Taking Rasmus's directive to heart, Tierney went to the bathroom to clean herself up before seeking out Commander Arrat. There was no mirror, but a smooth panel of metal wall reflected her enough to see the bags under her dark eyes and her wild brownm hair. None of the Relicans she had seen wore their hair longer than an inch, so there was little hope of coming across a brush anytime soon. Hopefully her own things had made it to the cart as scheduled -- even if she hadn't -- and with any luck she would soon be able to work out the snarls that were making it almost impossible to get her waist-length hair into a smooth braid. As for the bags under her eyes, the only remedy for those was a good night's sleep, something that had eluded her for twenty-six days now, ever since the Relicans made first contact.

It took her a moment, but she figured out how to turn the faucet on, and put her hands under the water, preparing to splash her face. But when the liquid began to fill her cupped hands, it felt slimy -- more like soap than water. Letting it fall back in the sink, she saw that it was oil. A clear, warm oil that coated her skin and smelled like baking flour.

That makes sense, she thought as she turned off the faucet. The Relicans' skin consisted of significant amounts of metal. Water plus metal equals rust, so no wonder they didn't willingly douse themselves with it. And as she searched in vain for a towel, it became clear that they didn't wipe the oil off either.

"When in Relica..." muttered Tierney, rubbing the oil into her skin.

A pair of boots had been provided for her, but they were far too big, so she went barefoot instead. The faint vibration in the iron grate floor was comforting anyway, reminding her of the first time she'd been aboard this ship, and the first time Tausson had touched her, in the anti-gravity room.

The thought of Tausson resurrected her anger at his sudden arrest, and she went over to the door. When he had shown her around, Tausson had pointed out a part of the steel wall that had a symbol -- two circles, overlapping like a Venn diagram, with an ivy-covered sword centered between them -- painted on it in white.

"The Relican Squad crest," he'd told her. "Behind every one is a hidden control panel that may be used for emergencies, in case a Squad member's mechasuit is damaged or malfunctioning."

Tierney's had apparently been programmed so she could only use it to call the command center, but that was all she really needed to do. She firmly pushed on the center of the crest, and the panel popped out slightly, enabling her to slide it open the rest of the way and reveal the interface. Using it like Tausson had shown her, she called for Commander Arrat.

A light beneath the button switched on as an emotionless, computerized voice said, "Command Center, Communications Officer."

Uncertain of the correct protocol, she put on her best Chief of Staff voice and said, "This is Tierney Dawson. I would like to speak with the commander, if she's available."

"The commander is in a meeting, Miss Dawson."

Tierney could hear the Relican speaking his own language in the background as his translator spoke to her, and she wondered how he'd known to answer in English.

They must be able to see which room is calling, like a hotel.

"When will she be available?" she asked.

"I estimate that her current meeting will last approximately... one Earth hour. Whether she will be available for you at that time, however, is up to her."

Sounds like something I'd say about Nelle.

"Okay, well, can someone please tell me how to get to the Medic Lab?"

"I'll send someone nearby to escort you."

"Thank you."

Hardly a minute later, a taciturn but otherwise pleasant Relican woman showed up at her door and brought her to the Lab. It looked similar to most medical centers she'd seen on Earth, with one room of about a dozen beds, another room off of that with lab tables and medical equipment, and a spare office with a metal desk. She didn't see Aspri anywhere, but a few of the beds were occupied by patients being tended by Relicans in brown or light gray mechasuits. Nelle, one of those patients, waved Tierney over when she saw her.

"They said you made it," she said with tears in her eyes, "but I couldn't believe it until I saw you. How are you holding up?"

"Me?" Tierney asked with a laugh. "I'm not the one with broken hands and feet. How are you?"

The President held up her hands, both wrapped in gauze that looked like it was made of the same spun copper as the clothes both of them wore. "They say I'll be completely healed in a week, thanks to some kind of light ray healing technology they've got, but even that is too long. I've got to get back down to the cart. I've got some words for Caleb that cannot wait."

