“The second reason for celebration is the historic Trade Agreement signed with our newest allies, the Gringg. I welcome their captain, Grzzeearoghh—” The name set him coughing. “Dear me,” he said when he recovered, “I hope I said that right, and all her crew, and hope they make many more trips here to visit us and enjoy their beautiful new residence on Treaty Island.”
“Hear, hear!” Ken Reeve shouted from his table near the dais. Pat Reeve raised her glass to clink against her husband’s. Jilamey, and Commander Frill, seated at Ken’s particular request at the Reeve family table, joined them.
Teddy, urged on by his parents, came forward with a heap of tissue-wrapped bundles. He stopped next to Hrriss, waiting with pleading, scared red eyes until the Hrruban took the top bundle.
“Zank you, young Zeddy,” Hrriss said gravely.
The young Gringg sketched a clumsy half bow, made all the more endearing by the roundness of his figure, and moved on to Todd, then one by one to each of the original party visiting the Gringg ship. Commander Frill was delighted to be included, and patted the cub on the shoulder. Teddy’s last delivery was to Greene, sitting at one of the front tables with Grace Castleton.
“What is it?” Greene asked, handling the package as if it might explode in his hands.
“It is a collar,” Teddy replied shyly, “like mine.” He scooted back to his place on the dais beside Grizz and Honey.
“That’s sweet,” Grace Castleton said, with a warm smile for Teddy, and elbowed the unresponsive commander. “Put it on, Jon!” He reddened, but complied.
“This is in recognition,” Grizz announced in Middle Hrruban, the voder raising her voice to a tolerable pitch for the guests, “of our first friends here on Rraladoon, and in hopes for the many yet to be made.”
She waved graciously, acknowledging the wild applause and cheers. Todd immediately unwrapped his gift and put it on, preening. Gringg-sized, it hung over his shoulders like a shawl. Hrriss donned his. Each collar was beautifully and individually decorated. Grinning at one another at the tableau they made, they leaned over toward the Gringg leaders.
“Beautiful,” Todd said fervently. “Thank you.”
“It is our pleasure,” Honey replied. “You have given us many gifts, most treasured of all being the gift of friendship.”
Hu Shih smiled, and put up a hand for attention. “And thirdly, we celebrate, a little prematurely, the fortieth birthday of Todd Reeve. I know it’s two weeks away, Todd, but surely you’ll forgive an old man for rushing things a little.” The crowd chuckled, and Hu continued. “He is the very calendar of our life here on Rraladoon, and the symbol of our unity, our friendship with our neighbor the Hrrubans. I am proud that he is my successor as Colony Leader. He has secured my safety and my enjoyment in retirement. Let me assure you that I’ll continue to vote for him any time he runs for re-election. Happy birthday, Todd, and long life to you.” Hu Shih sat down amid applause and cheers.
The Alley Cats left their seats between their two sets of grandparents and mounted the dais, joined by Hrriss’ children. Alison pushed Alec, who presented a gift-wrapped box to Todd.
Alec cleared his throat. “We have a special present for you, too, Dad.”
“It was our own idea,” Alison added.
“Why, thank you,” Todd said, really touched by the gravity on their faces. He opened the box.
“It’s from us, too,” Hrrunival put in. Hrrana, behind him, nodded vigorously.
“What is it?” Hrriss asked, noticing a suspicious hint of moisture in Todd’s eyes. Todd held up a rope tail, unmistakably braided together by small, inexpert fingers, but colorful with ribbons interwoven with the sisal.
“It’s beautiful, kids,” he said, his voice husky with emotion. He tied it around his waist and tugged the knots taut. “What do you know? It fits!”
The children gave him kisses and hugs, made shy by the onlookers, and hurried off to return to their places by their grandparents.
“Speech, speech!” Hrriss cried, clapping his hands together. The cry was taken up by the rest of the room. “Speech!”
“My friends,” Todd began as he rose. He pointed at the collar and the rope tail. “If my age is the calendar, then this is the composite picture of the makeup of Rraladoon: part Hrruban, part Hayuman, and now part Gringg, but all very, very happy and grateful. Thank you so much.”
