by Russell Fine
Anne called Glencet’s ship and a few moments later they heard him say, “Admiral Whitestone, how can I help you?”
Jeffery took Anne’s place at the console, pressed a button and said, “I have a question. While exploring a cave this morning my crew members found some humanoid remains, a skeleton and a few shreds of clothing. However, around the neck of the skeleton was a metal tag that identified him as a member of the military of the United States. That country hasn’t existed on Earth for almost eighty standard years. Do you have any idea how somebody from Earth could have gotten to Procolt 2?”
“We have not spent much time on Procolt 2. We only go there to replenish our water supply. Also, we have only been here on a permanent basis for less than two standard years. Ships from Coplent have traveled there far more often than we have, although we have not seen any ships other than cargo ships from Torblit and your ship since we have been here. I do remember hearing a rumor that some humanoids were seen on Procolt 2 many years ago, but I always thought it was just that; a rumor. Perhaps your friend Garlut can help you when you see him.”
“I’ll certainly ask him. Are you making progress with the samples I left you?”
“The box of chocolate is gone. Every member of my crew enjoyed it. I was hoping you could bring more before you leave. I gave the spice to my cook, who will use it in a cake. The power modules do seem to work as you described, but their electrical output is not suitable for our needs. When you come back with your engineer, we will explain to him what our requirements are. We would like you to tell us how much they would cost.”
“I’m certain the power modules can be designed to provide any type of electrical power that’s required. The trade group was going to send some people to Earth to help us price the products we’re going to sell. I’m sure that will be done before I return to Earth. I’ll let them know what you need and we’ll give Torblit a price. However, I won’t be back on Earth for almost two years.”
“That is not a problem. We all understand trading with new trade group planets is slow at the beginning. Since Coplent is helping you, please inform them of our desire to purchase the power modules and the chocolate. I wish I could have been more helpful regarding the human you found.”
“Don’t worry about the skeleton. I have a feeling Garlut knows something about it. When we meet again, I’ll bring you another case of chocolate.”
Glencet said, “Thank you,” and the connection was terminated.
Since there were no problems the first night, Jeffery agreed to let some of the guests stay in the habitat on Procolt 2 for the second night. The following morning it rained again, and Jeffery began to wonder if it was going to happen every day.
Once the rain stopped, Thomas and Beatrice went to search for another giant squirrel. Thomas thought perhaps he could make friends with the squirrel, so he took two carrots from kitchen storage before they left the habitat.
Daryl and her group of guests went to explore a different cave and Sheila went looking for more plants. This time one of the ship’s guests went with her.
It took Thomas and Beatrice nearly fifteen minutes to find a squirrel. It was standing in a clearing in front of a forested area, its light brown fur shimmering in the sunlight. They were approximately one hundred and fifty feet away and decided to stay out of sight by hiding behind a large tree. The squirrel was sitting on its hind legs looking around. Beatrice began making a video recording, and as they watched, the squirrel was joined by two more. One of them was much smaller and probably a juvenile. They were shocked when they saw what happened next. The squirrels began making sounds that almost sounded like speech. As they continued to watch it became obvious it was a rudimentary form of communication. They were speaking to one another! Then, much to their surprise, the first squirrel pointed at where Thomas and Beatrice were hiding and said something to the other two squirrels. Then all three squirrels scampered back into the forest and disappeared.
Thomas could hardly believe what he had just witnessed. He stammered when he asked, “Did we really just watch three squirrels . . . have a family meeting and talk about us?”
Beatrice replied softly, “It’s hard to believe, but that’s what it looked like to me too.”
“Did you record what they said?”
“I’ll play it back and check the audio.”
Beatrice played the video. The squirrel speech was loud and clear. They couldn’t understand any of it, but Beatrice suggested they ask Cathy to analyze the patterns.
“I think we should keep looking for more squirrels,” Thomas said.
“Absolutely.”
They decided to go into the forest to continue their search. A half hour later, they spotted two of the animals sitting on a log. Beatrice started recording the two squirrels and Thomas began walking slowly toward them. The squirrels saw him coming and began talking to each other, but they made no move to run away. Thomas took the two carrots out of his pocket, and as he walked closer, he offered them to the squirrels. The squirrels looked at Thomas, exchanged a few words, and waited for him to come closer. When he was only a few feet away, he crouched down and offered each of the squirrels the food. The squirrels both reached out toward Thomas and they each took a carrot. They smelled them and took a small bite. They obviously liked the carrots because they were both eaten within a few seconds.
When the squirrels were finished, they both looked at Thomas and said something. Although he couldn’t understand the words, he was sure they were asking for more. He said, “I’m sorry but I don’t have any more now. I’ll bring you more tomorrow.”
He turned around and started walking toward Beatrice and he heard the squirrels say something to each other, then they jumped off the log and began following him. When he was a few feet from Beatrice he said, “I wonder if they’re going to follow us back to the habitat.”
“Well, you did want a chance to study them to see if they’re intelligent. But I’m sure we already know the answer to that question.”
