Nearly half a mile of walkway lay behind Eyan and Relda.
"If they're free, then why did Ozla have to die getting the medallion for payment?" Relda wanted to know.
Eyan activated a door. He made a circular motion with his wrist, which ended with his hand flat in front of him.
"After you," he said.
Relda peered into the chamber, blinking in an exaggerated manner. Fluoro-tubes greeted her by gifting her with a throbbing headache. A cushioned sleep pod draped with linens was held in place by a light beam.
"She refused to enlist them," Eyan said. "Make yourself comfortable on the pod. The nurse will come in a minute."
He disappeared into the walkway, and a tall, shapely creature with orange skin and stubby horns replaced him.
Images flashed through Relda's mind. The trading port. The orange-skinned creature with stubby horns, a shapely figure, and a glittering bracelet. Relda, learning it was worth three years' wages for the middle class. She fingered the bracelet again; this time with numb fingers. She gagged, but it didn't relieve her aching stomach.
"I thought you were a businesswoman," Relda managed.
The nurse fluffed up Relda's pillow and said, "I was. I was showcasing my company's most expensive bracelet. I lost it, and my boss fired. So I went back to my old profession: nursing. I love it. Really, I do."
Relda stared at the wall through foggy vision.
"Nurse," she said. "There's something I need to tell you."