“Lions and Hayumans and Bears, oh my!” Kelly chortled. Everyone laughed.
Overwhelmed by a deep feeling of joy, Todd sat down. Kelly, Hrriss, and Nrrna raised their glasses to him. “Happy birthday, my love,” Kelly whispered. She was dressed in a glowing, green silk dress that fit her slender form to a degree that was almost illicit. “My present’s waiting for you at home.” She raised her eyebrows wickedly and Todd grinned.
Second Speaker Hrrto, seated at the end of the dais, rose. “May I speak, Mr. Hu?” he asked politely.
“But of course, Speaker,” Hu Shih said, startled, but in perfect High Formal Hrruban. “We’d be honored by your words.”
“It is I who am honored,” Hrrto said, bowing. Then he changed to the Middle Hrruban that most of those in the room would understand. “I have a most important announcement to make. I do not wish to diminish the last presentation, but there is a fourth reason for celebration tonight. You are aware, that our beloved First Speaker, Hrruna, became one with the Stripes some months ago. We have all mourned his loss, I more than I knew at first. An election was held last night for his successor. The results affect you more”—he dropped his jaw slightly in the equivalent of a Hayuman grin—“than you might think.”
“Old Hrrto looks almost happy,” Todd whispered to Hrriss. “He must have won the election after all.”
“Finally,” Hrriss replied, with a grin of relief. “He’d be a better First Speaker than most—not that there was a lot of choice.”
Silvery mane gleaming in the lantern-light, Second looked noble and somewhat fragile, except for the totally uncharacteristic gleam in his eye.
“This is a most happy day for me as well,” he went on in Middle Hrruban. “I am proud to announce that the Hrruban who will pass into the First Speakership is revered for his wisdom. He is known to have trod a difficult but just path in the best interests of both Hrruba and Rraladoon. He is well known to you all. It is perhaps as well”—again there was that brief, amused drop of the jaw—“that he is not a member of the High Council at present, which I believe is one reason why many of my fellow Councillors felt able to vote unanimously in his favor.” His smile broadened as he deliberately tantalized his breathless audience. “By that admission, you know that it is not I who won such an honor. I find myself content to remain Second Speaker and serve First. But I did sincerely believe for some time that I was the only suitable candidate.
“Over the course of the last two months, I have watched and been impressed by another whose achievements I brought to the attention of the High Council. They have seen the merit of my arguments. Consequently, I can announce to you that the duly elected First Speaker of the High Council of Hrruba is”—he paused to turn to the recipient—“Hrrestan, son of Hrrindan.”
The surprise was so complete that gasps rippled through the room before yells and cheers broke out and the entire assembly rose to its feet. clapping their hands raw and making the Gringg cringe from the wild whistlings.
A dazed Hrrestan got to his feet, shaking his head at Hrrto as if he could not believe such an honor would fall to him. Then with a snap of his head and a straightening of his lean shoulders, he held up his hands. As silence finally fell in the hall, Hrrestan seemed unable to find words. Into the stillness, tiny Hrrunna, who could have no understanding of the honor just bestowed on her grandsire, purred a childish question. “Rra?”
Hrrto chuckled at the baby’s reaction. “It is auspicious that Hrruna’s namesake also approves.”
Then, w
ith a formal bow of unusual humility, Hrrto presented Hrrestan with a small box. Hrrestan opened it, his eyes widening in surprise. The audience gasped as he held up the great blue sapphire which had been Rraladoon’s present to Hrruna.
“Where’s Mrrva? She should be here,” Todd murmured to Kelly, and started to beckon Alec to him.
“She is here,” Hrriss said, drawing his attention to the rear of the dais. The graceful Hrruban woman, her mane whitening slightly around her sweet face, was clad in the most exquisite diaphanous red robe. She joined her mate, looking up at him with great pride as she adorned him with his new badge of office. Another round of cheers and applause followed that little ceremony. Todd was so affected by the tableau that he could feel involuntary tears starting in his eyes. Hrriss wound his tail around Todd’s knee and gave him a companionable squeeze. Todd threw his arm over his best friend’s shoulders. Kelly and Nrrna joined the hug, insinuating themselves into the embrace and clasping their hands across to one another. The baby sat in the middle, gurgling happily.
