They all looked at each other, then Hap summed it up. "Well," he said. "That sucks."
Khorii said, "With the lab now ready for you to use, Jalonzo, perhaps there is something we can do about it after all."
"I'll help you, buddy," Hap said. "I want to kick its viral butt."
"I should be able to be of assistance, too," Elviiz said.
"I can help," Khorii said. "Definitely. But first I think we should also collect specimens from my mom and dad to see if they are incubating a new Linyaari-specific strain, as they fear."
She, Sesseli, and Jaya took the shuttle back to the Mana while the boys ran off toward the lab. Sesseli slipped one of her hands into Khorii's left hand and Jaya's right as they walked through the ship. Captain Bates half turned in her chair when they entered the bridge.
"There's good news and bad news, ladies," she said.
Khiindi, who had opted for the Mana over the Condor where his sire held the ironclad alpha cat position, deserted Captain Bates's lap for Khorii's shoulder.
"The good news is that the communications relays are now open all the way back to the Moonbase and Kezdet. Congratulations, Khorii, you are a great aunt. The bad news is that we've had a number of other distress calls from colonies in the next system. The nearest two are moons, Luna Frida Kahlo and Luna Diego Rivera, colonized by a company based on Dinero Grande."
"None farther afield than that?" Khorii asked. If the plague was a deliberate attack, as they suspected, it must not have been as thorough as the perpetrators hoped.
"Not that I've heard about so far. The Federation posts were the hardest hit, and the word about quarantine got out elsewhere. But it seems that the moons were infected after every other place. Some of the first victims are still alive."
"We'd better hurry then," Khorii said.
Chapter 30
As the Mana left Paloduro space, Khorii watched the speck that was the Condor, then the speck that Paloduro became fade into the distance. Finally, the Solojo sun itself became just a very bright star, but not so bright as the red giant that illuminated the entire Solojo system. The planets themselves were harsh and full of noxious gases, but the twin moons that orbited the third planet, Calaca del Muerto, had been bubble-colonized like Maganos Moonbase. The purpose of the colonies was to cultivate and tend experimental genetically engineered crops, according to the general information the Mana's crew had downloaded from Federation data banks.
The com unit beeped, and Khorii saw her mother and father again. "Khorii, we heard you're on your way to heal some people on two different moons," her father said. "You know we would never want you to withhold compassionate aid to others, but do not let them exhaust you. This is very difficult to say, yaazi, but even if a few people die while you rest, you must risk it, or you may have the same problem your mother and I have now-and you could infect your human companions."
"Don't worry, Dad, Mom," she said, again using terms she'd learned on the Moonbase. Although she understood why it had to be, she was still hurt and also angry with them for refusing to see her. "I have it under control. Also, you should know that the boys have a theory, which so far has been borne out by all of our observations. We think that the plague has been deliberately engineered so that it attacks beings with certain hormone levels. We think it has something to do with being able to reproduce. Most of the plague victims aren't kids my age or elders. The farm animals and pets who were altered also mostly survived. So we think I'm immune. But we could be wrong. So I guess if I come back tainted, I'll go in with you, and we'll just have to get Captain Bates to lock herself airtight in the cargo bay or something until we can cure this. Jaya's already had it, and, if we're right, Sesseli is immune. But we need you to send blood and tissue samples down to the planet for analysis, so they can work on understanding how the plague in you has been changed."
That would show them they should not underestimate her! She had grown up a lot since she saw them last and they needed to realize that. Already she knew more about this plague they were supposed to cure than they did.
"Yaazi," her mother said, holding her gaze through the com unit as if she were right beside her. "Captain Becker and RK should have been immune, too. Remember, they were exposed aboard the derelict which, as we all found out from Elviiz's data, did carry the plague. They had it and we cured them and that should have made them immune if immunity is conferred by recovery from the disease. So Jaya could still catch it again if you become exhausted enough to expose her. We certainly hope you and the boys are right and that you are all immune because of your age and hormone levels, but we were immune as well until we became very tired. I'm very proud to hear you thinking this through, but the things causing these illnesses can mutate, Khorii. They can change the rules on you before you know what game they are playing. Promise us that you will rest when you need to."
Chastened, Khorii nodded, and again felt like crying because she couldn't see her parents when she needed them the most. But she swallowed her tears and gulped hard, then looked out the viewscreen again. She had too many other things to do to sit here and wallow in her misery.
Captain Bates touched her hand. "It's time, honey."
Khorii had never felt so alone in her life as when she finally got her wish and piloted the shuttle down to Luna Diego Rivera. But she had formed a plan even while discussing the risks of this mission with her parents. A figure clothed in what looked like a helmeted shipsuit waited for her at the entrance to the nearest bubble.
"Senorita, we are so grateful you have come. Your people are said to be able to work miracles with this disease. We have many afflicted now, and two have died."
As politely as she could, she said, "Then there's no time to waste. Do you have a pool?"
"Pool?"
"Um-water-large body of water. A pond, lake, pool, sea?"
"Si!" he said. "Oh yes, we have a reservoir for watering our plants and for drinking water for ourselves."
"Good. Please take me there and bring everyone else, too."
"But we have quarantined the sick ones, senorita, as the Federation ordered."
"If you don't want them to die, unquarantine them. Have the older children-but no one over thirteen Standard years, and any elders who live with you bring them to the water. I'll treat everyone before I'm done-um, how many of you are there here?"
"Six thousand, senorita."
"And how big is the reservoir? How many people would it hold?"
"We do not put people in it normally, senorita, so I do not know," the man said. He was no doubt a senior scientist, and he was looking at her as if reconsidering the idea of having her help them.
"I suppose we'll find out. Which way is the reservoir?"
"Straight ahead, following this street to the last bubble."
"Fine. You gather the sick ones and bring them there, and I'll meet you. Please trust me, and bring them as soon as you are able."
Khorii realized her reassurance might not be enough, so she broadcast a silent psychic message and hoped the colony had enough people who were sufficiently receptive that they would not have to rely on word of mouth alone. "Hola, people of Luna Diego. I am Khorii, of the Linyaari race from the planet Vhiliinyar. I have the ability to help cure your colony of the illness, but I must treat many of you at once. That is why I want you to bring your sick ones to the reservoir. When you arrive, help them into the water. Assist the ones who cannot support themselves so they don't drown."
As she broadcast, people came, at first in pairs or trios, then a steady flow from the rows of small flat-roofed dwellings lining the street. Beyond the buildings, to the edges of the bubble's horizon, were greenhouses and fields, untended and empty.