“Yes, sir. She is Adreziana Starborne, the captain of the Starfarer children I spoke of. How touching. She is trying to talk to Nadhari through the drugs, you see? But Nadhari is no more likely to listen to her than the lions once did the Christians,”
“And the male voice I heard just now crying her name in such a tender fashion?”
“That would be Pal Kendoro, Count Edacki. Like Nadhari herself, a former lackey of Delszaki Li. A friend of Nadhari’s, actually. The old Nadhari, that is, not this new, improved model.”
“It is unfair and unchivalrous of you to send that sweet child out there to face the madwoman on her own, General. May I suggest a refinement?” “Yes, sir, of course.”
“Bind the lovers together. Two love birds with one stoned warrior woman.” He began to giggle. “Oh, that tickles my fancy! Yes it does! I shall have to come out there immediately to view it in person. Save that spectacle for me, will you?”
“No need. Count. No matter how badly Nadhari hurts them or, if they are lucky, one of them hurts her, the Linyaari will certainly cooperate to heal such innocent hides. We can recycle both Nadhari and the children indefinitely, if the healing pow3|| ers work as well as we’ve been led to believe.” if.: “Splendid, General, splendid! How I have missed these lit11 tie entertainments-the sort the Didis used to dream up to interest me back in the old days before the unicorn girl showed up. How very fitting that her own species should make such pleasures feasible and cost effective again.”
^vL fasLti “wanted to know where her brother was ^ \/1 anc^ ^^y ^e ^^ not come out with the others.
“He was hurt, Maati,” Liriili told her when the child refused to leave. “The aliens we fled when your parents came here hurt him very badly. He does not want you to see him until we can heal him.”
All of the adults were now trying to project calm and patience like crazy but Maati had learned a thing or two as a government page.
“You didn’t want him to come!” she said. “You were scared of him. But he wouldn’t hurt me. He’s the only family I have and I’m the only family he has. I want to see him.”
Acorna said, “You will, Maati. You will. But he Lf hurt by the way people look at him and he doesn’t want to be pitied. He wants you to look up to him, not feel sony for him. So we have to go get the physicians now and bring them right back here to heal him.”
“I want to be there,” Maati said firmly. “We are family and I want to help him. If I was hurt and he knew it, I bet he would be there. My parents would have been, wouldn’t they, Grandam?”
“Yes, Maati. And I see no reason why you shouldn’t come, . if too. Thariinye sent the adults in the group a somewhat distorted mental picture, in Acorna’s opinion, of Aari and Becker. Grandam gasped and Acorna, who had been trying hard not to project, snapped at him.
(Well, Grandam said she didn’t see why,) Thariinye declared in his own defense.
The other two males had scurried off immediately, looking distinctly unwell.
“Thariinye,” Liriili said. “Please ask the communications duty officer to contact the physicians’ college and have Baaksi Bidiila and Baaksi M’kaarin come here at once with their staff and any necessary equipment.”
“Yes, Viizaar Liriili,” Thariinye said, relieved to be away from there for even a moment. “At once.”
When he had gone, Liriili confronted Acorna and Grandam. “It is not helpful that you two judge him or me or the others for reacting in this way to One who has been so badly maimed,” she said. “The Khieevi sent the vids of our people under torture to us in order to deliberately terrorize us. As you can see, it works. Our people are not cowards, but we are peaceful. We’re healers. We would never do anything so dreadful to other living creatures. It is horrifying to us in the extreme. To see what can be done to us while we still live and breathe and walk-well, that would be far too upsetting for most of our people to be able to continue functioning. Such a sight would upset the balance and harmony we have achieved since coming here. Besides, it is in the best interests of Aari himself that he be healed before he rejoins us.”