[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
g%20View%2003%20-%20Zelde%20M'Tana%20v1.0.txt flashing glare, she braced
herself and slammed back at the door. It didn't shut all the way-she heard a
\ithunk\i on the deck, and pulled back and slammed again. A cry-pain, or
anger? A third slam, and this time the door closed solidly. She found the bolt
and set it, then felt around on the deck until she found what had fallen
there.
A knife, it was-and where her side burned, blood ran. Still she couldn't see,
but felt for the switch and turned up the lighting. Waiting, after a while she
had some sight, and then more. Meanwhile she tried to rerun the one quick look
she'd had at the knife artist.
Small, sure. Skinny? Maybe. Hair ragged-flat to the head with a few wisps
outlined against the light.
And-not clear-something funny about the face. Lopsided? No clue to
coloring-hair or face, either one.
No point in putting out any kind of alert, on what she had. But the voice-
yeah-a woman's.
With only dim floating lights now, in the way of seeing, she looked at her
side. A long cut, through the fatty layer at deepest, and nicking the
muscle-with her fingers she spread it wider, to see, to make sure it wasn't
deeper. Bleeding enough to wash the wound clean-and mess up the deck, pretty
soon-but nothing to worry about.
She used paper tissues to mop off the blood running down her hip, then blotted
at the cut itself. She found the first-aid kit and got out dressings already
coated with anti-
infectant. It took two of those to close the cut all its length, and she
pulled them up tight before pressing the upper halves to her skin. Yes-that
should hold the edges to gether. She moved, flexing her body-it hurt, but not
enough to bother. She washed off the rest of the blood, and got dressed.
Now she was hungry. The time? Too early to call Turk-so Zelde made do with
more crackers, a packet of cheese, and a can of meat broth-the kind that
heated itself when you opened it.
\r 233
\rOnly two hours sleep, she'd had-but no hope of sleeping now. She lay down
anyway-but then the intercom sounded. She answered and listened-then she
gasped. "I'll be right there!"
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Ragir was alive! The place was wrecked-most of the complicated equipment
smashed and scattered-but with Fesler working over him, Parnell raised a hand
to greet her. The medic waved her back, and she saw tubes still protruding
from her man's arm. All right-she could wait. But: "What the \ihell\i . . . ?"
Fesler shook his head; it was Parnell who answered. "I heard something, looked
up." Somebody bending over him, holding a hypo. Told him to shut up-a woman's
voice, it was. He tried to move away, but couldn't-and for an instant, in
light from the doorway, he saw the intruder. Now he coughed.
"Water?"
His was spilled; Zelde brought some from the next room. Parnell sipped, then
spoke again. "That face I
won't forget. Slabsided-the nose bent to one side. No one I'd ever seen
before-which, here on the ship, puzzles me." \iSame one came after me-it has
to be!\i Fesler pulled a tube from Parnell's arm; the captain winced. "Is that
the last of it?" The medic nodded, and Parnell went on with his story. The
woman had tripped over a cable and knocked down part of his support system-he
yelled, and swung the water pitcher at her head. "My bad shoulder, I had to
use-it could stand a shot, Fesler, when you have time."
"Sure, skipper-but first I had to patch the leaks." "Yes." The woman had
pulled back, hands empty now, and scrabbled on the deck-for the hypo,
probably. Parnell heard someone coming-Fesler, as it turned out.
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file:///G|/eMule/Incoming/Busby,%20F.%20M%20-%20Long%20View%....%20M%20-%20Lon
g%20View%2003%20-%20Zelde%20M'Tana%20v1.0.txt
"She did, too, I suppose-she got up and began tearing the apparatus apart.
Tried to hit me with part of it, but a cable snubbed it and she missed."
"And that's about the time," said Fesler, "that I came in one door, just in
time to see the other one slam in my face."
"Right," said Parnell. "Very welcome you were, too." He frowned. "One thing I
just remembered. She favored her right hand-used the left one almost
entirely."
Zelde's laugh surprised her; Parnell stared. "It's-well, 234
the right hand, I slammed the door on it a couple of times. When she tried for
\ime\i a few minutes ago."
She told it fast-how she'd been caught half asleep-and shook her head. "Busy
bitch, that one is."
Parnell tried to raise his head. \i"Are you all right?"\i
"Oh, sure." She gestured. "Caught me along the side with her knife-\imy\i
knife now-but not deep."
