CHAPTER 8

"I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them."

Clara Barton

CITY OF HIRI, PLANET ARIS, THE BADLANDS

JANUARY 2352

Tharex Slayt sat back in his chair and patted his very full belly. "Ahhhh! That is something, that is."

Sava Iraniwinked at his two children, "And what is that, Tharex? That you were able to fit so much of my food into your belly without bursting?"

His children covered their mouths and giggled, a soft barking sort of sound, while their whiskers twitched. Tharex put his hands on his stomach and said, "ohhh, Ohhhh! I ate too much! There's an imbalance!" He leaned closer to the little girl who shrieked and backed away into her brother. "I'm going...to...EXPLOOODE!" He stuck his tongue out and made raspberry noises at her while she giggled and her brother tried to push her away, shrieking with laughter.

Milay Irani smiled indulgently at her guest and her children. She considered herself the most fortunate woman in the world. Her husband and their dear friend were famous and well respected and provided her with a very comfortable living. Her children were healthy and happy, and safe. What more could someone ask for in life? After indulging the horseplay for a few minutes, she stood up and announced, "All right, my babies. It's time for bed. But I'm willing to make an exception for you, Tharex, if you wish to enjoy a smoke with my husband." and she twitched her tail at them both. At home, among close friends, a woman had no need for a scarf to conceal her ears, or a shawl to keep her tail from male eyes.

She gathered up her twin five year-olds and left the dining area to put them to bed, despite their vehement protestations. Sava gave them each a quick hug and a kiss and led his friend into his study for their usual after-meal conversation. He loaded a pipe of anashi for each of them and the two men took a few moments to get them going.

Tharex blew out a long stream of smoke and asked, "So, what have you been working on lately, Sava?"

The other man clenched the long-stemmed pipe in his teeth for a few moments. "You know exactly what I'm working on Sava."

"Well, yes, but it can't hurt to ask, on the off chance you've let your focus wander some."

"Only as long as I need to clear my head. This damn thing has my mind captured."

Tharex sighed. "And mine as well, I'm afraid, but from a different angle." He puffed. "And I confess these attacks upon your reputation, and mine, are part of my motivation."

Sava smiled at his friend, "What's your most recent approach?"

"I've been approaching the problem as one of machines and their application."

"How is it one of machinery? These appear to be tiny animals living within us!"

"Ah, but what is a living being but an incredibly complex machine?"

"There is more to it than that. There is the spirit! The life-force."

"True, but think of it – outside of the life-force, there is much that resembles one of my engines. We burn fuel, we have an intake for fuel and an exhaust, we require lubrication in the form of water, and things must balance or the machine will malfunction."

Sava slapped his hand on the arm of his chair, "Damn it, Tharex, balance, my ears! That is utter nonsense! It is these small invaders that are the cause of our problems! Not some mystical fluid balance!"

The other man held up his hands, "Calm yourself, dear Sava. It is very unlikely that a single thing could cause so many different ailments – there is room for both."

"Bah! Nonsense. Perhaps there are other small creatures that cause other illnesses. Perhaps..." he sighed. "I don't know. I've been unable to devise a method to determine what belongs and what does not. The blue-stain loving creatures are the only ones I can associate with an illness so far, and then only sometimes. I do not understand it. But I am certain I am right."

"Well, in any case, the question is one of seals. In mechanisms, if we have things that we wish kept separate, we use a seal – two liquids, or fine grains of dust and sand, we find ways to prevent the unwanted from gaining access."

"That seems straightforward."

"Exactly. So, I have been trying to find a way to keep your little creatures from gaining access to the blood."

"And have you had any success?"

"I don't know yet – I, of course, have no way to test it. I've only made sketches. Where do these little cells come from? What is their route of access? We have many openings in the body, which of them is their route?"

Sava, miserable, said, "And how would you know if you succeeded? The only proof would be in the negative."

"Which is no proof at all – you would have no way to know if the person would have become ill in the first place. You see my problem?"

"Indeed. And mine as well."

Both men spent a few moments filling the room with pungent smoke. Tharex finally asked, "And what is your current approach?"

"I am hunting the Red Death."

Tharex laughed, "It's not hard to find. It's become an almost annual terror. The only question is which cities will face it." His ears flipped backwards and he bared his teeth. "And which will have the sense to listen to our advice on how to isolate it and let it burn itself out."

"Fools. Each and every time they have listened to us, at least when it was not already too late, the deaths were far fewer."

"AH, but remember, Sava, we are frauds. You are my willing slave, inventing phantasms so that I can sell more books and we can accumulate more wealth and power!"

He snorted and puffed his pipe. "I am trying to predict it's path. To learn where it hides. So that I can prove how it works, and identify how to kill these little cells without killing us. I look at it like an even smaller sort of flea..."

"At least these do not cause itching...But, how are you hunting? What weapon are you using?"

"Mathematics."

"That lacks the valor of cannon fire."

"True, but I believe it will be more effective. Here, let me show you." Sava stood up and took down a large roll of map-paper from one of the diamond-shaped wall receptacles. He opened it up and smoothed it across the large table in his study. It was covered with different colored circles of various sizes.

Tharex studied it in silence for a few minutes, attempting to divine his friend's methodology. They rarely just opened with what they had done, instead seeing if the other man would be able to determine the meaning behind what they were shown without aid; it was a way to check their own thought process and the clarity of their presentation.

"Hmmm..." A map of the Red Death, I deduce from our conversation. Correct?"

"Yes."

He put his finger on several cities, one after the other. They were all the same dark color and of various small sizes. "These cities – there were plagues here three years ago. These two listened to our advice, these two did not."

Sava said nothing, watching the finger move from circle to circle, shade to shade, across the map.

Tharex spoke, "The size, the number of dead, is it not?"

"Correct." Sava smiled, puffing away.

"And the color is when – the darker the color the older the record? And these with several circles piled one upon the other are those who were hit several times?"

