And that fit the theory she was starting to evolve, too. They sounded like a mercenary commando team—but her thakur wouldn't do such a thing! He wouldn't set her up for a particularly unpleasant death … would he? Suddenly she wasn't sure. One of the less pleasant things she had done for him was to set up a—well, not a frame, the man had been guilty—but a trap for someone who had gotten in Jason's way. It had, indirectly, led to the man's death…
"I'm disturbing you," the doctor said. "And that is something you do not need. A tranquilizer, if you permit, would help."
Dana felt a brief flash of amusement at a doctor asking permission for a treatment—but this was Sandeman, where medical treatment was kept as unintrusive and respectful as possible even with an unconscious patient, and never went beyond that permitted by a conscious one. She nodded. "I think I'd like that, Doctor. Thank you."
"None needed." The doctor went to a wall cabinet, prepared an injector, and used it, then left as her patient fell asleep again.
Dana didn't recognize the w'woman who was in her room the next time she woke, but she didn't have time to ask for an introduction; she saw her thakur sitting beside her bed, scanning a tape.
Monitors apparently alerted the w'woman; she turned to Jason. "Your 'na is waking, Mr. Jason. If you wish to speak to her alone, I can monitor from outside."
"You needn't bother, Nurse," Jason said, putting down the tape-viewer and standing to look down at Dana, his expression mildly regretful. "It's too bad we had to be rescued early, thakur-na. I did try to give you a heroic death; sorry it didn't work out."
"Thakur?" Dana didn't want to believe what she was hearing, even though she'd half-suspected it. "I don't understand. Have I done something wrong?"
"No, at least nothing you could help," Jason said calmly. "You've simply outlived your usefulness. I thought I owed you the satisfaction of a trip here, then the belief that you were dying to save me; you were worth that much effort. Still, the fact remains: I wish you to leave me. I no longer need you."
Dana was stunned by the cold finality in his voice. He knew what he was saying, too, what he was doing—he was condemning her with an Imperial English paraphrase of the High War words that were a thakur's way of telling his 'na, "Thou hast dishonored me."