“No, not in her genes,” Tom said. “Well, maybe it is her genes.” He walked up and down the sick bay with his eyes on the floor. The white lights illuminated every corner of the room, and dark monitors sat silent at the moment.
“Jack, if her ability is in her genes, we’ll never find it. She has more genes than humans, and even then, it could be something as simple as … how one segment touched another in the folding process.” Adams stood up and put his hand on Tom’s shoulder, stopping him from his endless journey back and forth. Tom looked at the doctor as if he’d forgotten he was even in the room.
“If she went down there she’d try to cure everyone, wouldn’t she?”
“Jack, you’re not thinking of tasking her with that?”
“Certainly not! I’m saying she has some innate instinct to help sick people. She can feel disease or read it in people’s eyes, or something.”
“If she were my little girl I’d not let her within a thousand kilometers of that planet.”
“I’m just confirming my decision, Doc, nothing more.”
“How’s the plan coming along?”
“I can guarantee it’s going easier for me than it will for the Cinconians. I’ll have it for you tonight to review, make sure I didn’t miss any steps.”
“I’m ready. Rianya and Jane are putting the sandbox together for testing the two defense lines. Anything can look great on the tablet but application is the critical factor.”
“Captain Jackson, please report to the bridge,” the intercom hailed. Jackson stepped to the panel on the wall to acknowledged the request before he left the sick bay.
“Captain, we received a message from the Continental Health Organization.”
“The who? The what?” Jackson asked. Watson shrugged slowly.
“I didn’t ask for clarification,” the young man said with a sheepish smile.
“I’ll get it in the doyen’s office.”
“Humans, I am Yee Talib Odalis. We of the Continental Health Organization had understood your efforts would be planet wide, not just for the population that falls under custody for United Medical Assembly. We have not been represented in your meetings and this is unacceptable. The CHO intends to be included at your next meeting and we request your agenda. Awaiting your response.”
Jackson tapped some different buttons on his desk.
“Watson here.”
“Get me Yee Odalis right away, the one who sent this com,” Jackson said. “And ask Dr. Ferris to come up here, too.” While he waited, the liability of the project grew a little heavier.
Jackson hadn’t been informed that there were two medical entities involved in his mission. Now he was wondering how many other organizations might need to be sought out and brought into the plan. He pulled up some intel on Cinco to find out if he’d overlooked the number of associations he was supposed to contact. A faint knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
“Good afternoon, Captain,” Anne Wallace said, surprising Jackson. He looked back at his data screen.
“Anne, this isn’t a good time, can you come back later?”
“Of course, sir,” she said, but she hesitated.
“Something I can do for you? Is the second shift becoming a problem or…?”
“No, Captain, I just wanted to make sure you’re getting what you need, if all is okay.” She moved a little closer to his desk away from the door. Jackson’s antennae pricked up despite his preoccupation with the plague plan. The Admiral’s daughter wanted something. She invited herself to perch on Jackson’s desk.“Everything’s fine, Anne. I have a lot of work here to do,” he said firmly and stood to usher her to the door.
“Yes, sir, I’ll come back later, then,” the girl said and sauntered toward the door. Was she flirting with him? Oh, hell no. That was too damn funny! He bowed his head to hide the compulsive smirk. Another knock prompted Jackson to open the door himself.
“Captain?” Jane Ferris asked, backing up a few steps when her eyes focused on Anne.
“Come in, Ferris,” Jackson instructed and ignored Anne as she drifted out.
“I’m sorry,” Ferris said, and her eyes darted left, right, and down.
“For what? Come in, sit down. I need you to translate for one of the Cinconians who’s about to call.” Jackson watched her perch on the edge of the chair, put her hands in her lap, fix her eyes straight ahead. “Are you alright, Jane?”
“Yes, Captain, fine.”
“Coffee?” He filled his own cup and held the carafe up to support his request.
“No, thanks, sir; I won’t get any sleep if I have coffee at this hour.” Jackson set the carafe down and handed a reader to Ferris.
