the cloth—“your face hidden, keep.”
“Why?” I glanced around, and saw we were surrounded by at least three hundred League crew members. Some were standing, a few sitting against the bare walls, but most lay huddled and sleeping on the deck. No one looked very happy. “Oh. Never mind.” I gazed back at Alunthri. “You’d better get off me now.”
The Chakacat made another of those
hnk
ing sounds and moved away from me. At once, the nurses I’d rescued formed a tight circle around us. Zel finished arranging the cloth and opened a narrow fold over my face.
“Talk, don’t,” she said. “Who are you, the minute they find out, dead you will be.”
“I thought that was the general idea.”
She pulled her headgear back on. “Up, shut.”
Something large started moving toward us. The deck shook with every step.
One of the nurses made an urgent sound. “Devrak is coming.”
Dchêm-os shoved me down on my back, and I automatically closed my eyes and played dead. The titanic footsteps halted. A sonorous, harsh voice demanded to know what the nurses were doing.
“From Interrogation, we escaped,” Zella said.
“What about her?” Something nudged me. “If she’s dead, dump her in the corner over there with the rest of the waste.”
“She’s not dead, Major Devrak.” One of the nurses coughed. “Only unconscious.”
“Who is she?” Devrak sounded a little
too
interested. “Why have you wrapped her brain case like that?”
Zella took that one. “A Reedol intern, she is. Their features to anyone but their mates, they don’t reveal.”
I wondered if the Reedols had humanoid hands, if the Major had noticed mine were distinctly Terran-shaped, and exactly when Zel’s generosity was going to run out.
“Wake her up. The four of you have work to do. I’ll start sending the injured over to be treated.”
One of the other nurses protested. “But we haven’t any supplies!”
“The beasts have furnished a few first-aid kits; do whatever you can with those.” With that, the deep-voiced Major stomped off.
My eyes popped open. “Care to tell me how I’m going to pass as a Reedol, nurse? Whatever a Reedol is?”
“Than you, they’re more nonverbal. Your Terran mouth closed, you keep.” Dchêm-os pulled me to my feet. One of the other three nurses was still in bad shape. I prodded my unwilling assistant, then motioned to the injured female. “And rest, Bree, stay where you are. Us, Pmohhi help.”
Nurse Bree gratefully sank back down on the deck. I saw a huge, League-uniformed being herding a sad-looking cluster of wounded crew members toward us.
“I take it Major Devrak is the Trytinorn?” I whispered to Zella.
She didn’t have to say yes; he was looming over us in another moment. Trytinorns make Terran elephants appear dainty and petite. Vivid yellow and black markings streaked over his dusky, wrinkled hide. Small, shrewd eyes peered at the slit in my head covering.
He was Shropana’s Chief Operational Officer, I recalled. If the Major found out I was masquerading as a League captive, I’d be stomped into the deck in short order.
“Reedol, you are fit for duty?” he asked, and I nodded, keeping my hands tucked in my pockets. “Good.” With one thick forelimb he urged forward the first of the injured, a small, gelatinous being with severe pulse burns on its undulating torso.
So far, so good.
A couple of small medical kits were brought over to us, along with a cargo transfer unit we were apparently to use as an exam table. I motioned for the patient to recline, and tried to ignore the Major’s odorous breath as he stood over me, observing every action.
I couldn’t say a word or the game would be up. I used a scanner, handed it to the nurse, and with some surreptitious hand signals was able to treat the patient with a universal topical antibiotic available from the limited supply.
“Why does the Reedol not speak?” the Major said, sending a blast of breath that ruffled my
“Why?” I glanced around, and saw we were surrounded by at least three hundred League crew members. Some were standing, a few sitting against the bare walls, but most lay huddled and sleeping on the deck. No one looked very happy. “Oh. Never mind.” I gazed back at Alunthri. “You’d better get off me now.”
The Chakacat made another of those
hnk
ing sounds and moved away from me. At once, the nurses I’d rescued formed a tight circle around us. Zel finished arranging the cloth and opened a narrow fold over my face.
“Talk, don’t,” she said. “Who are you, the minute they find out, dead you will be.”
“I thought that was the general idea.”
She pulled her headgear back on. “Up, shut.”
Something large started moving toward us. The deck shook with every step.
One of the nurses made an urgent sound. “Devrak is coming.”
Dchêm-os shoved me down on my back, and I automatically closed my eyes and played dead. The titanic footsteps halted. A sonorous, harsh voice demanded to know what the nurses were doing.
“From Interrogation, we escaped,” Zella said.
“What about her?” Something nudged me. “If she’s dead, dump her in the corner over there with the rest of the waste.”
“She’s not dead, Major Devrak.” One of the nurses coughed. “Only unconscious.”
“Who is she?” Devrak sounded a little
too
interested. “Why have you wrapped her brain case like that?”
Zella took that one. “A Reedol intern, she is. Their features to anyone but their mates, they don’t reveal.”
I wondered if the Reedols had humanoid hands, if the Major had noticed mine were distinctly Terran-shaped, and exactly when Zel’s generosity was going to run out.
“Wake her up. The four of you have work to do. I’ll start sending the injured over to be treated.”
One of the other nurses protested. “But we haven’t any supplies!”
“The beasts have furnished a few first-aid kits; do whatever you can with those.” With that, the deep-voiced Major stomped off.
My eyes popped open. “Care to tell me how I’m going to pass as a Reedol, nurse? Whatever a Reedol is?”
“Than you, they’re more nonverbal. Your Terran mouth closed, you keep.” Dchêm-os pulled me to my feet. One of the other three nurses was still in bad shape. I prodded my unwilling assistant, then motioned to the injured female. “And rest, Bree, stay where you are. Us, Pmohhi help.”
Nurse Bree gratefully sank back down on the deck. I saw a huge, League-uniformed being herding a sad-looking cluster of wounded crew members toward us.
“I take it Major Devrak is the Trytinorn?” I whispered to Zella.
She didn’t have to say yes; he was looming over us in another moment. Trytinorns make Terran elephants appear dainty and petite. Vivid yellow and black markings streaked over his dusky, wrinkled hide. Small, shrewd eyes peered at the slit in my head covering.
He was Shropana’s Chief Operational Officer, I recalled. If the Major found out I was masquerading as a League captive, I’d be stomped into the deck in short order.
“Reedol, you are fit for duty?” he asked, and I nodded, keeping my hands tucked in my pockets. “Good.” With one thick forelimb he urged forward the first of the injured, a small, gelatinous being with severe pulse burns on its undulating torso.
So far, so good.
A couple of small medical kits were brought over to us, along with a cargo transfer unit we were apparently to use as an exam table. I motioned for the patient to recline, and tried to ignore the Major’s odorous breath as he stood over me, observing every action.
I couldn’t say a word or the game would be up. I used a scanner, handed it to the nurse, and with some surreptitious hand signals was able to treat the patient with a universal topical antibiotic available from the limited supply.
“Why does the Reedol not speak?” the Major said, sending a blast of breath that ruffled my
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