Treaty at Doona

by Anne McCaffrey

  During the weeks of research on the voder, Greene had been around and about on Doonarrala, always maintaining his distance from Todd, but always there. Like an annoying itch Todd couldn’t get rid of. Since none of the ursine guests had mentioned Greene, Todd decided that they hadn’t noticed the burly commander, or were choosing to ignore his surveillance. The Spacedep officers hadn’t been subtle when following the Gringg, as if they’d hoped for some kind of incident which would allow them to step in and take command.

  Nothing had happened, and Todd hoped Greene and his spies had gotten bored stiff.

  Honey seemed to be in good spirits. He had visited Doonarrala nearly every other day, touring schools, factories, and farms, and spending much time in the villages. He was easily the most recognizable of the Gringg. His companion, who moved with a ponderousness dilatory even for a Gringg, seemed to be older than Honey, with a majestic, slow bass voice that was so low it rumbled through Todd’s very bones. Both of them had small computer devices with sculpted depressions, which were probably operated by the rhythmic manipulation of claws, something like the device used by an old-time court reporter. As usual Honey held his ubiquitous file-like tablet. Jilamey, at Honey’s elbow, was keeping a close eye on the Gringg, waiting for him to draw or write something with the double-looped pen that lay atop it on the table.

  By then, the tardy delegates had arrived, slightly breathless, and more time was taken up by introductions.

  Of the seven newcomers, five were clearly alarmed by the size of the Gringg, and although they were wearing voders, only one had practiced with his device. And Todd instantly marked Emil Markudian, a swarthy-faced man with a prominent, hooked nose and black eyes, as trouble. His companion, for the man seemed unwilling to move away from Markudian’s side, was Brad Ashland, and he was not only plainly terrified by the aliens, but his eyes had the glitter of the xenophobe.

  When he noticed them darting quick glances at Greene, he decided they bore close scrutiny. Well, he should have expected something like this after Barnstable’s little confrontation of assorted blow-ins at Kate Moody’s office. The others who had arrived in the wake of Markudian seemed to be legitimate, since they all carried portfolios with the logos of major, diversified Terran or colonial companies. Two found Jilamey’s presence distinctly unsettling. Remembering how chuffed Jilamey had been about his coup, Todd grinned to himself and then turned the meeting over to Admiral Sumitral, seated directly opposite the Gringg envoys.

  Once introductions of the new arrivals had been made, there was a perceptible pause. Todd sensed an electrical tension rising among them, veiled excitement. I feel as if we’re about to start a high-stakes poker game, he thought. Who’s going to bluff whom?

  “We begin from ignorance,” Admiral Sumitral said, rising to address the Gringg. “You have been among us for many days now and seen us going about our work and play. We know nothing about your world, and desire similar information.”

  “Ah,” said Coypu, resting his paws on his large belly, “very kind of you to ask. Our world is much like this, gravity heavier and more water in many big pools. We are four ships to explore. Long, long, long”—and he nodded his head to emphasize the span—“looking. It is good, great news to find two at once!” He dropped his jaw and looked about him, his eyes twinkling.

  “You say your objective is to trade, yet you admit that you are very far from your homeworld. How can you possibly trade profitably over long distances?” Commander Greene wanted to know.

  “Big ship,” replied Coypu succinctly. “We come prepared with offerings. Trading is good with peaceful people. You have much here which will be tradable.”

  “Such as?” Greene demanded sarcastically.

  “You are out of order, Commander,” Sumitral said, turning slightly so that his body shielded him from the Gringg. He had covered his translator and spoke in a low but carrying tone, somehow managing not to move his lips very much. “As Spacedep personnel, you are present only to observe!”

  “We have seen much here on Doonarrala that will be very appreciated on our world,” Honey added. “We are peaceful traders.”

  “It’s very easy to say that you come in peace,” Markudian spoke up, his deep voice smooth but holding an edge.

  That statement elicited quiet gasps around the table. Todd had seen no signal from Greene, but that didn’t keep him from suspecting the two might be acting in concert.

