"Take off your shirt," he suddenly ordered.
- What? Christina recoiled.
“I have to examine your wounds. Then you will wash in the cabin. I'll look for some clean clothes." The captain shrugged casually.
OK. She simply must wash off all this dirt, otherwise she will go crazy. You'll have to trust him. Christina unzipped her holster, leaving it beside her, then pulled off her shirt, trying to look anywhere but at the person standing in front of her.
The Dalak frowned. A bruise was clearly visible on the girl's neck, and clearly from the paw of the Korran, which was his furry friend. There are two burns and several bruises on his back. There is an abrasion on the cheekbone and forehead, the rest are useless to count. Standing very close to her, so that he touched her legs, the captain began to treat the wounds. He acted quickly and confidently, obviously having experience in this. Cristina clenched her teeth to keep from crying out, though tears welled up in her eyes. Wounds baked mercilessly.
Sorry. Shane saw her flinch as she applied the ointment to her burns. - Bakes, I know. But then you get numb and you don't feel a thing.
“Maybe I should have washed before you treated them?” Christina asked, turning her head towards the captain.
- Not. No need for water to get on the wound. On the Traveler, it undergoes special processing, and this can cause bad consequences,” Dalak explained. “I'll hide them under a waterproof bandage. You don't have to worry too much.
"Thank you," Christina sighed.
— What is the name of your planet, Chris? asked Dalak, unusually shortening her name.
- Earth.
- That is, you call the land on which you live - "Earth"? He looked skeptically at the guest.
- Yes…
“Your imagination seems to be lacking.
Cristina shrugged, then leaned forward a little.
- Listen. Can you tell me where she is? The land must be close. We didn't fly for long.
- What time is it? Shane asked as he continued to tend to her wounds.
"About three or four days," she suggested, and stopped.
The captain tossed the used bandage into a bin of medical waste and looked sympathetically at Christina.
— Have you mastered long-distance space flights yet?
- Is it possible to fly far in such a time? Christina looked at him in disbelief.
“You haven’t mastered them,” Dalak concluded. The planet could be very far away.
"Tell me," she looked hopefully. “Tell me, do those women really have no chance?”
From the look on Shane's face, Christina knew that this was the case.
“They're probably not on Heliodor anymore. Hunters usually sell their "goods", and do everything in a fast way. And they wouldn't kidnap a woman to fight like that.” The Captain frowned. “It’s interesting to know why you ended up in the arena. Why did they decide to have fun in this way?
- Apparently the "goods" turned out to be substandard ... - Christina said quietly, rather to herself.
But, of course, they heard her.
- What do you mean? the captain was surprised.
Those women were very beautiful.
- AND? Shane was confused.
“Perhaps for this reason they were of greater value.
And why should she explain the obvious facts? It was embarrassing as hell. And the feeling intensified, because after her words, the captain's gaze slid over his face, attentive and unhurried. Then he sank lower, to a chest barely covered by a bra, frankly looking at and causing Christina's indignation.
- Hey!
"It's probably something else," Shane said quite calmly.
She took a deep breath, about to say something to that, but gave up, just exhaling.
— So what is it?
“I hit the escort,” Christina admitted.
A wide grin touched Dalak's unshaven face.
“This is more like the truth. The Shipruans decided to see what you can do. Well, you're lucky we came back for Sapper. Get dressed, said the captain.
Then he went to another table, bent over it and pressed something on one of the panels.
- Sap! Go to the medbay.
Soon the dog showed up, receiving orders from Shane to take care of the guest. Christina just sighed. The captain no longer lingered and silently left the compartment. The door behind him silently closed, and Christina remained standing in confusion.
“I am Quorlun Sapper. The dog bared his teeth in a smile and extended his hairy hand to her.
“Christina,” she introduced herself.
Sapper approached Christina and motioned for her to sit down on one of the rounded metal chairs. In his paw, he looked like a toy.
— Christy. The dog crouched down beside her, but it still looked like a mountain of wool. His golden eyes gazed at him with warmth. “You've never met a Korran before. Right?
She put her hands on her knees and nodded silently.
“A lot has happened. But you are great. You're doing great. I wouldn't be able to do that. The Corran saw Cristina stare at him in disbelief and chuckled hoarsely.
“Now let me show you a spare cabin.” You can fix yourself up. You know, I'm terribly hungry. Will you sing with me, Christy?
She nodded wearily again.
- Well, that's great. The Gray Wayfarer will soon arrive at the port on Beryl. Our doctor replenishes his supplies there. This is a trading planet, although not very attractive. It's full of people and perhaps one of the captains who arrived could have heard of your house.
Chapter 4
Sapper took the guest with him to the living compartment, leading to the door of one of the cabins.
“Until we arrive at Beryl, this will be your home. Relax Christy.
- Thanks. Christina tucked her unraveled braid behind her back.
- Let's go in. Sapper pressed a small panel by the cabin door, then took Christina's hand and placed her hand on the reader. “I remind you, just in case, that the captain has access to all cabins. Regardless of the entered key. You will need to use your hand to open the door. Understood?
Cristina nodded, looking uneasily at the cabin. In a small room there was a narrow bunk and a wardrobe. A semicircular table was huddled near the porthole, on which something like a computer stood forlornly.
- And then what? asked Christina, pointing to a small door in the wall, on the right side of the entrance.
Sapper readily explained that this was a bathroom.
Take a shower, Christy. You will immediately feel better. In the meantime, I'll see what of our food will not poison you ...
The dog tactfully left the cabin, leaving the guest alone. Cristina looked around again, pausing for a moment in the middle of the small room and wrapping her arms around herself. God... She has to hold on. She has to cope. She was lucky. Shane was right. Therefore, you need to gather and believe. She will definitely come back home. You just need to be a little patient.