“I’m going to call Cathy and ask her to come down here.” He picked up his com unit and after exchanging greetings, he said, “I think we need your language skills down here. Can you come down on the next shuttle?”
“Sure, but I thought there was no intelligent life on the planet. Why would you need language skills?”
“You probably won’t believe this until you see it for yourself. We discovered some animals that resemble large squirrels with small hands instead of front paws. Beatrice made several videos of them speaking to each other! I’m hoping, perhaps with your assistance, we could learn a few words of their language.”
Cathy giggled into her com unit. “Is this a joke?”
“No, right now two of them are following us as we walk back to the habitat. I gave them each a carrot and I think they want more. If you want, I’ll ask Beatrice to send a video to you.”
“Please do that. I’ll get back to you after I see it.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting. Thomas out.”
Although Beatrice only heard half of the conversation, she realized Thomas wanted her to send one of the videos to Cathy, so she sent it immediately. A few minutes later, Thomas received a call from Cathy.
“This is very hard to believe,” she admitted, “but I’m sure you’re right. I heard several sounds repeated. They could be common words, names, or even phrases. I obviously don’t know what they were saying but there were definitely words being spoken. I have to talk to Admiral Whitestone about this. I’ll be down there as soon as I can.”
“Okay, we’ll be waiting at the habitat.”
Jeffery and Cathy came down to the planet on the shuttle. When they walked over to the habitat, they saw several of the crew members, including Thomas and Beatrice and few of the guests, standing in a circle. As they drew closer, they could see two squirrels inside the circle.
As they approached, they were greeted by everyone and then two of the crew members moved out of the way, so Jeffery and Cathy could ge
t a close look at these remarkable squirrels.
Thomas gave a carrot to Jeffery and Cathy. Cathy took the carrot, offered it to one the squirrels, and asked, “Would you like a carrot?”
The squirrel looked at her and said something. Then Cathy asked Beatrice, “Have you been recording them?”
“Yes, by now I have nearly two hours of video.”
“I want to study the recordings.” Turning to Jeffery she asked, “Admiral, can you get a supply of vegetables for me that I may give to them? I’d like to be alone with them and see if I can get some basic understanding of their language.”
“Yes, I’m sure I can get you all the vegetables you need. I think we have plenty of nuts aboard too. Are you sure they’re actually talking?”
“It certainly appears that way, sir. One of the classes I took in college was about how some of the early explorers in Africa and South America learned native languages. I’m sure the same principals apply here.”
“Okay, I’ll get you some treats for our new friends. After you learn to speak their language, ask them if they know how Mr. Brown came to be on this planet.”
“I know you’re joking, but I suspect their language may not have words to ask the question you want. Most simple languages only have words for things that are common in their environment. They may have no real concept of time and probably would not have the ability to understand a question like, ‘where did something come from?’ However, they may be much smarter than we think they are. I should know in a few days.”
“Okay, I want you to stay down here and work with them.”
“That’s exactly what I want to do. Thank you, sir.”
Cathy spent the rest of the day working with the squirrels. She showed them common objects and said the English word and noted the response. After working with them for six hours, Cathy thought that she may have discovered the words for tree, rock, water, sun, and food. In an attempt to teach them her name she was now convinced that in the mind of the squirrels all humans were “Cathy.” It only took them five minutes to learn her name and that was impressive. Cathy also learned their word for squirrel. It was “clorspo.”
As evening approached, it was apparent the squirrels were getting uncomfortable. They turned to each other and exchanged a few words. Then one of them turned toward Cathy and said something that included the word “clorspo” and they left. In a few moments they had disappeared inside the forest. Cathy didn’t know what they said, but she thought it was probably something like, “We have to go now, but we’ll be back tomorrow.” At least she was hoping that was what they said.
Cathy went inside the habitat and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. She sat at a table and sent a report on the day’s progress to Jeffery. She was very happy with the results so far. The squirrels were sentient, but she was worried they wouldn’t return.
After she was finished eating, Beatrice walked into the kitchen, got something to drink and walked over to join Cathy.
“I was watching you work with the squirrels for a while,” Beatrice said. “I was impressed with your ability and the intelligence of the squirrels.”
“I think they call themselves ‘clorspo.’”
“Okay, I was impressed with the intelligence of the clorspo.”
Cathy laughed. “I was too. I just hope they’ll come back tomorrow morning. They left in a hurry.”
“I’m sure they’ll be back. They like our food. There’s an extra bed in my room. Do you want to use it?”
“Yes, thank you. Please show me.”
Cathy put her dishes in the dishwasher and threw away the garbage. Then she followed Beatrice to the room.
Cathy fell asleep quickly, but woke up well before dawn. She tried to go back to sleep, but after fifteen minutes she gave up. She showered, dressed, and went to the kitchen to get something for breakfast. By the time she was finished the sun was starting to rise.
She walked outside and realized it was about to rain again. She went back inside and a few minutes later the rain started. As she watched the rain, she wondered what the squirrel word for rain was. After the rain was over, she went outside looking for the squirrels, but saw none. Somebody had brought a few plastic chairs down from the ship and she decided to sit down and wait for them outside.
