Treaty at Doona

by Anne McCaffrey

  Then Hrrto wondered at the sudden shift in Greene. It had been the commander all along, declaring that the Gringg could not be trusted. What could be the reason behind such a switch? Then it occurred to him that under the guise of diplomatic immunity, “escorts” could be assigned to any Gringg on the planet—to ensure that the immunity was observed. Ahh, thought Hrrto, that Greene is quick, clever, and shrewd. He had got the better of Sumitral, Hrrestan, and Rrev, and used the concession to forward his own aims.

  “Of course,” he continued, hoping his pause had not been overlong, “all three interested parties, plus their homeworld representatives must be present to discuss a Trade Agreement—in the same chamber.”

  Grizz gave him a brilliant smile, her long fangs gleaming. “Of course, Second Speaker Hrrto,” said the pleasant voice of the voder. “It would not be correct or courteous any other way.”

  Second Speaker bowed to the Gringg leader, suddenly feeling that twice in a short space of time he had been manipulated by a clever strategist. Zodd and the two Hrrubans were not laughing, but he thought they might be close to it.

  “I would be most interested in a treaty between us all, especially if it will facilitate trade practices here on Rraladoon,” Grizz said, addressing both diplomats. She put a maternal claw on her cub’s head. He grinned up at her lovingly. “My son has been telling me how delicious are the eggs of the native species of snake of Rraladoon. How glad I would be to trade with Rraladoon for such a commodity.”

  “Now that you mention our friend the snake,” Jilamey said, addressing everyone who remained in Todd’s office, “I happen to have a delicious specimen which we can barbecue tonight. You are all invited to partake of the unique taste of Rraladoonan snake, a real delicacy. I feel a lot of policy can be discussed over a friendly sparerib or two, eh?” He winked at Kelly.

  * * *

  “You two are never, never, never to leave your handset off again,” Todd said, towering over his offspring with uncharacteristic anger. Alec and Alison studied the ground and each other’s shoes for a moment, then peeked up at Todd. “If there had been an accident, no one would have known where to find you until it was too late!”

  “But everything came out all right in the end,” Alison offered, fluttering the thick lashes of adoring golden eyes at her father. “We stayed with Teddy to make sure he’d be all right until Mama found us.” She could sense him softening, and nudged Alec with her elbow. Her twin added the earnest plea in his blue eyes.

  “Honest, Dad, the radios were working when we left! It’s not our fault they failed,” Alec said.

  Kelly spotted the silent communication between her children and interjected her own comment. “It doesn’t matter how it came out; it’s how it began. Promise, or you’ll never get to ride Hunt until you’re old and gray. Promise!”

  “She means it,” Jilamey said, lounging in the porch seat while Barrington, elegant as ever, sliced snake up into manageable portions for the barbecue grills. “She nearly made me stay behind from my first Hunt because I didn’t want to carry a handset.”

  The twins sighed and matched glances. They knew they hadn’t been remiss but couldn’t prove it. Being accused of a lie was almost worse than getting chased by snakes.

  “I promise,” Alec said at last. Alison nodded.

  “We’ll check and double-check from now on. We’re very sorry to have caused trouble. And we washed Teabag and the other horses down and groomed them real good.”

  “And so you should have, kids. But it isn’t what happened, it’s what might have,” Todd said, hunkering down to the children’s eye level. “Teddy’s a stranger here, and we trusted you to look after him. Your responsibilities make it imperative that you remember things like making sure that your equipment is functioning properly. You were unable to call for help, or notify anyone as to your location. Think of your mother and me. We’d have been devastated if anything happened to you.”

  The thought had passed through the twins’ minds. They threw their arms around Todd, who hugged them tightly.

  “We’ll never let it happen again, Daddy,” Alec said in a low, tight voice. Over their shoulders, Todd glanced up at Kelly.

  When Teddy had emerged from the Gringg shuttle at the Double Bar Gemini, he was also visibly chastened. He stood, scuffing one foot in the dust, waiting for his friends to come out again to play. Hrrana and Hrrunival had been assigned extra chores by Nrrna as their punishment. Kelly watched Teddy mooch around the grass kicking a stone, bored and lonely. She relented.

