Lah Eltheria began to panic as the people in the black tactical gear put restraints on her. How was she going to communicate? They were yelling when they forced her into the back of the police vehicle. She heard her companions as each one commented on their situation. The little Kaylin was the most furious about being released. It took a few minutes for the shock to fade enough for Lah to try asking for help. She placed her right level with her abdomen, extended the index and middle finger so they both were perpendicular to the floor, and pointed her thumb to her chin. Then she moved her hand up towards her chin.
One of the police asked what she was doing and told her to stop. As she repeated the gesture a tiny voice could be heard coming from one of the bags the police had.
"Uhzeeoh! ¡Ayuda! Help!", the electronic voice repeated.
"Shit" said one of the police officers with a deep voice and began to dig the device out of the bag. Lah began nodding.
"Yeeboh! ¡Si! Yes!" the device began to say as it was removed from the bag.
"What is it?" Another officer asked. This one had a softer, higher voice.
"A handheld with a translation app on it," the first officer said. Then looking at Lah, "Is this yours?"
This prompted more nodding and the handheld repeated, "Yeeboh! ¡Si! Yes!"
"Oh, shit!" a third officer exclaimed. Their voice was rich, and in the mid tones. "Look at their collar. They have one of the sign language interpreter devices. I bet it is synced to their handheld."
"Wait. They can hear us?" the second officer said to their fellow police personnel. "Can you hear us?" they asked Lah. Lah responded with more nodding and with hand signs she could make in the cuffs.
"Yes! Hear you. Talk no." The device responded. The AI had seemed to determine that everyone was speaking English so had switched to that for now.
"Well… fuck! Now what do we do?" asked the one with the deep voice.
***
A small blue skinned, white haired Reltoan child stared out the office windows. She was sitting on an exam table in her doctor's office. She still had a pink and blue dotted gown on from the earlier examinations. She wanted to put on her clothes but had been told to wait. She reached up and rubbed her throat. It still hurt from the examinations. Poking and prodding her father had called it.
Her parents were talking to the doctor in worried tones. Some big words were being used that she didn't understand nor did she want to know. What she did know is that she was 10 and liked who she was. She liked that she had to talk with her hands when everyone else talked with their mouths. She liked her speech buddy that translated hand hand talk into mouth talk. She knew she didn't want to change.
"Lah?" She heard her mother say and also felt the slight pressure in her mind asking her to turn a round.
"Momma, " her speech buddy translated her hand motions as she turned around. She could feel the concern in her parents' minds along with touches of guilt and pity. From the doctor she got feelings of curiosity and a little bit of boredom.
"Would you like to talk like others? With your mouth and not your hands?" Her mother said as she made sounds with her mouth and motions with her hands. Lah looked at the others. They were.. Expectant… that was the word papa would have used. They waited for her to reply. She could sense hope in her parents' minds and just more boredom in the doctor's.
"No, momma. No, papa," she signed and her speech buddy said in its cheerful voice. It wasn't good at conveying emotion. The doctor sighed. Her mother and father both looked like they did when something bad happened. She could tell they weren't angry. They were surprised. They were also feeling hurt. Before they could respond Lah added. "I like me, momma. Poppa. I like talking with my hands. I want to keep my Speech Buddy. I am sorry. I feel that isn't the right answer."
"From us," her father asked.
"Yes," Lah replied. She looked down as she finished her hand gestures.
"Oh, Miko Rano!" her father said as he took a few steps and hugged his daughter.
"Professor and Kyr Eltheria, I am sorry to interrupt, but a decision needs to be made. If you would like, we can schedule another consultation in a few ten-days, " the doctor said, betraying his impatience.
Professor Lah, who had moved across the room for a family hug detangled herself and addressed the doctor, "Yes, let us discuss it and then meet you in a few ten-days."
They never kept that appointment.
***
"How long have you been mute?" asked Administrator Arki Nychata.She was a Reltoan with a slight purple tinge to her blue skin. It complimented her violet eyes. The black blouse and slacks served to also highlight her unique skin tone via contrast. She was in one of three plush chairs around a small table in her office. Behind her seat was her desk and a wall of windows looking out on Arequena's residential ring.
"All my life," signed Lah and her handheld announced in Galactic. Dressed for this interview in a purple blouse and black slacks. Gone was the rugged looking Speech Buddy that was designed to survive childhood. Attached to her blouse near her left clavicle and sternum, was a silver pyramid. Three sides of the pyramid were isosceles triangles, one of which was attached to the blouse. The bottom of the Speech Buddy was where the cameras and microphones were and was facing the floor. Small and slim it looked more like a modest brooch.
