dormitories. The missing FGHJ could be there.”
“I don’t think so,” Fletcher said. “The sensors show it as an empty compartment,
about half the size of a dormitory, with a lot of low-power circuitry and
ducting, probably environmental control lines to the dormitories, mounted on or
behind the wall surfaces. By empty we mean that there are no large metal objects
in the room, although organic material could be present if it was stored in
nonmetal containers. But a piece of organic material of the body mass and
temperature of a living FGHJ, whether moving or at rest, would show very
clearly.
“All the indications are that it is just another storeroom,” the Captain ended.
“But no doubt you will search it, anyway.”
With difficulty, Cha Thrat ignored Fletcher’s tone as she said, “During my first
search of this area I looked into this corridor and saw the blank end-wall
containing what I mistakenly thought to be a section of badly fitted wail
plating. My excuse for making this mistake is that there is no external handle
or latch visible. On closer examination I see that it is not a badly fitted
plate but an inward-opening door that is very slightly ajar, and the scanner
shows that it fastens only from the inside.
“The vision pickup is on,” she added. “I’m pushing the door open now.”
The place was a mess, she thought, with weightlessness adding to the general
disorder so that floating debris made it difficult to see any distance into the
room. There was a very strong smell of glytt.
“We aren’t receiving a clear picture,” said Fletcher, “and something close to
the lens is blocking most of the view. Have you attached the pickup correctly or
are we seeing part of your shoulder?”
“No, sir,” she replied, trying to keep her tone properly subordinate. “The
compartment is gravity-free and a large number of flat, roughly circular objects
are floating about. They appear to be organic, fairly uniform in size, dark gray
on one surface and with a paler, mottled appearance on the other. I suppose they
could be cakes of preprepared food that escaped from a ruptured container, or
they might be solid body waste, similar to that found in the dormitories, which
has dried and become discolored. I’m trying to move some of it out of the way
now.”
With a sudden feeling of distaste, she cleared the visual obstructions from the
front of the pickup, using her medial hands because they were the only ones
still covered by gloves. There was no response from Rhabwar.
“There are large, irregular clumps of spongelike or vegetable material attached
to the walls and ceiling,” she went on, moving her body so that the pickup’s
images would let the others see, however unclearly, what she was trying to
describe. “So far as I can see, each clump is colored differently, although the
colors are subdued, and under each one there is a short length of padded shelf.
“At floor level,” she continued, “I can see three narrow, rectangular flaps.
Their size and positions correspond to those found in the dormitories. These
pancakes, or whatever, are all over the place, but I cansee something large
floating in a corner near the ceiling …It’s the FGHJ!”
“I don’t understand why it didn’t register on the sensors,” Fletcher said. It
was the kind of Captain who insisted on the highest standards of efficiency from
its crew and the equipment in its charge, and treated a malfunction in either as
a personal affront.
“Good work, friend Cha,” Prilicla said, enthusiastically breaking in. “Quickly
now, move it to the entrance for loading into the litter. We’ll be with you
directly. What is the general clinical picture?”
Cha Thrat moved closer, swatting more obstructions from her path as she said, “I
can’t see any physical injuries at all, not even minor bruising, or external
evidence of an illness. But this FGHJ isn’t like the others. It seems to be a
lot thinner and less well muscled. The skin appears darker, more wrinkled, and
the hooves are discolored and cracked in several places. The body hair is gray.
I… I think this is a much older FGHJ. It might be the ship ruler. Maybe it hid