the contents of her part-Sommaradvan, part-Gogleskan, and part
Earth-human mind and, because of that confusion, it was having trouble
controlling her body. She was still not sure of its intentions, but quite
certain that she was still herself and that she was learning more and more about
it with every passing second.
Murchison was the first to break the silence. It said, "We have protective suits
and cutting torches. Why don't we decontaminate that compartment ourselves and
burn them all, including the one on the technician's neck, and get Cha Thrat
back here for treatment while it still has some of its mind left? The hospital
people can finish the decontamination when we—â€
"No," the Captain said firmly. "If any of you medics go onto that ship, you
won't be allowed back here.â€
Cha Thrat did not want to join in because speaking would involve a minor mental
effort and consequent disruption in an area of her mind that she wished to
remain receptive. Instead, she moved her lower arms inthe Sign of Waiting, then
realizing that it meant nothing to non-Sommaradvans, held up one hand palm
forward in the Earth-human equivalent.
"I am confused," Prilicla said suddenly. "Friend Cha is not feeling pain or
mental distress. It is wanting something very badly, but the emotional radiation
is characteristic of a source trying very hard to maintain calm and to control
its other feelings...â€
"But it isn't in control," Murchison broke in. "Look at the way it was moving
its arms about. You're forgetting that its feelings and emotions aren't its
own.â€
"You, friend Murchison, are not the emotion-sensitive here," Prilicla said in
the gentlest possible of reproofs. "Friend Cha, try to speak. What do you want
us to do?â€
She wanted to tell them to stop talking and leave her alone, but she desperately
needed their help and that reply would have given rise to more questions,
interruptions, and mental dislocations. Her mind was a bubbling stew of
thoughts, impressions, experiences, and memories that concerned not only her own
past on Sommar-adva and Sector General, but those of Healer Khone and
Diagnostician Conway. The new occupant was blundering about like an intruder
lost in a large, richly furnished but imperfectly lit household, examining some
items and shying away from others. This, Cha Thrat knew, was not the time to
leave it alone.
But if she answered a few of their questions, said just enough to keep them
quiet and make them do what she wanted, that might be the best course.
"I am not in danger," Cha Thrat said carefully, "or in any physical or emotional
distress. I can regain full control of my mind and body any time I wish it, but
choose not to because I don't want to risk breaking mental contact by talking
for too long. As quickly as possible I wantSenior Physician Prilicla and
Pathologist Murchison to join me. The FGHJs are not important right now. Neither
is the anesthetic or the search for the other survivor because—â€
'Wo.'" Fletcher broke in, sounding as if it was about to be physically nauseous.
"Those things are intelligent. Do you see the insidious way they are trying to
get the technician to reassure us and then entice us over to them? No doubt when
you two are taken over there will be even better reasons for the rest of us to
join you, or you to return here and leave Rhabwar's crew in the same condition
as the FGHJs. No, there will be no more victims.â€
Cha Thrat tried not to listen to the interruption because it set off trains of
thought in her mind that were unsettling the new occupant and kept it from
communicating properly with her. Very carefully she lifted her rear medial arm
and bent it so that the large digit was pointing at the thing clinging to the
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back of her neck.
"This is the survivor," she said, "the only survivor.â€
Suddenly the stranger in her mind was feeling a measure of satisfaction and
reassurance, as if it had at last succeeded in making its need understood, and
she found that she could speak without the fear of it going away, fading, and
perhaps dying on her.
