Free Starlaw by Candace Sams Page A

the medical technologist spoke quietly. “I’m … sorry … about the way I behaved. Thank you for helping me.” She paused and searched for the right words. “Many of my kind don’t really believe in people from other planets. Can you understand why I acted the way I did even if you can’t excuse it?”
    Gemma smiled. “Of
course
I can. You’ve been put in a terrible position because one of our prisoners escaped. The fault isn’t yours.”
    Laurel returned the ready smile Gemma offered and nodded. Then, without acknowledging Darius’s presence further, she began to straighten the space and pick up objects that had been strewn about.
    Darius spoke quietly so that Laurel wouldn’t hear. “Gemma, can I speak to you?” he asked while nodding toward the outer passageway.
    Gemma nodded and followed him out of the med bay.
    Once they were in the space outside the hatch, Darius leaned against one bulkhead and gave his new orders. “Until I can make arrangements to shield some of our more secure areas, I’ve restricted her to the med bay. The less she sees the better. She understands that I’ll ask for her return to Earth as soon as Goll is taken to Luster and stands trial. What I haven’t told her is that such a request will most certainly be denied.”
    “Sir … she should know—”
    “Not yet. Now isn’t the time. I don’t want to have to lock her up, but I will if she thinks she’s out of options. She’ll fight and I can’t have that kind of behavior aboard this vessel. Besides … it’s my hope that once she knows us better, she’ll accept the news with greater understanding.”
    “Ohhhh … I don’t think so, sir.”
    “Be that as it may, this is my decision. I have a ship to run and I can’t have this distraction. Understood?”
    “Sir … she’s not someone to be—”
    “The discussion ends now,” he commanded.
    “Aye, sir.”
    He sighed when Gemma dropped her head in apparent disapproval. “I promised I’d ask on her behalf, as stated. This I
will
do and I’ll put it in the strongest terms to the powers-that-be. There might be a small chance if I can word my request tactfully. So … let’s just leave it at that.”
    “Sir, there’s another problem.”
    “What
else
?”
    “When we get to Luster, our own scientists may want to examine her.”
    “And why is that an issue?” Darius pushed his huge frame away from the bulkhead in concern.
    Gemma lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “I’m not about to suggest they’ll do anything to her that would be harmful. But they’ve never come into physical contact with any Earthers that I’m aware of. They’ll want to give her an exam outside of any decontamination controls we’ve already taken. They’ll want to make sure I haven’t missed something potentially harmful.”
    “She should expect as much. One of us would most certainly be examined if we’d fallen into Earthers’ hands.”
    “Sir, please try to understand how she must feel,” Gemma pled.
    “Your heart, as always, is in the right place. But Gemma … and I cannot stress this enough … I have a ship to run and we have a trip home that could be dangerous in certain sectors. We can ill afford time spent on infantile dramatics. The woman will have to understand, and I’ll tell her what she needs to know when and as I think it’s appropriate. She’s already proven she can’t handle stressful situations. I’m amazed she was ever made an enforcer to begin with, but then Earth
is
as backward as planets come. Even our own scientists and humanists corroborate that sentiment. Now … this is the last I’ll speak of it. You may speak more about how her friends died if she asks; she obviously knows about that part of her sad story. But you and none of the crew are to say anything else. Not one word. I’ll make sure this general command is known throughout the ship.”
    He stalked away, squashing any feelings of remorse, empathy, or even the much-vaunted superior