  Sumitral regarded Markudian with an expression of mild surprise and astonishment, but it was Coypu who answered.

  “It is easy to say what is true,” Coypu said, either not offended or deliberately not understanding Markudian’s implication. Now he lifted his paws. “We come far from our homeworld, seeking new worlds, hopefully new peoples.”

  “You are peaceful types, also,” Honey said, looking around the table and nodding his appreciation of that fact. “It is very good for Gringg to see that two different species can live in peace without acchggt-spppput . . .” He turned to Coypu as his voder could not give a suitable translation of the Gringg word.

  “ . . . without tearing the collar?” Coypu suggested.

  “Tearing the collar?” Sumitral asked, pointedly asking for an explanation.

  Coypu touched his ornate neckpiece with one delicate claw. “Yes, to tear off the collar of a Gringg is to start fight, but only if there is no other honor choice.”

  “Oh, similar to throwing down a gauntlet . . . a glove . . . a hand protector,” Sumitral said, ignoring the mutters from some of those nervous about this discussion. “Of course, duels with lethal weapons have long been considered against the law as well as against common sense.”

  Coypu seemed oddly pleased to hear that. “With us, too, the custom has declined. There are nearly always other choices. We enjoy peace. Gringg do not like to exert themselves. Peace takes much less energy than combat, do you not agree?”

  Todd laughed at the beautiful simplicity of the statement. “War is too much trouble?”

  “War?” Coypu asked, for the word had been carefully omitted from the voder’s lexicon.

  “War,” Greene said, jumping at the opportunity, “is when many tear the collar and join a fight; the winners take all. A great exertion,” he added sarcastically.

  “War is a thing of the past for both species. It was always a useless exertion,” Sumitral said in such an icy voice and with such an icy stare directed at Greene that the commander subsided, mostly in surprise at the Alreldep admiral’s intensity.

  “Good! Good!” Coypu said seriously. “I tire if I think about it. Cooperation takes so much less work.”

  “Then Gringg have had wars?” Markudian asked, leaning forward.

  “Long ago,” Honey said negligently, “to protect the family pool and the landing place, and our young when there was not enough to eat.”

  That mildly delivered statement brought quite a reaction around the table. Todd and his father exchanged concerned glances.

  “Then, during the Great Heat, we were forced to seek refuge in the deepest caves. It was then that we were forced to eat many things other than the beasts which had been our natural food,” Honey went on, blithely unaware of the effect his first statement was having. “When we emerged from the caves, we turned to the sea and began to hunt the big fish. Little ones, too, which are often very tasty.”

  “But you were cannibals?” Markudian demanded, with such an air of superiority that Todd knew the man was there to cause whatever trouble he could. Unfortunately Honey had just handed him a perfect opening.

  As Sumitral was trying to explain the word “cannibals” to Honey, Todd leaned toward Markudian.

  “The emphasis was on a trade vocabulary, Mr. Markudian. We cannot and will not, at this time, accept the discussion of side issues.”

  When Honey and Coypu finally understood, they both looked mournful.

  “When we were very
young beings, long, long, long ago, before we learned to think what we were doing, before we learned how much easier it was to work together instead of separately,” Honey said, leaning forward, paws crossed over his chest in humility—“we Gringg did many stupid things we do not like to remember doing. Perhaps this happened to Hayumans, too, when your species was learning wisdom?”

  “Not cannibalism,” Markudian said firmly.

  Sumitral gave a droll chuckle. “Mr. Markudian, you are obviously not much of a student of Terran history or you would realize how wrong you are on that point.” Then Sumitral bent a stern look upon the man. “But you cannot be so young as to be ignorant of the Siwannah Tragedy, in which humans caused an entire race to suicide. I also feel that you speak out too hastily, Mr. Markudian, and I advise you to think very carefully the next time you feel obliged to criticize.” Then he turned to Honey and Coypu. “We also had to learn to cope with famines. I trust there is no famine on your homeworld now that has sent you out on your long journey.”

