Beyond Varallan

by neetha Napew

  “Forgive me.” Her hands danced apologetically as she gave me a rueful smile and nodded toward the little girl. “I find no end to my astonishment that Fasala has made such a quick recovery.”

  “Educator Ktarka came to see me every day in Medical Bay.” Fasala beamed at her teacher. The woman made a modest gesture and accepted my offer to try some Terran herbal tea Dhreen had smuggled off K-2 for me.

  “Very interesting blend,” she said. “On Joren, we-“ The cup in her hand dropped and smashed on the deck as the Sunlace suddenly, violently destabilised.

  “Get down!” I stumbled, but managed to catch Fasala before she hit the decking. I rolled with her and held on until the ship’s stabilizers restored balance. Ktarka took her from me and I hurried to my com panel.

  I pounded the display, to no avail. My signal to Ship’s Operational wouldn’t go through. I rerouted to Medical Bay, and one of the nurses responded. I could hear Tonetka shouting in the background.

  “What happened?” I demanded

  “We’re under attack. Mercenary vessels. Several levels have been compromised. Healer-“

  The League had found us. Dear God. “I’ll be there in two minutes.”

  I flung an apology over my shoulder and ran out of my quarters. Halfway to Medical, the ship pitched violently once more, which tossed me into one of the wall panels.

  I didn’t have time to feel the pain. I ran. Along the way I stopped twice to check on crew members sprawled in the corridor. One had only some minor lacerations and bruises. The other, a helm officer, had a dislocated shoulder. I swore under my breath as I realized it was Hado Torin.

  “I thought you wouldn’t be cluttering up Medical anymore,” I said as I checked him over. His repaired heart was functioning normally, but it certainly didn’t need the additional strain.

  “Your pardon, Healer,” Hado replied. “It was not my intention to return, I assure you.”

  No, he’d just had the bad luck to be on the same ship as me. “Do you know what’s happening?”

  “There are five mercenary vessels currently engaging the ship. Levels one, two and three have been seriously compromised. Secondary command has been transferred to level nine.”

  Five of them firing on us. Three levels rendered useless already. They wouldn’t stop until they got me. Joseph Grey Veil had predicted as much.

  Any planet that gives you sanctuary will be invaded. Any ship you travel on will be targeted. Anyone who helps you will be considered an accomplice and eliminated. You will be hunted down like an animal until you are apprehended.

  I should have stayed on K-2. Or gotten off the ship as soon as we’d escaped the League. Why had I thought I could outrun them?

  “Healer?”

  I looked down at Hado’s pain-etched face, and cursed. Now was not the time to do this.

  “Hold on.” I braced my feet and took hold of his limp arm. “This is going to hurt.”

  The navigator flinched as I quickly manipulated the joint back in place. I would have hauled him along with me, but he refused.

  “Go, Healer, there are more badly wounded. I will make my way shortly.”

  I got to Medical. There were bloodstained bodies everywhere. Nurses running scans, applying dressings, calling for assistance. The main display politely announced more injured were on the way. And the facility was half-filled with bodies already.

  How many more would be carried in? How much more suffering on my account? I moved forward, and something made me slip. I caught myself before I looked down at the floor. It was slick with something green.

  I froze. Stared at the Jorenian blood on my footgear. It was all over the decking. Everywhere.

  Tonetka hurried past me, her hands inside the chest wound of a big Jorenian male, performing open heart massage. The gurney he was on was being pushed into surgery. “Cherijo. Thank the Mother.”

  Her voice snapped me out of my trance, and I caught up to her. Though she must have seen the horror and shock on my face, Tonetka didn’t mince words. “Adaola has triage. Scrub.”

  I prepped and ran into surgery. The Senior Healer stepped back as I took over for her and continued the cardiac massage. She didn’t wait to observe me, but returned to the ward. By the time the team had their equipment on line around me, the patient’s heart was beating on its own.

  “Initiate sterile field,” I said. My hands were steady-the only part of me that wasn’t trembling. “Get the setup over here.”