Sava clapped his hands together. "Quite right! Now, tell me what you see – what meaning is there on this map?"

Tharex returned to his studies, his finger tracing back and forth. Muttering he said, "Now I know why you have been so quiet for so long...Just gathering the data...then compiling it..." he thought to himself for a few moments, then picked up a pencil and a straight-edged tool.

Looking over his shoulder, Sava watched his friend draw several straight lines between several cities on the map, two of which had recent circles drawn upon them. Then he put down the pencil and looked at the map a while longer. Sava said nothing, waiting for Tharex to say or do something else. Finally he picked up a different colored pencil and traced several smaller wandering lines across the map.

Milay picked that moment to come in. "And what is this?" she asked, looking at the large map with all its circles and lines.

Tharex looked up at her, she was beyond lovely with a sweet heart and a laugh like crystal wind-chimes. "What do you think it is, lady?"

She smiled at him and pretended to study it for a very few moments. "Well, clearly it is a diagram of the spread of the Red Death, organized by color for the year and diameter for the number of dead."

Tharex's mouth hung open. "How..." he looked back down at the map. "You..."

Milay laughed and hugged him. "Dear Tharex, Sava has talked of nothing else for many days. He was putting the finishing touches on it only last night. It's not often I get to tease you like that!"

Tharex returned the hug while his friend smiled indulgently at him. "That was unkind!" he laughed back; clearly insincere.

She let him go and looked at the map again. "But what are these new lines? These weren't here when he showed me his masterpiece last night?"

Tharex said, "That's fine then! Now we have a true test of your powers of deductive reasoning!" It was his turn to tease. Everyone knew that women had no real faculty for maps or mathematics.

She dutifully examined the map, looking at the names of the cities and the lines connecting them. After a little bit of study she ventured a guess. "These straight lines – your new airships? There are only three routes and there are three lines and they all go right from Hiri without following any road."

"Very good!" Tharex was pleased.

"Then these other lines, are they...Well, the best spices come from Stona, and this line goes from there to the port of Crenela, are these where the caravans travel?"

"Well done!" they both clapped. Tharex was impressed. But he always knew she was clever and smart – she had landed Sava, after all! The two of them were perfect for each other. He continued to tease her, "And what conclusions can you draw?" He and Sava hadn't even really come up with any definitive answers yet.

"It follows travel routes."

"What?" Sava and Tharex both exclaimed. At a glance they could see she was correct. It was the thought hovering on the edge of Tharex's consciousness when he drew the lines, but his mind had yet to give it voice. The most circles were along the caravan routes, and they became more recent as you went along the lines. Both men quickly began tracing their fingers from place to place, talking excitedly at the same time.

"Look! The outbreak of 2348 – here first, then here two months later, and finally here two months after that."

"Here – 2349, here, to here, to here..."

"2350, from here to here, where it stopped! They sealed the affected portions of the city no one in or out and it went no further..."

"But here, they did no such thing and it continued on..."

Milay asked, "Is there one for this year?"

"Not yet, my love." Sava answered. "The Red Death doesn't usually show up until summer time. And you'll note that the circles are bigger every year."

"Will it come here?"

Tharex and Sava looked at each other.

Milay held her hand over her mouth. "My babies!"

Sava took his wife into his arms, "You needn't worry, Milay. When it comes here, we'll make sure they listen to us and by then, we may know how to beat it."

Tharex declared, "You know I would do anything to keep you and yours from any harm."

She allowed herself to be comforted, squeezing her husband. When he released her she put a delicate hand on Tharex's. "If there is anyone who can, it will be the two of you."

Later that evening, when Tharex had said his good-byes and left into the night to make his way back to his own home, Milay and Sava were preparing themselves for sleep. Sava watched his wife change out of her clothing. She truly was a great beauty. "He loves you, you know."

Primly, beginning to brush her hair and tail she answered, "Of course I know."

"And you?"

She laughed, "Of course I love him, Sava." She winked at her husband, "Just not in the same way." She stood up and took his hands, "And not in the way that I love you. You are the source of my children, the provider of my home, and the center of my life. Where you have always been.

"Tharex is a dear, dear friend – to us both! - and my fondest hope for him is that he will one day find a woman who can put up with his oddities. Until then, I will accept his love and give my own back, in my own way. Everyone should have someone to love."

He stroked the smooth fur of her arm, tracing the lines of color. "You are a marvel."

She caressed the side of his face, pulling him close. "And you are a flatterer." she teased before leaning forward and nipping at his ears.

Pleasantly full, warmed by the comradeship of his friends, and lost in thought, Tharex Slayt didn't so much walk to his own home as he meandered that direction. The night was pleasantly cool – with any luck there would be a dusting of snow overnight – and the Veil of Fire was visible through breaks in the clouds. He was surely in no hurry. Nights like tonight were inspirational – many of his best ideas started on walks such as these.

Instead of inspiration, Tharex was instead struck by another person, also apparently daydreaming; he bumped into someone walking the other way, carrying two large cases and also looking up at the sky.

"Oh, excuse me, sir!" he said, catching sight of their ears and their clothing; Much like his own, a mishmash of styles and accessorized with various items ranging from goggles around their neck to a large watch and what appeared to be a small took-kit belted to their waist. A moment later he caught their scent.

"I beg your pardon." she said, stepping back, "And it's ma'am, not sir."

Tharex blinked, his good night-vision letting him see her clearly in the faint, flickering light from the Veil. She was dressed as a man, well, almost. Her jacket was belted in tightly, shamelessly showing the curves of her hips and her tail was fully exposed; a lovely, bushy and white-tipped appendage, flicking slightly in irritation. Her ears were rimmed with a fine, black line and were both focused on him at the moment. She was anything but delicate – nearly as tall as he was and solidly built. Her eyes were a deep golden brown, her nose a...

"Are you all right?" she asked after bearing his scrutiny for far longer than was polite.

"Ah, I, that is, yes, ma'am, of course, it's just that you are dressed as, that is to say your clothes are not, I mean to say..."

