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and species gathered around a glass-walled tank in the middle of the ward. This must be the older and
dying SRTT he had heard about, but he had no attention to spare for anything until he had spoken to
O'Mara.
He caught sight of the psychologist at a communications desk beside the wall and hurried over.
While he talked O'Mara listened stolidly, several times opening his mouth as though to interrupt, then
each time closing it in a grimmer, tighter line. But when Conway reached the point where he had seen the
broken Translator, O'Mara waved him to silence and hit the intercom switch with the same jerky motion
of his hand.
"Get me Engineering Division, Colonel Skempton," he barked. Then:
"Colonel, our runaway is in the FROB nursery area. But there is a complication, I'm afraid it has lost
its Translator..." There was a short pause, then: "Neither do I know how I expect you to pacify it when
you can't communicate, but do what you can in the meantime I'm going to work on the communication
angle now.
He snapped the switch off and then on again, and said, "Colinson, in Communications& hello, Major.
I want a relay between here and the Monitor Survey team on the SRTT's home planet yes, the one I
had you collecting about a few hours ago. Will you arrange that? And have them prepare a sound tape in
the SRTT native language I'll give you the wording I want in a moment and have them relay it here.
The substance of the speech, which must be obtained from an adult SRTT, will have to be roughly as
follows "
He broke off as Major Colinson's voice erupted from the speaker. The communications man was
reminding a certain desk-bound headshrinker that the SRTT planet was halfway across the Galaxy, that
subspace radio was susceptible to interference just like any other kind and that by the time every sun in
the intervening distance had splattered the signal with their share of static it would be virtually
unintelligible.
"Have them repeat the signal," O'Mara said. "There are sure to be usable words and phrases which
we can piece together to reconstruct the original message. We need this thing badly, and I'll tell you
why& "
The SRTT species were an extremely long-lived race, O'Mara explained quickly, who reproduced
hermaphroditically at very great intervals and with great pain and effort. There was therefore a bond of
great affection and what was more important in the present circumstances discipline between the
adults and children of the species. There was also the belief, so strong as to be almost a certainty, that no
matter what changes a member of this species worked it would always try to retain the vocal and aural
organs which allowed it to communicate with its fellows.
Now if one of the adults on the home planet could prepare a few general remarks directed toward
youths who misbehaved when they ought to have known better, and these were relayed to Sector
General and in turn played over the PA to their runaway visitor, then the young SRTT's ingrained
obedience to its elders would do the rest.
"And that," said O'Mara to Conway as he switched off, "should take care of that little crisis. With any
luck we'll have our visitor quieted down within a few hours. So your troubles are over, you can relax."
The psychologist broke off at the expression on Conway's face, then he said softly, "There's more?"
Conway nodded. Indicating his assistant he said, "Dr. Prilicla detected it, by empathy. You must
understand that the runaway is in a very bad way psychologically grief for its dying parent, the fright it
received at Lock Six when everyone came charging at it, and now the mauling it has undergone in the
FROB nursery. It is young, immature, and these experiences have thrown it back to the stage where its
responses are purely animal and& well..." Conway licked dry lips, "... has anyone calculated how long it
has been since that SRTT has eaten?"
The implications of the question were not lost on O'Mara either. He paled suddenly and snatched up
the mike again. "Get me Skempton again, quickly! ... Skempton?... Colonel, I am not trying to sound
melodramatic but would you use the scrambler attached to your set, there is another complication."
Turning away, Conway debated with himself whether to go over for a brief look at the dying SRTT or
hurry back to his section. Back in the FROB nursery Prilicla had detected in the runaway's mind strong
hunger radiation as well as the expected fear and confusion, and it had been the communication of these
findings which had caused first Conway, then O'Mara and Skempton to realize just what a deadly
menace the visitor had become. The youths of any species are notoriously selfish, cruel and uncivilized,
Conway knew, and driven by steadily increasing pangs of hunger this one would certainly turn cannibal.
In its present confused mental state the young SRTT would probably not know that it had done so, but
that fact would make no difference at all to the patients concerned.
If only the majority of Conway's charges were not so small, defenceless and& tasty.
On the other hand a look at the elder being might suggest some method of dealing with the
younger his curiosity regarding the SRTT terminal case having nothing to do with it, of course...
He was manoeuvreing for a closer look at the patient inside the tank and at the same time trying not to
jostle the Earth-human doctor who was blocking his view, when the man turned irritably and asked,
"Why the blazes don't you climb up my back?... Oh, hello, Conway. Here to contribute another
uninformed wild guess, I suppose?"
It was Mannon, the doctor who had at one time been Conway's superior and was now a Senior
Physician well on the way to achieving Diagnostician status. He had befriended Conway on his arrival at
the hospital, Mannon had several times explained within Conway's hearing, because he had a soft spot
for stray dogs, cats and interns. Currently he was allowed to retain permanently in his brain just three
Educator tapes that of a Tralthan specialist in micro-surgery and two belonging to surgeons of the
low-gravity LSVO and MSVK species so that for long periods of each day his reactions were quite [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szamanka888.keep.pl
and species gathered around a glass-walled tank in the middle of the ward. This must be the older and
dying SRTT he had heard about, but he had no attention to spare for anything until he had spoken to
O'Mara.
