Jacque raised his glass. “In the interests of science, then.”
She joined him. “Pure research.”
“One of you lovebirds pass the salt?”
16 – Autopsy
TO: Medical Research Group, AED Colorado Springs, Westhampton, Lyon, Nagpur, Mengtzu, La Rioja, Charleville
FROM: Johnathon Legman, M.D., Ph.D.
Andre Barnett, M.D.
Miriam Kophage, M.D., Medical Research
Group, AED Col Spr
RE: Autopsy of Tamer 1 Hsi Ch’ing
Abstract
Tamer 1 Hsi Ch’ing died on his first translation, a training mission to a fairly earthlike planet of Groom-bridge 1618. The mission was highly unusual in many respects. Not only was the planet quite viable for geoformy, but one of the animals the Tamers discovered seems to function as an amplifier for telepathic communication (preliminary report attached; Appendix VIII).
Tamer Ch’ing died at 21:32:47.6, 17 August 2051. The GPEM attempted to diagnose the cause of death but was unable to, and so communicated to the supervisor “Death due to undiagnosed GPEM malfunction,” and then froze the cadaver for later analysis earthside.
Our bioengineering section has checked out the GPEM very minutely, and reports that it is functioning perfectly. Its data crystals show no indication of malfunction at the time of the Tamer’s death. The diagnostic it communicated to the supervisor can also be interpreted “Cause of death unknown.” (Appendix III)
Our examination of the cadaver was similarly negative. Tamer Ch’ing was in excellent health on 16 August 2051 (See pre-translation physical, Appendix IV), and the cadaver likewise showed no symptoms of illness or trauma not directly attributable to postmortem freezing.
Biometric data just prior to death are ambiguous, and can be variously interpreted as indicating death due to cardiac infarction or massive cerebrovascular incident. Autopsy, however, denies the possibility of either.
28 August 2051
Contents:
Autopsy report
Appendix I: Subject’s medical history
Appendix II: Raw laboratory data
Appendix III: Bioengineering Section report
Appendix IV: Pre-translation physical & interview
Appendix V: Autopsy visuals
Appendix VI: Specialist’s report: cerebrovascular
Appendix VII: Specialist’s report: cardiac
Appendix VIII: Preliminary report: The Groombridge “Bridge”
Copies of original data crystals available on request.
17 – Schedule
EXPERIMENT SCHEDULE: Groombridge “Bridge.”
Hours Team Purpose Equipment
25 Aug
03:05 (translation) –
03:05-10:00 Senior Survey General investing.ad lib
10:00-17:00 Bio Group, Meta/catabolic Mod. Stokes
Willard meas. chamber
17:00-24:00 Bio Group, Reaction to ad lib
Jameson stimuli
26 Aug
00:00-14:00 Math Comm, ESP (stat) Rhine deck
Chandler
14:00-15:00 PR Group Public relations ad lib
15:00-22:00 Bio Group, Exp. w/modified
Van der terrestrial breathers,
Walls animals animals ad lib
22:00-24:00 Lefavre, Personal cot
Wachal (ESP, psych)
27 Aug 00:00-14:00 Math ESP (stat) Rhine deck
Comm, Fong
14:00-17:00 Riley et al Press Conference –
17:00-24:00 Bio Group, Change in Mod. Stokes
Willard metabolic chamber
rate wrt stress
increment
EXPERIMENTS 28 AUG-31 AUG TO BE DETERMINED BY RESULTS OF THE PRECEDING WORK.
1 Sept 19:00-20:49 Bio Group, Dissection Surg instr.,
Willard cameras
20:49 – (translation: “slingshot”)
18 – CHAPTER SIX: PRELUDE
A preliminary to an action, event, condition, or work of broader scope and higher importance . . . an independent piece of moderate length, sometimes used as an introduction to a fugue…
SETTING: The finest restaurant in Colorado Springs, Saturday evening, 26 August 2051. JACQUE LEFAVRE has invited CAROL WACHAL to dinner. Candlelight, heavy velvet, music by a neoElizabethan octet. The waiter has taken the dishes away; JACQUE orders from the wine steward a bottle of Château d’Yquem 2039.
CAROL
Teasing:
Am I really worth that much?
JACQUE
A little defensive:
It’s an occasion.
CAROL
Won’t be much of an occasion if we drink too much. Alcohol is a depressant.
JACQUE
Good wine never hurt that. . . facility.
CAROL
Are you always so formal?
JACQUE
Me? I’m not so-
CAROL
Yes you are. You’ve been treating me like a cousin you haven’t seen in a long time. Not like-
JACQUE
Well, hell. Maybe I’m a little nervous. It’s not your usual first date.
CAROL
That’s true. Loosen up, though. It’s not as if we’ll be on a stage in front of-
JACQUE
Yeah.
I’m glad you stepped in when old Chandler wanted us to-
CAROL
Shrugs.
There are limits.
JACQUE
I suspect you weren’t quite as outraged as you acted, though.
CAROL
Don’t pry, now. You’ll have your chance later.