The shower door opened, and a woman in doctor’s uniform looked in at us. ‘Undiluted skunk juice is extremely dangerous.’ Her head turned away for a second as she gulped in some clean air. ‘Fortunately, our scans show you got into the decontaminant quickly enough to avoid serious burns. Please remain here for a few more minutes.’
The shower door closed, leaving me alone again with Playdon in what suddenly seemed embarrassingly close quarters. ‘I’m really sorry about this.’
Playdon brushed his wet hair out of his face. ‘It’s not your fault, Jarra. I don’t know how that man got into the dome, but …’
The doctor opened the door again. She was wearing a mask now. ‘Please step outside, but try not to touch anything.’
I followed Playdon out of the shower, nearly gagging on my own stench as I left the decontaminant. My eyes wouldn’t focus properly, but I could make out the shapes of a reception desk and rows of empty seats. This place had probably been full of people when I arrived, but they’d all fled when they caught the first whiff of skunk juice, all except the unlucky doctor who had to treat me.
The doctor handed a mask to Playdon, and then tipped some tablets from a bottle into two tiny cups. ‘These are meds for shock.’
Playdon gulped his down, but I shook my head. I didn’t like things that messed with my mind.
The doctor was obviously suffering badly from the smell despite her mask, but she bravely started waving a scanner at us. ‘Skunk juice comes from a Cassandrian fruit and is completely odourless until activated by binding to the skin. The creature called the Cassandrian skunk deliberately rolls in fallen fruit to make itself smell as a defence against predators.’
I could tell by the way she recited it, that she’d just looked up skunk juice on the Earth data net. ‘I’m sorry about this,’ I said.
‘Please don’t apologize, Commander. Whoever did this to you should …’ Her sentence was interrupted by a series of musical chimes from the portal, and she looked startled. ‘This unit’s in lockdown. Why is someone portalling in?’
I tensed, preparing to face another attack and determined to handle it better than last time, but the person stepping out of the portal was Fian. He hurried towards us, and I hastily stepped backwards. ‘No! Don’t touch me!’
He frowned, but obediently stopped with a short distance between us, accepted a mask the doctor helpfully waved at him, and put it on. ‘I’ve been worried sick, but I couldn’t come until I had the situation under control.’
Playdon made an odd choking noise. ‘Perhaps you could tell me what’s been happening back at the dome, Major Eklund. You ordered me out of there so fast that I barely even saw the intruder.’
Fian blushed. ‘I apologize, sir. I knew I could trust you to get the right medical help for Jarra, so … The prisoner’s been taken to Zulu base for medical treatment and questioning, and the class are waiting in the dome hall while Military Security check the area. I handed command over to Major Sand of Military Security before I came here.’
‘You handed command over …’ Playdon gave way to laughter behind his mask. ‘Fian, didn’t it occur to you for a single moment that you were a student, I was your lecturer, and I should be the one dealing with the intruder?’
Fian had a totally grazzed expression on his face. ‘No, I … We were under attack, it’s the job of the Military to defend civilians, and …’ He shook his head in complete bewilderment. ‘Why did I react like that? I’m just a history student thrust into uniform.’
Playdon shook his head. ‘I think you’ve successfully made the transition from civilian to Military, Major Eklund.’
The hovering doctor was studying her scanner. ‘Commander Tell Morrath, the skunk juice has bonded to the skin of your face, hands and scalp. You also have minor eye damage that should respond to regeneration fluid treatment within a few hours. Your companion,’ she nodded at Playdon, ‘fortunately didn’t have direct skin contact with the juice.’
Playdon wasn’t skunked. I sighed with relief.
The doctor put on some gloves, sprayed my eyes with something that made my vision even blurrier, then produced a jar of something blue. ‘This gel will neutralize the remaining unbonded juice, Commander, making it safe for people to touch you. It will also reduce the smell to a certain extent, and accelerate the degradation process from several weeks to two or three days.’
Stinking for a couple of days was a lot better than stinking for weeks, but …
The doctor started plastering gel on my hands and face. ‘You’ll notice some discolouration of your skin where the skunk juice has bonded. That will return to normal within a few days.’
