“What about the other scouts?”McReidy wondered.
“No idea,” John shook his head. “I don’t know who else was sent or what sectors they’re covering.”
Eavesdropping had as manydisadvantages as advantages. Distress calls were frequent. A world lost, thefate of its people often unknown. Many times, Bismarck was out of range andcertainly not equipped to take on an Andromedan fleet. So far their path hadbeen clean. Their only experience of the enemy was via the communications ofothers.
When Humphries picked up adistress call one afternoon, John was content to ignore it.
“Sir, it’s Lushon. It’s on ourlist.”
“Put it through.”
Humphries shook his head, twofingers of one hand holding the earphone steady to his ear. “It’s just anintermittent repeater, sir.”
“Scans?”
“Nothing,” Gillespie told him. “No enemy activity. No ordinary traffic.”
John thought for a minute. “Regular or random, Mister Humphries?”
“I won’t know until I startgetting some consistency. There it is again… And again. And… nothing. Line’s gone down.”
“Keep listening,” John ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
It was another hour beforeHumphries could get any consistency in the call. On John’s order, heacknowledged it. Almost immediately, the call was taken over by a livingbeing.
“I’ve got contact with a Senateaide,” he told John. “Hang on, they’re putting me through to someone else.”
“On screen,” John instructed.
John was glad he was sitting. Hefelt himself go weak as the image of a beautiful woman appeared on screen. Herskin was a creamy gold, her eyes green like that of a cat. Long, blonde hairfell past her shoulders and out of view of the screen.
Extremely conscious of hisreaction to her, he swallowed hard and summoned every ounce of self control. Still, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. And the way her eyes pierced throughhim, she knew it.
“I’m Commander Madison of the Bismarck. How may I be of service?” He had made it sound too personal and immediatelywished he could retract his last statement.
“Commander Madison,” sheacknowledged him. Her voice was soft and enticing, almost like a purr. “I amSenator Bela of the Senate Council. We are in urgent need of a doctor. Ourchildren are sick, and we can’t cure them. Please help.”
John’s fingers fumbled with theintercom. “Bridge to sick bay. Doctor Dunlop, stand by.”
“He’s not here, sir,” Gunstonanswered.
“Get him.”
McReidy’s head moved as sheglanced to the bridge crew. Giacomo was frozen, staring straight ahead at themain screen, his mouth dropped open.
Gillespie was leaning back in hisseat, his feet stretched out in front of him and his arms folded across hischest. His clenched fists were telltale signs of increasing tension as hetried to remain calm. If he leant much further back, he would fall from hisseat.
Humphries was not so subtle. Heleant over his console. Supporting his head on one hand, he was staringsideways at the screen, almost drooling. A glazed faraway look was in his eyesand a silly grin on his face.
McReidy looked to John forsupport, but he was as bad as the others.
“We’re due to visit your worldtomorrow morning,” John continued.
The Senator frowned, her headturning slightly to one side.
“You’re not expecting us?”
Her head straightened and sheshook it, long blonde tresses wafting across her shoulders. “No.”
“Doctor Dunlop here,” the voicebarked over the intercom.
“Medical emergency on Lushon,”John told him, then his voice softened as he spoke to the screen. “If youcould send us all the information you’ve got, I’ll send you a medical team whenwe arrive and we’ll see what we can do.”
“Thank you.” The whisper drewattention to her lips, which gave an inviting smile.
Humphries’ head fell forward offhis hand and it was only pure luck that stopped him from thumping his chin onthe console.
The transmission ended, but themen remained staring at the screen. McReidy let out a low growl.
John cleared his throat, histhoughts becoming his own again.
“Mister Humphries, we’re only aday away. Why did it take you so long to detect that message?”
“It’s intermittent, sir, like Isaid. And it’s running across the frequencies. It just happened to comeacross ours.”
“You are going to check thisout.” McReidy’s statement came across as more of an order.
“It’s on our list,” John couldn’tquite hide his smirk.
McReidy’s eyes narrowed.
“Of course I’m going to check itout,” he told her, his voice drifting with his thoughts. “Got all night to doit.”
* * *
Information came through from theplanet and downloaded to sick bay. Dunlop retired to his office and opened thelibrary files to research the race. Bismarck’s library had only generalinformation. A couple of paragraphs on the anthropological history of theplanet and its people was not going to help him.
He needed anatomical, biologicaland physiological statistics. None of which were available. Physicaldescription – okay, he could handle that. Men were pretty much non existent. Women were Amazonian beauty queens, by the look of this. All right, he was adoctor, he could handle it. Women were patients too; it was not going to be aproblem.
He turned and glared at Gunstonhanging over his shoulder. “Go and find something to do.”
“I can help you here,” Gunstonoffered, a silly grin on his face.
“Get out of here before I forgetyou’re a medic.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
Gunston backed away, rising tohis tippy toes to keep his view of the console screen as he did. Dunlop letout a sigh of frustration, wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to refocus.
Oh yeah, his medical team wasgoing to consist of women only!
He had a couple of sensiblenurses around here. Kat, for one, had a brain in her head and Wanda couldcertainly hold her own among these Amazonians in the looks department. As faras providing any information beyond the library went, there wasn’t a person onboard who could help.
He could contact Fleet Command,but their response time for something so ‘trivial’ would take well over a day. In that time he could have examined a patient and come up with his ownconclusions. And who better to ask than those in the position to know – thepeople themselves.
He checked the clock on the wallabove his desk. He had a good ten hours – if he wanted to stay up all night.
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Chapter ten
The bridge crew were on edge asthey neared the planet.
“Landing
