Pressing her fingers, he added, “If you like, you can bring your sister. The Black Arrows can’t object since you both were permitted to tend to me in the undersea embassy.”
She gave a delighted smile. “I’d love to come with Rosie. She can help to soothe your aches.” On reflection, she added, “If you like, I can ask the neurosurgeon, Dr. Kumar, to come and check your leg.”
“No.” He shot out an emphatic negative, adding in a quieter voice, “No human medics. No humans who are unaware of my presence on this ship.”
Giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, she said, “Right. I’ll won’t mention you to anyone except Rosie.”
“What is a neurosurgeon doing on the ship? The specialty seems out of place.”
“Dr. Kumar was recruited to travel to Rishalt and learn how to attach the neuro-implants. I don’t really understand the process, but the tripilots wear special headgear to transfer information on the hyperspace paths to the starship’s navigation system.”
“The process is a mystery to me also,” he admitted. “I know tripilots have wires inserted in their skulls. They cover their heads in public to conceal the mesh.”
“It doesn’t sound pleasant,” Holly admitted. “If Rosie and I pass the tests, I guess we’ll have to endure the implants.”
“They’ll have to shave off your lovely hair.” He touched the end of a stray curl of her fair hair.
“Yes.” Flustered by the intensity of his expression, she blushed and sought an excuse to escape. Glancing at her com, she said, “It’s getting late. We’ve been invited to eat dinner with the officers. I should find Rosie and change. Sorry, Baswin.”
“Remember your promise,” he pleaded. “Please come again soon.”
Holly walked to the door, glancing back to smile at him before she hurried away.
When she returned to their cabin, Rosie was lying on her bunk bed and staring at the ceiling.
Leaning on the bunk rail to peer at her sister, Holly asked, “Did you have a tiring day?”
Rosie sat up, ran her fingers through her hair and smiled. “Not really, especially compared to the worst days on the hospital wards.”
“How’s the patient?”
“Broken finger. He’ll recover.”
Still concerned about her sister, Holly asked, “You okay for the dinner tonight?”
“Absolutely.” Swiveling around, Rosie grasped the ladder and climbed down from the upper bed. “Let’s wear our dresses. I met a cute guy. He might be at the dinner.”
“Tell me about this guy?”
“He’s a Med Tech called Travis Fong. He was on duty in sick bay when I went to see the injured man.”
In the event, Rosie’s care in dressing was wasted. Travis Fong was not at the officers’ dinner. The other attendees were polite, while conveying their disinterest. Holly suspected the officers were reluctant to become involved with a psychic girl going to the Warrish home planet. Or perhaps, their bosses at Taxyon Space prohibited such a relationship.
Chapter 21
IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS, the Moon sisters became frequent visitors in the Warrish suite.
At first, both sisters came to see Baswin. He welcomed their attentions and found comfort in their gentleness. The younger sister, Rosie, was always urging him to eat or drink or take a few shaky steps across the room. Rosie’s enthusiasm reminded him of Alarik. Although he was fond of his older brother and admired him greatly, his First was not restful and often desired action.
He preferred Holly, the older Moon sister. She seemed content to sit beside him. She was not revolted by his missing fingers, and she expressed sympathy about his crippled brother instead of the derision he expected from a Warrish woman. Her presence stirred a strange new emotion in him.
As the days passed and he grew stronger, more often Holly came alone to chat with him. She seemed happy to find a haven from the other candidates.
ONE AFTERNOON, HOLLY was sitting with Baswin on the couch, while the Black Arrows were absorbed in a simulated wargame.
A knock on the door silenced their conversations.
Cued by his First, Tonnor cracked the door open and peered out.
“May I come in?” The polite words belied the urgency in the man’s tone.
Torris glared at Baswin and hissed in an undertone, “Dive into cover. It’s the first officer, Lieutenant Achebe.”
Baswin jumped to his feet and grabbed Holly’s hand. Intercepting her look of inquiry, he jerked his chin toward his berth.