Fian watched with a frown. ‘Is this the best treatment you’ve got?’
‘The only other treatment is to surgically remove the skin layer and put the patient in a regrowth tank,’ said the doctor. ‘We prefer to avoid unnecessary major surgery.’
My mind conjured up hideous images of being skinned alive. ‘I’ll stick with the gel.’
The doctor finished work on my face and hands, and moved on to my scalp and hair. ‘We’ll give you some gel to take with you. Apply it three times daily, covering hair and affected skin areas but avoiding the eyes, until the discolouration has completely vanished. Be careful not to wash or shower during that time, because water may re-activate the skunk juice.’
My hair felt like cold, slimy strands of seaweed now. I fought the urge to shudder. ‘Why did the prisoner need medical treatment, Fian? Did he accidentally skunk himself?’
‘No. Lolmack realized the man wasn’t just attacking you, but his daughter’s future as well, and hit him harder than a runaway transport sled. He broke his nose, arm, and three ribs. Lolmack says being a member of a low status clan involved in the sex vid industry means you have to be able to take care of yourself in a fight.’
‘I’d noticed that …’ I broke off as the doctor applied gel to my nose and mouth. The stench of skunk juice was replaced by an overpowering odour of flowers.
‘The gel is scented with Osiris lilies, to mask the remaining aroma of skunk juice,’ said the doctor.
Fian took off his mask and sniffed. ‘That’s a lot better. Very, very flowery though. I see what you mean about the skin discolouration.’
‘That’s absolutely nothing to worry about.’ The doctor started updating my medical records.
I looked down at my hands and saw blotches of green and dark purple. Nothing to worry about? What the chaos did my face look like? I was ugly and I stank. I was like something out of the worst jokes the norms made about the Handicapped. ‘I can’t go back to the dome.’
‘It’s perfectly safe now, Jarra,’ said Fian. ‘Military Security are there.’
‘It isn’t fair to make everyone suffer this smell.’
Playdon took off his mask. ‘It’s not that bad now, Jarra. You can hardly smell the skunk juice for the Osiris lilies. That’s a very overpowering odour, but not unpleasant.’
‘But …’
Playdon held up a hand to stop my protest. ‘You’re coming back to the dome, Jarra. It’s bad enough having one of my students attacked while under my care. I absolutely refuse to exclude you from my course because of your injuries.’
5
We stepped through the portal into the dome at London Main, and I saw the hazy figures of four Military Security officers saluting me.
‘I must find my hover bags and change into dry clothes,’ said Playdon.
Fian nodded. ‘We’ll find a room so Jarra can lie down and rest.’
I wanted to hide away in a room, but … ‘If the class have to see me looking like this, I’d rather get it over with right away.’
Fian sighed. ‘We’ll go to the hall then.’
The four Military Security officers stayed guarding the portal, but we passed several more in the corridor. This was insane. Someone had thrown skunk juice at me, and Military Security was reacting as if they’d tried to assassinate a head of sector.
F
ian took my arm and guided me round a couple of white humming shapes that must be air-purifying units. I hoped the Military would let us keep those for a few days to make life more bearable for everyone.
Yet more Military Security officers stood on guard inside the hall, while our classmates sat huddled around tables. When we walked in, the Military saluted, and there was a scraping of chairs as people turned towards us.
‘Jarra,’ said Dalmora in a shocked voice. ‘You look … You look dreadful.’
I felt that said everything. Even Dalmora, with her deeply ingrained tact and diplomacy, couldn’t think of a kinder word than dreadful to describe my appearance.
An officer came up and saluted me. ‘I’m Major Sand, sir. We’ve just completed full scans, both inside and outside the dome, and found no further threats.’
I stared at him blankly for a moment, before working out I was the senior officer present. Major Sand had given me a situation report and was awaiting orders. I wasn’t in uniform, I’d never met this man, but he knew who I was. The whole of humanity did. Even a random doctor in a Hospital Earth casualty unit recognized me and addressed me as Commander.
