Stardoc #03 - Endurance by S. L. Viehl

Author:S. L. Viehl [Viehl, S. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fiction, General, Slavery, Physicians, Torin; Cherijo (Fictitious Character)
ISBN: 9780451458148
Google: SjIEAAAACAAJ
Amazon: 0451458141
Publisher: Roc
Published: 2001-01-08T23:00:00+00:00

The Lieutenant didn’t look at me, but something was wrong. I could feel it.

“Doctor.”

The hair on the back of my neck rose as I turned. “OverMaster HalaVar.” I gave Reever what I prayed was a convincingly snotty scowl. “Surely you don’t need medical treatment. That would convince me there is a God.”

“I was informed of the Aksellan deaths.”

He regarded the crew removing the bodies, and stopped one litter to lift the thermal cover and inspect the motionless form. It gave me time to raise some mental walls, just in case he decided to resort to one of his mind-control tricks.

“As you see, arachnids don’t respond well to reproductive controllers.” I yanked the cover back over the patient. “Have some common decency and respect the dead, will you?” He wasn’t about to let it go. “There was nothing you could do for them?”

“Not a thing.” Terror should have paralyzed me, made me stutter, something. Instead I lied my way through a concise, completely false postmortem report. “Maybe you should reconsider using chemical inhibitors on your merchandise. It’s killing them faster than you can sell them,” I said, as an afterthought.

Naturally he had an annoying comeback ready. “You would prefer to see small children torn from their parents and sold to the highest bidder?”

“Is that why you wanted to get me pregnant?” I smiled when I saw his nearly imperceptible reaction. Distaste? Or was it something more basic? “Think our kid would bring a good price?” He ignored Wonlee and the others-the whole point of my provocation-and moved closer. When he would have touched me, I glided back a step. “I would never sell our child.” My face got hot again. “Let me clarify this, OverMaster HalaVar. We’re not having a child.

We’re never having a child. I wouldn’t have sex with you if you were the last Terran in existence. I’d rather mate with GothVar. Not only would he be a better lover, but giving birth to a litter of his little monsters would be a treat versus letting you touch me.”

The Aksellans were gone. The centurons Reever had brought with him had left the infirmary. It was just me and him now, and from the set of his jaw I could tell my lord and OverMaster was just a little upset. Good. Brooding over my latest rejection would keep him from interfering with Noarr.

Recklessly I pushed past him and went to rescan one of the patients.

“Cherijo.”

The patient’s condition hadn’t changed, and I made a totally unnecessary chart entry noting the same.

Reever came up behind me and tugged at the sleeve of my tunic. “Your PIC has healed over again.”

He must have seen it when I’d picked up the chart. Damn it. “You’ll have to brand me later,” I said, unable to keep my voice from shaking. “I’m busy now.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way between us.”

I jerked my sleeve down. “Oh, yes it does.”

Several hours later, the sight of Noarr stepping out of my storage unit made me shriek and hit the door panel controls with my fist.

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