Doona Trilogy Omnibus

by neetha Napew

  The medical supply warehouse was in a section of Corridor and Aisle that Kelly had never visited before. She had to descend on a packed elevator through several levels, through the newer, smaller residences of Labor workers, and then pattered off the elevator into the manufacturing zone. Her fellow passengers, mostly maintenance workers for the Air Recycling Service, marched past her in a single mass, almost as if they were stuck together from being squeezed in the elevator.

  The noise control standards had evidently been waived for this level, and so had the air purification ordinances. Hooting and wailing from machinery battled with the deafening thrum of turbines and the cumulative babble of Human voices. This Corridor was full of unrelieved gray and black buildings. They looked clean enough-no graffiti, no layers of dirt or filth-but they left her with the feeling that if she touched anything her fingers would come away filmed with soot.

  Kelly found the address Nrrna had written down for her and slipped past the great open doors.

  Inside was the largest single room she had yet seen on Earth. The raftered ceiling loomed the full height of the level. Hundreds of men and women in drab bodysuits and heavy gloves passed her in pursuit of their various tasks. Pallet loaders, large, small, and staggeringly huge, rolled around the floor, picking up crates and packages from teetering stacks of merchandise. The scale of the warehouse amazed her. The entire Doona Launch Center could fit in the middle of this vast facility, and leave room for its normal day’s operation on every side, and this facility only forwarded medical supplies to outer worlds.

  Stinking of hot oil, the forklifts trundled great bales of goods into giant freight elevators, for conveyance to the lower levels for distribution, or to the surface, where they could be loaded into spaceships. Neither of these two destinations was appropriate for Kelly. She needed to find where a particular small delivery was being prepared. The Hrruban Center grid was only a few meters square.

  She had fitted herself out with a clipboard and a small parcel, wrapped under Dalkey’s instruction and sealed with a Spacedep logo they had cut out from a discarded film copy. The box was filled with food from his synthesizer. Alter two unappetizing meals of the stuff at Dalkey’s flat, she hoped she wouldn’t have to eat it, but who knew how long it would be before she could be rescued from the container? Nrrna might have to wait for solitude to open the crate.

  “Is this the shipment for Doona?” Kelly asked in a bored tone, consulting her clipboard. “I’ve got a parcel to add to it. Spacedep,’ she added with a nice touch of apathy.

  The man glanced up at her with equal disinterest.

  “Nope. Try dock sixteen.”

  “Is this the shipment for Doona?” Kelly inquired at dock sixteen.

  “It is.” The short woman directing the lowering of boxes from one side of the dock onto a pallet glanced back over her shoulder at the tall mousyhaired girl. “Why?” Kelly’s heart gave a little jolt within her. “I, uh, have a package to go on it. Spacedep.”

  “There’s nothing in my manifest from Spacedep for Doona,’ the woman said, tapping the clipboard she held under her arm.

  Kelly pretended disgust. “Well, it was handed over to me this morning to make sure it got aboard.” The woman stopped and flipped open the clipboard. It was full of neat documents, all sealed at the bottom by the departments of authorization.

  “Codep; Healthdep; Healthdep, that’s not here yet; Aireldep; Healthdep. . .” She turned each one over until she came to the last one. “No, nothing from Spacedep. You must have the wWng order.” The woman looked up, but her queflst was gone.

  Shrugging, the woman turned back to her bales.

  While the woman’s attention was focused on the documentation, Kelly had slipped away and squeezed between two large boxes. One of the crates heading for Doona was only half full. Nrrna had arranged for Healthdep on Earth to send just enough sterile gloves to fill half a standard case but too many to be crated in a smaller container.

  Nrrna and Kelly calculated that there should be enough room for her to fit. Kelly began to look at labels to find the Healthdep shipment.

  She found it by the logo - a cross and crescent in a circle marked on a blue crate. She tapped out the security code on the small comp, wriggled into the crate, and pulled the lid down over her, hearing the whirr as the cover locked itself again. Now all she had to do was try to make herself comfortable, and she would be home in hours.