I ran my fingers through the greasy lank ribbons of my hair. I couldn’t cope with this now. I looked like a monster, I stank, and I was groping my way through a frighteningly hazy world. Was the regen fluid helping my eyes or making them worse?
‘Please, keep …’ I tried to think of the right Military words to use and completely failed. ‘Keep dealing with it.’
Another officer hurried into the room. ‘Sirs, Zulu base warns the General is incoming.’
The Major gave a single heartfelt groan, turned, and headed for the door. I suddenly felt shaky and dreadfully tired, so I sat down on a chair by the wall and let my head sag forward into my hands. I was vaguely aware of Fian positioning a couple of the air purifiers nearby, and then tugging another chair over to sit next to me. I couldn’t tell if the air purifiers were having any effect, because the cloying scent of Osiris lilies had overwhelmed my nose. I’d probably never be able to smell anything else ever again.
There were a couple of minutes of silence before Playdon came into the hall and said something to the class. I heard the words but couldn’t make sense of them. I really was like an ape in an off-world joke. I was ugly, I stank, and I was stupid as well.
More people arrived, a figure in a white jacket in the lead, followed by two others in standard Military uniforms. It took my sluggish brain a moment to work out the white jacket must be Riak Torrek in his new General’s uniform. I blinked my eyes, got them to focus long enough to recognize his face and those of Colonel Leveque and Major Sand behind him, struggled to my feet and saluted.
‘I shouldn’t need to say this is unacceptable,’ said General Torrek in an angry voice.
Riak Torrek had been a close friend of my grandmother. I was the first child born into the family after her death in action, so in Military tradition I was her Honour child and carried her name. I’d known Colonel Torrek took a special interest in me because of it, and felt pretty relaxed around him, but General Torrek seemed far more intimidating, a grimly disapproving stranger.
I realized I was still wearing the wreckage of my civilian clothes. I hadn’t thought to ask Dalmora where my hover bags were and change into uniform. I was a dumb, dumb ape. ‘I apologize for the state of my clothes, sir.’
The General’s voice lost the harsh note. ‘I should be the one apologizing to you, Jarra. The Military failed in our duty to protect you. Please sit down before you fall over.’
He turned to Major Sand and now his voice was icily cold. ‘Major, please explain how an intruder gained entry to this dome.’
I thought I heard a faint gulp from Major Sand, before he answered in an impressively steady voice. ‘Portal access was secure, sir, and we were monitoring all aerial traffic. Unfortunately, London Main Dig Site is in far less hostile terrain than Eden. The intruder gained entry to the nearby London Fringe Dig Site and walked here.’
‘You let him walk in!’ General Torrek gave a despairing groan, and turned to Colonel Leveque. ‘Why did this happen? We were expecting intrusive reporters, not violent attacks.’
‘When Gaius Devon tried to force us to make an unnecessary attack on the alien sphere, we used the tactic of deliberately focussing public attention on Commander Tell Morrath,’ said Leveque. ‘That succeeded in its objective of making Devon betray his uncontrolled prejudice against both the Handicapped and the aliens to the public, thereby discrediting him, but has also had unforeseen consequences.’
General Torrek frowned. ‘You mean one of my command decisions caused this?’
‘Indirectly, sir,’ said Leveque. ‘For the first time, people on all of humanity’s worlds have seen one of the Handicapped appear on their vid channels. Many of them are rethinking their old prejudices in the face of reality. The severely bigoted deeply resent this shift in the attitudes of society. The news that Commander Tell Morrath was to join an aristocratic Betan clan escalated that resentment into violence.’
He paused. ‘This particular assailant intended to intimidate Commander Tell Morrath into returning to the obscurity he considers proper for her. It’s quite possible that others will attempt to permanently eliminate what they see as a threat to the proper social order. We must assume that Major Eklund is also a potential target as a result of his relationship with Commander Tell Morrath.’