"It is very ill," she went on, "but it was able to regain mobility and
consciousness for a short time when I entered the compartment. That was when it
decided to make a last, desperate try to obtain help for its friends and the
host creatures in their charge. The first, fumbled attempts to make contact were
the reason for my uncoordinated limb movements. Only within the past few minutes
has it realized that it is the only survivor.â€
None of them, not even the Captain, was saying aword now. She continued. "That
is why I need Prilicla to monitor its emotional radiation at close range, and
Mur-chison to investigate its dead friends, in the hope of finding out what
killed them and finding a cure before its own condition becomes terminal—â€
"No," the Captain said again. "It sounds like a good story, and especially
intriguing to a bunch of e-t medics, but it could still be a ruse to get mental
control of more of our people. I'm sorry, Technician, we can't risk it.â€
Prilicla said gently, "Friend Fletcher makes a good point. And you yourself know
that the Captain's arguments are valid because you observed the mindless
condition of the FGHJs after these creatures left them. Friend Cha, I, too, am
sorry.â€
It was Cha Thrat's turn to be silent as she tried to find a solution that would
satisfy them. Somehow she had not expected the gentle little empath to be so
tough.
Finally she said, "Physically the creature is extremely debilitated and I could
quite easily remove it to demonstrate its lack of physical control over me, but
such a course might kill it. However, if I was to demonstrate my normal physical
coordination by leaving this compartment and descending four levels, where we
would be clear of the emotional interference from the FGHJs, and if I were to
urge the creature to remain conscious until then, would the Cinrusskin empathic
faculty be able to detect whether its emotional radiation was that of a highly
intelligent and civilized being, or the kind of mental predator that seems to be
scaring you out of your wits?â€
"Four levels down is just one deck above the boarding tube..." began the
Captain, but Prilicla cut it short.
"I could detect the difference, friend Cha," it said, "ifI was close enough to
the life-form concerned. I'll meet you there directly.â€
There was another howl of oscillation from her translator. When it faded
Prilicla was saying "Friend Fletcher, as the senior medical officer present it
is my responsibility to make sure whether the life-form attached to Cha Thrat is
the patient and not the disease. However, my species prides itself in being the
most timid and cowardly in the Federation, and all possible precautions will be
taken. Friend Cha, set the vision pickup to show if any of those life-forms try
to leave the compartment and follow you. If any of them do, I shall return at
once to Rhabwar and seal the boarding tube. Is that understood?â€
"Yes, Senior Physician," said Cha Thrat.
"If anything suspicious occurs while I am with you," it went on, "even if I am
able to avoid capture and still appear to be my own self, friend Fletcher will
seal the tube and put the quarantine procedure into immediate effect.
"We need as much information on this life-form as you can give us," it ended.
"Please continue, friend Cha, we are recording. I'm leaving now.â€
"And I'm going with you," Murchison said firmly. "If this is the ship's only
survivor, one of a newly discovered intelligent species and possible future
member of the Federation, Thorny will walk on me with all six of its feet if I
let it die. Danalta and Naydrad can stay here in case we have need of special
equipment and to watch the vision pickup. And in case the little beastie isn't
as friendly as Cha Thrat insists it is, I'll add a heavy-duty cutting torch to
my instruments so that I can protect your back." .
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"Thank you, friend Murchison," Prilicla said, "but no.â€
"But yes, Senior Physician," the Pathologist replied. "With respect, you have
the rank but not the muscles : stop me.â€
Impatiently Cha Thrat said, "if you want to be able to detect any conscious
emotional radiation, please hurry. The patient needs urgent attention...â€
There was an immediate objection from Fletcher regarding her unjustified use of
the word "patient." She ignored it and, trying her best to describe the thoughts
and images that had been placed with so much effort in her mind, went on to
outline the case history of the survivor and the history of its species.
They came from a world that even the Sommaradvan, Gogleskan, and Earth-human
components of her mind considered beautiful, a planet so bountiful that the
larger species of fauna did not have to struggle for survival and did not, for
that reason, develop intelligence. But from the earliest times, when all life
was in the oceans, a species evolved capable of attaching itself to a variety of
native life-forms. They formed a symbiotic partnership in which the host
creature was directed to the best sources of food while the weak and relatively
tiny parasite had the protection of its larger mount as well as the mobility
that enabled it to seek out its own, less readily available food supply. By the
time the host creatures left the oceans to become large and unintelligent land
animals, the mutually profitable arrangement continued and the parasite had
become very intelligent indeed.
