With these thoughts, he tried not to notice the dimensions of the hall they traversed. Door panels slid aside at their approach and they went down another, larger hall. Then his guide paused, used partially extended claws to scratch at a door. This slid aside, and bowing from his waist, he made a sweeping gesture for Hrrto to enter.
He began to growl, which translated to “Captain . . .” and then some incomprehensible syllables of which all Hrrto understood was “grizz.” Well, Captain would do well enough, so Hrrto swept his robes up deftly and stepped over the threshold. There he stopped and didn’t even hear the panel slide shut behind him.
The room was twice the size of the Hrruban High Council Chamber and looked even larger because it was painted a light shade of yellow and was virtually empty except for a pile of cushions; a magnificently ornamented chair and footstool, which his stunned mind told him must be for him; and two small side tables, each crowded with exquisite dishes piled high with tidbits.
But the room was otherwise filled with the most immense living shape Hrrto had ever seen. Its coloring was a sinister dark brown, nearly black, against which the icy shards of its teeth gleamed dangerously. Its head seemed almost to brush the high ceiling, and the frightening roar that came from its mouth before the voder took over—resounded in the chamber.
Blinking, and rocking back on his heels, Hrrto nevertheless heard Middle Hrruban words that made sense to him.
“Welcome, Honored Second Speaker Hrrto,” it said, managing to speak his name with a proper roll of the r, a feat few Hayumans accomplished properly. “I am captain of the Wander Den. You may call me Grizz as your friends do.”
No friends of mine, Hrrto thought, trying to find some mental balance. Why hadn’t Hrriss had the courtesy to warn me of its size?
“Be seated. Be comfortable. We talk.” The words rolled out of the voder, reverberating. As if puzzled by a lack of response, the creature held up the device, and with the tip of a very sharp claw, made a minute adjustment—which Hrrto doubted even as he saw such a delicate movement performed—to one of the dials. “Too loud. Roars are not good for friendly talk.”
Hrrto appreciated the adjustment just as he realized that he could not hesitate any further or be a disgrace to his Stripe. He bowed as deeply as he felt he should and dropped his jaw, remembering that Hrriss said the Gringg understood that as a positive action. He thanked the ancient gods that he had not permitted any witness to accompany him—especially Mllaba, who had been quite incensed at being left behind.
Steeling himself for the next action in this ordeal, Hrrto managed a creditable and stately progress to the chair which a massive furred paw indicated. It was only then that he realized the creature had been standing. It now squatted down, with its own peculiar grace, to the pile of cushions, and gestured again for him to be seated.
Still in a state of shock, Hrrto realized he would have to step up on the footstool in order to seat himself. He was wondering about the dignity of this as he did so, but once he was seated and turned toward this Captain Grizz, he found himself at eye level with her. Yes, Hrriss and Zodd had said that the captain was a female. He’d forgotten that detail. Out of nowhere he was reminded of an absurd joke that Zodd Rrev had told in his presence, about citrus fruits that grew so large that eight of them would equal a Human dozen. One of these Gringg was certainly a full dozen.
With an effort of will, Hrrto slowed his heartbeat and his quickened breath and looked her straight in her odd red eyes, pupil-less but glistening with intelligence. He couldn’t deny that!
“You are . . . (gracious? kind?) very good to receive me, Captain,” he said, wishing that the voder would not hesitate in its translation. Would that be considered a sign of weakness? No, her device did the same thing.
Now she gestured to the bowls on the side table.
Growling; then the voder explained, “All Hrruban foods. Enjoy!”
She reached for her own table and took a gobbet of something, conveying it neatly to her mouth. Grateful for the diversion and the courtesy thus shown, Hrrto selected a tiny crisp-fleshed fruit and became more relaxed, for clearly these Gringg had taken the time to discover his preferences. They both chewed companionably.
“You were long on your way here?” Hrrto asked, abruptly deciding to be social in manner. His previously rehearsed speech was totally inappropriate.
