“She is regaining consciousness, Dr. Jones,” an unfamiliar voice said—xana, she was pretty sure. “Captain Innocente, it is my duty to request that you remain unmoving until you are invited to determine the condition of your limbs through carefully monitored diagnostic protocols.”
Eva swallowed, her throat weirdly moist. While her vision was slowly resolving, it didn’t make any sense for a few moments; everything was moving, colorful wall becoming ceiling becoming floor, until finally she realized she was slowly rotating like a pig on a spit.
Pink’s face swam into focus next to Eva. “Hey, you,” Pink said softly. “That was a nasty poison, but you’re going to be fine, hear?”
Coño, it must have been bad if Pink was being so nice. The last time Eva almost died, Pink had yelled at her to stop making foolish life choices, then sedated her, giving her the middle finger until Eva fell asleep.
Either that, or the overall quiet of the xana was encouraging Pink to tone it down as well. Eva couldn’t hear much beyond the distant, muted sounds of Attuned and the gentle footfalls of whoever was walking around and above her. The air smelled like green, like the concept of fresh air her father would pump into used spaceships to make them seem clean and new and appealing.
((Talk okay?)) Eva pinged Pink.
Pink nodded, but pinged back, ((Watchers outside.))
Mierda, mojón y porquería. This kept getting better.
“Everyone else is fine?” Eva asked, trying not to move her head even though the constant slow rotation meant she kept talking to random parts of the room.
“Yeah, even that cat,” Pink said disdainfully. “I don’t know what she was thinking.”
“She’s always been a cabezona,” Eva said. Where was Vakar?
As if he heard her question, mint and incense smells drifted into the room. She couldn’t move to look at him, and he stayed frustratingly outside her field of vision, but it was nice that he’d turned off his scent suppressors for the moment. For her, because certainly he had no other reason to do it.
“I told you she was fine,” Pink said, straightening up and turning away so Eva couldn’t see her face anymore.
“I did not disbelieve you,” Vakar replied.
“But you wanted to see her naked,” Pink said, and Eva could picture her lip curling in amusement.
“No, that is not why I . . . You are making a joke.” Vakar’s smell shifted to a grassy, bashful one that complemented the rest of the room nicely.
Pink snorted. “Lord almighty, you are too easy.”
“Thanks for letting me know I’m naked, Dr. Jones,” Eva said crossly. As if the whole situation wasn’t bad enough, she was now acutely aware that every xana in the entire building could look through the translucent walls and see all her assets on display.
The xana doctor leaned over Eva, projecting professional concern. “The enigmatic grass powder has been cleansed from your physical form, blessed be the Light in which we all may climb.”
“Amen,” Eva said, not entirely sure how to reply. “Gracias, muy amable,” she added awkwardly.
“You may experience some residual effects, including muscular weakness and increased desire for nourishment,” the doctor continued. “Your prognosis is positive. You will be discharged soon.”
“Awesome.” She still hadn’t been told to move, so she didn’t, but the longer she lay there, the more fidgety she felt. Patience had never been one of her many fine qualities.
Worse, there was a sudden commotion at the door, startling for its loudness in the quiet building.
“Captain Rebecca Jones,” a xana said. His voice was surprisingly resonant, but tonally neutral, the translator nanites conveying little difference between the pitches and emphasized syllables. “I am Watcher Rakyra.”
“I don’t give a single lukewarm shit who you are, you’re not going in there,” Pink said.
“I have been requested to ensure the safety and security of yourself and Captain Eva Innocente, as well as the other members of your crew,” Watcher Rakyra continued. “The Prime was deeply concerned when she learned of the situation here, and hopes you will cooperate fully with an investigation into the matter.”
Eva tensed. Who was the Prime? And what would the Watchers do with the xana and their Attuned, the ones who put Eva in the hospital? It probably wouldn’t be good, not with how much they apparently prided themselves on all the “safety and security” around Rilia.
Pink clicked her tongue against her teeth. “There’s nothing to cooperate with. I told you, Eva poked a critter because she’s a fool, and she got a faceful of pollen for it. You would think she’d know better than to lay hands on strange wildlife, but she’s not the sharpest tool in the bag.”
Gracias a dios, Pink was handling it. While Eva was already coming to terms with the idea of hundreds of strangers seeing her naked through minimal colored barriers, she didn’t want to be interrogated like this, especially not before they had their story straight. And she certainly didn’t want to cause these poor people any more trouble than she already had.
“We understand,” Rakyra said. His psychic emanations were muted, but crisply professional, with a strong layer of authority along with polite respect. “It would be our great pleasure to extend to you an invitation to a private audience with our Supreme Executive, who is eager to make your acquaintance.”
Me cago en diez, Eva thought. There was no way everyone who showed up on Garilia got a special trip to the principal’s office. They knew who Eva was, probably thanks to the altercation outside, and now the shit was really hitting the air filters.
“Well, when you put it that way,” Pink said. “Does the Supreme Executive want my entire crew to come along, or just little ol’ me?”
“The invitation is for you and all of your friends,” Watcher Rakyra replied, his psychic tone politely deferential. “Especially Captain Innocente.”
Mierda. Should they run back to the ship and leave, before something happened? Before it was too late to back out and come up with a safer plan?
Pink and Eva had worn their spacesuits, but Vakar had opted for a more casual jumpsuit instead of his Wraith armor—now scent-suppressing so he wasn’t sharing his entire emotional state like an ad on a commwall, but it left him exposed in ways that made Eva uncomfortable now that trouble seemed imminent. And of course Sue was always vulnerable, and with Min and Mala along for this mission as well . . .
That won’t get us closer to Josh, she thought. We’re here, and we’re in this. Might as well see what game this Prime is playing so we can learn the rules and make our own moves.
Also, she told herself, you’re naked and rotating in a stasis field, so your options are limited anyway.
((Accept?)) Pink pinged her.
((Accept,)) she told Pink. ((Information.))
((Dangerous,)) Pink replied. ((Sure?))
((Yes,)) Eva said. They’d put themselves in danger just by coming to Garilia. Pink knew that as well as she did.
“We’ll be happy to join you as soon as Captain Innocente is discharged,” Pink said.
“We await her release with great eagerness and wishes for good health,” Watcher Rakyra replied. His psychic tone was now sympathetic, but tiny spikes of anger and relief broke through the overtone of authority he projected continuously.