My head wasn’t working too well, and I found Colonel Leveque’s sentences confusing at the best of times, but it sounded like he was saying …
‘I’m not having my officers murdered by bigots,’ said General Torrek. ‘I’ll authorize whatever protective measures you want.’
Colonel Leveque nodded. ‘I’ll flag them both with automatic pre-empt status so they can bypass the queues at Transits, assign them a bodyguard, and issue guns for them.’
I’d been right then, I thought numbly. Colonel Leveque really was suggesting that people might try to kill Fian and me.
‘They’ve been instructed to continue their pre-history training while they’re waiting to rejoin the Alien Contact programme,’ said Leveque, ‘but if it proves impossible to adequately secure this location then …’
‘If I can interrupt you there,’ said Playdon, ‘several other dig sites are as inaccessible as Eden. I could arrange to swap dig site assignments with another team.’
‘That would be an excellent solution,’ said Leveque. ‘I’ll also be urgently investigating how this attacker knew exactly when your class would arrive here.’
‘I’ve repeatedly warned my students not to give information about Jarra or Fian to anyone,’ said Playdon.
The class had been a silent audience to all this, but now Steen stood up. ‘That scum knew we were coming here because Petra told him!’
Leveque raised his eyebrows. ‘Do you have any evidence for this accusation?’
‘I don’t need evidence,’ said Steen. ‘Petra started running a hate campaign against Jarra the minute she found out she was Handicapped, insulting her and making her life a misery. Petra was always calling Jarra a stinking ape, so I bet the skunk juice was her idea.’
There was a brief pause, followed by Fian, Playdon and General Torrek all saying almost exactly the same words. ‘Why didn’t I know about this?’
I didn’t need to reply. Fian was already answering the question. In fact, he was having an entire angry conversation with himself.
‘I knew Petra was prejudiced against Jarra, but I’d no idea she was actively insulting her. It’s always the same. We’re on our second Twoing contract, but does Jarra tell me when she has a problem? No. Does she ask anyone for help? No. Does she even hint someone’s been persecuting her for months? No, she doesn’t. I swear, one day I’ll strangle her!’
‘Please don’t strangle Jarra today, Fian,’ said Leveque. ‘When Military Security officers are guarding two people, and one of them tries to strangle the other, they get confused about the appro
priate course of action. Besides, Jarra’s clearly suffering from shock.’
‘I’m perfectly fine,’ I said.
‘I disagree,’ said General Torrek. ‘I’d ask why the doctors didn’t treat you for shock, but after my years serving with your grandmother I can guess the answer. She hated taking meds as well.’
‘Were any other class members involved in this abuse?’ asked Colonel Leveque.
Steen hesitated for a second. ‘Petra tried to drag some of the rest of us into the name calling, but we wouldn’t get involved.’
I was grazzed to hear this. My own memory of events was that Steen had spent two months calling me a throwback and pointedly holding his nose when he passed me in the corridor. I opened my mouth to speak, but Petra was ahead of me.
‘It’s not true! I called Jarra some names, but you were just as bad. You’re only crawling to her now because she’s famous.’
Steen shook his head. ‘If the rest of us ever said anything rude, it was only because you kept nagging us, just like you nagged poor Joth. You wanted to drive Jarra away so you could get your claws into Fian. When words weren’t enough to get rid of her, you tried skunk juice!’
‘What?’ Fian’s voice interrupted the pair of them. ‘What’s been going on here?’
I urgently blinked my eyes. The regen fluid must have worked because this time the world came into focus and stayed that way. Fian was on his feet now, his face and stance showing his fury.
‘This is because of me?’ He advanced on Petra. ‘You helped that man throw skunk juice at Jarra because you wanted to split us up?’
Petra scrambled to her feet and tried to back away, but only succeeded in knocking over her chair. ‘I didn’t have anything to do with the skunk juice!’
Playdon moved to stand between them. ‘Stop this, all of you!’
Fian looked past him at Petra. ‘Jarra and I are together. Nothing and nobody is coming between us.’
He turned, came back to sit next to me, and took my hand. His unblemished skin against the mottled green and purple of mine.