[adamu]

"Wouldn't've given 'im Yao's cash if I didn't. An' I don't reckon Miss Walkin' Lie Detector would've either." He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "The part about not knowin' where, and who did know, matched what we's got from Yao. An' he was definitely nervous."

[Mercy Merchant]

"He was definitely nervous, yes.  At least we have a bit of confirmation about the artifact.  Do you want me to forward that information to Yao Lung?"

[adamu]

Al congratulated himself on how everyone always thought he was in charge.

"My first instinct is always ta keep as much ta myself as possible, 'specially since he won't even be here fer a spell. But ya said ya trusted 'im. Know 'im. So that makes it your call."

He asked Sangha how much further and got two hours back.

"Hey, we got a bit sidetracked last night - reckon I wanted ta ask ya more about yer boy Senor."

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce formulates a text to Yao Lung and sends it off before replying to Al.  "Senor?  He is a right bastard for sure.  A sadist with his women and very mean.  He is very driven and mission oriented when working.  Ruthless is a good word for him.  I have not slept with him so have no real experience personally about his talents in that area, but he does have a reputation.  I would expect that he will be hanging back and following us to the artifact before making a move, especially if there is any risk.  If we lose any strength in getting control of the artifact he will be in a better position.  I will be monitoring our surroundings to see if I can find him and keep track of him."

[adamu]

Al couldn't help but wonder if she didn't sometimes say things just to get a reaction from him.

If she knew the reaction he was having every second he was with her, if she knew the way his head was aswirl with the scent of her damned ponytail right now, if she knew how he was ignoring miles of majestic jungle scenery just to look at the back of her neck...well, she didn't. And that was that, at least for now.

He just said, "Well, we jist gon' have ta be better'n he is. An' that means assumin' he could have eyes on at any time."

Content as he was just to while away the remaining time looking at her and the jungle, he remembered that she had neither scenery nor someone beautiful to gaze at. So he regaled her with stories of North Africa, mostly his first run-ins with the Tuareg, but by around dusk that got him to talking about Islam and the hadith, and he was describing a paradisiacal oasis on the Arabian Peninsula, down near what had once been Yemen, when the lights of Chi Pat came into view.

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce nods, "I am already assuming that he could have eyes on.  I took some time yesterday morning to try to muddy the water for him by editing the file at the bus terminal to indicate that you and I had purchased tickets for the northerly route out of Phnom Penh and then went to buy things, sending a delivery drone to the same northern location while using an alternate identity to buy the things that were delivered to us."  She shrugs.  "It may work to delay him a bit along our trail, but I am sure that he has eyes on Ling Tse Tau and the others and will follow them out to Andoung Tuek.  But I think that we are alright until that time.  Still, I am keeping a watch and Sasha should let me know if someone shows up in the village."

Alyce enjoys the sound of Al's voice and lets him tell his tales.  She is genuinely interested in his many adventures and her questions indicate that she is paying attention.  "You have certainly lived a fascinating life, Al.  I am sure that there is more before North Africa and after as well.  Perhaps you will share those stories some day."   

Small huts built among the giant trees and extending over the water on stilts begin to appear on both sides of the river and boats are seen with greater frequency as Sangha and his passengers approach civilization.  Misha's sensors alert Alyce that they are approaching a village that can only be Chi Pat.  Located near the navigable terminus of the Preak Piphot, Chi Pat is much smaller than Andoung Tuek, but certainly large enough to be called a village.  It boasts a small store and post office and no fewer than two bars, one located in the very small Chi Pat Royal Hotel.  The hotel's claim to fame is that a member of the royal family stayed there on a tiger hunt.  That event was a hundred and eighty years ago, but to the owner it means he can use the name.  It caters to the small number of tourists that actually come this far inland, usually hardy individuals interested in backpacking through the Cardamom Mountains and a handful of transients that work on a government mine located some two hours by helicopter to the east of the village.  The mine has a small permanent operation in Chi Pat that consists of an office, storage facility, helipad and maintenance hangar for the single small personnel helicopter and the much larger transport helicopter that runs freight to the mine and ores from it.  The office doubles as the freight dock for the single large boat that makes a trip to Andoung Tuek every two weeks with the ores and brings supplies and facilitates the changing of personnel.  The mine buildings are protected by razor wire-topped fences and decent security systems, to include two dogs and eight guards that live inside the warehouse in a small barracks.  While technically part of the government security forces, these soldiers care little about the locals except for the black market alcohol and prostitutes they can provide and do not get involved with local disputes.

