by Ben Bova
At that moment, the chamber’s main door opened and the humanform robot rolled in, bearing a knapsack slung over one shoulder. It headed directly toward Jordan.
Pointing, Jordan told the robot, “Deliver to Dr. de Falla, please, and Dr. Meek.”
The aliens watched interestedly as the robot brought containers of food and bottles of water out of the knapsack and laid them before Meek and de Falla. Then it rolled back to the door and left the room.
Rising to his feet at the head of the table, Adri said, “Well, now that we all have been served, I suppose we can begin.” Raising his glass of water, he proclaimed, “Welcome to New Earth, gentlemen. May your stay with us be pleasant and instructive, for both of us.”
“Hear, hear,” said Jordan.
The food was excellent, Jordan thought. A salad of greens, a main course that looked and tasted like roast beef. Darkish bread, something like rye. Jordan saw that Brandon ate with relish.
Aditi, sitting between Brandon and de Falla, asked the geologist, “May I try a taste of your food?”
De Falla looked surprised. He glanced at Jordan, who nodded an okay, thinking, Our thin sandwiches aren’t as tasty as their beef. Nutritious, yes, but not haute cuisine.
Sure enough, Aditi took a bite from the half sandwich de Falla had handed her, made a smile for him, and left the remainder on her dish.
As the servants began clearing away the dishes, Meek yelped and jumped out of his chair. “A rat!” he shouted. “Look, it’s a rat! Two of them!”
De Falla hopped up from his chair, too. Brandon half-rose.
Jordan saw a dark furry creature about the size of a rat scurrying along the floor. It dashed under the table and out the other side. None of the aliens seemed in the least bit perturbed, although Adri rose to his feet.
“I must apologize,” he said. “These creatures have been developed to clean the floor. They are not vermin, they are rather like the machines you use to sweep your floors. Vacuum cleaners, I believe you call them.”
Jordan chuckled. “Bioengineered floor sweepers?”
“Yes,” said Adri. “They are not harmful, I assure you.”
Meek and de Falla sat down, shakily. The astrobiologist looked distinctly leery.
Trying to explain further, Adri said, “You see, where you have invented machines for certain tasks, we have developed biological means.”
Jordan remembered that he hadn’t seen any vehicles of any type on the city’s streets: only those horselike creatures.
After everyone calmed down, Adri said, “We’ve taken the liberty of preparing quarters for you. Assuming you wish to stay, that is.”
From down the table Meek said, “That’s very kind of you, but I think we’d better return to our plane.”
Jordan felt torn. He knew that returning to the ship was the safer thing to do, the more practical course. Yet he felt fascinated by this adventure: Intelligent, humanlike aliens, with a city that’s obviously the product of a significant technology. There’s so much to learn! So much to discover!
He realized that everyone’s eyes were on him, waiting for his decision.
Why not carry the experiment to the next step? he asked himself.
“My brother and I will be happy to stay here,” he announced, almost surprising himself. “Dr. Meek and Dr. de Falla will want to return to our plane, I’m sure.”
Meek looked relieved. De Falla looked … angry.
FEARS
Jordan walked down the broad stairs with Brandon, Meek, and de Falla. Their little buggy was sitting exactly where they had left it, with the robot that had brought their food sitting obediently inert in the rear row. Most of the aliens had dispersed after lunch, but Adri and Aditi stood at the top of the stairs, waiting for Jordan and his brother to return.
“You’re crazy!” de Falla hissed, lowering his head and hunching his shoulders as if trying to prevent anyone from reading his lips.
Jordan replied, “For god’s sake, man, we’ve made physical contact with an intelligent alien race! I, for one, intend to learn as much about them as I can, as quickly as I can.”
“They’re not going to disappear if you come back to the plane with us.”
“And they’re not going to murder us in our beds if Bran and I stay here overnight.”
De Falla looked as if he wanted to keep on arguing, but instead he pressed his lips into a hard, unhappy line.