She gave a slight nod of comprehension and ran with him into the cabin without speaking a word.
Baswin shut the door and urged her to sit in the chair. Her face guarded, yet expectant, Holly sat where he indicated and folded her hands on her lap. He flipped on the intercom to listen to their visitor.
Lieutenant Achebe was speaking to the Black Arrows, “... a distress call from a Belter on a small asteroid. His spacecraft is trapped in a brownish sludge. The ship is sinking into the morass. The Belter thinks the slime is alive, perhaps related to the Martian metal-eating microbes. He’s calling for advice and a rescue ship.”
Her eyes wide, registering surprise mixed with fright, Holly clapped a hand over her mouth.
Baswin leaned over to place his forefinger on her lips. “Hush.”
While they eavesdropped on the conversation in the outer room, he activated his covert link to the bridge. Soon he located the incoming distress call. He held the qtel close to Holly’s ear. “Listen. I’ve hacked into the original call.”
The transmission commenced with the coordinates of the trapped ship. The first officer had accurately summarized the message, although he had omitted the Belter’s name and failed to replicate the edge of panic in the man’s voice.
“Mayday. Mayday. It’s Sims, Tokashi Sims, and Nori Gangly on the Rock Hopper. Ship’s stuck in a crack on this blasted asteroid. Crack’s full of brownish slime. Can’t lift off.”
Baswin extracted the visuals transmitted from the trapped ship and displayed the images on the blank wall behind the desk. The image showed the exterior of a spacecraft with its base engulfed in rippling brown goo. As he and Holly watched in horror, the slime lapped farther up the hull.
The Belter cried, “Styx. It’s climbing to the bottom of the hatch.”
Another person said, “Suit up. We’ll jet off the blasted rock. Hang in space and hope for a rescue.” The voice message clicked off and the transmission switched to the repeated beeps of the Mayday signal with the initial location and standard time.
Back in the main suite, Torris asked, “Why have you come to us? We didn’t seed the microbes on your red planet.”
“We don’t know what the stuff is,” Lieutenant Achebe said gruffly. “The slime’s a different color to the Martian microbes. It’s dull brown rather than bright orange. Might be an invasive species, even something from outside the Solar System. You’re the experts on extrasolar life and you’ve got quantum communicators. Can’t you check with your microbiologists on Rishalt?”
“We can ask Ambassador Jervaron,” Torris offered. “He will know whom to contact on our home world.” Thrusting a finger at his Second, he demanded, “Tikkar, send a message to the Ambassador.”
“Much appreciated, Black Arrows.” The officer gave a relieved smile.
Torris asked, “What is the status of this Belter’s ship? Will you divert Taxyon Two to rescue the man?”
“Two people, the man has a partner on board.” After the abrupt correction, Achebe paused for a moment before saying, “We’re debating the relative risks of altering course to pick up those people and the dangers of encountering an unknown lifeform. It might be safer to dispatch a lifepod instead. Our senior com tech is scanning for other ships that might be able to rescue the callers.”
“Safer is often better,” Torris said. “You can’t risk infecting this ship or its passengers. We’re responsible for the safety of the tripilot candidates. If you recall, they’re essential for your governm
ents’ scheme to expand into space.”
The officer retorted, “We believe our future depends on reliable interstellar travel.”
Tikkar’s voice broke in, “Excuse me, Sir. The Ambassador is on the qtel.”
Concealed in the cabin, Holly shifted from the chair to sit on the bunk bed beside Baswin. Placing her hand on his arm, she whispered, “This is awful. Isn’t there something we can do to help the Belters? They might die. Stuck in that creepy slime.” Shuddering in disgust, she edged closer to him.
“We don’t know when the signal was transmitted,” he said. “But they sent the coordinates of their ship’s location and I can pinpoint the asteroid’s current position.”
She pleaded, “Baswin, if the distress call was sent hours ago, they might already be dead.”
Giving her hand a reassuring pat, he said, “Belters keep good spacesuits with an emergency supply of oxygen. They could survive for a week on recycled air and water in those suits.”
