Gaze Read Free

was a price she had paid when she had been trapped in a burning building.
    Being out of the compression suit she had lived in was a relief. A bot trundled in with her breakfast, and she sipped at a cup of caf while she checked the displays at her desk for relative position to the station. They were about half an hour out.
    She munched the toast and the random spread that Blue had given her today. It was sweet and fruity, so the ship wanted her in a good mood.
    Gwyn checked her messages and updated Nitza with her current location. The regular check-in was important. If anything went wrong with either the experimental ship or the experimental pilot, Nitza was their best lifeline.
    She grabbed the apple off her tray and walked to the command deck, munching away. She settled into her chair and shivered lightly as the jacks slipped through the ports in her suit. Gwyn finished her apple, tossed the core to the waste receptacle and settled her arms on the armrests. The jacks entered her forearms and torso, linking her directly to the outgoing com systems.
    “Ishno Station, this is the Blue Fairy, Guardian Transport. I am requesting docking permission to pick up a passenger.” She watched as her ship crept closer to the station.
    A minute went by and there was no response. “Baby, run the scans over the station.”
    Images started to appear behind her eyes. There were bodies arranged neatly in the station atrium and a single figure walking between them. She saw the figure kneel next to a body and lift the head, holding something.
    The people weren’t dead; the figure was trying to get one to drink.
    “Nitza, I need emergency contact with the Ishno Medical Station.” She sent the signal and waited.
    “No contact is available. I have checked with the Ishno Trade Centre, and they haven’t heard anything for twelve hours.”
    “In that case, we need emergency medical. Does Shiver have a com system in his suit?”
    “A short-range system, yes. I am sending you his frequency.” Nitza paused. “How bad is it?”
    “I won’t know until I get in touch with the only walking body in the station. I think it’s Shiver.”
    “Good guess. If it is a pathogen, he wouldn’t be affected. Keep me posted. I am sending medical as fast as I can, but they need to know what they are going in to.”
    “Understood. I will get back to you as soon as I can.”
    Baby was working on instinct, Gwyn waited as the frequency connected with the single being on the station. “This is the Blue Fairy, Guardian Transport. Please acknowledge.”
    A click on the other end preceded, “Do not dock or share air. The station is contaminated with Drescu sickness.”
    “Understood. What do you need?” She sent a message to Nitza via baby while she spoke. The highly virulent illness was harmless to children but could be fatal to adults if not treated. The medics would have to come in with full gear and plenty of the treatment.
    “I need a full medical team prepared for the sickness and a lot more water on this station. The supply vessel’s crew caught the sickness and are now on the floor of the atrium.”
    “Are you all right to take care of them for a while?”
    She scanned the ships docked at the station while she chatted.
    “I am. Do not come into this station.”
    She laughed. “Got that. I have no urge to contract Drescu sickness. I am a susceptible species.”
    She found the water transport and brought the ship in close. Blue hit the floodlights and she was able to spot the connections. “Well, honey bunny. It looks like I am going for a walk.”
    A voice came to her through her implants. “What did you call me?”
    She laughed as she unlatched herself from the ship. “Sorry. I tend to address the ship by a number of nicknames. I forgot the com was open.”
    “That’s all right. It is good to hear a voice. The population has been sick for a few days. Will you leave the com open?”
    Gaze headed down the stairs. “Of course, Shiver. Call me