Dark Horse by Michelle Diener Page B

that kind of thing could surely have been delegated to someone else?” Dimitaraʼs shoulders relaxed, and she turned, unclipped a chair, and sat.
    Dav sighed. “I take full responsibility. It never occurred to me once to offer her anything. I think I had a vague thought that we shouldnʼt do so, in case she reacted to anything, because Kila may be a trained medic but sheʼs not capable of handling anything like that. But since we arrived on the Barrist , we could have given her water while she was being tested in the med-chamber. It didnʼt cross my mind.” He paused, and then said what heʼd feared since Havak had first called him out on the issue. “Was she too afraid to ask?”
    Havak shook his head. “She claims she was too stressed and overwhelmed by events to think of it. She doesnʼt blame us at all. Says itʼs all her own fault for not asking.”
    Dav swore. “Now I feel like a swamp worm.”
    Havak rubbed the back of his head. “No more than I did when she said it.” His face hardened. “She also didnʼt blame the guards you got to escort her to her quarters for not showing her any of the features of the room. She says itʼs her fault again for her interaction with them in my med-chamber. In her words: They couldnʼt get away fast enough.”
    “I didnʼt specifically ask them to show her how the room worked, but youʼre right. They didnʼt show any initiative, and they certainly didnʼt show any compassion.”
    “I trust youʼll speak to them?” Dimitara raised dark, angry eyes to his.
    Dav raised a brow at her presumption. This was his ship. They were his people to command.
    “I understand, you have many, very vital, duties to perform, but understand that you have on board a person who lived on that Class 5 for three months. Someone from a world we donʼt have any idea about. Someone it would be good to have as an ally, from everything Iʼve seen of her, rather than someone with a grudge against the United Council. She doesnʼt seem to blame you for her treatment since she was rescued on Harmon, but sooner or later sheʼs going to get used to her freedom, get used to not being treated like an animal or an experiment, and start to feel a little unhappy if the attitudes Iʼve noticed against her continue.” Dimitara folded her arms and tapped her long, slender fingers. “You are at fault, as well, Dr. Havak. I heard you call her an orange to her face.”
    Havak blinked. “I did? When?”
    “In the med-chamber, after the incident with Dr. Revilʼs child.”
    Havak obviously didnʼt recall it, and Dav gave a curt nod in support of Dimitara. Blew out a breath. “Agreed. We have high ideals, but now that the very first unknown advanced sentient in half a millennium is in our midst, we seem to be having trouble following them. Iʼll talk to the guards personally.”
    “Speaking of advanced sentience,” Havak finally unclipped a chair himself, “I would be willing to swear sheʼs from at least as advanced a civilization as ours, judging by the way she adapts to our technology. She obviously hasnʼt seen the inside of a Grih ship before, but she worked it out at lightning speed and with very little awe.”
    “She says her people arenʼt as advanced as ours.” Dav frowned.
    “She said that to me, too. But when I asked her how she seemed to be so comfortable dealing with things that must be very new to her, she said they didnʼt have our technology yet, but they had imagined it.”
    “What do you mean, imagined ? All together? Like a hive mind?” Dimitara leaned forward, eyes wide.
    Havak shook his head. “Unless my equipment is completely unable to deal with her physiology, I donʼt think sheʼs part of a hive mind. She says the ideas of imagined worlds and technology are distributed in the form of written and visual comms.” He tapped his chin. “And something about buying a piece of clothing.”
    Davʼs low-level headache spiked. “Another mystery.”
    Dimitara gave a grudging nod.
    Davʼs