The Gringg nodded her great head, dropping her jaw as a Hrruban would, but he wished her black lips did not retreat over her very white fangs. He reached down for a handful of refried meat cubes, another favorite tidbit. “Grrrr . . . two cubs born to me and a long time between them. I am captain.”
“I see,” Hrrto said, nodding at such information. “Will you return to your homeworld or a colony?” He hoped the voder translated “colony.”
“Grrruuph . . . We are on peaceful mission for long as possible,” she replied. “We wish to trade. With Hrruban. With Hayuman.”
Subtle, too, Hrrto thought, putting his species before the Hayuman. But that was as it should be.
“Grrrummmm . . . glad to find two for one trip,” and she dropped her jaw again.
Hrrto paused a moment, decided she intended to be humorous and dropped his jaw. Then, deliberately over his next words, he scooped up more of the meat cubes, nibbling delicately. He had long ago learned how to eat without exposing his own dental equipment.
“You have seen many other worlds, planets, systems . . .” All three nouns came out in assorted groans and growls. “Have you?” he added, making that a question rather than a statement.
The captain nodded, running her tongue over her teeth, fortunately with her mouth closed. Evidently they had several courtesies in common.
“Many. Not enough water for Gringg. Too much land is not needed. But land has certain minerals, earths, no smart peoples. We are a water people. Hrrubans like water worlds?”
Clever as well, Hrrto thought, considering this a deft ploy to gain knowledge of his homeworld.
“We are land creatures,” Hrrto said, finally settling back in the chair and finding it comfortable. His back muscles had started jumping from inner tensions. “We are hunters. Are you?”
Another nod. “Eating is necessary.”
One answer led to another question, and Hrrto found himself able to ask, and receive answers, to many queries. What he so desperately wanted to ask—about the Gringg ship drifting derelict off a shattered world—did not come to his lips. Such a query would have been inappropriate, he told himself; certainly not consonant with the social nature of this meeting, and probably would be deftly parried by the captain. Far better for him to think of trade, and most particularly of the need for purralinium, though he had to be most adroit in his questions concerning that desperately needed commodity. The captain readily admitted how many planets they had surveyed, but not what the surveys had discovered. She discoursed on many matters, some of her conversation marred by the insertion of growls, snarls, and woofs where the voder could not accommodate a translation.
“On your way, did you discover dwarf systems? Or do you have enough ores and minerals on your own planet?” Hrrto finally inserted as casually as possible. Only systems shattered by novas contained the purralinium with the impurities that could be used for matter transmission.
“Reh! Yes,” the captain said, nodding her great head. “Three,” and she held up three huge digits. “We always look for new . . . ah grrrmmm—metals, earths, useful raw materials.”
“I see!” Hrrto could hardly contain his excitement over such news. Surely in one of those systems, there would be the purralinium the Hrrubans had long sought.
“Do you?” asked the captain politely.
“One always looks,” Hrrto said, waving one hand in an airy gesture, dismissing that topic. “We search space, too. You must come from very far away.”
“Our scribes try to find time parallels so can
be accurate. No wish to keep back any information. Only special words not available yet.”
Throughout their hour-long meeting, she appeared at ease and did not evade discussion of any topic Hrrto touched upon.
Finally, after noticing she had finished the contents of the bowls on her table, he realized that it would be diplomatic of him to bring the meeting to a close. She was graciousness itself, and the young Weddeerogh, her male cub, waited outside the door to guide Hrrto back to the bay, and his transport back to Rraladoona.
All in all, as Hrrto took his seat in the scout ship, he felt the meeting had gone well. The possibility of locating one of those nova-blasted systems was the brightest part of the hour. More important, he had survived it!
