>>5997106Seizing on a particularly violent jolt on the shuttle ride back, you swiftly lock your thumbnail with Pahan's massive claws. The young warrior slightly bends his thorax in recognition. Tim has given up trying to keep balance on his two feet and is now squatting in a corner. “I would have taken our own shuttle instead, but Silas already loaded it full of breaching charges, I mean, mining equipment." Switching to Shanghaian, he raises a fist at the imaginary camera. “At least put in a few chairs or something, you hear me?”
The whole flimsy vessel shudders one last time as it lands in Sculpting Bay 06. “Hey, where ya goin buddy?” Pahan slowly skitters backwards, making sure to place himself between you and the overvolted rivet-gun emplacement. “Easy, easy, Frank. He's coming with us.” Taking advantage of your momentary lapse of concentration, Tsu and a couple orderlies ambushed the party with a sterilising shower. Still wheezing from the talc powder, your eyes are nearly blinded by a flash from his instruments, “What do you mean they're...”
Only slightly fazed by your dagger stare, he continues the battery of tests, “he's coming with us? Can we even fulfill his needs? All the differences in biology...” Suddenly, the handheld bio-assessor angrily barks at your chest, “Warning! Xenocontamination critical! Xenocontamination critical!” After nonchalantly turning a few knobs and dials to make it shut up, Tsu raises an eyebrow at you, “May I?” Well, there goes any hope of hiding your condition.
It takes several attempts before your shaking finger manages to undo the top buttons. Thankfully, everyone else is purposely looking away out of decency. Your heart flinches and skips a beat at a touch from Tsu's calloused finger, “Does it hurt?” No, not really. “No matter, I cannot let you roam the ship in this state, not with those vitals. I'm ordering a blood test, nose swab, urine test, nanolayer scan, and DNA analysis right this instant.”
Before he can drag you off to medbay, the overzealous doctor was derailed by an insistent cough.“Dr. Tsu, why don't you go check up on the others for now? Let her rest.” Silas emerges from behind a corner. Your lips part, but his name chokes and dies even before reaching the leaden tongue. Damn it, why must all this happen?
“Stunned by my mug, eh? Don't worry, happens to every girl I meet.” You smile painfully at his terrible joke. Barely outside the corner of your eyes, the orderlies are pinning down Pahan for Tsu's checks. “If you don't want to tell me what happened, no use asking. Head back to your room for now and take a shower or something.” You sniff your cuffs out of instinct. Oh God, why didn't you notice it before?