  The muffled sounds around her crate got louder, so she had a bit of warning before the box rose into the air and swung wildly from side to side. One of the cranes wa doing the transfer. Kelly had the terrifying sensation of flying through the air, followed by a bump that tossed packages of the flimsy gloves all around her. The plastic envelopes stuck to her clothes, hair, and face. She peeled them off, and cupped her hands over her face to keep from being suffocated by the flying packages.

  As soon as the case was fastened down on the pallet, the gloves settled. She burrowed her way into the packages until only her head and her shoulders were jammed against the side of the box, her feet propped against the lower end and her knees under her chin. Not the most comfortable of positions and she tried to make herself believe that claustrophobia was a small price to pay for the success of her illegal voyage.

  The crate jerked again as it started to move sideways, bumping Kelly’s head. The whole pallet must be on its way to the Hrruban Center. She could hear the squeak of unoiled wheels as it was pushed onto the transportation grid which rattled under her buttocks. She had little room in which to relieve cramped muscles and half wished that she’d asked Inspector DeVeer to arrange legitimate transport for her back to Doona. But that would have required too many explanations and too much time by ordinary Human spaceship. However uncomfortable, at least this trip would be instantaneous.

  Through the sides of the crate, she could hear the low rumble of Hrringa’s voice, asking for the cargo manifests. She hoped he didn’t have to search each package before sending it. No, she merely heard the telltale beeping of the bomb detector as it was swept over the bales, and then it trundled sideways again. Kelly hoped her bale wouldn’t be sent somewhere else in error. All she could do now was wait and try not to worry.

  At least she didn’t see the transfer mist or feel nauseated by the dislocation amid her padding of glove packets.

  CHAPTER 7

  B NRRNA WAITED AT ThE TRANSPORT station. She was trying to appear calm, but she could not control the nervous twitching of her tail tip, a giveaway to anyone watching her. She was no longer of an age where she could have held her tail between her hands to subdue its reaction to her mood.

  The Hrruban male who was in charge of the transport grid had passed a few pleasantries with her, but he had to keep his attention on his job, and not on the very attractive female hovering nearby.

  The timetable on transmissions and receptions was very tight. Two sendings could not be received on the grid at the same time. If one overlapped another, he had to put it on hold until the first one was entirely received.

  “The medical shipment is not due from Earth for another thirty minutes,’ he said once again.

  “I know that,’ Nrrna said, dropping her jaw in an appealing smile to belie her nervousness. “It is very important that I take delivery as soon as possible.

  There’s quite a lot of fur flying over letting the supply of sterile gloves get so low.”

  “Hmm,’ grunted the technician, unimpressed.

  Everyone was always in a hurry. Her tail began to twitch impatiently.

  The Treaty Controller, clad in his magnificent red robes, appeared out of a corridor and addressed the technician, who stood to attention.

  Nrrna slipped into the shadows of the terminal to keep from being noticed. “Hasn’t the transmission from Hrruba arrived yet?” the Controller asked.

  The operator made the proper bow to such an important Hrruban.

  “No, honored sir. It is scheduled to arrive in three dots. You do not have long to wait.r />
  I could have notified you if you had called me.”

  “Hmm,’ the Treaty Controller growled his dissatisfaction. His eyelids lowered halfway over glaring green. “I was informed that it would be here at half past the tenth hour. The grid operator courteously gestured to the display of quartz timers, synchronized with grid transporter terminals in the other spheres of Hrruban autonomy. “That time approaches rapidly, honored sir,’ he said, his voice hoarse.

  The Controller turned away from the nervous young Hrruban and noticed Nrrna. To distract the grid operator, she had put on some of her most attractive ornaments, and a spicy cologne which approximated the pheromones of mating. She had not counted on anyone else coming along, espedally not the Treaty Controller. At once she assumed a position both humble and hardworking, hoping he would look away. To her. horror, she saw his nostrils flare as he scented her.

