Endurance

by neetha Napew

  When it was ready, I carried a tray over to the table and sat down. That was when I caught a glimpse of my own face in the wall reflector, and saw that the bruise from Reever’s hand had darkened to a rather pretty lilac color. My appetite abruptly vanished, and I toyed with the soup until sometime later, when my door panel slid open.

  “Cherijo.” Of course it was Reever. It wasn’t like Nurse Dchêm-os was going to drop by for some tea and a chat.

  I examined the thin skin that had formed on the surface of my cold soup. “I need to reprogram those locks.”

  “You will report to my quarters when you have completed your shifts in Medical.”

  I lifted the spoon and let the thickened green liquid drip slowly from it back into the bowl. “No, I’m not going to do that.” I rested my bruised cheek on my other hand, and wondered why I felt so battered and exhausted. “Go away.”

  He hovered. “I will not apologize for striking you.”

  “No one asked you to. Leave.”

  “I have something that belongs to you.”

  He certainly did. There should have been a large, oozing hole just to the left of my sternum to testify to that. “Keep it.”

  He sat down beside me. “You are upset.”

  The man was so dense that light bent around him. “Will you get the hell out of here?”

  “Very well.” He didn’t try to touch me. “Shall I give the domesticate to the Hsktskt? They have indicated he would be considered a delicacy.”

  He? I finally looked at him. His bruise wasn’t as spectacular as mine, and it didn’t make me feel any better to see it. “Alunthri is an ‘it,’ and, I imagine, very stringy and tough. Don’t even go there.”

  “I am not talking about Alunthri. I have your other domesticate. The small one.”

  The small one?

  I got up so quickly that the table fell over, the server smashed into a hundred pieces and cold asparagus bisque splattered the deck. “Say that again. “

  He sat back and folded his arms. “I have your Terran feline.”

  I didn’t stop to think about the hows or whys. “Where? Where is he?”

  “In my quarters.” He moved fast, and caught me before I could reach the door panel. “Where he will stay, as will you.”

  I struggled out of his grip and ran, dodging League captives and Hsktskt alike on every level until, panting, I’d reached Reever’s door. My fist hit the access panel and I ran in, completely ignoring the fact that Reever had somehow kept up with me and closed the panel silently behind us.

  For a moment I wondered if it had been just another game. “Jenner?” It came out in a whisper. Then, as loud as I could: “Jenner!”

  Something small, thin, and furry flew up from the floor and landed in my arms. A hard little triangular head butted into my chin, and huge lapis eyes regarded me with extreme indignation.

  Thought you’d leave me behind, you ungrateful wench. Jenner sniffed delicately at me. After all the attention I lavished on you, too.

  I was laughing. Weeping. Burying my face in the softest silkiest fur in the universe. “Hi, pal. Oh, Lord, I’ve missed you.”

  My Tibetan temple cat slanted a sideways look at Reever. Yeah, well, Prince Charming wouldn’t let me out, or I’d have found you long before now.

  That reminded me. I sat down on the nearest surface, still holding and caressing my pet, and regarded Reever with a mixture of fury and bewilderment.

  “He’s been onboard, all this time, and you never told me?”

  Reever nodded.

  “How did you get him off Joren? Why didn’t you say something?” My fingers ran over the prominent outlines of my cat’s ribs, something I hadn’t felt since finding Jenner as a kitten, abandoned and starving in a gutter. “Why is he so thin?”

  “Adaola gave him to me before I left the planet. She hoped I could reunite the two of you someday.” He walked over and stood beside us, and reached down to Jenner. His Majesty lifted his head and allowed Reever to give him a brief caress. “As for the weight loss, I have yet to discern the animal’s food preferences.”

  “He has none. Whatever he sees, he eats.” I lifted Jenner so that we were face-to-face. “Hungry, pal?”

  He uttered an emphatic yowl. Does a cat have nine lives?

  I went over to the prep unit and dialed up a dozen of his favorite dishes, then watched with pleasure as my small companion attacked the enormous meal. At the rate he was wolfing down synthetic shrimp bits, he’d be back to his old self in no time.

