"Hello?" called Kirk into the opening.
"Come in, James Tiberius Kirk to-Enterprise," said a voice. He had a feeling he was going to get very tired of hearing all that, and very quickly. He gestured Evan in and followed.
Uhura rose and said, "Mr. Spock-?"
Evan said, "Hell be fine. Once Dr. M'Benga drains his lungs, all he'll need is rest and antibiotics."
"Drain his lungs?" said Kirk. "I thought you said pneumonia!"
"Aspirant pneumonia, Captain." She immediately looked contrite. "I'm sorry. I thought you understood: Spock's whole body is adapted for desert conditions. He inhaled all that water vapor and his lungs just aren't prepared to deal with it. He will be fine, I promise."
"All right, then," said Kirk, "what about the ADF, Evan?"
Brightspot hissed. "Tail-Kinker," she corrected, her tail twitching angrily. Rushlight, Catchclaw and Another StarFreedom bristled at him.
Wilson put her hands on her hips. "Brightspot, names don't mean the same thing to me as they do to you. I hereby grant permission to all the members of our Walk to call me whatever name feels most comfortable to them, including Dr. Evan Wilson and variations thereof." She glanced from Catchclaw to Rushlight. "However," she said, "I shall expect the rest of the camp to follow your own custom, and I shall take it very much amiss if they do not."
"Understood, Tail-Kinker," said Catchclaw, and Rushlight arched his whiskers forward in agreement.
"Good," said Evan, and she sat beside Chekov. "Another Star-Freedom, is there any way you can confirm that what Mr. Chekov has is actually Noisy-Baby?"
The Sivaoan formerly known as Jinx said, "If Pavel Andrievich Chekov will permit me to take a blood sample."
"I knew it," said Chekov. "All doctors are wampires."
In the end, it was Wilson who played vampire- the Sivaoans had no idea where to draw blood from a human- and Another StarFreedom who, with her own exotic instruments, performed what seemed a simple test. Looking into an eyepiece, she said, "Yes, it's Noisy-Baby," and passed the instrument to Catchclaw.
"It's Noisy-Baby all right," Catchclaw said, after her own look in, "although I don't think I'd have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes.... The rememberers knew the name of Thunderstroke, Nyota Uhura to-Enterprise. They assured me the only possible connection on this world with your disease was Noisy-Baby." Her tail bristled. "Had I known it could act so quickly and so devastatingly on a human, I would have stopped your Walk...." Her voice trailed off; she raised her eyes to meet those of Another Star-Freedom. "Yes," she said, "even though it was your third time."
Instantly, Another StarFreedom reached out with her long silver-gray tail, to encircle Catchclaw's arm. "You would have been right to," she said firmly, "simply because a thing is custom does not always make it good or right."
Catchclaw arched her whiskers forward and wrapped her own brown tail around Another StarFreedom's waist, then she handed the instrument to Evan Wilson. "See the cells stained bright pink? Pavel Andrievich Chekov did have Noisy-Baby. He will be immune to further exposure now."
"And the rest of us, Catchclaw?" Kirk asked.
"Brightspot and Another StarFreedom both had Noisy-Baby as children. But the rest of you had the same exposure to Grabfoot that Pavel Andrievich Chekov had. We'll need a blood sample from each of you."
Evan Wilson thrust out a slender arm-scratched and discolored with mud and bruises. "You saw how I did it, Another StarFreedom," she said. "I can't very well take my own blood sample. Go ahead." Another StarFreedom did, and stained and examined the resultant specimen.
"Yes," she said, passing the instrument to Evan, "Now you can see the live ones- the dark pink cells."
As she stared into the instrument, Evan frowned. "But that's a very ordinary bacteria in human beings.... That couldn't be the cause of such symptoms!"
"No, no," said Catchclaw. "Only some of the cells are pink- those are the affected ones." She gave a sidelong glance at Another StarFreedom, flicked the tip of her tail and said, "I hope that translator of theirs works on this. Tail-Kinker, what causes Noisy-Baby is a bacteriophage."