She interrupted him, "And why should I care two flips of my tail what clothing other people set aside for me? I wear what I need to wear for my job!"

Tharex opened his mouth again, flummoxed, "Your...job?" Women didn't have jobs. Women made a home, they raised children, they were the very core of society. Why would any woman want a job? The very idea was preposterous.

She set her cases down, refusing to move from his path. "Yes, my job. You may close your mouth, good sir." She put her hand on one hip. "I am as capable as any man."

Unkindly, Tharex laughed, and then immediately chopped it off and pretended to cough. "And what is it that you are so capable at, lady?"

"I am a writer, sir, and a camera operator as well. I do research and sell my stories to the news publishers in the cities. Illustrated stories!"

Again, Tharex was shocked. "You...can operate the new camera machines?"

She snorted. "I design them, and I make my own plates as well!" She continued to stand, facing Tharex, the two of them along the side of the road in the dark.

"I...I have never encountered a woman who had any mechanical aptitude whatsoever, and the only women writers I have learned of write little pieces focusing on the home or garden. Are you here to write such a story? Ah, of course, you are here for the upcoming floral festival!" Tharex nodded to himself.

"You assume so much based upon so little! And ignore all of the salient facts. Are you a day-laborer, perhaps? A digger? Yes, you have that look." her ears were back and her tail was flicking rapidly back and forth.

Tharex laughed again, "Oh my! Such a very typical woman, no knowledge of anything outside your domestic spheres. I am a mechanist. And if my deduction is so faulty, correct me! What story do you seek?"

"I am here to expose a pair of frauds. Or, perhaps, to clear their names." She smiled. "I will investigate them and see what the truth is."

His ears pricked up. "A pair? And who are these men?"

"Tharex Slayt and Sava Irani." she looked at him. "They have been accused of being frauds because of some of their more recent pronouncements. But both men have a long history of startling breakthroughs." She paused for a moment and Tharex tried not to show his pride. "Both of them are forward thinking, advanced intellects, not bound by the silly and pointless traditions of those who have gone before. Not something you are capable of understanding, I'm sure. In any case, I will find out the truth. That's what I do."

His ears drooped for a moment. "Not all traditions are silly, or pointless. They serve a purpose, they help keep society structured and moving forw..."

She interrupted. "As I said, not something you are capable of understanding."

Tharex's jaw dropped. Women did not interrupt men. Particularly not strange men they had just met on the street. And they certainly did not insult them. "I was trying to tell you that..."

She bent down and picked up her large cases again. "I'm sure it's very interesting. But I need to find lodging for the night and then tomorrow I need to find my quarry! I'm sure you can understand that."

"I am Tharex Slayt!" he finally spat out, much more quickly than he intended.

She laughed. "Of course you are. And I am a thrail. You obviously don't know the first thing about the man."

"I beg your pardon?! I know everything about him for I am him!"

She studied him for a few moments. "Do you even know the first thing about anything that he has done?" He did appear similar to the descriptions she had heard of the famous inventor.

"Of course! But it would be pointless to explain them to you, as you most certainly would be unable to comprehend any of the basic concepts."

She snorted – a very unladylike sound - "A dodge. A pathetic attempt to deflect the question. Are you delaying me for a reason?"

Tharex was becoming irritated. "I assure you I have no interest in where you go, or when, except so far as it seems that you seek me! Ask me any question and I shall prove my identity."

She sighed and set the cases down again. "Surely a waste of time. Let me start simply. What is the underlying principle of the Slayt Engine?"

"Why, the cyclical alternation of pressures in gas cylinders as moderated by a heat exchanger, of course. But I'm sure that is not anything you are familiar with, so I shall attempt to simplify my explanation..." There were many businessmen who had a difficult time understanding how his engine worked.

She didn't give him the chance. "I made it too easy! You could have read that in any news sheet. Fine. Tell what it is that truly drives this engine."

He scowled at her. "The relationship between pressure, temperature, and volume of a gas, and the temperature differential of the two cylinders."

Her ear flicked backwards. "And how does that relate to the great airships?"

He twitched his tail. "The pressure expansion of the gas within the bladders is moderated by heat exchange and the pressure..."

She finished "differential of altitude...Transferring the heat of the gas to the engines to descend, absorbing it to ascend..." Both her ears flicked again. She may have erred. "And his friend, Sava Irani, the source of his discoveries is?"

Tharex was starting to smile. "His skill and patience in making glass, most especially his fanatical attention to the purity of his source materials and the polishing – traits that translate well to his studies of both large and small. You are aware of his research into the Red Death?"

"The small invaders that he postulates have..." She cleared her throat. "I'm terribly sorry – you are Tharex Slayt, aren't you?"

Grinning broadly he declared, "As I said. But who are you, lady? I confess you have astonished me beyond words and courtesy."

She lowered her nose and ears, "I am Anakee Sayaret, sir. I hope I gave no offense?"

He laughed, "None that will cause any lasting harm." Struck by a sudden inspiration he asked, "You said you sought lodging for the night; It is late, most will have sealed their doors and be unwilling to open them for travelers."

"I know, I was delayed on the way in to town."

"Some breakdown, perhaps? Or a turn in the weather in the passes?"

She chuckled, an oddly masculine sound he thought. "No, thieves sought to help themselves to our possessions."

"Were the men able to drive them away?"

Both her ears flicked back again. "Of course not. The thieves believed they had the danger covered. Right up until I shot all four of them. They seemed most confused, right up until their last breath. I believe the final man was most distressed as I made sure to take several plates of his dying moments."

Tharex's mouth hung open. "You had your camera machine ready?"

"Oh no, I had to get it set up."

"But that takes...quite some time."

"Yes. He seemed rather upset that I refused him any aid. I think the two men on my liner were nearly as upset. I was quite careful how I shot him. I was very curious to see the effects of a bullet to the middle-spine. The other three, I had to hurry. But never fear, I have plates of the effects of the bullet upon their skulls and heart."

