Alex Benedict 9 - Village in the Sky, page 23
“Or dead,” I added. “Going down to say hello to high-tech strangers without establishing a connection first could have a bad ending.”
“Right now,” Alex said, “it doesn’t look as if we’re going to have much choice.” He looked over at Robbi Jo. “What do you think?”
Her eyes closed momentarily. “I don’t see how we can walk away from this.”
We decided their midmorning would be a good time to make the descent. Next question: Should we carry weapons?
It would probably not be the best way to arrive. “The Ulakans,” Robbi Jo said, “to the best of our knowledge, carried books, not guns.”
“But they knew all about us,” I said.
We settled into a stationary orbit, and somebody saw us. They began coming out of the houses and off their porches. Some of them waved in our direction. “So how do we handle this?” asked Robbi Jo.
“I suggest,” said Gabe, “we just stay in orbit for now, as discussed. It’s going to be getting dark soon. We wouldn’t want to be on the ground when that happens.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Alex said.
“Belle,” I asked “any way you can get a handle on the language?”
“Not unless I have a way to make some connections,” she said. “Somebody will have to go down and talk with them, wear an imager so I can watch and more or less pick up what they’re talking about.”
Alex explained to the voice on the radio that we would stay nearby, and that we would go down in the morning. The voice responded.
“I think,” Gabe said, “that he understood we were signing off. He sounds glad that we’re here.”
“Like the snake?” I asked.
* * *
We watched the telescopic images on the monitors until finally night descended. The lampposts came on and the houses lit up. Our time was midmorning, slightly after 1100 hours. Gabe and Robbi Jo tried to get some sleep but didn’t manage it. They eventually opened a couple of books. Gabe got caught up in a historical examination of widely believed tales that weren’t true. Like the theory that Kory Sumter, who had been the world president on Dellaconda at the beginning of the Mute War, had known the attack on Point Edward was coming but had done nothing to prevent it because he wanted an excuse to take on the Mutes. Robbi Jo spent her time paging through the astronomy book.
Our stationary position over the village was burning excess fuel, so we left it and slipped back into orbit. We missed the village on our next pass but picked it up after that. The houses had gone dark, with one or two exceptions. But the lampposts were still on. We waited three hours past sunrise before we tried talking with them again. The same voice replied, and we went back into our stationary position. Belle told us it was probably just trying to say hello.
We were still debating whether we should go down. The Spaulding Mandate required that we leave and let the authorities decide on the proper approach. We were already in trouble because of the radio transmission. “If we play it safe and just go home,” said Alex, “we’ll be in better shape. We’ve found them. What else do we need to do?”
“No,” Gabe said. “I say we go down. I’ll do it. When we get home, we can claim I took the lander in the middle of the night. None of you guys knew about it.”
“No,” said Alex. “We don’t know yet what the reaction will be on the ground. If things turn bad, two of us would at least have a chance to get clear. We’ll take the blasters.”
I’m not sure it could ever have gone the other way, but when we finally decided to complete the visit, Alex spoke into the mike again, using his gentlest tone: “We’re coming down. We’ll see you in a few minutes.” We got a short reply, and Belle said it was probably asking whether we would visit them.
Then we had to decide who would go.
“Best if it’s me,” Gabe said. “I have no license to lose. Worst they can do is fine me.”
“Or jail you,” said Robbi Jo.
“And the fine would be substantial, I suspect,” said Alex. “To be honest, I doubt that when they’re deciding to level charges, it will matter much if you’ve gone down or just stood by and watched it happen. And if things go seriously wrong, we will probably all serve some time.”
Gabe smiled. “Whatever.”
Alex nodded. “Okay. If the fine happens, Rainbow will pay it.”
Robbi Jo raised her hands. “Enough nonsense, guys. I’ll go.”
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I thought there was a substantial risk in just dropping out of the sky to talk with people who, for whatever reason, had recently cleared out of Korella.
Gabe suggested that either I or Robbi Jo stay with the Belle-Marie. “Alex, do as you wish.” He was going.
Robbi Jo said she’d go.
I said nothing.
The only one who seemed to notice was Alex. He glanced my way but turned quickly in another direction. “No,” he said. “If things go wrong, I don’t think we want Chase making that long flight home alone. Robbi Jo, you stay too. Gabe and I’ll do it.”
Robbi Jo’s features hardened. “Alex, I thought you were better than this. Chase never suggested that you push women into a back seat.”
* * *
Belle estimated the temperature at about 27 degrees Celsius. A bit warm but okay. Everything was quiet. Alex showed up with some coffee and a few chocolate chip muffins. “Thought you’d like some,” he said. He was still trying to adjust to Robbi Jo’s comment. She and I were seated in the passenger cabin. She never took her eyes off the notebook.
“Thanks,” she said. Her voice was cold.
I could see that Alex was trying to find a way to calm the waters. I jumped in to help: “Thank you, Alex,” I said. “I think we should settle back into a standard orbit. We’d use less fuel.”
“We have a fuel problem?”
“No. I just don’t want to waste it for no reason.”
