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of assistance freely given throughout the Federation.
The crew will mostly be comprised of physiological classification DBDG,
Captain Fletcher was saying,  which means that they, like the majority of
Monitor Corps personnel, are Earthhuman or natives of Earth-seeded planets.
 But this is a Tralthan-built ship, with all the design and structural
advantages that implies, he went on enthusiastically,  and we have named it
the
Rhabwar, after one of the great figures of Tralthan medical history. The
accommodation for extraterrestrial medical personnel is flexible in regard to
gravity, pressure, and atmospheric composition, food, furniture and fittings,
providing they are warmblooded oxygen-breathers. Neither the Kelgian DBLF
physiological classification -he looked at Naydrad, then up towards Prilicla-
 nor the Cinrusskin GLNO will pose any life-support problems
 The only physiologically non-specialized section of the ship is the
Casualty Deck and associated ward compartment, Fletcher continued.  It is
large enough to take an e-t casualty up to the mass of a fully grown Chalder.
The ward compartment has gravity control in half-G settings from zero to five,
provision for the supply of a variety of gaseous and liquid atmospheres, and
both material and non-material forms of restraint-straps and pressor beams,
that is- should the casualty be confused, aggressive or require immobilization
for medical examination or surgery. This compartment will be the exclusive
responsibility of
the medical personnel, who will prepare a compatible environment for and
initiate treatment of the casualties I shall bring them.
 I must stress this point, the Captain went on, his tone hardening.  The
responsibility for general ship management, for finding the distressed alien
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vessel and for the rescue itself is mine. The rescue of an extraterrestrial
from a completely strange and damaged ship is no easy matter. There is the
possibility of activating, by accident, alien mechanisms with unknown
potentialities for destruction or injury to the rescuers, toxic or explosive
atmospheres, radiation, the often complex problems associated with merely
entering the alien ship and the tricky job of finding and bringing out the
extraterrestrial casualty without killing it or seriously compounding its
injuries...
Fletcher hesitated and looked around him. Prilicla was beginning to shake in
the invisible wind of emotional radiation emanating from Naydrad, whose
silvery fur was twisting itself into spikes. Murchison was trying to remain
expressionless, without much success, and Conway did not think he was being
particularly poker-faced, either.
O Mara shook his head slowly.  Captain, not only have you been telling the
medical team to mind their own business, you have been trying to tell them
their business. Senior Physician Conway, in addition to his e-t surgical and
medical experience, has been involved in a number of ship rescue incidents, as
have
Pathologist Murchison and Doctor Prilicla, and Charge Nurse Naydrad has
specialized in heavy rescue for the past six years. This project calls for
close cooperation. You will need the cooperation of your medics, and I
strongly suspect that you will get it whether you ask for it or not.
He turned his attention to Conway.  Doctor, you have been chosen by me for
this project because of your ability to work with and understand e-ts, both as
colleagues and patients. You should encounter no insurmountable difficulties
in learning to understand and work with a newly appointed ship commander who
is understandably-
The attention signal on his desk began flashing, and the voice of one of his
assistants filled the room.  Diagnostician Thornnastor is here, sir.
 Three minutes, said O Mara. With his eyes still on Conway he went on:
 I ll be brief. Normally I would not give any of you the option of refusing an
assignment, but this one is more in the nature of a shakedown cruise for the
Rhabwar than a mission calling for your professional expertise. We have
received distress signals from the scoutship Tenelphi, which is crewed
exclusively by
Earth-human DBDGs, so there won t even be a communications problem. It is a
simple search-and-rescue mission, and any charge of incompetence which may be
brought against the survivors later will be a Corps disciplinary matter and is
not your concern. The Rhabwar will be ready to leave in less than an hour. The
available information on the incident is on this tape. Study it when you are
aboard.
 That is all, he concluded,  except that there is no need for Prilicla or
Naydrad to go along just to treat a few DBDG fractures or decompressions. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]