"Do you understand, Evan?" Another StarFreedom asked anxiously, and Evan Wilson began to laugh quietly. She nodded at Another StarFreedom and again at Catchclaw. "I understand," she said.
"I don't," said Jim Kirk.
"It's an impostor, Captain," she said. "It's a thing like a virus that attacks some ordinary-looking bacteria in your body, stuffs the nucleus full of its own genetic material, and starts sending out different orders. No wonder we couldn't isolate the cause: it probably uses a different cover in a human than it would in an Eeiauoan!" She turned again to Catchclaw and Another StarFreedom. "It's the waste product of the phage that does all the damage?" Catchclaw said, "Yes, Tail-Kinker," and added, "Don't worry, though. That's what Another StarFreedom did for Pavel Andrievich Chekov. The remedy is twofold: neutralize the waste product and kill the phage so it won't produce any more. In your case, we can stop its progress before you lose any fur."
"Can you prevent it?"
Another StarFreedom said, "Yes, and in the case of humans it would probably be a good idea to see you all vaccinated, if you aren't already infected, for safety's sake. It hits you too hard to risk waiting."
An enormous grin spread across Evan's face. Her eyes sparkled. "Now there's a pretty word," she said and gave it loving repetition: "vaccinate. What do you say, Captain?" For answer, Jim Kirk grinned back and, pushing up the sleeve of his uniform, offered his bare arm to the two Sivaoan doctors.
The blood tests proved him the only one free of the phage. Evan Wilson lifted her eyes to meet his. "Captain?" she said, "you are aware that this makes you our guinea pig?"
"I know," he said, "the vaccine might not work on humans."
"Worse," she said, swabbing his arm with antiseptic and reaching for the hypo Another StarFreedom had prepared, "It might give you the disease- and I've a philosophical objection to that sort of thing."
"Go ahead, Evan. If I come down with Noisy-Baby, Another StarFreedom can always mix up another batch of antidote- although I will insist she use a hypodermic to administer it."
"Having it blown up your nose is too undignified?" Evan asked, mischief in her eyes.
"Let's just say I have a philosophical objection to that sort of thing."
"Okay," Evan agreed, "stop fidgeting and let me get on with it."
He doubted he had been "fidgeting" but he made no objection. She went ahead with her work. When she had finished the injection, she sat back on her heels and said, "Elath, but I hate all this waiting!"
A tail tip thrust through the entrance to the tent. "Company, Evan," he said, "maybe that will take both our minds off the waiting. Come in."
It was Stiff Tail. With her, she had brought several other members of her last camp, including Left Ear. The newcomers crowded just inside the entrance, and their manner spoke of some hesitation other than a desire to avoid contagion. Of course, thought Kirk, they all had Noisy-Baby when they were children too; they have no reason to be afraid of it.
Bristling slightly, Stiff Tail began, "It is my understanding, James Tiberius Kirk, that you may speak for all of your people?"
"For my crew, yes," he said. "I would not be so presumptuous as to speak for Brightspot or Another StarFreedom."
Brightspot said, "You speak for me as well, Captain."
Another StarFreedom added, "Me too."
Adult they might be officially, he saw, but they were not yet ready to confront an adult as formidable as Stiff Tail unless it was absolutely necessary. "All right," said Kirk, "What do you want, Stiff Tail?"
She was taken aback. "It is what you wanted," she said. "We've come to speak to you about"-she took a deep breath- "the Exiles."
Jim Kirk folded his arms across his chest. "Don't stick your tail in something that doesn't concern you, Stiff Tail." Stiff Tail hissed; and all around him, Sivaoans- including Brightspot and Another StarFreedom- bristled. Evan Wilson laid her hand nonchalantly on her quarterstaff.
Her tail a spike of rage, Stiff Tail said carefully, "That is something we say to children, James Tiberius Kirk...." She did not raise a hand to strike, but he saw claws unsheathe, saw the tremor in her arm, knew the effort she made in such restraint.
"Yes," he said, making it very plain, "to children."
Stiff Tail took one step toward him- and Evan Wilson's quarterstaff barred a second. Stiff Tail turned on Wilson, but found no open threat, no challenge, in her stance, only a statement of fact: that far, no further. And with a massive effort, Stiff Tail lifted her ears erect and smoothed her fur. She stepped back.
