by Ben Bova
“I understand,” he said. “I should have known.”
They walked to the city’s edge in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Jordan knew that Aditi was right. Let Meek and Longyear and the others absorb this new information. It’ll stun them, I’m sure. I don’t want Aditi to be there when they find out about it. I don’t want them staring at her, whispering about her. Let her stay here in the city, where she’ll be safe.
Safe? He wondered why he thought about it that way. Surely she’d be safe in our camp. No one’s going to harm her. Not Longyear and certainly not Meek. They’re frightened of her, but they wouldn’t harm her. Yet he had instinctively felt concern for her safety.
And he realized that what men are frightened of, they often lash out against. It was a very human reaction.
* * *
By the time Jordan reached the camp, Sirius was setting, turning the sky into a blazing bold vermillion and painting the low-lying clouds deep violet. Higher above he saw the pinpoint of the Pup, bright as a laser, riding above the horizon-hugging cloud deck.
To his surprise, Brandon and de Falla had returned. They were at the rocketplane they had traveled in, out at the edge of the camp, while a pair of robots unloaded their gear. De Falla was watching the robot; Brandon stood nearby, all smiles, with Elyse clutching his arm happily. Jordan thought that she must have come in from the observatory once she learned that Bran was returning.
“Finished your survey so soon?” he asked de Falla, as one of the robots drove their tractor down the plane’s cargo bay ramp and out onto the grass.
“That sector, yes,” the geologist replied. “We’ve mapped it down to a centimeter scale and sampled its rocks and soil.”
“We ran out of clean clothes,” Brandon joked.
Jordan said, “Bran, I want you and all the others to gather at the dining area at seventeen hundred hours. I have some important new information to share with you. Tell the others, will you?”
Brandon nodded. “Okay, Jordy, I’ll spread the word.” He started off toward the cluster of bubble tents, Elyse at his side, leaving de Falla and the robots to finish unloading the rocketplane.
Jordan personally told Meek about the meeting, then went looking for Longyear and Thornberry.
Precisely at seventeen hundred hours Jordan stepped into the bubble tent that housed the camp’s kitchen and dining area. All eight of the others were there, sitting at the longest table in the place, heads together in buzzing conversations. On the wall-sized display screen at the end of the table, Hazzard, Trish Wanamaker, and Demetrios Zadar looked on from the wardroom of the orbiting Gaia.
Jordan went to the head of the table. The talk stopped and they looked at him expectantly.
“I’ve learned something about our aliens that’s both very interesting and … well, frankly, rather unsettling,” he began.
“They’re evangelists and they want to convert us to their religion,” Brandon wisecracked.
A few titters ran along the table. Meek shot Brandon an annoyed glare.
With a tolerant smile, Jordan said, “No, it’s not that bad.”
“Then what is it?” asked Yamaguchi.
Jordan hesitated a heartbeat, then plunged, “They aren’t born naturally. They aren’t conceived and carried in a woman’s womb. They’re gestated in apparatuses in a laboratory.”
Absolute silence for almost half a minute. Then Meek said, “I knew it! They’re not real. They’re constructs. Biological constructs.”
“They’re as real as you and I, Harmon,” Jordan countered. “They simply were created in a different way.”
Brandon asked, “Adri, too? All of them?”
“All of them.”
Yamaguchi said, “But they’re fully human. For all intents and purposes, they’re identical to us.”
“Down to their DNA,” Longyear added.
“They were constructed,” Meek insisted. “By whom? And for what purpose?”
“Yes,” said Elyse. “If they were constructed in a laboratory, who built the laboratory?”
“Earlier generations, I suppose,” Jordan answered.
“No, no, no,” said Meek. “This is all part of a plan. A consistent plan of deception. Those people, their city, this entire planet … they’re all part of a gigantic scheme.”
“A scheme to do what?” asked Hazzard, from the screen. “What’s the point behind all this? What are they after?”
