"James White - SG 03 - Major Operation" - читать интересную книгу автора (White James)

yellow, foggy world of the chlorine-breathing Illensans. Here the corridors were crowded with the
spiny, membranous and unadorned denizens of Illensa while it was the Tralthans, Kelgians and Earth
humans like himself who wore, or in some cases drove, protective armor. The next leg of his
journey took him through the vast tank where the thirty-foot long, water-breathing entities from
Chalderescol II swam ponderously through their warm, green world. The same suit served him here
and, while the traffic was less dense, he was slowed down considerably through having to swim
instead of walk. Despite this he was on the Forty-sixth Level observation gallery, his suit still
streaming Chalder water, just fifteen minutes after leaving O'Mara's office, and Prilicla arrived
close behind him.
"Good morning, friend Conway," said the little empath as it swung itself deftly onto the
ceiling and hung by six fragile, sucker-tipped legs. The musical trills and clicks of its
Cinrusskin speech were received by Conway's Translator pack, relayed down to the tremendous
computer at the center of the hospital and transmitted back to his earpiece as flat, emotionless
English. Trembling slightly, the Cinrusskin went on, "I feel you needing help, Doctor."
"Yes indeed," said Conway, his words going through the same process of Translation and
reaching Prilicla as equally toneless Cinrusskin. "It's about Mannon. There was no time to give
details when I called you..
"No need, friend Conway," said Prilicla. "On the Mannon incident the grapevine is more
than usually efficient. You want to know what I saw and felt, of course.
"If you don't mind," said Conway apologetically.
Prilicla said that it didn't mind. But the Cinrusskin was, in addition to being the nicest
entity in the whole hospital, its greatest liar.
Of physiological classification GLNO-insectile, exoskeletal with six pipe stem legs and a
pair of iridescent and not quite atrophied wings, and possessing a highly developed empathic
faculty, only on Cinruss with its one-eighth Earth gravity could a race of insects have grown to
such dimensions and in time developed intelligence and a high civilization. But in Sector General
Prilicla was in deadly danger for most of its working day. It had to wear gravity nullification
devices everywhere outside its quarters because the gravity pull which most beings considered
normal would instantly have crushed it flat, and when Prilicla held a conversation with anyone it
swung itself out of reach of any thoughtless movement of arm or tentacle which would have caved in
its fragile body or snapped off a leg. While accompanying anyone on rounds it usually kept pace
with them along the corridor walls or ceiling so as to avoid the same fate.
Not that anyone would have wanted to hurt Prilicla in any way-it was too well liked for
that. Prilicla's empathic faculty saw to it that the little being always said and did the right
thing to people-being an emotion-sensitive to do otherwise would mean that the feelings of anger
or sorrow which its thoughtless action caused would bounce back and figuratively smack it in the
face. So the little empath was forced constantly to lie and to always be kind and considerate in
order to make the emotional radiation of the people around it as pleasant for itself as possible.
Except when its professional duties exposed it to pain and violent emotion in a patient,
or it wanted to help a friend.
Just before Prilicla began its report Conway said, "I'm not sure myself what exactly it is
I'm looking for, Doctor. But if you can remember anything unusual about Mannon's actions or
emotions, or those of his staff. .
With its fragile body trembling with the memory of the emotional gale which had emanated
from the now empty Hudlar theater two days ago, Prilicla set the scene as it had been at the
beginning of the operation. The little GLNO had not taken the Hudlar physiology tape and so had
not been able to view the proceedings with any degree of involvement with the patient's condition,


file:///F|/rah/James%20White/White,%20James%20...tor%20General%2003%20-%20Major%20Operation.txt (3 of 72) [5/21/03 10:25:09 PM]