* * *
The next morning, when Second Speaker arrived at the Treaty Center with his entourage and swept into the Chamber, he had second thoughts. He had spent a night tossing and turning on his pallet, and he was one who usually found sleep easily. He had rehearsed query and answer many times. He also tried to figure out how to acquire the coordinates of one of the nova systems. Yet that would require very adroit maneuvering on his part. But, as he tossed and turned, a solution came to him. The scientist Hurrhee, who was one of his own Stripe, would surely be invited to attend any technological sessions. Hurrhee was completely trustworthy, in that he held science as the premier dedication of his life. He could certainly introduce the topic of nova-blasted systems. Perhaps the Gringg might even have samples of ores, earths, and minerals they hoped to trade. A simple survey would reveal whether or not the purralinium fit Hrruban requirements. Yes, that was how to handle that problem. Accepting judicious amounts in return for trade items would not arouse any suspicions.
Satisfied with that solution, Hrrto once again composed himself to sleep, only to find himself distressed by a second anxiety. Despite the evidence on the tape shown him by the Hayuman admiral, he could not equate such brutality with the courtesies shown him by the captain. Of course, her manner and charm—yes, she had been charming in her own fashion—might be serving her own ends by allaying his doubts, but Hrrto could not quite believe such duplicity. Certainly not from someone who had assigned her own flesh and blood as his guide. Had she come to Hrruba, he would have assigned his second-generation offspring as her guide.
Mllaba, of course, had wanted a word-by-word account of the meeting. He had touched on the details, privately wondering what her reactions would be when she was face to face with the stupendous reality of Captain Grzzeearoghh. That would teach her humility. Casually, he asked her to arrange a discreet meeting with Hurrhee as early as possible the next morning, before the Trade Conference began, and for once, she did not ask why.
* * *
The next day, the wide hall of the Treaty Center—almost as wide as a corridor on the Gringg vessel—was well populated with little knots of Hayumans and Hrrubans chatting amiably. Hrrto, walking with great dignity, sensed the air of pleased anticipation. In front of the chamber assigned to the spaceport talks, he recognized the fair-haired female captain of the Hamilton and the Hayuman commander. If there was purralinium to be had by congress with the Gringg, he would have to rethink that uneasy alliance.
Greene turned a precise half-bow in his direction, to which Second responded. The Hayuman had kept Hrrto’s aide fully informed as to the progress of the Spacedep fleet toward Rraladoona. Neither that squadron nor the three Hrruban defense ships were close enough yet. Now Hrrto wondered if that action had been as necessary as the Spacedep person had insisted. Would it ruin the good start he had made with the captain and, at the worst, deny the Hrrubans a possible source of purralinium? If he had only been able to ask her about Fingal and the dead, orbiting Gringg ship! Maybe having both navies there was not a bad idea.
If the Gringg were as peaceful as they seemed, he could always say that policy had required him to inform the Hrruban navy and they had acted without his orders. Yes, that was it. On the other hand, the naval presence might forestall any devious Gringg scheme. Either way, he would be considered wise. Overnight reflections had not entirely dispersed his anxieties, but his little chat with Hurrhee had been most productive.
After briefing the scientist, he had reviewed the morning dispatches, which included almost insolent demands from Hrruban manufacturers and traders of all commodities to open dialogue. They clamored that they must have first choices, with such an obscene single-mindedness that for once Hrrto found himself disgusted with Stripes, wide and narrow.
He was here now, officially and publicly, to initiate trade talks with Captain Grizz. Hurrhee was primed to include ores as part of any trade payment. Once matters were underway in that session, Hrrto could then gracefully retire to the spaceport conference. He couldn’t quite leave such negotiations to Prrid, Mrrunda, Hrrouf, and the others who had gridded in for that purpose. Only after he was sure that both meetings were proceeding with dispatch, might he then be able to get back to Hrruba and promote his personal ambitions toward First Speakership.
Mllaba was almost treading on his heels as she escorted him to the Trade Conference room. To his relief, the immense and shaggy Gringg had not yet arrived, though huge square cushions on the floor gave notice where they were to sit.
“Your place should be at the head of the table,” Mllaba whispered, guiding him toward one end of the great oval board.