  One nurse took position next to me with an instrument tray, while a second went to the other side of the table.

  “Stats,” I demanded, and performed the visual. His chest was a mess. How many crew members would end up like this? On this table? Someone gave me his readings. “Scanner.”

  I passed the instrument over my patient and saw the heart was intact. The two-sided liver Jorenians possessed, however, was in bad shape. If I didn’t get into his chest right away, we were going to lose him. I yanked the charred shreds of his tunic aside.

  “Speaker,” the patient was muttering. “Bring my... Speaker.”

  “Put him out!” I said, positioning the lascalpel at the chest wound’s lower edge.

  Incredibly, both nurses stepped back from the table. One bowed her head and started praying out loud. The other shut off the field generator.

  “What are you doing?” Outraged, I looked from one to the other. “Reinstate that field! You, get over here and help me!”

  One obeyed. The other stared at me without comprehension. I couldn’t believe she just stood there.

  “That means you, too!”

  The white eyes widened innocently. “He asks for eternity, Healer.” She actually turned and began to walk out again. “I will get-“

  “Get your ass back over here!” The appalled nurse reluctantly returned to the table. I activated the sterile field myself. “Assist me.” I elbowed the instrument tray toward her. “Clamp!”

  It took some fast, fancy cutting, but I located and stopped the hemorrhaging vessel. All that was left was to put the liver back together as fast as my hands could patch. The next case was wheeled in before I closed.

  “Not yet!” I positioned the lascalpel. Squilyp pulled it from my hand. We looked at each other for a moment. The surgical suite was dead silent.

  A perfect time for him to sneer at me. He’d be more than justified, this time.

  “Go,” he said, stepping up to the table. “I’ll close for you.”

  Astonished, I nodded and stripped off my bloody gloves. Then I turned on the mutinous nurse. She seemed dazed as she looked from me to the patient she had tried to walk out on.

  “You.” I pointed to her, then jabbed my thumb toward the door panel. “Out.”

  She gave me a reproachful frown. “Healer, I meant no disrespect.”

  “You froze up on me,” I said. “I don’t need that in here. Go help with triage.” As she started to hand me some kind of Jorenian philosophical nonsense, I shook my head. “Forget it. Get out.”

  Another series of blasts rocked the ship. Then the main display announced we were going into transition. At once.

  “Hold on!” I shouted to the Omorr, who thrust the laser aside and pinned the patient with his three limbs. I braced myself over mine and felt a sickening drop as the Sunlace bored into another dimension.

  A day later, I was in Tonetka’s office. Neither of the surgical patients who had been on the table during transition showed any ill effects from the dangerous dimensional shift. Nor had any of the other thirty casualties suffered repercussions. That wasn’t what I was pacing back and forth about. The Senior Healer trudged in and gave me a disgruntled frown.

  “I ordered you off duty.” She rounded the desk and dropped into her chair. Her tunic was still splattered with green blood.

  “We need to talk.” I came to a halt in front of her desk. “Five patients died yesterday, Tonetka.” I knew every one of their names. I’d examined each body. Knew I’d never forget their faces.

/>   “I know.”

  I picked up a chart. Thumped it down in front of her. “This one didn’t have to.”

  Tonetka sat back in her chair and sighed before she studied the chart display. “Bola Torin, abdominal injuries, multiple fractures, Speaker requested.” She gazed blandly back at me. “I see no issue here.”

  “Didn’t you hear me? He didn’t have to die. Bola bled to death.” She nodded. I couldn’t believe it. “He bled to death here! In a berth! No one touched him! He was left to die!”

  “He died because he chose to.”

  I reared back. “What?”

  “Bola refused all aid. He requested only his Speaker.”

  “Bola refused-“ Confused, I sat down. “The patient refused treatment?”

  “It was his right.” At my blank look, Tonetka explained. “In our culture the path is predetermined solely by the one who travels it.”

  So it was some kind of religious thing. Great. “You’re telling me suicide is okay with you people.”

