"White, James - Sector General 04 - Ambulance Ship.PDB" - читать интересную книгу автора (White James)

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The report from Torrance arrived just before Conway reached OТMaraТs office. It said that one of the two stars had a light-gravity planet which was inhabitable while showing no indications of advanced technology, and that the other possessed a large, fastspinning world which was so flattened at the poles that it resembled two soup bowls joined at the rims. On the latter world the atmosphere was dense and far-reaching, gravity varied between three Gs at the poles to one-quarter G at the equator, and surface metals were nonexistent. Very recently, in astronomical terms, the world had spiraled too close to its sun and planet-wide volcanic activity and steam had rendered the atmosphere opaque. Torrance doubted that it was still habitable.

УThat supports my theory,Ф said Conway excitedly when OТMara had relayed the report to him, Уthat the bird and the barnacles, and the other insect life-form, originate from the same planet. The barnacles are parasites, of course, with a small individual brain capacity, but intelligent when linked and operating as a gestalt. They must have known that their planet was heading for destruction for centuries, and decided to escape. But just think of what it must have taken to develop a space-travel capability completely without metal..
Somehow they had learned how to trap the giant birds from the heavy-gravity polar regions and to control them with their tendrils- the barnacles were a physically weak species and their ability to control non-intelligent hosts was the only strength they had. The birds, Conway now knew, were a non-intelligent species as were the tendril-less beetles. They had taken control of the birds and had flown them high above the equator, commanding maximum physical effort to achieve the required height and velocity for the linkup with the final propulsion stage-the beetles. They also had been controlled by the barnacles, perhaps fifty to each parasite, and they had attached themselves to the areas behind the wings in a gigantic, narrow cone.
Meanwhile the bird had been shaped and paralyzed into the configuration of a supersonic glider, its claws removed to render it aerodynamically clean, and injected with the secretions which would arrest the processes of decomposition. The crew had then sealed it and themselves in position and gone into hibernation for the duration of the voyage using the birdТs tissue for life-support.
Once in position the propulsion cone comprising millions of insects, hundreds of thousands of which were the intelligent controllers, had begun firing. They had done so very evenly and gently, so as not to shatter or crush the narrow apex of the cone where it was attached to the bird. The beetles could be made to deliver their tiny modicum of thrust whether they were alive or dead and, even with their ability to seal themselves inside a hard coating, the propulsion controllers had not lived for very long-they also were expendable. But in dying they had helped an organic starship carrying a few hundred of their fellows to achieve escape velocity from their doomed planet and its sun.
..... I donТt know how they intended to position the bird for re-entry,Ф Conway went on admiringly, Уbut atmospheric heating was intended to trigger the organic melting process when they had braked sufficiently, allowing the barnacles to pull free of the bird and fly to the surface under their own wing-power. In my hurry to get rid of the coating I applied heat over a wide area of the forward section, which simulated re-entry conditions and-Ф
УYes, yes,Ф said OТMara testily. УA masterly exercise in medical deduction and sheer blasted luck! And now, I suppose, you will leave me to clean up after you by devising a method for communicating with these beasties and arranging for their transport to their intended destination. Or was there something else you wanted?Ф
Conway nodded. УBrenner tells me that his scoutship flotilla, using an extension of the search procedure for overdue ships, could cover the volume of space between the home and destination stars. There are probably other birds, perhaps hundreds of them-Ф
OТMara opened his mouth and looked ready to emulate a bombardier beetle. Conway added hastily, УI donТt want them brought here, sir. The Corps can take them where they are going, melt them on the surface to avoid re-entry casualties, and explain the situation to them.
УTheyТre colonists, after all-not patients.Ф