Fesler looked worried. "No, really-I looked close and washed it out careful,
and bandaged it shut, good.
You can look later if you want, Fesler-but I been cut worse with \ino\i help,
and healed up okay."
"If you say so." Fesler checked a final dressing on Par-nell's arm, and
straightened up. "Skipper-given the choice, I'd have left you on the plumbing
another day or two. I'll dig out replacements for the equipment, of course,
but I think you're stable. And for now, safer in your quarters than you were
here."
Zelde snorted. "Like \iI\i was?"
"You were off guard," said Parnell. "From now on- until that creature is
caught-we'll both know better."
"That one? And maybe more." But Zelde nodded. "All right. Fesler, you putting
an aide on duty with
Parnell? Or can he and I take care of him, yet?"
"I'll assign someone-you can manage, I think, until I get schedules
rearranged." He left the room briefly, and came back with a tray of
bottles-pills and liquids, both- and a clipboard. "Captain, the galley has
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your prescribed meal chart. Order food when you want it-and try to eat hearty;
you've lost weight."
Then to Zelde: "Here's the medication schedule. You see that it's followed."
"Hear that, Ragir?" Parnell nodded. "Then all right."
"There's one thing," said Fesler. "Changing from IV drugs to pills, for pain.
There's a lot of that stuff in your blood right now, skipper-so take \ino\i
pain pills until, say, ten hundred hours tomorrow. And then only half-dosage
for that day. Clear?"
"Very," said Parnell. He cleared his throat. "There was something said,
though, about a shot for my shoulder." And Zelde saw the beads of sweat on his
upper lip and forehead.
"Of course," and Fesler gave the injection. "Now, I think, you're ready to go.
I'll get a stretcher, and we'll move you."
\r 235
\r"Not by ourselves," said Zelde. "Not now." And a little later, as she and
Fesler carried the stretcher, Turk and Rooster and Torra Defose-all
armed-marched escort. How \ieasy\i the carrying was, though-
that near broke her heart.
Inside quarters, with Parnell bedded as comfortable as might be, Turk and
Rooster left to set up guards for the door. "Same as for Mauragin," Zelde [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szamanka888.keep.pl
g%20View%2003%20-%20Zelde%20M'Tana%20v1.0.txt flashing glare, she braced
herself and slammed back at the door. It didn't shut all the way-she heard a
\ithunk\i on the deck, and pulled back and slammed again. A cry-pain, or
anger? A third slam, and this time the door closed solidly. She found the bolt
and set it, then felt around on the deck until she found what had fallen
there.
A knife, it was-and where her side burned, blood ran. Still she couldn't see,
but felt for the switch and turned up the lighting. Waiting, after a while she
had some sight, and then more. Meanwhile she tried to rerun the one quick look
she'd had at the knife artist.
Small, sure. Skinny? Maybe. Hair ragged-flat to the head with a few wisps
outlined against the light.
And-not clear-something funny about the face. Lopsided? No clue to
coloring-hair or face, either one.
No point in putting out any kind of alert, on what she had. But the voice-
yeah-a woman's.
With only dim floating lights now, in the way of seeing, she looked at her
side. A long cut, through the fatty layer at deepest, and nicking the
muscle-with her fingers she spread it wider, to see, to make sure it wasn't
deeper. Bleeding enough to wash the wound clean-and mess up the deck, pretty
soon-but nothing to worry about.
She used paper tissues to mop off the blood running down her hip, then blotted
at the cut itself. She found the first-aid kit and got out dressings already
coated with anti-
infectant. It took two of those to close the cut all its length, and she
pulled them up tight before pressing the upper halves to her skin. Yes-that
should hold the edges to gether. She moved, flexing her body-it hurt, but not
enough to bother. She washed off the rest of the blood, and got dressed.
Now she was hungry. The time? Too early to call Turk-so Zelde made do with
more crackers, a packet of cheese, and a can of meat broth-the kind that
heated itself when you opened it.
\r 233
\rOnly two hours sleep, she'd had-but no hope of sleeping now. She lay down
anyway-but then the intercom sounded. She answered and listened-then she
gasped. "I'll be right there!"
Page 149
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Ragir was alive! The place was wrecked-most of the complicated equipment
smashed and scattered-but with Fesler working over him, Parnell raised a hand
to greet her. The medic waved her back, and she saw tubes still protruding
from her man's arm. All right-she could wait. But: "What the \ihell\i . . . ?"
