“Clitoris?” Niri asks. “What is that?”
“Humans have a nub between their labial folds,” Josie begins. “It—”
I get to my feet, feeling uncomfortable. “I think I will just go thank Stay-see for her excellent food.”
“Sure, run away, chicken,” Liz calls out as I head away. She’s laughing. I don’t care that she’s amused and I’m not sticking around to ask what a ‘chicken’ is. I’m not staying around for a female anatomy lesson. That’s Niri’s field of expertise, not mine. I’m the one that’s good with engines and computers…both of which are completely useless talents on this planet. I glance around, and while most of the tribe is clustered near the fire, listening to a story Trakan is telling (very loudly and very drunkenly), there are a few around the edges, busy sharpening spears or scraping skins as they listen. Stay-see and another female bustle around, feeding everyone, and a few others are watching several children at once. One human female with brown skin is busy watering the trees. They are a busy people, even on a day like this.
And I would have nothing to offer. It’s just another sign that points to the fact that Farli should come with me. Not that I’ve seriously entertained the thought of staying here. Ever. It’s an uncomfortable, chilly place, and now that I’ve stepped away from the fire, I can feel the cold seeping back into my bones. I re-fasten the front of my suit and hand my plate off to Stay-see, thanking her for the food.
As I do, I see another human female, this one standingapart from the others. Her hair is a strange orangey-red, her bleached skin dotted with spots.She holds a small boy’s hand, and there’s something distressing about her. The other females are small but healthy. This one is…not. Her eyes are sunken and her arms are very thin. Her belly is enormous, and she looks sickly. Her gaze meets mine, and I notice that her eyes are a much paler blue than Farli’s vibrant ones.
She’s dying, I realize. Fading away.
Her mouth curves in a gentle smile of greeting to me. A moment later, her eyes flutter, and she sags, then collapses to the ground.
I rush forward.
“Mama?” says the boy.
“Har-loh!” bellows a male. “No!”
I make it to her side before anyone else—maybe because I was watching her. The female is cold to the touch, her skin clammy. Her eyes flutter but remain closed. She feels light in my arms, too light compared to Farli’s strength.
One of the hunters rushes forward and snatches her from my arms. I think he’s going to attack me, but his entire focus is on his unconscious mate. He touches her cheek, panic and love in his eyes. “Har-loh,” he murmurs again. “Wake, please.”
A mesakkah female comes to his side, her face solemn. She puts her hand to the orange-haired female’s brow and looks unhappy. “Her khui is fading. It is too hard for her to carry her kit. It takes too much out of her.”
I look over at Niri.
She meets my gaze, stony-faced. After a moment, she gives a subtle shake of her head. She doesn’t want to get involved. Neither Trakan nor Chatav are speaking up, either.
Kef that.
“We have a med bay on our ship,” I tell them. “We can take her there and see if it’s not too late to fix whatever is ailingher.”
Farli rushes to my side, hope in her eyes. “Do you think they can fix Har-loh like they did Chahm-pee?” She turns to the male and nods encouragingly. “They healed my dvisti, Rukh. And so fast. You would not think he’s hurt at all.”
The male—Rukh—turns his gaze to me. There is agony there. “Please.” He offers his mate back to me, and I take her in my arms.
How can I refuse?
“I’ll show you the way,” I tell him. I cut through the happy gathering, Farli and Rukh trailing behind me. As I pass, Niri reluctantly gets to her feet and follows. The captain looks frozen, and I know why—running the med bay machines is expensive, and each of the treatments it doles out ends up using precious supplies. He’s probably seeing credits go out the door at the thought of healing one of the locals, credits we don’t have.
I don’t care. I’m not going to sit by and watch someone die when we have the ability to save them.
Not again. Never again.
8
FARLI
My mate has such a kind heart.
I do not know why the others from his ship did not act the moment Har-loh collapsed, but he took action right away. He helped bring Har-loh directly to the ship itself and laid her in the same bed that Chahm-pee was healed in. This time, though, it gets sucked into the wall and all the screens light up as it runs tests. I can tell Rukh is panicking, so I pat his arm and try to keep him calm as Mardok explains what the machines are doing.
We all knew Har-loh was struggling and that her khui is not as strong as most. We knew the pregnancy was hard on her. I just did not realize how hard. Looking at Rukh’s devastated face, though, I think he knew she was not well. I see sadness but not surprise.
The thin healer of Mardok’s small tribe, Niri, eventually enters med bay and shoos us all out. We are just in her way, she says, and closes the door on us. Then it is just myself,Mardok, and Rukh. Mardok takes us to the dining hall and gives us bland food and funny-tasting water. I try to eat to be polite, but Rukh just stares ahead at nothing. I hope his little Rukhar is not crying. Jo-see will try to keep him occupied. She is good with the kits.
