[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
- the chance to go between and freeze the attacking organism.
But the score will be just as painful.
'The larger proportion of draconic injuries are to the wing
surfaces . . . if you please, Balzith,' and she turned to the
patient green dragon and she obediently extended her wing
as the medic conducted that section of her lecture.
When they had adjourned for lunch, prior to discussing
other problems - such as hygiene and sanitation within small
and medium holds where the amenities were not as efficient
150
as in the larger population centres - Corey was approached
by Joanson of South Boll and Frenkal of Tillek Hold, both
senior medics.
'Corey, what is your position on... mercy?' asked Joanson
in a very thoughtful tone.
She regarded the tall man for a long moment. 'What it has
always been, Joanson. We have, as you realize, quite a few
persons in this audience who have not received full medical
Page 103
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
training. I cannot ask them to do what I would find very, very
difficult to do: administer mercy.' She gave Joanson a long
stare, then glanced at Frenkal who seemed to enjoy the ethical
spot she was in.
'We are sworn to preserve life. We are also sworn to
maintain a decent quality of life for those under our care.'
She felt her lips twitch, remembering that there were occasions
when those two aims were in conflict. 'We must, each of us,
reflect on how we will face such a desperate situation: whether
to cut short a final agony is necessary, even ethical. I don't
think there will be much time to consider morals, ethics, kind
or cruel, at the time we are forced to take... action.' She
paused, took a deep breath. 'I do remember seeing the tapes
the Infirmary used to have, showing very graphically an
animal being eaten alive by Thread...' She noticed Joanson's
wince. 'Yes, eaten alive because Thread caught the hind end
of it. I think, if it was someone you knew, you'd opt for...
the quickest possible end to that.'
Since they were not the only two who approached her on
that subject, she was almost glad when the lunch break ended
and she could address the less vexious matter of amputation.
Everyone needed a refresher on that procedure, especially
an emergency type of operation when there might not be
time for all the preliminaries that made for a neat stump. She
did have the new bonecutters - well, more axes than the
traditional surgical tool - for distribution afterwards. Kalvi
had brought them with him.
'Best edge we've ever been able to make on a surgical tool,
Corey,' he told her with some pride. 'Had them tested at the
abattoir. Cut through flesh and bone like going through
151
F
?
cheese. Gotta keep 'em honed, though. And I've made cases
for the blades so no-one slices off a finger by mistake.'
Surgeons were not the only ones with a ghoulish sense of
humour, Corey decided.
Meanwhile, in the Great Hall of Fort Hold, with Lord Paulin
seated in the front row, Kalvi himself was demonstrating
to those who would form the Fort ground crews how to use
and service the HNO3 cylinders, taking his audience from
assembly of the parts and then a quick rundown of common
problems likely to be encountered in the field. Every small
holder within Fort's authority was present; many had brought
their elder children. All had come on foot, their own or on
horseback. Fort Weyr, like the other five, was beginning to
restrict dragon rides. Lord Paulin understood and approved.
'We've had it far too easy, using the dragons the way our
ancestors would have used the sleds and airborne vehicles,'
he was heard to say when one of his holders complained
that he had been denied his right to a dragonride. 'We haven't
been breeding horses just to run races, you know. And the
dragonriders have been far too accommodating. Do us all
good to walk or ride. You have, of course, extended your
Page 104
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
beast holds to shelter all your livestock?'
There had been moaning over that necessity, too, with
complaints that the engineers should really have spent more
time trying to replicate the marvellous rock-cutting equipment
with which their ancestors had wrested living quarters out of
cliff-sides.
Kalvi had come in for considerable harangue over that,
which he shrugged off.
'We have a list of priorities: that's not one. Nor could be.
We still have two sleds in the north, but no power to run 'era.
Never did find out what they used,' he said. 'No way of
duplicating such power packs either, or I'm sure our ancestors
would have. Otherwise why did they engineer the dragons?
Anyway, renewable resources make more sense than erudite
or exotic imports.'
152
When the main lecture was concluded, everyone was told
to reassemble after the noon meal for target practice. This
was vastly more interesting than having to listen to Kalvi
waffle on about how to adjust the wands of the HNO3
throwers to give a long, narrow tongue of fire or a broader,
shorter flame. Or how to clear the nozzle of clogged matter.
'You've got almost as much variation in flame as a dragon
has ...' Kalvi said as he slung the tanks to his back, his voice
slightly muffled by his safety gear. 'You, there, the hard hat
has a purpose. Put it on your head! Lower the face screen?
The offender immediately complied, Kalvi scowling at him.
'The effective range of this equipment is six metres on the
narrowest setting, two on the broader. You wouldn't want it
to get closer to you...' He was fiddling with his wand. 'Damn
thing's stubborn...' He took out a screwdriver and made a
slight adjustment. 'ALWAYS ...' he said loudly and firmly
as he held the wand away from his body, 'keep the nozzle of
the wand pointed away from YOU and anyone in your
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]