PART 2


CONTAGION


Senior Physician Conway wriggled into a slightly less uncomfortable position in a piece of furniture that had been designed for the comfort of a six-legged, exoskeletal Melfan, and said in an aggrieved tone, УAfter twelve yearsТ medical and surgical experience in the FederationТs biggest multienvironment hospital, one would expect the next logical step up the promotional ladder would be to something more prestigious than.., than an ambulance driver!Ф
There was no immediate response from the other four beings who were waiting with him in the office of the Chief Psychologist. Doctor Prilicla clung silently to the ceiling, the position it favored when in the company of more massive and well-muscled beings than itself. Sharing an Illensan bench were the spectacularly beautiful Pathologist Murchison and a silver-furred, caterpiller-like Kelgian charge nurse called Naydrad, also in silence. It was Major Fletcher, who as a recent visitor to the hospital had been given the officeТs only physiologically suitable chair, who broke the silence.
Seriously, he said, УYou will not be allowed to drive, Doctor.Ф
It was plain that Major Fletcher was still very conscious of the bright new ship commanderТs insignia decorating the sleeve of his Monitor Corps tunic, and that he was already concerned about the welfare of the vessel so soon to be his. Conway remembered feeling the same way about his first pocket scanner.
УNot even an ambulance driver,Ф said Murchison, laughing.
Naydrad joined the conversation with a series of moaning, whistling sounds, which translated as, УIn an establishment like this one, Doctor, do you expect logic?Ф
Conway did not reply. He was thinking that the hospital grapevine, a normally dependable form of vegetable life, had been carrying the news for days that a senior physician, Conway himself, was to be permanently attached to an ambulance ship.
On the ceiling, Doctor Prilicla was beginning to quiver in response to his emotional radiation, so Conway tried to bring his feelings of confusion and disappointment and hurt pride under control.
УPlease do not concern yourself unnecessarily over this matter, friend Conway,Ф said the little empath, the musical trills and clicks of its Cinrusskin speech overlaying the emotionless translated words. УWe have yet to be informed officially of the new assignment, and the probability is that you may be pleasantly surprised, Doctor.Ф
Prilicla, Conway knew, was not averse to telling lies if by so doing it could improve the emotional atmosphere of a situation. But not if the improvement would last for only a few seconds or minutes and be followed by even more intense feelings of anger and disappointment.
УWhat makes you think so, Doctor?Ф Conway asked. УYou used the word probability and not possibility. Have you inside information?Ф
УThat is correct, friend Conway,Ф the Cinrusskin replied. УI have detected a source of emotional radiation that entered the outer office several minutes ago. It is identifiable as belonging to the Chief Psychologist, and the emoting is purposeful, with the type of minorkey worrying associated with the carriage of authority and responsibility. I cannot detect the kind of feelings that should be present if the imparting of unpleasant news to someone was being planned. At present Major OТMara is talking to an assistant, who is also unaware of any potential unpleasantness.Ф
Conway smiled and said, УThank you, Doctor. I feel much better now.
УI know,Ф said Prilicla.
УAnd I feel,Ф said Nurse Naydrad, Уthat such discussion of the being OТMaraТs feelings verges on a breach of medical ethics. Emotional radiation is privileged information, surely, and should not be divulged in this fashion.~~
УPerhaps you have not considered the fact,Ф Prilicla replied, using the form of words which was the closest it could ever come to telling another being it was wrong, Уthat the being whose emotional radiation was under discussion is not a patient, friend Naydrad, and that the being most closely resembling a patient in this situation is Doctor Conway, who is concerned about the future and requires reassurance in the form of information on the non-patientТs emotional radiation..
NaydradТs silvery fur was beginning to twitch and ripple, indicating that the Kelgian charge nurse was about to reply. But the entrance of the non-patient from the outer office put an end to what could have been an interesting ethical debate.
OТMara nodded briefly to everyone in turn, and took the only other physiologically suitable seat in the room, his own. The Chief PsychologistТs features were about as readable as a lump of weathered basalt, which in some respects they resembled, but the eyes which regarded them were backed by a mind so keenly analytical that it gave OТMara what amounted to a telepathic faculty.
Caustically, he began: УBefore I tell you why I have asked for you four in particular to accompany Major Fletcher, and give you the details of your next assignment, which no doubt you have already learned in outline, I have to give you some background information of a non-medical nature.
УThe problem of briefing people like yourselves on this subject,Ф he went on, Уis that I cannot afford to make assumptions regarding your level of ignorance in matters outside your specialties. Should some of this information seem too elementary, you are at liberty to allow your attention to wander, so long as I donТt catch you at it.Ф
УYou have our undivided attention, friend OТMara,Ф said Prilicla, who, of course, knew this to be a fact.
УFor the time being,Ф Naydrad added.
УCharge Nurse Naydrad!Ф Major Fletcher burst out, his reddening face clashing with the dark green of his uniform. УYou are being something less than respectful to a senior officer. Such offensive behavior will not be tolerated on my ship, nor shall I-Ф
OТMara held up his hand and said dryly, УI didnТt take offense, Major, and neither should you. Up until now, your career has been free of close personal contact with e-ts, so your mistake is understandable. It is unlikely to be repeated when you learn to understand the thought processes and behavior of the beings who will be working with you on this project.
УCharge Nurse Naydrad,Ф OТMara went on, politely for him, is a Kelgian, a caterpillar-like life-form whose most noticeable feature is an all-over coat of silver-gray fur. You will already have noticed that NaydradТs fur is constantly in motion, as if a strong wind was continually blowing it into tufts and ripples. These are completely involuntary movements triggered by its emotional reactions to outside stimuli. The evolutionary reasons for this mechanism are not clearly understood, not even by the Kelgians themselves, but it is generally believed that the emotionally expressive fur complements the Kelgian vocal equipment, which lacks emotional flexibility of tone. However, you must understand that the movements of the fur makes it absolutely clear to another Kelgian what it feels about the subject under discussion. As a result, they always say exactly what they mean because what they think is plainly obvious-at least to another Kelgian. They cannot do otherwise. Unlike Doctor Prilicla, who is always polite and sometimes edits the truth to remove the unpleasant bits, Charge Nurse Naydrad will invariably tell the truth regardless of your rank or your feelings. You will soon grow used to it, Major.
УBut I did not intend to give a lecture on Kelgians,Ф he continued. УI did intend to discuss briefly the formation of what is now called the Galactic Federation .
On the briefing screen behind him there appeared suddenly a three-dimensional representation of the galactic double spiral with its major stellar features and the edge of a neighboring galaxy, shown at distances that were not to scale. As they watched and listened a short, bright line of yellow light appeared near the rim, then another and another-the links between Earth and the early Earth-seeded colonies, and the systems of Orligia and Nidia, which were the first extraterrestrial cultures to be contacted. Another cluster of yellow lines appeared, the worlds colonized or contacted by Traltha.
Several decades had passed before the worlds available to the Orligians, Nidians, Tralthans and Earth-humans were made available to each other. (Beings tended to be suspicious in those days, on one occasion even to the point of war.) But time as well as distance was being compressed on this representation.