“They’d still need to be picked up. They’d probably need a medic as well as a ride.”
Still cautious, he said, “Another spacecraft might arrive sooner than we could.”
She shot back, “Isn’t Taxyon Two supposed to be the fastest spaceship in the Solar System?”
“Please understand, Holly, its high speed is the problem. The ship has to decelerate and change course. That maneuver will take time. Maybe days. A Belter ship might be better placed to rescue them.”
“What about that ugly slime?” Holly said. “Haven’t your people come across something similar?”
“Perhaps.” Spearing an idea, he smiled. “My sister Karlise works at the central repository in Pucklerakt. I can ask her to search for similar slime.” Tapping her code on his qtel, he transmitted the request with the images of the brown ooze sucking at the base of the Belter’s ship. “Done,” he said. “She’ll call as soon as she hooks the answer.”
“Super,” Holly said. “But that won’t help to rescue those trapped Belters.”
Using the ship’s coordinates from the message, he mapped the rock’s location relative to the projected path of Taxyon Two and explained, “I’ve calculated the trajectory to the asteroid. If Taxyon Two attempts a rescue, we’d lose several days of travel time.”
“What’s the hurry to reach Europa?” she demanded. “Surely a few more days won’t hurt?”
He gave a shrug. “The captain will make that decision. She won’t want to delay her schedule and miss the starship.” He rubbed the back of her hand. “Don’t worry, Holly. The Belters look after each other. They have an unwritten code of honor for this type of accident. It’s fairly common for prospectors to get stuck or injured. The Belters with the closest spacecraft are obliged to go to the rescue of anybody in a damaged ship. There’s an incentive also. The rescuers are awarded a share of the latest claim filed by the guys they saved.”
Momentarily diverted, she asked, “How do you know so much about the Belters?”
“I was one. For a short time.” He gave her a smile and a one-armed hug. “Will you keep another of my secrets?”
“For you, yes. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“My brother and I went to Earth under the aliases of Rick and Basil Kent, the Belters with a hoard of rare minerals.”
She gasped, “You mean you’re those filthy rich miners?”
“All fake riches,” he protested, “supplied by our Triarchs as cover for our fake identities. Super useful for winning greedy friends.”
“What a pity,” Holly joked. “I’ve always wanted a rich friend.” Sparked by an idea, she asked, “Do you have a mirror?”
“A mirror? What for?” he exclaimed in surprise.
“I’m a scryer,” she said in a patient tone. “I can see things beyond normal vision. Perhaps I can see these Belters and their spacecraft. See if they’re safe.”
He nodded. “Like one of my spy monitors.” Jumping up, he opened a drawer and handed her a small mirror about the size of her palm. “It’s good for shaving and trimming my hair.”
“I suppose you couldn’t...” She cocked her head, asking, “What other tricks do you have? Any chance you could find an image of this Belter, Tokashi Sims?”
“If he’s in the records.” Baswin ran his fingers over his qtel, locating the data for registered Belter ships. “Got him. He’s on file as Captain of the Rock Hopper.” Next instant, a man’s face appeared on the wall. Sims had short black hair and a grizzled beard. His worried frown suggested a distaste for being photographed.
“Great.” She touched his knee and conveyed a warning, “I’ll be going into a trance. I’ll Try not to disturb me.”
“If you wish.” He gave a slight shrug and pretended to peer at his com, faking disinterest in her attempt to scry on the Belters in distress. In fact, he eyed her covertly, alert to every nuance of her expression and each move she made.
She shut her eyes, and began to inhale and exhale in a slow rhythm.
SITTING NEXT TO BASWIN on the bunk bed, Holly concentrated on the people in distress, or more specifically, the anxious face of Takashi Sims. A tiny tug caught at her psychic senses. A whispered hint of the Belter’s voice. She opened her eyes and stared into the mirror.
Blackness. Nothing else.
She intensified her concentration on Sims.