"How do you communicate during surgery?" Asked the second interviewer, Doctor Samil Mizrahi. He sat in the third seat, slumping a little. As an anthromorph Lilanite he had chosen the form of a light skinned Human male. His light brown, collar length hair was at best described as shaggy. As he waited for an answer he peered at Lah with his green eyes. His wrinkled lab coat covered a grey dress shirt and dark slacks.
"Well, as you are aware most of our surgeries are performed by teleoperation; controlling a robotic surgeon from another room in order to maintain a sterile environment. Because of this I can take a very brief pause to sign and issue statements. To further aid with the speed of the commands, I developed a short hand," when Lah finished signing she held her hands in front of her with her forearms at a ninety degree angle to the floor. She made a fist with each hand and bobbed her fists up and down twice, bending at the wrists. Her Speech Buddy let out a sustained beep.
"Scalpel," the Speech buddy said after she used her left hand, still in a fist she extended her index finger and moved the tip down in line in front of her chest.
"Snips," this time she made a fist then extended her index and middle fingers. Starting with the fingers separated she closed the two fingers together.
"Clamp," the Speech Buddy said after she made her hand into a "C" shape. Then closed the four fingers down on the thumb.
"Suction," This was similar to the signal for scalpel. This time instead of moving the extended finger down, the finger was slowly curled back to the palm. After the Speech Buddy spoke Lah made the bobbing gesture with her fists again and the device made another long beep.
"As you can see the signs are very quick and only require one hand. They can be performed with either hand. The vocabulary for those special signs keeps growing but it is in the hundred right now," she signed using her normal Galactic Standard Sign Language.
"Impressive," said doctor Mizrahi.
"Thank you," Lah signed simply.
"But… What if both of your hands are required to be at the controls? Then what?" inquired the doctor. Administrator Nychata was beginning to look nervous. Look worried.
"Then I depend on the rest of the team to have been well trained and to know their roles. It also helps if the team has been operating together for a while. That builds a trust between the members and can lead to needs being anticipated." Lah responded and made sure to keep her hand motions smooth and calm. She knew what was coming. What inevitably followed such lines of questioning.
"Would it be easier if you had your voice restored? Wouldn't that make things simpler?" the doctor asked a little smugly. Now Administrator Nychata was definitely looking worried.
And there it is, Lah thought to herself. That desire to fix what wasn't broken. To fix her. The false superiority because what was normal was to be able to speak and anyone who couldn't was abnormal. Maybe even less than.
Calmly she signed, "I have never been able to use my voice, so there is nothing to be restored. While it may be a little unconventional, this is me. I speak with my hands and not a voice. I am.." not broken, abnormal, or need to be fixed, she added in her mind. She was fighting the urge to sign those thoughts and be belligerent.
"... I am me. I am whole and I like me. I like the way I communicate even if it is unconventional," she signed instead. Oddly this elicited a smile from Doctor Mizrahi
"Good," the Doctor said. "Neurosurgery is challenging even with all of our sophisticated gadgets. One needs to be confident in their training and in themselves. Hesitation loses time. Time loss is nerve loss. Brain loss," Mizrahi said almost proudly. More softly he said, "I am sorry for the previous questions. I am sure they were uncomfortable. They may have even made you angry. However you didn't let that affect your answers which shows confidence and control."
Lah couldn't help herself; she looked surprised. She felt she should sign something, but was a little too taken aback.
"I may be a little out of line, Administrator, but I have made up my mind. Doctor Eltheria? Will you accept the position as resident neurosurgeon here at Imperial University Hospital?" Both Lah and Administrator Nychata were completely surprised. This was not the way this was supposed to go. Lah had not expected to get the offer on the same day as her last interview. She was so thrilled she could barely sign.
"Yes. Yes! Thank. Thank you.", her Speech Buddy translated
***
Lah was fifteen days into a twenty-five day voyage aboard the Imperial Cruise Lines' Beelay Ladio cruise ship. She was in a Hegemony of Nel tropical themed cafe on the pool deck. Her tablet computer was out as she reviewed the paper she was to present at the Republic Society of Neurological Surgeons' Tri-annual conference. As she re-memorized the paper and made notes for her speech, she was casually sipping what the Solar Alliance called a margarita. This drink was an enticing blend of starfruit, lime and alcohol.
Maybe it was the alcohol, or the slightly warmer environment around the pool, or both, that had led to her distracted reminiscing regarding her final interview for the residency program. It had been seventeen years since then. Seventeen years of being a medical doctor. Ten years of being an attending. She had been lucky. She had been offered the attending position almost half a year before her residency was done. She, unlike others in her field, had only worked professionally for the Imperial University Hospital. Her dedication and hard work had made her one of the preeminent surgeons not just at the Imperial University hospital but regionally as well.
