she assumed were slang words, but she did understand that they wanted to take care of her wounded arm. Obviously at least for the moment they meant her no harm. She quit squirming.
"Finally give up, huh?" the woman said with a laugh.
"Yes. You are stronger than I am."
They all stared at her.
"She speaks Reliance," the older man said, sounding more than a little shocked.
"If they've been trading with the Reliance it makes sense that some of them would," the woman said thoughtfully. "So. girl, why did you run?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Janad answered. "I no longer know who the enemy is."
The woman released her. "As long as you don't try anything we aren't your enemy. Try anything stupid, and we'll kill you on the spot. Topaz, Poley, take our little friend down to the sickbay and see what you can do to fix her arm, and
. . .
"
"Run some tests while we're at it," the older man finished for her,
"Maybe David better go with you and at least get a shot for the pain. It wouldn't hurt him to get cleaned up, either," the woman said.
The stiff man took hold of her good arm and started to guide her down the hall. The older man and the man whose nose she'd broken followed them.
"So," the older man started, "my name is Topaz, this young man is Poley, and the man whose nose you just 'fixed' is David. Who may I ask are you?"
"Janad," she answered.
"That's a nice name," Topaz said. He smiled at her, and she realized she had nothing to fear from him. On the other hand the man who held her by her arm made her more uncomfortable by the minute. She tried to jerk out of his grip and found that she couldn't. What was more he seemed not to notice at all. Every time she looked at the one they called David he shot daggers at her from his eyes. She couldn't really blame him; if someone had busted her nose she wouldn't have been too quick to get chummy with them either.
"Poley, let the girl go," Topaz said. "She's not going to try to get away again." He looked at her then. "You aren't going to try to get away, are you?"
"No." She was glad when the strange man released her. She leaned close to Topaz and whispered, "What's wrong with him?"
Topaz laughed. "There's nothing wrong with him. Much to the contrary everything is right with him. In fact he just heard everything you said. He's a robot."
It must have been obvious by the look on her face that she didn't understand, because Topaz said, "He's made of metal and plastic and circuits. He's a machine that can think."
Janad looked at Poley again. Now that was the most absurd thing she had ever heard. He couldn't be a machine. Machines didn't look like people, and they most definitely did not think.
"Don't talk about him like he's not here," David said in a scolding tone.
"Thanks. David," Poley said looking at his feet.
"I'm sorry, Poley," Topaz said.
Janad looked at Poley; he looked sad. That was another thing machines didn't do; they didn't feel.
In the sickbay Topaz helped her to sit on one of the examining tables as Poley started to clean up and care for David's broken nose.
"Now this is going to sting a bit," Topaz said. He held a machine to her arm. It was the same as the thing the Reliance had used on her before taking her from the planet. She steeled herself for the pain, but found that it didn't hurt as badly when you weren't putting up a fight. Topaz looked at the data with a curious look on his face.
"Poley, could you come look at this?" Topaz asked.
Poley finished up what he was doing with David and walked over. David got up and wandered over to look out the porthole at space.
Poley looked at the data Topaz handed him.
"Beta 4 humanoid DNA," Poley said.
"Doesn't it look awfully familiar?"
"Yes, but
. . .
"
"Sometimes you can be such a computer, Poley," Topaz said in an exasperated tone.
David let out a sound that was almost a scream and
"Finally give up, huh?" the woman said with a laugh.
"Yes. You are stronger than I am."
They all stared at her.
"She speaks Reliance," the older man said, sounding more than a little shocked.
"If they've been trading with the Reliance it makes sense that some of them would," the woman said thoughtfully. "So. girl, why did you run?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Janad answered. "I no longer know who the enemy is."
The woman released her. "As long as you don't try anything we aren't your enemy. Try anything stupid, and we'll kill you on the spot. Topaz, Poley, take our little friend down to the sickbay and see what you can do to fix her arm, and
. . .
"
"Run some tests while we're at it," the older man finished for her,
"Maybe David better go with you and at least get a shot for the pain. It wouldn't hurt him to get cleaned up, either," the woman said.
The stiff man took hold of her good arm and started to guide her down the hall. The older man and the man whose nose she'd broken followed them.
"So," the older man started, "my name is Topaz, this young man is Poley, and the man whose nose you just 'fixed' is David. Who may I ask are you?"
"Janad," she answered.
"That's a nice name," Topaz said. He smiled at her, and she realized she had nothing to fear from him. On the other hand the man who held her by her arm made her more uncomfortable by the minute. She tried to jerk out of his grip and found that she couldn't. What was more he seemed not to notice at all. Every time she looked at the one they called David he shot daggers at her from his eyes. She couldn't really blame him; if someone had busted her nose she wouldn't have been too quick to get chummy with them either.
"Poley, let the girl go," Topaz said. "She's not going to try to get away again." He looked at her then. "You aren't going to try to get away, are you?"
"No." She was glad when the strange man released her. She leaned close to Topaz and whispered, "What's wrong with him?"
Topaz laughed. "There's nothing wrong with him. Much to the contrary everything is right with him. In fact he just heard everything you said. He's a robot."
It must have been obvious by the look on her face that she didn't understand, because Topaz said, "He's made of metal and plastic and circuits. He's a machine that can think."
Janad looked at Poley again. Now that was the most absurd thing she had ever heard. He couldn't be a machine. Machines didn't look like people, and they most definitely did not think.
"Don't talk about him like he's not here," David said in a scolding tone.
"Thanks. David," Poley said looking at his feet.
"I'm sorry, Poley," Topaz said.
Janad looked at Poley; he looked sad. That was another thing machines didn't do; they didn't feel.
In the sickbay Topaz helped her to sit on one of the examining tables as Poley started to clean up and care for David's broken nose.
"Now this is going to sting a bit," Topaz said. He held a machine to her arm. It was the same as the thing the Reliance had used on her before taking her from the planet. She steeled herself for the pain, but found that it didn't hurt as badly when you weren't putting up a fight. Topaz looked at the data with a curious look on his face.
"Poley, could you come look at this?" Topaz asked.
Poley finished up what he was doing with David and walked over. David got up and wandered over to look out the porthole at space.
Poley looked at the data Topaz handed him.
"Beta 4 humanoid DNA," Poley said.
"Doesn't it look awfully familiar?"
"Yes, but
. . .
"
"Sometimes you can be such a computer, Poley," Topaz said in an exasperated tone.
David let out a sound that was almost a scream and
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