Last Voyage of Delilah, Episode 106: Newhall, New Directions

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Wednesday, 21 Feb 2525
Trans U class, Delilah
En Route to Newhall

Over the two-day flight to Newhall, the crew works at various tasks to make the ship run smoother. Vikki tackles the elevator repairs, hoping to make the lift run between decks. She manages but the results are mixed. Using the lift makes something else at random, and at random times, turn on or off due to the wiring job she had to do via the main power line. Oh and the HVAC blowers turn off when the lift is on. In addition, the engines are running hot. The insulation in the engine room is inadequate to the task and Poco has taken to working stripped down to his skivvies. On the bridge, there are ghost images or "floaters" showing up on our radar. It's not screen burn, as they show up in different places on the screen. Rachel knows what they are and automatically ignores them but it may pose a problem if the radar becomes crowded with legitimate objects.

Rachel goes down to the engine room to confer with Poco. If she's surprised by his state of undress, she doesn't show it. Hell, he ain't got nothin' she ain't seen on a man already.

Rachel: I've only had two beers but those floaters on the screen are just floatin' too hard, Papa.
Poco: Wait a minute. You had two beers? And I didn't know about it?
Rachel: Baby, I told ya I restocked the fridge. (pokes him) Stay away from my apples.
Poco: A'right.

One of those beers will have his name on it. At the moment, he's got to keep an eye on the insulation on the engines. He can't repair them while we're in flight, however, so he's reduced to watching and pouring water on the darned things when they get a touch too hot. Poco can't leave the engines unattended for long. As a result, he's going short on sleep.

Poco: I can't leave the engines for more than maybe twenty minutes.
Rachel: I'll have your underwear back in a bit, baby.
Poco: A'right. Thanks, Mama Bear.

Rachel's making the rounds and doing everyone's laundry. It's something she does during the long stretches when sitting in the chair is too boring. Poco strips out of his skivvies and tosses them to Rachel, who catches them easy as you please. Vikki walks at that moment and she nearly trips at the sight of Poco standing buck naked in the engine room.

Vikki: What the—? Did I … miss … something…?
Poco: (cross) What?! It's gorram hot and I have to sleep in here.
Vikki: (facepalm!) Some things I will never unsee and your furry butt is one of them.
Rachel: Thank you. Tink, can you do something about the screens upstairs?
Vikki: Sure, let's go take a look.
Rachel: Keep an eye on the dash a little bit. I'm gonna change a load of laundry.

Aside from that, it's a pretty uneventful trip.

Friday, 23 Feb 2525
Salt City, Newhall
Kalidasa (Xuan Wu) system

Salt City is a massive desalination plant, processing the main trade good of Newhall: water. Given that Newhall is primarily ocean liberally scattered with islands and archipelagoes, with miles and miles of pristine beaches, the plant has plenty of raw material to work with. The salt is a byproduct commodity that sells well, too.

The desalination plant is one of the few industrialized areas on the planet and its owner, Aquatech (former subsidiary of Blue Sun), is the primary employer of the area. It also serves as the primary government. Every few months, huge tankers arrive to take the desalinated water offworld.

Population in the immediate area is fairly low, being mostly confined to the people hired to run the plant. Thanks to a loophole in business practices, Aquatech can keep their operating costs low by classifying their employees as subcontractors, thereby avoiding required expenses incurred by housing and feeding them. A company store is provided on site so workers can buy the supplies they need to survive, increasing the company's profits. We're here to deliver those supplies before going on to Beylix.

Rachel lands our ship in one piece, despite some shaking on descent. We touch down on the largest landing pad, and in an out-of the-way corner of it in case one of the tanker ships needs the space.

The installation is reasonably modern, solar powered, and extensive. Even so, it has a Rust Belt feel to it. The buildings and the workers both have that grimy coating that comes of working a desalination facility. Everything looks a little run down and rough around the edges.