He caught sight of the psychologist at a communications desk beside the wall and hurried over.
While he talked O'Mara listened stolidly, several times opening his mouth as though to interrupt, then
each time closing it in a grimmer, tighter line. But when Conway reached the point where he had seen the
broken Translator, O'Mara waved him to silence and hit the intercom switch with the same jerky motion
of his hand.
"Get me Engineering Division, Colonel Skempton," he barked. Then:
"Colonel, our runaway is in the FROB nursery area. But there is a complication, I'm afraid it has lost
its Translator..." There was a short pause, then: "Neither do I know how I expect you to pacify it when
you can't communicate, but do what you can in the meantime I'm going to work on the communication
angle now.
He snapped the switch off and then on again, and said, "Colinson, in Communications& hello, Major.
I want a relay between here and the Monitor Survey team on the SRTT's home planet yes, the one I
had you collecting about a few hours ago. Will you arrange that? And have them prepare a sound tape in
the SRTT native language I'll give you the wording I want in a moment and have them relay it here.
The substance of the speech, which must be obtained from an adult SRTT, will have to be roughly as
follows "
He broke off as Major Colinson's voice erupted from the speaker. The communications man was
reminding a certain desk-bound headshrinker that the SRTT planet was halfway across the Galaxy, that
subspace radio was susceptible to interference just like any other kind and that by the time every sun in
the intervening distance had splattered the signal with their share of static it would be virtually
unintelligible.
"Have them repeat the signal," O'Mara said. "There are sure to be usable words and phrases which
we can piece together to reconstruct the original message. We need this thing badly, and I'll tell you
why& "
The SRTT species were an extremely long-lived race, O'Mara explained quickly, who reproduced
hermaphroditically at very great intervals and with great pain and effort. There was therefore a bond of
great affection and what was more important in the present circumstances discipline between the
adults and children of the species. There was also the belief, so strong as to be almost a certainty, that no
matter what changes a member of this species worked it would always try to retain the vocal and aural
organs which allowed it to communicate with its fellows.
Now if one of the adults on the home planet could prepare a few general remarks directed toward
youths who misbehaved when they ought to have known better, and these were relayed to Sector
General and in turn played over the PA to their runaway visitor, then the young SRTT's ingrained
obedience to its elders would do the rest.
"And that," said O'Mara to Conway as he switched off, "should take care of that little crisis. With any
luck we'll have our visitor quieted down within a few hours. So your troubles are over, you can relax."
The psychologist broke off at the expression on Conway's face, then he said softly, "There's more?"
Conway nodded. Indicating his assistant he said, "Dr. Prilicla detected it, by empathy. You must
understand that the runaway is in a very bad way psychologically grief for its dying parent, the fright it
received at Lock Six when everyone came charging at it, and now the mauling it has undergone in the
FROB nursery. It is young, immature, and these experiences have thrown it back to the stage where its
responses are purely animal and& well..." Conway licked dry lips, "... has anyone calculated how long it
has been since that SRTT has eaten?"
The implications of the question were not lost on O'Mara either. He paled suddenly and snatched up
the mike again. "Get me Skempton again, quickly! ... Skempton?... Colonel, I am not trying to sound
melodramatic but would you use the scrambler attached to your set, there is another complication."
Turning away, Conway debated with himself whether to go over for a brief look at the dying SRTT or
hurry back to his section. Back in the FROB nursery Prilicla had detected in the runaway's mind strong
hunger radiation as well as the expected fear and confusion, and it had been the communication of these
findings which had caused first Conway, then O'Mara and Skempton to realize just what a deadly
menace the visitor had become. The youths of any species are notoriously selfish, cruel and uncivilized,
Conway knew, and driven by steadily increasing pangs of hunger this one would certainly turn cannibal.
In its present confused mental state the young SRTT would probably not know that it had done so, but
that fact would make no difference at all to the patients concerned.
If only the majority of Conway's charges were not so small, defenceless and& tasty.
On the other hand a look at the elder being might suggest some method of dealing with the
younger his curiosity regarding the SRTT terminal case having nothing to do with it, of course...
He was manoeuvreing for a closer look at the patient inside the tank and at the same time trying not to
jostle the Earth-human doctor who was blocking his view, when the man turned irritably and asked,
"Why the blazes don't you climb up my back?... Oh, hello, Conway. Here to contribute another
uninformed wild guess, I suppose?"
It was Mannon, the doctor who had at one time been Conway's superior and was now a Senior
Physician well on the way to achieving Diagnostician status. He had befriended Conway on his arrival at
the hospital, Mannon had several times explained within Conway's hearing, because he had a soft spot
for stray dogs, cats and interns. Currently he was allowed to retain permanently in his brain just three
Educator tapes that of a Tralthan specialist in micro-surgery and two belonging to surgeons of the
low-gravity LSVO and MSVK species so that for long periods of each day his reactions were quite [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]