Chapter 46

“David, you have a summons to Medical Resource.” The AI announced as Kirim and I awoke and began our morning routine, which sort of revolved around getting Kiria ready for school and us ready for work, though Kirim and Kiria were on a day off for this time period.

“Reporting to?” I asked.

“Supervisor Monitor Ashlann.”

“Be there in sixty rotations (half an hour).”

“I will so inform her.”

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome, David.”

“Wonder what she wants now?” Kirim mused out loud, as, for her, the jury was still out on Ashlann, owing to past behaviour, she having a long memory for someone upsetting her friends, though I was not so fussy about past events.

“It’ll be a diplomatic request,” I replied as I stepped into the shower to be sonically cleansed.

“Ah, they don’t want any incidents?” she giggled.

“They mostly don’t from me. The only problems they tend to have are ones my customers bring with them,” I replied as I stepped out of the shower and Kirim, whose pregnancy was now starting to show, stepped in.

I swiftly dressed and put various items away to be stored or cleaned before going to see how Kiria was doing as she now had her own room which the apartment had ‘grown’ for us at our request.

True to form she was awake and practicing her defensive moves that Janilla had taught her against a hologram the AI had provided.

“Time for your shower, little lady,” I chuckled as she dodged and hit out at the representation.

“OK, Daddy,” she grinned as she knew I’d caught her doing something her mother disapproved of, though seemed powerless to stop.

Kirim was fighting a losing battle with her daughter, who was turning out more like her than the gentle young lady that she wanted her to be. Kirim was a ‘warrior woman’ in that her times with the Guardians had taught her to focus her intelligence and aggression on dealing with criminals in the lower levels. This though was not the life for Kiria she hoped for, though was continuously undermined in her efforts by everyone else around her in both her family along with her friends. About the only ally Kirim had was Cass and even then Cass admitted to me that Kiria was simply determined to be just like her Mum, only with her Dad’s attitude and intransigence into being forced to do something she didn’t want to. “Best we can hope for is a veneer of civilisation over her,” she grinned after one of our talks.

That’s not to say Kiria was a bully or anything like that. If anything she’d act to deal with bullies or anyone picking on her friends or even strangers if she caught them. Her school had got around this by appointing Kiria as a ‘prefect’ giving her the (limited) authority to deal with incidents. This had prevented Kirim and I being called to the school to address a situation on a binary cyclical basis.

Kirim was just coming out of the shower when Kiria skipped in, throwing her nighty into the recycler/washing machine.

“She was practicing again, wasn’t she?” Kirim asked.

“Yes, my love.”

“Why do I bother?”

“I don’t know. If anything she’s even more stubborn than you are,” I chuckled. “She’ll probably want to be a Guardian, just like her Mum. Either that or the High Marshall of Imperial Ground Forces.”

“I just want her to be a little girl for a bit longer,” she replied plaintively.

“According to your Dad, you were just the same, but with fewer opportunities to rise higher.”

“I was?”

“Yes. She’s your daughter all right,” I grinned.

“Oh...”

“She’s a good kid, my love. She looks out for her friends and will probably be the best big sister ever for our son. I doubt you can stop her being whatever she wants to be with regards to this training in the defensive arts. Your best bet will be to take her down to the Armoury gym one day and introduce her to Rigg to be trained.”

“But she might get hurt!”

“She might, but Rigg is good and will probably ensure she doesn’t.”

“True, he is the best trainer we have...”

“So be the best Mummy ever and take her down there,” I chuckled as breakfast arrived.

“I’m not going to win on this am I?”

“Nope, too many people help our little lady get around your rules,” I chuckled, watching Kirim frown then suddenly grin.

“True. Rigg is in today so I’ll take her down and introduce her.”

“Best Mummy ever!” I laughed and hugged her.

Ashlann was waiting for me as soon as I stepped out of the lift and, after a polite greeting, led me straight to her office, which meant it was official as well as high level ... Either that or she wanted a personal favour, though she’d never asked for one in the past. Unlike other Cures, I did do personal favours for the staff in Medical Resource in the way of giving a quick fix to their relatives who were occasionally in dire straits owing to the multitude of weird diseases that, although were curable, took quite some time, the lower down the class ladder you were. Imperial society was highly stratified in bands throughout the levels and other than various services (like Healers and Guardians) did not mix on a social level. Yes, they’d turn up at events like the Grav-ball final, but tended to be grouped (by the AIs) in their own little sections. The weird thing was, was that there was no animosity between one group and another; yes, the higher you got, the better benefits you got for being in your grouping, but it was simply accepted that it was the way things were and most strived to get a little bit higher in their lives.