Besides the mining compound and the hotel, the village consists of a number of businesses and about forty private dwellings.  A government operated store and post office is located directly across from the dock.  It provided the only real communications with the outside world any of the locals can get and there can sometimes be a line of people who want to pay to use one of the several commlinks available there.  A small market area with several stalls sits near the public dock, with several of the shacks close enough to the water that they have their own boats tied up to the lanai that surrounds them on the waterfront.  A bar catering to locals and the hardier mining employees that want something more than what the hotel bar offers lies just beyond the market.  About half of the houses are located on the east end of the village and the rest on the west. 

Sangha pulls up to the local dock area and ties up amidst the rest of the boats there.  He assists his passengers from the boat and points down the muddy road to a building he identifies as the hotel, telling them, "There is Royal Hotel.  Should find room there.  I go to relative, but not enough room for others.  Always best tourists stay hotel.  Much music, much laughter, maybe other tourists or miners.  I recommend stay inside, or at least in main part of village after dark.  Some crazy men come live just north in huts.  Hate all tourists.  Actually hate everyone."  He turns and points to a small grouping of stalls, explaining, "There is market.  Small but can find many things there if look and have money.  Much black market.  More and better than Trader Jim, but more expensive.  Some alcohol for miners and others with money to buy.  Some drugs, too.  Arrange for new girls for mine camp and Wang Sun's, that sort of thing. Just past market is Wang Sun's place.  Is bar for locals.  Most locals not welcome at hotel bar so go Wang Sun's.  Better fun, with strippers and whores, but be careful if go.  Some nights is rough crowd.  I hear you talk at Trader Jim's about maybe expedition for professor.  Good chance find men at bar who look for work to carry supplies and be guards.  Trader Jim not all crazy; something bad out there, but no one knows what.  I hear relative talk of big bad thing that scare people, who are the crazy people I mentioned earlier.  If still want leave tomorrow, must leave here by maybe noon to get Andoung Tuek for dinner.  Leave later with current on side for faster travel.  See back at boat by noon."  After getting nods from Al and Alyce, Sangha smiles and heads off up the road, leaving his passengers to fend for themselves.  Al and Alyce head to the hotel, drawing looks from the locals in the street and at the small open market, some of the vendors waving them over to look at their goods, even at this hour.

The hotel is really quite small and much deteriorated from its heyday when it served as a jumping off point for royal hunts.  Most of the lobby decorations are hold-overs from the French colonial days or even older, with no seeming prevailing theme other than a sad attempt to give an impression of quality.  The pillars supporting the vaulted ceiling are chipped and badly in need of a good paint job.  The inadequate attempts at repairing them are completely visible.  The entire rear portion of the hotel has fallen into ruin and only eight rooms total are currently available for rent, and Al finds seven of those already occupied.  The man behind the registration desk speaks the national Khmer in deference to his guests, most of which are government employees.  He is a youngish man who likely realizes that he is in a near dead-end job with no real prospects of improving his lot in life.  Instead, he gives off an air of superiority, clearly believing that the coincidence of his being born in Phnom Penh puts him several rungs higher than the locals in Chi Pat.  Al signs for the room and is completely not surprised to hear that it is on the second floor and there is no lift available nor any bell service.  They are told that the full service bar also provides fine meals.  The kitchen closes at nine PM, but the bar does not close until three AM.  The manager tells Al that two hikers and seven mine employees are currently guests, with the miners providing the loud noise coming from the bar as the hikers are out at present.  Al thanks the man, who has addressed all of this information to Al while completely ignoring Alyce other than to make a quite obvious attempt to get a good look down the front of her shirt, which she has left accidentally unbuttoned when leaving the boat.  Heading to their room they find that, once again, there is only one bed, but it is of a size that both of them can fit in it comfortably if they desire to.  The bathroom is a communal facility down the hall and the single shower there is first come first served.  Alyce looks at Al and says, "Well, the place has its good points and bad and is certainly like a lot of places I have stayed in at the edge of whatever jungle I was about to head into.  So, do you want to go out looking around?  If you do not mind terribly, I am thinking of some of the 5-star cuisine advertised in the bar kitchen and then sitting in one of those comfy looking chairs in the lobby with a good book."

[adamu]

Dropping the pack she'd given him onto the floor, Al sensed she was looking for some time to herself. He reckoned everyone needed some, himself more than most. Besides, he feared that the likelihood he'd say or do something impetuous was increasing exponentially with each consecutive hour he spent with her, so after all day on the boat, he was in dire need of some time to get his head together and hit the reset button.

