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Authors: T C Southwell
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poked
him. "Will you quit arguing with him? I don't give a fig how they
wash. I want a shower."
"He sounds
like one of those damned fairy airline stewards. They always bugged
me."
"Well, I'm
going to have a shower."
He grabbed her
arm as she started towards the cubicles. "You seem to be very
damned trusting all of a sudden. What if this is just a way to
separate us?"
"We can shower
together, if you prefer, but I think they can do pretty much what
they like with us, and there's really nothing we could do to stop
them. They could have knocked us unconscious with their gas if they
chose, taken away your gun, stripped and tied us up, but they
haven't. If they're going to treat us well, then I, for one, am
going to co-operate. They're not autocrats, so let's see what they
want before judging them."
His eyes
narrowed. "You're being too calm about this."
"It must be
the tranquilliser they gave us. There's really no point in being
upset, is there?"
"Guess not,"
he muttered. "You shower first then. I'll stand guard."
"Okay." She
headed for the shower cubicles, shedding her clothes.
Tallyn
switched off the monitor and sat back, frowning. The girl was
perhaps a little more intelligent than her companion. By opting to
stand guard, the man had foiled his intention of removing the
weapon, but it was not a serious setback. It meant their first
encounter would require a stress screen between them to thwart any
attempt by the man to take a hostage, until he could be persuaded
to give up his weapon. He seemed hostile and potentially dangerous,
a trait common amongst human males. It meant Tallyn might have to
separate them, and possibly keep the man confined until he
co-operated. The first contact mediator was doing a good job. The
girl, at least, was responding well to his overtures. He switched
on the monitor again.
The girl was
in the shower still, and clouds of steam rolled from under the
frosted glass door. The man, Rawn, stood outside, his expression
bitterly truculent. After a few minutes, the girl emerged wrapped
in a towel, and donned the smaller of the two grey outfits, which
fitted her well. She rubbed her hair dry, then took the projectile
weapon from the man while he went to shower.
When she moved
into the main part of the cell, Tallyn decided it was time to act.
He jumped up and left the bridge to hurry along the corridor to the
hospital. He wanted to speak to the girl before the man re-emerged.
When he arrived in the spacious, clean room with its faint odour of
antiseptic, the mediator, Egan, rose and saluted. Two doctors, who
watched the humans over his shoulder, straightened.
"Relax, Ensign
Egan," Tallyn said. "I want to speak to the girl." He turned to the
two guards who stood at the hospital's entrance. "You two, set up a
stress screen."
The guards
brought over a portable screen and placed it in front of the cell's
door. It looked like a metal door frame, and was to protect him
should the girl try to shoot him. The stress screen's alternating
layers of charged air molecules formed a shimmer that would deflect
a projectile.
Tallyn waved
the guards back when they completed their task, indicating that
they should stand to one side, out of sight. Once they were in
place, he ordered the nervous ensign to open the door. Egan touched
crystals on his console and the cell door slid open with a
hiss.
Rayne whipped
around, raised the gun and opened her mouth to yell for Rawn. Her
shout turned to a gasp as she gaped at the man who filled the
doorway. He was almost as tall as Rawn, and well built, but quite
alien. His fine brows arched above dark eyes, and his cropped black
hair gleamed with blue tints. An aquiline nose jutted over his
thin-lipped mouth, but the resemblance to humans ended there. His
skin gleamed with a metallic golden shimmer, and his black hair
ended in a line just above his ears, where it turned pure
white.
His earlobes
joined the edge of his jaw. His form-hugging suit of dark blue
material had a
him. "Will you quit arguing with him? I don't give a fig how they
wash. I want a shower."
"He sounds
like one of those damned fairy airline stewards. They always bugged
me."
"Well, I'm
going to have a shower."
He grabbed her
arm as she started towards the cubicles. "You seem to be very
damned trusting all of a sudden. What if this is just a way to
separate us?"
"We can shower
together, if you prefer, but I think they can do pretty much what
they like with us, and there's really nothing we could do to stop
them. They could have knocked us unconscious with their gas if they
chose, taken away your gun, stripped and tied us up, but they
haven't. If they're going to treat us well, then I, for one, am
going to co-operate. They're not autocrats, so let's see what they
want before judging them."
His eyes
narrowed. "You're being too calm about this."
"It must be
the tranquilliser they gave us. There's really no point in being
upset, is there?"
"Guess not,"
he muttered. "You shower first then. I'll stand guard."
"Okay." She
headed for the shower cubicles, shedding her clothes.
Tallyn
switched off the monitor and sat back, frowning. The girl was
perhaps a little more intelligent than her companion. By opting to
stand guard, the man had foiled his intention of removing the
weapon, but it was not a serious setback. It meant their first
encounter would require a stress screen between them to thwart any
attempt by the man to take a hostage, until he could be persuaded
to give up his weapon. He seemed hostile and potentially dangerous,
a trait common amongst human males. It meant Tallyn might have to
separate them, and possibly keep the man confined until he
co-operated. The first contact mediator was doing a good job. The
girl, at least, was responding well to his overtures. He switched
on the monitor again.
The girl was
in the shower still, and clouds of steam rolled from under the
frosted glass door. The man, Rawn, stood outside, his expression
bitterly truculent. After a few minutes, the girl emerged wrapped
in a towel, and donned the smaller of the two grey outfits, which
fitted her well. She rubbed her hair dry, then took the projectile
weapon from the man while he went to shower.
When she moved
into the main part of the cell, Tallyn decided it was time to act.
He jumped up and left the bridge to hurry along the corridor to the
hospital. He wanted to speak to the girl before the man re-emerged.
When he arrived in the spacious, clean room with its faint odour of
antiseptic, the mediator, Egan, rose and saluted. Two doctors, who
watched the humans over his shoulder, straightened.
"Relax, Ensign
Egan," Tallyn said. "I want to speak to the girl." He turned to the
two guards who stood at the hospital's entrance. "You two, set up a
stress screen."
The guards
brought over a portable screen and placed it in front of the cell's
door. It looked like a metal door frame, and was to protect him
should the girl try to shoot him. The stress screen's alternating
layers of charged air molecules formed a shimmer that would deflect
a projectile.
Tallyn waved
the guards back when they completed their task, indicating that
they should stand to one side, out of sight. Once they were in
place, he ordered the nervous ensign to open the door. Egan touched
crystals on his console and the cell door slid open with a
hiss.
Rayne whipped
around, raised the gun and opened her mouth to yell for Rawn. Her
shout turned to a gasp as she gaped at the man who filled the
doorway. He was almost as tall as Rawn, and well built, but quite
alien. His fine brows arched above dark eyes, and his cropped black
hair gleamed with blue tints. An aquiline nose jutted over his
thin-lipped mouth, but the resemblance to humans ended there. His
skin gleamed with a metallic golden shimmer, and his black hair
ended in a line just above his ears, where it turned pure
white.
His earlobes
joined the edge of his jaw. His form-hugging suit of dark blue
material had a
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