White, James – Sector General 07 – Code Blue Emergency

White, James – Code Blue Emergency

Code Blue Emergency

by James White

Chapter 1

The ruler of the ship sat beside Cha Thrat at the recreation deck’s viewscreen

while the fuzzy blob of light that was the space hospital grew into a gigantic,

complex structure ablaze with every color and intensity of light that her eyes

could detect. She had strong feelings of awe, wonder, excitement, and great

embarrassment.

Ruler Chiang, she had learned, carried the rank of major in the Monitor Corps

Extraterrestrial Communications and Cultural Contact division. But the ruler

seriously confused her at times by behaving like a warrior. Now it was sitting

beside her because it felt some strange, Earth-human obligation to do so. It had

wanted to pay her the compliment of allowing her to watch the approach to the

hospital from its control deck, but as she was physiologically unable to enter

that small and already crowded compartment, it had felt obliged to desert its

post and sit with her here.

The compliment was a completely unnecessary piece of time-wasting nonsense,

considering wide disparity in the social and professional levels of the people

involved, but Chiang seemed to derive some pleasure from the foolishness and it

had, after all, been a patient of hers.

The muted conversation in Control was being relayed with the image on the

repeater screen and, while ChaThrat’s translator gave her the equivalent of

every word, the particular technical jargon that the ship’s warriors were using

made the total meaning of what they were saying unclear. But suddenly there was

a new, amplified voice whose words were simple and unambiguous, accompanied by a

picture of the disgustingly hairy being who was speaking them.

“Sector General Reception,” it said briskly. “Identify yourself, please.

Patient, visitor, or staff; degree of urgency; and physiological classification,

if known. If uncertain, please make full visual contact and we will classify.”

“Monitor Corps courier vessel Thromasaggar,” a voice from Control responded.

“Short-stay docking facilities to unload patient and staff member. Crew and

patient classification Earth-human DBDG. Patient is ambulatory, convalescent,

treatment nonurgent. Staff member is classification DCNF and is also a

warmblooded oxygen-breather with no special temperature, gravity, or pressure

requirements.”

“Wait,” the obnoxious creature said, and once again the image of the hospital

filled the screen. A definite improvement, she thought.

“What is that thing?” she asked the ruler. “It looks like a… a scroggila. You

know, one of our rodents.”

“I’ve seen pictures of them,” the ruler said, and made the unpleasant barking

sound that denoted amusement with these people. “It is a Nidian DBDG, about half

the body mass of an Earth-human with a very similar metabolism. Its species is

highly advanced technologically and culturally, so it only looks like an outsize

rodent. You’ll learn to work with much less beautiful beings in that place—”

It broke off as the image of the Nidian returned.

“Follow the blue-yellow-blue direction beacons,” the receptionist said. “Debark

patient and staff member at Lock One Zero Four, then proceed to Dock Eighteen

via the blue-blue-white beacons. Major Chiang and the Som-maradvan healer are

expected and will be met.”

By what? she wondered.

The ruler had given her a great deal of helpful advice and information about

Sector Twelve General Hospital, most of which she did not believe. And when they

entered the lock antechamber a short time later, she could not believe that the

smooth, waist-high hemisphere of green jelly occupying the deck between the two

waiting Earth-humans was a person.

Ruler Chiang said, “This is Lieutenant Braithwaite of the Chief Psychologist’s

Office, and Maintenance Officer Timmins, who is responsible for preparing your

accommodation, and Doctor Danalta, who is attached to the ambulance ship,

Rhabwar…”

Except for minor differences in the insignia on their uniforms, she could not

tell the two Earth-humans apart. The large blob of green stuff on the floor, she

guessed, was some kind of practical joke, or perhaps part of an initiation

ritual for newcomers to the hospital. For the time being she decided not to

react.

“… And this is Cha Thrat,” it went on, “the new healer from Sommaradva, who is

joining the staff.”

Both Earth-humans moved their right hands up to waist level, then lowered them

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