To their surprise, Hrrin was already seated at the end of the oval. He regarded them with glittering eyes when they approached, showing no signs of vacating his seat.
“Greetings, Honorrred Speaker,” he said in proper High Hrruban, rising and bowing gracefully. “I have been deputized as Rrraladoonan spokesperson, but I will, of course, defer . . .”
“I had expected Hrrestan—” Second began.
“Ah, but he is conducting the spaceport affairs,” Hrrin said smoothly. “It was our understanding that you would not stay here long, but go on to the more important conference.”
Mllaba hissed slightly in Hrrto’s ear. Sometimes she could be annoying about what was due his rank.
“We have arranged ourselves according to our origins,” Hrrin went on, gesturing to the Rraladoonans seated to his right and the Hrrubans, onward to the Terran delegation of captains and Jilamey Landreau further along the table.
The room was full enough of bodies right now, and Hrrto jerked his shoulders and switched his tail, trying hard not to remember how the Gringg captain had dominated a room not much larger than this.
“Most commendable,” Second said with an absent frown. In ordinary circumstances, protocol would have required a Hrruban to allow him the dominant place for however long he chose to stay in the meeting. Hrrestan would have automatically deferred, but this Hrrin was more Rraladoonan. Hrrto decided to ignore Mllaba’s hissing. To demand protocol in a mere trade meeting would appear petty. It was more important for him to be prominent in the spaceport considerations than to bicker about what to buy from whom and at what price.
Noting that Hurrhee was present, Hrrto spared a glance for Nrrena, seated to the scientist’s right. She was an intimate of Fifth Speaker and bore watching. She must not think that these seating arrangements constituted a discourtesy. Determined to put the best face on the situation, he nodded with great dignity to Hrrin. “How wise to show, even here, that Hrruba is distinct from Terra.”
“I am so glad that you approve, sir,” Hrrin said, once again making a courteous gesture to the chair placed well along the outer curve of the great table.
Smiling graciously to Nrrena and two Hrrubans he did not know, Hrrto moved to that seat. It was, he was relieved to note, more ornate than any of the others at this segment of the table. He settled himself in the deep chair, flicking his tail out under the armrest. Mllaba was growling under her breath as she sat behind him on a small seat she pulled from those ranged along the wall.
Hrrto looked around with practiced casualness. Zodd Rrev occupied th
e other end of the table. Hrrto noticed that neither he nor Hrrin sat at the exact head, but angled off slightly from the table’s axis. He wondered what precisely that indicated in the negotiations to come. The Rraladoonans had their own agenda, he had no doubt, and were clever enough to push it through in spite of the best efforts of home world diplomats. See how they had begun by forestalling him.
Then he realized that he was directly opposite an as yet unoccupied place which had no chair. He would be facing a Gringg. He steeled himself for that, wary after last evening’s encounter. That inadvertently brought to mind the Spacedep tape as well as last night’s insomnia. Again, he saw the devastated landscape, and the floating frozen corpses, and could not control a shudder down his spine. Firmly, he put that vision out of his mind. To cover his spasm, he fiddled with the voder straps. Everyone here was wearing the contraptions, of course, and he devoutly hoped that Hrrin—or would it be Zodd Rrev who moderated this meeting?—made certain that only one person spoke at a time. Otherwise the resultant cacophony would be nerve-racking.
The Hayuman admiral noisily entered the chamber now, and took his place obliquely across from Hrrto, with curt nods to everyone in the room. The bearded Codep trader and the stout independent trader followed with the Alreldep admiral and the small Hayuman male from Terra and a gaggle of others he’d never seen.
Jilamey Landreau interested Hrrto. His spies had informed him that Landreau was well connected in government, industry, and the arts, and had tremendous credit. His financial acumen was much respected despite his youth, for none of his ventures ever seemed to lose money. Landreau dressed much more colorfully than any negotiator or diplomat should, in Hrrto’s opinion; almost Hrruban in style. At least the Hayuman understood the order of precedence, as he greeted Hrrto first on entering the room.
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