"Nah, that's groovy, baby, you jist go on ahead. That dinner ya whipped up last night done ruined me fer the local fare. Reckon I'll jist be drinkin' my supper tonight. Right after a quick combat nap." He flopped down on the bed, muddy boots and all, and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again his 'link told him an hour had passed, the miners next door were still tearing their royal room apart, and she was gone. He took the opportunity to apply his medicine. The bleeding seemed to have mostly stopped, so he chanced putting on one of the T-shirts she'd bought him, stuffing the old blood-stained one into a separate pocket of the pack.

So he got up, went down the hall to use the toilet, and headed downstairs. Worked his way slowly around the periphery of the spacious but dilapidated lobby, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sort of 'book' a blind woman sits in a comfy chair to read, but she wasn't there. He assumed she must just be in the dining room and he was on his way out, when he realized he just couldn't take any chances. A quick peek in confirmed that she was indeed eating safely, so he ducked back out without bothering her and was on his way. 

He took the long way around the village to Wang Sun's. Checked out the mining compound. Being government-affiliated, this was a different outfit than the one he'd worked for, which had been a bit farther up the range, just on the other side from here of where the four villages sat. He'd known about the place, but never mixed with the crews. He and his mates had always gone up to Trapaeng Rung to party.

Wang Sun's was just the sort of dive Al felt most comfortable in. He commenced drinking right away. Alone, which was his habit. Like Sangha had said, it was a rough crowd, but he didn't come across as prey, and people weren't yet drunk enough to fail to notice that. Found himself a spot with a good view of the strippers, although he figured you couldn't really call them that since they were starkers from the moment they walked out to the moment they walked off. So he tried labeling them as dancers, but that didn't work either since they didn't do any of that. Mostly just struck pornographic poses in front of whoever passed them scrip, or else the little tokens the place sold to use for tipping them. A couple of the more talented ones would put a little flourish into their moves when they shifted from one fecund, submissive pose to the next, but that was the extent of their artistry. Once he'd categorized them, he was dead bored. Which surprised him slightly, since he had, after all, just gotten out of prison. But just as Alyce's cooking had ruined the local food for him, well...he wasn't seeing anything here in the bar that could compete with his memories of the night before.

Still, there were other amusements. He played some cards, and won a bit without cheating. The game gave him the chance to talk some, and he found out the best place to go in the morning to find the sort of people he was looking for. The miners he'd played with hinted at some ugly goings on they'd heard of out in the bush, but they didn't associate with the Pearics and had no real details. Just that the locals were spooked, and some were running.

Ultimately, however, his mind was working overtime on ways to outfox this Senor fellow and the best ways from here up to the nearest village. He turned to haggling with some local guys over some mapsoft updates they'd done themselves over the past six months or so - crude work, but lots of useful notations on recent path erosion and predator sightings, along with latest news on minefields, both active and 'cleared.' Then, seven beers and nine cigarettes after arriving, he tossed his winnings at whatever girl was currently splayed out on the stage, and walked out into the evening, unsure where his feet would take him.

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce leaves Al on the bed and returns to the lobby, walking through it to the bar and dining area.  Several men called out when they noticed her, recognizing a tourist when they saw one.  Alyce immediately noticed that the bar was the real focal point of the hotel as AROs jumped at her, advertising everything from the current bar and kitchen menus to what the going rate for a girl from Wang Sun's would be by the hour or the evening.  Alyce noted that a local girl could probably do well as a whore here as the prices were more representative of a European brothel than an edge-of-the-jungle STD trap, probably taking advantage of the money the government was paying the mine supervisors that stayed at the hotel when off shift.  She takes a seat at a vacant table, of which there are several as she is the only guest to use one.  The remaining four patrons were sitting at the bar, telling stories that mostly seemed to involve which whore was the best and how much she had been pleased.  One man was confiding in the others about banging away at the cute young wife of the hotel manager.  He had had to give her "presents" that added up to more than what he would have paid to one of Wang Sun's girls, but the chance of disease was less and she was prettier.  And apparently more into kinky sex stuff since the whores were pretty much the do it and leave type.

Alyce, satisfied that the men at the bar are not Azzie spies or particularly dangerous unless she chose to sleep with one, called up the kitchen menu.  While perusing its somewhat surprising list of options, half her brain considered what she has just learned about herself.  Weeks prior, she might have gone to the bar and engaged in some verbal and visual teasing of one or more of the miners there, probably ending up in the bed of one.  Or two.  Tonight she is not even interested.  Her mind keeps going to the man on the bed upstairs and her pulse quickens when it does.  What is so damned attractive about Al that has her so befuddled?  Goodness knows that he is completely not her type, but something about him just has her all twisted up inside.  And it must be bad if she accepts that he is tied to another woman somewhere and still thinks more about jumping into his bed and giving him a shag he will not soon forget than about other, more available men.  She shakes her head, trying but unable to get him from her mind.  Frag it all.  Her breasts are growing taut and her body is reacting to just thinking of being in bed with him.  For two nuyen and any sort of hint from him that he wanted her, she would be in his arms in a skinny second.  Hell, she would do it even without the two nuyen.

