Galaxy Of Fear_ Planet Plague Part 5

Tash was surprised. Bacta was the galactic cure-all. It helped to heal wounds, stop infections, and regenerate damaged tissue. If Kavafi was treating Zak with bacta, he really was trying to cure him.

The medical technician finished adjusting the flow of bacta into the tank and then left the room with a polite nod.

Kavafi said, "It seemed the quickest way to treat his infection. I think this should kill the virus. I expect him to make a full recovery from the influenza necrosi."

Relief flooded through Tash. All she could do was repeat what she heard. "Full recovery? Influenza necrosi?"

Kavafi looked at his datapad. "That's right. We diagnosed it almost immediately and gave him the appropriate medicine. It is a fairly common illness and no danger as long as it is treated," he concluded. "Once he is out of the tank, the only aftereffect may be a slight skin rash from the virus that should go away in a few days."

"Now, Tash, I think you owe Dr. Kavafi an explanation and apology for your behavior," Hoole said firmly.

Tash felt her cheeks flush again. Kavafi smiled, but she could hardly meet his eyes. "I'm sorry, doctor. It's just that I heard someone"-without knowing why, she didn't want to mention Wedge by name-"I heard some people talking in the plaza. They sort of suggested that...

that some strange things were going on in the Infirmary."

Kavafi sighed. He looked around and said quietly, "Tash, I hope you are not too young to understand this, but working for the Empire is not always rewarding." Tash's ears perked up. She was definitely not too young to understand this.

Kavafi continued. "There are people who oppose the Emperor and the government. They start rumors, they spread lies. But I joined the Imperial medical staff because the Empire has the money and resources that let me treat patients in the way they deserve. Now, I don't know whether or not some of the other things you may have heard about the Empire are true, but I can promise you that I run the Infirmary as a top-notch research and medical facility. Our job here is to cure patients, and that is what we do."

After only a moment's hesitation, Tash replied, "I understand. I'm sorry to have caused a scene."

The doctor winked. "Quite all right. Nice to see someone who cares so much about her family."

Hoole said, "Now that that is settled, Deevee and I need to return to the Shroud. Tash, will you stay with Zak until he is released from the bacta tank? "

"Sure," she replied.

Hoole started to leave, then turned back and said quietly, "And please do not make any trouble."

Tash watched Hoole depart. She felt a sudden pain stab up through her arm. She could feel the lump there start to swell.

"Dr. Kavafi?" she asked. "Will you have a look at this?"

She rolled up her sleeve. The brown lump had grown uglier and larger. It was already a few centimeters wide, and thin brown veins ran down its sides and into her skin.

"Hmmm." Dr. Kavafi picked up an electroscope and examined the bruise. "It looks as though you've had a reaction to the injection I gave you. But it is nothing serious. How do you feel?"

"All right," she said. "A little tired and hot."

The doctor chuckled. "Gobindi will do that to you. I wouldn't worry about that b.u.mp. It should go away soon enough."

Tash watched the doctor as he put away the visor. The warnings she had received still echoed in her head, and she wondered if she could trust him. Maybe he had injected her with something. He could have given her some sort of drug....

Tash stopped herself. He had given Hoole the same injection. He and Hoole were friends, and Hoole was fine.

"I have to go check on several other patients." Kavafi pointed to a computer terminal built into the medichamber wall. "Tash, while you are waiting, why don't you look at a rundown of our research program? You can see a complete presentation of the Infirmary's goals."

Tash shrugged. "Okay."

At the computer terminal, Kavafi punched in a code and the computer displayed a description of the Infirmary. Above the display, the initials "IBWD" appeared. Below the initials were the words "WELCOME TO TILE IMPERIAL BIOLOGICAL WELFARE DIVISION.".

"Enjoy yourself," he said as he left the bacta chamber.

As Kavafi left, Tash began to punch absentmindedly through the computerized tour. Most of the commentary was about the benefits of Imperial research and the wise Imperial scientists who were devoted to improving life for all species.

"Yeah, right," Tash muttered. "Except on Alderaan," she said, thinking of the Empire's destruction of her homeworld.

Disgusted, she slapped the controls to wipe the lies off the screen. A moment later the computer exited the tour program and returned to the main menu. The screen went dark except for the command "ENTER Pa.s.sWORD" followed by ten blank squares. Tash was about to call for Kavafi's help, then decided not to.

Uncle Hoole had told her she was looking for conspiracies where they didn't exist. He was probably right. But she had nothing to lose by typing the word that came into her head.

Tash looked around. No one was watching her.

She typed in the letters "S-T-A-R-S-C-R-E-A-M."

The screen remained blank. Tash was just about to cancel the entry and start again when an image popped into the center of the screen.

Tash's heart skipped a beat-until she recognized the same image she'd seen before. She was looking at the familiar display of the Infirmary with the letters "IBWD" appearing at the top.

But when Tash looked more closely, her throat tightened. Underneath those large letters, the text no longer read, IMPERIAL BIOLOGICAL WELFARE DIVISION.

Now it read, IMPERIAL BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS DIVISION.

CHAPTER 9.

Tash read the words over and over. Biological weapons. Biological weapons.

She shuddered. The lump on her arm throbbed and stretched. Tash almost thought she saw it quiver under her sleeve.

The medical technician came into the room, and Tash quickly hit the computer's Escape b.u.t.ton, wiping the image clear.