She didn’t have long to wait. About ten minutes later, six squirrels walked out of the forest and came over to her. She set up a camera to record everything.
She watched as the squirrels came closer and then one of them said a few words to her. She understood two of the words: “clorspo” and “spol.” She believed “spol” was the word for food. She realized she had forgotten to bring out some of the vegetables and nuts Jeffery sent. As she started to get them, she saw Sheila walking out of the habitat with the food.
Sheila gave Cathy the box and said, “I thought you might want this. Is it okay if I watch for a while? I promise I won’t interfere.”
“Sure, if you want to. Just get another chair.”
“Okay.”
Cathy opened the box and found a bag of raw almonds inside. She opened the bag of almonds and took out a handful. She gave an almond to each of the squirrels who took and ate it, but two of the squirrels said “plor” to her as they took the nut.
Sheila asked, “Did they just say ‘thank you?’”
Cathy nodded. “I think so.”
After three hours, many carrots, and half a bag of almonds had been consumed, one of the squirrels walked up to Cathy and said something that included the words “spol,” “plor,” and “clorspo.” The squirrels then went back into the forest.
Cathy and Sheila walked back inside the habitat. Cathy sat down at a desk in the living room and said, “I think I may have enough information now to understand at least fifty words, perhaps more. This is the most exciting thing I’ve ever done!”
“Can you load their language information into one of the portable translators Garlut gave us?” Sheila asked.
“Yes, the man Garlut sent to install the communications system showed me how to do it. The problem is I know a lot of nouns, but no verbs so far. I’m hoping to add a few verbs to my vocabulary by the end of the day.”
Cathy and Sheila spent the next two weeks working with the squirrels. By the end of that time, Cathy was fluent in their language. Perhaps more surprising was that the squirrels had learned some English. Cathy asked the squirrels about Gordon Brown, but all they could tell her was that the squirrels had been seeing humans for a long time. They really didn’t have any meaningful way of measuring time, or any words to describe time, because it wasn’t important to them.
There were no more unusual discoveries made during their stay on Procolt 2. Two days before they were scheduled to leave, Cathy called Jeffery to ask if she could meet with him for a few minutes. Jeffery asked her to come to his cabin at 7:00 that evening.
At exactly 7:00, Cathy pressed the entry button on Jeffery’s cabin door. The door opened and she went inside. Jeffery was seated at the table. He looked at her and said, “Please, have a seat, Cathy. How can I help you?”
“Sir, I know we’re scheduled to leave in two days. I’ve made great progress in
communications with the squirrels and I would like to know if I can stay here for a while so I can continue working with them. They’re amazing creatures and are probably more fluent in English than I am in Squirrel. They have a society which has values similar to our own. I really think they warrant further study.”
“I agree we should study them, but do you realize it will be years before we’ll be able to come back? Are you ready to spend the next three years without human company?”
“Sheila wants to stay here too, so I won’t be alone. There’s plenty of food and water and the habitat will provide shelter. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“I’ll have to think about it. Is Anne capable of taking your place?”
“Yes, I’m sure she is.”
“I also have to ask Glencet if you can stay here
, since he claims his planet owns all of the planets in this system. I’ll give you my answer tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir.”
After Cathy left his cabin, Jeffery walked over to the bridge. When he arrived, Mike and Anne were on duty. He said to Anne, “Cathy wants to stay here and work with the squirrels. Before I can make a decision on her request, I need to know if you believe you’re capable of taking over her position. Are you okay with that, Ensign?”
Anne thought for a minute and said, “Yes sir, Cathy and I loaded the information on the squirrels’ language into the translator together. I’ve read the manuals and both of us studied the information Garlut left for us on the trade group protocols.”
“Okay, now I have to ask Glencet if I can leave two of my people on the planet for three years. Please contact him for me.”
“Yes sir.”
A minute later, Anne handed Jeffery the headset and he said, “Captain Glencet, may I ask you a question?”
“Yes, of course. Admiral Whitestone.”
“While exploring Procolt 2, we discovered something else besides the skeleton of a human. We discovered a race of very intelligent animals. They’re similar to an animal on Earth we call a squirrel. Except these animals are not only intelligent, they are much larger, and have hands instead of paws. They have their own language, which one of my officers has learned. This officer and one of our ship’s exobiologists have asked permission to stay on Procolt 2 to study these animals. However, you only allowed us twenty days to explore the planet. Before I give them my answer I have to know if you would have any objections if they stayed here.”
“I am not sure. Are they capable of living on their own for that long?”
“Yes, I’m sure they are. We constructed a small building on the planet which will provide them with shelter and there’s plenty of food and water.”
“Do you want me to agree or would it be easier for you if I refused your request?”
“This isn’t an easy decision. I’m concerned for their safety, but I understand their desire to stay here. Obviously if you refuse my request the decision is no longer mine, but I’m not looking for an easy way out.”