The corridor outside sick bay was crowded. The captain had ordered everyone without a good reason to be there to clear out. Strangely, most of the crew had found a good reason. Or an excuse, anyway. Seth had made the claim, maybe only a slight exaggeration, of being Ivan’s best friend and a source of moral support. The captain had raised an ironic eyebrow, but allowed it.

Seth could hear Doc Kemp’s and Ivan’s voices muffled by the wall, but couldn’t make out words. At least it meant Ivan was alive, conscious, and relatively calm. Seth took a deep breath. He felt an unreasonable degree of guilt for going along with Ivan’s desire to dig up the thing. He should have known better. Whatever condition Ivan was in now, it was Seth’s fault.

The doctor walked out of sick bay and closed the door. He looked around at the dozen people crowding the corridor, then fixed his eyes on Captain Jennings.

“I’ve given him a sedative. Right now, all he really needs is rest. His arm is a mess, but there’s no obvious sign that the substance penetrated the suit. Everything is consistent with exposure to vacuum. Bruising, hematomas, some scrapes from the rough treatment, a bit of chemical burn from the amount of sealant used. All things being equal, he’ll be back to limited duty in a day or two, and full duty in a week.”

“Can we see him?” Seth asked. Maybe if he could assure himself that Ivan was okay, this feeling of dread would go away.

“Not a lot of point. I gave him one of the stronger sedatives in my arsenal. He’s out, and will be for at least six hours.”

“Just for a moment?”

Dr. Kemp looked at the captain, who nodded. With a bob of the head, the doctor indicated that Seth should enter sick bay. He held up a hand when the rest of the crew tried to follow. “Sorry, no. Just the one.”

Seth turned to his crewmates, nodded in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, and went through the door. Ivan lay on a cot, a white cream covering his entire right arm. His head was turned slightly to the side, his mouth hanging open. He wasn’t quite knocked out, but he wasn’t quite just sleeping, either. There would be no discussion today.

Seth’s crewmates straightened up as he came out, and several started asking questions at the same time.

Seth held up a hand. “He’s out cold, like the doc said. He looks healthy, except his arm’s been through a ringer. I’ll trust the doc on his prognosis for the arm. Let’s just wait until tomorrow.”

He followed the rest of the crew back to the lounge, his head hanging. It hadn’t helped as much as he’d hoped.

* * *