Tian casts a critical eye over the scene and sure enough, she can tell that the workers here haven't been treated for the plague. In the shade of various stoops and porches, she can see some people are fairly bad off and laid up. Some have swollen glands and others have wrappings around parts of their bodies like lepers of old. Tian stands at the ramp, appalled, but is already thinking on her next step. Valentine joins her there.

Valentine: What's your plan, Doctor?
Tian: To advertise we're here.
Valentine: That was pretty much the question, whether you were bringing them here or going out to them.
Tian: We usually take the clinic off the ship to set it up.
Valentine: That's what I needed to know. Thank you.

Valentine, Tian, and Vikki need permission to set up the clinic. Salt City is a company town. There is no municipal government, per se, but upon making inquiries, the crew is directed to Head of Security, by name of Chief Boykin.

Tian: Do you want to see him?
Valentine: Yes, please.
Vikki: Need me to come?
Tian: I do.
Vikki: Okay! I'll get my bag.

Vikki scampers for her bag and steps off with the Doctor and the Captain as Rachel and Poco look on. Rachel nudges the engineer—currently only stripped to the waist out of respect for passersby—and asks as they turn back inside:

Rachel: Well Papa Bear, you feel like hangin' 'round the ship?
Poco: I gotta fix this engine, otherwise I'm gonna lose all my weight, boilin' it off.

The others follow the directions they'd been given to the security offices. They see it's not at the main installation but off to the side in a double-wide container converted for the purpose. There is an overhang rigged up to provide porch space. On the porch is a leathery old man in a rocking chair with a shotgun on the wall behind him. He squints at the crew as they mount the steps and stop before him.

Valentine: Chief?

No response.

Valentine: Chief? Sir? Do you have a minute?
Man: (gravelly) You want somethin'?
Valentine: I do. We do. If you've got a moment.
Man: What's your business?
Tian: I' m with the Interplanetary Restoration Project and we've landed—
Man: We surrender.
Tian: (smiles) I'm sorry, Chief, but there's no surrendering this one. Actually, I've brought a clinic with us and—
Man: I ain't the Chief. Chief's inside.

You can see the wry twinkle in the old man's eyes.

Tian: Oh. (laughs softly) Well, I guess I better go inside then.
Vikki: Thanks.

Inside we find the interior has been kitted out like an old Southern Sheriff's office from the Pre-Exodus days: indoor-outdoor carpeting, gun rack to the side, big desk with a big tilt chair. Several clocks line up on the walls, showing times for major planets like Londinium, Sihnon, and Osiris (where Blue Sun HQ resides). Aquatech and Blue Sun logos cover lots of things from pamphlets to manuals to plaques on the walls. Security monitors take up the remaining vertical real estate. Sitting behind the desk is a forty-something male in reasonably good shape, clean cut and struggling to grow a mustache, and attired in a short sleeved rent-a-cop uniform. He looks up when we walk in.

Tian: (polite smile) Are you Chief Boykin?
Boykin: Yes, sorry, I didn't hear you come in. You must be that ship that landed … I got you on my … hold on a moment …

He makes a show of tapping on a keyboard and peering at the results on the screen. The computer seems a little crotchety and he mutters to himself as he reads.

Boykin: Yes … the … Interplanetary Restoration Project … right. (faces Tian) You must be with them.
Tian: I'm Dr. Grace Tian, yes.
Boykin: Ah, Dr. Grace! Nice to meet you.

He stands and offers his handshake. His manner is welcoming and earnest, as if he hasn't seen new people in quite some time and is eager to make their acquaintance. It makes him a bumble a little in speech and movement. He hitches his utility belt to compensate.

