[during the tour of the infirmary]
Elizabeth stared, caught speechless, at the scene before her. She had been following along with the tour, supposedly to keep an eye on the delegates and ensure that none of them accidentally wandered off or decided to engage their curiosity on what certain buttons did at some of the stations. Her mind had began to wander, as she was more than familiar with the areas of the ship that the Captain was taking the group through, and she had not been particularly resolute about reining it in.
Although her exposure to the Star Blood had been chiefly limited to some second-hand accounts in the galley and his behavior during this tour, she did not feel she was being particularly unfair in considering him an arrogant waste of ship's air and power. Not that she held the warmest feelings for Hope either, but Hope was part of the crew and the Captain appeared to trust her. From what Elizabeth had seen, it seemed as if Hope might also be the Captain's confidante about many matters, but she really had no solid proof of that. She tried to imagine being a friend to someone so . . . distant.
The sight of the Star Blood and his aides nearly falling to their knees in front of Hope was not only completely unexpected, it was almost surreal. The entire of Hope being treated as some kind of goddess or something was more than strange—it bordered on the surreal. Elizabeth knew the basics about the Aerians—that they were tenuous allies—but had not yet furthered her education about them. With Hope on board, she had meant to, but something else always seemed to come up. Short of a direct order from the Captain to do so, she knew that it was likely she never would have found the time—until now.
She caught Devereux's expression, realizing that the Captain appeared almost every bit as astonished as she was by what was happening in front of them. That stuck her as both unusual and a little bit humorous. With all the trust she seemed to put in Hope, it seemed strange that the Captain would not have a better understanding of Aerian culture and behavior. Maybe, she considered, no one really understands Aerian behavior. Except maybe the Aerians. Judging from Hope's posture (for her expression almost never gave anything away), Elizabeth was not convinced that Hope did either.
The entire party stood in discomfited silence. The Star Blood seemed to say something to Hope, but Elizabeth was too far away to hear it. She thought she saw Hope respond, but what she heard made no sense. She suspected that it might be a native Aerian language, but she had never heard it before, so could not be certain.
Moments passed while the group watched the puzzling drama came to a subdued end as the Star Blood rose from his knees, quiet and looking almost reverent. Gone from his expression were the earlier haughtiness and disdain. He and his companions stood before Hope, but not looking at her, Elizabeth noticed. The group of delegates waited awkwardly, wondering if the ritual—if that is what it was—was over and that it was safe to speak or leave.
No one said a word aloud, but Elizabeth thought she heard some very quiet whispers among the delegates and their aides. It seemed to Elizabeth that Devereux was still trying to make sense of the situation, but also noticed that the delegates were beginning to get restless. Several cast uncertain glances in Devereux's direction, awaiting instructions from her.
Devereux did not seem to notice, so Elizabeth decided to take action before the members of the crowd began to act on their own.
"Captain," Elizabeth announced in a voice that she hoped would get Devereux's attention without sounding insubordinate. "The Chief says that he's ready for us."
Devereux turned and focused on her. The Captain seemed to relax and gave her a subtle, but grateful smile. Elizabeth felt a warm flush of satisfaction—and relief—that she seemed to have made the right decision.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Devereux said. The Captain straightened, regaining her customary posture of self-assurance. She gestured toward the hatchway. "Shall we proceed then?"
The delegates exchanged quick, but mostly silent, glances among themselves and then proceeded past Devereux into the corridor. Elizabeth trailed them, finally ending up standing next to the Captain. Devereux' head dipped in a slight nod, once again indicating her approval of the young lieutenant's actions. After looking back at Hope one more time, Devereux turned and followed the delegates out of the infirmary.
Elizabeth paused a moment as well and also looked back at the Medical Officer. Hope stared back at her, her expression revealing little as always. Elizabeth met her gaze, but after a few moments of learning nothing more, she too left the chamber.
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