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medical care even when that was unpleasant. Pol had long wondered why.
Now, in the light of the new information regarding their reproductive cycle,
the initiate thought he knew the answer. Should the Ra  Na become acquainted
with the most intimate details of Sauron physiology, they would inevitably
stumble across the master race s secret and use it against them. The very
thing Pol had in mind.
The arm, which was secured to a plate of the initiate s own design, had been
slit along a line from grasper to elbow, and from elbow to armpit, or where an
armpit had once been.
Then, with the aid of tiny hooks linked to stainless steel wires, each layer
of the Fon s anatomy had been peeled back and connected to metal pegs.
Taken as a whole, the limb consisted of a coxa located up near the Sauron s
armpit or axillary, a trochanter, femur, tibia, tibial spur just posterior of
the grasper, and the tripartite grasper itself, which though adequate for the
manipulation of rudimentary tools, lacked the finesse natural to fingers and
tentacles. This explained at least to some extent the fact that while
intelligent, the Saurons had failed to master the intricacies of high-tech
equipment and were dependent on slaves to do that for them.
Inside, within the arm itself, Pol discovered a thin layer of subepidermal
fat, a tight cluster of nerve fibers, and a petal-shaped grouping of chemical
receptors at the point where the grasper and tibia came together. This was not
too surprising, since it was common knowledge that the sense of smell was an
important component of the interpersonal communication among Sauron castes.
Still, the location of the receptors was noteworthy, and explained why the
aliens waved their extremities over food prior to ingesting it. They
weresmelling the meal rather than blessing it, as many had assumed.
Would Zin and Kan anatomy prove identical to what he was looking at? Or be
different in subtle ways? The cleric was eager to find out.
A hand touched Pol s arm, and he gave an involuntary jerk.  Shu? What are you
doing? How many times have I told you?Never bother me while I m working.
The med tech had a strange, inexplicable soft spot for the intense, rumpled,
and, some said, worthless initiate. A weakness she regretted but seemed
powerless to overcome. That didn t prevent Shu from expressing herself,
however, and in no uncertain terms. Never? Not even when Dro Tog sends P ere
Has to track you down? Well, my mistake, then . . . I ll nip out into the
corridor, inform the good father that Fra Pol is too busy to be disturbed, and
suggest that he return later.
Pol felt an immediate sense of remorse followed by panic.  I m sorry, Shu.
You surprised me, that s all . . . . Hide the arm, tell Has I left, and I ll
see Tog. I d rather show up on my own than have his pet priest drag me there.
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Shu tried to remain annoyed but found she couldn t. The way she felt about
the initiate was plain to see to anyone but Pol, that is, who, had someone
informed him that the med tech had feelings for him, would have been shocked.
He had never been attractive to females, and to the extent he could, the
cleric sought to avoid them.  Okay, but take care of yourself.
 Of course, Pol replied carelessly.  Don t I always? See you later.
The initiate left by means of a maintenance hatch, and was a good distance
away by the time Shu lied to P ere Has and wondered if the Great One would
forgive her.
The lights in the rectory were low out of respect for Dro Tog s hangover, a
horrible affliction that made his stomach queasy and sent daggers of pain
through his head.
The dinner, which had been sponsored by the College of Dromas, had been a
convivial affair that featured no fewer than eight courses of fresh seafood
accompanied by dozens of toasts and the usual amount of self-aggrandizing
puffery.
The fa, a rather nice vintage that the Frahood acquired during the siege of
Deeth, had gone down with considerable ease. Which explained both Tog s
headache and momentary loss of judgment.
But what was he supposed to do? Especially on the heels of Dro Gor s boast
that the quality of intelligence flowing fromhis initiates clearly surpassed
anything available to his peers, and proceeded to reveal the not so surprising
news that the Zin planned to hold a surprise inspection eight days hence.
An interesting tidbit, to be sure but far from world-shaking. No, Gor s claim
of superiority was spurious and therefore demanded a rebuttal. Tog rose and,
with a tongue lubricated by fa, proceeded to hold forth for the better part of
five full units.
Then, feeling a tad dizzy, he sat down again. It was only when the
compartment stopped spinning that the Dro realized the extent of his
indiscretion. He had not only spilled his guts regarding the Sauron
reproductive cycle, he had praised Fra Pol during the process, and turned the
rapscallion into something of a hero. A hero his peers wanted to interrogate
firsthand. It was horrible, just horrible, and the prelate had only himself to
blame. Well, notonly himself, since the entire episode stemmed from Pol s
nefarious activities. Clearly he had beentoo compassionate,too lenient,too  [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]