Tierney had her own choice words for the Vice President, but she doubted either of them could say anything that would make him confess. He was undoubtedly the mastermind behind their last minute kidnapping, but Jonas Spade, the Vice President's Chief of Staff, had taken the blame. Now he was gone, exiled -- with the Vice President's approval -- to some planet called Melea, along with the two Secret Service Agents who had locked her and Nelle in a closet and left them there to die when the asteroid struck Earth.

"How did he get Jonas to confess so quickly?" asked Tierney. "It couldn't have been more than ten minutes between your arrival on the Irral and mine."

Nelle shrugged. "It must have been part of the plan. I didn't know that Commander Arrat was speaking with him through her mechasuit transmitter when we arrived, and before I even said what had happened, Caleb said Jonas confessed. Chief Raleth had apparently mentioned to him that if a Relican criminal admits guilt right away, they can be exiled instead of imprisoned, so Jonas said that's what he wanted."

A nearby door opened, and Aspri emerged, followed by two Relicans, a silver and a woman. Another couple who was waiting by the door greeted them with a smile and wave, then stepped through, followed by the Senior Medic.

"But without a trial?" Tierney asked, returning to their conversation. "Without us even getting a chance to convince him to implicate Caleb?"

The President rarely let her emotions show, but right now she didn't bother hiding her frustration. Speaking in hushed but fervent whispers, she said, "I was whisked away to this bed before I fully understood what was happening. That idiot doctor wouldn't let anyone see me until he was satisfied that my condition was stable."

She scowled in the direction of the now closed door that Aspri and the two Relicans had gone through. "So Chief Raleth coordinated directly with Caleb," Nelle continued, "and I didn't get any real answers until Commander Arrat was allowed to see me. I thought Jonas and the Secret Service Agents had left immediately, but apparently they didn't actually leave for Melea until about an hour ago. If I had known they were still here, I would have demanded to speak to them."

"We can't make them come back?" asked Tierney. "The Relicans really overstepped their jurisdiction here, and the Vice President has no authority to just ship people off. Those three should have stood trial."

"There's no point. We have no evidence against Caleb, and the reality is that whatever deal he made with those three must be good enough to keep him out of it."

"But --"

"I'm not letting Caleb off the hook," said Nelle, cutting Tierney off, "but we have more important things to focus on right now. As far as the U.S. government and the Relican Squad is concerned, the matter is closed."

Though it was far from closed for Tierney, she let the subject drop. For now.

The same door opened again, and the male and female Relicans emerged, smiling politely to Nelle and Tierney as they passed.

"People have been going in and out of that room all day," said the President.

"What's it for?"

"I have my suspicions," Nelle said with a frown.

When she didn't clarify, Tierney changed the subject. "Do you know what's going on with Tausson?" she asked. "He was arrested, but that pig of a Protection Officer wouldn't tell me why."

Nelle's face darkened, but before she could say anything, Aspri came out of the mystery room and went straight towards them. Sounding bored, he said, "Visitors must vacate the Medic Lab now."

Though he had the same bronze skin tone, the Senior Medic had nothing else in common with Rasmus. Where the Protection Officer had towered over Tierney with his hulking shoulders and square head, this man looked to be about her height, with a soft, pudgy body that his skin-tight white uniform hugged unflatteringly.

"She can stay," countered Nelle. "We're not done talking."

"If she stays, she will be in violation of RMR 6-14 and removed forcibly." His own voice sounded as flat and unsympathetic as his translator.

Nelle looked like she was about to argue, but Tierney had already heard and seen enough to know that there was no arguing with this man. "It's okay, Madame President," she said, giving heavy emphasis on the last two words in hopes of getting this doctor to treat Nelle with some respect. "I'll come back later."

"Next visiting session will not be until tomorrow morning," said Aspri, opening the main Medic Lab door that led to the hallway.

Tierney made a point of giving Nelle a long hug, then went over to the Senior Medic. Glancing toward his office, she looked for a computer screen that might be the key to how Tausson's bio-signs were tracked. She didn't see anything except a desk, so, trying to keep her tone casual, she asked, "How do you monitor her health? And the health of the crew, for that matter. I didn't see any computers near her bed."

"I will send the scanner manual to your lodge," was his reply. And with that, he all but shoved her through the door.