Adventure view screen for four days . . . and after walking its surface for several hours.
Of course, she had been limited to the sights and sounds of an Indian Air Force base, and one particular building—hardly a representative sample, as Sasha Blaine would say. But even then, she was ready to conclude that while Earth might be a perfectly fine place for those born there and condemned to live their lives there, it seemed too limited, too confined.
For example, Keanu moved. It was going places .
Earth moved, too, of course. In a steady rigid orbit around one sun, the same thing it had been doing for four and a half billion years, and, with luck, for another two or three. That was just striking Yahvi as not much fun.
Of course, it probably reflected her anger at having come close to death . . . and her frustration at being cooped up in this awful hospital away from whatever fun Earth had to offer.
She was more frustrated that she and her parents, and for that matter, Xavier and Zeds, weren’t allowed to see Sanjay Bhat, or even to know for sure if he still lived.
Yahvi, Rachel, and Pav went upstairs to the entrance to the intensive care unit only to find Indian Air Force guards and this Wing Commander Kaushal blocking their way. “Your companion is in no condition for visitors,” the round little counselor told them. There were no nurses or doctors around, no one who might listen to an appeal.
“We’d like to know his condition,” Rachel said, in a voice that Yahvi knew well; it meant, I’m being patient for now, but the explosion will follow shortly .
Kaushal was deaf and blind to this, however. “You saw the extent of his head injuries,” he said. “He was taken directly to surgery after we arrived here, and no one has emerged to tell me what is going on.”
Rather than cloud up and rain all over Kaushal, Rachel turned to Pav. “Where did Taj go?”
“He and Xavier had to talk about securing our cargo—”
Rachel turned back to Kaushal and actually said, “Thank you. We’ll come back in an hour.”
“Maybe we could get something to eat,” Pav said. Yahvi felt that they had just eaten, and besides . . . she still felt sick from the crazy near-death experience of a landing, and the smells and sights of the intensive care unit.
Yahvi hadn’t gotten to know Sanjay Bhat prior to Adventure ’s launch—for most of her life, he had just been one of those faceless, humorless, grown-up HBs who spent most of their time in the Temple and hurrying back and forth on Important Work.
Nor had they bonded during the four-day mission. Sanjay had spent most of his time in the lower deck with Xavier, again, likely busy with Important Work. Yahvi could not remember them having a single conversation that went beyond two sentences—and one of them went this: “Don’t be such a yavak!”
Meaning, Don’t complain, suck it up, be grateful . It was a Bangalore attitude that Sanjay seemed to glory in. Yahvi had seen her mother rolling her eyes at Sanjay more than once since launch.
Still, Yahvi felt terrible about what had happened to him.
The three of them found two more Indian Air Force guards outside Zeds’s chamber, which was in the back of the hospital building near ventilation equipment that ran so loudly it must have cooled or circulated air for the entire hospital.
This time the guards eagerly stepped aside. Yahvi wondered if they were nervous about the giant four-armed alien at their backs.
The door remained closed; it was thick glass and allowed Rachel, Pav, and Yahvi to show their faces and wave to the Sentry. “How are you?” Rachel shouted.
A speaker on the side of the door burped to life, with Zeds’s calm voice. “Shouting is not mandatory. I can hear you quite well.”
Pav laughed. “Are you being treated well?”
Zeds stepped closer to the door. He had removed the upper torso and helmet of his environment suit, leaving his large head and face pressed against the glass. One of the HBs
Of course, she had been limited to the sights and sounds of an Indian Air Force base, and one particular building—hardly a representative sample, as Sasha Blaine would say. But even then, she was ready to conclude that while Earth might be a perfectly fine place for those born there and condemned to live their lives there, it seemed too limited, too confined.
For example, Keanu moved. It was going places .
Earth moved, too, of course. In a steady rigid orbit around one sun, the same thing it had been doing for four and a half billion years, and, with luck, for another two or three. That was just striking Yahvi as not much fun.
Of course, it probably reflected her anger at having come close to death . . . and her frustration at being cooped up in this awful hospital away from whatever fun Earth had to offer.
She was more frustrated that she and her parents, and for that matter, Xavier and Zeds, weren’t allowed to see Sanjay Bhat, or even to know for sure if he still lived.
Yahvi, Rachel, and Pav went upstairs to the entrance to the intensive care unit only to find Indian Air Force guards and this Wing Commander Kaushal blocking their way. “Your companion is in no condition for visitors,” the round little counselor told them. There were no nurses or doctors around, no one who might listen to an appeal.
“We’d like to know his condition,” Rachel said, in a voice that Yahvi knew well; it meant, I’m being patient for now, but the explosion will follow shortly .
Kaushal was deaf and blind to this, however. “You saw the extent of his head injuries,” he said. “He was taken directly to surgery after we arrived here, and no one has emerged to tell me what is going on.”
Rather than cloud up and rain all over Kaushal, Rachel turned to Pav. “Where did Taj go?”
“He and Xavier had to talk about securing our cargo—”
Rachel turned back to Kaushal and actually said, “Thank you. We’ll come back in an hour.”
“Maybe we could get something to eat,” Pav said. Yahvi felt that they had just eaten, and besides . . . she still felt sick from the crazy near-death experience of a landing, and the smells and sights of the intensive care unit.
Yahvi hadn’t gotten to know Sanjay Bhat prior to Adventure ’s launch—for most of her life, he had just been one of those faceless, humorless, grown-up HBs who spent most of their time in the Temple and hurrying back and forth on Important Work.
Nor had they bonded during the four-day mission. Sanjay had spent most of his time in the lower deck with Xavier, again, likely busy with Important Work. Yahvi could not remember them having a single conversation that went beyond two sentences—and one of them went this: “Don’t be such a yavak!”
Meaning, Don’t complain, suck it up, be grateful . It was a Bangalore attitude that Sanjay seemed to glory in. Yahvi had seen her mother rolling her eyes at Sanjay more than once since launch.
Still, Yahvi felt terrible about what had happened to him.
The three of them found two more Indian Air Force guards outside Zeds’s chamber, which was in the back of the hospital building near ventilation equipment that ran so loudly it must have cooled or circulated air for the entire hospital.
This time the guards eagerly stepped aside. Yahvi wondered if they were nervous about the giant four-armed alien at their backs.
The door remained closed; it was thick glass and allowed Rachel, Pav, and Yahvi to show their faces and wave to the Sentry. “How are you?” Rachel shouted.
A speaker on the side of the door burped to life, with Zeds’s calm voice. “Shouting is not mandatory. I can hear you quite well.”
Pav laughed. “Are you being treated well?”
Zeds stepped closer to the door. He had removed the upper torso and helmet of his environment suit, leaving his large head and face pressed against the glass. One of the HBs
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