“There’s no deception,” Jordan said firmly. “They’ve been completely honest with us.”
“You’ll pardon my saying so,” Meek retorted, “but it seems to me that you’ve been sleeping with the enemy.”
Jordan felt his innards turn to ice. He smiled coldly at the astrobiologist. “They’re not our enemy, Harmon. And I can tell you that, no matter how they’re created, they’re as human as you or I.”
Meek looked as if he were going to retort, then thought better of it and closed his mouth. Jordan looked to his brother for a word of support, some sign of understanding, but Brandon was silent, and he avoided Jordan’s eyes.
“Contrary to any conspiracy theory,” Jordan went on, trying to sound more certain than he felt, “Adri and his people have answered all our questions.”
Thornberry spoke up. “Without telling us much at all. I’ve never had such lovely runarounds as their engineers have been giving me.”
“Adri’s policy,” Jordan tried to explain, “is to answer our questions with absolute honesty, but not to go any further than our questions require.”
“Now what kind of mischief is that?” Meek complained.
“He feels that contact between two alien races is a very delicate matter. He wants to be open and aboveboard with us, but he won’t feed us more information than we’re ready to accept.”
“So how in blazes do those energy shields work?” Thornberry demanded.
Almost grinning at the roboticist, Jordan answered, “When you know enough to ask the right questions, they’ll give you the right answers.”
“Ahh, it’s all malarkey, that’s all.”
“No, it’s not, Mitch. You should be seeking out their physicists and learning the basics on which their technology is built.”
“I’d have to be a PhD physicist to understand ’em!” Thornberry bleated.
“Then you’ll have to learn physics from them,” said Jordan.
“Back to school, then. Is that it?”
“I think it is,” said Jordan. “For all of us. We have a lot to learn, and the first thing we must learn is how to ask the proper questions.”
Turning to Meek, he added, “That goes for you, too, Harmon. Instead of being afraid of these people, you should be trying to learn from them.”
Meek grumbled, “They won’t like the questions I ask.”
“But they’ll answer them,” Jordan replied.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
With obvious misgivings, Meek and Thornberry agreed to accompany Jordan back to the city the next morning. To Jordan’s mild surprise, Brandon and Elyse asked to go, too.
Jordan felt briefly uncomfortable, until Brandon said, “I’m the planetary astronomer, remember, Jordy? I’ve got a lot of questions to ask about this planet’s formation and composition.”
“And there’s a lot of astrophysics for me to learn,” Elyse added. “No human being has seen a white dwarf this close. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for me!”
Jordan agreed with a good-natured shrug, then looked down the table toward Longyear. “What about you, Paul? Do you want to come with us? There are still lots of biology questions to be answered.”
Before the biologist could reply, Meek said, “I’ll ask the biology questions. It would be best if Paul remains here in camp. I’ll stay in touch with him.”
Longyear tried to hide his frown of disappointment, without success.
“And you, Silvio?”
De Falla answered, “I’ve got plenty to do, sorting out all the samples we took and integrati
ng our detail map into the general planetary map we put together from orbit.”
Yamaguchi said, “I’d certainly like to see their medical facilities.”
“Later,” said Jordan. “There’ll be time for that later.”
Tanya Verishkova sat in silence, her pale blue eyes on Thornberry. The roboticist felt her stare and said to her, “Tanya, my dear, you stay here and mind the robots. I’ll check in with you regularly.”
She nodded glumly.
Five of us go to the city, Jordan said to himself, and four remain here in camp. In time, we’ll all move into the city. But we have to build trust first.
He glanced at Meek, sitting next to Longyear. Funny fellow, Jordan thought. He’s suspicious of Adri, filled with fears of a conspiracy against us, yet he won’t let Paul go with us. He wants to tackle the biology questions himself. Is it curiosity that’s driving him, or the old academic cutthroat competition?
