Chapter 48

You aren’t going to be in any trouble over this, Cass, are you?” I asked.

“Possibly, though it will be low key and irritating rather than open and provable,” she shrugged.

“Won’t affect the medical centre, will it?”

“No, though they can constrain my time there by getting me involved in various meetings to discuss the work of Imperial Health Bureaucracy.”

“You can always resign.”

“They own the medical centre, not me.”

“Do they? I always thought that it was owned by Municipal Services.”

Cass paused and then smiled. “You know, you may be right. It’s just the doctors and equipment the Imperial Health Bureaucracy pays for.”

“AI, what are the costs of running the medical centre?” I asked.

“One hundred and fifty Royals per binary cycle, David,” the reply came back swiftly.

“I can afford that from just one patient to run for a year and still have money left over.”

“I doubt it will be as easy as that...” Cass began and paused as she mentally went over the possibilities.

“Do the doctors work for the Imperial Health Bureaucracy?” I asked.

“No, though that’s where their pay comes from.”

“Do they recruit them?”

“Again no, though they advertise a need to Medical Training.”

“So, if your family, via the Imperial Health Bureaucracy, push too far we could be independent?”

“Yes ... I believe so,” she nodded. “AI, could you confirm?”

“There is no reason we can see why you couldn’t run your own medical centre, Senior Healer Cassire,” the reply came back.

“In what ways could the Imperial Health Bureaucracy interfere with such a situation?” I asked.

“They are obliged to inspect all medical facilities to ensure they follow certain minimum standards. In theory they could close you down if you don’t meet those standards.”

“I don’t recall them ever inspecting our medical centre,” I chuckled.

“They have not,” Cass replied with a grin. “Plus I know our medical centre more than exceeds the minimum standards. As do the AIs.”

“This is correct, Senior Healer Cassire,” the AI replied.

“It’s worth a thought if your Clan becomes obnoxious,” I nodded thoughtfully.

“Yes, Dave, it is.”

As this was my first full free day (apart from the Imperial summons) I headed off to Medical Resource to announce my return in person, though I suspected that Vilgra at least would already be aware that I was back.

As it was, I was surprised to find both Kirim and Kiria there, talking to Vilgra.

“Hiya, what’s Kiria done now?” I asked with a grin and then gave out hugs, including Vilgra.

“Not Kiria, Baltus,” Kirim explained with a slight giggle, “He got hurt putting down a gang riot this morning in sector five.”

“Is he OK?”

“Yes, a crushed hand. He’ll be fine, but I thought I’d pop up and let Vilgra know in person as Baltus will probably try to keep quiet about it.”

“That was kind of you, Kirim,” Vilgra replied whilst Kiria was looking around at all the activity, most of which was admin work to do with investigation of crimes from a medical point of view.

“No problem, I rarely get out and about to see friends out working when it isn’t part of my job.”

At this point, Ashlann made an appearance and greeted me and my family politely.

“I’m glad you’re back,” she went on after our replies. “It means we can sort out this writ that idiot Vranik has hanging over us.”

“That’s that creepy Cure who keeps boasting on the talk show tri-dee channels?” Kirim asked.

“Yes, that’s him. Hopefully Dave can assist in giving him a hell of a comeuppance as he’s got the admin tied in knots sorting out an audited question for him as he tries to prove favouritism. I doubt he’ll like the answer he’ll get, but it’s a lot of work for my people and they don’t really need it.”

“I know that feeling when we get an audit after a complaint about us simply doing our jobs,” Kirim nodded, finding common ground with Ashlann for the first time.

“When do you need me?” I asked.

“AIs are sorting times. About thirty rotations, I think,” Ashlann replied.

“Can we come, Daddy?” Kiria asked.

“If your Mum doesn’t mind, yes. Might be boring though,” I replied with a smile.

“If it is, or he gets rude, we’ll leave,” Kirim acquiesced.

All of us left Medical Resource in a lift that deposited us in the ante-chamber of one of the High Table courts. There were a few appellants and the various High Bureaucrats on duty were going through them swiftly. Finally Ashlann as Supervisor Monitor was called, along with Cure Vranik and his legal representative, to face the Table and the questions.