“What a splendid tribute! So long deserved,” Kelly whispered.
Todd nodded and sniffed surreptitiously. All his life, he’d respected the Hrruban who was, in many ways, a second father to him. Without Hrrestan’s guidance, Todd might not have grown up to take over the responsibilities that had been predicted as the fate of the exuberant, disobedient six-year-old colonist. Hrrto was right. There was no one else of all the high-ranking wide Stripes that Todd had met during his nearly forty years who was better suited, or trained, to accept the First Speakership. He overcame his thickened throat and added his cheers to the prolonged accolade.
“I am honored beyond speech,” Hrrestan said when the applause abated enough for him to be heard. “I do not presume to take the place of First Speaker Hrruna, for he was unique in the history of both our worlds, and certainly of this one. But I will do my utmost to live up to the honorable principles he endorsed.
“The one regret I have is that my appointment to the position of First Speaker will limit the amount of time I may spend here, among my friends and family on Rraladoon. I will never give up my home here, so it is a good thing that our new friends, the Gringg, have come to us with the materials to make more, and more efficient, grids. So efficient, in fact, that we will be extending this technology to our longtime allies and partners, the Hayumans. And it is the Gringg who have brought us the means to share that technology with Hayumans.”
The applause which followed this announcement was thunderous. Hrrestan, beaming, resumed his seat.
“Couldn’t think of a better cat for the job,” Ali Kiachif said, toasting him with mlada and draining the glass dry. He beckoned to one of the young Hrrubans helping to serve at the feast. “Give me another shot of liquid headache, son.”
Todd had one more announcement to make, and stood, raising his hands for quiet.
“The spaceport planning committee will meet tomorrow—tomorrow afternoon,” he said with a grin, “giving the delegates some chance to recover from the party tonight.” He held up a hand-sized holographic projector. “I have something else that should be public knowledge now. May I have the lights off, please?”
The lights dimmed as Todd triggered the holograph, and a map appeared on the dais before the head table. Each species’ claimed systems showed in a different color: amber for Hrruba, red for Gringg, and green for Amalgamated Worlds. “Now, the moment of truth!” He touched the relevant key, and three spots began glowing in the heart of each nebulous blob. The crowd let out a collective gasp.
“Reeve, that’s classified!” Barnstable roared in protest, jumping to his feet at his place on the opposite end of the dais.
“Not really,” Todd said. “Not for years. It’s long been possible to extrapolate the location of the home systems from radiotelescope transmissions. I tried it myself. There is Earth, there is Hrruba, and there is the Gringg homeworld. We’re going to be open and aboveboard now. We’ve agreed that the home worlds will be off-limits to the uninvited, but who knows what the future will bring? Oh, and there,” Todd said, pointing to a small blue spot glowing gently in the center of the map, “there’s Rraladoon.”
“Like the nucleus of a molecule,” one of the Hayuman scientists observed aloud. “I hope it’s a stable one.”
“Oh, I doubt it,” Todd said, shaking his head, to the shock of the scientist and the assembled guests. “A stable molecule is a closed system. We have to be open.” He gestured at his fellow Humans. “It all started with one race of sentient beings. Then there were two, and now there are three. It’s only a matter of time before there are four, then ten, then fifty . . .”
“Stop!” Barnstable protested, his face flushed. Then he took a deep breath and managed a weak grin. “Take it easy, Reeve. Some of us can take only so much . . . incredible news at a time.”
“Then let us become a homogenous whole,” Hrriss said, his eyes sparking merrily. “Let the party begin!”
* * *
The “Doona/Rrala Ad Hoc Band” had a guest instrumentalist among their number: Artos, the Gringg lutanist. He confessed to having learned the Rraladoonan system of musical notation only recently.
“But I can play harmony if required,” he added.