  “All right,” she said, and the Alley Cats perked up. “Go and play, but when I call, you come right in, understand? I’m counting on you to help me with all the guests we’re having tonight. You’re my best assistants.”

  “Yes, Mama!” Like twin bolts of lightning, Alec and Alison raced down the steps calling to the small Gringg.

  “And we wanted children, didn’t we?” she said, taking Todd’s hand and squeezing it as they watched the children play together on the grass.

  “We did, and I wouldn’t have it otherwise, even with double trouble,” Todd said, gathering her under one arm and enfolding her tightly. “It’s not an easy job, but I love it.”

  * * *

  The smell of roasting meat made a tantalizing atmosphere for the negotiators who gathered over the course of the next hour or two. Robin and Jilamey acted as chief cooks, turning hunks of meat on the broad grills, and explaining to the Gringg what “barbecue” meant. Big Paws, the black and white Gringg, couldn’t seem to stay away from the fragrant, spitting roasts. He stayed close, chatting with the chefs.

  “I have had only preserved snake,” Big Paws said, with a sidelong glance at a smallish steak, only centimeters from the edge of the grill, as if he’d swipe it if backs were turned. “I am looking forward to tasting fresh meat.”

  “This’ll be the best,” Robin said expansively. “Reeve family recipe. There’s a secret to cooking snake to bring out the true flavor. First, you sear the sides of the meat, then season—”

  “No. Season, then sear,” Jilamey said, interrupting.

  “Right,” Robin said. “Then cook for four to eight minutes on a side.”

  “How is it a secret if he knows?” Big Paws asked, pointing to Jilamey.

  “I’m practically family,” the entrepreneur said, grinning. He sliced off a piece of rare steak and held it out on a roasting fork to the Gringg. “Taste.”

  The bite disappeared in a twinkling. “Delicious!” Big Paws exclaimed, licking his chops with his long brown tongue. “I would like to have much more of this. Is this barbecue the only way of preparing it?” He looked dubiously at the glowing coals.

  “Whatever way rocks your jollies. Tell you what, come along on Snake Hunt,” Robin suggested. “If you catch your own snake, you can cook it any way you want.”

  “Oh, I would love that,” the Gringg said, his eyes lighting up. “I will make the suggestion.” He raised his voice, already quite loud enough to be heard all across the yard. “Captain Grzzeearoghh, may I suggest a concept to you?” The black and white Gringg lumbered off toward his leader. Robin grinned at Jilamey and went back to turning steaks.

  Hrriss passed among the guests with pitchers of lemonade and beer, filling glasses. He stopped to offer refreshment to Ali Kiachif, who looked at the contents of the two carafes, and shuddered.

  “Unfermented fruit squeezings! Don’t you have a decent tipple for a man?” the old spacer asked, reaching for the beer.

  “I’m sure I will find something,” Hrriss said, dropping his jaw, amused.

  “So you’re the chief meeter, greeter, and feeder for tonight?” Kiachif asked. “Where’s your tail-twin? Scrubbing dishes?”

  “Zalking,” Hrriss replied, with a dropped-jaw grin for his longsuffering friend. “I am sure he would razzer be washing dishes. Zodd is engaged in deep talks with my father, Second Speaker,
the Gringg, Spacedep, and Alreldep, so I offer hospitalizy on behalf of us both.”

  “Ah, one of you is as good as the other,” Kiachif said airily. “And I saw your assorted offspring, going about handing out baked taties, salad, and fruit like very pros. You’re raising ‘em right, young Hrriss, so you are.”

  “Thank you,” Hrriss said, extremely gratified. “I will see if there’s any mlada in the house.”

  “Ah, this picnic is doing wonders for calming overstretched nerves, so it is.” Kiachif sat down on the porch seat to wait.

  Mllaba and Greene left their seniors engaged in the informal Treaty talks, and made their way surreptitiously to a spot as far removed from the party as possible. Grace Castleton and Captain Hrrrv were at the end of the fence waiting for them. There was a small tray table before each of them. Hrrrv’s platter was empty, and looked as if it might have been licked clean. Castleton’s food was virtually untouched. She toyed with a beaker, picking it up and putting it down again without drinking from it. She felt she couldn’t force anything past the tightness in her throat.

