Tin Woodman Read Free

meetings, made him do mental tricks—and worse. Imagine Div surounded by the hopeful sick crying for a miracle, a healing.
    “In a very real and terrible sense, Div was a battered child. When we finally won custody from the parents, the damage had been done.” Severs’s face became a study of disgust.
    Galvern pursed his lips thoughtfully, obviously somewhat surprised at Severs’s suddenly forceful, expressive demeanor. Some of the doctor’s impassioned concern touched Galvern. Perhaps the assembly should take more interest in these children than it does . . . “Couldn’t you start the treatments now?”
    Severs shook his head glumly. “You see, psychemicidian interferes I with the functions of synapses in certain regions of the brain, effectively damping or destroying esper abilities. But as a side effect, it dulls the ego, blanks the personality of the individual. In an infant or small child, we can rebuild this through special education. But if the treatment is applied after the age of three or four . . . well, if you’ve never seen a Depressed esper, it’s difficult to describe. Zombies.” Severs’s mind seemed to fix on the word. “Zombies,” he repeated tonelessly and fell silent. Uncomfortable visions grew in Galvern’s imagination as he dwelt upon the doctor’s words.
    “Well, there’s nothing for it,” Galvern said at last. “If Div is willing to take the risks, I have no choice. The Pegasus needs him.” He rose from his seat. “The Tricouncil needs him.”
    “This is what I don’t quite understand.” As he walked with Galvern to the office door, Severs sighed. “Hold a moment . . . it just came to me. Shouldn’t there be a Talent aboard the Pegasus already?”
    “Of course,” replied Galvern. “You’re quite right–regulations require it. Designated as a shipman, or shiplady. Almost always a woman, you know.” Galvern frowned. “The one of the Pegasus is, anyway. But frankly, Darsen claims she’s completely unreliable. Her name is Elbrun. Mora Elbrun.”

TWO

    Article One

    Every Service vessel of Cruiser class or heavier (i.e., any vessel of 200,000 gross tons displacement or greater) shall include as part of its standard crew complement, an Empathic Talent, to be designated Shiplady or Shipman.

    Article Two

    The Shiplady /Shipman shall hold the rank of Lieutenant in the Service Medical Corps.

    Article Three

    She/He shall have charge of monitoring the psycho-emotional extremes of officers assigned to the vessel’s Command Crew, and is to determine and take steps to arrest the development of emotional instabilities among said officers during missions of extended duration.

    Article Four

    She/He is to accomplish the moderation of such emotional imbalances as may arise, through the use of empathic/telepathic stimuli, as any necessary physical therapy.

    —Exerpted from
    Triunion Space Service
    Regulation Tapes
    Spool 119034

    Triunion Starship Pegasus
    Aldebaran Star System

    She lay paralyzed on her bed for several moments, tracing patterns on the darkened ceiling through half-closed eyes. The throbbing hum which had awakened her resolved slowly into a sourceless, monotonous buzzing. With a start, she realized that the noise was the access-control system of her cabin door. She dragged herself into a sitting position, waving her left hand clumsily over the room lighting panel. Wincing at the sudden brightness which flooded her tiny cubicle, Mora Elbrun punched the door intercom open. “Who—”
    “Jin Tamner here. You wanna open the door? I’ve been leaning on the buzzer for ten—”
    “Give me a minute,” she groaned, cutting the line dead. Mora rose unsteadily, threw a short nightcape around her shoulders, signaled the door open.
    Tamner sauntered in, a copy of the command duty roster in his left hand. Physically, he was a well-structured man. His face could even have been considered handsome, if one ignored the expressions it usually held. But to Mora, who