Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (43 page)

An individual
has every right to privacy in medical matters, but that right does
NOT extend to the right to pass a disease to an unsuspecting second
party. It had been shown repeatedly that certain individuals
couldn't be trusted to inform susceptible people they carried a
dangerous virus, particularly those that are transmitted sexually.
Maita had wanted to use education of the carriers, but Z remembered
such things as syphilis and gonorrhea and the AIDS epidemic on
Earth and knew the idiocy of refusing to label carriers of certain
things. AIDS had decimated the entire population of several
countries within twenty years of his abduction. He barely had heard
of the disease when he was abducted, but had read the history of it
when they returned. He had had been thoroughly disgusted.

It was the same
old pattern that started about the turn of the century, the
nineteenth century on Earth. Law had given way to theatrics to an
ever increasing degree. The rights of the victim were sacrificed to
the "rights" of the criminal to the extent the victim was generally
the one who suffered, not only the effects of the crime itself, but
the effects of the judges and courts run amok. The criminal had
several thousands of volumes of laws and precedents to protect him,
while the poor victim had no rights or protections, whatever. This
was used as precedent when the AIDS plague started.

It was true
many victims of the disease were innocent of any wrongdoing, but
some few had stricken out at society in general and had become
deliberate spreaders of the disease. One person could literally
infect hundreds of others. It was a thing that was unavoidable, as
the virus was slow to show symptoms. A person often spread it
around for several years before he knew he was infected. That was
unavoidable and carried no blame. What was criminal was a small
percent of the carriers who knew they were infected, yet still
spread the disease. The lawyers at the time fought long and hard to
prevent any isolation or labeling of carriers under the guise of
what were called their "Constitutional Rights." This despite the
fact the constitution they were basing this on said nothing
whatever about such things. It even specifically stated quarantine
in cases of emergency were perfectly acceptable.

This
argument and the example of that disease on Earth had convinced
Thing and then Maita. If any being were found to be carriers of
such a disease and that disease wasn't curable yet they were marked
with a very small but noticeable spot that was clearly contrasted
with their natural coloring. In the case of sexually transmitted
diseases that were this dangerous, a mammal such as Z would be
marked with a small bright yellow spot under his arm on the right
side. The mark could never be removed, but could be colored over
with natural body color if a cure was found and used on the
carrier. It was a natural thing for anyone having such relations to
check the spot for that race. While it didn't stop the spread of
disease among those who weren't aware they were carriers, it
did
entirely stop the spread by
those who were aware. In the few cases where a carrier raped
another, they were summarily executed when caught. That stopped
that!

Because of this
law in the empire concerning contagious and dangerous diseases, any
suspected areas were immediately checked, methods to determine
which beings were carriers were found and cures were almost always
found very quickly. There was experience with thousands of cultures
to draw upon in the computers. The Feach, in particular, were
famous throughout the empire for finding cures.

In the single
case where the marking law was used except in a short-term way the
plague was stopped and eliminated after about two hundred years.
That race was checked periodically in case there was a new mutation
of the virus that had originally formed into plague. It was handled
much like smallpox was handled on Earth. Each new case checked and
encircled, then immunizations, then extinction of the plague germ,
itself. Many worlds had used much the same system on diseases. Z
had nothing to do with that.

The point of
all this explanation is that records must be kept for either the
marking or the encirclement methods, but it wasn't handled by
turning doctors into bureaucrats. Not by the Maitan Empire. The
computers automatically handled all of it, freeing the doctors to
practice medicine instead of bookkeeping. In the case of where and
when a plague was cured by any method or where there was marking,
it was still done by computer. One person at a unit could input the
name of the patient, the patient would do whatever would prove
positive identification (Retinal prints, fingerprints, scale
prints, color patterns – it varied from race to race). The rest was
handled strictly by the machines.

In the cases of
marking, a genetic coding imprint was used as well. There are
probably no two beings in this entire plane with the exact same
genetic print. Even identical twins had mutations that may not be
visible in any way, but which would show in the prints.

The Jornians or
the Zurn had never needed Hospital attention, so knew little of how
the system worked. Both worlds had their share of bureaucrats. The
ruse would work well.

Z simply
marched in, faced the three Jornians who met them in the hall,
decided he would use the table and chair there, sat, opened his
computer, laid out his forms and said for them to tell the doctors
where the victims were, first, then everyone in the place would
have to give ID to the computer, then, as soon as it was discovered
which signs to look for in any carriers of the disease they would
be tested, the particular virus isolated and cross-matches would be
made through both Library and Hospital. He hoped they would
discover it something they could isolate easily, though he was sure
the doctors working on the case would already have discovered it if
it were to be that simple. Perhaps the cross-match would tell them
immediately how to attack the disease quickly and efficiently.

By the way,
where are the doctors?

I am Nurk.

What are your
names?

Tell the
doctors where the victims are, for the galaxy's sake! We have
little time to avert a catastrophe to all worlds in the empire with
reptilian citizens!

"Damn it all,
there isn't any victim, there are no doctors, there is no plague
here!" one of the Jornians exploded.

"That is not
what has been reported to us!" Z accused sharply. "Nothing will be
gained by this pretending the situation doesn't exist. If this
plague – Liahr's report said it was carried on the skin, for the
Empire's sake! – is to be stopped, we must work fast!

"I don't
hesitate to tell you for one second those doctors who failed to
report the plague immediately will go on report! That is totally
unconscionable! Emperor Maita will have those doctors' executed for
murder if anyone at all dies of the virulent plague decimating this
place!"

"Look,
Rockbrain!" the Jornian yelled. "I will say it slowly so you can
understand me! There ... is ... no ... plague ... here ... and ...
never ... was!

“
There is no plague here, damnit
!”

