by M. A. Foster
The fifth, and closest to Han of the group around the table, was at second glance a female, and a young one at that. In fact, she was, as he looked and listened more closely, much younger than the other ler present. She gave her name as Liszendir, Srith-Karen. Han’s suspicions were confirmed: the ler girl was young, in their terms still an adolescent, although he could not guess her age at all. She might have been sixteen standard or twenty-eight. Their adolescence went up to thirty standard. Somehow, subtly, he became aware of her not as a member of a race near man and derived from them, but as a young girl. She had plain, clear features of no particular distinction; her hair was short and pale brown, almost uncolored in its neutral tone, cropped off artlessly neat about ear level. It was straight and extremely fine in texture.
Her manner suggested something unfathomable and contradictory; an apprentice sage; a tomboy. She had a small, delicate nose and a broad, generous mouth. She was not a beauty in human terms of reference, but at the same time, she was attractive in a clean and direct way. Her eyes, however, were the most noticeable feature of her face; they were large and gray, and the pupil almost filled up the whole eye, except for corners of white. A faint yellow ring exactly divided the inner and outer iris. Han looked away from them. They were intense, knowing eyes. He looked at Lenkurian, the other young ler female present. Yes. There was some difference. Han could catch a hint of it; Liszendir was much better-looking than the other.
At this point, Hetrus made some introductory remarks, and then indicated that they were to listen to a recording, which he initiated by pressing a concealed switch. The recording started, identifying itself as a Union Security tape, subject, an interrogation, and circumstance, the statement of one Trader Edo Efrem, Master Trader. Han did not recognize the name at all, and assumed that Efrem was probably not of the Seabright system, but from some planet further out.
The interrogation recorded by the tape went as follows:—Proceed, Trader Efrem.
—Very well. As I said before, I had headed outwards towards Chalcedon to do a little trading and see how things were. None of us get out that far on the edge very often, so I was sure I could sell a load of primitive toolstuff I had picked up deep inside as a . . . ah . . . a speculation, so to speak. I arrived at night, so of course one couldn’t see very much. We set the bazaar up and waited for morning. But nobody came. I sent my Crew Chief into the local area to see if he could stir anyone up. Much later, he returned with a handful of people. To my surprise, of both kinds. In fact, I hadn’t made a voyage to Chalcedon before, and I didn’t know . . .
—Yes. We know about that aspect of Chalcedon. Go on.
—Well, to make a longer story shorter, they had been raided. Now, we all hear tales, of course, but we rarely ever see any hard and fast evidence. But they had gotten it there, all right. Later, I flew around the planet, and it was all over. Destruction everywhere. Some of the craters were still hot. Apparently, they came in, shot the place up, looted and took captives. They stayed about a month, and then abruptly left. Incredible damage. I unloaded as much as I could afford and beat it back here as fast as possible.
—Did you hear a description of the raiders?
—Yes, and that was what bothered me. It didn’t make good sense. Both kinds of people on the planet described them as “ler barbarians.” They all had their hair either shaven off, or done up in plumes and crests. They wore loincloths and many had tattoos. And they were definitely ler.
—They were sure?
—Absolutely. Both kinds said so.
—What about captives?
—From what we could make out, only a few ler were taken, but quite a few humans. At first, the locals thought that the purpose in mind was ransom, but when more time passed and nothing was heard, slave-taking seemed the more probable. It was pretty strange, though; the raiders only appeared to take certain types of people. Perhaps “types” isn’t the right word. They used a ler word which means something like “subrace” or “one who has a tribal characteristic.” They did not seem to pick according to any known standard of beauty or utility. Now that’s what bothered me. You hear tales, of course, but slavers and raiders? Besides, as far as I know, nobody has ever known ler to do anything even remotely like that. They fight well enough when the occasion demands, but they aren’t aggressive.
—Did anyone know what kind of weapons the raiders used? Or what their ship looked like?
—No, to both. Nobody saw what caused the craters. And nobody saw the ship close. Some saw it above, at night, but all they could see were some lights. It was a terror raid, simple. There isn’t anything on Chalcedon except a few mines and farms. There are no defended places or anything like that. No concentration of wealth.
—Any indications of where they came from?
—The survivors said that the raiders called themselves “The Warriors of Dawn.” But that could mean anything. Every planet has dawns; plenty of them, too. No. Nobody knew. But I would guess, as did everyone else on the planet, that they came from somewhere further out.
—What language did they speak?
—The ler on Chalcedon said that it was a very distorted form of their “Singlespeech,” barely understandable. There were words mixed in that no one could identify.
Hetrus turned the reproducer off. After a moment, he spoke, slowly and at length.
“This tape has been primarily for the benefit of you two young people, Han and Liszendir. The rest of us have already heard it. Likewise, the history you are about to hear. It is well known to some of us, but probably not to you.
“You already know that the ler originated as an experiment in forced human evolution on Earth. After they fled Earth, many years later, they founded a world they called Kenten—‘firsthome.’ No contact was made for many more years, partly out of inability and partly out of mistrust. When contact was made, it began an unpleasant period, which was a shame to both our peoples. The Great Compromise ended all that, with humans expanding spin wards and ler antispinwards. New worlds would be, as discovered, for one or the other. Disagreements would be kept local. This worked for more years.
