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Chapter Twelve
Vujcec kept his eyes and ears open as he headed for medical. Last night, he’d been down here talking to the colonists, assisting them with the food replicators, helping them find quarters. He couldn’t believe some of them acted as Somerled had claimed. Entering medical, he saw a baby in one of the med beds and Taly quietly talking to the couple reunited in the concert hall.
“She’s going to be okay. I promise.” Taly told the hugging couple.
“But I didn’t even know she was sick,” Sato sobbed. “We paid for a medic to check when she was six months old. He told us she was fine, just small.”
“He placed her in a med bed?”
“Yes, but now that I’ve seen this one work, I don’t think he turned it on. He placed Uki on the bed, secured her, and then went to the console.” Sato gestured to the head of the bed. “After a moment, he told us all the readings were normal, and we had a healthy but small baby girl.”
When the bed signaled it was done, Taly silently cursed the medic as she moved to the control console. He’d lied to this family. Her med bed had found many health issues in the tiny nine-month-old. Issues even a low-tech bed should have been able to detect and treat.
“Well, I can tell you from the readout I’m getting now that you really have a healthy little girl who will start growing normally.” Pushing a button, the console printed out what it found, the treatments, and the prognosis. Walking back to Oved and Sato, who were now holding their daughter, she handed them the sheet. “Keep this for her records.”
“Thank you, Taly.” Sato pulled her close in a one-armed hug. “If there is anything we can ever do for you….”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I could help. I wish you all a long and happy life.”
Vujcec stepped to the side, nodding to the family as they left, before looking to Taly. “You just forever changed their lives.”
“I shouldn’t have had to if that medic had done his job,” she spat out. “There’s no way he scanned that baby.”
“It happens a lot.” At Taly’s surprised look, he shrugged. “Med beds are expensive and wear out faster in the outer districts. Medics are ordered not to run them unless the patients are government members.”
“Shui truly is a monster.” If there was ever any doubt, it was gone.
“He is,” Vujcec agreed, then gave her an uncertain look.
“What?”
“Can I ask you something?” he asked carefully.
“Sure.” She moved to shut down the bed.
“Did a group of colonists complain we weren’t doing more for them?” He found it hard to believe. He’d spent a great deal of time with them the night before. Well, some of them, mainly the families. Captain Ju and a few single males had quietly talked amongst themselves.
Sighing, she turned and looked at him. “Ranvir told you.”
There was no need to lie to her. “Yes. So it’s true?”
“Ranvir is a cyborg, Vujcec. They don’t lie.”
“They can,” he reminded her. “How else do you think the rebellion was born?”
“By not answering,” she sighed. “Which isn’t the same as lying.”
“I can’t believe they’d feel that way.” He came to stand beside her. “Do you know which colonists it was?”
“Feo. I recognized him from the concert hall. He was just as antagonistic there. He tried to stir the other colonists up and get them to believe we would sell them into slavery.”
“What?!” His eyes widened. “What would make him think that?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Who knows? He seems to be a guy who’s used to intimidating and manipulating people.”
“I know the type,” he muttered.
“I think we all do,” she agreed. “Hopefully, he’ll calm down and stop trying to stir the others up.”