She allowed herself a small luxury of imagining what it would be like wrapped in his strong arms and feeling his lips touch hers, stopping only when she realized that going any further down this mental track would have her running upstairs to toss her clothes off and see just how loyal he is to the other woman.  And not being the snake that ruins a relationship is her only deal breaker.  She comes down from her semi-high and orders a meal.  The service at the restaurant is better than she had thought it would be; the young man that comes to take her order is polite and willing to see to her needs, offering up several suggestions of what is actually good on the menu.  Alyce takes one of the suggestions and is pleasantly surprised by how good it is.  She sends her compliments back to the chef after enjoying the meal, leaving a very nice tip for the waiter.

After finishing her meal, Alyce walks back out to the lobby and plops down in one of the old chairs, enjoying the feel of the plush old leather that reminds her of her shop back in London.  She opens the top grade leather cover of the well worn book she has brought from her pack and sits down to read "Pride and Prejudice", one of her favorites.  She settles back in the chair and allows her fingers to dance over the raised Braille symbols on the pages, soon lost in the cross-class struggles of the two protagonists of the time-honored classic.  She could recite almost every word from memory, but there are some times when a good book is very comforting, and she needs that just now.  Knowing that she is liable to get lost in the story, Alyce sets Misha to act as her lookout while reading.

No one disturbs the pretty woman in a chair and she reads for a long time, unwilling to guess what sort of things Al might be doing and trusting that he will remember what he is here for.  Suddenly, Misha alerts her to a young man running into the lobby, although the warning from the drone is hardly necessary.  The man runs to the manager's counter calling out for help.  "I need a doctor.  A doctor.  Who in the village is a doctor?"

[adamu]

Alyce closes her book and walks toward the young man who is trying to rouse the night manager, who seems to be missing from his post.  As she gets closer, a young man comes out of a back room, tucking his shirt into his pants and frowning.  Misha is in a perfect position to have its sensors catch the form of a naked young woman in the room and transmits the image of the day manager's wife to Alyce before the door shuts.  The night manager angrily tells the obviously distraught young man to shut up and quit bothering the guests.  As Alyce closes the last few steps, the man quiets down and, in a calmer voice, says "We were coming in off our hike and walked through the Pearist camp to the north.  It was the shortest route, and anyway I do not see what everyone is all stirred up about them for.  But one of the women in the camp is trying to deliver a baby, but there is something wrong.  Sue has some first aid and offered to take a look.  She left the tent with a worried look on her face and told me to run for a doctor.  I rousted the man in the village that runs the clinic, but he refuses to go out to the camp.  He was swearing in the local dialect and I could not make out many of the words.  I thought that you might know of someone who could help."
 
The manager looks pained and backs off a step.  "I am sorry, sir.  But if the doctor at the clinic cannot help, then I do not know of anyone else who can."
 
"But the man you call the doctor is obviously drunk and I would not trust him to put a Band-Aid on a cut finger."
 
The clerk shakes his head.  "I am sorry sir, bu............................."
 
Alyce interrupts, saying, "Perhaps I can be of assistance.  I am a trained physician and, although not an obstetrician, I have delivered a number of babies in my time in similar conditions.  Let me get my medical kit and I will be right down.  Please wait to guide me as I do not know where this camp is."
 
"Please hurry." is all the young man can say as Alyce heads at a hurry up the stairs.  As she reaches her room she is sending a message to Al.  >>Hey.  There is a medical emergency at the Pearist camp outside the village and I am going out to see what I can do.  If you want to come with me, I will be leaving the hotel as soon as I get my kit, but that may still give you time to get her if you are close.  If you arrive after I have left, just use your 'link to follow the GPS code I am sending you.  Alyce.<<
 
Alyce grabs her pack and leaves the backup drone to watch the room, while ordering Misha to follow her.  She slings the pack across her back rather than take the time to get the kit out and heads back down to the lobby, where the young man is standing at the open door to the outside.  The night manager calls out as she passes, "You making mistake to go there.  Is dangerous people.  Stay hotel where safe."  Alyce ignores the manager and nods at the young man near the door as she reaches him and he leads the way out of the hotel.