"And you are?
If you fail to identify yourself in a medical emergency you will
face serious charges! One does not trifle lightly with Hospital! I
will not tolerate this criminal obstructionism, I warn you! You
know not with whom you trifle, Sir!"

"Great
Wailing Lorreede!" the Jornian screamed. “
There is no
emergency
! Can't you
hear?"

"Very well," Z
said into the computer's microphone. "Subject refused to identify
himself and was subsequently arrested.

"Doctor Krone!
Call a special guard unit to come from Northport to take this one
and any of these others who refuse cooperation into custody!

"Why are you
still here? There are people who need medical attention in this
house! You doctors can't dawdle around here!"

"We haven't
been told where the victims are," Sergeant Krone pointed out. Z
could hear the laughter behind his voice and was hoping the
Jornians weren't too familiar with the Feach.

"Well, call the
guard unit and search the place! Do I have to do everything by
myself? Can't you see these people are trying to hide the fact that
a virulent, deadly plague is rampant among the reptilians here?
Can't you see the plague may already be spreading across the entire
galaxy?!

"Move! Search
the damned place! I can't do everything! I have all these forms
which MUST be completed before this damned plague decimates the
whole damned galaxy!"

“
There isn’t any
...
Damn
it! There
isn't any damned plague here!" The Jornian cried. "Why can't you
understand plain Maitan? No one is sick here! We are all in perfect
health! The only reptiles here are Zurn! There are no sick Zurn
here! All of the Zurn are in perfect health!
Damn it
! There
is no plague here
!”

Z spoke into
the microphone again. "Subject number one, who still steadfastly
and stubbornly refuses to identify self, also stubbornly refuses to
face the reality of the situation. I hereby recommend psychiatric
evaluation, as well as full psychomedical evaluation, as the plague
may affect mammals by attacking the brain, making them incoherent
and irrational. The evidence here seems overwhelming. Perhaps
criminal sanctions are not applicable in this case. Subject shows
signs of dementia, schizophrenia, rage, paranoia and confusion.
This plague is far worse than we anticipated! Will suggest
immediate deployment of Empire Fleet to fully quarantine planet
Bypass until this virulent disease is brought under control and
eradicated. This castle is much on the order of a fortress. It can
be utilized to isolate the worst cases. I do not believe the plague
has yet found its way much into the general population, but we must
be certain. We must immediately stop all egress from this world and
must trace all ships that left since ... when was the first case
noted?"

"Oh, for
screaming demons hooves!" another Jornian cried. "He is called
Klewt. He is resident on Sentah. I am called Eed and am from Jorn
and travel in business to all the vacation worlds. This is Dorn. He
is also resident on Sentah.

"We are having
a business meeting here. We told the Zurn to see we are not
disturbed and he made up that stupid story to keep people away. He
didn't understand what he was doing. There is no plague! There was
no first case!"

Z groaned
loudly and spoke into the microphone again: "This is terrible! The
plague has been spread to Sentah and Jorn and possibly to all the
vacation worlds!" he said tiredly. "Subject two, one Eed of Jorn,
implies the plague actually started on Jorn and was then spread
here and to other worlds by the Zurn in their employ. They were
holding a meeting here to plan a way to stop the plague from
interfering with their businesses in complete disregard for the
peoples of the empire! This is unbelievable!"

"I didn't say
any such thing!" Eed yelled. "I only said there wasn't any plague!
YOU are the only thing that's unbelievable here!"

"Subject two,
Eed of Jorn, is as incoherent and paranoid as is subject one, Klewt
of Sentah.

"Computer! Call
all information about movements through empire registration process
of ship arrivals and/or departures. Subject one, Klewt of Sentah,
Jornian. Subject two, Eed of Jorn. Subject three, Dorn of Sentah,
Jorn. Autoreport. Commence."

The three were
staring in open amazed disbelief at this idiot bureaucrat. No
matter what they said, it got twisted. There were four Feach going
through each room in the house. The Zurn weren't about to attack
those huge beings. They had no idea how many more were in the ship
out there and everyone knew there was an open channel between
Hospital and the fleet at all times. Any emergency was to be
reported to the fleet.

Eed thought of
that and his legs went shaky, but there was no way he could have
been traced to Tltle and Netdel. The body at the estate probably
wasn't discovered yet. The one in that ship would never be
found.

He was nervous
though. He signed for the others to come aside when he caught their
eye. The bureaucrat was writing on forms, but was getting more and
more irritated, for some reason.

Z suddenly
picked up the microphone and snapped, "Computer! Report! You have
had time enough to trace the entire movements of everyone on this
stinking hole of a world!"

"Processing,"
the flat mechanical voice responded (It was a Feach on the ship).
"Subjects traveled using various aliases. Also changed ships.

"FXR forty two!
FXR forty two! Eed Kale Lohrkn of Jorn! Fleet responding!"

Only Dorn was
still there. Eed and Klewt were nowhere in the hall.

"What does that
mean?" he asked.

"FXR forty
two?" Z asked, unconcerned. "It means there is an empire warrant
for a capital offense which has been filed by an empire judge
machine against him.

"Computer! F
code forty two. Explanation!"

"Conspiracy to
commit murder proved by probe," the "machine" answered. "Warrant is
priority A."

"It means there
is a criminal warrant for Eed of Jorn," Z said disinterestedly.
"It's based on a proved charge of conspiracy to commit murder. R
means it is proved by machine witness. That will be the probe.
Priority A means he is to be apprehended in any way or by any means
possible. He is outlaw, so capture is only one option and no one
will question if it is his dead body and not a living person
delivered.

"No wonder you
tried to hide a plague! If you are conspirators with him the
execution is a lot more sure than the plague! We can't find a cure
for execution! Ha ha!