"I do not understand your actions, James Tiberius Kirk," she said at last. "Do your customs permit you to explain...?"
Kirk said, "Two thousand years ago, Stiff Tail, your people exiled the Eeiauoans. Now you are ashamed of that action- ashamed that you did not find some other solution to the problem. Am I right?"
Stiff Tail nodded. She shrank in size, just as Grabfoot did when he wished to go unnoticed. "I see," she said. "In your eyes, our treatment of the Exiles was childish."
"You don't see," Kirk said. "Your solution to the problem of the Eeiauoans at the time may have been correct- or not-but that doesn't matter!"
Stiff Tail's eyes went wide, her ears flicked back: "Then why-?"
"The only thing that matters is what happens to the Eeiauoans now," he said. He spread his hands. "Stiff Tail, you are so ashamed of something that happened two thousand years ago that you were willing to let an entire people die rather than discuss them. That kind of evasion of responsibility is hardly the act of an adult." He swung and pointed. "Brightspot, Another StarFreedom- they were the real adults in your camp. Time after time they tried to help, despite your customs, and despite ours."
He turned back to her. "We made the Walk to become adults in your eyes, Stiff Tail. Now you must make a journey to prove your maturity to us: you must accept what was done in the past and live with the consequences. The Eeiauoans need all the help they can get- and that includes yours."
Stiff Tail jerked back as if bitten. "You'd force us to go with you to Eeiauo?"
Jim Kirk shook his head sadly. "I can't force you to do anything you don't want to do, Stiff Tail- least of all grow up."
She turned on her heels and, tail lashing, pushed past the crowd and out of the tent. Her companions followed. Well, he thought, I gave it my best shot.
"Keptain?" said Chekov, a plaintive note in his voice. "I don't understend, sair. I thought we did all thet so we could talk to them...?"
"We did all that to get their help, Mr. Chekov. If we can take a few extra hands back to Eeiauo with us, so much the better. Particularly if they know what they're doing."
"How many do you need, James Tiberius Kirk?" It was Catchclaw who spoke. "You must know that Another StarFreedom has already chosen to accompany you. She is a capable physician, despite her youth."
"I said all the help they can get, Catchclaw. I meant just that," said Kirk.
Her ears flicked sharply back. "How many will your ship hold?" she asked.
"In a pinch, several hundred," he told her.
"Oh!" said Brightspot. "Then I'm coming too."
"And I," said Rushlight. "It would be a trip to sing about."
Catchclaw curled her tail, amused at Kirk's surprise, and advised, "Never turn down the company of a bard, James Tiberius Kirk: songs ease a trail.- I and my four will join you too." It took him a moment to realize she meant to bring her children. Under the circumstances, she could hardly leave them behind- and he could not turn down the services of a second doctor.
"Thank you," he said simply. "All of you. And Catchclaw, I'd appreciate it if you and Rushlight would just call me 'Captain' like the rest." He was not about to listen to 'James Tiberius Kirk' all the way to Eeiauo.
"As you wish," said Catchclaw. "Your name is now your own choice, Captain."
Only then did he realize the implication of his request. When he looked over at Evan Wilson, she wore her sweetest smile. She said not a word. The tilt of her head was enough to say it for her.
Chapter Seventeen
Jim Kirk stepped from the transporter with a sense of elation. "Welcome aboard, Captain Kirk," said Ensign Orsay from the instrument panel. Her face was a study in mixed reactions: half delight to see him and half an attempt to conceal her horror at his appearance.
"Thank you, Ensign. It's good to be back." He needed a status report from the bridge, a shower and two days' sleep- in that order.
As the medical team Evan Wilson had requested helped Chekov onto a stretcher, she thumped her quarterstaff on the deck to spur them. Amid all the clean lines and austerity of the transporter room, she looked wilder than the Sivaoans. Brightspot, Another StarFreedom- each carrying one of Catchclaw's babies-stood frozen to the arrival platform, staring about in earstraining amazement.