  The Senior Healer nodded. “It is our custom, Cherijo. Should that decision be to embrace eternity, we cannot bar the path.”

  Religion was one thing, but this man’s life could have easily been saved. “How could Bola be relied upon to make a rational decision? He was in shock!”

  “We do not judge such decisions, Cherijo, we merely respect them.”

  “So you respect an injured man’s desire to bleed to death.” I leaned forward. “Tell me, what other charming customs do you have that I don’t know about? I already know the one about disemboweling an enemy while they’re still alive. Do you ritually sacrifice children to some deity every now and then? Torture someone if they get sick of the color blue?”

  “Of course not.” She sounded exasperated. “Cherijo, why are you so angry?”

  “Five people are dead, Tonetka. Thirty more injured. All because I’m on this ship. I’m not Jorenian, so don’t expect me to sing and dance about it.”

  “You belong to HouseClan Torin, Cherijo,” Tonetka said. “You must respect our customs.” Her voice gentled. “You must not hold yourself accountable for this incident, either.”

  I’d hold myself accountable for whatever I damn well felt like. But that wasn’t the issue. “Your custom violates everything I believe in as a physician. We’re trained to provide care and save lives. Whatever it takes.”

  The Senior Healer frowned. “Your Terran philosophies do not nullify one hundred thousand years of Jorenian tradition.”

  We’d just see about that. “Tell me something, Tonetka. When I’m Senior Healer, will I have to respect the wishes of these suicidal patients?”

  A flicker of something crossed her face. “You may try to persuade them to embrace life.”

  I recalled the long discussions Tonetka once had with Hado Torin before we performed his surgery. How frantic she had been to keep him from dying. Her reaction to Roelm’s death.

  “You feel the same way I do,” I said. “You try to talk them out of it, don’t you? That’s what you did with Hado.”

  “If I can.” She rubbed her eyes. “Sometimes I do not hear their requests. I am traveled, my tympanic nerves are aged.”

  I stared at the chart. “Except yesterday.” I looked up and through my pain saw her own. “You didn’t know about Bola until it was too late, did you?” She made an eloquent gesture. “The nurses did this. One of them tried to do the same thing in surgery.”

  “Did you prevent her from getting a patient’s Speaker?”

  “Prevent her? I practically decked her!”

  “Then you will be officially reprimanded by me for violating Jorenian custom. Consider it done.” The Senior Healer rose and indicated the door. “Now go to your quarters and get some rest.”

  I left Tonetka’s office, but rest was out of the question. At least until I decided what I was going to do.

  I could stay on the ship, but if the mercenaries had found us once, they’d find us again. My presence directly endangered the crew. I could find a non-League planet, get off the ship, and hide there-but my presence would endanger those people.

  Any planet will be invaded. Any ship will be targeted. Anyone who helps you will be eliminated.

  There was only one choice, after all.

  I spotted Ktarka Torin through the viewer of one of the isolation rooms, and went to see what she was doing. On the berth inside the room was a Terran male.

  “Who is this?” I asked.

  “One of the mercenaries,” Ktarka replied. “He was attempting to board the ship when the Sunlace transitioned. They found him on level two, unconscious, with minor injuries.”

  He was lucky to be alive. I noted the tough, sinewy body and the shaggy mane of dirty hair. His relaxed features retained harsh, brutal lines of experience. A hunter. One of the many who had been coming after me.

  “Has he regained consciousness?”

  “No.” Ktarka indicated the locking restraints that held the mercenary pinned to the berth. “When he does, Captain Pnor wishes to interrogate him. Do you know him?”

  Jorenians assumed everyone in a species was either related or acquainted with each other, as they were. “No, I don’t.” I picked up his chart and made a note to be informed when he regained consciousness. I wanted to know just how many more ships the League had sent after me. “He looks mean.” I looked at the Jorenian’s weary face and touched her shoulder. “So why are you here?”

  “My co-workers and I volunteered to assist with the injured,” Ktarka said. “Adaola asked me to monitor this one. The nurses are very busy, and no one wishes...” She made a diplomatic gesture.