[adamu]

Al was squatting on a rotting bit of abadoned wharf amusing himself by poking at a lazy croc's snout with a stick when Alyce's text came in. He'd heard about a camp of Pearic people outside of town, but hadn't been able to think why they were there and not in their villages. They were normally so insular. He'd meant to check it out as it might relate to what they were here for, or at least have to do with some hazard they should know about.

Apparently he wasn't going to wait until tomorrow.

He thought of sending a reply on the commlink, but he hated the damned things, and he wasn't far off. He ran hard, covered half a click in about a minute, and when he got outside the hotel he looked in and saw her on the other side of the lobby, just coming down the stairs. Realized he was standing beside a white kid bouncing impatiently from foot to foot. The kid moved to meet Alyce the same moment Al did, and then Alyce came up and introduced them. They explained the medical emergency as they walked.

The short trip took them through the most disadvantaged parts of Chi Pat. Hovels thrown together out of corrugated metal siding and old billboards where they could be had, or just stretches of lashed-together bamboo coated with dried mud. Babies seemed to be crying everywhere, weak plaintive wails. Drunken men's voices angrily quashing women's sobs could be heard occasionally. Teenage boys crouched in shadows, waiting for prey. Seeing the squalor around him and then glancing up at brilliant, unblemished starfields, he could see where man had gotten the idea that heaven was above and hell below.

Then they were on a muddy track winding through trees. The stars were replaced by blackness overhead. And all around. The kid had a flashlight, without which Al would have been totally blind. He thought of the irony as Alyce forged ahead as if there had been no change at all. The trail wasn't long, breaking into a wide clearing lit by torches. All tents, no structures. They were the sort of handmade shelters the Pearic tribes used on hunting trips or pilgrimages. Most of the people were not wearing Western clothes - it was clear they had only recently left their homes in the mountains. Nearly everyone was clustered around one tent.

A blond girl in her twenties emerged. Her hair was cut short, and although dressed in old-looking trekker's kit, she had healthy skin and good teeth. Corp track college kid was Al's guess. The boy gave her a hug and said Alyce was the doctor.

"Thanks so much for coming. I don't know what I'm doing here, but she's in a lot of pain and she's been bleeding just so much. I've kept her warm, elevated her feet, and kept some crazy old lady from cutting her open with a flint knife," she explained in a rush, motioning Alyce inside.

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce is used to the squalor of the villages located on the edges of nowhere, filled with people that had no where to go, but were getting there fast.  She would love to fix the problems, but knows from past experience that most of her help would be unappreciated.  Medical help is usually another story, but even that can have repercussions.  All to often the good intentions of those wanting to improve the lot of others backfires with horrendous results.  Alyce has grown to be careful about interfering in the lives of native tribesmen, but some things she just cannot ignore and damn the bloody consequences.   

It is a strange twist of fate that darkness is a true friend to her and an enemy to those that can see and must use torches or lights of some kind.  Her ultrasound sensors and enhanced hearing allow her to "see" the terrain around her and hear the various noises of the rainforest and tell her pretty exactly where they are coming from and how close they are.  Alyce is very glad for Al's company, as there are indeed dangers on the path, and some dangers walk on two legs and prey on anyone they think is weaker.  Several times they pass small groups of idle men just waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting, the ones too drunk to defend themselves, or those too weak to do so, but Al's presence prevents any inconvenience.  These threats diminish once they are on the trail and only have to worry about the flora and fauna of the area, something Alyce is much more capable of dealing with.  Alyce slows several times while walking and stops twice to snap some leafy branches from the underbrush before moving on.   

The camp is pretty much devoid of any sort of electronics, other than the 'link from the hiker girl that is broadcasting an ARO to help guide them in.  Alyce listens to the other woman tell the story as she shrugs her pack off.  She nods at the young woman and ducks to slip into the tent.  She hears lots of grumbling and questions in the Pearic dialect and grimaces again in the wish that Renraku would get off their asses and catalogue some of the odd dialects of the several thousand languages they had on file.  She hears Al talking in the same dialect and hopes that he is calming people down.  She also hears the woman whisper, "Alan, where did you find her, and why the frag is she wearing sunglasses at night?"

"Maybe I put my super suit on and flew to London for her.  Maybe I put an ad in the local matrix job line.  What the fragging difference does it make where I found her, Suzie.  You said go find a doctor and I found a doctor.  And how the hell do I know why she is wearing sunglasses.  Maybe she is blind or something, but she moved along the trail better than I did.  Maybe it is like those glasses of Professor Lippus back at university, remember him?  Could see all kinds of things with them, or so he said.  I used to think he could see right through your clothes, the way he stared at you.  Does it fragging matter as long as she can do the job?"

