An older boy, quite handsome by human standards, reacted the most negatively to Khiindi's adventures in progressive grazing. His glowering heavy eyebrows knitted together over dark eyes that seemed to be trying to turn into lasers to burn her poor little cat to a cinder if only he had the power.
Khiindi passed by him with seeming unconcern but returned to Khorii's lap rather quickly and resumed washing. Casting a slit-pupiled eye in the boy's direction, Khiindi raised a leg and proceeded to clean himself under his tail.
A moment later Elviiz said, "I feel a message arriving from Dad on the Condor."
Khorii was afraid he'd unfasten the top of his shipsuit then and there and show everyone the receiver screen attachment with which he and Maak both had augmented their chests. Calla had already taken her aside and told her that it went against the school's custom for students to disrobe in front of students of the opposite sex. Khorii had expressed confusion. She had naturally assumed that since all of the poopuus swam without clothing, it was the custom, when among them, to be similarly unclad. Calla said well, yes, but that was among the LoiLoiKuans and it was not the custom for the rest of the students. Khorii asked if this had something to do with mating. Calla said that yes, for the most part, it did. Khorii could not see the relevance since she was a different species from humans and not ready to mate anyway. Neither were most of the other kids, judging from their stages of development.
However, Elviiz had his own sense of what was correct. Communications took place in the computer lab. Therefore, they would receive the Condors transmission in the computer lab, which was empty now since the students were all grazing-er-dining, Khorii corrected herself.
Furthermore, Elviiz had another idea about propriety, having overheard Calla's admonition earlier in the day. "One moment, Khorii, and we will both view the transmission on one of these screens. Anyone passing by watching you staring intently at my upper torso might be puzzled and possibly alarmed. Unlike Captain Becker, or even Uncle Hafiz, these humanoids appear to be somewhat skittish." Thus saying he apparently took his own pulse, but with the result that one of the larger computer screens suddenly lit with the faces of Mother, Father, Uncles Joh and Maak, and RK. Khiindi hopped up onto the table in front of the screen and sat there, his lithe silvery body obscuring RK's brindled gray furriness. Khorii lifted him off the table and held him, scratching his belly so that he forgot to be jealous and overly curious, abandoning himself to blissful purrs.
They didn't really need him to blur the screen anyway, as the reception was unusually poor. The Condor had the very best communications equipment the wreckage of the galaxies had to offer and that Maak and Captain Becker could modify to meet their needs. Even so, its range was largely dependent on the booster relays set up by the Federation within its territories and by Uncle Hafiz to connect House Harakamian and the Moon of Opportunity. Since MOO, Vhiliinyar, and narhii-Vhiliinyar were not yet officially Federation members, and at any rate would not fall within the heavily traveled spaceways regulated by it, Hafiz would have been cut off from his supply lines without his own network. The Condor operated on both Federation and House Harakamian frequencies, but judging from the snowiness of the video and the static in the sound, both had been affected by the current crisis. Either the personnel who manned or maintained the relay stations were themselves ill or somehow incapacitated by the side effects of it-such as having staff members quarantined away from their duty stations, or needing to attend to family members, perhaps. Khorii couldn't quite imagine all of the reasons involved. After all, this was her first plague. She hoped it would be her last.
"Greetings, younglings," Uncle Maak said.
"Greetings, Father," Elviiz said. "What is your current position?"
Maak gave the coordinates, which placed them a bit less than halfway to the point Uncle Joh had indicated on the star charts. "There is not actually much to report, but we missed you and communications are becoming increasingly unsatisfactory, as you must perceive."
"The plague sounds very deadly and extremely widespread," Khorii said. "I do not see how you can cure it, just the two of you."
"We can't, of course," Mother said. "But by healing a few of the cases, we may be able to determine the etiology and make other observations that will help the physicians of this area-those who have not succumbed to the illness-in finding a specific cure that does not involve the use of our horns."
"We've been hearing most disturbing reports," Khorii told her. "It sounds as if it's spreading and spreading."
"You can't take all of those reports to heart, honey," Uncle Joh said. "It's probably just a slow news day for the Com Channels, and they're blowing it out of proportion. One relief ship became infected and before they discovered that they'd contacted the disease, they infected some of the personnel on the relay stations-it made it all a lot more visible than it would be ordinarily. I'm sure it's bad, but I doubt it's anything your mom and dad can't handle. And, hey, if they can't, we'll go for reinforcements."
"The disease, from the data we have gathered," Maak told them, "has an erratic gestation period of between one and seven Standard sleep cycles. It appears to have a long life away from its host and is probably transmitted by droplets, as it appears to be highly communicable."
"We are much needed, Khorii," Father said. His face was as gentle and loving as always when he looked at her, but strain showed around his eyes and the edges of his mouth. "The health-care providers have apparently been affected worse than any other sector of the population, and there is no one to care for the ill, especially where the disease has hit hardest, like Paloduro. We are glad you are safe on Maganos Moonbase, which is naturally isolated and has a lower probability of becoming an infection site."
"What if they find a cure, and because communications are so poor, you don't hear about it?" she asked. And then, since everyone was being so open about answering their questions, she asked the one that was really bothering her. "What if you get this disease?"
"Now, honey, don't get all panicky," Uncle Joh said. "Your folks will be fine. Maak and the cat and I will see to it. I guess you haven't been out and about enough to know this yet, but you Linyaari don't get sick."
Khorii nodded, but her worry must have shown on her face, since Mother leaned closer to the screen and touched it with her horn, as if she could transmit her feelings of safety and comfort across the many light-years separating her from her daughter. "Dear one, please do not worry about us. We've certainly been in more difficult spots than this, and I'm sure that as we work with the Federation's resources at our disposal, we'll be able to bring this crisis to an end very soon."
The transmission began breaking up then, and Khorii and Elviiz barely had time to say their good-bye before the friendly faces were lost in a sea of static.
"Don't worry, Khorii," Elviiz said. "They'll figure out how to stop this plague soon enough."
Khorii nodded, but she couldn't help nibbling on her lower lip and wondering, but what if they can't?
Chapter 8
Hafiz Harakamian had not attained his wealth and high position by being a patient man-not unless he was deliberately plotting or stalking something. He expected to be kept informed. And he also expected to be made godfather to the baby being born to Declan and Judit Giloglie as well as any children born to Calum and Mercy Baird or to his nephew and adopted son and heir, Rafik and his alluring lady. These children were related in spirit if not blood to his beloved adopted daughter Acorna and therefore, by Hafiz's reckoning, they all belonged to him as well. He was far too young and virile to be a grandfather, but a godfather-ah!