“You’ll play solos, if I have anything to say about it,” said Sally Lawrence, smiling at him winningly. “Ready, everyone? A-one, a-two, a-three!”
They struck up dance music. After listening carefully for a handful of bars, Artos added a delicate but intricate descant to the melody. Everyone listening smiled and started snapping fingers or stamping to the tempo.
“C’mon, Koala,” Lieutenant Cardiff said, urging the Gringg engineer out onto the dance floor. “Show us how you do it.”
The rangy technician and his giant friend were soon the center of a dozen or so couples merrily stepping along. The children joined hands with grandparents and danced in a circle around them. Teddy spun into the circle holding hands with Ken, and Hrrunival coaxed Kodiak to join with him and Hrrana.
Off to one side away from the musicians, a couple of Hunters who’d started their party not long after dismounting from the ride had adopted Cinnamon, and were telling him tales of being misunderstood in their lives.
“I broke my mother’s heirloom teapot when I was a child,” one of them said sadly. “Was an accident. Coulda happened to anybody. Have some mlada. You don’t have to worry about a hangover, do you? Your eyes are already red.”
“My eyes are always red,” Cinnamon said, puzzled. “Is this another joke on me?”
The Hunters grinned. “Yeah, Br’er Bear, but a harmless one. Have a drink.”
Tentatively Cinnamon accepted their hospitality, sipping, and then, liking the taste, upending his glass.
“Thassa good bruin!”
* * *
Ben Adjei collected the pool as the winner for the thirtieth year running, having made the most accurate guess of the onset of snake migration. First-time visitors paid off with groans. Mike Solinari was among the losers, but he anteed up with good grace.
“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head at the senior veterinarian. “I think you have some arcane set of motivators to know just when they’ll come, because it’s never the same hour any two years in a row.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time studying my subject, lad,” Ben said, clapping the younger man on the back. “Live, learn, and one day you might guess, too.”
On the dance floor, Robin Reeve tapped Grace Castleton on the shoulder. She and Jon Greene executed a gliding turn and stopped.
“Can I help you, young man?” she asked.
“You’re a ship’s captain,” Robin said, his words slightly slurred. He had his arm firmly tucked around Nita Taylor’s waist. “Could you marry us?”
“Oh, Robin,” Nita said, blushing. “That’s an ancient custom.”
“But still a valid one, I�
�m pleased to inform you,” Grace said, smiling fondly at the two young people. “I can see that you’re both of an age to know your minds. So if you wish, I’d be delighted to officiate. But it’d have to be done aboard my ship. You don’t want to leave the party so soon, do you? We certainly don’t.” Greene whispered in her ear, and she blushed. “Perhaps later, Exec.”
A few steps away, Barnstable was recounting the events of the Snake Hunt to a circle of listeners. “Never seen anything like it in my life. Snake comes up and tries to eat a rider, slithers right up the horse’s a—” he glanced at his wife beside him and she gave him a long-suffering look—“er, rump. The beggar—I mean, Gringg—just yanked it off by the tail and battered that reptile about the head with her paws until it was dead as a mat! Nothing but her paws! Now I believe they don’t need any personal armament.”
“Ah, young Reeve,” Ali Kiachif said, shouting at Todd and Kelly above the raucous music of the Doona/Rrala Ad Hoc Band. “Congratulations to you and greetings to you, lovely Kelly. My glass must have a hole in it, if you understand the problem. The mlada’s all gone.”
“I’ll find you some,” Todd said, laughing. Spotting one of the servers, he directed the girl toward Ali. Arm in arm, he and Kelly wriggled through the crowd to the dance floor. Hrriss and Nrrna were already there, gracefully gliding to the music.
* * *
“Todd Rreev,” Grizz called. The Gringg captain towered head and shoulders above everyone else in the room. “Todd Rreev, Hrriss? A moment of your attention?”
Todd and Hrriss rose from the table where, over a glass or two, they and Hrrestan, Sumitral, Fred Horstmann, Jilamey, Barnstable, and Kiachif had been having an unofficial roundtable about the spaceport facilities. Kelly glanced at Nrrna.
“Should we go?” she asked Grizz.
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