This was followed by a laugh from the girl.  "No, I guess not, but don't be flippant with me, Alan.  And why would old Lippus need to look through my clothes in the first place?  He already knew what I looked like.  Remember?  That is how you scored that A on your final chemistry project.  He gave you a grade bump from the F you deserved for your incompetence for every time I let him fuck me, plus twice more to make sure the grade would stand up to scrutiny.  And don't harp on that.  You screwed the project up so badly that I had to let him screw me.  Get past it.  You are just lucky to have a wife that is willing to strip and fuck to save your grade and your ass.  Your Corp daddy might not have been happy to see you fail, so I saved your fancy Corp job, too."

Inside the tent, Alyce senses a woman on some mats on the ground with her feet elevated, surrounded by several people sitting near her.  One of these starts yammering in words she can barely make out one in ten of.  She calls for Al over her shoulder, "Al, I might need an interpreter in here, please.  Try not to say anything unless it looks like I am in trouble."  This is not the first time that Alyce has had to deal with a tribal shaman or witchy woman or voodoo priestess.  She puts the pack on the ground and takes the plant branches she picked on the way in and begins to wave them over the pregnant woman, chanting in Latin as she uses her senses to try to see what she can of the woman's condition.  There is an "Ahhh" in unison from the women gathered in the tent and they leave her alone.  Alyce hands the branches to the sharp-tongued woman who had challenged her, who continues to wave the branches about and chant as Alyce opens her pack to remove her medkit.  Again with the clamor from the other women in the tent, most loudly from the witchy woman, but Alyce takes the branches and waves them over the kit as she mumbles a bunch of Latin words.  The volume immediately dies down again as the rest of the women begin chanting in their dialect.   

Alyce continues to chant and wave her branches over her equipment as she begins to hook it up to the pregnant woman.  She summons one of the young girls in the tent to hold the branches so she can use two hands to make the final connections.  Running a diagnostic, Alyce finds what she had been afraid of.  Not turning to Al, she says, "This is your chance to leave, Al.  This is very bad and I could lose both mother and child, which is likely to get these people very angry with me, with some pretty unpleasant results.  You will be associated with the guilt if you stay and things go south.  I don't expect you to take my advice, but there it is."

[adamu]

"Well I am sure as hell glad ya added that last bit, sugar, cuz if I thought you were implying I'd ever leave ya out here I'd have ta put ya over my knee right here in front of all these savages an' slap some sense into ya."

He answered without looking again into the tent. He and all eight of his siblings had been delivered by midwives or else older sisters at home, but it was damned certain there were never any men present for the proceedings. Just being in earshot made him feel uncomfortable.

"Now you jist carry on doin' what you do, an' I'll take care o' the peripherals." He looked over at the bickering couple. "An' you two, good job ta this point, but unless one o' y'all can interpret Chong fer Doctor Galore here, I'll thank ye ta take all that shameful pillow talk outta my hearin'. Yer distractin' me."

He tuned into the conversation inside the tent. "Old crones is mighty impressed with your mixin' the mystical with the medical. They won't bother ya none. An' if things do go south, they ain't nothin' here I can't handle."

Still, he wished he hadn't left his weapons in Andoung Tuek.

[Mercy Merchant]

She does not hear the tent flap move and smiles to think that he is willing to stick it out with her.  She hears the young man, Alan whisper to his wife, "Hey, maybe we should leave or we could get caught in the backlash if something goes wrong."

This is followed by the sound of a slap and a much lower whisper.  "Grow some balls, Alan.  Why can't you be like that man?  Don't see him backing out of this do you?  No, that's because he is a real man.  God, you are so much like your fragging father.  If it wasn't for her bedroom skills, he'd still be a glorified stock clerk."   

Inside the tent, Alyce says, "Al, tell the witchy woman that you are speaking for me.  That is important as she will probably ignore you if you are speaking for yourself.  But I am almost like her and that at least allows me to help.  I will explain what I am doing and you will tell them if necessary."  Alyce pushes some buttons and the kit begins to send anesthetizing drugs into the woman then removes some instruments from the sterile storage trays and carefully begins to cut her open.  This is surgery that she has done many times, often in places just like this.  She includes the tribal woman in the surgery by showing her where to cut with her stone knife, using her innate skill to assist, while giving Al the words to say to make her feel that she is an important part of the operation.  She motions to another of the women in the tent to begin handing her instruments as she needs them, allowing Al to interpret for her if she cannot get the concept across.  Finally, she reaches in and does some real magic with her skill and her instruments, relying on her ultrasound and heightened senses to let her see what is going on and her years of practice allow her to accomplish a miracle.  She lifts a baby boy from the womb and presents it to the witchy woman to be snipped from its mother and cleaned.  She watches as the infant is wrapped in a blanket and passed out of the tent to a soon roaring crowd, then turns to do the real miracle. 

