moron, but now he'd take her orders, do what she told him, and Jessica was more than smart enough for the both of them.
Shlerb came around the corner of the mineshaft out of breath and red in the face. He was sending guilt in a great huge wave, so Jessica smacked him good and hard in the ribs. He collapsed against the wall, gasping for the wind she'd forced from his lungs.
"Dammit, Jesut, why did you do that?"
"Because you were telegraphing guilt, you idiot," Jessica answered in an angry hiss. "Don't you know how to use a shield?"
"Sorry," he said.
"Don't be sorry, just stop being stupid. Did you get them?"
He pulled the bag from inside his shirt, and she smiled as she jerked it out of his hands. She checked to make sure he'd gotten everything and then she started to undress.
"I was very nearly caught," he objected.
"No doubt because you were sending guilt out in a huge radiating wave," she mumbled under her breath.
"Ah . . . What's that chain for?"
"To make you ask stupid questions. You just don't worry about my chain. Did anyone see you?"
"I don't think so . . . It's not going to work, Jesut," he said as he watched her slip the uniform on over the chain. "No one's going to believe that someone with one eye . . ."
"You used to delight in pointing that out to me. I thought we'd gotten past that," Jessica said with a snarl.
"I was just going to say . . . You couldn't keep a top military position with one eye," he said.
"Which is why I needed this." She took off her patch and shoved it down in her pocket, then she tied a piece of gauze over her eye.
"That isn't going to fool anyone," Shlerb said, shaking his head.
For answer she grabbed his hand, cut his finger with a knife and stuck the bleeding end of it on the gauze, which soaked the blood up. He tried to swing a fist into her head with his free hand, but she grabbed his fist and held it. He got excited, and she wanted to kill him right then and there, but she still needed him.
"You're going to take me in. If anyone asks, I was walking through the mines doing a spot check and something blew. Luckily you were there, and . . ." He was grinning like an idiot. She sighed. "Keep your mouth shut; I'll do all the talking."
Everything had worked just as she planned. She was rushed to the infirmary with no real questions being asked. Blood did something to the psychology of every race she had ever encountered. No matter what color that blood happened to be, when people saw blood running out of themselves or someone else they always freaked out. Even seasoned medical personnel couldn't help but get excited.
The body was like a full fuel tank. Everyone knew it only held just so much fuel and when that fuel ran out the motor sputtered and died. If the blood happened to be coming from an eye, that caused an instant panic. She knew all about the horror of losing an eye, and the reaction it caused.
She clung to Shlerb as if he were her lifeline, and as the doctor slid in the door ahead of them she broke the vial she held tightly in her right hand. Before even the nurse could enter the alarm sounded and the doors started to close. The nurse jumped the rest of the way through as all the doors to the room quickly slammed shut.
"Contamination!" the alarm sounded loudly. "Contamination. Examination room Gester Fontacks sealed."
"What have you two been exposed to?" the doctor said with agitation, but his emotions showed fear.
"Nothing that I know of," Shlerb said with real worry as he helped Jessica to sit on the table.
Jessica lay down feigning pain and looked for the surveillance camera she knew would be present. Security cameras might be considered unnecessary for most of the ship, but she had been sure they would monitor the treatment rooms for any number of reasons. Not the least of which was the scenario she was even now playing out. The camera was a
Shlerb came around the corner of the mineshaft out of breath and red in the face. He was sending guilt in a great huge wave, so Jessica smacked him good and hard in the ribs. He collapsed against the wall, gasping for the wind she'd forced from his lungs.
"Dammit, Jesut, why did you do that?"
"Because you were telegraphing guilt, you idiot," Jessica answered in an angry hiss. "Don't you know how to use a shield?"
"Sorry," he said.
"Don't be sorry, just stop being stupid. Did you get them?"
He pulled the bag from inside his shirt, and she smiled as she jerked it out of his hands. She checked to make sure he'd gotten everything and then she started to undress.
"I was very nearly caught," he objected.
"No doubt because you were sending guilt out in a huge radiating wave," she mumbled under her breath.
"Ah . . . What's that chain for?"
"To make you ask stupid questions. You just don't worry about my chain. Did anyone see you?"
"I don't think so . . . It's not going to work, Jesut," he said as he watched her slip the uniform on over the chain. "No one's going to believe that someone with one eye . . ."
"You used to delight in pointing that out to me. I thought we'd gotten past that," Jessica said with a snarl.
"I was just going to say . . . You couldn't keep a top military position with one eye," he said.
"Which is why I needed this." She took off her patch and shoved it down in her pocket, then she tied a piece of gauze over her eye.
"That isn't going to fool anyone," Shlerb said, shaking his head.
For answer she grabbed his hand, cut his finger with a knife and stuck the bleeding end of it on the gauze, which soaked the blood up. He tried to swing a fist into her head with his free hand, but she grabbed his fist and held it. He got excited, and she wanted to kill him right then and there, but she still needed him.
"You're going to take me in. If anyone asks, I was walking through the mines doing a spot check and something blew. Luckily you were there, and . . ." He was grinning like an idiot. She sighed. "Keep your mouth shut; I'll do all the talking."
Everything had worked just as she planned. She was rushed to the infirmary with no real questions being asked. Blood did something to the psychology of every race she had ever encountered. No matter what color that blood happened to be, when people saw blood running out of themselves or someone else they always freaked out. Even seasoned medical personnel couldn't help but get excited.
The body was like a full fuel tank. Everyone knew it only held just so much fuel and when that fuel ran out the motor sputtered and died. If the blood happened to be coming from an eye, that caused an instant panic. She knew all about the horror of losing an eye, and the reaction it caused.
She clung to Shlerb as if he were her lifeline, and as the doctor slid in the door ahead of them she broke the vial she held tightly in her right hand. Before even the nurse could enter the alarm sounded and the doors started to close. The nurse jumped the rest of the way through as all the doors to the room quickly slammed shut.
"Contamination!" the alarm sounded loudly. "Contamination. Examination room Gester Fontacks sealed."
"What have you two been exposed to?" the doctor said with agitation, but his emotions showed fear.
"Nothing that I know of," Shlerb said with real worry as he helped Jessica to sit on the table.
Jessica lay down feigning pain and looked for the surveillance camera she knew would be present. Security cameras might be considered unnecessary for most of the ship, but she had been sure they would monitor the treatment rooms for any number of reasons. Not the least of which was the scenario she was even now playing out. The camera was a
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