His mouth still hanging open he asked, "You...Shot...Then...Camera..."

"Do you think that only men can kill? Good sir, it is the tool, not the user."

He closed his mouth. He was wavering between horrified and fascinated. "But the effects of bullets upon the body are already well documented."

"This is a bullet of my own design."

"Your design."

"Yes! Here, let me show you." In the dim light, she reached into a small pouch and pulled out a bullet, nearly half an inch across. The center had been dug out and small notches cut into the four cardinal points of the circle.

"They expand! But why did you remove so much material? Here, look..." He pulled out one of his own fifty caliber expanding bullets. "With just a simple pair of crossing grooves, you get expansion without the loss of mass..."

"But with less mass, I get higher velocity and I have found that the expansion is significantly higher and...but when did you...?"

"Some two years ago, though I have not publicized the modification. I am still refining it. Previous attempts at such a project have suffered greatly from loss of stability, of course."

"Oh." She seemed crestfallen. "I only completed these a few weeks ago."

"But that is marvelous! For a woman to have..." She had flipped both her ears backwards. "I beg your pardon, I am out of sorts, clearly." He reached a decision. "I mean nothing forward by this, but since you have arrived so late, and are clearly a unique woman, would you take lodgings at my home tonight? I assure you that I am quite harmless."

"I would be happy to! This will be marvelous for my story!"

Shocked again, "You have no concerns? I am unmarried, you know, I live alone. There will be talk, no doubt."

She laughed and flicked her exposed tail. "For which I care not at all."

He bent down and picked up one of her cases, when he reached for the other, she took it instead. "Perhaps you would be willing to develop the plates you have taken of the thieves? I would be interested to compare the effects of your modifications to my own." He coughed delicately, "I too have taken several plates of a thief who thought himself too clever."

The following morning found the two of them at Tharex's home, crumbled bits of paper scattered about his work room, bits of lead, gunpowder, and cartridge paper. It was clear that there had been no sleep for either.

"No, no, Anakee, that wouldn't work, look the striker would have to maintain a needle-like point and be able to drive into and through the cartridge to impact the cap! That cannot happen with the arc that the striker moves through."

"There must be some way – if the cap could be at the end of the bullet itself, the burn would be more complete and the expanding gasses would not interfere with the burn."

He shook his head, "It would also make the ammunition more dangerous, why any strike on the end would cause it to go off! Caps are notoriously unstable, You would have to find some way to make the striker move back and forth in a straight line, and the mechanics are not there for that unless you are going to make the trigger mechanism a slide, which would be difficult to manipulate."

"So we need the needle portion of the striker to go back and forth while the striker itself moves in an arc."

Both of them looked at each other. "Of course!" Tharex exclaimed. "look! We encase the needle and spring-load it, while the striker hits the flat end, driving the point through the paper into and through the powder until it strikes the cap! Except, with the rotation of the cylinder, it would make for a very long and unwieldy design."

"Could we do away with the rotating cylinder?"

"Not unless you wanted to go back to a single-shot weapon where you drop each round into the breech before firing. The entire mechanism would have to slide backwards so that you could insert the round, and then slide forward..."

"Or be pushed up...by a spring! Like a clockwork!"

"Yes! Brilliant! Here..." he sketched quickly, "A stack of pre-assembled paper, powder, cap, and bullet resting on a platform, a spring below, pushing them upward. The entire needle assembly becomes a plunger, each shot pushes the plunger back, the next cartridge assembly slides up, the spring here pushes the plunger forward, driving the group into an unmoving cylinder. When the trigger is pulled, the hammer strikes the end of the needle and pushes it through the cartridge and powder and into the cap, firing the bullet! Then the entire cycle repeats without any intervention!"

"Look, look – like clockwork – add an additional spring and winder here and you could make the thing fire itself! Tick, tock, click, clock, bing, bang!" she traced the various steps with her pencil point.

Tharex sat back and looked at his new friend. "You are the most astonishing woman I have ever met." He waved his hand at the chaos of his home. Dishes lay where he had left them, clothing was draped over furniture, half-finished gadgets were everywhere as were tools and materials. Books and documents were everywhere. "This...does not offend your sensibilities?"

She barely glanced up, "Why should I care how you organize your home? What is important is how you organize your thoughts!" She looked again at the diagram, "Do you suppose a slight ramp here would smooth the insertion of..."

He interrupted with a laugh, "I must introduce you to my friends Sava and Milay. What are your plans for this evening?"

"Well, I had hoped to spend the day locating Tharex Slayt and Sava Irani, but I seem to have found them so I confess I am free to meet with you both." She smiled at him.

Despite her rather solid build and shameless manner of dress, he found that smile nearly as intriguing as the mechanism they were sketching out. She was no Milay; in fact, was nearly her polar opposite, but she was the first woman he had ever encountered that he could actually talk to. And her eyes danced when she smiled; as much as they burned when she was angered.

Returning his gaze to the sketches, he reached for a pencil only to find that his hand instead landed upon hers. They both froze for a moment. He quickly withdrew his hand, "I'm terribly sorry. I did not mean to be forward – I intended only to gain the pencil..."

Rather than being offended she said, "I doubt a simple touch will cause much havoc in the world, Tharex." She picked the pencil up and made a minor modification to the sketch. "This evening you say?" She paused briefly. "And what were your plans for the rest of the day?" She glanced up at him, her eyes smoldering.

Shocked, Tharex stuttered, "I..uh..I well...That is..."

She laughed and surprised him again by putting her hand on his. "I'm sorry, Tharex. I was poking fun at you. You are so different from what I expected; so traditional! One minute you speak to me as though I were a colleague, the next as though I were a woman-for-hire."

"It is just that you are so different...Um...Your dress, your mannerisms, your way of speech I never know what to expect from you!"

"Good. Now, perhaps we can talk some about my research?"

Slightly off-balance from the sudden subject change. "Your research?"

