"Right, lunch!" Jaff said, stopping the maintenance department cart outside Chullan's. He and his two colleagues piled out of the vehicle and strode to the counter. As they waited for food, Jaff smiled back at the cart.

He liked the little vehicles. They were supposed to be no more than slow-moving, electric trolleys, for hauling trailers of parts. But the maintenance workers considered it a matter of pride to modify them to squeeze out every last drop of speed. Not that anyone drove them recklessly where there were people around. But quiet sections of the station, well that was different.

A few people gave Jaff, or rather his two alien colleagues, odd looks, but he ignored that. Chullan served alien foods, they were welcome here. Jaff led them to a table beside Dr Sheni and Jasini.

"Hello, ladies," Jaff said, still milking being their hero after taking care of Sheni at the meeting. "Always a pleasure to see you. How's the cat, Mrs Jasini?"

"She's very well, Jaff. I hope we see you at the next club meeting. You've missed the last two."

"Always busy," Jaff said, "But I promise I'll be at the next one." He glared at his two colleagues, who appeared amused. "Something funny?"

"Of course not," one said. "What could be funny about the way you humans make yourselves the willing slaves of small non-sentient beings?"

"Well, you're not getting an invite to the next party." Jaff bit into his sandwich.

Conversation flowed between the two tables, for a while, until a buzz from Dr Sheni's Snapper interrupted them.

"Where's my damn earpiece." Sheni muttered, searching her pockets. "Oh never mind, you can all eavesdrop." She answered the call, letting the voice come through the Snapper's speaker.

"Dr Sheni? It's Lini." Jaff recalled Lini. Hard to forget her. One of Major Jax's girls, the one who'd come to apologise to Sheni right here. He hoped she wasn't going to start talking about cervixes again.

"Hello, Lini, what can I --" Sheni gasped and almost dropped the Snapper at the next sound that came from it. A woman's scream of pain. Everyone in earshot froze.

"Doctor." Lini's voice came again, breathless and scared. "I'm at the free clinic. There's a girl here, a drifty, in labour and it's all going wrong and those young doctors, I don't think they know what to do. They're shouting at each other." Raised voices somewhere behind her confirmed that. "I think you should come, doctor," Lini pleaded. "I really think you --" Another scream cut her off.

"I'm on my way."

Jaff stood as Sheni started to move away from the table. The old doc could hardly run all the way. The free clinic lay only one floor up, but then a maze of corridors to negotiate.

"I'll get you there, doc." Jaff took her arm and nodded at one of his colleagues. Between them they lifted her right off her feet and rushed her to the maintenance cart parked beside the coffee house.

While Jaff deposited Sheni in the passenger seat and she strapped in, his colleague uncoupled the trailer full of heavy parts. No doubt this counted as unauthorised use of department property, but screw that. Medical emergency.

Jaff jumped into the driver's seat, waved his colleagues and the gawkers out of the way and the small vehicle set off at an absurd pace. Sheni gasped at the speed. Even the electric cabs in the marketplace didn't zip around this fast. Jaff grinned at her.

"Hang on, doc, we'll be there in five minutes."

He made for the ramp that took them to the next level in a long curve, piled on all the speed he could and leant in the horn, to clear the path.

"Make way!" he yelled. "Medical emergency!"

It was that, and something else. Sheni rushing to the aid of the young doctors at the free clinic? However this turned out they looked bad. The free clinic looked bad. This wasn't just an emergency. This was an opportunity.

"Stand aside!" Jaff yelled as they hurtled on through the corridors, the motor whining in protest. He feared he could smell burning and hoped the damn thing would hold out until he reached the clinic. "Coming through! Medical emergency!"

They made the clinic in four minutes and the instant Sheni undid her seatbelt, Jaff lifted her out of the seat.

"Oh! Put me down, you idiot," she gasped. "I can walk!"

She didn't just walk, she ran into the clinic. A scream came again, from somewhere inside, weaker now than the ones they'd heard over the snapper.

"Doctor!" Lini ran up to them, took the doctor's hand and pulled her away. "In here! Quick!" The doctor and Lini ran through into the treatment rooms. Jaff didn't follow, knew he had no business in there. A door closing cut off the screams and the raised voices of the other two doctors.

Jaff glanced around, as the adrenaline rush of the race here began to wear off. He was in the waiting room. People sat around, frightened and worried looking. A small child cried.

"You lot might as well leave," Jaff told them. "I don't think you'll be seen today."

He walked away from the people, back into the corridor. Blue smoke poured from the engine housing of his cart, but he didn't care. He took out his Snapper.

"Vaz? There's a situation at the free clinic. You'd better get down here quick. Bring your notebook, man. This is gonna be big."