* * *
As the meeting broke up and Jordan started back toward the barracks tent, Brandon grabbed his arm.
“Jordy, we need to talk.”
Elyse was leaving the dining area with all the others. The two brothers were alone. Brandon looked utterly serious, almost solemn.
“What is it, Bran?”
Resting his rump on the corner of the nearest table, Brandon said, “Meek and the others are worried about your fitness to lead.”
“My fitness?”
Looking unhappy, Brandon said, “About your judgment. You know, with you sleeping with Aditi…” He left the rest of the thought unsaid.
Jordan felt his innards turn cold once again. “My sleeping with the enemy, as Harmon put it?”
“Well … yeah.”
“She’s not our enemy. None of them are.”
“How do you know, Jordy?”
“What harm have they done to us?”
“What are they planning to do?” Brandon countered.
“Go to the city and ask them. They’ll answer you truthfully.”
“But not with the whole truth.”
“They will, in time.”
Brandon shook his head. “Jordy, I think you should step down. Let Hazzard or one of the others be in charge.”
My own brother! Jordan thought. He’s against me!
“Jordy, if you don’t step down voluntarily, Meek’s going to call for a vote and you’ll be forced out.”
“And once Meek’s in charge he’ll pack us all up and head back to Earth with his tail between his legs,” Jordan said. “Is that what you want?”
“No, of course not. But…”
“But what?”
“Don’t let them humiliate you, Jordy. Step down voluntarily.”
Jordan held his temper, barely. With deliberate calm he replied, “Very well, Bran. I’ll step down. On one condition.”
“One condition?”
“That you take my place as leader of this Neolithic band.”
Brandon’s jaw dropped open.
A NEW REGIME
Jordan marched off to his own cubicle, steaming inside. Brandon’s gone over to Meek’s side, he growled to himself. My own brother has helped Meek and the others kick me aside.
He was too angry, too hurt, to even think of having dinner. Not in the dining area. Not with all those others. Instead, he stripped off his clothes and flung himself on the bunk. Briefly he thought of returning to the city to be with Aditi, but he realized that would only confirm the asinine fears of Meek and his ilk.
As he lay on his cot, staring up at the shadowed dome of the tent, he wondered if he should let it come to a vote. Instead of obediently stepping down, why not have it out in the open? Who’s for me and who’s against?
Then he realized that such a move would be foolish. Divisive. It would tear their little team into two antagonistic groups. Unless they all vote against me, he thought. The idea almost made him laugh. Yes, it could be a unanimous vote against me. Even Brandon.
Well, he told himself, at least I’ll be free to be with Aditi and Adri and leave the rest of these noble explorers to their own devices.
But that’s just what you’ve been doing all along, isn’t it? he asked himself. You’ve been staying with Aditi and living in the city and ignoring the people you were supposed to be leading. No wonder they want you out! It was inevitable.
Strangely, he smiled to himself. I can’t blame them, he thought. They’re actually doing the right thing.
His last thought before falling asleep was, And now I can be with Aditi full time.
* * *
Jordan woke early and went to the communal lavatory to shower and shave. Thornberry was already there, standing by one of the sinks, washing his hands. He looked sheepish.
“Jordan,” he began, “I’m sorry about last night.”
“What did you decide?”
The roboticist’s guilty expression morphed into a puzzled little frown. “Your brother took over, by god. He told us you would step down and he would step up. Just like that.” Thornberry snapped his fingers.
“And Meek accepted that?”
“He did. He didn’t like it much, but he accepted it when the rest of us started congratulating Brandon.”
With an almost pleased smile, Jordan said, “Harmon expected to be elected the new leader.”
“That he did,” said Thornberry. “But your brother saved us from that, thank the saints.”
“Good.”
Almost reluctantly, Thornberry asked, “Are you still planning to go with us to the city this morning?”
“Why not?” Jordan asked. “What else do I have to do?”
