Interstellar Medic: The Long Run by Patrick Chiles
Author:Patrick Chiles [Chiles, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, Alien Contact, Action & Adventure, Hard Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781982193287
Google: 004C0AEACAAJ
Amazon: B0CGVQ63T1
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2024-03-05T05:00:00+00:00
The rest of my orientation was uneventful, mostly reiterating what Xeelix had showed us in class. The only question I had left was who would be driving the bus. Where Iâd come from, we were crewed in pairs and partners would swap driving duties. LifeFlight helicopters were, of course always flown by a qualified pilot with a pair of medics in back, one of them usually a registered nurse. Iâd never been interested in that kind of work; Iâm too scared of heights.
Iâd figured our ride was going to be more like a heloâs, which proved right. Not long after Xeelix finished my orientation, another Gray climbed aboard, this one already in a vacuum suit, carrying the helmet under one arm. Androgynous or not, this one tended toward female by the graceful way she carried herself, with a slight sway of her hips. It was subtle, just enough for another chick to spot, alien or otherwise. She paused to study me; maybe I was the first human sheâd encountered.
âGreetings, Melanie Mooney. I am Needa, your pilot.â She turned to Xeelix and they apparently had a private, telepathic exchange which my translators didnât pick up. Needa finished with a respectful nod and settled in at the pilotâs station. A flick of her hand brought the shipâs control panel to life.
âShe was asking if your orientation was complete. It is a necessary condition to check in with central dispatch. I hope you took no offense; you are her first encounter with a human.â
Aha! Iâd been right on both counts: female, and first contact. Cool. âYour race is hermaphroditic. How often do individuals settle on a specific gender?â
âIt is situational. Often it is driven by the name given at birth. Translated into your English, male names traditionally end in consonants. Female names traditionally end in vowels.â
That wasnât much different from our traditions, which was interesting. I was starting to develop a real affinity for these little gray guys, and wondered how much else we had in common. âSo it comes down to the parentâs preference?â
âIt is left over from ancient practices, before we evolved into a form that was more . . . adaptable.â
That held some interesting implications, and made me wonder what humans might be like in another ten or twenty millennia.
âI have informed central dispatch that we are on active status,â Needa said. âWe are currently number one for ready alert.â
âExcellent,â Xeelix said. âWe will be on the next run, as you would say.â
I was beyond ready to get moving, and began to feel edgy from anticipation. âAwesome.â
Download
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.
Sita - Warrior of Mithila (Book 2 of the Ram Chandra Series) by Amish(53749)
The Crystal Crypt by Dick Philip K(36389)
Cat's cradle by Kurt Vonnegut(14721)
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han(14433)
Ready Player One by Cline Ernest(13926)
The Last by Hanna Jameson(9774)
Year One by Nora Roberts(9274)
Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey(8920)
The remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro(8349)
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro(8262)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown(8217)
Dark Space: The Second Trilogy (Books 4-6) (Dark Space Trilogies Book 2) by Jasper T. Scott(7885)
The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood(7414)
The Circle by Dave Eggers(6814)
Frank Herbert's Dune Saga Collection: Books 1 - 6 by Frank Herbert(6670)
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood(6452)
Legacy by Ellery Kane(6371)
Pandemic (The Extinction Files Book 1) by A.G. Riddle(6156)
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty(5791)