Boykin: And you, sir?
Valentine: I'm Captain Quick.
Boykin: Are you the Captain of the—?
Valentine: Captain of the vessel, yes, sir.
Boykin: Excellent, excellent. Welcome. I'm Security Chief here in Salt City, both of the city and the island, a dual responsibility there. Sometimes things get a little rough in this town. It's my job to make sure everybody's safe so I'll let you know, you know, that while we don't have any real strict ordinances on anything, you—on the island you can't have guns. Here in town I've been told I don't have the authority to officially outlaw certain things, which I think I should be, because it's in everyone's best interest not to walk around with sidearms, but I've been told that's not in my regulatory power. So. That said, I'm still the law in this town.
Valentine: Of course, sir.
Boykin: I'm still the law in this town and I take that very responsibly … er, responsibility very serious and I—hold on a moment—I take that responsibility very seriously and I hope that you respect … that.

He finishes gamely and hitches his utility belt. Tian is all attention and Vikki is just all eyes. Valentine gives the man a respectful nod of acquiescence. Boykin nods again and smiles.

Boykin: All right. So you were going to do some, ah, some kind'a treatments on people or something like that?
Tian: Yes, sir. You know about the—
Boykin: Oh yeah. Whatever it is, it's, ah … It's pretty bad. (sighs) Yeah. We already lost a few and there's probably some that you may not be able to help but, um, most of everybody else is lookin' forward to—Now some of the people are like me, I'm new…–ish. I mean, I've been here for quite a long time but after the … the thing … I was able to get my inoculation, back ... a ways.
Valentine: What's the quickest way to spread word in the immediate area that the ship will be available to treat people?
Boykin: Well, you could put up some signs around town, at the general store … ah, you know, at …(thinks) … Hmmm.
Tian: Can you tell us where you'd prefer for us to set the clinic up?
Boykin: Oh, ah … Hold on a second … (yells) … Hey, Barney?
Barney: Does this actually involve me?

Barney's gravelly voice drifts in from the porch though the man himself doesn't make an appearance.

Boykin: (still yelling) Yeah. Where's a good place for the containers?
Barney: Don't matter.
Boykin: Huh. Lemme take a look …

Boykin hitches his belt and walks over to a map pinned to the wall. As he squints at it, he mutters again about soil hydrology, geological stability, and …

Tian clears her throat.

Tian: In addition, this is Vikki Tikhonova. She is …

Tian pauses. Hmm, how to describe her? Boykin turns around and looks Vikki up and down appreciatively.

Boykin: (softly) Well, hello.
Tian: She's our mechanic.
Boykin: Yes.
Tian: We are also offering assistance in any … handyman capacity that might be necessary.
Boykin: Yes. Well … (inhales mightily) … I'm pretty handy so I'll let you know if I need your assistance. I just want you to know, Ma'am—ah, Miss—that these workers here can be pretty rough so if you get at all nervous, you come and see me, George, and I'll take care of ya. All right?
Vikki: Okay. (nods) So, what's wrong with the computer?

Boykin's clearly interested in Vikki. Vikki's clearly oblivious to his interest. Inside, Tian is facepalming herself—God, this can't go well.

Boykin: Oh … well …
Vikki: Is it the monitor or is it the motherboard? I could take a look at it.
Boykin: Ah, you know … (hitches) … I can fix it but I was just expecting them to send me a new one. So I don't know if I want to fix it.
Valentine: Of course.

Valentine puts a hand on Vikki's shoulder. Sensing his opportunity slipping away, Boykin rushes on.

Boykin: But you know, yeah, maybe you can come by and take a look at it a little later.
Vikki: Sure, if the doctor doesn't need me or the Captain—
Boykin: You can bring some of the good stuff over and we can have a little meal, maybe. It'll be nice. I mean, we could really use the help.
Tian: Chief.
Boykin: (distracted) Yes?
Tian: We're only going to be here a couple of days. So I think I probably should go ahead and get started.
Vikki: I should go help her.
Boykin: Okay. All right. I'm going to go fill out those authorization forms myself so you guys are good to do that—.
Tian: Fantastic.
Boykin: Just, ah, … Do you, you know, have any other crew? Other than you three?
Valentine: We've got two other crewmembers on board.
Boykin: Oh. All right. Just let them know we don't alike any funny business here.
Valentine: Is there anything in the authorization forms I should be aware of?
Boykin: Uhh, I don't reckon so. You'll need to sign over your—it's just standard stuff. Your pulse … pulse—what do you call it—?
Vikki: Pulse beacon?
Boykin: Right. Pulse beacon. That kinda stuff so we can … (hitches belt) … In the unfortunate event of somethin' happenin', we can land lock you but that's just, ah, just standard practice.