All of this went through her mind as she lost focus while reviewing her article. She closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath then let it out slowly. She sat up straight in her chair, scrunched her shoulders then released them to work the stress away. She decided she had spent enough time on the pool deck in her dry, black one-piece swim suit. It was time for a change of scenery. Standing she made sure her purple sarong was fastened around her waist, grabbed her tablet and headed back to her quarters.
As she walked through the pool deck and on to the main corridor of the ship, Lah realized she was hungry. Pizza, she thought. I'm on a vacation of sorts. I deserve pizza. So off she went to the ship's pizza parlor and ordered a small pepperoni and mushroom pizza to take back to her room.
The scent of warm bread, baked cheese, sauce and meat wafted past her nose as she walked down the main corridor. She didn't have to go this way to her room but she enjoyed the understated Imperial elegance. The corridor had white walls with a purple and brown Skiro wood panel in the middle of the wall on each side. Under her feet was a purple carpet that had the Imperial Cruise lines logo emblazoned upon it in gold every three meters. It reminded her of home.
As she got near her cabin she saw a male Reltoan in a ship's hospitality uniform leave her room. She smiled a hello and signed thank you as they passed in the hall. The person simply smiled back and hurried down the corridor.
Inside her cabin she hurriedly set the pizza down on the small desk almost causing it to end up on the floor. Her attention had been grabbed by the enormous flower and fruit arrangement that now sat on the small table in front of the floor length window. Quickly she raced back into the corridor to look for the porter who had delivered it. Unfortunately she didn't see a trace of them. Slowly she re-entered her cabin and shut the door.
Who sent this, she thought as she looked for a card. The card simply said enjoy. Then a more sinister thought took hold, Who knows my room number? She hadn't given out her room number to any of the individuals she had met. She hadn't been looking for that kind of entertainment. Also, all the locks were based on biometrics with a wrist bracelet as an electronic backup. The bracelets were how the staff entered the rooms. She knew, thanks to a conversation with a cute Kaylin a few nights ago, that the room information wasn't even stored under the guests name. The biometric information tied the room to the guest in the ship's large database.
As she pondered how someone might know her room number, one piece of fruit began to look too enticing. A red, ripe strawberry from Earth. One piece won't hurt, she reassured herself as hunger began to overpower caution. As reached to pluck the strawberry from its artful perch she felt a small prick on her index finger. Soundless she mouthed ouch, put the strawberry on the table and looked at her finger. Dark red blood was welling into a drop on the tip. Puzzled, she looked at the bouquet of flowers and fruit. On a thorn of the stem of one of the purple and white tyfellia flowers she saw a small drop of her blood. The flowers, like Earth roses, were notorious for their thorns. She would have to be more careful when getting her sweet bounty from the arrangement.
The rest of the evening passed without any more incidents. She dined on fruit and pizza, sometimes fruit on pizza, and studiously made notes for the speech she was to give. The prick on her finger was all but forgotten as she delved into her preparation. During one small break, after she caught herself staring off into the distance, she looked at her finger. It was unmarked now. Curiously she looked at the arrangement, now mostly devoid of fruit and tried to find the thorn that had wounded her. She spent a good half-hour combing over the bouquet but could not find the thorn. No where did she see a trace of her dried blood.
As she plucked a purple quinbey and ate she wondered where the thorn had gone. Did I imagine it? She pondered. She checked the table but found no trace of it. She thought about checking the floor, but it was covered in carpet that was colored to hide stains, debris, and unfortunate accidents. She decided against searching the whole room for one thorn. Besides housekeeping and their robots would sweep it away in the morning.
Giving up the search she went about straightening up the table. As she moved the vase with the arrangement in it she noticed it was cold, not cool, to the touch. Intrigued, she looked at the opening where the flower stems protruded from looking to remove them so she could see what was in the vase. She was thwarted as the foam the stems were in was glued to the vase mouth. Briefly, but not too briefly, she considered ripping at the foam to remove it or alternately dashing the vase on the floor to see if it broke. Luckily for the staff and her neighbours she decided that was a little too much effort. She sighed loudly and put the vase back in the center of the table. As fun as a diversion the thorn investigation had been, it was time to consider getting some sleep.
The next morning, after eating breakfast in the expansive main dining room, Lah headed back to her room. She wanted to change into her swimwear so she could actually enjoy the pool today. In the corridor she thought she saw the male reltoan hospitality crewmember from yesterday. When she tried to get their attention they disappeared through a crew only door. Odd, she thought and headed back to her room.