  “Rrrmmm,’ he purred, moving toward her. “And who is this? what is your name, lovely one?” Flustered, she murmured her name, and was gently asked to repeat it. “Nrrna.”

  “Nrrna. A soft name for a soft pelt. I find you most attractive, Nrrna.” He rubbed his hand alon the length of her arm. Offended by the familiarity of the contact, she moved her arm, trying not to give deliberate insult. After all, she was wearing a provocative scent.

  “You honor me, sir, but I am already promised.”

  “Surely no single male will be sufficient to relieve one as young and feminine as you, Nrrna,’ the Controller said, pitching his voice intimately. “I would be the one honored if you would choose to favor me with your company.” Nrrna looked to the grid operator for assistance, but he had folded his ears tight to his head in an effort not to overhear. which was only discreet of him, Nrrna had to admit. Why had she chosen such an alluring scent? She really had left herself open to offers. The operator she could have teased, but it would be most unwise of her to lead on the Treaty Controller.

  “Please, sir, I am prom5sed as lifemate.” She hadn’t wanted to admit that yet. Particularly not to this old male. She edged away.

  He sidled closer to her, and she could feel the heat of his body against hers and the rising scent of his sensual response to her condition. “I am not yet at full cycle,’ she added as coolly as she could. Indeed she was a few weeks away from her season and sexual activity would be distasteful. He had no right to be harassing her.

  “Really?” and the Controller looked genuinely surprised. “I think perhaps you have misjudged your readiness, soft Nrrna,’ the Controller suggested in a low voice. “My quarters are most comfortable.” He was a much older male, with persuasive ways that should overwhelm such a young and obviously inexperienced female.

  She shifted away from him, revolted by his manner. Any decent male would have desisted, but this old stoker obviously didn’t recognize a genuine denial.

  “The transmission from Earth,’ the operator announced.

  With the agility of her youth, Nrrna sprang toward the pallet in a graceful leap that took the Controller totally by surprise. With her own hands, she helped the operator roll the crate off the transport grid to make room for the next transmissn.

  However, the Controller, not to be done out of his prize, followed her. Ignoring him, she opened the top crate, which did not contain Kelly, and began to inventory the materials very slowly, checking each box several times as she marked it off on her list.

  “One box of size OO sutures, one box of size 0 sutures, four cases of plas-skin .

  “You haven’t answered my question yet, Nrrna,’ the Treaty Controller pressed.

  She gave him a smile. “All thought of personal indulgence must give way to duty, honored sir.” She paused to give him the most courteous and coolest of bows. “You must forgive my diligence but it is my first position and I cannot discredit my Stripe with less than my closest attention. Everything must be inventoried before it can be transported to the village center.” She began her count over, glancing from the clipboard to the pallet with an anxious expression. “One box of size OO sutures, one box of size 0 sutures .

  “I thought you needed to get this to the medical center as quickly as you could,’ complained the operator, wondering that the pretty female was silly enough to ignore a Controller.

  “As soon as it is counted,’ Nrrna said firmly.

  “Earth must be notified promptly if the count is short.” Once again, she began at the top of her list.

  Just as the Treaty Controller moved in to pursue her, the grid bell rang.

  “Honored sir, the transmission from Hrruba!” On the grid platform a cluster of small boxes appeared. The Treaty Controller bent over them and straightened up with an exclamation of selfsatisfaction, one of the document cases clutched in his hands. “Yes, this will ensure the number of days is finite.” He glanced at Nrrna, who was still pantomiming a diligent inventory and walked over to her. “Silly stripe,’ he said in a voice low enough to reach her ears only, “you would do better to accept my protection and virility so that I can provide well for you when you have to return to Hiruba. It is not too late to reconsider.”

  “My Stripe has a long tradition of honoring its promises,’ Nrrna said with a swift sideways glance toward him before returning to her inventory check. Halfway between checking off a film tape for educating small children about bacteria control and reaching for the next film in the stack, she heard an annoyed snort, and the Treaty Controller swept away, holding the small document box. She sighed with relief.

