Page 197 - The Chronicles Ser2 (6-10)

recorded history; so we are familiar with each other’s biology. If you will follow me I’ll take you in
from this oppressive heat” He directed them to follow. As far as the humans and Vahamat were
concerned; the ambient temperature was like that of a tropical winter. Krysta noted that this
probably meant the Voodon could only handle a narrow range of temperatures and climate
conditions. They were led into a large; well-lit hallway with corridors leading
off from a reception “hub”. The “person in the centre of this hub was
obviously some form of Mechanoid, probably the same one that had spoken
to them earlier. Tom started having some very unorthodox thoughts. He
could see now why Jovhar had emphasised the word “pleasure”. Whoever
had designed this thing had an eye for exceptional detail. T’luha punched him
in his side and brought him out of his revelry with a wince. She gave him a
wicked tight lipped smile. P’Setar spoke to the Mech in a strange clipped
language and she responded by giving him some folders and some of the
strange square tokens they had found earlier. It was now that Tom noted
that they all had different notches around the sides. Could they be some kind
of pass keys? He wondered.

Their Voodon host explained “These passes are needed to get in and out of some areas of
the facility, the ones where we keep the “disturbed” patients” he said in a manner of fact way.
Krysta and the others gathered from this that it was a speciality clinic catering for those with mental
stability issues. This proved to be only partially right. Some Voodon it seemed; suffered a form of
dementia that could make them so paranoid they could swing from extreme violence to total
withdrawal.

“Their problem stems from a deterioration of the central nervous tissues in the cortex. We can cure
it, but because it is so rare treatments are basic and only partially effective. We don’t have the same
facilities out here as they have on Vood. They can replace the damaged tissues with artificial bio
circuits. So we look after them and keep them safe till a Medical Transport arrives. It would be
extremely unwise to use a Gate link as that could result in further damage. There’s generally plenty
of time as the deterioration process is very slow” P’Setar said without being asked.

“You don’t seem concerned about our appearance. Have you come across our species in the past?”
T’luha asked

“You’re related to a species our ancestors had contact with, so I assume you must be Human or
some such similar. And I recognise your Vahamat colleague too.” He replied “We get many different
races pass our way, including the odd Gantrax. Horrible creatures; by the time we meet them they
have usually been separated from the Hive Mind long enough for them to become deranged. We
contained them here for study before they died. Then we examined their remains in more detail.
They have a fascinating nervous system with three layers of redundancy” He said

“We have a female Vahamat on board our ship, she’s specialises in neurological disorders. We also
have some of the latest equipment available from the Osir and Unat. We also found a Kryst Medical
wand. We also have another Kryst on board who we assume is your Kryst’s mate” Hubris offered.
P’Setar eagerly accepted the offer and bid them stay a while. Krysta said they would.

They arrived at a large conservatory room with tinted glass walls. A figure was reclining
inside on a chaise-long. A smaller figure was sat crossed legged on the floor playing with one of the
Kryst Sphere Toys. They both looked up as the party arrived. Hivlar smiled when she saw Hubris and
the child edged closer to its mother. After the same exchanges Jovhar had given Hubris; Hivlar
listened intently as Hubris explained their presence. When he mentioned Jovhar she whooped and
said something to the child and it beamed a broad smile at Hubris and the others.