Krach-Yul, Doctor Conway,” it said. “My knowledge of other-species physiology is
small, since I have had medical experience with only the Earth-human, Ni-dian,
and my own Orligian life-forms, all of which, as you know, fall within the DBDG
warm-blooded, oxygen-breathing
classification.”
The fact that the natives of Orligia and their planetary neighbor Nidia had a
marked disparity in physical mass and one of them possessed an overall coat of
tight, curly red fur was too small a difference to affect the four-letter
classification coding, Conway thought as the other doctor was talking. Just like
the small difference which had, in the early days of their stellar exploration,
caused Orligia and Earth to fight the first, brief, and so far only interstellar
war.
For this reason the Orligians and Earth-humans were more than friendly—nowadays
they went out of their way to help each other—and it was a great pity that
Krach-Yul was too professionally inexperienced to be really helpful. All Conway
could hope for was that the Orligian medic had had sense enough to restrain its
professional curiosity and not poke its friendly, furry nose into a situation
which was completely beyond its experience.
“We did not enter the wreck,” the Orligian was saying, “because our crew members
are not specialists in alien technology and there was the danger of them
inadvertently contributing to the problem rather than its solution. I
considered telling through die hull and withdrawing a sample of the wreck’s
S.G.—7
atmosphere, in the hope that the survivor was a warm-blooded oxygen breather
like ourselves and we could pump in air. But I decided against this course in
case their atmosphere was an exotic mixture which we could not supply and we
would then have reduced their ship’s internal pressure to no purpose.
“We are not certain that there is a survivor, Doctor,” Krach-Yul went on. “Our
sensors indicate pressure within the wreck, a small power source, and the
presence of what appears to be one large mass of organic material which is
incompletely visible through the viewports. We do not know if it is living.”
Conway sighed. Where extraterrestrial physiology and medicine were concerned
this Krach-YuI was uneducated, but it certainly was not unintelligent. He could
imagine the Orligian qualifying on its home planet, moving to the neighboring
world of Nidia, and later joining the Monitor Corps to further increase its e-t
experience and, while treating the minor ills and injuries of an Earth-human
scoutship crew, hoping for something just like this to happen. The Orligian was
probably one great, furry lump of curiosity regarding the organic contents of
the wreck, but it knew its professional limitations. Conway was already
developing a liking for the Orligian medic, sight unseen.
“Very good, Doctor,” Conway said warmly. “But I have a request. Your vessel has
a portable airlock. To save time would you mind—”
“It has already been deployed, Doctor,” the Orligian broke in, “and attached to
the wreck’s hull over the largest entry port we could find. We are assuming it
is an entry port, but it could be a large access panel because we did not try to
open it. The wreck was spinning about its lateral axis and this motion was
checked by Tyrell’s tractor-beams, but otherwise the vessel is as we found it.”
Conway thanked the other and unstrapped himself from his couch. He could see
several new traces on the radar display, but it was the picture of Tyrell and
the wreck growing visibly larger on the forward screen which was his immediate
concern.
“What are your intentions, Doctor?” the Captain asked.
Indicating the image of the wreck, Conway said, “It doesn’t seem to be too badly
damaged and there isn’t much sharp metal in sight so, in the interests of a fast
recovery, my people will wear lightweight suits. I shall take Pathologist
Murchison and
Doctor Prilicla. Charge Nurse Naydrad will remain in the Casualty Deck lock
with the litter, ready to pressurize it with the survivors’ atmosphere as soon
as Murchison analyzes it. You, sir, will come along to pick the alien airlock?”
Rhabwar was the first of its kind. Designed as a special ambulance ship, it had
the configuration and mass of a Federation light cruiser, which was the largest