As they reached the buggy, Brandon asked Meek, “Harmon, what do you think?”
“Think?” Meek looked alarmed, like a student unexpectedly called on by his professor. “Think about what?”
“About all this,” Brandon said, sweeping his arm in a wide gesture.
Meek ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “I think Silvio is correct. But he doesn’t go far enough. We should go back to the ship.”
“You mean, in orbit?” Jordan snapped.
With a vigorous nod, Meek said, “Why spend the night here when you could be safe and sound, up in orbit.”
Jordan said, “You may be right, both of you.” Before either man could say anything, he went on, “And yet I simply can’t turn my back on all this.”
“I think you’re being foolish,” Meek said. “Emotional.”
Jordan glanced up the stairs at Aditi standing there, waiting. “You’re probably right about that,” he muttered.
“Come on,” de Falla said to Meek. “Let’s get going, before they change their minds about letting us leave.”
He climbed into the driver’s seat and Meek got in beside him, the knees of his long legs poking up awkwardly.
“I’ll give you a call first thing in the morning,” Jordan said.
“If they don’t slit your throats first,” de Falla muttered darkly.
Jordan watched the buggy trundle down the street, then turned and started up the stairs again, Brandon at his side.
“Silvio’s gone off the deep end,” Brandon said. “He used to be a fun guy, but he’s turned hostile.”
“This is a lot for him to swallow,” said Jordan. “A lot for each of us, actually.”
“But it’s turned him into a paranoid.”
“He’ll adjust.”
Brandon said, “Maybe it’s better that he goes back to the ship. I got the feeling he was pretty close to cracking up.”
So much for all the psych testing before we took off, Jordan thought. But then the psychiatrists never expected us to meet intelligent aliens. None of us expected that.
As they approached the top of the stairs, Jordan saw that the sky was darkening. Thick clouds were rolling in.
“It looks as if it’s going to rain,” he said as he reached Adri and Aditi.
Squinting up at the sky, Adri said, “Yes. Rain has been predicted.”
“But it won’t bother us,” said Aditi. “We’re protected.”
“By going indoors,” Jordan said.
“No, the entire city is protected,” she corrected.
“The whole city?” Brandon asked.
Adri replied, “The city lies beneath a protective dome.”
“I didn’t see any dome.”
“It’s not material,” Adri explained. “It’s a dome of energy. That’s why your orbiting sensors didn’t see our city: the dome blocked their view.”
“A dome of energy?” Jordan asked, intrigued.
“Yes,” said Aditi. “We don’t really need these buildings at all. We could live completely out in the open, if we wished. Protected by energy shields.”
Adri pointed out, “The material buildings are more energy-efficient. And, of course, we learned how to build structures long before we learned how to generate energy shields.”
“Of course,” Brandon said, his voice hollow.
Adri gestured toward the building’s entrance. “Would you like to see the quarters we have prepared for you?”
“Certainly,” said Jordan. Then he added, “I presume they’re inside a building.”
Adri laughed. “Yes, yes, o
f course they are.”
“If you’d prefer to stay outside,” Aditi said, “we could provide energy shelters for you.”
Jordan glanced at Brandon, then answered, “No, thank you. We’re accustomed to living inside structures with solid walls and roofs, just as you are.”
Adri led them back into the building, down its central corridor, out the rear into a long rectangular courtyard bordered with small flowering trees. At the end of the courtyard stood a smaller, two-storied building. Jordan walked between Adri and Aditi; Brandon stayed on Aditi’s other side. The sky above had grown ominously dark, thick clouds scudding past. Lightning suddenly flashed and almost immediately thunder boomed, jarringly loud. Yet no rain fell on them, although Jordan felt a strong breeze gusting through the courtyard, making the little trees sway.
Totally unconcerned about the storm, Adri pointed to the building ahead and explained, “This is what you would probably call a dormitory.” He cocked his head slightly to one side, then added, “Or perhaps a hotel.”