The earliest recorded history told of vain attempts to nurture intelligence in
many different species of host creature. The native, six-limbed FGHJ life-form
with its ability to work in a wide variety of materials, when aparasite was
directing its hands, was favored above all the others.
But more and more they had wished for mind-partners they could not control,
beings who would argue and debate and contribute new ideas and viewpoints,
rather than creatures who were little more than general-purpose,
self-replenishing organic tools with the ability to see, hear, and manipulate to
order.
With these tools they built great cities and manufacturing complexes and vessels
that circumnavigated their world, flew in the atmosphere above it, and,
ultimately crossed the terrible and wonderful emptiness between the stars. But
the cities, like their starships, were functional and unbeautiful because they
had been built by and for the comfort and use of beings without any appreciation
of beauty, and whose animal needs were satisfied by food, warmth, and regular
satisfaction of the urge to procreate. Like valuable tools they had to be
properly maintained, and many of them were well loved with the affection that a
civilized being feels for a faithful but nonintelligent pet.
But the parasites had their own special needs that in no respect resembled those
of their hosts, whose animal habits and undirected behavior were highly
repugnant to them. It was vital to their continued mental well-being that the
masters escaped periodically from their hosts to lead their own lives—usually
during the hours of darkness when the tools were no longer in use and could be
quartered where they could not harm themselves. This they did in the small,
quiet, private places, tiny areas of civilization and culture and beauty amid
the ugliness of the cities, where their families nested and they were separated
from the host creatures by everything but distance.
It had long been an accepted fact among them that nc creature or culture could
avoid stagnation if it did not; outside its family or its tribe or, ultimately,
its world. Ir their continuing search for other intelligent beings like or
totally unlike themselves, many extrasolar planets had been discovered and small
colonies established on them, but none of the indigenous life-forms possessed
intelligence and had become just so many sets of other-species tools.
Because of an intense aversion to allowing themselves to be touched by the proxy
hands of a nonintelligent creature, their medical science catered chiefly to the
needs of their hosts and did not include surgery. The result was that when one
of their own-planet tools contracted a disease that, to it, was mildly
debilitating, the effect on the parasite was often lethal.
Cha Thrat paused for a moment and raised one of her upper hands to support the
weight of the parasite. Sensation had returned to her neck and she felt that the
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creature's tendrils were loosening and pulling free. She could hear Prilicla and
Murchison on the deck below.
"That is what happened to their ship," she went on. "The host FGHJs caught
something that caused a mild, undulant fever, and recovered. The parasites, with
this one exception, perished. But before they returned to their own quarters to
die, they placed their now-undirected host creatures in places where food was
available and they would not injure themselves, in the hope that help would
reach the host creatures in time. The survivor, who seemed to have a partial
resistance to the disease, rendered the vessel safe and accessible to rescuers,
released the distress beacon, and returned to the ship's Nest to comfort its
dying friends.
