Fic: The Summer Intern (cont.)

[jeriendhal]

“I wish she’d stuck about so we could have asked her more questions. We’re going in blind here,” Nan said, searching through the pockets of the stunned and bound creo. “How long do you think this fellow is going to be out?” She laid aside his spoofer cloak, weapon and a few other useful items. The only com he had seemed to be a short range unit, alas. She didn’t dare use it, unless she wanted however many remaining slavers hunting them down.

Nez looked him over with a critical eye, checking his vitals. “Full on non-lethal hit of bion to a healthy, adult male creo. Call it four to eight hours, depending on how much power she put behind it. Strong possibility of short-term memory loss upon waking up, with a 20% chance of seizures for two to three days after that,” she recited.

“We’re going to have to hide him and the dead one,” Nan said. “Someone will be looking for them soon.”

“I’ll carry them up to a branch in one of the village trees and leave them there. These guys have a real problem learning to look up. Makes me wonder how they managed to catch any ferin at all.”

“All right,” Nan agreed. As Nez slung the body of the dead slaver over her shoulders, she added, “You’re pretty cool about all of this. I mean, you’re taking it better than you did Freya being killed.”

Her roommate grunted, trying to get the creo’s weight balanced. “Dead bodies don’t bother me close up. I helped autopsy enough cadavers, real and virtual, back in med school. Killing one of them myself…” She paused, shaking her head. “It’s a violation of my Healer’s Oath, never mind a sin, even if he was a dirty slaver. I’ll have to talk to Dr. Pouncer and my imam about it after we get rescued. Assuming we do.”

She hauled the body up into the branches of a tree set off the path, leaving the slaver hanging upside down from his own belt. With the unconscious one she was more careful, making sure he was laying upright, bound to a branch. Nez climbed back down and took one of the spoofer cloaks and pistols when Nan offered them to her. She handed the latter back carefully. “I’ve never used a gun,” she admitted. “I’d probably just end up shooting myself.”

“I haven’t either, at least since I got out of basic training,” Nan told her.

Nez paused to look at her. “You were in the military though, right? I mean, every vulpine has to serve three years, yes?”

“Well yes,” Nan said. “I served two and half years aboard the drone carrier Indomitable.”

“Doing what? Were you a drone pilot? A gunner? Bridge officer?”

“Er, none of the above,” Nan admitted. “I worked in the Public Affairs office.”

Nez blinked. “Ships have Public Affairs offices?”

“Oh yes,” Nan said. “I mean you can’t just have a ship full of five thousand vulpine and ferin crewfolk, along with another 5k or so crew in the rest of the battlegroup, descend upon some allied world’s capital or space station without some kind of pre-planning. I mean you have to arrange dinners, museum visits, concert tickets, maybe find some good works for a few crew to volunteer for like painting a school or something. Never mind the usual nonsense of reminding the local government that the ferin crew are citizens of Vulpine and not pets or slaves. It was all really interesting. My CO, Commander Redfang, wrote one of my letters of recommendation when I applied for my internship with the First One.” Nan stopped talking as she realized that Nez was giving her the same slack-jawed expression she and Skyler had earlier when she’d mentioned her comset’s limitations.

“So, no combat experience,” Nez said carefully.

“Not as such, no,” Nan admitted. “I mean aside from taking my station with the rest of the Damage Control auxiliaries when we went after pirates or something. That only happened a couple of times though.”

Nez drew her spoofer cloak over herself and switched it on, wailing like a ghost as she faded from view. “We’re going to diiiiiiiiiie!”

TBC

Comments

[lilfluff.livejournal.com]

Man, must be shocking for Nez to suddenly discover that she's apparently got more direct combat experience than Nan. o.O!

[mjkj.livejournal.com]

So, the doe is fine, is she? No backlash of the bion-bond or the attempted crime?

Well, but Nan did have basic training, did she?

mjkj

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

I don't think there would have been any backlash if she avoided killing him outright. Note that Teri zaps people all the time without getting hurt himself. It was just the first time when his powers manifested and he was out of control that he was signifigantly affected.

[mjkj.livejournal.com]

Yeah that is right - but on the other hand when he connected with Matt ... but that was not zapping... - maybe it is the duration, when you disconnect fast engough then you do not feel it?

I just hope she will be fine and not re-captured...

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Given wazagan's tendency towards pacifism, that's putting it mildly. :)