  “No, not famine,” Coypu said. “We wish to find new worlds. We wish to trade with same peaceful people.”

  “Let’s get back to trade talk, shall we?” asked Jilamey a bit impatiently, giving Markudian a very jaundiced look for his interruptions. “Let’s talk about what sort of payment we’ll use for trade items.”

  “Excellent idea, my dear Landreau,” Sumitral said. He turned to the Gringg. “In trading with our Hrruban friends, we use certain minerals and metals on which we have agreed to a value.”

  “Do you not use symbolic currencies?” Coypu asked. There was a murmur of surprise among the merchants.

  “Yes, of course we do,” Jilamey said, “but our credits would be worthless to you in your own system, so let us find other values for barter.”

  Ken Reeve said, “Eonneh and I have discussed molecular structures of certain metals and minerals that we would like to acquire in moderate quantities. What mediums have value for you?”

  “We discuss a common trade currency?” Honey asked mildly, rattling his claws in the holes of his computerlike device. “Held perhaps on this planet in a central place for all three to use? With . . . ahccccgg . . . writings that can be strictly kept accurate?”

  Ashland looked stunned. Jumping from cannibalism in a distant past to modern finance was too big a leap for him. Markudian’s expression became darker than ever.

  “A banking system is, of course, an excellent idea,” Sumitral said, raising his eyebrows in silent query at the two, who blinked agreement.

  “If you become permanent trading partners with us . . .” Jilamey began slowly, allowing the possibility to sink in, “a central place would simplify all transactions.”

  “Trading partners for a long time we want,” Honey replied, and gave them a huge white grin.

  Kiachif whistled. “For critters who’ve never seen other aliens before, you sure take the long view.”

  Honey bowed to Kiachif, inclining his long torso. “We are hopeful creatures, and in that hope much discussion occupied our long travels and what to do if we find others.” He hiked one shoulder in a very human gesture. “It passed the time, and now we discover that it was wise to plan for such acchtgg . . . possibles. For now”—he spread his big paws— “we put theory into practice. It is not much different to the trading we do between our homeworld and its young.”

  “Young? You have colony worlds?” Sumitral said.

  “Or subjugated worlds?” Greene asked, his eyes glittering.

  Honey looked down at his voder, and Coypu looked puzzled.

  “Acchgg?” Honey asked in query.

  “That’s quite enough from you, Greene,” Sumitral said with the first flash of temper Todd had ever seen him display.

  “You have set up colonies of Gringg on your young worlds? Yes, both Hayumans and Hrrubans have done the same. Have you found worlds with the different species?” Ken asked quickly, smiling.

  “You are the two first we have ever met. The other worlds were empty of intelligent lifes,” Coypu said, and even the translator echoed the regret in his manner. “Creatures with no thought of more than full stomachs, or things that were inedible, even for Gringg. Each has its place on that world. We do not interfere unless threatened.”

  “And if threatened, what do you use to protect yourself?” Greene asked, ignoring Sumitral’s exclamation of aggravation.

  “We are able to defend ourselves,” Honey said blandly, and unsheathed his claws. Coypu retracted his lips, uncovering his white fangs. “We are larger than any edible creature we have met.”

  “And not as dumb,” Jilamey said, giving Greene a look of pure disgust.

  “How many colony worlds have you now?” Sumitral asked before Greene could continue.

  Honey held up four fingers. “Four! One with very good water.” His jaw dropped and he gave himself a wiggle that suggested total approval of it.

  “Far from here,” Coypu added. “A very long journey, but not impossible to make for Hayumans.”

  “We are translating our maps to yours,” Honey said. “Slow because of vision differences and because we are far from the star patterns we know and guide our ships by.”

  “Let’s stick with trade values,” Todd said, and leaned across the table to Honey with the chart he had been making on his keypad. “What’s of value to you might not be as valuable to us, so we’ll need to establish the variables and work out percentages of increased value for temporary rarity of stock and other factors. This one time, I hope you will accept the values we use to pay for traded things between Hayumans and Hrrubans. We think the values are fair.”

