Metal Boxes - Trapped Outside

Metal Boxes - Trapped Outside Read Online Free PDF

Book: Metal Boxes - Trapped Outside Read Online Free PDF
Author: Alan Black
Tags: Science-Fiction, Space Opera, Military, Science Fiction & Fantasy
followed him from Butcher’s office into the corridor. She glanced over his shoulder at his dataport, checked her own dataport, and slipped an arm through the crook of his. “Gosh, Midshipman, I mean, Ensign Stone. I have to go to medical, so we might as well walk there together.” Her grin was more predatory than sexy.
    Arriving in the medical corps section, he was greeted by yet another new doctor. Since all three of the military commands used Lazzaroni Base as a transient point, his medical records had ping-ponged around to half a dozen doctors passing through on their way to somewhere else. This doctor met him in the waiting room, not even bothering to let him sit and wait. She didn’t seem to care if anyone waiting for appointments heard her or not.
    “I’m Lieutenant Senior Grade Doctor Menendez, your new physician for the time being. Where the hell have you been, Midshipman Stone?” She stared at his medical file, flicking through dozens of pages and charts. She glanced back at the rank tabs on his shoulders. “Dammit, are these the right files?” She shouted at no one in particular.
    Stone was about to reply when Ryte interrupted, “Ensign Stone was promoted just a few moments ago, Doctor.”
    “No one tells me anything. Who the hell are you, Petty Officer?”
    “Tammie Ryte, sir. I’m from communications and I have data requiring hand delivery to you about your next deployment.”
    “Next—? I was told I would be here for—never mind.” She shouted at a corpsman. “Get Doctor Triplett back in my office. She’s around somewhere, just stepped out for coffee or something.” She waved for Stone and Ryte to follow her. “That woman is a real pain in my…” Her voice faded away as she realized where she was and who was with her. “Civilians! What are you going to do?”
    Stone was soon completely lost as they wandered through dozens of corridors, turning every direction until he would either require a guide or his dataport to tell him how to get back to the navy section of the base. When they arrived, an elderly civilian woman in a long white lab coat already occupied the tiny exam room. The woman was obviously annoyed, but refused to look up from her reader.
    Stone wondered why he needed to be seen by another doctor, a civilian one at that. This woman must be a specialist of some kind called in to consult with the Military Medical Corps. She was too old to be military, but had the lean, wiry look of a long distance runner despite her shoulder length grey hair.
    Ignoring the woman in the room, Menendez ordered Stone to sit, pointing at the exam table,. He didn’t mind being examined with multiple people in the room. He was often examined, poked, and prodded by groups of medical corps and researchers, each claiming he was ill, whether he said he felt fine or not. Still, PO3 Ryte had followed along and he wasn’t comfortable even talking about his medical issues with a low ranking communications NCO in the room, certainly not a pretty, sensual one. He couldn’t say why she made him more nervous than the others, she just did.
    Menendez gestured toward the civilian woman in introduction. “This is Doctor Triplett. She is the Empire’s preeminent xeno-biologist and the leading expert on your drascos.”
    Stone snorted in derision, not even bothering to cover up his mockery. This civilian could claim to be an expert, but he was the only one who had lived with drascos in close quarters for more than a year. He knew things most scientists studying drascos could only guess at. Even Danielle Wright was more of an expert having been the only person to autopsy a dead drasco. Triplett could only review Wright’s files.
    Menendez turned to Ryte. “Give me the files and get out.”
    Ryte nodded, opened her dataport display, tapped a few files, and with a finger, flicked the files at the doctor’s dataport. She said, “I also have some special files for Doctor Triplett.” She threw files at Triplett’s
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