Fill Rovvak in.

“That’s weird. Agent Rass sent her down with me,” you tell Doctor Rovvak.

“Why would he do this?” she asks, surprised. Apparently she doesn’t know Rass very well yet. Maybe you’d better educate her.

“My guess is petty revenge. He was angry with her for keeping us for biohazard screening.”

“That was you? The biohazard alert?” Rovvak asks. You aren’t sure how to read her tone.

“Yeah, well, I threw up right after transit on the way here. All over your nice arrival lounge.”

Rovvak tilts her head. “Why? Nausea isn’t a normal symptom after transit.”

“Rass tricked me into transiting without a skyhook,” you explain.

Rovvak draws back her head incredulously. “He let you transit without a skyhook?”

“He tricked me into transiting without a skyhook,” you repeat, a little bitterly.

“That seems needlessly inefficient,” Rovvak observes quietly.

You’re not sure whether to feel encouraged or disappointed by Rovvak’s response. “I’d better talk to Vireen,” you say, “before she starts thinking you ate me.”

---

“Vireen?” you ask, sliding back through the half-open elevator door.

Vireen is curled up in the corner with her head between her knees, making distressed sounds.

You put a hand on her shoulder, but she twitches and shies away. “Hey, Vireen, I’m okay. It’s okay. That was just the Researcher they sent. She doesn’t speak Trade very well, and, uh…”

“I heard you talking,” Vireen says. Apparently she knows Tech-3. “It’s not that, it’s just… jakes and offal, I’m completely useless. I can’t go out there like this.”