She walked back to the bacta tank in which Zak was being treated.

He smiled at her again; then he put two hands together and laid his head on them as though napping.

This is a bore, he was saying.

Tash had no way to mime her own message. She looked to make sure the medical technician was not watching, and mouthed the words, Zak, we're caught inside a biological weapons plant!

Inside the bacta tank Zak raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

He didn't understand. Tash mouthed the words slowly.

Bi-o-lo-gi-cal weapons!

Again Zak did not understand. Tash decided to try a different, simpler word.

Tash pointed to a picture on the wall. It was a plain piece of artwork, a painting someone had done of a starfield. She put a finger on the painting itself and pointed to one star in the starfield. Zak nodded vigorously that he understood. A star.

Tash walked back to the tank, put her hands on her head, and opened her mouth wide as if she were yelling. Star. Scream.

Starscream.

Zak nodded again. He understood.

Tash spread her hands wide, trying to cover the entire room, the entire Infirmary.

Over the air mask, Zak's eyes grew as wide as saucers. The Infirmary was connected to Project Starscream.

Tash knew Zak understood. She motioned to Zak to remain calm. She would be back as soon as she could.

Tash hurried to the turbolifts, pa.s.sing Dr. Kavafi in the hall.

"Tash, where are you going?"

"I'll be back!" she said. "I need something from the s.h.i.+p!"

"Lobby," she said as soon as she had stepped into the lift. As she rode down, Tash suddenly felt so dizzy she had to lean against a wall for support.

They had gotten the name Project Starscream from the Shroud's computer files. ForceFlow had suggested that Starscream and the planet Gobindi were connected. And now she knew for sure the code name Starscream was a pa.s.sword into secret files inside the Infirmary.

And the Infirmary was run by Hoole's friend.

Tash needed to talk to ForceFlow now more than ever. Exiting the Infirmary, Tash walked pa.s.sed the storm-troopers and out onto the top of the ziggurat. How to get back to the s.h.i.+p?

"Excuse me," she said to one of the troopers. She tried not to sound nervous. The trooper had no reason to think that she was anything other than a thirteen-year-old girl who needed help.

"Yeah?" the trooper asked. His voice sounded flat and filtered through his mask.

"Are there any shuttles back to the landing dock? I need to get back to my uncle's s.h.i.+p."

The trooper checked his chronometer. "No shuttles for another twenty minutes."

Tash didn't want to wait that long.

Since the ziggurat on which she stood was the highest in the city, Tash could see the landing docks in the distance. Four bridges separated her from the s.h.i.+p.

She hurried for the first bridge. As soon as she was out of the stormtroopers' sight, she started to run.

Tash wasn't as athletic as her younger brother, but she was in good shape, so it surprised her when, after she'd pa.s.sed through a second ziggurat and crossed a second bridge, her chest started to heave and her clothes to dampen with sweat. She stopped and leaned against a guardrail.

Must be the heat, she thought.

The sweat had also begun to make her itch. Her left arm felt a little numb.

Tash slowed her pace and continued to the landing dock. She noticed that the platform was crowded with stars.h.i.+ps. Tash guessed that they had been grounded by the blockade.

Reaching the Shroud, Tash punched in the access code and slipped inside the hatchway.

"h.e.l.lo!" she called out, expecting both Hoole and Deevee to be there. But she only found Deevee working at his computer on the codes for Evazan's files.

"h.e.l.lo, Tash," the droid said. "I did not expect you to return to the s.h.i.+p so soon." He was focused on the computer screen.

"Any luck breaking the code?" she asked.

Deevee's voice was clipped. "No. As I said before, much as I hate to admit it, this code is far too complex for my programming."

"Then why do you keep trying?" she asked.

The droid shrugged. "If I had a cipher droid, I would make use of its talents. If I had a protocol droid, I would request its a.s.sistance.

But I do not. I only have my own programming, so I use it to the best of my abilities."

Deevee stopped, pressed a b.u.t.ton, and the screen went blank. "I believe I am done for now. I must go and see how Zak is doing."

"I'll come back as soon as I can," Tash said.

"No, Tash," Deevee said. "Master Hoole's instructions were that should you come back to the s.h.i.+p, you should wait here until we return."

"Right," she replied as Deevee slipped out the door. Tash pa.s.sed through the main lounge and entered her cabin. Dropping into the chair at her computer, she powered on and tried to catch a link to the HoloNet.

She wanted to talk to ForceFlow. Whoever he was, he obviously knew something about Gobindi.

HOLONET ACCESS DENIED.

The signal appeared on her computer screen. She typed in, RETRY.

HOLONET ACCESS DENIED.

Tash typed in a command, searching for the cause.

ALL OFFWORLD TRANSMISSIONS PROHIBITED BY ORDER OF THE IMPERIAL.

GOVERNMENT. DUE TO INCREASED PIRATE ACTIVITIES IN THE SECTOR, THE.

IMPERIAL STAR FLEET HAS ORDERED ALL INTERPLANETARY TRANSMISSIONS IN THIS.

SECTOR STOPPED WHILE THEY SEARCH FOR ILLEGAL SIGNALS.

What's going on? No interplanetary travel. No communications. The Empire has completely cut Gobindi off from the rest of the galaxy, and no one seems to notice.

She typed in more commands, trying to find a way around the jamming. She was so focused on her efforts, that she didn't hear the hatchway open a second time.