Taking a pad of paper and a new pencil from a pocket on her jacket she said "You, and Sava Irani."

"Ah!" He ran his fingers through his whiskers. "What about if we go and get some breakfast and we can talk while we fill our bellies?"

"That sounds like a very good idea." She agreed.

That evening, on their way to the Irani home, Anakee asked Tharex, "I'm again surprised at you, Tharex."

He looked down from the skies, "Huh? Why is that?"

"You didn't ask me to put on proper clothing before meeting the Irani family."

Puzzled for a moment Tharex admitted, "You know, I forgot about that. I was so engrossed in our conversation that it has come to seem normal to me to see you in such shameless...er..." her ears had flicked back and her eyes flashed fire, "unusual clothing. They may have questions about it." he shrugged, "They are good people and Milay has the social graces of an elite hostess."

"Well, we shall see." A few yards further on they stopped at a doorway angled downward into the dug-out home typical of the Drenians' dwellings. Much like doors on a Mid-western storm-cellar, they were designed to open outward. Tharex twisted the ringer, listening to the musical notes as the clapper struck several rods in sequence. A few moments later, he could see Milay looking at him through the window by the door.

"You may open the door and enter!" she called out. Tharex bent down and hauled the left-hand door open, and waited, politely for Anakee to enter. Milay stood to the side and waited for her friend to come inside. If she were shocked, she made no sign. Instead, she hugged Tharex warmly and asked politely "And who is my other guest?"

Tharex made the introduction, "M'lady Milay Irina, I would like to bring to your attention Anakee Sayaret, a woman of my acquaintance since last night. She has astonished me with her skills and knowledge in a number of areas. M'lady Anakee Sayaret, this is Milay Irina who has been one of my dearest friends for many years."

As the one introduced, Anakee answered, "Hello! So you're Sava's wife?" Seeing Tharex's discomfort at her non-standard response, she explained herself. "Ah. Um, sorry, I have been shocking poor Tharex since I met him as I tend to make my own way in the world rather than following someone else's."

Milay wasn't fazed in the slightest. "Please come inside and be at home. I'm sure you've noticed that Tharex himself tends to make things up as he goes." She winked at her friend, "It is part of his charm." She led the way further into the house. "With Tharex and Sava, it's best to be prepared for most anything."

When they walked in, Sava did a double-take at seeing Anakee, but like his wife said nothing. Instead he invited to her to have a seat at the table. His children were looking at each other and giggling and covering their pointy noses and mouths. Finally his son said "You can see her ears! And her tail!"

His daughter, trying to beat her twin to the discovery, came up with "She looks like a boy!"

Sava looked at both sternly, "And you both shame me with your rudeness to my guest." And he turned his face away from both, ignoring them utterly. To Anakee he said, "Please, make yourself comfortable and join the rest of us for our meal. These two " he flipped his ear backwards at his children, "Can learn courtesy through hunger."

Four little ears and two sets of whiskers drooped. Milay came in a few moments later with the first platter of food, carefully ignoring her children's begging looks. Her sharp hearing had kept her aware of their status.

Anakee took pity on them. "Oh, don't be too hard on them. They're young and I'm very different from what they are used to. It's good that they notice details."

Sava, continuing to ignore his children's downcast faces and postures answered her, "True, and that I encourage. However, civility is the very basis of civilization. It is one thing to notice that someone or something is different. It is entirely a different thing to call out that difference intending to belittle the person or otherwise cause shame.

"You are my guest, and therefore should be treated with the utmost deference and respect. My children should have made a personal note that your manner of dress is not that which they are used to and brought it up for discussion, politely, at a later time. Not shouted it out in order to draw everyone's attention to that fact. They sought only to embarrass you and make the rest of us impressed with their keen powers of observation."

By now, the twins were crushed by their father's disapproval. Milay was continuing to bring the meal in from the kitchen while he continued, and placing none of it before them. Anakee knew that his remarks were addressed to them, despite his attention being on her.

"For example, on one of Tharx and my expeditions, we encountered a people who often wore no clothing! Or just a simple cloth tied about the waist." Both children gasped at this admission. Their father had never mentioned that detail before.

Finally turning to them, he said, "Yes. Where they live it is very, very hot and humid and the clothing we wore was very uncomfortable. Further, we found, much to our sorrow, that the clothing also provided a convenient home to many unpleasant insects, held in water from the air, and mildewed quickly, becoming quite aromatic! These people thought us quite mad for covering up as we do.

"Can you imagine how they would have reacted to us had we begun to snicker and jest at their very sensible choice? Why, we quite likely would not have returned alive! They were also a savage and fierce people who were as quick to fight strangers as to welcome them."

Meka, the little boy asked, "But then why does she dress like that?" he asked his father, quickly being echoed by his sister, Feya.

"Now, wouldn't it have made more sense to have learned that fact before you decided to make a remark that was only intended to embarrass my guest? Which shames me?"

More downcast looks and in stereo, "Yes, father. We're sorry, father."

He glared at them for a few moments until they realized their mistake. In tandem, they looked up at Anakee, "We're sorry, ma'am."

She waved it off, "It was nothing. I'm quite used to it." She was going to ask Sava a question, but in the space of a breath he was continuing his lesson to his children.

"Now, to your question. How might you have gone about politely learning why the lady has chosen to dress as she does?"

Anakee cocked her head at the three of them. Clearly, teaching and learning was a constant activity in the Irani home.

Feya answered first for once, "Ask her?"

Meka elbowed her, "Politely!"

Sava nodded. "Or you could draw her answer out a piece at a time by asking specific questions about each item you have noted that is different from what you expect. And rather than subjecting my guest to a barrage of questions, you spread them throughout the conversation." He nodded to Feya.

The little girl asked "Why do you wear..." and noted her father's disapproving look. She quickly restructured her question, struggling with some of the words and with periodic glances at Tharex. "Excuse me, ma'am, may I ask why you look...why you picked the um why you have chosen the clothing you wear?"

