ward duties, in particular those involving organic wastes. These are an
unpleasant but necessary by-product common to all species whose food is
ingested, digested, and eliminated. However,there must be wide differences in
the chemical composition of other-species wastes. Since the hospital was
designed so far as was possible to be a closed ecological system, what becomes
of all this material?”
Cresk-Sar seemed to be having difficulty with its breathing for a moment, then
it replied, “The system is not completely closed. We do not synthesize all our
food or medication and, 1 am pleased to tell you, there are no intelligent
life-forms known to us who can exist on their own or any other species’ wastes.
As for your question, I don’t know the answer, Cha Thrat. Until now the question
has never come up.”
It turned away quickly and went back to its Melfan and Nidian friends. Shortly
afterward the ELNT started to make clicking sounds with its mandibles while the
furry DBDGs barked, or perhaps laughed, loudly. Cha Thrat could not find
anything humorous in the question. To the contrary, she found the subject
actively unpleasant. But the loud, untranslatable noises coming from the group
showed no sign of stopping—until they were drowned out by the sharp, insistent,
and even louder sounds coming from the public address system.
“Emergency,” it blared across the recreation level and from her translator.
“Code Blue, AUGL ward. All named personnel acknowledge on nearest communicator
and go immediately to the AUGL ward. Chief Psychologist O’Mara, Charge Nurse
Hredlichli, Trainee Cha Thrat. Code Blue. Acknowledge and go at once to—”
She missed the rest of it because Cresk-Sar had come back and was glaring down
at her. It was neither barking nor laughing.
“Move yourself!” it said harshly. “I’ll acknowledge the message and go with you.
As your tutor I am responsible for your medical misdeeds. Hurry.”
As they were leaving the recreation level it went on,”A Code Blue is an
emergency involving extreme danger to both patients and medical staff, the kind
of trouble during which untrained personnel are ordered to stay clear. But they
have paged you, a trainee, and, of all people, Chief Psychologist O’Mara. “What
have you done!
Chapter 6
Cha Thrat and the Senior Physician arrived at the AUGL ward minutes before
O’Mara and Charge Nurse Hredlichli, and joined the other three nurses on
duty—two Kelgian DBLFs and a Melfan ELNT—who had abandoned their patients to
take shelter in the Nurses’ Station.
This normally reprehensible behavior was not being considered as a dereliction
of medical duty, the tutor explained, because it was the first time in the
hospital’s wide experience in staff-patient relations that a Chalder had become
violently antisocial.
In the green dimness at the other end of the ward a long, dark shadow drifted
slowly from one side-wall to the other, as Cha Thrat had seen many of the
mobile, bored, and restless Chalders doing while she had been on duty. Except
for a few pieces of decorative greenery detached and drifting untidily between
the supports, the ward looked peaceful and normal.
“What about the other patients, Charge Nurse?”
Cresk-Sar asked. As the Senior Physician present it had overall medical
responsibility. “Is anyone hurt?”
Hredlichli swam along the line of monitors and said, “Disturbed and frightened,
but they have sustained no injuries, nor has their food and medication delivery
system been damaged. They’ve been very lucky.”
“Or the patient is being selective in its violence—” O’Mara began, then broke
off.
The long shadow at the other end of the ward had foreshortened and was enlarging
rapidly as it rushed toward them. Cha Thrat had a glimpse of fins blurred by
rapid motion, ribbon tentacles streaming backward, and the serried ranks of
gleaming teeth edging the enormous, gaping mouth before it crashed against the
transparent wall of the Nurses’ Station. The wall bulged inward alarmingly but
did not collapse.
It was too large for the dooriess entrance, she saw, but it changed position and
moved three of its tentacles inside. They were not long enough or strong enough
to pull anyone outside to the mouth, although one of the Kelgian nurses had a
few anxious moments. Disappointed, the Chalder turned and swam away, with