"But the effort to do this work," Cha Thrat went on, talking directly to
Prilicla and Murchison who were nowcoming up the ramp toward her, "was too much
for its host, an aging FGHJ of whom it was particularly fond, and the creature
had a sudden cardiac malfunction and died inside the Nest,"The distress signal
was answered not by one of their own ships, but by Rhabwar" she concluded, "and
the rest we know.â€
Prilicla did not reply and Murchison moved to one side, keeping the thin tube of
its cutting torch aimed at the back of Cha Thrat's neck. Nervously the
Pathologist said, "I'd need to check it with my scanner, of course, but I'd say
physiological classification DTRC. It's very similar to the DTSB symbiotes some
FGLIs wear for fine surgical work. In those cases it's the parasite who supplies
the digits and the Tralthan the brains, although there are some OR nurses who
would argue about that...â€
It broke off as Cha Thrat said, "I have been trying to relinquish control of my
speech centers so that it would be able to talk to you directly through me, but
it is much too weak and is only barely conscious, so I must be its voice. It
already knows from my mind who you are, and it is Crelyarrel, of the third
division of Trennchi, of the one hundred and seventh division of Yau, and of the
four hundred and eighth subdivision of the great Villa of the Rhiim. I cannot
properly describe its feelings in words, but there is joy at the knowledge that
the Rhiim are not the only intelligent species in the Galaxy, sorrow that this
wonderful knowledge will die with it, and apologies for anxiety it caused us
by—â€
"I know what it is feeling," Prilicla said gently, and suddenly they were washed
by a great, impalpable wave of sympathy, friendship, and reassurance. "We are
happy to meet you and learn of your people, friend Crel-yarrel, and we will not
allow you to die. Let go now, little friend, and rest, you are in good hands.â€
Still radiating its emotional support, it went on briskly. "Put away that
cutting torch, friend Murchison, and go with the patient and friend Cha to the
Rhiim quarters. It will feel more comfortable there, and you have much work to
do on its dead friends. Friend Fletcher, preparations will have to be made at
the hospital to receive this new life-form. Be ready to send a long hypersignal
to Thornnastor as soon as we have a clearer idea of the clinical picture. Friend
Naydrad, stand by with the litter in case we need special equipment here, or for
the transport of DTRC cadavers to Rhabwar for investigation—â€
"No!" the Captain said.
Murchison spoke a few words of a kind not normally used by an Earth-human
female, then went on. "Captain, we have a patient here, in very serious
condition, who is the sole survivor of a disease-stricken ship. You know as well
as I that in this situation, you do exactly as Prilicla tells you.â€
"No," Fletcher repeated. In a quieter but no less firm voice it went on. "I
understand your feelings, Pathologist. But are they really yours? You still
haven't convinced me that that thing is harmless. I'm remembering those crew
members and, well, it might be pretending to be sick. It could be controlling,
or at least influencing, the minds of all of you. The quarantine regulations
remain in force. Until the Diagnostician-in-Charge of Pathology, or more likely
the decontamination squad clears it, nothing or nobody leaves that ship.â€
Cha Thrat was supporting Crelyarrel in three of her small, upper hands. The
DTRC's body, now that she knew it for what it was, no longer looked or felt
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repug-nant to her. The control tendrils hung limply between her LF002digits and
the color of its skin was lightening and beginning to resemble that of its dead
friends in the Rhiim nest. Had it to die, too, she wondered sadly, because two
different people held opposing viewpoints that they both knew to be
right?Proving one of them wrong, especially when the being concerned was a
ruler, would have serious personal repercussions, and she was beginning to
wonder if she had always been as right as she thought she had been. Perhaps her
life would have been happier if, on Sommar-adva and at Sector General, she had
been more doubtful about some of her certainties.
"Friend Fletcher," Prilicla said quietly. "As an empath I am influenced by
feelings of everyone around me. Now I accept that there are beings who, by word
or deed or omission, can give outward expression to emotions that they do not
feel. But it is impossible for an intelligent entity to produce false emotional
radiation, to lie with its mind. Another empath would know this to be so, but as
a nonempath you must take my word for it. The survivor cannot and will not harm
anyone.â€
The Captain was silent for a moment, then it said, "I'm sorry, Senior Physician.
I'm still not fully convinced that it is not speaking through you and
controlling your minds, and I cannot risk letting it aboard this ship.â€
In this situation there was no doubt about who was right or about what she must
do, Cha Thrat thought, because a gentle little being like Prilicla might not be
capable of doing it.