I knew he’d reject the suggestion. And he did. “Let’s stay where we are, Chase. Ask Belle to keep an eye on us. If she sees any unusual activity while we’re on the way down, let us know.”
“Okay, Alex.”
His snack consisted of one muffin. He finished it off and went back to his cabin. “You know,” Robbi Jo said, “there’s no reason you and I couldn’t take the lander down.” She smiled to show she meant it.
“We can’t do that,” I said.
“Why not? You one of those women who does everything she’s told? We could probably go down, say hello, give Belle some time with their AI, if they have one, and come back up before they even get dressed. We wouldn’t even have to say anything to them.”
“Let’s let it go, okay?”
“How about if I take it down? You can deny any knowledge.”
“Robbi Jo, you don’t really want to do that.”
“Actually, I do. I’d love to do it. Meet the aliens. What are we afraid of? They could hardly look more friendly.”
“That sounds like a good way to get killed.”
“Chase, we know they’re high-tech. They’re not savages; they built a civilization.”
“That’s not the point. Look, if you want, I’ll talk to Alex. Tell him what you want to do.”
“No. He already knows what I want to do.”
“Whatever. He owns the Belle-Marie. And Rainbow Enterprises. You haven’t been part of this organization for years. It’s easy for you to talk about ignoring him.”
Her eyes closed and she exhaled. “I know.” She raised her hands. “You’re right. Answer a question for me, Chase.”
“Okay.”
“What would you do if I took the lander down?”
I pushed back in my seat. “Belle?”
“Yes, Captain?”
“You heard this?”
“Yes.”
“Lock the lander.”
Robbi Jo let out a long sigh. “Let me try something else.”
“Go ahead.”
“Would it really be hard on you if you had to go home alone? If something happened to the rest of us?”
“I wouldn’t want to lose Alex or Gabe. But to answer your question, I could live with it. If you can talk him into taking you along, do it. It’s okay with me.”
* * *
Gabe came into the passenger cabin a few minutes later. Robbi Jo passed him a muffin. “You guys about ready to go down?”
He smiled. “Yes, we’re ready. Or at least we will be when Alex gets out here.”
“Gabe, I would like to go with you.”
“That’s not a good idea. Too many people at risk.”
She looked around the cabin. “You could stay. Do you care that much?”
“About your safety? Sure.”
“I care about yours, too. But I’m not using it to deny your being present during the moment this whole trip has been about.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Robbi Jo. But we just can’t do it your way.”
“Don’t you think that should be my call?”
“If something bad happens, think about the situation Chase would be in.”
“Chase says she has no objection if I go down with you guys. Is that all right with you, Gabe?”
His brow got wrinkly. He looked at me and I smiled back. I almost said, Please, don’t take her. But I understood what she was going through. We were about to make history, and I could already see the story would be how the guys went down while the women stayed back and played it safe. “How about,” I said, “if all four of us go down?”
Gabe rolled his eyes and asked me not to be silly.
We heard Alex’s cabin door open. Gabe got up and went back. We could hear them talking, and when they joined us, Alex immediately confronted Robbi Jo. “If,” he said, “this is really what you want to do.” And he apologized to me.
* * *
Robbi Jo let me see she wanted to talk. I went up onto the bridge. She followed me, smiled, and asked if I was okay.
“I’m all right.”
She leaned over the controls and checked the microphone to be sure it was off. “I’m sorry about causing all the fuss.”
“It’s all right. I should have backed you up.”
“You did. I know the job means a lot to you. You’re not interested in risking it. I understand that.”
“It’s more than the job, Robbi Jo. It’s Alex. I know what he expects from me, and I don’t want to disappoint him.”
“I doubt that could ever happen.”
* * *
Alex, Robbi Jo, and Gabe put pressure suits into the lander as a precaution. They clipped imagers to their shirts so Belle and I could watch. They also took the astronomy book we’d received from Larry. When they were ready to go, they assured me they’d be careful and climbed into the lander. Alex took a last disapproving look at me and closed the hatch. I went back to the bridge. Belle depressurized the cargo area, opened the cargo door, took the lander outside on the cradle, and released it.
22
The harsh reality is that we live in a universe that does not care for us, that shows no interest in our welfare, and that will not miss any opportunity to do away with us. How else to explain black holes, asteroids, plagues, tidal waves, tornadoes, hurricanes, and tigers? But that fact produces a positive effect: any intelligent species will understand this, and consequently they will assist each other whenever possible. And for those who doubt that this is so, recall that this is the definition of intelligence.
—Brandy Crestworth, graduation address, Mount St. Charles Academy, 4411 CE
The sky was full of cumulus clouds, blocking my view of the village until the lander got through them. When it did, somebody aimed one of the imagers in its direction so I could see it. It looked quiet. A few of the inhabitants were seated on porches, and two of them were walking past houses in a leisurely manner. It was obvious they had not yet seen the lander. But how could they not have a detection system of some sort to alert them if visitors showed up? Especially visitors they should have been expecting.