  I sat on the floor beside him, afraid to take my hand away, certain Jenner would vanish if I did.

  “Why do you call it Jenner?”

  “He’s named after Edward Jenner, the eighteenth-century English physician who cured smallpox.” My fingers trailed through my pet’s soft fur. “He was an amazing man for his time. What he did altered the course of Terran history.” I went on to tell Reever about the simple country doctor, who had noticed that dairy workers seldom contracted smallpox, and gone on to create the vaccine that had saved millions from death and disfigurement.

  Reever’s only comment was, “He sounds much like your creator.”

  “There’s a big difference.” Jenner had been a humanitarian. Joseph, I suspected, barely rated as human. “Why didn’t you tell me about my cat, Reever?”

  “I attempted to, several times. It was necessary to conceal his presence from the crew.”

  So that was why he’d been so hot and bothered to get me to his quarters. Something occurred to me, and my head snapped up. “You hid him because of the League captives. You knew they’d try to hurt him to get back at me.” He didn’t have to say yes. I got up and faced him. “What’s this going to cost?”

  “No currency is required.”

  But something else was. “You know how much Jenner means to me. What do you want?”

  To his credit, Duncan didn’t rub it in. He simply said, “You will report to my quarters and remain here when you are not working in Medical.”

  I’d room with GothVar, just to have Jenner. “Done.”

  PART TWO: Indoctrination

  CHAPTER SIX

  New Debts

  So began my stint as Reever’s roommate. I’d never had many. During my childhood, Joseph Grey Veil had kept me in a separate wing of the family mansion. Maggie, my “maternal influencer,” had sometimes braved my creator’s displeasure and slept in a chair by my sleeping platform. Jenner had been my only constant companion since her death.

  Kao and I had never had the chance to live together during our brief time together on K-2, although Alunthri had shared my quarters after I’d assumed its ownership, so it would not be sold back into slavery on Chakara.

  While working as Senior Healer on the Sunlace, I’d been forced to Choose Kao’s ClanBrother, Xonea, to protect him from an unfair sentence of banishment. We’d lived together for a short, tense period, both of us the unknowing victims of aggression-enhancing drugs that had driven us both to violence.

  As a roommate, however, Reever proved to be nearly invisible.

  I spent most of my waking hours in Medical, get-ting the staff whipped back into shape and catching up with the patient caseload, and when I arrived at Reever’s quarters, Jenner made up for every horrible thing that had happened since I’d left Joren.

  Well, almost.

  Reever invariably came in when I’d fallen asleep. The few times I’d woken up was to discover him easing down beside me on the sleeping platform. He never touched me-another bonus-and I rarely if ever acknowledged his presence.

  That’s how the uneasy truce went on, until captives from Detainment began to be sent to Medical, showing obvious signs of abuse.

  I treated four beings with multiple fractures during the last hour of my shift, and was none too pleased by it. For once Reever was in our quarters when I came in, and I let him have it.

  “What in God’s name is going on in Detainment? Are the centurons playing shockball and using the prisoners for sp
heres?”

  He set out a meal for both of us and gestured to my empty seat. “Tell me about it over dinner.”

  I wasn’t crazy about eating something he’d prepared-he had some very strange taste preferences- but when I saw it was one of my own programmed recipes, I dropped in the chair.

  “We had four new patients come in today. Three had compound fractures from severe percussion injuries, and of course they aren’t going to tell me a damn thing about how they got them.”

  I gave him the rest of the details on each case, then finished my vegetable and synpro lasagna, and dialed an after-dinner server of herbal tea for both of us.

  “Well?” I asked when he made no comment. “Is there some funny business going on down in Detainment?”

  “Two of the escapees have not yet been located, and OverLord TssVar is unhappy with his managing Overseer’s progress on the case.” Reever thought about it. “It is possible someone is interrogating the slaves.”

  “His managing OverSeer would be the one with the pretty face... what’s her name? FurreVa?” He sipped his tea and nodded. “Yeah, I could see her beating people to get information.”