“No provision was made in the cases of inwards and outwards. Inwards, there has been some rare skirmishing, but nothing of any great importance. Outwards, however, it has been completely peaceful. Towards the edge, at the farthest known habitable world, the guiding councils of both decided to dual-colonize one world; to see if perhaps the rent in our fabric could be mended. To date, we have been successful—on Chalcedon.”
As Hetrus paused, Lenkurian broke in. She seemed impatient, and spoke in a whispering, breathless voice which seemed so quiet it hardly sounded at all; yet curiously, it carried effortlessly to all parts of the terrace.
“When we heard this report, naturally we were interested. Note that the raiders were apparently ler, but of no origin anyone could determine, and of decidedly abnormal behavior. This caused some strain among our senior governing bodies. So we urgently wish to look further into this matter.”
Hetrus continued, “Naturally, we wish it to appear innocent. We know in fact almost nothing, and we do not know if the area is under observation. That is why you two were suggested. Han is waiting for an assignment; Liszendir is likewise unoccupied at this time, and can be considered to be making her journeying for her skill, “her ‘tranzhidh.’ ”
The girl nodded approval at the alien use of a ler word.
Hetrus said, “You need not feel particularly gifted. Others would have perhaps been better; but you two were readily available. Neither of you has family responsibilities at this time, and you are not likely to develop any attachment to each other beyond the business at hand. We have provided a ship, an armed cutter, and some goods to suggest traders. You will voyage to Chalcedon and pursue the matter further. Efrem was in a hurry to leave; you need not, and may follow it as far as it leads. Your skills complement one another’s admirably.”
Han and Liszendir looked at each other. As if she anticipated the question in h
is mind, she said quietly, with a subtle undertone of belligerence, “I am Liszendir, an adolescent of Karen Braid, infertile, Nerh or elder outsibling, unwoven. You would say unpromised and unattached, I believe. My age in standard is twenty-six.”
Han felt immediately put on guard by the frankness, which, he reminded himself, was not so much a personality trait of the girl herself, but a cultural trait they all shared in various degree. Still, it seemed that as she spoke, she had deliberately dropped the little femininity he could perceive, and become something different. Something fey, wild, tomboy. Aggressive. He wondered just what her skill was. And if she could turn on her femininity as easily as she turned it off.
Han asked her, “I am Han Keeling, male, unattached, Srith-Karen Liszendir. May I ask what your skill is?”
“You may. I am a violet adept of the Karen school of infighting.”
Han nodded politely. He felt misgivings by the score creep up the back of his neck. Consider: a girl alone on a long voyage. A ler adolescent, no less, and hence, by human standards, highly sexual in her behavior, which in her society was normal and expected. All that was pleasant enough. But a trained killer of a discipline that was feared even on ler worlds. He looked at her again; she appeared relaxed, feminine, tender. Her skin was pale and very smooth. Yet he knew very well that she could probably take on every person in the room and leave them, at her choice, submissive, maimed or mangled beyond recognition. She would be the human equivalent of a perfect gymnast, trained in something like karate and kung-fu, and expert in the use of all weapons “which do not leave the hand,” as the ler put it. They had moral objections to that, at least.
Han had heard tales. They were not for him to verify. Alone, he realized, he could probably not overpower her even with a beam rifle: she would be too fast. He resolved to leave her strictly alone. She noted his appraisal through his facial movements.
“That is good, Han. You know what I am. So there will be no problem. I accept.”
One of the continuing reasons why humans and ler avoid each other revolved around the sexual issue. One concept intimate with revolution was neoteny, an extended immaturity. The ler had gotten a heavy dose of it, and so to human eyes retained the beauty of youth well into middle age. But of course the attraction did not flow both ways. They saw humans as “ancestral primitives” and wanted nothing to do with them in any way that even suggested a sexual relationship. There were other strains as well. Ler were infertile until their adolescence ended around age thirty, but their sex drive started at the beginning of adolescence, around age ten. They were encouraged to enjoy their bodies without restraint, and since they were infertile, even incest was permitted. Humans, on the other hand, were more restrained by necessity. Lastly, even if there had ever been love between two of different kinds, it would have had no yield: the cross between ler and human would not even produce offspring. The original project had gone that far.
Cultural differences had grown alongside physical ones. To humans, ler society seemed too agricultural, static, and oversexed to the point of madness. To ler, human society seemed mechanistic and overhurried. Methods of aggression differed, also. A ler dealt with his or her fellows directly, or ignored them. If the issue came to a fight, then so be it. But they regarded any weapon which left the hand with horror, and by extension, any practice that avoided direct involvement. Lastly, the ler birthrate was low, and so all adults were expected to share childbearing to their limit. Humans used every form of birth control known and it still wasn’t enough to keep overcrowding at bay on some worlds.
