White, James – Sector General 05 – Sector General

Fletcher was careful, conscientious, highly competent, and did not as a rule

worry out loud about his work or ability to carry it out. Conway was still

wondering about the Captain’s un­characteristic behavior when a shadow fell

across the casualty he was examining.

Fletcher was standing over him and looking as worried as he had sounded. “I

realize, Doctor,” the Captain said awk­wardly, “that during rescue operations

you have the rank. I want you to know that I go along with this willingly. But

on this occasion I believe the circumstances are such that complete authority

should revert to me.” He glanced back at the wreck and then down at the badly

injured alien. “Doctor, do you have any experience in forensic medicine?”

Conway sat back on his haunches and simply gaped at him. Retcher took a deep

breath and went on. “The distribution and condition of the casualties around the

wreck seemed wrong to me,” he said seriously. “It indicated a rapid evacuation

of a relatively undamaged ship, even though our sensors showed no radiation or

fire hazard. As well, all of the casualties were severely injured to varying

degrees and with the same type of wounding. It seemed to me that some of them

would have been able to make a greater distance from their ship than others, yet

sll of them collapsed within a relatively small radius from the wreck. This made

me wonder whether the injuries had been sustained inside the ship or close to

where they were lying.”

“A local predator,” Conway said, “which attacked them as

they came out already shocked and weakened as a result of the crash.”

The Captain shook his head. “No life-form capable of in­flicting such injuries

inhabits this world. Most of the injuries I’ve seen are incised wounds or those

caused by the removal of a limb. This suggests the use of a sharp instrument of

some kind. The user of the instrument may or may not be still on board the ship.

If it is on board, it may be that the beings who escaped were the lucky ones, in

which case I hate to think of what we may find inside the wreck. But you can see

now why I must resume overall responsibility, Doctor.

“The Monitor Corps is the Federation’s law-enforcement arm,” he concluded

quietly. “It seems to me that a very serious-crime has been committed, and I am

a policeman first and an ambulance driver second.”

Before Con way could reply, Murchison said, “The condition of this cadaver, and

the other casualties I’ve examined, does not preclude such a possibility.”

‘Thank you, ma’am,” the Captain said. “That is why I want the medical team back

on Rhabwar while Dodds and I arrest this criminal. If things go wrong, Chen and

Haslam can get you back to the hospital—”

“Haslam, sir,” the Communications Officer’s voice broke in. “Shall I request

Corps assistance?”

The Captain did not reply at once, and Con way began think­ing that the other’s

theory could very well explain why a pre­viously undamaged ship had released a

distress beacon and then left the scene to try for a planetary landing.

Something had gotten loose among the crew, perhaps. Something which might have

been confined had escaped, something very, very nasty. With an effort Conway

brought his runaway imagination under control. “We can’t be absolutely sure that

a criminal was responsible for this. A nonintelligent experimental animal which

broke loose, injured and perhaps maddened with pain, could have done—”

“Animals use teeth and claws, doctor,” the Captain broke in. “Not knives.”

“This is a completely new species,” Conway replied. “We don’t know anything

about them, their culture or their codes of behavior. They may be ignorant of

our particular laws.”

“Ignorance of the law,” Fletcher said impatiently, “has never been an acceptable

excuse for committing a criminal act against another intelligent being. Just as

ignorance of law by the in­nocent victim does not exclude the being concerned

from its protection.”

“I agree—” Conway began. “But I am not completely sure that a crime has been

committed,” he went on. “Until I am sure, you, Haslam, will not send for help.

But keep a close watch on this area and if anything moves, apart from the