  “If she is doing so, she does not have TssVar’s sanction.”

  That might prove helpful. Getting Alunthri out of Detainment had become a top priority. I went to feed Jenner, who was hungrily prowling around my legs, then cleared the table. “Are you going to tell TssVar, or shall I?”

  He set down his server. “After the debacle on Drift Nine, the OverLord has little interest in what you have to say.”

  “Is that right?” I propped my fists on my hips. “Then you tell him.”

  “TssVar trusts his centurons to follow his orders.” Long fingers thrummed on the table surface. “All I have to offer are your allegations.”

  “I have plenty of bruised and broken patients to show him.”

  “They are slaves. He won’t believe them.” He got up, changed his tunic, and went to the door panel. “Don’t meddle with OverSeer FurreVa, Cherijo.” And with that, he left.

  Good old Reever. Always eager to help out the tyrannized. Callous snake that he was. I thought over everything he’d said, and two facts slowly emerged.

  If she is doing so, she does not have TssVar’s sanction.

  TssVar trusts his centurons to follow his orders.

  “Does he?” I gave that some consideration. “Then maybe it’s time he found out they don’t.”

  It took half the night, but I managed to program a thermal sensor in the Detainment Area to send me an alarm whenever the ambient temperature significantly dropped, and another in the Interrogation Area to send a signal when the temperature increased.

  Bodies generated heat, and took it with them when they moved.

  Both alarms went off, one after the other, just as I was dragging myself from the sleeping platform. After dressing at the speed of light, I ran down to Medical.

  Since Dchêm-os was on duty, I drafted her to help. “Grab a field case and come with me. We’re going down to Detainment.”

  She took off her headgear. I noted the tooth she’d broken off for my impromptu surgery down in Detainment had almost grown back in. “In accompanying you, I am not interested. Someone else, ask.”

  “Who’s asking? Move your tail and get that medkit together. Now,” I told her. “Or I’ll have you transferred to a sanitation crew for the rest of the trip.”

  Her tail whipped into a frenzied pattern of slaps. “For this, you will pay, Terran.”

  Yeah, like everything else. The list got longer every day. “Just shake a paw. We’ve only got a few minutes.” I went to the console and sent three signals.

  About nine and a half minutes later we arrived at Detainment. Reever was waiting for us. So was TssVar, who looked at me the way he would a smear on the decking.

  “Gentlemen.” I adjusted my grip on my case. “Thanks for coming.”

  “What is this, SsurreVa?” TssVar trudged closer, causing the entire deck to vibrate under my footgear. “No slaves are being tortured.”

  Low sounds of moaning and sobs echoed down the corridor, along with another set of heavy footsteps, getting progressively louder. “I hate to disagree with you, but...”

  The surprise on the Hsktskt OverSeer’s face would have been hilarious, had she not been dragging a pair of severely beaten League prisoners on each side of her.

  “OverLord!” She halted in her tracks, then saw me and bellowed something my headgear wouldn’t translate.

  Reever took a step toward her, inadvertently placing his body between me and Helen. “Perhaps the OverSeer would care to explain how these slaves came to be in this condition?”

  “Yes. Explain, FurreVa.”

  The OverSeer dropped both men to the deck to come after Reever, and I decided that was my cue. Zella and I edged past the furious Hsktskt and got to the injured men. One was in such bad shape I had to signal for a gurney.

  “Nice work,” I muttered under my breath as I packed a torn limb to stop the bleeding.

  Behind us, Helen of Troy was ranting on about the escapees and how she was going to find them if she had to personally dismember the rest of the prisoners and, if necessary, the Perpetua in the process.

  TssVar waited until she was through. “You interrogated these slaves without authorization, OverSeer.”

  “I- yes, OverLord.” FurreVa held her bulky form in a stiffly erect pose, then dropped her head back in a bizarre manner. The stance revealed the paler, thinner scales under her jaw.

  Baring her throat, I thought. To be ripped out?

  “You will be disciplined accordingly. Report to launch bay in one hour.”

  “Yes, OverLord.” The big female stalked off.