Anakee grinned. "Because I choose not to be bound by the rules that everyone else follows. Because I choose to have a job and do what I will, rather than what others have decided I must do. And because I find that men's clothing is much more useful for my job than women's."

The twins were stunned. Sava had already guessed as much.

Meka asked, "You have a job? But you're a..." and chopped it off at the backward twitch of his father's ears. Swallowing quickly he started again, mangling his pronunciation some and trying very hard to sound like his father.. "How interesting. Would you be so kind as to indulge my curiosity as to what job?" He was stealing glances at his father to see if he had it right.

Tharex, meanwhile, had been providing little mood hints with his facial expressions and body posture – hints that Sava was choosing to ignore, but that both twins were using as gospel guidance.

Anakee tried not to giggle, "I research stories that I then sell to the news publishers. And I use my camera machine as well so that the stories are illustrated!"

Meka couldn't help himself, "Stories? What kind of stories? Are you writing one now?"

Feya also couldn't stand it any more "I didn't know girls could do that! How come..."

Both twins lapsed into silence again. Meka continued, again, mimicking his father. "Please forgive our unstable curiousness, ma'am."

At that, Tharex did laugh and Anakee had to cover her own mouth.

Sava corrected the boy, "Insatiable, Meka, not unstable. And curiosity, not curiousness."

Tharex, still holding back a laugh offered, "Oh, I'm not so sure, my friend. They are your children, so unstable curiousness fits pretty well."

Sava shot him a 'you're not helping' look.

Anakee answerd the boy, "I'm writing a story about your father and his partner here."

Milay began to serve everyone – except the twins, who were watching the food being distributed with very poorly-concealed looks of complete starvation.

Sava tapped on the table-top. "I think you have interrogated our guest enough for the moment. Please allow the rest of us to enjoy some conversation."

In concert again, eyes locked on their empty plates, they said in mournful voices, "Yes, father."

After a few moments with their meals, Sava looked at his wife, "Well, my lovely wife." He dabbed at his whiskers and chin with a cloth. "Do you believe these two have learned anything useful at all yet?"

She pretended to study her children, who were doing their very best to look like angels. Starving angels. "Hmmm. I think the odds are good. Some progress, at least."

"Very well. They may eat as well." he nodded.

"Thank you father!" came the enthusiastic response.

At meal's end, Tharex and Sava headed off towards Sava's study and Anakee turned to follow them. Milay asked her, "Anakee, would you be so good as to help me clean up?" The twins were both already starting to clear the table.

The photo-journalist stopped, one foot in the air. She very much wanted to go be part of that conversation and perhaps have a smoke as well. But to refuse such a request from her hostess would be the height of rudeness. She returned her foot to the floor and pivoted, picking up some of the plates from the table. "Of course. It would be my privilege to do so."

A short while later the two women, as different as night and day, were washing dishes. Anakee was obviously longing to head off to the study. Finally bowing to the inevitable she asked, "Milay, how can you stand to be reduced to... just this for your life?"

Agreeably, her furry hands soaked with soapy water, Milay answered with a question, "Just this?"

"You are clearly of superior intelligence and capability." The dinner-time conversation had made it clear that Milay was every bit her husband's equal in many areas. "Yet, you are forced to spend your days washing dishes, preparing food, wiping noses and bottoms and...I don't know, dusting. What a waste!"

Setting another plate in a drying rack she said "A waste? Forced? Anakee, I choose to be what I am and what I love to be. A wife, a mother, a home-maker. And I'm good at it. You list those tasks off as though they are distasteful. Every day I look around me and I see a comfortable home. My dishes are my own and clean and ready to entertain guests; something I love. Washing dishes is a lovely way to relax and digest and think about the dinner conversation or..." She smiled at Anakee, "have quieter conversation with a lady guest. I like cooking and take great pleasure in watching my family or guests find pleasure in eating what I cook. And wiping noses and bottoms, while not the most pleasant task in the world, is part of creating two lovely people. I am an artist and those two are my masterpiece, a lasting contribution to the world well beyond any discovery or invention of my husband or his friend."

Not quite sure how to take this, Anakee decided to try a different approach. "But you are excluded from the Study! From their conversation!"

Milay laughed and scrubbed at another plate. "Do you need to be part of every conversation that happens around you? Have you never wanted a private conversation with someone? Or to spend time alone with a particular friend?"

"Well yes, but..."

Uncharacteristically Milay interrupted, "And would you enjoy having an uninvited participant in your conversation? Or being such an uninvited participant? Who wants to be where they are not welcome?"

"But the Study is part of your home and you are excluded!"

"For the moment, yes. Sava enjoys time deep in thought and conversation with Tharex without having to worry about anyone else's feelings or courtesy or anything other than their talk. And believe me, he appreciates knowing that we are not co-joined. That we can both enjoy our separate activities – together."

"Have you never wanted to be anything more?"

"More." She laughed. "There is nothing 'more' than being what I am. Have I ever wanted to be anything different? No, sincerely no. I know many little girls dream of doing the things boys do; Not I. I have always dreamed of being what I am, and for that I am the most fortunate woman alive. Have you never wanted to be anything more than a story teller? To have a husband and home to return to each night, warm with the love of family?"

Anakee shuddered. "No. Many times no. Such a life would be like a prison for me."
"And your life would be a living hell for me." Milay watched as Anakee set another dish in the drying rack. "Isn't it interesting that our people can be so varied?"

"Yes, but because of my variation, most people treat me as strange at best, dangerous at worst, and tend to shun me! It is difficult to find work once my gender is known. Much of the time I must sell my work under a false name! Why should I be treated so differently?!"

Milay laughed quietly. "Because you are different. And usually, different is dangerous; My husband has taught me this. Animals in the wild look for that which is different because that is what is likely a threat."

"How could I be a threat?"