"Doctor Danalta," she said, "will you please go quickly to the boarding tube and
take up a position andshape that will discourage any Monitor Corps officer from
sealing, dismantling, or otherwise closing it to two-way traffic. Naturally, you
should try not to hurt any such officer, and I doubt that lethal weapons will be
deployed against you, for no other reason than that anything powerful enough to
hurt you would seriously damage the hull, but if—â€
"Technician!â€
Even though the Captain was on Rhatiwar's control deck and at extreme range for
Prilicla's empathic faculty, the feeling of outrage accompanying the word was
making the little Cinrusskin quiver in every limb. Then gradually the trembling
subsided as Fletcher brought his anger under control.
"Very well, Senior Physician," it said coldly. "Against my expressed wishes and
on your own responsibility, the boarding tube will remain open. You may move
freely between there and the casualty deck, but the rest of this ship will be
closed to your people and that;.. that thing you insist is a survivor. The
matter of Cha Thrat's gross insubordination, with the strong possibility of a
charge of incitement to mutiny, will be pursued later.â€
"Thank you, friend Fletcher," Prilicla said. Then, switching off its mike, it
went on. "And you, friend Cha. You have displayed great resourcefulness as well
as insubordination. But I am afraid that, even when it is proved that you acted
correctly, the Captain's present feelings toward you are of the kind that I have
found to be not only unfriendly but extremely long-lasting.â€
Murchison did not speak until they were in the Rhiim compartment, when it paused
in its scanner examination of Crelyarrel to look at her. The expression and tone
of voice, Cha Thrat knew from the Earth-human component of her mind, expressed
puzzlement and sympathyas it said, "How can one being get into so much trouble
in such a short time? What got into you, ChaThrat?â€
Prilicla trembled slightly but did not speak.
Chapter 20
Cha Thrat's arrival for her appointment with the Chief Psychologist was punctual
to the second, because she had been told that O'Mara considered being too early
to be as wasteful of time as being too late. But on this occasion the
impunctuality, although indirectly her fault, was on O'Mara's side. The
Earth-human Braithwaite, who was the sole occupant of the large outer office,
explained.
"I'm sorry for the delay, Cha Thrat," it said, inclining its head toward
O'Mara's door, "but that meeting is running late. Senior Physician Cresk-Sar
and, in order of seniority, Colonel Skempton, Major Fletcher, and Lieutenant
Tim-mins are with him. The door is supposed to be soundproof, but sometimes I
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can hear them talking about you.â€
It smiled sympathetically, pointed to the nearest of the three unoccupied
console desks beside it, and said, "Sit there, you should find that one fairly
comfortable while we're waiting for the verdict. Try not to worry, Cha Thrat,
but if you don't mind, I'd like to get on with my work.â€
Cha Thrat said that she did not mind, and was sur-prised when the screen on the
desk she was occupying lit up with Braithwaite's work. She did not know what the
Earth-human was doing, but while she was trying to understand it the realization
came that it was deliberately giving her something to occupy her mind other than
the things they were probably saying about her in the next room.
As one of the wizard's principal assistants, Braith-waite was capable of working
a few helpful spells of its own.
Since her return to the hospital, Cha Thrat had been relegated to a kind of
administrative hyperspace. Maintenance Department wanted nothing to do with her,
the Monitor Corps ruler she had so grievously offended on Rhabwar seemed to have
forgotten her very existence, and the medical training people treated her with
sympathy and great care, much as they would a patient who was not expected to be
long among them.
Officially there was nothing for her to do, but unofficially she had never been
busier in her whole life.
Diagnostician Conway had been very pleased with her work on Goglesk, and had
asked her to visit Khone as often as possible because Cha Thrat and itself were
the only people that the FOKT would allow within touching distance, although
that situation was beginning to change for the better. With behind-the-scenes
assistance from the Chief Psychologist and Prilicla, progress was being made
toward breaking down the Gogleskan racial conditioning, and Ees-Tawn was working
on a miniature distorter, permanently attached to the subject and triggered
automatically during the first microseconds of a distress call, which would make
it impossible for the wearer to initiate one of the suicidal joinings.
O'Mara had warned them that the final solution to the Gogleskan problem might
take many generations, that Khone would never be completely comfortable at the
close approach or touch of another person, regardless of species, but that its
offspring was already giving indications of being quite happy among strangers.
