Read The Ship Who Sang for Free Online

viewer.
    â€˜What is the problem?’ Helva asked.
    â€˜Van Gogh in Lyrae II was hit by a space plague similar in manifestation to that which attacked Medea 125 years ago,’ Theoda explained.
    Suddenly Helva knew why Theoda had seen.Service ships. She microscoped her vision on Theoda’s face and saw the myriad tiny lines that indicated advanced age. Theoda had undoubtedly been alive on Medea at the time of their plague. Helva recalled that the plague had struck a heavily populated area and swept with terrific violence throughout the entire planet in a matter of days – its onslaught so fierce and its toll so great that medical personnel often collapsed over the sick they tended. Others inexplicably survived untouched. The airborne disease spores struck animal as well as human, and then, as suddenly as it had come, almost as if the disease were aware that the resources of a galaxy were on the way to subdue its ravages, it disappeared. Medea had been decimated in the course of a week and the survivors, both the ones hardy enough to endure the intense fever and pain, and those who were curiously immune, spent their years trying to discover source or cause, cure or vaccine.
    From her capacious trained associative recall, Helva found seven other different but similarly inexplicable plague waves, some treated with better success than Medea’s. The worst one to be recorded had hit the planet Clematis, eliminating 93 per cent of all human life before help arrived. Clematis had been placed under eternal quarantine. Helva thought that was rather locking the barn and never bothering to track down the missing horses.
    â€˜You had, I gather, sufficient experience withMedea’s plague so that your presence may be of help to Van Gogh’s people?’
    â€˜That is the thought,’ said Theoda, wincing. She picked up her filmviewer purposefully and Helva realized that more discussion was out of order. She knew, too, that Theoda had painful word associations even at the end of a long life. Helva could not imagine a time centuries hence when mention of Jennan would not hurt.
    Annigoni swam into view precisely as the trip chronometer edged on to 67 hours, and Helva found herself immediately answering a quarantine warning from an orbital monitor.
    â€˜You have Physiotherapist Theoda on board, do you not?’ Helva was asked after she identified herself.
    â€˜I do.’
    â€˜Your landing should set you down as close to the hospital city of Erfar as possible. There is, however, no space field in that vicinity and a meadow has been set aside for your use. Are you able to control your dangerous exhausts?’
    Helva wryly assured them of her ability to land circumspectly. They gave her the latitude and longitude and she had no difficulty in bringing herself to a stand in the patch-sized meadow so indicated. A powdery white road led to a long white complex of multiwindowed buildings, half a kilometer away. From the complex came a land vehicle.
    â€˜Theoda,’ said Helva as they awaited thearrival of the land-car, ‘in the effects compartment under the control panel, you will find a small gray button. With it attached to your uniform, you can maintain communication with me. If you would be good enough to rotate the upper section of the button clockwise, I can have two-way contact. It would afford me some satisfaction to be in on the problems you encounter.’
    â€˜Yes, certainly, of course.’
    â€˜If you rotate the bottom half of the button, I have limited scope vision as well.’
    â€˜How clever,’ murmured Theoda, examining the button before attaching it to her tunic.
    As the car drew to a halt, Theoda waved at the occupants from the high lock and stepped onto the lift.
    â€˜Oh, Helva, thank you for the journey. And my apologies. I’m not good company.’
    â€˜Nor have I been. Good luck.’
    As Theoda descended, Helva knew that for a lie. They had been perfect