Chapter 4
This is Federation Station Alpha adjunct to Kezdet. Please state your name, ship, corporate or galactic origins, registration number, and the purpose of your voyage."
"Federation outpost, this is Captain Jonas P. Becker aboard the Condor, flagship of Becker Interplanetary Recycling and Salvage Enterprises, Ltd. Registration number 333666444555333. I am transporting two Linyaari ambassadors, one of them the Lady Acorna Harakamian-Li, and their-"
"Holy holos, Captain Becker, are we glad to see you! Well, not you. It's Lady Acorna. Maganos Moonbase notified us that she would be arriving soon, and it's not quite soon enough. Lady Acorna?" the dispatcher asked, trying to look beyond Uncle Joh and onto the bridge. He was a very young man, a boy really, with dark hair, skin the color of some of the roan planet-born children of Khorii's generation, and very light eyes. No horn, of course. Like Uncle Joh, he was a human. Mother waved at the screen. "Maybe you don't remember me, Lady, but you rescued me from a mine on Kezdet a few years ago. Kmal Madari-well, Midshipman Madari, now. There are stories about you and your lifemate Aari going around all the outposts-and Captain Becker and his cat first mate and the android, too. How you all squashed those Khleevi bug monsters."
"It wasn't quite like that, Kmal. But thank you for remembering me so fondly. We are on our way to take our daughter to visit relatives at Maganos Moonbase. How can we help you? I take it there's some trouble?"
"You bet there is. The whole Solojo star system has been infested with some kind of a plague, and the Federation Health Authorities are scared stiff it's already spread to other systems and worlds in our quadrant. A healer of your caliber-and your husband's, of course-well, you folks are maybe the only hope the victims in the Solojo settlements have left. The docs are baffled-and most of the medical folk are sick or dead as well. This is a killer plague. Even hazmat teams haven't been able to figure it out. We can't evacuate anyone without exposing ourselves and other people. It's a real mess. So when Mr. Nadezda and Mr. Baird told us you were coming to Maganos, the brass stepped in. They want you to go straight to Solojo, to the settlement on Paloduro. It's the most recently stricken, so there'll be the most survivors or people you can help. We hope."
"Naturally we'll be happy to assist," Mother said, with an apologetic look in Khorii's direction. "But our daughter is with us. It's her first visit here to see her grandparents on Maganos Moonbase. We were hoping to arrive for the birth of Gill and Judit's baby."
"I understand. I-er-let me patch you through to Federation Health Headquarters."
The com screen flashed to a woman who looked so tired that when she tried to smile it was as if gravity kept the corners of her mouth down. "Commodore Crezhale here, Lady Acorna, Lord Aari. Glad you are willing to help us. We will reroute your ship immediately, as soon as one of our fuel ships can replenish your supply. Your Linyaari expertise in these matters will be a godsend to Solojo. However, I have to warn you that Captain Becker and any other non-Linyaari life-forms traveling with you, I repeat, any non-Linyaari life-forms, including androids and animals, are under strict orders to remain aboard the vessel at all times. The most rigid sterilization procedure must be used when you re-board your ship to avoid bringing contaminants aboard. Sterile procedure must also be followed on foodstuffs or other supplies. There is to be no cargo taken on your vessel. From what we've observed, this plague crosses species with the greatest of ease, and until we've figured out its transmission method, "we're not taking any chances."
"Hmm," the captain said, with a glance at Khorii, who had finished sulking and returned to the bridge to see Kezdet. "Sounds to me like this is not a good time for the ambassadors to be taking their little girl to visit her human grandparents and great aunts and uncles and cousins, is that right?"
"Affirmative."
"Well, then, maybe we ought to just head back for MOO. We can't take Khorii onto a plague planet," Uncle Joh said.
Mother stepped forward and said, "What is the status of Maganos Moonbase? Has there been any report of infection there?"
"Not as far as we know. I'm sorry to interfere with your family plans, but this is an emergency."
"Aari and I are perfectly willing to do all we can to help halt the plague, and if we are not enough, we will send for other Linyaari to bring more of our technology to help, too, but Captain Becker is correct in saying that we have our child to think of. Linyaari children are not strong enough to deal with this sort of crisis-the healing devices require adult mind control to operate at their highest efficiency. A child would die trying to cope with such a huge demand on her energy. So we must take her somewhere safe. If we can just deliver her to Maganos Moonbase first . .."
"And Khiindi, Avvi," Khorii said. "If I go, Khiindi must come with me." She wanted familiar company. Badly. She did not like the idea of being abandoned among strangers. She didn't agree with it, but she knew she had no choice in the matter. The being abandoned part was nothing new, but she barely knew most of the people they had been going to see. Other than that they were pretty, as she had seen pictures of them, she had no idea what the grandmothers would be like. They sounded very kind, since Grandsire Calum's and Grandsire Gill's wives, the Kendoro sisters, had helped save Mother from all the troubles she was always getting into as a youngling, to hear Grandsire Rafik tell it.
Khorii knew Grandsire Rafik a bit better than the other two. Since he was the nephew and heir of Great-uncle Hafiz, the founder of House Harakamian and the Moon of Opportunity, Rafik visited MOO about once every Standard year to consult with Hafiz on business and to bring Khorii presents and tell her stories.
Once he had brought her a piece of scarlet cloth embroidered with gold and little mirrors. She had put it around herself and carried it behind her in both hands like a sail when she ran but it caught on the bushes and tore one day, so after that she draped it over her sleeping mat. This delighted Khiindi, who had chased the rainbows cast by the reflections on the mirrors and kneaded the cloth full of holes.
"Yes," Elviiz said, in that annoying know-it-all way he had. "The child and her kaat must be kept safe. Although I am a Linyaari child, too, I am a Linyaari android child and thus . . ."
"Thus you will accompany your sister-friend where she goes," Maak said firmly.
"But, Father, I should stay and help you and Captain Becker and my Linyaari parents." Khorii stuck her tongue out at Elviiz where only he could see. He couldn't stick his out at her in return because he was trying to be so grown-up and was standing in front of the viewscreen where the Federation dispatcher could see him.
"You will help us all best by fulfilling your primary function and keeping Khorii safe," Maak told him. "We will have more father-and-son bonding sessions on future occasions. I will be too busy assisting Captain Becker and the first mate to provide you with proper instruction."
While they were arguing, the commodore, no doubt assuming that her wishes were their command, had signed off, and Kmal the dispatcher was back again.
"I can see we have a problem," Kmal said. As serious as his voice had been before, he seemed to be trying not to laugh now. Khorii thought maybe he thought it was funny, too, to see Elviiz put in his place. "Let me check with my superiors and get back to you. Have you spoken with Maganos Moonbase recently?"
"Not yet," the captain said. "We haven't been able to get any of Lady Acorna's dads on their private channels. Busy men, I guess."
"Yes, sir. In that case I'll make contact for you and explain the situation to them, let them know you've gone through channels and everything," Kmal said. "Over and out for now."
He soon reappeared, and said, "Okay, Lady Acorna, the Condor is cleared to orbit Maganos Moonbase and dispatch your daughter and her pet and her droid to the surface. Following that, please proceed to Paloduro with all possible speed."