As she closed the door to her cabin she noticed the vase was gone. The flowers and remaining fruit had gone with it. This was odd as the hospitality staff usually didn't get rid of personal items unless they were in the trash or by request. Such an unsatisfactory conclusion to the thorn conspiracy, she mused. Shrugging her shoulders she dressed for a day at the pool. Maybe a day off would ease her mind. After all this was a cruise ship and not a mystery to be solved.
***
Ten days later Lah was on the promenade of Mars One. She was in a good mood. After prepping for her presentation she actually was able to relax and enjoy her time aboard the Beelay Ladio. She met a few nice people, laughed, ate marvelous food, and had engaging conversations. Now she was rushing to a kiosk near gate B5 because there was an issue with her boarding of the shuttle down to Marsport.
She found the kiosk and discovered a small line had formed; a Quextil, a Thrassian, and a kaylin were in front of her. When she got up to the counter she knew what to expect. The emotions were strong coming off of the others and although she did her best to block them out she did perceive some of it. Seems they were all being offered a special upgrade.
"Yes, a special upgrade," said the Human kiosk attendant with a slightly shocked look on their face after the Speech Buddy voiced Lah's signed inquiry. She knew Humans had only been apart of the Core Worlds and the galaxy for one hundred and fifty years, but surely even they had seen assistive technology. "... and as I informed the others, the upgrade is final. I assure you," they said looking a little nervous, "it is worth the free upgrade." They feigned a weak smile.
Lah sighed and then signed, "Thank you" She gathered her things and moved to the seats near the gate where the others were. Noticing that they were all sitting apart from each other she took the hint and picked a seat that was similarly isolated.
Unfortunately their thoughts were not so isolated. The Thrassian waved a hello, and their emotions were happy, content, and slightly amused at the hand gesture the Kaylin had given them. The Kaylin, who she assumed was named Quinlan Joy based on the greeting the Thrassian had given them, was full of anger and fear tinged with anticipation and a small amount of hope. The grey-feathered Quextil was slightly anxious and a little sad as if they had suffered a recent loss.
To pass the time Lah reviewed the presentation she would have to give tomorrow. A quarter of an hour later and they were all boarding the tram to take them to the shuttle that would fly them down to Marsport. Lah as the closest to the gate boarded first. The tram was nice. Six seats swiveled so the travelers could converse easily if they wished. Her fellow passenger still did not wish to interact. What little she received mentally let her know they were all focused on the destination.
After a short while the tram stopped and it was time to board the shuttle. The interior of the shuttle had an understated elegance. It reminded her of the atmospheric shuttles the hospital used when important persons needed to travel across the continent or world. This raised her mood a little as the luxury was a nice reward for having to suffer through the delay of their special upgrade. Lah sank in the seat and tried to let the tension melt away. She was worried, This would only be the second planet she had ever been on and the first time traveling down a gravity well in a shuttle.
While she was wondering what it would feel like to breach a planet's atmosphere, the shuttle descended and landed without her really noticing. Her worries were shattered as the pilot announced their arrival at Mangal Spaceport, first space port on mars they added. The wait to taxi to the large hangar lift was relatively short thought Lah.
Looking out her viewport, Lah was deeply interested in the mechanism of the large lift that lowered the shuttle and moved it to its berth. It reminded her of a colossal version of the robotics she teleoperated during surgery. It was incredibly smooth and not what one would think was possible from industrial equipment.
Once the shuttle was berthed, the human attendant stood by the door, thanked them for trusting their travel with the crew, and let them know they could depart. The kaylin was up first and out the door almost as the attendant finished her farewell. The Thrassian went next. The quextil and Lah briefly paused as both wanted the other to go first. Lah eventually broke the stalemate and went. As she passed the attendant she got a brief mental whiff of fear and anticipation. She paused and looked up at the attendant. Her eyes seemed a little too wide. The attendant simply smiled and nodded. Lah moved from the door into the tube as she did not want to hold up the line.
In the tube, the Kaylin, Quinlan, reached the door first. As they opened the hatch it slammed back against the outside door with some force. Lah winced as she was assaulted with intense emotions from a dozen sources. What was a calm silence erupted into a cacophony of people shouting in English and Galactic.
She missed Quinlan being bodily removed from the door as she recovered from being slammed with so many intense feelings at once. She did see and feel the figures in black armor flood the tube. The Thrassian resisted imploring them that he was a citizen of the Republic. Before lah could say or ask anything she found her hands cuffed and her communication forcibly hampered.