orbital construction projects.
“I am glad to have been of assistance, Earthperson,” the Hudlar ended, “but I am
not a hero.”
“Nevertheless I am grateful,” MacEwan shouted, then stopped moving away. He
waved his hand, indicating the lounge which resembled a battlefield rather than
a luxurious departure point for the stars, and started coughing. Finally he was
able to say, “Pardon me, please, if I am being presumptuous, but is it possible
for you to similarly assist the other beings who have been immobilized by their
injuries and are in danger of asphyxiation?”
The second Hudlar had joined them, but neither spoke. Grawlya-Ki was waving at
him and pointing toward the transparent wall of the Colonel’s office where the
Monitor Corps officer was also gesticulating urgently.
“Ki, will you find out what he wants?” MacEwan called to the Orligian. To the
first Hudlar he went on, “You are understandably cautious in the matter of
physically handling members of another species, lest you inadvertently give
offense, and in normal circumstances this would be wholly admirable and the
behavior of a being of sensitivity and intelligence. But this is not a normal
situation, and it is my belief that any accidental physical intimacy committed
on the injured would be forgiven when the intention is purely to give
assistance. In these circumstances a great many beings could die who would
otherwise—”
“Some of them will die of boredom or old age,” the second Hudlar said suddenly,
“if we continue to waste time with unnecessary politeness. Plainly we Hudlars
have a physical advantage here. What is it you wish us to do?”
“I apologize most abjectly for my lifemate’s ill-considered and hasty remarks,
Earth-human,” the first Hudlar said quickly. “And for any offense they may have
given.”
“No need. None taken,” MacEwan said, laughing in sheer relief until the chlorine
turned it into a cough. He considered prefacing his instructions with advance
apologies for any offense he might inadvertently give to the Hudlars, then
decided that that would be wasting more time. He took a deep, careful breath and
spoke.
“The chlorine level is still rising around that transporter. Would one of you
remove heavy debris from casualties in the
area affected and move them to the entrance to the boarding tunnel, where they
can be moved into the tunnel itself if the level continues to rise. The other
should concentrate on rescuing Illensans by lifting them into their transporter.
There is a lock antechamber just inside the entry port, and hopefully some of
the less seriously injured chlorine breathers will be able to get them through
the lock and give them first aid inside. The Orligian and myself will try to
move the casualties not immediately in danger from the chlorine, and open the
boarding tunnel entrance. Ki, what have you got there?”
The Orligian had returned with more than, a dozen small cylinders, with
breathing masks and straps attached, cradled in both arms. It said,
“Fire-fighting equipment. The Colonel directed me to the emergency locker. But
it’s Nidian equipment. The masks won’t fit very well, and with some of these
beings they won’t fit at all. Maybe we can hold them in position and—”
“This aspect of the problem does not concern us,” the first Hudlar broke in.
“Earthperson, what do we do with casualties whose injuries might be compounded
by the assistance of well-meaning rescuers ignorant of the physiology of the
being concerned?”
MacEwan was already tying a cylinder to his chest, passing the attachment over
one shoulder and under the opposite armpit because the Nidian straps were too
short to do otherwise. He said grimly, “We will have that problem, too.”
“Then we will use our best judgment,” the second Hudlar said, moving ponderously
toward the transporter, followed closely by its lifemate.
“That isn’t the only problem,” Grawlya-Ki said as it, too, attached a cylinder
to its harness. ‘The collision cut our communications and the Colonel can’t
tell the terminal authorities about the situation in here, nor does he know what
the emergency services are doing about it. He also says that the boarding
tunnel entrance won’t open while there is atmospheric contamination in the
lounge—it is part of the safety system designed to contain such contamination so