“Two things, Dave,” she started after we both sat. “One, Cure Vranik is taking Medical Resource to the High Table with a writ stating we are showing favouritism by giving all requests to certain ‘favourites’ and impoverishing the majority.”

“You wish me to testify as a witness?”

“Yes please. The little shlecker appears to have more money than sense, and is trying to force more money or work from us. The real problem is that no one wants to use him because he can’t keep his mouth shut. Plus we’ve had several complaints about his treatment of various victims and surrogates.”

“I take it this comes from Herrick and is more about teaching him a lesson?”

“Yes, Dave. He’s a media favourite and needs a comeuppance.”

“No problem.”

“The other thing is a diplomatic request to cure the High Priestess of the goddess Lamolli.”

“Um ... who?”

“That was my first thought as well,” she grinned. “AI, please give Dave the briefing I got.”

“Of course, Supervisor Monitor Ashlann,” came a polite reply. “Lamolli is the senior goddess of the Ghilhanath Emirate who are currently undergoing a civil war. The High Priestess is a moderate voice in the slowly becoming dominant faction seeking reform in the Emirate. She has been poisoned with a slow acting neurotoxin and, although Emirate medicine is as good as Imperial medicine, the toxin will kill her. Should she die the reform movement may fail, or her deputy, who favours a more hard line approach, will take charge. You will also be accompanied by Senior Healer Cassire to give the High Priestess a rejuve shot in order to give her the time to bring stability to the Emirate ... we hope.”

“I take it we have to go to the Emirate?”

“Yes, David.”

“OK. I’ll let Kirim know as I doubt she’ll be allowed into a war zone.”

“She will not. The Empress was most specific on this.”

“Any particular social mores to be aware of in the Emirate?”

“Women below a certain rank are not permitted to be out in public unattended, nor do they have a say in Emirate society. Above the rank of Noble, they have exactly the same rights and responsibilities as men,” the AI explained.

“So Cassire will be OK?” I asked.

“We believe so, yes. Though Emirate law is subject to interpretation by the Planetary Viziers and subject to occasional radical change.”

“So why don’t we send a male healer?”

“The High Priestess is sacrosanct and no male is permitted to examine her.”

“How are you going to explain me then?”

“You will be Senior Healer Cassire’s bodyguard. A bodyguard is permitted and the High Priestess is also aware of what it is a Cure has to do. Her own bodyguard will also attend and not be permitted to interfere.”

“Convoluted, but doable,” I nodded. “Very well. Supervisor Monitor Ashlann, please make the arrangements,” I agreed, giving formal consent for Ashlann to, in the Empress’ name, make arrangements for me.

“Thank you, Dave.”

“No problem, any other business?”

“We have a young man with a spinal injury from smashing awkwardly into the wall with his grav-unit when playing grav-ball. His parents’ wish is for a quick fix and have authorised a surrogate. See Vilgra for the details and timing.”

“On my way,” I replied, giving her a polite nod.

When I got to her work area Vilgra was busy giving out instructions to what appeared to be new members of staff, so I waited patiently for her to finish.

“Sorry about that, Dave,” she greeted me when the two of them scurried off to do the task she’d set them. “They’re as green as I was when I started.”

“They’ll learn and at least you or Ashlann won’t be trying to stab them in the back whilst getting a relative promotion,” I chuckled.

“True and I have warned them about putting up with crap from certain Cures,” she grinned.

“Unavoidable at times,” I chuckled. “Though I try not to be mean about it anymore.”

“You at least know and stick to the rules and you don’t wear your torc up here anyway.”

“No, the only place I have to wear it now is on the lower levels when I’m wandering outside.”

“We have Tolvas, the son of Lendmena Nitrrach for you to fix up today. Nasty little accident which we’ve checked to make sure it was actually an accident. Seems he forgot to switch on the inertia setting when playing and, unlike the professional players, didn’t have the skill to cope with the speed.”

“Kids,” I sighed. “We had to sort out a broken wrist for Kiria when she did the same. Fortunately Cass was watching with us that day.”