  Nobody wanted to help those responsible for the deaths of five Torins. I could understand that. I wondered why no one had done the same to me, since I was one of the responsible parties.

  A nurse passed by the isolation room. Her angry gaze bounced from the unconscious man’s face to mine. I decided to call her in to relieve Ktarka, but before I could speak, the woman abruptly turned away.

  Well, that answered my question, and hurt, more than I cared to admit. “I have to get out of here before the boss chases me out, Ktarka. Thanks for your help.”

  From my quarters, I signaled the temporary command level and inquired after the condition of the ship. It wasn’t good. Displacer fire had rendered the upper three levels of the ship unfit for use. Level one was nearly completely destroyed. Half the gyrlifts were nonoperational. We were all going to be walking a lot for the next few days.

  In return, I reported the death toll, complete casualty numbers, and details on the patients in serious condition. Every name created new weight on top of the five already crushing my heart. By the time I was done, I knew what I had to do.

  “May I to speak to the Captain?” I asked the duty officer, and was told he was unavailable. “Please ask him to signal me as soon as possible.” I recalled the injured Terran. “What are you planning to do about this mercenary we’ve got over in Medical?” The Jorenian only smiled and flexed his hands. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

  Jenner jumped up and snuggled next to me as I curled up on my sleeping platform’s soft pillows. His cool nose nuzzled my hand. I stroked him absently.

  “Hey, pal. You hungry? I’ll be...”

  I fell asleep instead. My dreams were immediate and ugly. Filled with faceless demons pursuing me wherever I ran, finding me wherever I hid. Their hands snatched at me, tearing my tunic, pulling at my hair. Rough, frightening voices called my name, laughed at me. I ran until I tripped and fell. Then they crowded all around me, their sharp teeth glittering.

  “No escape, lab meat.” One of the hideous things leaned close. “You’ll never get away. Now get up. Get up-“

  “Get up.”

  I opened my eyes. A Terran stared back at me over the edge of a surgical mask. The rim of a pulse rifle barrel sat on the bridge of my nose.

  “Get up now.” It was the mercenary Ktarka had been monitoring. Somehow he had gotten into full su
rgical gear and walked out of Medical. “Slow and easy.”

  I moved carefully, sliding off my sleeping platform to stand up. I was only wearing an undershirt and briefs. He pulled off the head gear and mask while he took a long look.

  “Well, well, well. You’re going to earn me a tidy little bounty, Dr. Grey Veil.”

  There was probably no chance of me taking him off-guard, as I had Squilyp. That rifle he held trained on me never twitched an inch. My display was too far away to reach and signal for help. If I tried to use voice commands, I suspected he’d knock me out.

  My shoulders sagged. I could go quietly, I thought, and be done with this.

  “Very nice.” He moved closer, reached out and grabbed my breast. I concealed my revulsion with indifference. “Pity I don’t have time now. Maybe when we get back to my ship.”

  No. I wasn’t going quietly. Not with this animal. “Don’t get your hopes up.”

  Brutal fingers squeezed until the pain made me inhale sharply. “That’s right, Doctor. I’m in charge. Remember that.” He let his hand fall away. “Get some clothes on.”

  I pulled on the first garments that came to hand. Jenner was nowhere in sight. Had he done something to my cat? I couldn’t ask. If Jenner was hiding, he was safe.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Shut up and get over here.”

  I tugged on my footgear and approached him slowly. When I got within a foot, he grabbed my braid and used it to pull me up against him. The pulse rifle pressed against the back of my head. There was Jorenian blood on him; I could smell it. Who had he hurt or killed to get out of Medical?

  Ktarka.

  “Maybe I do have enough time,” he said, and ground his hips against mine. “The old man doesn’t care what shape you’re in. Only that he gets you back on Terra.”

  It took every ounce of strength to remain motionless as he jammed his mouth over mine. His thick tongue squirming against my clenched teeth made me want to vomit. He groped my breasts with bruising greed. I kept still and didn’t fight him. He raised his head at last, plainly disappointed.