Valentine's not convinced that it is standard practice but he keeps it to himself. Considering his recent difficulties with documents that he signed before reading them, he's understandably a little leery of taking such things at face value. Rachel will later tell him that, yes, it's not uncommon for such places to do this, but at this current moment, Valentine doesn't know that. Boykin hands him the documentation in question.

Boykin: You can just bring it back in tomorrow. There's no rush on it. We're not expecting a tanker for another three weeks. Unless you're staying that long …?
Valentine: Thank you. No, just a few days.
Boykin: We don't get a lot of visitors, believe it or not. You know, there are other archipelagoes that do get lots more visitors. They say their beaches are better but I say we got some damn fine beaches here … (looks at Vikki) … and you might love to walk those beaches, in the moonlight.
Vikki: Well, they … they keep me pretty busy.
Boykin: (continuing) What happens is, when Penglai sets and you can see the other moons sometimes, there's really some dazzlin' sunsets, there. (smiles)

Oh, he's shinin' on Vikki something hard … and her crew comes to the rescue.

Tian: Vikki—
Boykin: Oh, oh. (backs off) I'll be sure to show that to you later.
Tian: Vikki, I need your help setting up the container.
Vikki: Oh, sure!
Valentine: They need to get set up and I don't want to keep them from it too long.

The crew starts edging for the door.

Boykin: I might come out and give you a hand, if you need a strong person.
Tian: Why, thank you so much.
Valentine: We appreciate the help.

Everyone says good bye and walks out. Once they're out of earshot, Vikki sighs with relief.

Vikki: Well, he's not creepy at all, now, is he?
Valentine: No, he's sweet.
Vikki: Well, yeah, he is … but—
Tian: But you're a girl and he's like, Oh-my-God-she's-a-girl!
Valentine: In a Nobody-Ever-Arrives-Here sort of way.
Vikki: Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. I kinda got the feeling like he's a twelve-year-old who got stuck with an adult's job and he's reading from the manual, but he's not quite on the right page.
Tian: (grins) Pot, meet Kettle.
Valentine: Let's not go judging anybody.
Tian: Same page? Jesus, Vikki, really?
Vikki: Hey, it's not the same thing like when you read ahead and you're two chapters ahead of everybody else. That's just being prepared.

Speaking of being prepared, once everyone's on the ship, they decide what to do next.

Valentine: Do you have any prepared materials I can post, like flyers or otherwise?
Tian: Yes.
Valentine: If you'll get started on that, I'll start putting things around where people can see them if you want to get started on the container.
Vikki: And we can make a couple of signs, "Treatments here" and—
Valentine: You're not going to make up signs, you're going to go to work.
Vikki: As I was about to suggest, that the other sign could say "Small Repairs while you Wait."
Valentine: Well, yes, I understand that's your part in this but I think that we just need to get them here. We don't want to plaster the town over with 3,000 signs.
Vikki: You know what? (enthused) I saw a spare fan in the junk on the ship and some really nice skrim. I betcha I could rig up one of those dancing guys, you know, on the fan, and we could mount it right on the roof of the container and—
Tian: What?! NO! Container. Needs to be deployed. Let's go.
Valentine: Let's stay focused on what we need to do immediately and then we can worry about everything else afterward.
Poco: I could use that fan.

Tian grabs Vikki and drags her to the task at hand. Poco and Rachel see about finding that fan. Poco's roasting in the engine room. The container gets deployed. People start showing up. At first in dribbles and drabs but after a day, they're lined up around the block. Tian has Valentine taking vids for the IRP PR machine, too.

