Chapter 20: Unhealthy Visitors

~~ August - Week 34 ~~

Terry commed Sean that they had visitors.

He had picked up the group coming in across the grasslands from the west on his trip up to the ship on Monday morning. A group of thirty-eight people made up of Burgis, Pix and Prol’s were turning up on their back doorstep.

Lee suddenly asked Sean to call up his troops. Nine were still on the planet. She called Kyle, Tony, Philip and Haf. Lee also asked for Doc Von and nurse Grace. She also wanted a medical scanner to be put on one of the platforms. Sean didn’t argue, and his team collected two of the portable scanners.

They also made sure they had their weapons and spares for the others in the party. They piled on jerry cans of water, food and six of the ten-man tents and portable lights. They took several lingers, each towing a platform out to meet the people coming in.

Lee suggested they wait at the opening of the passage. The construction crew had cleared an open area in the forested front of the passage through the mountains to make it more visible. Her medallion was warm on her chest. She thought at Kyle and asked him if his was too. He thought back that it was.

They watched the decrepit looking people make their way up the hills to the passage. When the visitors saw them blocking the pass, most of them sat down in the clearing with their possessions. They were obviously tired, and they were a dejected-looking lot. They were scruffy and dirty from travel. Lee guessed they had come a long way.

One of the Burgis males stepped forward. “We are seeking the Lord Wizard, and we ask for sanctuary,” he said.

Lee stepped forward. “Why do you require sanctuary and where are you from?” she asked.

Doc Von had been watching the visitors settling down. Suddenly she stepped up beside Lee, “Lee, they can’t come in.”

Everyone looked at the doctor, surprised. They weren’t in the habit of sending the locals away. Doc Von pointed to one of the children. The child was curled up in its father’s arms. It was shaking and mumbling. One of the women was wiping its brow, and she was obviously worried. The child had small sores on her hands and face.

“I believe she is contagious. I don’t know what she has, but until I do, I don’t believe it is safe to let them in,” Von continued.

“Please, we came a long way to get here. We were told you would take us in,” the man pleaded. He knew his chances of getting help for these people were slim. No one liked to let sick people into their village.

Haf stepped up to Lee and said, “They are run-a-way slaves. I believe they are from the Village of Vander on the west coast. The de Bou’s oversee it. It is a very large settlement, and eight Genteli families control that region.”

“Yes, we are from the Vander region,” The spokesman admitted. He could see no point in lying. The rumours said the Lord Wizard knew if you lied to her.

Haf continued, “I have heard that the de Bou’s are not good to their slaves. They even raid other villages and take people by force. They do not abide by Keltria laws. They believe they can do as they wish.”

The spokesman nodded and said, “We used to live in a little village further to the south of Vander. But Carl de Bou decided to expand his holdings. He told us we worked for him. Those who didn’t agree with his rule were killed and left hanging for us to see.”

“We hadn’t had much contact with his people. Then they bought the sickness with them when they moved into our village three months ago. We once numbered nearly two hundred, but the sickness went through the people like fire. We fled, hoping to outrun the sickness, but the children started to get sick ten days ago. We lost the two babies on the way,” The spokesman said sadly and hopelessly.

“What is your name?” Lee asked him. His grief and suffering were evident, and she believed he was telling her the truth.

“It is Murri Mac Dow, my Lord,” he replied.

“Murri please have you people sit over in that clearing. We will set up our facilities and examine your people and see if we can help,” she told him.

“Thank you, my Lord, thank you,” he said and bowed with relief. He got his people moved. They sat dejectedly in the shade and waited whatever fate was to be dealt to them.

Sean and everyone else quickly set up the tents. The doc wanted two set up on one side, and the four set up further away. She hoped that not all of the people were sick. They set the scanners up in the first tent. They had only bought one decon-unit and put it on the Doc’s tent. Doc Von and Nurse Grace suited up.

Sean sent some of the troops back to get more resources for fitting out the tents and to get some decon-units for the other shelters as well. He also wanted a portable washroom, a kitchen, and tables and chairs.

Lee suggested they get some spare clothes, as these people will have to have theirs removed. Sean commed Terry and asked him to bring them all environ-suits and a portable medical waste incinerator from the ship when he bought Doctor Yates and his gear.

They placed a heap of food and the water down the road a small way. Then they told the visitors to help themselves. No one was game to get to close until the doc told them, what was wrong with the visitors and they had the environ-suits on.

Doc Von had Murri bring the child she had first observed into the tent. She had him strip in the decon-unit and drop their clothes into the hopper on the side. Murri was a bit disconcerted to have to strip in front of the woman, but the Doc told him they couldn’t help his people if he didn’t. So, he complied and removed the clothes from the child and himself. Von activated the decon-unit.

She made him put the child on one bed and then get on another bed. She ran the scanner over the child. She then ran the scanner over Murri.

She commed Lee, “Lee, it’s some variant of Smallpox. The child is still contagious. She is very sick, and I don’t like her chances, but I’ll try. Murri must have had it when he was younger and has immunity.”

“I can try using his antibodies to make a vaccine. Normally we use a live strain from a related less virulent virus, so we can immunise those not infected. They will have to stay here until it runs its course.”

“We never did find a cure, and we don’t have the vaccine on board the ship. There hasn’t been an outbreak on Earth for decades. Most if not all us, are probably susceptible,” she concluded.

“Okay, I’ll get hold of Dr Yates and get the transporter to get him down here so he can start working on the vaccine. You find out how many are contagious,” Lee replied grimly.

Von moved the child to a bed in one of the partitioned rooms, and they had Murri stay with her, while Von checked out everyone else. She got the child’s parents next. Sean turned up with a heap of small-sized jumpsuits, and Murri was happy to be clothed again, even if in the strange suits.

The transporter was able to land on the other side of the pass, and Sean’s people ferried all the gear through to them. Terry had gone back to ship. He had landed again in case Lee needs him. They were all happy to get the environ suits on.

Some worked on setting up the decon-units on the other the tents. Then they loaded the tents with camp-beds and blankets.

The rest set the washroom up and put a decon-unit on one entrance. They made all the people who were not obviously sick enter the decon-unit strip and put their clothes in the incinerator and then go shower with the special soap they would be given.