fact he’s encouraged me to act as a go-between for any and all interested parties,’ Hughes explained further. ‘But he’s also quietly urging everyone who will listen to start preparing this world in the same way you did your own.’
I thanked Hughes for his candour in helping me to understand the much wider repercussions which our arrival had caused.
When we went back to talking to the engineers and technicians that had been assembled to work with us in the factory I did my best to honour the Captain’s wish for us to share as much of our knowledge with this world as possible, so in addition to explaining as much of the early lensing technology which they needed to understand in order to manufacture what we were asking of them, I also tried to explain some of limitations that we’d subsequently also discovered so they had a better grounding in the wider field before we shared the more advanced techniques and technologies with them.
It was another long day, but by the time we finished the engineers and technicians I’d been tutoring all seemed confident they had not only understood enough to get the job we wanted done, they also thought they could re-tool their machinery and have the first batch of lenses and rigs off the production line in only a little over two days, which was far quicker than I’d dared hope.
We were just saying our goodbyes at the factory gates, and I was just beginning to think of where I could find an evening meal, when one of the technicians came back out to find us to say that the Staton Island Sanatorium were calling for me on the phone.
I hardly dared hope it might be news that Ariel had woken up so soon after the operation as I walked back through the factory to take the call from Dr Bach. While Ariel was still unconscious, she continued to heal rapidly with no obvious counter indicators after being removed from the creatures carapace shell.
‘The thing is Mr Hall,’ he continued matter-of-factly. ‘I’ve been talking to Dr Payne about the remnants of those additional limbs that are still attached to the patients spine, and now that we’ve had a chance to X-ray her again without that shell material weakening and blurring the image, we think it’s probably a relatively straight-forward procedure that could be completed with just a single surgery.
‘Unfortunately, we’re still no further forward on the whole anaesthetic and painkiller question, though we have now confirmed that her blood has definitely been hybridised in some way.’
‘So, you’d like to get this second operation out of the way before she wakes up?’ I said, anticipating where he was going with the call.
‘That’s it exactly,’ replied Bach. ‘We could be ready to start first thing in the morning if her situation remains unchanged, but because of her now unique physiology we’d feel more comfortable if you could be there to use your lenses again to monitor her condition both before we start and while we operate.’
I confirmed I was willing to help out in any way I could, but that I’d naturally have to discuss it with the Captain before giving the final go ahead. Either way I promised to have an answer for him within the next couple of hours.
Hughes had waited outside the office so I could have the conversation in private, but I saw no reason not to update him on Ariel’s condition as we walked back to the car.
‘I know it must be difficult for you and the Captain,’ he observed, when I finally finished telling him what was going on. ‘To go from a crew of thousands down to just the two of you in such a short period of time, let alone to find yourself on a new world so similar and yet different to your own.’
‘It is,’ I admitted after the briefest hesitation.
‘But it’s not something I feel consciously.’ I con-tinued, struggling slightly to find the words. ‘There have been times in the last week when I’ve pushed myself so far beyond what I thought were my limits that
I thanked Hughes for his candour in helping me to understand the much wider repercussions which our arrival had caused.
When we went back to talking to the engineers and technicians that had been assembled to work with us in the factory I did my best to honour the Captain’s wish for us to share as much of our knowledge with this world as possible, so in addition to explaining as much of the early lensing technology which they needed to understand in order to manufacture what we were asking of them, I also tried to explain some of limitations that we’d subsequently also discovered so they had a better grounding in the wider field before we shared the more advanced techniques and technologies with them.
It was another long day, but by the time we finished the engineers and technicians I’d been tutoring all seemed confident they had not only understood enough to get the job we wanted done, they also thought they could re-tool their machinery and have the first batch of lenses and rigs off the production line in only a little over two days, which was far quicker than I’d dared hope.
We were just saying our goodbyes at the factory gates, and I was just beginning to think of where I could find an evening meal, when one of the technicians came back out to find us to say that the Staton Island Sanatorium were calling for me on the phone.
I hardly dared hope it might be news that Ariel had woken up so soon after the operation as I walked back through the factory to take the call from Dr Bach. While Ariel was still unconscious, she continued to heal rapidly with no obvious counter indicators after being removed from the creatures carapace shell.
‘The thing is Mr Hall,’ he continued matter-of-factly. ‘I’ve been talking to Dr Payne about the remnants of those additional limbs that are still attached to the patients spine, and now that we’ve had a chance to X-ray her again without that shell material weakening and blurring the image, we think it’s probably a relatively straight-forward procedure that could be completed with just a single surgery.
‘Unfortunately, we’re still no further forward on the whole anaesthetic and painkiller question, though we have now confirmed that her blood has definitely been hybridised in some way.’
‘So, you’d like to get this second operation out of the way before she wakes up?’ I said, anticipating where he was going with the call.
‘That’s it exactly,’ replied Bach. ‘We could be ready to start first thing in the morning if her situation remains unchanged, but because of her now unique physiology we’d feel more comfortable if you could be there to use your lenses again to monitor her condition both before we start and while we operate.’
I confirmed I was willing to help out in any way I could, but that I’d naturally have to discuss it with the Captain before giving the final go ahead. Either way I promised to have an answer for him within the next couple of hours.
Hughes had waited outside the office so I could have the conversation in private, but I saw no reason not to update him on Ariel’s condition as we walked back to the car.
‘I know it must be difficult for you and the Captain,’ he observed, when I finally finished telling him what was going on. ‘To go from a crew of thousands down to just the two of you in such a short period of time, let alone to find yourself on a new world so similar and yet different to your own.’
‘It is,’ I admitted after the briefest hesitation.
‘But it’s not something I feel consciously.’ I con-tinued, struggling slightly to find the words. ‘There have been times in the last week when I’ve pushed myself so far beyond what I thought were my limits that
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