Fast Forward by Lou Anders

Author:Lou Anders
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Prometheus Books

The Terrans can do nothing. All that this Dr. Rubin did was make Eyoli go into true sleep. Sleep is what brings the dreams! Our memories won't come by day until her blood flows begin—Dr. Rubin, a healer, must know that! Is he torturing my child, as his ancestors tortured my mother?

What have I done in bringing Eyoli to this cursed place?

“I don't understand,” the CO said. “What does she want?”

“It's not completely clear as yet, sir,” I said carefully. Colonel Karenski had a reputation for being fair but hard. Did he know about me, about the Midian? Of course he did. I had tried, pathetically, to offset my service record with extreme military polish: shined boots, spotless uniform, salute so sharp it could have cut wood. Karenski slouched in his chair in fatigues, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He looked five times the soldier I would ever be, and he didn't look happy. All I had to impress him was my specialized knowledge.

“Sir, as you undoubtedly know, initial reports on the natives’ genome revealed mutated genes on the X chromosome, including not only unique alleles but also long strings of unknown codons that—”

“No jargon, Doctor,” Karenski snapped. “Save it for someone who understands it.” He stared coldly at me. “You're sure the native approached you, with no previous contact on your side?”

“She sought me out, sir, and asked for my help with her daughter.”

“So her daughter would ‘not awaken.’ And you have no idea what that means?”

“No, sir, I don't. Yet.”

“And then she approached you a second time, bringing a child with a broken jaw?”

I didn't think “approached” was the right word for Hutaral's desperate intrusion into the base: ululating, muddy, shivering, weeping, pushing a homemade cart holding a maimed girl. But all I said was, “Yes, sir. I set the jaw. The child is sedated; the native is sitting with her; a guard has been posted. I sent a full report at 0400 hours.”

“What are you going to do now?” he asked impatiently.

I wasn't prepared for that question. I was here because I wanted him to tell me what to do, in everything except the scientific procedures. I didn't want to risk the same court-martial charges as my predecessor. My position in the Space Navy was already too precarious.

“Well, sir, I was wondering—”

“Don't wonder, Doctor! What do you propose to do?”

I felt myself flush, the mottling of a schoolboy who doesn't know the right answer. Again I fell back on specialization. “First I'll sequence both subjects’ genomes and compare them with—”

“Stop.” The colonel put down his whiskey. “Of course you'll do whatever medical scans and tests are required or useful or enlightening, if you can do so without objections from the native. I meant, are you going to try to figure out what she wants and give it to her?”

I blurted, “Should I, sir?”

“Yes, damn it! This is our first chance in twenty-five years to establish positive contact with a lost branch of humanity, and you're the one they've approached.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.