"I don't know. But I think you frighten people because of how different you are. Well, some people. Most people like the familiar, the usual, to not have their perceptions changed. When you present them with something new and different, there will be resistance. Sava and Tharex have learned that often, and are learning it again."

Anakee cocked her head at Milay again. "Sava's tiny invaders."

"Yes. Despite all those two have discovered and created, they are now being treated as frauds."

"That is my purpose, you know. To discover the truth."

"Good!" Milay stated emphatically.

"I appreciate that you would take your husband's side in this, Milay. But I will find out if they are hiding anything, or attempting to fool people for some reason. I am not swayed by friendliness or courtesy or anything else."

"Good!" Milay grinned, "Then I think we'll get along just fine. My husband is an honest man and preaches a religion of facts and observation untainted by personal wishes or beliefs. If you are what you say, you will observe, and you will find the facts are that they are right. They always are."

CITY OF HIRI, PLANET ARIS, THE BADLANDS

MAY 2352

The outbreak of the Red Death had come early this year, and moved with a speed that was unusual. Within two weeks of the first reported cases, the city found itself with its center and northwest corner clustered with the sick and the dying. Governor Orin had summoned several experts to advise him on how best to proceed. Among them were Sava and Tharex who had found themselves on the defensive immediately; Several well-known medical experts had objected to their inclusion on the basis of the questions relating to their reputation as well as the outlandishness of their theory.

One of those experts, Philo Ern had immediately gone on the offensive. "Governor, while I appreciate all the many and varied contributions of Sava and Tharex, this is simply not their area of expertise. Perhaps if they stayed within their skills, they would be able to be of more use than they have been these past few years."

Sava refused to rise to the bait. "The fact remains, Orin, that those cities that have done as we have advised and done so early suffered far less from the disease than those who failed to do so."

Anakee stayed in the background, scribbling notes as fast as she could write, ignoring the disapproving glances of the other participants in the meeting.

Philo continued, "Advice based upon what, exactly, Sava? A guess? A feeling? You have no idea why your advice worked in those situations. It was mere chance. In fact, your advice doomed many within the sealed areas to death by starvation or lawlessness, or other cause!"

"Based upon the fact that by preventing those who had contact with the sickness from contacting those without it, we prevented..."

The other man and his colleagues laughed. "Because, of course, these little cells you have seen in your microscope cause all manner of wickedness!"

"It is true! Our data have shown that the blood of those who are ill contain them while..."

"You waste time. Governor, I too have a reputation for experimentation and I have been conducting one that proves, again what we all know – that disease behavior is caused by an imbalance in the bodily fluids caused by external factors such as the environment, dietary and exercise habits and the like."

Before Tharex and Sava could comment, the Governor interrupted them by raising his hand. "And what is this experiment?"

Philo smiled – not a nice smile at all. He turned to one of his fellows, "Greel, would you be so kind as to get the cart?" The other man nodded and quickly stepped into the hallway while Sava and Tharex looked at each other with some concern. "Now, good Sava, you maintain that the Red Death is caused by these tiny little cells within the blood, correct?"

"Absolutely." Sava agreed with some heat.

"Well then, clearly were we to put them within a living being, that being should come down with the Red Death, correct?"

Sava and Tharex looked at each other. They had attempted the same experiment, several times, with no result.

Orin agreed, "That seems only sensible."

"Look here then." He pulled the covering cloth off the large cart that Greel had wheeled into the office. "I have here six small varus, collected from within the city just a few weeks ago. These two, I injected with the blood of a person who was ill with the Red Death." he bent down and made little cooing noises at the small, tan and grey colored rodent-like creatures who happily stood up on their hind legs and begged for treats. "They do not seem to be suffering from the pitiless assault of these evil cells.

"And here, these two, I deliberately caused a fluid imbalance within their bodies by forcing an excess of water into them at every opportunity. You will note that they are both coughing up bloody froth and greenish mucus, very much like the Red Death. One must make adjustments for their smaller size, of course. And these two, I again created an imbalance within them by starving them of certain foods. Notice the lethargy, the lost teeth, and sores so typical of other diseases.

"So, as you see, I test both theories. The one fails, the other succeeds. These two are frauds." He turned and asked, his voice dripping sweetness, "Sava, Tharex, tell us, have you attempted such an experiment as well?"

Sava tried to explain, "There is more to it than..."

"The question is simple, Sava. Have you or have you not conducted such an experiment? And if you have, why have you not published the results? Could it be that there is no way that something so tiny could affect something so large as a person?"

The room was silent for several seconds. Sava finally said, "I have, but I have not completed them yet. There is more to a disease process than such a simplistic approach and..."

Rudely, Philo interrupted again. "Of course there is more, because you have not gotten the result you wish. Governor, you have seen with your own eyes the failure of Sava's theory and the proof of the accepted theory, the one that has served medicine well for many, many years. The science is settled."

Tharex, angry asked, "Then what is your advice for halting the spread of the Red Death? And how many have been saved by following your advice?"

Philo, agreeably said, "To make certain that those in the afflicted areas are kept properly cared for to ensure that their fluids stay in proper balance. Good food, hydration, exercise out of doors and regular checks by qualified medical experts."

Governor Orin was listening to both groups. "Philo Ern, wasn't your advice tried last year in Tangeen? What was the outcome there?"

The man looked uncomfortable. "That was not a proper example, Governor. By the time they asked for my advice, there were so many deep in imbalance that there were not enough qualified medical experts to go around. The drain on the city's resources ensured that many more would fall ill before the supplies of good food and water and care again matched the population."

Orin looked at the map that Tharex and Sava had used to illustrate their ideas. His tail lashed back and forth several times. "And your advice is the same?"

Sava spoke while Tharex nodded his agreement. "Yes. Isolate the afflicted areas. Seal them completely. Let the disease burn itself out."

"Your homes are within the afflicted area; you know this?"

"Yes." Sava agreed.

"And you should be allowed out before I order them sealed, of course?"

"No. We are as suspect as any other. You have placed everyone in this room at risk by bringing us here."