Those who are the worst off show up first and in some cases, there's little Tian can do for them. The most heartbreaking cases are the kids. She has to balance treating people who can be successfully treated against administering palliative treatments to those too far gone to save. She also has to instruct the family of those who are dying in what they can do to help make their loved ones comfortable, things they can do to ease their passing.. She is also painfully aware that for many, brisk efficiency isn't what they need from her, but a softer touch, her reassurance that they have not been abandoned in their wretchedness. Her efforts are hampered by the lack of a comprehensive medical scanner, requiring her to assess how far along they are in the progression of the disease by other means.

Tian drives herself to near exhaustion to take care of everyone. Her memories of Vandenburg in the Second U War haunt her. As on Boros, the sheer number of people in need of help is overwhelming. Somehow, she manages to get through it. The large turn-out is partially because Salt City is a large installation. Another reason is that it's a local hub for the entire area. People from other islands are showing up too, once word gets to them that the clinic is there. These people are like a support population for Salt City: farmers growing food on neighboring islands, fishermen, people who provide all manner of services, and so on. They start showing up in line and Tian sees them all. Recognizing a kindred tendency to ignore physical needs while working Vikki runs meals out to Tian to ensure she doesn't faint from lack of food and drink.

Poco spends the days trying to fix the overheating problems on the engine.

Meanwhile, Valentine stays out of the way at the clinic and on the ship as much as possible. He doesn't want to get too attached to the people or the ship. He can see the light at the end of the tunnel: He's going to sell Delilah when he gets to Beylix. It's only a few days away, now, and he can't afford to make a mistake based on sentiment.

Vikki spends the time poking through the junk aboard the ship, sorting things into useful and non-useful categories. Of course, she makes good on her promise to fix Chief Boykin's wonky monitor. She's the new girl in town and she's reasonably attractive. He's all over her like a bad suit. She doesn't want to hurt his feelings but she doesn't want to be felt up, either. She leads him a merry chase all around the office. Vikki runs fast. Her mouth runs faster.

Vikki: Oh I left my tools over here and we really gotta—oh, could you hold this just so and yeah, hold this here while I get the pliers—wait! don't drop that!. You gotta hold it very very carefully—no, not me, this thing, yes, this thing over here—I can fix this thing over here because I could get your monitor to work if you—no-no-no, you're holding it all wrong. It goes like this—okay, yeah! Thank you, okay, now just stand there. No, no, turn around. Just like—yes. Fine. There. Everything's aligned! Don't move!

If Barney is getting anything out of this from his rocker on the porch, he ain't sayin' nothin'.

Once the monitor is fixed, Vikki breathes a sigh of relief but it's short-lived. Boykin is even more impressed with her and extricating herself from his office without insulting him or hurting his feelings is made even trickier. He offers to take her out somewhere. She hesitates. He intuits her trepidation.

Boykin: Lemme take you someplace where there's a lot of people. There's a lot of people here. (looks around) I don't know where they all are … I know. At the hot springs! At the bathing optional hot springs.
Vikki: Could you take me to the General Store? Because I've been stuck on that ship for two weeks andIhaven'thadachancetogoshopping—

They end up walking around town before Vikki thanks him and takes her leave. She's glad she managed to avoid hurting his feelings and he's had the pleasure of her company. Win-win.

As the hours and days pass, the crew continues working on the ship. Rachel and Poco try fixing a few things on the bridge. Rachel doesn't have much in the way of actual repair skills but her de facto role as ship's historian allows her to describe something that used to work along with a general description of how it failed and what was done to fix it. In most cases, Poco's able to intuit what needs to be done based on her story of the events.

Of course, sometimes the stories tend to ramble. When Rachel tells him of one involving a microwave oven, he sighs and shakes his head.

Poco: Oh, Mama Bear. Really, you're killin' me here.
Rachel: Well, anyways, there it was. (points) I remember duckin' around there. There was somethin' here that I had'ta duck for—or I think I had to duck for it ...
Poco: Was there an actual duck? Cuz, I can see somethin' flappin'.
Rachel: You know rotini? It kinda looked like rotini.
Poco: (deadpan) What?

