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“They should have caught this.” He pointed at her heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. “The only thing in good shape is your digestive system. Everything else is spongy.” He grimaced. “Keep her alive. I am going to make a call.”

Aya blinked as he took off, and she asked the medics, “So it is rations around here or actual food because rations is what did this to me?”

They blinked, and the doctor said, “We have some live eaters on board, and we have food for them. We will determine what is safe for you and ease you into it.”

“You might want to hurry on that.”

“We can give you a drip.”

“Really? Find a vein.” She held her hand up toward him.

“We will go in through your bones.”

“Oh, that’s going to suck.” Aya sighed. Her breathing was easing, or it was shallower.

The doctor looked at the medics and said, “In fact, we are going to do that right now.”

She felt the numbing, heard the whir of a drill, and then felt cool. Very cool.

“Uh, Doc. I don’t have enough body mass to keep me warm. Hypothermia is on deck.”

She watched them move around her, warming pads were draped over her, and she rode yet another wave of survival on the way to freedom.

* * * *

“Ra, I need a programming patch for a repair unit.”

Ra blinked. “Why? You are bringing her here.”

“She will not make it to Aten.”

“Put her into sleep.”

“She will not survive that either. I am sending you her scans.”

There was a pause, and Ra opened the file. “She’s alive?”

“She’s alive. She’s polite but firm and knows she is dying.”

Ra blinked. “She’s talking?”

“Her lung just collapsed, and her organs are getting ready to dissolve, but yes. She is politely telling us how she is going to die.”

Ra snorted. “Harwin would love that. Right. I am sending you the patch. It will be good for her only. The repairs she needs are specific, and you don’t have compatible scanners.”

“Right.” He put a data crystal in the receiver, and it began to glow.

“Thank you for picking her up. Harwin had no idea why she kept waking up in a cold sweat. I didn’t know either until I was with her during an incoming transmission. I couldn’t find anyone in the area until I spotted your signature in the ether.”

Devran inclined his head. “I was happy to be of service. I know how pleased you are with your particular member of her species. This one sounded worthy of life.”

Ra smiled. “Really? Are you interested?”

“Look at the scan and tell me how long she would last.”

Ra shrugged. “The transfer is finished. You can go and see how fast she will recover.”

“Hm. Thank you. She could clear the lust out of a Zowoth with minimal effort and no reaction. Do you know how rare that is?”