“You must have other cities here and there,” Jordan said. Another flash of lightning and an immediate peal of thunder.
“Oh no, this is our only community. We have no need for more.”
“Farms, factories? That sort of thing?”
Nodding, Adri replied, “Yes, they are all here, on the edge of our city. The farms are enjoying the rain, I should think.”
“Everything we need is here,” Aditi said.
“You mean to say that the rest of the planet is empty?” Brandon asked, unbelieving.
“Not empty,” said Adri. “This world is teeming with life.”
“I mean human life,” Brandon said.
Adri smiled at him. “Our entire human population lives here, in the city. The rest of the planet is for the other living species.”
Jordan thought a moment, then asked, “That means you must keep your own numbers at a stable level.”
“Yes, certainly.”
“We have to,” said Aditi. “Otherwise we would put a strain on our natural resources.”
With a sigh, Jordan said, “I wish our people on Earth were that wise.”
“It is necessary,” said Adri. “We must live in balance with the planet’s resources.”
Brandon said, “Back home we use the resources of the rest of the solar system.”
“And our numbers keep growing,” Jordan added.
“Yes, that may be so for you,” said Adri, “but as you can see, we have no other planets to exploit. We must live within the resources that this single world can provide.”
With that, they approached the main door to the dormitory building. It opened for them automatically.
VISITORS’ QUARTERS
The interior of the building was richly decorated with swirling, colorful abstract murals.
“Each corridor is color-coded,” Adri explained. “The predominant tone in this main corridor is orange, as you can see. Side corridors are in cooler tones: blue, green, lilac.”
“Impressive,” said Jordan. “And delightful.”
“I’m so pleased you enjoy it.”
Brandon asked, “Do you sleep here? In this building?”
“Yes, we do,” Aditi answered. “On the upper floor.”
Adri stopped at an intricately carved door. It slid open at the touch of his fingertip.
“I hope this suite will be comfortable for you,” he said, ushering Jordan and Brandon in with a sweep of his arm. “It has two separate bedrooms connected by the sitting room, here.”
Aditi remained out in the corridor.
“Aren’t you coming in?” Jordan called to her.
She broke into a bright smile and stepped into the sitting room.
Jordan looked around the room. It was handsomely furnished with a long, low sofa, several armchairs, two desks on opposite walls. The walls themselves glowed slightly, a pearly gray. Wall screens, he realized. He noticed a faint trace of a floral scent. Jasmine? he wondered.
“If this is a dormitory room,” Brandon said, grinning, “I can’t imagine what your luxury hotel suites must look like.”
Jordan saw that the doors leading to the bedrooms were both open. The bedrooms looked identical: large, comfortable, attractively appointed. He caught a glimpse of a small gray creature that scurried beneath the bed in one of the rooms. Startled for an instant, he recovered his composure. Vacuum cleaner, he reminded himself.
“You can communicate with your ship,” said Adri, “using the wall screens.”
Aditi said, “The closets contain robes in your sizes. We were uncertain as to what you would prefer for clothing, so we merely provided the robes. I hope they’re satisfactory.”
“Perfectly satisfactory,” Jordan said.
Brandon joked, “I hope whoever’s in the room above us isn’t a flamenco dancer.”
Adri’s expression went so perplexed that Jordan had to stifle an urge to laugh.
“Flamenco dancer?” Aditi asked, also obviously puzzled.
“It’s a form of entertainment,” Brandon explained, and he stomped his feet a few times while snapping his fingers.
“I see,” said Adri, still a bit uncertain.
But Aditi broke into laughter. “It’s a joke! You were being humorous.”
“I was trying,” Brandon said.
Quite seriously, Adri said, “I can assure you, whoever is residing above this suite is not a flamenco dancer.”
Jordan said, “We’re glad to hear that.” And he studied Aditi’s vivacious, happy face, reveling in the sound of her laughter.