And so it goes.

Poco takes stab at fixing the crossed wires from the elevator job. He finds the wiring problem in question, strips and splices, and then gives the splice some juice. The lift starts working … then blows.

Boom!

Poco: Gorrammit, Tinkerbell‼
Vikki: I'll bet the power converter on the lift motor is wrong.
Poco: Whatever, it ain't going.

In Val's case, he's not working on the ship so much as trying not to get in the way of working on the ship. He's smart, capable, and has skills. It's just that those skills aren't quite needed. Unfortunately, Val's problem solving nature precludes washing his hands so easily of the matter: once he sees a problem, he immediately works to solve it. The ship is one giant pile of problems he cannot un-see and the solution might be one he doesn't want to face: keeping the ship.

He doesn't want to be tied to the ship or its crew. He is still undecided if his Captaincy is temporary or permanent. Once his cargo is loaded and delivered to Beylix, his contractual month as a carrier for the IRP mission is over and he can drop Tian and Vikki off without any further obligations. Beylix is a world trafficked by enough ships that they could find someone to carry them where they need to go without undue trouble. As for Poco and Rachel …

Just a couple more weeks and he can rid himself of the ship. Just a couple more weeks.

It's a mantra that goes through his head as he takes himself away from the ship and the seductive pull of problem-solving that she offers. Of everyone aboard he's the most free to walk around and see the sights. So, see the sights he does. It gives him the distance he needs to avoid Delilah's problems … but it's not long before a problem finds him anyway.

On his walks around the island installation, Val watches a variety of long boats that come across the water and dock there. Some of the boats are tasked with pushing huge masses of floating logs into port. Others carry rice. Observing the crew of one the log floats as they jump from one log to another to keep them from jamming, Valentine can see they have been afflicted with the Mutagenic Plague. Some of the stricken have plague nodules plainly visible. When the boat and the crew arrive, Valentine goes down to meet them to inform them of Tian's clinic.

Walking closer to the docks, he can see that they're not the ethnic Anglo or Asian demographic more common around the Verse, but some other culture he cannot identify. Intrigued, he comes closer. He watches them work for a bit and then finds someone who seems to be taking a break.

Valentine: (respectfully) Do you have a second? I won't keep you. I just noticed that the nodules you've got there on your skin, I believe those are symptoms of a particular condition—
Man: The Curse.
Valentine: A curse?
Man: We are an accursed people.
Valentine: (appalled) What would have caused you to be cursed like that? I don't understand.
Man: Only Allah knows. We have been punished for something … That is why we must be more … vigilant.
Valentine: And how does one become more vigilant against a curse brought down from the … from the God? Or a god. Whatever you call him …
Man: There is but one God. And that is Allah.
Valentine: Oh, I'm not a Muslim—
Man: And Mohammed is his Prophet.
Valentine: Well, um …
Man: It is shirked when people being to worship material things. We were becoming proud in our successes when we should have been become more humble.
Valentine: I see. I hope you have success in that your God takes this away from you. I feel that you don't—Watching you work, it doesn't seem that you are shirking or vain.

As he speaks, Valentine notices a young woman on one of the long boats. She wears a minimalist headscarf and modest clothing. Valentine looks closer and realizes that she's still in her teens and is watching them with an expression that seems to beg the Muslim man to ask for help.

Help? What kind of help? For whom? The man? Herself?

The IRP mission is what ostensibly brought Delilah and her crew here. Tian is at the installation, treating people afflicted just as this man is. And yet … Valentine pauses before saying anything. He has to walk a fine line between offering assistance and getting killed for offering assistance.

A voice in Val's head starts up: don't get involved, don't get involved, don't get involved."

Valentine: Some would argue that it's not necessarily a curse, but that it is a medical condition, that your people are hard working and humble and that you might be able to cure it rather than suffering.
Man: (tired) We things to unload.