“I’ve hesitated for obvious reasons to mention this.” Belle’s voice. “Acquiring a new language simply by listening to a conversation in which neither side understands the other is not an easy task. Our side will be speaking Standard, and I need a consistency of intent from that person, which will not exist if all are in the discussion. Consequently, our best approach is for two of you to stay in the lander. Preferably, it would work best if Alex spoke with the aliens. The reason is that I have had more conversations with Alex than with anyone other than Chase.”
I guess everyone had had enough of that debate. Alex agreed with the proposal, and Robbi Jo and Gabe signed on. They would stay in the lander, out of sight.
I watched as they descended through the late morning sky. The view from the imager showed mostly open ground with scattered trees of a kind I hadn’t seen before. The trunks were pink and the branches filled with leaves of a variety of colors. The river was wide and it looked deep. It flowed east where it narrowed and entered a canyon, pitched over a waterfall, and then moved on for another hundred or so kilometers before emptying into a large lake. It was easy to understand why the villagers had chosen this area for their settlement.
I think we were all riveted by the stillness of the town, which continued even as the lander descended into plain view. Then suddenly porches and pathways filled with the aliens, waving ecstatically at the lander. They were coming out of houses, some looking up at the approaching vehicle; others were knocking on doors and, when they opened, pointing at the sky.
I’d been watching through Robbi Jo’s imager. “You know,” she said, “I’d rather do this the way the Ulakans did. They were able to talk with us, and they obviously knew a lot about us before they showed up.”
“Well,” said Gabe, “that sure beats dropping out of the sky and trying to figure out how to say hello.”
“Let’s hope,” she continued, “Belle can pick up the language quickly. We can’t even be sure that offering to shake hands wouldn’t be perceived as a threat.”
I think Alex wanted to get away from talking about threats. “This place,” he said, “looks a lot like the location they had on Korella. Nice weather, warm temperatures, perfect place for a vacation. Obviously they like being on a shoreline. The river’s not quite the same as the lake, but it looks like a good setting for a sailboat.”
“I don’t see any,” said Gabe. “Sailboats, that is.”
No. There were no boats anywhere. No piers.
“I think,” Robbi Jo said, “they had a couple of piers on Korella.” I didn’t recall having seen any boats or piers.
Alex stayed near the edge of the town as he descended, touching down finally just off its western side. They were drawing a few of the aliens, but only a handful. Seven or eight individuals were coming toward them, waving arms and cloths. For the most part, the ones who’d been on the porches remained on the porches.
Robbi Jo and Gabe retreated to the back of the lander, where they could keep out of sight. Alex got to his feet. “Okay, guys, good luck to us. If something unexpected happens, get clear. You understand?”
“Just be careful,” said Robbi Jo.
Alex picked up one of the blasters and pushed it into his belt, under his clothes. “Just in case.” He looked through a window at the mostly empty pasture. The villagers were bipeds, about the same size as humans. Their faces were similar to ours. Large eyes, though. Their green skin, in a forest, would have rendered them invisible. And of course they had six fingers.
Two of them approached the lander. No weapons were visible. Alex went over to the hatch and hesitated. “They probably think we’re the same as they are,” he said. “They’re going to get a surprise when they see us.”
“Make sure you smile,” said Gabe.
Alex picked up the astronomy book and opened the hatch. He was about to place one foot on the ladder and start down, but the pair of aliens released a startled cry and tried to back up. The smaller one lost its balance and fell. Its companion helped it back onto its feet.
Alex held up an arm. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m a friend.” One of the two aliens wore a bright red shirt and dark trousers. It looked like a male. His partner, in green and gold, was smaller, graceful, and obviously female. Although there were apparently no breasts. The male spoke to Alex, but they kept a respectful distance.
“I’m glad to be here,” said Alex. He closed the hatch and started down the ladder. Both aliens lifted their hands, palms open, in a gesture that suggested Alex come no closer. “That doesn’t look good,” he said. He raised his right hand, slowly. Gabe and Robbi Jo stayed out of sight.
The two villagers exchanged comments, and then lowered their hands. “It’s the Ulakans all over again,” I said to Robbi Jo and Gabe. “I wonder when we’ll find some real aliens?”
“I suspect,” said Robbi Jo, “there are limited ways for intelligent beings to develop and behave. They need families, they take care of their kids, and they show you an open hand so you know they aren’t armed.”
As if confirming her view, the taller of the two raised both hands again and showed his palms. “He’s telling me to stop,” said Alex.
I was thinking that Robbi Jo was right, that in the end we’re all pretty much the same.
Alex and the two villagers stood gazing at one another. There was no indication that either had a weapon. But of course they’d probably thought their own people would be coming out of the lander. The male touched his chest and said something. No idea what it was, but he looked concerned.
“Hello,” Alex said. “It’s okay. We are friends. My name is Alex.”
The female said something, maybe giving their names. Her teeth, which looked sharp, were visible. And a tiny villager, a child, appeared out of nowhere and began trotting toward the lander. An adult came in behind it, swept it up in his arms, and retreated.
