Chaos Space - Marianne de Pierres [102]
As Mira left the cucina she glimpsed someone from a diverging channel entering the medi-facility. Thales Berniere, she thought, since the figure was not as lean as the mercenaries, nor as hulking as Josef Rasterovich.
Concerned, she followed him. Was he ill?
But she hesitated, one hand holding open the pucker, suddenly shy to be coming upon him in this unexpected manner. They had not been alone often. Perhaps she should leave him to his business. Or perhaps she could give him advice or comfort.
Tentatively she stepped inside.
Thales did not hear her. He had a finger pressed to an assay pad and was staring, engrossed in the audio of a blood analysis.
When he had finished listening to the report he slumped across the analyser.
What does it say? Mira asked Insignia.
The male humanesque has a bacterial infection, the biozoom answered in a distracted manner.
You mean a barrier organism?
Yes. The biozoom sounded impatient. But he also has an infection which is breaking down the barrier organism.
Is he contagious?
Unlikely. Not to me at least, or to you, without exchanging fluids. It is curious, though, that the infection markers indicate that the humanesque has only recently contracted the bacterium.
How recently?
On Edo, I would surmise.
What is his prognosis?
Untreated he is likely to expire within weeks. Those with strong immune systems have been known to last months.
Can our medi-facility provide a treatment?
No.
Mira recalled Thales’s distracted anger after his meeting with Lasper Farr, his unwillingness to go near the Commander again. What had Bethany’s brother done to Thales? What had he done to all of them?
Hurry, Insignia. This task had to be completed quickly—for all their sakes. Mira removed her hand from the pucker and slipped away to her cabin.
Mira sought out Rast Randall after a restless night. Her dreams had been filled with urgency and frustration and she awoke with an ache under her breast that made it painful to breathe.
Insignia located Rast up in the designated armoury, a cavity in the upper body of the biozoon directly under its uppermost fin.
Mira watched the woman as she bent over a weapon. Rast was still slick with sweat from her morning run with Josef Rasterovich. The muscles in her forearms were taut as wire and the veins on the backs of her hands stood out like bulging tributaries.
Rast didn’t bother to look up but, unlike Thales Berniere on the previous night, she sensed Mira’s presence immediately.
‘No wonder Franco hired us. These weapons couldn’t stop a puff of wind.’ She slapped her hand against her thigh in exasperation. ‘What’s up?’
‘Do you believe that Lasper Farr will honour his promise to aid Araldis?’
Rast straightened, putting down the rifle and sliding her hands to her hips in her usual aggressive stance. Finally, she looked at Mira. ‘Figured you already decided he would, otherwise you wouldn’t have agreed.’
‘I know why I am here—but why are you?’
‘Pretty simple. He’s paying me to watch after Berniere and his sister. And you, by default.’
‘And?’
The mercenary folded her arms. ‘Reckon you’re getting a bit of a handle on me at last, eh, Baronessa?’
‘Perhaps I am not as naive as I was,’ Mira allowed.
‘Well, that’s a damn relief.’ Rast wiped sweat from her temple with a finger and flicked it from the tip. ‘You may recall that I did a little buying on Intel station.’
Mira’s eyes widened. She had almost forgotten about the existence of the cryoprotectants.
‘Can’t think of a better place to sell ‘em than Rho Junction,’ said Rast.
‘And then?’
‘Well... you owe me a trip to Rigel but I’m kinda thinking the lucre might be elsewhere. Could be Lasper has some more work. Maybe I’ll let you off the hook.’
‘You would go back to Araldis with Commander Farr?’
Rast leaned towards her, close enough so that their cheeks brushed. ‘If it’s worthwhile.’
Mira recoiled from the bare, moist, heated flesh. ‘How would I know what is “worthwhile” to you?’
‘I didn’t know you cared,’ Rast teased.
But Mira saw no humour in it. She pressed her fingers