So Han knew without thinking about it very deeply that he would not be able to play sex-games with the girl, Liszendir. Very well. He could match her in his skill, which was in bargaining, piloting, machinery. He thought, with rueful complacence, that she did not know anything there. They did not train their children for general purposes, but to a particular role, which went with the family, the “braid” willy-nilly.
“I accept also,” Han added.
Hetrus nodded, in conformity with the others. “Fine, fine, sure you’ll work well together. Now. You can leave at your convenience, although we would prefer it to be as soon as possible. The ship is ready at the spaceport, already cleared. It is set up to be human-financed and ler-registered. It is called by a ler name, Pallenber, which means, I am told, ‘pearly bow wave.’ Just notify the departure controller when you are ready.”
Liszendir arose with no ceremony. “I am prepared now. Let it be done and finished.”
Han also got to his feet. He thought on the name. Yes, that sounded nice, poetic, bringing visions to mind of sailing ships on a blue sea, with brightly colored sails. Yes, indeed. But it didn’t take a linguist to devise, out of those same roots, a name somewhat like “Bone in his teeth,” which referred to warships bent on destruction. But he said, “I will need to get some things, make some arrangements.”
Hetrus interposed, “No need, my boy, no need at all. You have everything you need already aboard the ship. The Master Trader of Boomtown will take care of all arrangements, your papers, your affairs. We advise discretion and deliberation in most things, and they are good practices. However, in this case I am sure you will understand . . .”
“In other words, get going,” Han interrupted.
“In a hasty word, which implies no diminution of good will, yes.”
“Well, then. I suppose that since this is the case, then I can go now, too. I would as well see it finished.” He directed the last at Liszendir, who either failed to notice, or pretended not to.
Preparing to leave, the ler group arose quietly and began their departures with no ceremony whatsoever. Hetrus and the remainder of the humans, Ormancioglu, Marebus and Villacampo, paused by the terrace rail to speak privately about some matter which seemed to occupy their full attentions. Han and Liszendir looked at each other coolly and critically for a moment, then started for the door. Liszendir went through the door first, apparently within her own frame of reference already broken with the group and its business in the room. However, by the door Han turned to the quiet ler who had not given his name.
“I beg your pardon, sir,” he began quietly, although no one was near them within earshot, “what ever became of the trader Efrem? And what was your name? I don’t believe I caught it . . .”
“Efrem is here in Boomtown, Han Keeling.” From the timbre of the voice, Han guessed that the creature was male, although from appearance alone, it was even more ambiguous than the normal ler. The voice also seemed curiously resonated and accented, although he thought no more of this than considering the possibility that the ler could have come from some very remote world. The creature continued, “Efrem feared murder, and decided to retire on a generous pension. You may well guess that his cooperation came at a price. But what he had, he sold. You need not worry that he left something out. There would be no point at all in your seeing him. None at all.”
“Well, fine enough. Am I being impolite in asking the name, committing some breach of etiquette?”
“No, no. Not at all. Pantankan Tlanh at your service. And may I be fit to assist you in any way that you require.”
He had answered in a soft fashion which left Han with the impression that he was being played with. There was something hidden and devious in the expressionless face, some quality which was not present, say, on Liszendir’s, however haughty she might have been. Something he wanted to probe. But there was no time for it. Pantankan was headed for the stairwell, now retained only for emergencies. Liszendir was waiting in the lift with an expression of utter boredom on her face.
Han walked to the lift, and joined the girl. The sliding doors closed and they were alone. They avoided looking directly at one another. Yet something was gnawing deeply at Han, and it was something which wouldn’t keep quiet long. They reached the ground floor and started out of the building. Liszendir started out confidently in the general direction of the underground tube to the spaceport.
Han looked about in
the midmorning crowd to see if they were being noticed, which would be only relative since the ler girl would stand out in her self-conscious plainness here in Boomtown greatly; the ler came here only rarely. He slowed, stopped, and motioned to her to come closer. She did, but with some impatience and annoyance.
He said to her, “I think before we leave, we should stop off and have a little chat with Efrem. We’ve got time, and it may give us some ideas on what exactly we’re looking for.”
“I see no need of it,” she replied. “We were told the essence of the facts. Besides that, we hardly know where to look for him.”
“I can’t believe you see it as all that simple,” Han said, with some of his own annoyance. “But however it seems to you, I’m going. The dark ler who didn’t speak during the meeting said Efrem was here. In Boomtown. I suspect you can’t fly the ship by yourself, so I ask you to accompany me to his quarters. You will prefer it to a boring wait at the ship.”
“Really? You think I could not force you here on the street? You are very foolish, or dangerously brave. It is true that I could not fly it, nor do I wish to learn. But you would be happy, perhaps overjoyed, to do it for me, should I exert a minor effort which would surely go unnoticed by these barbarians.”
Han looked about helplessly. He had not intended to goad her, or excite her temper. But he believed what she said. Perhaps guarded by a platoon of snipers concealed on the roofs and balconies at all points of the compass, he might have had a chance. But they were not present. Therefore he decided to try to reason with her. Ler were reputedly logical folk.