Vranik’s case seemed to be based upon Medical Resource not allocating patients amongst all Cures on an equal basis. Ashlann pointed out that all patients had a choice of whom they wished to cure them and Medical Resource did not force people into choosing one Cure over another.

He then accused Ashlann of favouritism and I was summoned as a witness.

“Cure David, you are often the one chosen by Medical Resource to cure their patients, are you not?” Vranik’s legal representative asked me.

“No, I’m the Cure asked for by the patients. The only choice I get is to whether to say no or not. I work for the Empress, not Medical Resource. They are merely facilitators,” I replied.

“Yet you never say no, why is that?”

“Why would I, these people need help?”

“Yet you deny your fellow Cures the opportunity to earn, do you not?”

“They aren’t my fellow anything’s. It is the patients, who ask for me, and I do my best for them.”

“Yet your actions deny other Cures a chance to earn!”

“No, their own actions manage that quite well without my help. Perhaps if they learned to keep their mouths shut, patients would then use them. It might just be that people don’t want to see a Cure blabbing details of their personal illness on the tri-dee cube.”

“Most definitely the case,” Ashlann added. “When Cure David is away, we have patients who are prepared to wait until his return, rather than use another Cure.”

“My client believes that Medical Resource simply does not offer this choice,” the legal representative rebutted.

“We do, however with some male patients it’s difficult as their chosen surrogates often refuse to work with certain Cures because of their previous bad behaviour. Cure Vranik being a case in point where both the Perfumed Garden Guild and the Sublime Pleasure Guild will not supply surrogates to this man after his violent sexual assaults of several surrogates. He has also been reprimanded for abusing female patients as well on five separate occasions,” Ashlann hit back. “AI, confirm, please.”

“Confirmed.”

“So essentially Cure Vranik has only himself to blame?” High Bureaucrat Dolsann, heading the Table, asked.

“Yes, Meritocrat. We do not prevent him applying his ... trade. It’s just no patient or reputable organisation will use him,” Ashlann replied. “AI, confirm, please.”

“Confirmed.”

“Well, Cure Vranik?” Dolsann asked.

“My client believes he has learned his lesson and no longer indulges in such activities,” the legal representative replied.

“AI, please show the interview Cure Vranik gave on the tri-dee show ‘Indiscretions’ two days ago,” Ashlann requested into the silence.

The clip showed Vranik boasting about Oskimandrex Vritu who had been a patient of his and how she liked it a bit ‘rough’ and how he’d do exactly the same thing to her if she came for treatment again.

“In curing her, Cure Vranik beat her half to death, then anally abused her before ... administering the Cure. Because of medical seal, the AIs could not report this, nor was he under observation. We had to mind-wipe the poor woman despite the cure process repairing the physical damage he did,” Ashlann explained.

“This was before the Cure Guild outlawed such activities. My client would not do such things again as he merely got a bit carried away,” the legal representative riposted.

“Nevertheless, he still boasts of it and word gets out, hence no one in their right mind is willing to take a chance on him.”

“It appears that your writ has no substance, Cure Vranik. Personally I would recommend a complete mind-wipe followed by a personality rewrite; however that is not in the remit of this Table. Case will be dismissed and costs will be paid by Cure Vranik if no other evidence is presented,” Dolsann gave his verdict.

“This is unjust. This man and Medical Resource are denying the Empire the use of my talent!” Vranik burst out.

“No, you managed that all by yourself,” I shrugged as his representative tried to quieten him down.

“You take all the work!”

“Yes? And? These people ask for me knowing I will never speak to the media of them and that I will not abuse them.”

“I have always cured those I was asked to!”

“So have I,” I shrugged. “I just wasn’t so callous as to boast about it afterwards.”

“You are just greedy, all other Cures think this!”

“Not so,” Ashlann interjected. “A small group of Cures now choose not to speak of their activities and are now gaining patients again. Cure David is still the most asked for Cure, but word is getting around that there are other discreet Cures available.”

“It appears there is no more evidence to be presented,” Dolsann stated into the silence. “Case is dismissed; Cure Vranik will pay costs of thirty thousand Royals.”

With a scream of “No!” Vranik surged to the side to physically attack me and Ashlann before going down to a blow to a nerve cluster below his shoulder from me and several stun beams from the Guardian observers who maintained security at the High Table.