by neetha Napew
“I am honoured 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. But I will do my utmost to live up to the honourable 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 brothers, 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 space port planners 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 handsized 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 colour: 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 radio-telescope transmissions. I tried it myself. There is Earth, there is Hrruba, and there is the Gringg home world. We’re going to be open and above board 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 centre 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 Hayumans. “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 suddenly 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 homogeneous whole,’ Hrriss said, his eyes sparking merrily. “Let the party begin!” The DoonaiRrala 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,’ Sally Lawrence smiled 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 intncate 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 tnend were soon the centre 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.
At the 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 tne 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 antied up with good grace.
“I don’t know,’ he said, shaking his head at the senior physician.
“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 young veterinarian 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 Reeve said, his words slightly slurred.
Robin had his arm firmly tucked around Nita Parker’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.” Beside her, 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 DoonaiRrala 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 laughed. Spotting one of the servers, he directed the girl towards 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 they and Hrrestan, Surnitral, Fred Horstmann, Jilamey, Barustable, and Kiachif had been having an unofficial roundtable about the space port facilities over a glass or two. Kelly glanced at Nrrna.
“Should we go?” she as
ked Grizz.
“Morra,’ the Gringg replied. Several of the other Gringg filed in around them, surrounding the table like an impromptu forest. “It is a most interesting thing to tell you.
You will like to hear it. Rrawrum, my communications officer, has just called me.” She tapped her collar with a foreclaw. “Another species has just attained an orbit around our home world. They are so unlike us that they cannot communicate anything except that like us, they arrive in peace.” She shot Todd a knowing glance. “And yes, our people have determined that their ship has no weapons although they do have meteor shields.”
“Another race?” Kiachief demanded. “Another kind of alien? Not like us, or them, or you?”
“Reh.” Grizz smiled, her rubbery black lips peeling back to show all the sharp white fangs in her mouth. “Since you Rraladoonans seem to be able to master new languages with little trouble . . .” She glanced at Todd when he groaned. “That is a proven ability, Zodd, so our leaders who have been vastly impressed by the voder and all your courtesies to us, have managed to convey the spatial coordinates of Rraladoon to these new creatures.
“Your leaders did what?” Todd asked, half-appalled but also finding himself ready to accept a new challenge.
After all, with Hrrestan as First Speaker, there would be harmony with that world.
“They are speeding with all despatch here to this Treaty Planet,’ Grizz said. “It is the sensible solution to a problem we Gringg are not capable of solving.”
“Look, Grizz, we can only do so much,’ Todd began, temporizing because he didn’t want to appear eager.
“But you did so well in greeting us, putting us at our ease, showing us how two species can live in harmony.”
“But we treated you badly,’ Barnstable said who had joined them. “We distrusted you.
“You only acted with caution, as a Gringg would,’ Grizz said. She nodded her big head in approval.
“Great stars,’ Barustable exclaimed involuntarily, and then looked around as if embarrassed to be complimented so publicly by someone he had, until just recently, held in great suspicion.
“I wonder what kind of joy juice they might bring with them,’ Kiachif mused, sloshing the thick amber liquid which Eonneh suggested he try. “I mean, every civilized species has something or other to ease the pains to which flesh - of any kind - is susceptible.”
“What do zey look like?” Nrrna asked.
“We do not know,’ Grizz said. “A description and other details will follow.
Todd’s mind was boggling over the hundreds of possible shapes an alien species could have. Kelly nudged him with her elbow.
“I wonder if they have young,’ she said, assuming a most innocent expression.
“And if zeir young will play with ours,’ Hrriss added, enjoying the bemused expression on his best friend’s face.
Admiral Sumitral of Alreldep grinned broadly at Todd.
“Prime your children, Reeve and Hrriss. Alreldep can’t seem to get anything done without their assistance.”