Fesler shook his head; it was Parnell who answered. "I heard something, looked
up." Somebody bending over him, holding a hypo. Told him to shut up-a woman's
voice, it was. He tried to move away, but couldn't-and for an instant, in
light from the doorway, he saw the intruder. Now he coughed.
"Water?"
His was spilled; Zelde brought some from the next room. Parnell sipped, then
spoke again. "That face I
won't forget. Slabsided-the nose bent to one side. No one I'd ever seen
before-which, here on the ship, puzzles me." \iSame one came after me-it has
to be!\i Fesler pulled a tube from Parnell's arm; the captain winced. "Is that
the last of it?" The medic nodded, and Parnell went on with his story. The
woman had tripped over a cable and knocked down part of his support system-he
yelled, and swung the water pitcher at her head. "My bad shoulder, I had to
use-it could stand a shot, Fesler, when you have time."
"Sure, skipper-but first I had to patch the leaks." "Yes." The woman had
pulled back, hands empty now, and scrabbled on the deck-for the hypo,
probably. Parnell heard someone coming-Fesler, as it turned out.
file:///G|/eMule/Incoming/Busby,%20F.%20M%20-%20L...0Long%20View%2003%20-%20Ze
lde%20M'Tana%20v1.0.txt (144 of 196)15-7-2004 1:30:15
file:///G|/eMule/Incoming/Busby,%20F.%20M%20-%20Long%20View%....%20M%20-%20Lon
g%20View%2003%20-%20Zelde%20M'Tana%20v1.0.txt
"She did, too, I suppose-she got up and began tearing the apparatus apart.
Tried to hit me with part of it, but a cable snubbed it and she missed."
"And that's about the time," said Fesler, "that I came in one door, just in
time to see the other one slam in my face."
"Right," said Parnell. "Very welcome you were, too." He frowned. "One thing I
just remembered. She favored her right hand-used the left one almost
entirely."
Zelde's laugh surprised her; Parnell stared. "It's-well, 234
the right hand, I slammed the door on it a couple of times. When she tried for
\ime\i a few minutes ago."
She told it fast-how she'd been caught half asleep-and shook her head. "Busy
bitch, that one is."
Parnell tried to raise his head. \i"Are you all right?"\i
"Oh, sure." She gestured. "Caught me along the side with her knife-\imy\i
knife now-but not deep."
Fesler looked worried. "No, really-I looked close and washed it out careful,
and bandaged it shut, good.
You can look later if you want, Fesler-but I been cut worse with \ino\i help,
and healed up okay."
"If you say so." Fesler checked a final dressing on Par-nell's arm, and
straightened up. "Skipper-given the choice, I'd have left you on the plumbing
another day or two. I'll dig out replacements for the equipment, of course,
but I think you're stable. And for now, safer in your quarters than you were
here."
Zelde snorted. "Like \iI\i was?"
"You were off guard," said Parnell. "From now on- until that creature is
caught-we'll both know better."
"That one? And maybe more." But Zelde nodded. "All right. Fesler, you putting
an aide on duty with
Parnell? Or can he and I take care of him, yet?"
"I'll assign someone-you can manage, I think, until I get schedules
rearranged." He left the room briefly, and came back with a tray of
bottles-pills and liquids, both- and a clipboard. "Captain, the galley has
Page 150
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
your prescribed meal chart. Order food when you want it-and try to eat hearty;
you've lost weight."
Then to Zelde: "Here's the medication schedule. You see that it's followed."
"Hear that, Ragir?" Parnell nodded. "Then all right."
"There's one thing," said Fesler. "Changing from IV drugs to pills, for pain.
There's a lot of that stuff in your blood right now, skipper-so take \ino\i
pain pills until, say, ten hundred hours tomorrow. And then only half-dosage
for that day. Clear?"
"Very," said Parnell. He cleared his throat. "There was something said,
though, about a shot for my shoulder." And Zelde saw the beads of sweat on his
upper lip and forehead.
"Of course," and Fesler gave the injection. "Now, I think, you're ready to go.
I'll get a stretcher, and we'll move you."
\r 235
\r"Not by ourselves," said Zelde. "Not now." And a little later, as she and
Fesler carried the stretcher, Turk and Rooster and Torra Defose-all
armed-marched escort. How \ieasy\i the carrying was, though-
that near broke her heart.
Inside quarters, with Parnell bedded as comfortable as might be, Turk and
Rooster left to set up guards for the door. "Same as for Mauragin," Zelde [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]