The man speaks with a mixture of sad condescension of Valentine's alien viewpoint and weary resignation of his own fate. He rises to go back to work. Valentine looks back at the boat where the young woman was standing and he hears her ask the other man as he steps aboard:

Young Woman: Uncle, may I go into town? We need to buy supplies … (follows with a list)
Uncle: You should not be unaccompanied.

She deflates and Valentine ignores that voice in his head (which is screaming now, thank you!) as he speaks up.

Valentine: I know that I am a stranger but is there some way that I can maybe perhaps assist one of your men so that they may accompany her into town? So that I could do the labor while they took your … niece?

The Uncle pauses on the deck and searches Valentine with a measuring gaze. Valentine stands and lets the man get a good look. Then …

Uncle: Pallo!

Another man, thigh deep in the water with long hooked rods sunk into a log, looks up.

Uncle: Go with Nurul. See to it that she does not spend on frivolous things.

Pallo obeys with alacrity and Nurul flashes Valentine a genuinely happy smile. Valentine needs no translator to understand she's overjoyed to go to town. Valentine respectfully waits for her to pass before taking off his shoes and rolling up his trousers. He jumps in where Pallo once stood and puts himself to work with a will.

It's no cakewalk. Pallo's job was to wrestle wet logs onto the rocky shore. Valentine doesn't complain but does his best. He may be a casino manager but he is not afraid of hard labor. The Uncle watches him a moment. Is that approval softening his features? Possibly.

Valentine doesn't stop to wonder about it but keeps on working.

Back in town, Tian's seeing to the people lined up at her clinic door when the company dinner bell goes off. More like a dinner shriek, actually. The whistle that rips through the air punctuates the workers' days, telling them when to rise, when to quit work, when to wash up, when to sleep … Right now, it's telling them it's time to eat. Everyone turns and makes for the company mess hall where, Tian has to assume, they will be fed.

She spots a teen aged girl in a head scarf reading one of the many flyers posted about the clinic. She stands out as she's not moving with the others and she's dressed differently. As Tian watches, the girl taps the flyer's screen to cycle through the languages on it. She seems engrossed in reading it.

Tian walks over to the girl.

Tian: (softly) May I help you, young lady?
Nuri: Oh. Are you the doctor.
Tian: I am.
Nuri: So … sometimes … If I am not helpful, my father makes me sit and I overhear some of the news reports on the workers' radios. It is said that the pox that has hit our people may be some sort of … disease.
Tian: That is correct.
Nuri: Not inside of our genes but … mutations.

Tian's estimation of the girl skyrockets at such incongruous words for her apparent backwater background. But Tian knows that appearances can be deceiving.

Tian: That is correct yes.
Nuri: Can you show me how it works?
Tian: (blinks) The … illness?
Nuri: Yes.
Tian: How much science have you had?
Nuri: Just show me what you have?

Tian gestures the girl to come into the clinic with her. Once there, she pulls out the information and walks the girl through it. On second glance, Tian surmises the girl is of a Muslim background and historically, that culture promoted knowledge in learning and sciences. Tian doesn't dumb down the material too far, using the girl's response as a guide to how much she needs to present it.

As Tian explains the virus behind the plague and the methods by which it spreads, the girl starts asking questions. They seem to focus on symptoms mostly related to organs. Tian knows that the plague has wreaked havoc on internal organs via weird growths and worse. The girl questions Tian closely as to the symptoms, clearly doing this with someone in mind. The girl also very clearly shows a uncannily sharp intelligence—she asks Tian only a few questions, listens to the answers, and then shows she's gleaning far more about the topic than the answers have covered. After an explanation on cell activity, for instance …

Nuri: No, I understand that. But what is mitosis and how does that affect mitochondrial DNA?

Oh yes, skyrocketing now. Stratospherically. Leaving atmo. Tian is surprised but is happy to explain. She hasn't seen anyone grasp so much so quickly with so little. Is the girl a savant? There is no telling. They've only just met. Of course, the universe isn't done throwing curveballs Tian's way …

Nuri: Would you come to our village?

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