  “I could not zink what you were doing, Greene, in agreeing to enter formal discussions with these creatures,” Mllaba said, as soon as they were out of earshot of the party. “But it was cleverly done. We can szretch out zuch dialogues for many weeks.”

  “Glad you caught my drift,” Greene said smugly, settling onto a chair beside Castleton. She glanced up at him with an abstracted smile. “And it had the effect of disarming Reeve’s objections. The Admiral was very pleased when I reported back to him. The bruins have sworn to abide by a peace accord. Now they’ll have one, and Admiral Barnstable is personally involved in drawing it up. It gives the fleets time. This diplomatic immunity also allows us to keep track of where the Gringg go. They’ll have escorts everywhere. If once they show what they are capable of, we’ll have witnesses!”

  “How does the meeting go?” Hrrrv asked in a low voice.

  “Second Speaker has become caught up in the dream laid out by Hrrestan and Rrev,” Mllaba said, her eyes gleaming with faint disgust. “He will lose the election if he does not take care. All of them are so enamored of the concept of unity that no one listens to reason.”

  “They’d sign tonight if the Admiral wasn’t there,” Greene said, grinning with malice. “He insists on discussing each clause in the Diplomatic Immunity Handbook over and over again, then letting himself be talked into the original wording already set down.”

  “But very slowly,” Mllaba said, laughing in short, breathy grunts. “A very clever man, for a Hayuman. The Immunity Agreement will not be finished tonight. And yet they continue to look upon his involvement as helpful!”

  The other two joined in the laughter, but it had a forced ring to it. Castleton took a sip from her drink, but did not taste it. The thought of deliberately sabotaging a safeguard for both Gringg and themselves worried her, almost more than the up-coming confrontation when the naval support ships arrived. Despite the tape, she found much to admire in the Gringg.

  “Now Reeve has committed himself,” Greene said, “the confrontation with the Gringg will make him look the idealistic fool he is. All we have to do now is stall. When the fleets arrive . . .”

  “They’re close,” Grace said quietly. “The Terran fleet is within twenty-four hours of making orbit.”

  Greene looked at her, almost for the first time, and his expression changed from triumph to concern as he saw how worried she was.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” Grace replied carefully, glancing at the two Hrrubans. “All ship-shape, and observing radio silence.”

  “Ze Hrruban fleet will arrive just outside ze heliopause a few hours later,” Hrrrv added.

  “Very good,” Greene said. “The Gringg are most likely to strike when we expect it least. Possibly while we conclude agreements and treaties they never had any intention of signing. We’ll hold up the final agreement as long as possible until both fleets are in position.”

  “It cannot be held up long,” Mllaba said. “Ze movement toward accord is inexorable. Ze Gringg, Sumizral, and Rraladoon are in agreement. Zere are reasons why Second Speaker will sign zat I cannot discuss, but no one will oppose him in ze Council.”

  “Then that trade agreement could be the last thing any Human or Hrruban does on Doona,” Greene warned. “Admiral Barnstable has sent sealed orders to open fire on that Wander Den of theirs the moment their reinforcements arrive, or at the first hostile sign.”

  “Zousannds of lives are at risk,” Mllaba added. “We have to stall until ze ships are in place to defend zem. Ze Gringg shipz must be blown apart before zey can attack.”

  “We shall be ready,” Greene said, leaning over and speaking in a low voice so the others had to listen very closely. “Then we’ll support Hrrto by telling the Council that he was on the right side—the side of caution—all along. The Admiral has the tape to justify our actions. That’s our ace in the hole. Barnstable also wants to sabotage that scientific get-together planned for tomorrow.”

  “It is already being zaken care of,” Mllaba said, her yellow-green eyes watchful in the twilight. “I attend ze conference again in ze mrrning.”

  “Good! This charade has gone on long enough,” Greene said. “In the meantime, we pretend to cooperate and thus allay suspicion until our fleets are in position.”

