Her throat felt painfully thick. She choked out, “Yesterday. When I passed out. That’s when he first made contact with me. Right after I deciphered the symbols in the hallway.”
Compton squeezed her arm and moved away. She could hear Walsh speaking in undertones. Gibbs and Bergen stayed silent, but Compton murmured words in support of Jane, encouraging Walsh to hear her out more fully.
She glanced back at them when Ajaya spoke up in a level voice, an incredulous look on her face, “For what it’s worth, I’m inclined to believe her, Commander. Remember, I was with her the entire morning. She’s been operating with an impossible amount of knowledge of your situation, your exact whereabouts, and the ship’s layout. I could barely keep up with her. There were several instances where I honestly did wonder if she was communicating with someone silently, because I just couldn’t explain her actions any other way.”
“Is that your professional opinion, Varma?” Walsh said sarcastically.
“With all due respect, Commander, you weren’t there.” Ajaya replied.
“Then let’s hear the details, Holloway. Start at the beginning.”
Ajaya protested, “We need to prioritize. I need to treat your injury, Commander.”
He waved her off dismissively and gestured at Jane. “It can wait. The details. Now, Holloway.”
Jane solemnly came forward and carefully described the unusual sensations going on inside her head each time Ei’Brai had been trying to make contact the day before. She explained how the symbols in the hall had opened up to her, and how Ei’Brai had said that in that moment he knew that he’d be able to communicate with her. She recounted their conversation. Then she skipped to that morning, how it had happened again, and how events had unfolded. Ajaya added to Jane’s narrative with observations and the timing from her point of view. When she finished, Walsh regarded her with a grim expression, but didn’t say anything right away.
Ajaya glanced from Walsh to Jane and back again. “We need to begin treatment on your injury, Commander. Your condition could quickly become serious. The first rule of thoracic bruising is to control the pain so the patient can breathe properly, or secondary problems can develop. Believe me, you do not want to go there.”
Jane felt uncomfortable under Walsh’s intense scrutiny. She gestured toward Alan. “Dr. Bergen’s hand is injured. It’s a chemical burn.”
Jane snuck a look at her own hands. The paracord had cut her palms raw, but the others’ injuries were worse. She’d wait until they’d been tended to before pulling Ajaya aside.
Ajaya was already examining Bergen’s hand. “You’ve got a nasty second-degree burn, Alan. I dearly wish I could stick this hand under running water for twenty minutes to make sure you’re well-rid of the chemical that caused this.”
That got Jane’s attention. She probed clumsily at the newly implanted data in her mind, searching for particulars about the medical facility Ei’Brai had mentioned. “Can you treat them, Ajaya? Do you have what you need to treat Bergen and Walsh in the capsule?”
“I’ll manage. I don’t have all the comforts of home, obviously. I’d like to get some ice on Walsh’s injury, but that’s not possible, of course.” Ajaya sent Jane an intrigued look. “Why?”
“This ship has a medical facility and it’s not far. There’s potable running water there. I might manage to find some ice too. There are medical scanning devices. We’ve been invited by our host to use all of it, as needed.”
Walsh eyed her skeptically. “You’re saying you could take us there? Where is it, from here?”
“It’s three decks up via the deck-to-deck transport and 300 or 400 feet down a corridor.” Jane slid a glance at Bergen. He was rubbing the back of his neck with his uninjured hand, watching Walsh with a serious expression on his face.
“No. We fall back to the capsule. It’s a defensible position,” Walsh said tersely.
Ajaya shook her head. “With all due respect, Commander, going back into microgravity right now would be a mistake—the fluid shift could be dangerous for you. In fact, I don’t think it’s wise for any of us to keep going back and forth for extended periods. The effects on electrolyte balance and blood pressure alone, well, there’s no predicting the long-term effects of repeated rapid cycling through extreme environments like these. We’re here to explore this ship. The ship has gravity. We need to make camp somewhere inside it. An infirmary is as good a place as any.”
Walsh glowered at her. “We can make camp in the corridor outside the capsule then. Stay close to our supplies.”
Gibbs ventured sheepishly, “With the kind of resources we’re documenting here, the supply of water this ship is carrying has to be massive, meant for hundreds of people, maybe thousands. Do you think they have showers, Jane? I could really use a shower.”
Jane smiled at him ruefully, “Yes, Ron. I believe there’s a shower in the infirmary. I was thinking about that, too.”
Walsh shot Gibbs a dirty look and then turned to Compton and Bergen. “Well?”
Bergen spoke up immediately, “I think it’s a good idea to see something besides cargo. If Jane can deliver, we should investigate it.”
Jane focused on Bergen sharply, but his expression was inscrutable.
“No surprise there. Compton?”
“I’m concerned about Jane. I want to know more about what happened to her.”
Walsh sighed heavily and then grimaced at the pain that must have caused. “Noted. Agreed. Your opinion?”
“I agree with Ajaya. If we have to make camp here for medical reasons, that sounds like a good solution. I have doubts about our ability to use their equipment right away, but it’s worth looking.”
Walsh surveyed the group like they’d all completely taken leave of their senses. “Fine. Take Varma and Gibbs and get the supplies we’ll need for twenty-four hours, then lock it up. We’ll see what this is all about.”
8
Jane slid down the wall and rummaged in her pack for a dose of ibuprofen. Her head ached and she felt utterly drained. She closed her eyes. Information was still unspooling inside her head. She caught glimpses of it now and then, filtering into her conscious mind when she wasn’t distracted.
So much of it was technological in scope. It was the stuff NASA wanted—details of structure, anatomy of propulsion drives, ventilation regulation, star maps, and so much more. It should have gone to Bergen or Compton or Gibbs. They were engineers of various types. It would make sense to them. They’d be able to use it. In their hands, it would be an advantage. In hers, it was nothing short of mind numbing. How could she ever hope to convey all of it properly? It was incomprehensible.
She didn’t want any of this. All she’d wanted was to learn the language. Now she had that and so much more. How had she ended up in this position?
As her mind wandered, she realized that the exterior of the ship, the way it was constructed, like a city skyline of jutting, geometric shapes, was for the purpose of hull integrity as much as for the optimal collection of solar radiation for the ship’s most basic power functions. The many angles ensured that a portion of the ship was always collecting some amount of energy. The way the ship was oriented in its orbit maximized that.
But, why give her all of this? Why not give just the pertinent portions needed to get to Bergen and Walsh in time? At the edges of her mind she sensed there was far more that she hadn’t quite grasped yet. It was an awareness of something intangible, but growing. Was that Ei’Brai?
Walsh kept in constant contact with Compton, micro-managing Compton’s every move in the capsule, clearly compensating for his discomfort over what had happened. Compton set up a remote link so that Walsh could send a transmission to Houston. He glossed over the details of the morning and neglected to mention that Jane had made contact with the alien entity.