XI.

Med-deck. Female voices.

"Where?"

"There."

"Where? Oh – there."

"And there, and there. See the blistering? That's…not very good."

He swims awake.

"What's not very good?"

"Hey, he's up. Rommie says to tell you that you're heavy."

He winces under the examination lights.

"She should know."

"I told her that she should be happy she wasn't carrying Tyr."

He'd laugh if it didn't hurt.

"Now he's heavy."

He's lying on his side, and looking at Beka's midriff. She hunkers down to make eye contact.

"Hey, sport – it's not funny. Trance has something to show you."

Cool fingers on his side and then a purple face bobs into his line of sight.

"Hi there. I think you gave Rommie a fright."

"Where is she?"

"Making sure all the councillors got home safe. But that's not your problem right now. This is your problem."

She angles a medscreen.

"Do you see that? No, the right side of the screen. I had to get Harper in to help me interpret this you know."

"That bad?"

"It's the analysis of the skin sample I took. See there – that isn't infection, Dylan."

"It's not?"

"No, it's not. These little swarmy things? They're not bacteria. They're nanobots."

Beka is squinting at the screen.

"Aren't they smaller than the ones –"

"Yup, they're smaller. That's because they're not ours."

"Oh."

Dylan sighs and closes his eyes.

"Trance – in plain Common, please."

Trance's fingers tap the screen.

"In plain Common – you've been infected with Leper10."

"Leper10?"

"Yup. Frankly, the only way we identified it was through a signifying mark on the foreign nanobots. I've never seen it before and the databanks only have two references –"

Beka gets impatient.

"But don't our nanobots combat the foreign ones?"

"Not very effectively. These things are vicious – they swarm the friendly nanobots and cannibalize them to reproduce."

"Gross."

"That's why his condition is deteriorating so fast. I've been giving him shots – basically supplying them with the things they need. I know – dumb, dumb – but I've corrected it now. The problem is that the Leper10 'bots are multiplying faster than we can neutralize them. If the infection spreads to his organs his systems are going to go into shock without –"

"Hello…" Dylan waves a hand weakly. "Still here, people, so you can stop talking about me in the third person."

"Sorry."

"Let's have a quick rewind and refresh here, okay?"

"Sure."

"I have – excuse me – leprosy."

"Yes. Kind of."

"Caused by an infestation of foreign nanobots…"

"Right. Except the nanobots work much faster than the traditional disease – it's like leprosy cranked up to a factor of ten."

"Hence the name."

"Right! Oh - I mean, right."

"And…you can't fix it."

"No. I mean, not yet. But Harper and me are both working on it so we'll be able to treat it soon."

"How soon are we talking here?"

"Um…very soon?"

Beka has been watching nanobots swarm on the medscreen.

"Trance, if this infection gets past his ribcage it's gonna turn his guts into mulch."

"I know. Really, I do. And Harper is trying to find a way to reprogramme the 'bots, but he's still –"

"You said you had two other references in the database. So what happened to the other two patients?"

"They, uh, well…they died."

Dylan closes his eyes.

"You're not exactly buoying my confidence here, Trance."

"I know – and I'm sorry. We're working as fast as we can…"

Beka hunkers down again to look at Dylan's face. Pasty. Her own expression is grim.

"Work faster."

XII.

"Rommie – in my quarters thanks."

She doesn't sprint, but she walks fast. The doors hiss. He's settled in a corner of the couch with a scattering of datapads.

"Hey."

"I didn't think you'd be back here so soon. I assumed that Trance would –"

"Trance wanted to keep me in medical, yes, but I managed to convince her that lying around on a recovery bed wasn't going to improve my condition any faster."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry if I frightened you, Rommie."

"You didn't frighten me. I just…didn't expect to be carrying you out of the parley meeting."

"Well, I made it to the final bows at any rate. The councillors all make it back okay?"

"Yes."

"And…do you think any of them noticed –"

"No, I don't think they realised any more than that you were trying to remember which obesiance went where."

"Good. That's one less thing to worry about anyway. Oh, boy…"

Rommie watches him rub his face with both hands. Frowning makes her own face look severe.

"Can I ask how you're feeling?"

"…Hm… About average, I guess. I don't know. Trance has me stocked up with nano-inhibitors and painkillers, so I'm feeling a little fuzzy…"

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Actually, yes."

He tosses a datapad her way, and only android reflexes make the catch look smooth.

"I've been trying to find more information about Leper10 by cross-referencing datastreams, but there's one link I'm missing."

"Thebbia."

"Exactly. How does a society that hasn't developed beyond primitive weaponry manage to use a biological warfare agent against an enemy?"

"You're thinking that Leper10 is an import."

"Has to be. The question is from where… Now who is it we know that specializes in chemical and biological weapons?"

Rommie blinks.

"The Kalderans."

"Bingo. It's just a guess, but I'd bet my right arm that Leper10 is of Kalderan manufacture. Think you might want to do some digging around for me and see what you can come up with?"

"Absolutely." Rommie is wearing a subdued grin. "But you might not want to make that bet."

"Why not?"

"If we don't find a cure for this you might not have a right arm to wager with, Captain."

"Oh, yeah…hilarious." He grimaces. "I'm gonna score a few more of these leper jokes, aren't I…"

"Count on it."

"Great."

XIII

Back in medical, waiting for the beep.

BEEP

"…and there's the beep."

"Thanks, Harper – I've got leprosy, not a hearing impediment."

"Ooh, grouchy."

"Sorry. Being eaten alive by nanobots always puts me in a bad mood."

"Hey, relax. As soon as I get these readings I'll be able to – wait, just a…holdee on a minute…"

"You'll be able to what?"

"Well, I would have been able to get a fix on…damnit."

"What is it?"

"Ah…well, this ain't so good, boss…"

"Harper –"

"I just tried to get a code analysis… Look, these little buggies are like a computer virus, right?"

"You tell me."

"I mean, that's what I thought they were – I was hoping to get a handle on the encryption programming, but…they just aren't cooperating. I was thinking, y'know, pull one out, do a little rewiring, chuck it back into the hive mind and badda-bing badda-boom, they all go kaput. But …"

"But it's not going quite like you planned."

"Uh, in a word – no."

"Now what?"

"Now…uh, now we go to Plan B."

"Which is?"

"Um – Plan B is still kinda…under-developed."

Dylan sighs.

"I've noticed that's often a problem with Plan B."

"Yeah. Y'know, I think we need a whole-crew workshop – 'How to Develop an Effective Plan B in Three Easy Steps while under Duress –"

"Harper."

"Sorry. Look, give me a half an hour to pummel some ideas around my skull and I'll be right back."

"Harper, help me up."

"What – you're gonna come watch?"

"No, Harper. But I'm not going to lie around med-deck either."

"But Trance said –"

"Trance isn't here right now, so if you'll just give me your arm…"

"I don't think this is such a good idea, boss. You don't look so –"

"That's an order, Seamus."

"Whatever you say, sir. Sheesh. Like I said – grouchy."

Part three soon…