Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Wraiths through my bones
Shohari
I COULD have wrung that stuffed-up gharian’s neck—if attacking him wouldn’t have been a death wish.
Skykking overgrown lizard. What had Archon Ithsskar been thinking, sending soft, defenceless creatures out into the galaxy without basic medical protection?
The idea of the Galactic Reserve doing anything more than the bare minimum was laughable, so this was definitely on him.
Did I want to use my precious credits to help this group of creatures? Of course not. But the thought of them accidentally meeting one of the giant mountain people, becoming helpless to resist the demands put on them… Nobody deserved to be controlled by another in any way.
I could find more credits. It might only add a week to my plans, and what was another week when it had already been years?
The Dorimisa was cool beneath my feet. Her comforting corridors reminded me of the power I did have.
Here, I was in control. Here, people bent to my will, not the other way round.
And while Garrison insisted on being around, not staying obediently with his kinsfolk, it was less irritating than I expected.
And I suppose he made a good enough cup of chrya.
I swallowed back a growl. Mother needed to get out of my head. Going to AnimaCorp at least made a change from moving cargo and arranging trades. And it was an appropriate distraction.
Garrison strode behind me, some of the corridors not quite wide enough for two abreast. I should ignore the fact he was kind and caring.
And attractive in his alien way. I should.
But his short-cropped mane looked like thousands of tiny spines, and my fingers itched to discover if it was as soft as it seemed.
He was gentle, despite his size. Did he think the same of me?
I hoped so.
His desire had been there too. It had shone in his dark eyes, his parted lips, the way he didn’t move away when I stood a spinesbreadth too close.
Skyk. I could easily have taken my pleasure with him.
But Mother had called. If I couldn’t be selfish or frivolous, I could help these humans at least.
I peered at the bundles of bolsters and cargo covers. The humans had made little nests for themselves in my cargo bay. Kheh. It was kind of… sweet.
Their chatter stilled as I arrived.
“Water. And food,” I said, seemingly unable to be less curt or awkward.
Why was Garrison so easy to talk to? “Come with me. I will let Garrison explain more, but you should all disembark when we reach AnimaCorp. Temporarily,” I hastened to add, as worried grumbling met my ears.
At least they were all paying attention.
“You need galactic vaccines, and they have a medical facility.”
Smooth, Shohari. Good thing I was this eloquent with vendors or I’d have been married to some stale, fustian male already.
Wraiths rippled through my bones.
Rokharu. The male had a name now—and as old as my uncle, no less. I’d expected someone closer to my own age, at least.
This can’t be my future.
I tuned out the humans’ prattle as we walked to the galley.
I needed to review the maughni deal, but it was prudent to scan the humans before we got to AnimaCorp.
Once again, indulging in high end medtech for the Dorimisa was proving its worth.
Should I have gone all in on the ‘rare and exotic disease and alien physiology’ module I was likely never to use?
Not in the slightest. But if the algorithms could extrapolate human biology or pick up any anomalies and malfunctions, if those calculations could then be verified by the pharmcorps, well, I stood to make some credits.
I couldn’t afford too many distractions, but this one was here, so I’d give it my full attention. Only the medical situation, of course.
Garrison
WHY WAS Shohari much more personable with me when she was so abrupt with everyone else? There was a delicious warmth in knowing she showed me a side of herself she didn’t share with just anyone.
I was less keen on the fact nobody wanted to get scanned in the medbay.
I cast my eyes around our little group. Out of everyone, Fenn was pretty laid back, so I sidled up to them.
“Everyone seems a bit wary of the medscan. Shall you and I volunteer? I’ll go first, and you can watch and wait. I don’t think it’ll be that bad.”
They looked up from their wrist-comm, one side of their mouth quirking upwards in their trademark half-smile. “Yeah.”
About as many words as I expected from them, but it was the right word, so I’d take it.
The medbay lights were harsh on my eyes as I lay on the bed.
Shohari stood at a computer screen, tapping symbols in quick succession until a holofield formed a glowing arch over me. “Just lie still. It won’t hurt, and you won’t feel anything.”
She wasn’t entirely right. My skin prickled in goosebumps under the holofield. It was obvious which part of me was being scanned, the air over it becoming almost freezing, but it didn’t linger anywhere for long, and the whole process was over within about five minutes.
“Last thing.” Shohari held a small device to my finger that delivered a swift, sharp tingling sensation. Other than a pinprick of a red mark, there was no blood, no other sign that anything had happened.
“What was that?”
“Blood sample,” she said, glancing at Fenn before putting the white cuboid back in the control panel.
I rolled my shoulders as I swung up to sitting. “It was fine,” I told Fenn. “A bit cold, but just as easy as any other scan.”
“Cold?” Shohari’s brow ridge wrinkled, but I shrugged.
“Just a minor difference in our physiologies, I expect.” What was it Grandpa said?
Something about the balance of gas base and ionized particles?
I pictured him sitting in our small kitchen, a vapour cigar in his mouth, bony fingers drumming on the metal table.
When I was your age, holofields could either hold a mining rig in space, or let it fall right through.
You be grateful they’re stable these days and won’t freeze you solid by accident.
“Doesn’t matter. Can we hear the results? ”
Shohari studied the holoscreen, the alien characters no doubt telling her all the things I wanted to know and couldn’t read. “Of course. Comnica, activate narration. Human.”
It was strange to hear the synthetic voice with its alien accent speaking English, to be able to hear it without the soft duality of simultaneous alien speech and translation. Much of the technical talk went well past my medic training, but other parts were easier to understand.
“Unknown carbon-based life form following typical pattern for class B species. Normative parameters unknown. Internal body temperature 310 degrees.”
Definitely not using Celsius out here, then.
“Multiple antibody patterns against uncategorised diseases. Contusion on left forearm.”
“Huh, it can identify the bruise on my arm. No manual exam needed.” I grinned at Shohari. “Fancy that.”
She just rolled her head in a shrug. “Kheh.”
Unsurprisingly, I was negative for any alien vaccines. I was also negative for any of the relevant diseases or conditions, which was the important bit.
“That’s all we need to know,” Shohari said, swiping the screen of results away and, presumably, bringing up a fresh record for Fenn. “With your permission, I’d like to use these readings to build a model for humans in the wider galactic medical database, not just on the ship.”
“Makes sense to me. We’ll speak to the others.” I glanced at Fenn, who nodded as we swapped places.
I stayed in the medbay, partly watching my friends get scanned, but mostly watching Shohari work.
She was her usual gruff self but put people at ease well enough, treating them with the same respectful care as the first time I was here.
She talked through any results to the best of her ability when asked, though they were all much of a muchness.
“You could have let Muzati do these, you know.” My legs swung aimlessly from my seat on the side bench, and she fixed me with a level stare.
“What is your point, human?”
Was I making a point? I liked gently teasing her. I liked seeing her reactions to me that were so much more than they were with anyone else, so I let out the smirk playing at my lips. “Nothing, Captain Shohari. I guess I just like that you care.”
She grumbled something about cargo and interest, most of her words stolen in the clatter of equipment as she tidied everything away. Her delightfully muscular arse caught my attention instead, until I realised I was going to pop a boner. Again.
“I’d best get back to the others. Thanks, Cap.”