Adri said, “If you don’t mind, we’ll leave you two to familiarize yourselves with your quarters and relax awhile. Shall I call for you for dinner in a few hours? Will that be all right?”
“That’ll be fine,” Brandon said.
To Aditi, Jordan asked, “Will you join us for dinner?”
“If you like,” she said.
“I’d be very pleased if you did.”
With a smiling nod, Aditi said, “I’ll be happy to.”
Once they were alone in the sitting room, Jordan flipped his pocketphone open and called Thornberry. To his surprise, the roboticist’s face appeared on the wall screen opposite the sofa, slightly larger than life.
“All is well,” Jordan reported. Swinging the phone slowly around the room, he went on, “As you can see, they’ve set us up in very comfortable quarters. We’ll be having dinner with Adri in a little while.”
“We’ve been monitoring you through your phone,” Thornberry said, his heavy brows slightly knitted. “Glad to get visuals, though. Now what was that business about energy domes?”
Jordan felt mildly annoyed. They’re eavesdropping, he thought. We’ll have to turn the phones off if we want any privacy.
“I’ll ask Adri for more details,” he replied. “When you come down here, perhaps you can meet with their technical people.”
“I’d like that,” said Thornberry.
“What about Meek and de Falla?” Jordan asked. “Are they coming up to the ship or staying down here?”
Hazzard came into the picture, behind Thornberry’s shoulder. “They’re coming up here. I pointed out to them that they’d just have to go back tomorrow, but they insisted on returning to the ship. They’re really spooked, especially Silvio.”
“I’m afraid so,” Jordan agreed.
“How are the aliens treating you?” Hazzard asked.
“Very well indeed,” said Jordan. “You can tell de Falla to relax.”
“You’re in uncharted territory, Jordan,” Hazzard said. “Be careful.”
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll call you first thing in the morning.”
“Or sooner, if you need to.”
“Yes, certainly. But for now I’m going to turn off our phones.”
“No!” Hazzard snapped. “We need to be in constant touch with you.”
Frowning slightly at the oversized image on the wall screen, Jordan said, “I don’t feel com
fortable having you listening in on every word I say.”
“We need to know what’s going on,” Hazzard insisted. Thornberry agreed with a tense nod.
Jordan saw that his brother was grinning at him. To Hazzard, he said, “Geoff, I’m going to pull rank on you. I’m going to turn off our phones after dinner. If they murder us in our sleep you’ll find out about it soon enough.”
“I don’t like it,” said Hazzard.
“I understand,” Jordan replied. “Your objection will be noted in the ship’s log.”
Once the wall screen went blank, Brandon said to Jordan, “You want some privacy when you’re with Aditi.”
Jordan tried to stare his brother down, failed, and at last admitted, “Wouldn’t you?”
* * *
The four of them had a leisurely meal in a sizeable dining room down the corridor from their suite. Several dozen tables were filled with couples and larger groups. Human—or rather, alien—waiters served trays laden with steaming soups, crisp salads, and savory meats. There was no wine, but Adri introduced them to a pungent drink that somehow seemed to go well with each course.
Jordan chatted with Aditi, for the most part, leaving Brandon to talk with Adri.
“I take it that Adri heads your government here,” he prompted.
“Government?” Aditi asked, as if the term was new to her.
“He’s your leader,” Jordan said. “He makes the final decisions about things.”
“Oh! You mean chief of the administration. Yes, you could say that’s Adri’s position.”
“And you? What do you do?”
Again Aditi looked briefly at a loss, but then her expression brightened. “I’m a teacher.”
“A teacher? Really?” Jordan realized that he hadn’t seen any children in the city. Not one.
“Yes.”
“Can you teach me your language?”
She smiled. “It’s very different from yours. We use different tones, different parts of the vocal organ.”
“Would it be very difficult to teach me?”
“It might be,” Aditi said, her face growing serious. “The most arduous part of learning is preparing the mind to accept new knowledge.”
“I never thought of it that way.”