  “It is just what I expect of the peoples who live together in peace,” Honey replied. His simple frankness drew mutters from the other delegates.

  Todd was relieved that the two Gringg had evidently not caught the blatant animosity in Greene’s words and manner. “We can discuss the subject of values in more detail at the end of the meeting so you can key it in your own language.”

  Suddenly Horstmann, who had been growing more impatient, slapped both hands down on the table to divert attention to himself. “Let’s also cut this confounded cackle. Let’s find out what commodities you Gringg are interested in. And what you have to offer us. Those resonators Cardiff used in these voders would make a good start. Small, powerful, and I haven’t ever seen anything like ’em from Terra nor Hrruba. Can we do a deal on them?”

  “Any technological items will first have to be cleared by the Scientific Council of Amalgamated Worlds,” Greene said.

  Jilamey brushed that contingency aside. “Not according to the Doonarrala Treaty, they don’t, Greene. Look, Honey, you’ve had time over the last weeks to see just what’s available on Doonarrala, which I think is a fair sampling of goods drawn from both Hayuman and Hrruban. Technology? Medical or scientific processes? Tools?”

  “We have many desirable commodities to trade, as well as the product of our skills,” Eonneh began ponderously.

  “Good,” Kiachif said. “My ships don’t like to make the trip back to ol’ Terra empty. Give us a f’rinstance or two, friend.”

  “Also, our four young—colony—worlds have many valuable minerals in quantity. To trade here are listed molecular patterns with Gringg names. Some I do not see in use here or do not recognize. Maybe we bring you new stuff?” Honey dropped his jaw, suddenly a little like Kiachif, anticipating a major trade deal. Todd put his hand to his mouth to hide a smile. “Our friend Chilmeh has spoken to us also about gaining credit from the sale of drawings and works of art. We are pleased to see that you consider these things to be of value. Culture has value on your planets even as it has on ours. We feel that we may also learn technology stuff from you, sharing information. Already we have share technology”—he tapped the voder with the tip of one claw—“with Lootcardiff.” Sumitral, Ken, and Todd openly grinned at the combination of rank
and name. “We are happy to share information freely in exchange for also you share freely with us.”

  Greene and Markudian both began to protest, but Ashland was eager to know “Information about what?”

  “You can’t want just cultural things and to share,” Jilamey said. “That could be very one-sided and we insist on giving equal value to trading partners.”

  Honey inclined his head. “You give equal value sharing with us the delights of this planet of Doonarrala.”

  Todd could see Greene interpreting that to mean acquisition, and hastily intervened.

  “Peaceful people deserve proper hospitality when their intent is good,” Todd said, and Sumitral stared Greene back down into his seat.

  “The matter has been discussed thoroughly among the captain’s staff and by space-transmission with the motherworld,” the golden Gringg said. “What we search most earnestly—besides peaceful people—is a source of protein, for”—he turned his deep red eyes on Markudian—“we are civilized peoples who do not eat meat of each other. Especially when here you have many delicious proteins.”

  Greene’s mouth was open in amazement at Eonneh’s dry humor.

  Eonneh showed all his teeth. “Hayumans seem to have the most superior idea of what is a good thing to eat.”

  “Well, as it happens, Honey,” Jilamey said, beaming from ear to ear, “we process a lot of protein in nutritious and delicious forms, and I happen to represent a large consortium which can provide you with a wide range of truly delicious and healthful comestibles . . .” His voder faltered on that word. “Stuff to eat—eatables, edibles,” he hastily explained.

  Coypu gave a startlingly deep grunt, signifying pleasure, for he had dropped his jaw. “Good. We wish to import to our world bulk or packaged largenesses of snake meat, fishes, beef, poultry, and of course, the stuff you name popcorn. It is not high in protein, but it is most entertaining to watch it cook and it can be seasoned in many flavors.”