The Governor thought for a while longer. If nothing else, the two men were not cowards. "There is room for both approaches here. I will seal these areas immediately. Let fences be erected and guards be posted. Once in, no one and nothing comes out. However, we shall support them with all of the good food and other supplies we can spare. With one exception, no medical experts will be allowed to enter without my express permission. In case you are wrong, gentlemen, they will be needed outside these areas. Those who are already there will have to carry the load.

"However, to assist them, all women between the ages of 14 and 40 shall be called into my service. They will report to the medical centers to care for those who are ill. To make sure that any imbalances are put to rights as quickly as possible while under the direction of the experts."

Sava and Tharex both gasped, "No!" Sava continued, "My wife! You cannot expose her to..." Anakee as well raised her head.

Orin continued on. "Let this be done. You are dismissed, gentlemen."

None of the men and one woman leaving Orin's office were even remotely happy that day.

Back at Sava's home, Sava was holding his wife tightly while Anakee sat back comfortably in a big chair with a drink. Tharex sat apart, his head in his hands.

Milay did her best to calm her husband. "Shhhh. It will be fine."

Sava, near tears told her, "Once you report to the medical centers, you mustn't return home until the Red Death has run its course. You will expose the children..." he couldn't continue.

"Yes, I know. You've explained it all before." She smoothed the fur on the back of his head.

"It will kill you. Perhaps we can hide you. Yes, yes, we can find someplace that "

She interrupted him. "Don't speak nonsense, my love. It is my duty to help, and what of Anakee? Would you leave her to her fate?"

"But...No, We will...There must..."

She had never seen her husband so frantic, so panicked and so lost. "Dear Sava, you must do what you do best. You and Tharex must find a way to protect us, or to solve the puzzle completely. "

Tharex stood up, his face black with rage and smashed his fist down on the table. "INTOLERABLE!" was all he said and stormed out of the house.

It was a full day later when Tharex, his fur unkempt, wearing the same clothing and with a wild look in his eyes returned. He didn't even sound the chime, storming into the Irani home unannounced. "Sava! Sava! I have it! Quickly!"

Sava looked at his friend with some concern. Milay immediately went to the kitchen to fetch something to drink for him. Sava asked, calmly, "What is that you are saying?"

"To protect them! A Seal! Seal it off! Don't you see? We seal them off!"

Somewhat confused he asked, "What? Are you saying to seal the house itself? So that they cannot leave and nothing can get in?"

"No, no, no, man, we seal them! Then they can work with those who are ill with impunity no matter what causes this disease. As I said previously, all that is needed is a seal to keep things apart within any machine!"

Sava was beginning to be concerned for Tharex's sanity. "You cannot seal a living being apart from all others and expect it to continue to live, Tharex."

"Not completely – just block all the access routes for these invaders. Here...Anakee! Stand up! You will be my test case!" He quickly strode over to the younger woman and pulled her to her feet, rudely placing his hands on her upper arms to do so. She watched Sava and complied. Tharex began haring about Sava's home and bringing back various items. "Armor, you see? Against tiny invaders! We seal their attack routes!"

He draped an apron across her front and pulled gloves over her hands "So that nothing from one being can touch her skin..." Then a hat, and then, as though she were a mannequin, he pulled her goggles up onto her face and mostly over her eyes – beginning to understand, she made no objections. And for the openings of the nose and mouth and ears, a scarf! He quickly bound one of Milay's best dress scarves over the front of her face instead of just her ears.

Sava caught on quickly as well. "Yes! That would work...but...Wait – let me get something." He trotted into his study and returned with a stoppered bottle. Removing the scarf he soaked it with the liquid and quickly tied it over Anakee's face again. She wheezed and coughed.

"Horrid! What is that!"

"A chemical that kills cells. I have yet to be able to find a way to make it kill just the little blue devils and not everything else. But like this, it would only kill those invaders attempting to gain access to your body through the nose and mouth!"

"Too strong!" she coughed again.

"Yes, well, I may have overdone it. Sorry."

Milay was watching the entire proceeding with interest. "Proper fools we will look attempting to care for the sick looking like some of the creatures from your stories, Tharex."

Angry, Tharex exclaimed, "Dammit, woman, who cares what you look like as long as you live!?" and caught himself an instant later. "I am terribly sorry, Milay. I did not mean to..."

She laid her hand on his arm. "Tharex, dear friend, I cannot be upset with you for being concerned. But please, calm yourself." She studied Anakee. "These are all too heavy for doing work. We would quickly sweat out all our water and cause an imbalance." She thought for a few moments. "Anakee, would you help me for a little bit, please? Gentlemen, we shall return shortly."

The other woman nodded and they left together to go to Milay's sitting room.

Four hours later they returned to find Tharex and Sava still arguing heatedly over what to do – until the moment they walked through the door into Sava's study. The women were wearing light-weight long gowns, lined with a silk-like fabric and covering their entire bodies and tails, much to Anakee's disgust. Gloves of the same material and a scarf covering the head with each wearing a set of Anakee's goggles. Each woman was wearing one of Milay's best scarves, quickly modified to easily cover the nose and mouth. It was clear that Sava's wife had sacrificed several of the best items in her wardrobe.

They looked...mysterious. Alien. Like ancient warriors against some unknown foe. Anakee had belted her gown in at the waist with her usual accoutrements while Milay managed to make the entire ensemble look elegant despite the goggles.

Sava nodded in satisfaction. "Yes. Brilliant Tharex. We soak the face-scarf and the gloves in the chemical - " seeing Anakee start to object, even under her new armor he amended himself, "But not so strongly! And they are safe! They can touch any sick person! Go anywhere! You could even return home at night! We soak the armor in the front hallway and then launder it each night! Anakee, you will have to stay with us until this outbreak is ended."

Milay smiled under her mask. "They are easy to make. We can teach the other women how to do so as well." She put her hand on her hip and said with satisfaction, "The Red Death has met its match."