The Finder [ABANDONED]

Bhei Derapllin S^ellt

“Are you Lille Poole?” A voice asked from behind me as I walked into my tent on the twenty-third morning since my arrival.

“Yes. Name?” I asked without turning around.

“Yanaro Jibben.” I checked her off my list.

“You’re late!” I said as I turned around to face her.

“Cehyja unt Edon! Who released you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your Nuercooeth are still visible!” I have seen Humans with tattoos; they were all over Fort Irwin and the army surplus store. I have not seen a Human with Nuercooeth. Nuercooeth tell the story of our (which is to say Phynsae) lives.

“I don’t think so.” Yanaro shook her head, how could she not know?

“Come and see.” I reached into my tent for the mirror and held it up for her. She gasped, turned pale and sat on the ground with a thump.

“Hand me your file.” I ordered, and she passed it to me as if the answer to everything was inside – I very much doubted that.

I read her file, her predetermined Human life and the Phynsae reports as well. Everything from her educational achievements to her complete medical history.

Nothing!           

The only thing of interest was her age.

“You’re only a hundred and seventy-five?” Yanaro nodded weakly, she knows that somehow something has gone wrong; and that she cannot be deployed while her Nuercooeth are visible. I tap the file with my finger, I feel like I’m missing something. I collect a bottle of water from the little camp fridge and hand it to Yanaro.

“Drink.”

I look through the file again. Her age and her educational achievements...

“Tell me how you qualified for deployment five years early.” I order in the most non-interrogatory tone I can muster.

“I was a derapllin s^ellt, I needed more challenging work throughout my education... but I didn’t get it. They kept me in initial education as long as they could, but eventually I outstripped the educare I went to and I had to be shipped out to a vocational centre.”

My head shot up from the file when she said ‘derapllin s^ellt’

“Why is there no mention of your behavioural outbursts in your file?”

“You and I both know that educare behavioural records are expunged if you get through V.T. without reprimand.”

This is true; however in Yanaro’s case I suspect it has more to do with not getting caught.

Yanaro has been here for two hours and I still feel like I am missing something. Yanaro can think of no reason why some of her procedure would have failed. I am beginning to think that I am going to have to check her over with my portable mediscan.

“Finger on the little light, if you please.” I say as I connect the mediscan to the I.D.U. Yanaro does so silently, starting to realise that she is likely going to be sent home; and it is likely. I have another scanner that scans and interprets both Nuercooeth and Human tattoos. Both scanners ping – signalling that they are finished and have results for me – at the same moment. I look back and forth between the two completely impossible results.

“No, that can’t be right.” I say, more to myself than Yanaro.

“What?”

“I’ll recalibrate and scan you again.”