  “Then we demand the truth of the massacre in the Fingal system,” Hrrrv said, flourishing his claws. He stood up, bowed to Mllaba, and left.

  “I, too, must go,” Mllaba said. “Ze Council expects me to report on ze Zreaty’s progress.” Her black robes whispering over the long grass, Mllaba glided away. Like a shadow, she passed between the hulking figures of Gringg and Hayuman, and disappeared between the gateposts.

  “Jon, what if we’ve been wrong?” Castleton asked Greene suddenly, in the thoughtful silence that followed the Hrrubans’ departure. Her voice was too loud, and she forced herself to lower it. “What if they truly are peaceful creatures? What will the Gringg think when our forces surround them? They’ll feel betrayed. They’ll never trust us again.”

  Greene put a gentle hand on her wrist, and she shuddered slightly. “You’ve seen the tape, Grace. We can’t ignore that proof. We have every right to demand an explanation, and to take reasonable precautions.”

  “I still don’t agree with your conclusions,” Grace said. “I’ll fight, and even die, if I have to, to protect Humanity, but I still can’t bring myself to believe in the Gringg threat. I’ll just be doing my job.” She lowered her gaze, and sat staring at the ground between her feet.

  “Yes,” Greene said, moving closer to her. They were now knee to knee. She was aware of the warmth in his eyes and the scent of his skin mixing with the cooler aromas of the night air. “After tomorrow we might be very busy . . .”

  “Or dead,” Grace said, her eyes fixed on his.

  “But not without having fought a good battle,” Greene said. He held out his hand to her. “Let’s go back to the ship . . . and form our own plan of action.”

  With a sad smile, she nevertheless took his hand.

  COMMANDER FRILL courteously pushed back his chair and rose when Mllaba entered the conference room. He wasn’t sure if protocol for a Speaker of the High Council applied to his personal assistant, but it was better to err on the side of courtesy. Mllaba spared him an annoyed expression, then made straight for his side of the table. He remained standing until she had taken a chair, and he assisted her in drawing it to the table. Cardiff, on his other side, glanced up at the Hrruban, but his conversation with a pair of Gringg engineers and the technician from the Hrruban warship did not falter. The Gringg were arguing a complex point about drive engines that the Hrruban couldn’t believe, but wanted to. Vocabulary was not yet adequate for high technology, so most of the dispute was carried out in mime, with each side making subtle alteratio
ns in the technical diagrams showing on the computer screens set between them. Cardiff’s talk was peppered with untranslatable military and Earth City Corridor slang that a couple of the Gringg were beginning to repeat back to him.

  Hurrhee, the chief scientist from Hrruba, interrupted his talk to pay heed to Second’s assistant. He was, as Frill understood it, a medium-wide Stripe, which put him among the upper class on Hrruba, but Mllaba was his superior. She muttered a long, low stream of grunts and growls at him, flipping off the control on his voder. Hurrhee submitted to that action, but Frill frowned and pricked his ears, though he only recognized a few of the glottal changes as belonging to High Hrruban rather than Middle. He wished he knew that dialect, because whatever it was she was saying, it sounded important.

  “What is it, madam?” Hurrhee asked with just a touch of asperity. “I am in a most interesting conversation. I do not wish to get left behind in the details.”

  The assistant’s gold-green eyes glinted with impatience. “What have you learned?”

  “About their grasp of matter transport technology?” The military tech glanced up at the words. Mllaba stared around her in alarm, but no one else had comprehended.

  “Yes,” she said. “Speak in concepts, not terms.”

  Hurrhee lowered his voice. “Most interesting, madam. I spoke in a general way about crystalline focusing systems from deliberately impure mineral complexes. Those”—he nodded toward the largest Gringg, a female, who sat beside the Hayuman scientist and a large, brown-patched male Gringg—“began to study the false diagrams I gave them. To my great delight, they have an idea how to prolong the life of the tuning crystals, madam. But I am now absolutely positive that the purralinium they are willing to trade us has the impurities we so urgently need. Though that metal did not come up in conversation, the dark-skinned Hayuman has made a suggestion that could very well result in still further protection for our supplies.”