Reaching down, Matthias touched a blank part of her desk. Immediately the door opened behind the AAnn to admit a brace of armed peaceforcers. She maintained her smile.
“You’ll be escorted to Medical. A team is waiting for you there. I look forward to seeing you again once you have been properly treated.” She glanced down at her desk. “There will be no charge for this service, of course. It should be regarded as a complimentary benefit of being guests of the Commonwealth.”
Surrounding the irate pair, who had risen from their chairs, the peaceforcers began to shepherd them from the room.
“This iss truly unnecessary!” Thessu was hissing loudly. “We are in perfect health! We have no need of inferior Commonwealth mediciness or medical attention. I musst protesst in the sstrongesst termss!”
“Bye!” she called out to them as they were hustled out the door. “I’ll see you in a few days, after you come out of quarantine. Be nice to your attending physicians: they have your best interests at heart. Truly.”
The door shut behind the stunned, sputtering pair. Jallrii’s tail banged into the jamb, and then they were gone. Her office was quiet again, except for the ever-present drumming of rain falling outside.
She slumped back down in her chair, which immediately began to massage her back, backside, and upper legs. By having the two AAnn detained she knew she was running the risk of precipitating an interstellar incident, albeit a minor one. She felt the gamble was worth it. There were only two of them, Fluva was an out-of-the-way world, and it would be difficult for Imperial authorities to build a case against her for holding them for what purported to be medical treatment that was in the claimed best interests of the detained. She felt the worst they could charge her with was being overly hospitable.