  I’d done what I could for her victims, so I went back to Reever and TssVar. “I have to perform some minor surgery to repair an arm over there.”

  “I would know how you learned of this, SsurreVa.”

  “Oh, you know.” I gave Reever a disgusted look. “Slave gossip, patients with multiple fractures, that sort of thing.”

  “I intended to investigate the matter personally.” My ex-bondmate’s lips thinned. “Dr. Torin precipitated my inquiry.”

  I pointed to the door panel leading to the Detainment Area. “I have a friend in there. Alunthri, the Chakacat. It’s been abused because of that friendship, and needs to be transferred to Medical for comprehensive therapy.” That lie sounded very realistic, even to me.

  “I know of this animal. The centurons consider it extremely dangerous,” TssVar said.

  Alunthri was proving to be a terrific actor. “It won’t be when I get through with it. Which will make it only more valuable when we reach Catopsa. Let me take it to Medical.” I held my breath while he thought about it, then sighed when he nodded. “Thank you, OverLord.”

  “Report to launch bay in an hour, Doctor.” Off TssVar went.

  The same time Helen had been ordered to report. I turned to Reever to ask him why, but he’d disappeared.

  One of FurreVa’s victims required a substantial infusion of neuroparalyzer before I began piecing back together his splintered radius. As some patients do, he got chatty as soon as the medication took effect.

  “I’ll be okay, right, Doc?” the male told me as I made the initial incision. He tried to get a look over the surgical shroud. “Thought he’d tear it off this time.”

  “She. OverSeer FurreVa is a she.”

  “No, not her.” He uttered an intoxicated chuckle. “I know her. What a face. But she’s not so bad. She pulled us out of there the last time, too.”

  I stopped cutting and lifted my head. “Are you telling me that the female who was dragging you back to Detainment didn’t interrogate you?”

  “No. It was the one with the flat ridges and dirty teeth.”

  I finished the work on the battered prisoner and went down to the launch bay. Reever met me at the door.

  “I’ve got to talk to TssVar,” I said. “FurreVa lied. She d
idn’t interrogate those prisoners.”

  He didn’t look happy. “She admitted to it. There’s nothing you can do now.”

  I went through the door. “TssVar will listen to- What’s going on here?” I walked in, and saw nothing but wall-to-wall lizards. An uneasy foreboding spread inside me, coiling up in my stomach. “Reever? Am I in trouble again?”

  “No. Stay back and remain silent,” he said as he guided me through the crowd of waiting Hsktskt.

  Why would I jump in on anything the beasts were doing? I wondered, then saw FurreVa, the position she was in, and stopped in my tracks. “Hold it. You don’t mean they’re going to...” Foreboding turned into dread. “I want to talk to TssVar. Now.”

  Reever simply hauled me farther down the line, until we stood a few yards away from TssVar’s centurons.

  They’d stripped FurreVa down to her scales, and hung her upside-down on a plasteel post, the back of her body facing outward. Only one reason they’d do that.

  TssVar entered with deliberate, prolonged formality, pausing to speak to some of the senior beasts before taking a position in front of the post. He didn’t look at the upside-down guard; for all he cared she could have been invisible.

  Four limbs rose, which brought everyone snapping to attention. “Members of the Faction. OverSeer FurreVa has submitted herself for discipline.”

  The other Hsktskt hissed and clicked, probably their approval. Reever finally let go of my arm, and I was briefly tempted to stomp on his instep in retaliation. Then TssVar continued and distracted me.

  “FurreVa interrogated slaves without approval. No one may overstep their rank and my authority. Discipline is required. Discipline will be administered.”

  “What kind of discipline?” I said to Reever, under my breath.

  He grabbed me again, this time around the waist. “Shut up.”

  Someone brought TssVar what I thought at first was an energy emitter. Closer scrutiny made me catch my breath. Reever’s arm tightened.

  I twisted around to look up at him. “He isn’t seriously going to use that thing on her.”

  “Not another word,” Reever said, and held his hand up, evidently ready to clap it over my mouth.