Akajûji, Mô Hitori

("Once More, the Red Cross.")

Apparently the Red Cross symbol is not public domain. Oh, but it gets better. Turns out that using it without the permission of the International Red Cross is a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

All those pre-2006 first-person shooters could result in trials in the Hague. Who knew?

The public-domain first aid symbol, by the way, is a white cross, on a green field, somewhat inaccurately known as a green cross. Its use is specified in ISO 7010.

It is perhaps needless to say that that's what the humans in my book use for med-kits (it actually comes up, there's a scene where the alien cop is binding wounds he gave a couple prisoners while subduing them, in a human hotel). And it would be the health-packs in a video game of the book, should such ever exist.

PS. Remember how I said the International Red Cross is not the same thing as the American one? Yeah, well, for example, the American Red Cross recognizes the existence and legitimacy of the Mogan David Adom (Red Star of David); the International one doesn't. Couldn't possibly be because the International Red Cross is actually the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, right?

Incidentally, there used to be a Red Swastika, too (it's a Buddhist symbol, and no, it doesn't matter which direction it rotates), but it's not really used much anymore. 'S too bad, that symbol needs to be more prominently reclaimed from Nazism; its legitimate uses predate the earliest references to Germanic languages.