te--definitely not the
compound--unarmed. I'll make that--"

"Captain?" Odeon interrupted.

"Yes?"

"If I were you, I'd have them armed any time they leave the ship. And
I'd have Miss Conley sent one of those blasters as soon as possible."

DeLayne frowned. "The Brotherhood's that dangerous?"

"Probably not here at the Lodge, as Colonel Cortin said--but we don't
know how they'll react to the Empire's presence, and I don't think we
should take any chances."

"Neither do I. Okay, I'll make the announcement and put it in the
standing orders." DeLayne turned to the guard. "No one's to leave the
ship without a sidearm, Corporal; pass that on to your relief. I'll
make the all-hands announcement as soon as I show Captain Odeon to
Sickbay."

"Aye, sir."

Odeon wasn't sure what he'd expected the ship's interior to be
like--similar to an airplane, maybe. Once they got past the airlock
and a series of large lockers, though, what he saw could have been the
inside of a large, modern building. If he hadn't just watched it land,
he wouldn't have believed himself inside a vehicle. "Your guard's
uniform was black--a Marine?"

"Right. SecuDiv--sorry, Security Division; I doubt you know our
abbreviations--like all the ones assigned to Columbus." DeLayne smiled
at his guest. "I'd better warn you, Captain--my medical people will
probably want more from you than a blood sample. I don't know how your
people feel about doctors, but don't let Drulet intimidate you into
more than you're comfortable with."

"I won't. I don't have anything against doctors; I owe my life to
several of them." Odeon paused, thinking. Joanie was taking them into
the Empire, which knew even less about the Kingdoms than the other way
around, so-- "Since you've got to start learning about us, too, I'll
go as far as a complete physical--provided it doesn't include the use
of any drugs."

"It doesn't. He'll be delighted."

* * * * *

The examination didn't take as long as Odeon expected, less than three
hours, but it was the most complete he'd ever had--and the least
understandable. The doctor tried to explain, but Odeon didn't have the
background to make sense out of body scans, biochemical and genetic
analyses, or other procedures. After a bit he told the doctor so, to
Drulet's amusement. "Okay, Captain, no more jargon. I'll wait till
we're done and just give you the results, okay? If you want them."