Finally, a white blur pierced the darkness. Two blurs separated into two figures in spacesuits. Their limbs were extended in free fall. They drifted close together above a large object, mottled in brown and light gray. Presumably the asteroid.
She ignored the asteroid and focused on the people. A rope tethered their suits together. Their faceplates glinted in the faint sunlight. She could not see their faces.
As she watched, one reached out to grasp the gloved hand of the other. The movement convinced her they had survived.
Blinking tears of relief, she withdrew from the vision. She turned to Baswin and smiled, murmuring, “They’re alive.”
He cocked his head. “Can you really tell?”
“I saw two people in white spacesuits. They were floating above the asteroid. One moved to touch the other.”
His orange-tinted eyebrows twitched in doubt. “How do you know they were Sims and his partner?”
Pinching her lips in a grimace, she tried to explain, “I was scrying for him, for my mental image of Sims. The image you displayed of his face and the sound of his voice in the message.” She shrugged. “That’s how it works for me.”
“So, your psychic vision can reach across millions of kilometers?”
“I guess it can.” Since his questions implied a sincere interest, she offered a qualification, “In my work for Detective Powell, I was able to see missing people at distances of several kiloms. Some were located out of his official district. I remember one guy, someone they wanted in a murder case. He had skipped across the ocean to the Americontinent. That’s several thousand kiloms away from our village.” Her optimism grew with the recollection of her many successes.
“Urish. I believe you. In truth, it might be noted in your files.”
“Sure. The Ministry for International Affairs must have compiled the evidence of my psychic skills before they invited Rosie and me for the tests.”
“But, Holly, do your visions show the present time?”
“As far as I know.” She wrinkled her nose in thought. “I don’t foresee future events. Or not that I’m aware.” Gazing at his face in speculation, she said, “Though, I had a strange vision of your face just before Rosie came in with the letter from Minister Braithwaite.”
“My face?” He sounded bewildered.
“Yes. I recognized your eyes when I discovered you unconscious on the beach.”
He gazed at her. “Holly Moon, I think you’re amazing.”
Her cheeks burned at the warmth of his words, although she lowered her gaze.
He brushed his fingers through her short hair, slid his hand to the nape of her neck, and angled her face toward him.
As she looked into his eyes, he moved in and kissed her lips. Tingling with anticipation, she returned his embrace. He tasted of the sea, salt water and fresh breezes.
Something vibrated against her back.
Baswin disengaged from their embrace, and exhaled with a groan. “Forgive me, my angel. Somebody is calling me.”
Crushing her disappointment, Holly said, “You’d better check it.”
“Urish.” Baswin bent to caress her cheek, and murmured, “If you wish, we can resume later.”
“Brilliant.” She watched him answer the call.
He angled his wrist so she could not see the com display and spoke in Warrishan, “Calm seas, Karlise. Did you find it?”
“Are you helping these Earthers?”
“Not officially. I’m on an Earther spaceship in Warrish quarters, but I’m supposed to be gravely injured. The First officer asked my companions, the Black Arrow Triad, about the slime. The Earthers were worried it might be a microbe akin to the metal-eaters on their red planet. The Black Arrows transmitted the query to Ambassador Jervaron in our embassy on Earth.”
“You’ve plunged into choppy waters, Bas. Our repository has a reference to something similar. One of our exploratory expeditions recorded a warning about a brown sludge that erodes metal. They found it on a satellite of the planet they were studying. If you are traveling undercover, I can advise the Ambassadors of this report.”
“Excellent.” Baswin gave a soft whistle of delight. “Please transit the warning to Jervaron. You never fail me, little sister.”
“I try to compensate for the failings of other members of our divided family.”
Giving a small shake of his head, Baswin said, “We must swim beyond our divisions. Our hexath parents are irredeemable and divorced from my brothers and me.”
Karlise chuckled. “You might be surprised. Since Alarik gained favor with our gracious Prime Tol-Jadel, our parents’ attitude has warmed toward him.”
“Do they know of his Earther friends?”
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