There is enough blood already lost that Alyce drains several of the kit refills in her effort to save the mother.  The witchy woman works alongside her and offers advice on procedures by pointing and making finger motions, many of which make complete sense to Alyce.  The girl waving the branches has to be replaced as her arm tires, but the old woman stays in for the entire time, even demanding that one of the other women be available to wipe the brows of herself and Alyce when they start to bead with sweat.  Two miracles in one night is a lot to ask for, but Alyce makes it work, taking three hours to have the mother ready to be sewn up.  After accomplishing the nearly impossible, Alyce finally sits back on the mat and gladly welcomes the fermented whatever offered her and gulps it down.  She looks the old witchy woman in the eye then bows to her, thanking her in Latin for her assistance.  The woman does the same in her language.  Neither can understand the words of the other, but the emotion and the meaning come across just fine.  Alyce motions for the current branch waver to shift to her equipment and she begins the process of disconnecting the medkit from the new mother.   

Once done, Alyce crawls to the tent flap and emerges into the night air, standing up just in front of Al as he waits.  She is spotted with quite a bit of blood and her hair is a mess, but she is smiling.  The witchy woman stays inside the tent to care for the new mother.  One of the other women darts past them from inside the tent to pass the news of the mother's survival to the rest of the waiting crowd.  Alan and Suzie are surrounded by grateful tribesmen and are busy drinking deeply of the fermented drink.  A life has been saved and a new life brought into the world.  Alyce is glad.  She reminds herself that THIS is what she took up medicine for.  THIS is what is important.  At that moment she looks up at Al and blurts out, "I think that you would make a great father."  Then, embarrassed as hell, she moves off into the crowd of people celebrating, catching up another of the fermented drinks on the way.   

Al is surrounded by what seems to be the entire group of villagers, who are wishing him well.  At some point in the celebration, he finds the young woman hiker in front of him, two drinks in her hands.  The buttons of her shirt seem to be superfluous and have been opened and Al is presented with a view that leaves very little of her breasts to the imagination, even the pink aureoles are visible and the nipples themselves almost.  She looks up at Al as she offers him one of the drinks, "You know, my guess is that you are staying at the Royal, like us.  Alan's stamina is weak and he will be asleep within minutes of getting back to the room.  All this excitement, poor man.  That leaves me.........unsatisfied...........for the night.  Would you be interested in helping me out?  I am sure that both of us would be well satisfied."  Al cannot help but glance at her.  She is perfectly shaped and has perfect teeth and hair.  Her eyes are steamy pools of liquid sapphire and her lips promise an excitement that Al is certain her body could live up to.  Alyce's physical form is far less perfect than Suzie's, but when he pictures the two side by side, there is no comparison.  He will not let himself have the blind physician unless and until the moment is right, but he is too into Alyce to even think of bedding this woman in front of him.  "Sorry, darlin'.  Got my squeeze already lined up."

Al walks away from the perfect-looking woman in search of the perfect woman, or at least the one that seems to be a close approximation of one.  His walk is interrupted by several natives who offer him some drink and further congratulations.  One slaps him on the back, causing near instant pain and Al grimaces and moves in reaction.  Fortunately, he realizes that the man is not trying to hurt him and recovers.  Alyce, who was standing behind them when this happens notes Al's reaction and files it away in her capacious memory.

[adamu]

Momentarily unable to see Alyce in the celebratory press, Al glances around, straining to see over the heads of people that are mostly taller than himself, and when he finds her gathers her up in a protective arm as they are swept along. "We gon' drink with these folks fer a bit, see what they know an' why they's down here. You stick close."

Feeling her body against his, Al was tempted to forget that she'd said the one worst thing that a woman ever could to him, but he couldn't unhear it, and his defenses went to DefCon4.

But the way he was still wanting her, he wondered if there was maybe a DefCon 7 or 8 he could go to.

Then, remembering her mad hearing capabilities, he looked around to make sure the corp degenerates were out of earshot and added, "An' sorry ta misreppersent our association - had ta git that teeny-bopper off'n my six."