Thornnastor and Murchison had been successful in isolating and finding a
specific against the pathogen affecting Crelyarrel, although they had admitted
to Cha Thrat that the principal reason for its survival on the Rhiim ship was
its possession of a fair degree of natural resistance. Now the little symbote
was going from strength to strength, and was beginning to concern itself about
the health and comfort of the FGHJ host creatures. It wanted to know how soon
new Rhiim parasites could be brought to Sector General to take charge of them.
Similar questions were being asked by the group of visiting Monitor Corps
officers who seemed to be ignorant of, or perhaps disinterested in, her recent
insubordination on Rhabwar. They were Cultural Contact specialists investigating
the ship with a view to gaining as much information as possible about the
species who had caused it to be built, including the location of their planet of
origin, before making a formal approach to the Rhiim on behalf of the
Federation. They badly wanted to talk to the survivor.
Crelyarrel was anxious to cooperate, but the problem was that its people
communicated by a combination of touch and telepathy limited to their own
species. It was not yet well enough to take full control of a host crew member
and, until it was able to do so, the translation computer could not be
programmed with the language used by their FGHJ hosts.
Even though it was now generally accepted that the parasitic Rhiim were a highly
intelligent and cultured species, none of the hospital staff were particularly
eager to surrender their bodies, however temporarily, to DTRCcontrol—and the
feeling was mutual. The only person that Crelyarrel would agree to take over and
speak through, with her permission,, of course, was Cha Thrat.
As a result of these unofficial demands on her time, there had been little of it
left for Cha Thrat to worry about her own problems.
Until now.
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The muffled sounds of conversation from the inner office had died away into
inaudibility, which meant, she thought, that they were either speaking quietly
to each other or not speaking at all. But she was wrong, the meeting was over.
Senior Physician Cresk-S;ar silently led the way out, its hairy features
unreadable. It was followed by Colonel Skempton, who made an untranslatable
sound, then Rhabwar's ruler, who neither looked nor spoke, and Lieutenant
Timmins, who stared at her for a moment with one eye closed before leaving. She
was rising from her seat to enter the inner office when O'Mara came out.
"Sit where you are, this; won't take long," it said. "You, too, Braithwaite.
Soramaradvans don't mind having their problems discussed before concerned
witnesses, and this one certaimly has a problem. Is that deformed bird-cage
you're sitting on comfortable?"The problem," it went on before she could reply,
"is that you are an oddly shaped peg who doesn't quite fit into any of our neat
little holies. You are intelligent, able, strong-minded yet adaptablle, and have
experienced, seemingly without any permanent ill effects, the levels of mental
trauma and disorientation that would cause many beings severe psychological!
damage. You are well regarded, even respected, by some very important people
here, by many with no influence at all, and disliked by a few. The latter group,
chiefly Monitor Corps personneland a few of the medical staff, feel very unsure
of who or what you are, and who has the seniority, while working with you.
"Sometimes," Cha Thrat said defensively, "I'm not sure who or what I am myself.
When I am thinking like a senior person I can't help behaving like a..." She
stopped herself before she said too much.
"Like a Diagnostician," O'Mara said drily. "Oh, don't worry, this department
never reveals anyone's deep, dark, and, in your case, peculiar secrets.
Prilicla, when it wasn't enthusing over your behavior immediately preceding and
during Rhone's delivery and on the Rhiim ship, told me about the joining it
feels you underwent on Goglesk. Being Prilicla, it is anxious to avoid any
painful and embarrassing incidents between its friends Conway, Murchison, and
yourself, and so are we.
