Mindbridge by Joe Haldeman Read Free Book Online Page A

Ch’ing’s suit.”
    They shuffled and climbed into place, after Tania scratched a 120-centimeter circle to guide their arms and legs. “Four minutes.”
    Like the first time, the transition was abrupt. One instant, they were looking out over the dirty-milk river; the next instant they were falling from a meter or so above the floor of the Colorado Springs LMT chamber.
    “We have life,” Vivian said, before Jacque had even hit the ground. “Need a chamber at twenty-eight degrees, pressure point eight nine four. The following mix: nitrogen, point three five seven; argon, point two nine seven . . .” This would be the preliminary environment for the creature; they would be able to match the ambience of Groombridge exactly after analyzing the samples the Tamers brought back. “. . . and a source of circulating water, a tub. The creature is semi-aquatic.”
    “And we have a fatality, Tamer Ch’ing. Undiagnosed suit malfunction.”
    Before going through decontamination, they had to wait for an analysis team to come take charge of their samples. It took a while, since most of the scientists had to be routed out of bed-nobody had expected a milk-run training mission to come back with organic material.
    The autopsy team, though, was ready and waiting.
    Finally they went through the room of mirrors and cleansing lights, into the ready room. The cranes lifted off the top halves of their GPEM’s and they scrambled out to an orgy of backscratching. Then hot showers and clean clothes, a quick physical exam and some real food. Then six hours of rest before debriefing, while the analysts surveyed their accumulated data.
    Jacque set down the totally naked bone of a ravaged pork chop. “Uh, Carol . . .”
    “Sure. Should be fun.” She poured herself another glass of wine and passed the carafe down to Vivian.
    “You know-“
    “I’ve been waiting an hour for you to ask.”
    “And I’ve been waiting for you. After all, you asked Ch’ing.”
    “He would never have gotten around to it. I was curious how long it would take you.”
    Jacque raised his glass. “In the interests of science, then.”
    She joined him. “Pure research.”
    “One of you lovebirds pass the salt?”
     
     
16 - Autopsy
     
    TO:            Medical Research Group, AED Colorado Springs, Westhampton, Lyon, Nagpur, Mengtzu, La Rioja, Charleville
    FROM:      Johnathon Legman, M.D., Ph.D.
                Andre Barnett, M.D.
                Miriam Kophage, M.D., Medical Research
                Group, AED Col Spr
    RE:            Autopsy of Tamer 1 Hsi Ch’ing
     
    Abstract
    Tamer 1 Hsi Ch’ing died on his first translation, a training mission to a fairly earthlike planet of Groom-bridge 1618. The mission was highly unusual in many respects. Not only was the planet quite viable for geoformy, but one of the animals the Tamers discovered seems to function as an amplifier for telepathic communication (preliminary report attached; Appendix VIII).
    Tamer Ch’ing died at 21:32:47.6, 17 August 2051. The GPEM attempted to diagnose the cause of death but was unable to, and so communicated to the supervisor “Death due to undiagnosed GPEM malfunction,” and then froze the cadaver for later analysis earthside.
    Our bioengineering section has checked out the GPEM very minutely, and reports that it is functioning perfectly. Its data crystals show no indication of malfunction at the time of the Tamer’s death. The diagnostic it communicated to the supervisor can also be interpreted “Cause of death unknown.” (Appendix III)
    Our examination of the cadaver was similarly negative. Tamer Ch’ing was in excellent health on 16 August 2051 (See pre-translation physical, Appendix IV), and the cadaver likewise showed no symptoms of illness or trauma not directly attributable to postmortem freezing.
    Biometric data just prior to death are ambiguous, and can be variously interpreted as indicating death due to cardiac