Lord
Roeder's Mine is one of my sci-fi prequels. This story focuses on
Matilda's father, Ed Dulac, chronicling some of the time between the
destruction of Saltulle and his appearance on Guild Mining Ship
The Flotilla.
Ed's
had some weird experiences in Lord Roeder's Mine when he went to
explore a large, unstable pocket of Trimagnite. Captain Tarvo is
talking to him and he is deeply worried about Ed's behavior.
Tarvo
looked worried as Ed continued to sway to the beat of music only he
could hear.
"Ed."
He waited while his friend continued to commune with the ore. "Ed!"
His tone was sharp with warning.
Wayne
Tarvo was worried now. Some people got taken that way. They were fine
for a bit, then the Trim got in their blood. Not in any normal sense.
Had Ed been exposed to even a drop of the semi-liquid, highly toxic
ore, he'd already be in medical going rapidly out of his mind. This
was strictly emotional, but just as dangerous. He tapped his comlink
summoning a medical technician and security officers.
"You're
getting a full check, Dulac. Don't make me force you."
Without
offering any resistance, Ed followed the tech to the medical facility
flanked by three guards each roughly the size of Kansas. He submitted
to the battery of physical and psychological tests quietly, smiling
and singing the entire time.
"Not
a damn thing wrong, Captain Tarvo," the tech reported half an
hour later.
"What's
he acting like that for, then?"
"From
what I could tell, the only thing out of place is a super elevated
serotonin level."
"So,
you're telling me that the best Trimagnite miner on my staff is
whacked on happy hormones?" The Captain muttered, rubbing his
balding pate with one hand while the other tapped irritably on his
chair console.
"I
wouldn't have said it that way," the technician looked a little
miffed. He liked being precise. "But that's in effect what it
amounts to."
"Thanks,"
The Captain signed off on the compact computer screen and handed the
medical scanner to the tech. "Keep him monitored for twenty-four
hours."
"Already
done, sir. Doctor Macy took care of it personally. I think this has
her spooked a bit too, sir. She's never seen anything like it."
"Thanks,
Murphy. Good work." He dismissed the technician with a
distracted nod.
Tarvo
popped up a link to Ed's room, watching as his friend sat on the edge
of his bunk, singing and smiling to himself. It was disturbing,
unnatural. Whatever was happening to Ed Dulac could be contagious.
Besides the tech, he was the only one directly exposed to him.
Security had worn their stasuits. Making up his mind, he went to his
ready room aft of the bridge, and called the Chief Medical Officer,
Dr. Eve Macy.
"Evie,
I'm worried."
"I'm
not yet, Wayne. Trimagnite's weird stuff. We've studied it for over a
hundred years. Every time we think we have it locked down and figured
out, it throws us a curve ball."
"Are
you telling me this is Trim's next funky facet?"
"Who
knows? All I'm saying is I'm not getting worried and upset until I
have something to worry about. Do you really want me to lock down
this facility for an epidemic? You know what they'll do to us if we
halt production on a whim."
"I
know, Evie. All right. Put me and anyone he's been in contact with
under surveillance."
"Already
done." She paused, assessing her Captain's mood. "Have you
been watching him?"
"Hell
yes. Weird shit, Eve."
"If
he were violent, incoherent, I'd worry about exposure. I had his suit
pulled and they are going over it now."
"Do
we have anyone reviewing his scan?"
She
shrugged. "It's in the queue for tomorrow, probably. As many
techs as we have out there, they won't get to it yet."
"Let
me know about the suit soonest. I'm putting someone on his scan
immediately."
"I'll
update you as soon as I hear on the suit. Try not to worry so much,
Wayne." She smiled kindly, her eyes showing her love for him.
His
smile reflected the same expression. "I'll do my best. See you
at dinner." He clicked off, gnawing his left thumb knuckle
absently. It was a nervous habit he'd tried to break for years. He'd
have it licked until something wacko like this transpired.
"Dammit!"
©
2017 Dellani Oakes
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