  “My goods are all accounted for,’ she told the grid operator.

  “Will you transport me and this shipment now to First Village?” The gesture with which the irritated technician directed her onto the platform showed that he would be very glad indeed to get rid of her.

  For her sake, he had nearly had to annoy the Treaty Controller.

  No male, not even a Treaty- Controller, should persist when a female has made her disinterest so plain. He would be glad to see the last of both of them and the end of a possible disgraceful incident.

  The moment that the village coalesced around Nrrna, she shoved the crate off the grid and tapped the code to open it. Kelly exploded up in the midst of a snowstorm of plastic packets. They were plastered all over her like wet leaves.

  “Oh, my poor neck,’ she groaned. “This was such a good idea but neither of us counted on sweat and plastic suffocation. I hope I don’t offend your nose.”

  “I am so glad you are all right,’ Nrrna said, trying hard to keep her nostrils from flaring at the reek of the Hayuman. She couldn’t help her current odoriferousness and Nrrna helped Kelly out.

  “I would not have left you in it so long, but that wretched ol’ cat’-and Kelly blinked at such an epithet coming from the gentle and polite Nrrna-‘of a Controller was revoltingly offensive!” Nrrna almost spat in outrage and Kelly could see every single hair of her stripe was standing up.

  Nrrna began to pick the static-charged packets off Kelly’s hair and clothes. Each time she tried to put a pile down, they seemed to spring back to adhere to her fur. when Kelly tried to help, it only made matters worse. The packets merely transferred themselves from Nrrna to Kelly. Frustration gave way to laughter and then Nrrna thought of moistening her hands, and when that seemed to help, Kelly wet hers and they began to divest themselves of their unusual decorations.

  “I heard him, the old tomcat,’ Kelly said, grinning at Nrrna.

  “But he’s a persistent bugger, isn’t he? I thought males didn’t bother females without permission.

  “It’s partly my fault,’ Nrrna said. “I used too much of a provocative scent.”

  “Not to get his attention, I’ll warrant.” Nrrna wrinkled her nose. “The operator was too well mannered to pursue me, but it kept him interested until white muzzle interfered.”

  “All’s well that ends well. But remind me not to ride in a crate again,’ Kelly said when the last of the gloves were stuffed back into their container, and the top was clamped down again. “I also cau
ght that bit about you reconsidering him so he could provide for you when you had to return to Hrruba.

  What’s happened since I left here?”

  “Nothing,’ Nrrna said, but she was as worried about his phraseology as Kelly was. Possibly more than Kelly was, for she had lived on Rrala all her life and the quarters of her clan on Hrruba were very crowded.

  “what was he waiting to collect? Did you see?”

  “A document box.

  Well covered with Third Speaker seals, that much I did notice.”

  “Neither the Treaty Controller nor Third Speaker is a supporter of the colony. Strikes me as odd that that Stripe should be in control with Treaty Renewal approaching. I wonder what kind of documents were in that box. “I don’t know how we’d find out, but I’d better complete this shipment without any more delay.” Nrrna spoke into a radio unit which was hooked to her belt, contacting the Health Center’s operator.

  “They will send a flitter for the shipment. Now, did you have any luck on Terra?”

  “I sure did, Nrrna. We’ve got a Poldep inspector on our side, willing to look into certain oddities that came to light. I want to tell the Reeves, but I’ll meet you later at Hrriss’s so I only have to tell this twice, but tell him I got good news.” She was stretching and working her arms and legs to relieve the kinks. “I never could have found out so much without your help, Nrrna. You’ve been a star! See you soon.” With a final wave, Kelly jogged off toward the Friendship Bridge on her way to collect Calypso and make her way to the Reeve Ranch.

  Todd took one look at her and yelled, “what did you do to your hair?” “My hair?” she shrieked back at him, hand to her head before she remembered the rinse. “I couldn’t go back to Earth in my own hair and expect to be unnoticed!”