"But the fact remains," the Chief Psychologist went on, "that you shared minds
with Khone who, because of an earlier sharing with Conway, gave you much of the
knowledge and experience of a Sector General Diagnostician as well as a
Gogleskan healer. You also became deeply involved on the mental level with one
of the Rhiim parasites, not to mention some earlier prying into the mind of your
Chalder friend, AUGL-One Sixteen. I'm not surprised that there are times when
you aren't quite sure who or what you are. Is there any doubt about that at
present?â€
"No," she replied, "you are talking only to Cha Thrat.â€
"Good," O'Mara said, "because it is Cha Thrat's problematical future that we
must now consider. Since the business on Rhabwar, when you were not only
insubordinate but completely right, the option of a career in Maintenance, even
though Timmins speaks highly ofyou, is closed, as is any hope you may have had
of service as a ship's medic with the Monitor Corps. Shipboard discipline is
often invisible, but it is there and it is strict, and no ship commander would
risk taking on a doctor with a proven record of insubordination.
"The Cultural Contact people you've been helping with the Rhiim parasite," it
continued, "are less discipline-oriented than the others, and they are impressed
with you and are grateful enough to offer you a spot on your home planet, after
the disciplinary dust has had a chance to settle, of course. What would you say
to returning to Sommaradva?â€
Cha Thrat made an untranslatable sound and O'Mara said drily, "I see. But the
medical and surgical options are also closed to you. In spite of the respect in
which are held by many of the senior staff, nobody wants a know-it-all trainee
nurse on their wards who is likely to say or do something that will suggest that
its Charge Nurse or doctor on duty are, well, clinically incorrect. And while
you have influence in high places, that also could disappear if the truth about
your Gogleskan mind-swap became common knowledge.â€
Cha Thrat was wondering if there was anything she could do or say that would
halt the relentless closing down of her options, when Braithwaite looked up from
its display.
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"Excuse me, sir," it said. "But from my knowledge of the personalities involved,
Conway, Rhone, and Prilicla are unlikely to discuss it among anyone but
themselves, and Murchison, who is a very intelligent entity indeed, will do
likewise when she realizes the truth or learns it from her life-mate. Her psych
profile indicates the presence of a well-developed sense of humor, and it might
well be that the thought of an other-species entity, andanother female at that,
looking upon her with the same libidinous feelings as those of her life-mate,
Conway, would be funnier than it was embarrassing. Naturally, I would not
suggest that any of these misdirected feelings would be translated into action,
but certain entertaining sexual fantasies could arise that would illuminate the
whole area of interspecies—â€
"Braithwaite," O'Mara said quietly, "it is talk like that which gives people the
wrong impression about e-t psychologists.
"As for you, Cha Thrat," it went on, "I decided a long time ago that there was
only one position here that suited your particular talents. Once again you will
start as a trainee, at the bottom, and advancement will be slow because your
chief is very hard to please. It is a difficult and often thankless job that
will cause irritation to most people, but then you've become used to that. You
will have a few compensations, like being able to poke your olfactory orifices
into everyone else's business whenever you think it necessary. Do you accept?â€
Suddenly Cha Thrat's pulse was clearly audible to her and she was finding it
difficult to breathe. "I—I don't understand," she said.
O'Mara took a deep breath, then exhaled through its nose and said, "You do
understand, Cha Thrat. Don't pretend to be stupid when you aren't.â€
"I do understand," she agreed, "and I am most grateful. The delay was due to a
combination of initial disbelief and consideration of the implications. You are
saying that I am to learn the skills of nonmaterial healing, the casting of
spells, and that 1 am to become a trainee wizard.â€
"Something like that," the Chief Psychologist said. It glanced at the display on
her desk and added, "I see thatIyou've already been exposed to the senior staff
psych chart amendment procedure. It is routine, unexciting but very necessary
work. Braithwaite has been trying to unload the job on someone for months.â€
About the Authorjames white was bom in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and resides
there, though he spent his early years in Canada. His first story was printed in
1953. He has since published well-received short stories, novellas, and novels,
but he is best known for the Sector General series, which deals with the
difficulties involved in running a hospital that caters to many radically
different life-forms.
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