[adamu]

Alyce is actually surprised when Al finds her and wraps an arm around her.  She had been kicking herself for saying what she had.  She waited for an opening to try to explain, but liked the feel of his body next to hers too much to want that to end.  Finally, the crush of people eased up a bit and some of the fermented whatever drinks were thrust into their hands and Alyce could not put it off any longer.  She turned to face Al, but kept her head lowered so he would not see the tears.  "Listen, Al.  What I said back there?  It was totally out of line and inappropriate and I apologize for saying it.  I do not know enough of your private life to say such a thing and am embarrassed that it slipped out.  I guess I got way too caught up in the moment.  I will try to not let that happen again."  Then the words he had said penetrated her brain and she looked up, wiping at her face as she did.  "I don't understand.  Do you mean the hikers?  What did you say to them?  I must have been too far in the crowd to hear it."
 
Before Al can really answer, a tall native approaches, his face one large smile.  He yammers on at them in the Pearic dialect and Al is forced to translate.  "He says that he is the father of the boy you delivered and the husband of the woman you saved.  He is very glad that you came along.  He says that he is happy and surprised that people like us would help without asking for money first.  He is not used to that sort of treatment."  During the next hour, Al and Alyce sit and talk to the man.  They are interrupted a few times by others who come to thank them and then stay to talk.  Soon there is a group of five men in the small circle, passing around more of the drink and talking.  Al tries to translate for Alyce as much as he can.  He finds out that the people here are definitely from the various Pearic villages to the north and they are fleeing some horrible curse that has come to their lands.  From what is said he pieces together the story.
 
The villagers have always known about the ruins in the mountains.  From what they say, three big cities of many stone houses sit on the mountains, with many smaller ruins about them.  Many of the buildings are rubbled down to the ground, but there are some that are better preserved and have withstood the ravages of time and weather.  The Pearic people believe the civilization that lived in the ruins must have angered their gods and been destroyed.  It is discouraged, but not uncommon for young tribesmen to challenge the ancient gods of the mountains and one must have gone too far.
 
Two boys from a neighboring village had disappeared in one of the small ruins and the village shaman and some men had gone looking for them.  What they found was horrible.  Both boys had been found laid out on a stone altar and gutted.  At first it was thought that wild animals had done it, but the cuts were too regular and the bodies had been left untouched except for the missing organs.  In fact there was no sign of any sort of scavenger in the area, as if they knew not to come there.  The shaman had sent the bodies back with most of the men and had ventured deeper into the building in the center of the small clearing.  The building was empty of any life, but they did find a book in what must have been the largest intact room.  It was sitting on a pedestal and open to pages of writing they could not make out.  The shaman lowered his torch and set the book on fire before they left the building and returned to the village.
 
And that was the start of it.  The shaman had wakened with a nightmare, screaming words in a foreign tongue.  Not a strong man, he managed to throw off several of the other men and fled into the rainforest, still screaming.  Men followed and he led them on a chase that should have been impossible for a man of his advanced age and deteriorated strength.  Eventually the men came upon him at the ruin.  He had a large book in one hand and was talking to a strange beast that shimmered in the moonlight.  Turning, the men could see that the shaman was not the same man any more, simply a shell occupied by something else; something wrong.  Three men threw spears to kill the creature that was the shaman, but they fell short, stopped by some force.  The shaman raised his hand and the beast next to him fell upon the men, killing them and eating them.  The other men were too afraid to move and waited to be killed as well, but the shaman stayed the beast and told the men that he was now their god and would spare them if they took his words to the tribes.
 
After that, the tribes were forced to provide men to rebuild the temple in the clearing and women to satisfy the rapacious sexual appetite of the shaman.  Villagers that resisted were killed by the monster and soon he had them all cowed and prisoners in their own lands.  The shaman promised some sort of revelation when the temple was complete but some of the tribesmen did not want to find out what that revelation was to be and fled their homes, taking their families and all that they could carry.  Chaos reigns up in those mountains and all these people want is to find a new home, which is why they are at Chi Pat.  Some tin miners had been working a couple of mountains over and there had been some trade between them and the villages in the past.  When some villagers went to the miners for help, they were promised places to live if they provided all their gold and gems to get there.  Three men had taken their treasures and led them here.  They had laughed when asked about the new homes and had left.  The local people did not understand the Pearic dialect and laughed and threw stones at them when they came to the town to try to get food or passage somewhere else.
 
The three miners had made several trips now, always promising homes to the villagers they found and then abandoning them here.  The last group had arrived just this morning and the miners were at the bar in town to celebrate before going back out for more.