“There’s another medical group that wants to be involved in our mission.” Ferris had been avoiding the captain’s gaze but then looked up quickly.
“How can that be?” A chirp came from the com.
“We’re about to find out,” Jackson said. He flipped on the com and a live picture of Yee Odalis appeared.
“Hello Yee Odalis, I’m Captain Jackson of the Earth ship Maria Mitchell,” Jackson said. Ferris repeated his words in the native Cinconian language.
“Hello Captain, I thank you for taking my call.”
“I received your message and wanted to get in touch with you right away.”
“Thank you for your quick response,” Odalis said.
“I was unaware that more than one medical organization was involved in the crisis. I apologize for the oversight.”
“We didn’t contact you, but we have become aware that you are assisting with the contamination.”
“Yes, we have a cure, but we will need significantly more resources.”
“What is your containment plan?” Yee Odalis asked.
“It would be premature to disclose it now. Could we arrange a meeting face to face?” Jackson asked.
“That would be ideal,” the furry fellow said. “Right now, our only recourse is to destroy those that are infected.” The delay from the translator grew shorter the more Odalis spoke, but Jackson thought it may have converted a word incorrectly.
“Destroy?” Jackson didn’t understand his reply so looked at Ferris, but she hesitated before voicing the translation.
“They’re euthanized,” she said quietly. Jackson locked on to Ferris’ blue and brown eyes. A shiver trembled along his spine and he raised one hand over his mouth to keep the horror from spilling out. The Cinconian began to speak again.
“What would you have us do? We spare them a horrible existence and death, and keep the disease from spreading.”
“Isn’t that a bit severe? How can you kill everyone who gets the plague? There’ll be no one left!”
“We have no other alternative. No one is forced, Captain Jackson. It is an optional procedure. If they choose to live with their illness they live out their lives on an island designated for their hospice. And when they are dead, they are cremated on that island as well. It’s the only way.”
“If that’s so, how does your population continue to be infected?” Jackson asked.
“As I said, it is optional. We can’t seem to eradicate it. Hence, our desire to share in your alliance with the UMA for technology. An operative told us of the proceedings.”
Jackson and Ferris stared at each other briefly and he nodded at her. She responded to Yee Odalis and set up their meeting for tomorrow at mid-day.
“Did you have any idea we were dealing with more than one medical group?” Jackson asked the doctor.
“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Ferris said. She looked as perplexed as he felt.
“I need to talk to Yee Akadar and find out why no one told us about it. Thank you for coming up. I don’t mean to take you away from your work.”
“This is part of my work, Captain. Happy to be the translator as well as the doctor.”
“Jane, is everything alright? I can tell something’s bothering you.” She looked at him from the light side then averted to the floor.
“No, sir. I mean, yes, sir, I’m fine. It’s not for me to say. I should get back to sick bay.”
“Ms. Rianya and I have gotten very close and my concern is for her, sir.”
“Go on.” Jane looked up, then down, anywhere but at him. She closed her eyes.
“Off the record?”
“If you like.”
“I… Anne… If you must know, sir, I’m afraid the captain may have betrayed my friend. Sir.” She slowly opened her eyes, almost glaring at him, her mouth drawn straight, her hands behind her back. He wasn’t sure what she was talking about but if her stare could kill…Anne.
“You surprise me, Jane. Not that you drew a conclusion but that you spoke to me in defense of my wife. That took a level of courage I’m not sure anyone else on the ship has.”
“Is that a problem, Captain?”
“No. I assure you, whatever you thought you saw when you came up here was all in Anne’s mind. I’m sure her attempt at, uh, flattery is about power, not attraction. Her impudence alone is enough to be… offensive.”
“I’m glad to hear that, sir. I apologize for assuming such a position.” Her face softened; her different colored brows lifting her eyes upwards. Her lighter half flushed a dull pink.
“That’s all, Doctor.” He chuckled to himself and turned back to the pile of data readers.
No comments:
Post a Comment