* * *
After breakfast the five of them clambered aboard one of the buggies and headed for the city. Brandon drove, with Elyse sitting beside him. Meek and Thornberry sat together and Jordan contented himself with the last row. They rode in an awkward silence through the cool, bright morning.
Jordan sat back and admired the stately trees of the forest, for a while.
Then Meek turned toward him and asked, “Do you plan to stay in the city?”
“For the time being,” Jordan replied easily. “I have a lot of questions to ask Adri and the others.”
With obvious discomfort, Meek said, “What we did last night isn’t a reflection on how we feel personally about you, Jordan. I hope you understand that. It’s not a personal reflection at all.”
“Of course, Harmon,” Jordan said cordially. “I understand completely.”
Meek looked puzzled as he turned back and stared straight ahead for the rest of the ride.
Adri stood waiting for them at the city’s edge, looking like a modernist statue, tall and willowy slim, in his ankle-length blue-gray robe. Jordan wondered what Meek would do if he knew that Adri could track their movements. Run back to the ship and flee back to Earth, most likely. Brandon’s going to have his hands full controlling him.
Aditi was not there. Jordan felt disheartened. Have I hurt her? Disappointed her with my reaction to her revelation about the biolab?
Brandon pulled the buggy over to a stop and they all piled out.
“Greetings, friends,” said Adri, his spiderwebbed face creasing into a warm smile. “Welcome.”
“And the top o’ the day to you, sir,” said Thornberry, smiling genially. “We’ve come to attend school with your people.”
“School?”
Meek, almost as tall and lean as Adri, said, “We’re here to learn, sir. We’ve come to find the answers to many, many questions.”
“Good!” said Adri. “We are here to answer your questions, whatever they may be.”
Jordan let out a sigh of relief. We begin well, he thought.
“Won’t you get into our vehicle, Adri?” he said. “You can ride into the city with us.”
“With pleasure,” said Adri. Brandon slid behind the wheel again and the others resumed their seats. Jordan extended a hand to Adri, who looked bemused as he climbed into the buggy’s last row.
“Aditi as
ked you to forgive her for not coming out to greet you. She’s busy arranging for our best scientific and technical experts to meet with you.”
“That’s good,” said Jordan, as his pulse thumped happily. Then he realized that Adri already knew why they had come to the city, and was making preparations before they had told him of their intentions. None of the others seemed to notice this, not even Meek.
* * *
They drove to the administrative center, where Aditi was waiting at the foot of the stairs with a handful of young men and women. Several of them wore robes of various colors, although most of them were dressed as Aditi was, in comfortable shorts and blouses. Within minutes, Meek, Thornberry, Brandon, and Elyse were all engaged in deep conversations with their tutors—that’s how Jordan thought of them. Soon enough, they each strolled off to separate parts of the city, humans and aliens, talking animatedly. Even Meek looked pleased with the two biologists Aditi had gotten for him: a young man and a slightly older-looking woman.
Adri excused himself and headed up the stairs by himself. Jordan stood at the base of the stairs, alone with Aditi.
There were too many people strolling along the plaza for him to take her in his arms as he wanted to. Instead he asked an innocuous, “How are you?”
“Better,” she said, with a pert smile, “now that you’re here.”
He smiled back at her. “Did you sleep well?”
“Undisturbed.”
Jordan felt his cheeks redden. “I … uh … I’ve been relieved of my duties as leader of our group.”
Aditi looked stricken. “Because of me?”
He shook his head. “Not really. It was my own fault.”
“It was because of me,” she said. Jordan realized that it was true, at least in part. And he didn’t give a damn.
“We’ll both sleep better tonight,” he said.
Aditi laughed, like the ringing of a little silver bell. “Perhaps. Or perhaps we won’t sleep at all.”
DINNER
Jordan and Aditi had dinner that evening with Brandon and Elyse. Thornberry and Meek were each eating with their respective tutors. Adri begged off when Jordan asked him to join them.