Starbridge

by A. C. Crispin

"I am very gratified to hear that, Rob," Shirazz said, sliding down off the brackets, coil by coil, and gliding over to face him. "I know you are wondering why I wished to know, but I cannot tell you at this time. If, later, I become able to do so, I promise that I will."

  Rob nodded. "I'll be content with that, then," he said. Glancing at his watch, he said, "I must get back, Shirazz. We've talked far longer than I'd realized. I ought to eat something before I give my testimony." He smiled wryly.

  She inclined her head in one of her people's graceful gestures-- almost a nod of acquiescence. "You have my respect, Rob," she said formally. "I will come to escort you to the hearing in two of your hours."

  He stood up. "We'll be ready."

  "How disgusting--a pimple! Of all the rotten things to happen when we're about to be presented to the CLS as prime specimens of humanity ... I have to get a damn zit!" Mahree muttered in a furious undertone, gingerly probing her chin. She and Rob were standing outside the door to their quarters, waiting for Shirazz and Dhurrrkk'.

  He inspected the afflicted area narrowly. "It's not that bad. Quit touching it, you'll make it worse."

  "I thought having sex was supposed to clear up your face," she grumbled, giving him a sidelong glance.

  "Good grief, is that ancient fable still hanging around?"

  "Sure," she said, straight-faced. "You mean it isn't true?

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  Those guys who told me that were lying! I'm shocked!" She sobered. "Be honest, do I look awful?"

  "No, you look great. It looks like a beauty mark."

  "Now you're lying, but I love you for it." She paced, tugging her dark blue pants and pale blue tunic straight, pushing the rippling fall of her hair back off her shoulders. "Maybe I should've put my hair up. I'd look older."

  Rob chuckled. "Most of these people have never seen a human before, so how do you expect them to judge your age? Quit fretting! You're making me nervous."

  "Good. You perform admirably under stress."

  He grimaced. "You're the one who speaks their language."

  "They've got the translation program," Mahree pointed out, making a herculean effort not to finger her chin.

  Rob shifted restlessly, jamming his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, the translation program," he muttered sourly.

  The doctor paced the width of the corridor, then turned back again. "Look, now you've got me doing it. I wish I had something better to wear than an ordinary ship's coverall. You should've made me bring something."

  "You're lucky I brought you."

  He gave her a strained smile. "I am, aren't I?"

  The door beside them opened, and Dhurrrkk' joined them. "Hello, my friends," he said. His grooming efforts had paid off; every hair in his mane was in place, and his dappled flanks gleamed under the bright lights as though they'd been polished.

  "Dhurrrkk', you look very nice," Mahree said.

  "Thank you, FriendMahree," he said. "I was nervous, and grooming is soothing."

  Hearing the faint whisper of scales sliding over polished flooring, they turned to see Shirazz, and gave her the Mizari greeting, which the CLS Liaison returned.

  "Shall we go?" the alien said, gesturing with half her tentacles.

  Via walkway and lift, the travelers were guided deeper into the gigantic station than they had ever been before, until they had reached the innermost hub of the gyroscope.

  "The Council chamber is directly above us," Shirazz said, signaling open the portal to a bare, circular room and waving them past her. "We will be occupying the center section. In addition to ourselves, and the Simiu Councillors, there will be the Secretary-General, as I believe the term would translate. She

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  is a Drnian named Fys, and you may address her as 'Most Esteemed Fys.'

  Also present will be the League's Chief Mediator, Esteemed Ssoriszs. The Councillors from each world will be seated around us."

  "This Ssoriszs . . . he's a Mizari?" Rob asked.

  "Yes," Shirazz said. "He conducts the proceedings, and renders judgment, when needed."

  "First Councillor Ahkk'eerrr will be in the center with us?" Dhurrrkk' asked, sounding apprehensive.

  'Yes, along with the entire Simiu delegation. You may choose to join them, or you may remain with the humans."

  Dhurrrkk' glanced up at Rob and Mahree. "I will stand with my friends," he said, without hesitation.

  "Very well," Shirazz said. "Each of you will be given a chance to speak. If you humans prefer to use your native language, the translation program is enabled."

  "And after the Councillors hear our testimony?" Rob asked, in careful Simiu.

  "What then?"

  "They will decide whether Honored Dhurrrkk's people will be permitted full membership status, and the increased representation in the League that accompanies that privilege."

  She dipped her head to Rob and Mahree slightly. "Then, after your testimony, you will be officially welcomed as a new sentient species. Many of the Councillors may wish to extend good wishes and ask questions. Feel free to reply as fully or as briefly as you choose. The Councillors know that you are here informally, as our guests, not as official representatives."

  "After the meeting is adjourned," Shirazz continued, "there will be a ...

  reception, a social gathering. The Councillors who are comfortable in your environment will attend. They may ask whether your people are interested in joining the League."

  "There are obvious benefits," Rob said.

  "For our peoples as well as yours. Are you ready?"

  Mahree moved closer to Rob's side, and he took her hand. When she extended her other hand to Dhurrrkk', her friend sat back on his haunches and gripped her fingers with his own. She could feel the silky brush of the flame-colored hairs on the back of his broad, leathery palmed hand. "We're ready."

  The floor quivered, then rose slowly, as the ceiling irised open.

  They were rising into an arena, a dome, that was the largest

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  enclosed space she had ever seen. The topmost part of the huge half sphere was transparent, revealing the profusion of stars and portions of Shassiszss station outside. The vista was breathtaking.

  The curved walls were opaque. There were seats, though none humans could have occupied comfortably. There were also cubicles filled with the glowing field that indicated the presence of different atmospheric conditions, concealing whatever was inside.

  Shadgui and Chhhh-kk-tu were visible, and several winged, vaguely insectile-appearing beings, looking like pictures Mahree had seen of Terran bees, though they were larger--perhaps the length of her arm. Another section was filled with tall aliens shaped for all the world like clumps of broccoli--and they were shiny dark green with purplish undertones, which added to the impression of huge walking vegetables.

  "Day of the Triffids," muttered Rob when she unobtrusively drew his attention to the broccoli-creatures. "You suppose they're really plants?"

  "Those are the Vardi," Dhurrrkk' told them softly. "A race who share characteristics with both plants and animals. They absorb nutrients from certain species of algae, but also produce chlorophyll through

  photosynthesis. They communicate by scents. The 'clumps' on their heads are olfactory-sensing and scent- releasing organs."

  "Doctor Blanket's a fungus," Mahree reminded Rob, in a whisper. "That's even stranger than sentient plants."

  As the platform and its occupants became visible to the beings waiting in the arena, Mahree saw that all the aliens who possessed identifiable optical organs were now gazing avidly at her and Rob. She caught sight of a creature that reminded her of a holo-vid of "Little Red Riding Hood." The being fixed her with hot yellow eyes in a furred silver-gray face. Its muzzle was pointed, and so were its many teeth.

  As the platform neared the top, Rob suddenly glanced from her to Dhurrrkk', then back again, a grin spreading over his face--the wide, reckless grin that Mahree had always found irresistible. "I can hardly believe I'm actually here
!" he exclaimed, glancing around at the assembled aliens. "There ought to be a John Williams score blaring in the background."

  Mahree gave him a look that was both fond and exasperated. "John what '

  As the massive platform drew level with the floor of the

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  Council chamber, Mahree saw that it was a fifth of the entire floor area of the arena. There were no tables or chairs, only Simiu loungers, one bench, and a podium behind which a Mizari, probably the Esteemed Mediator Ssoriszs, coiled.

  Ssoriszs was brilliantly colored, his pale green iridescent scales patterned with diamonds of emerald green and amber. His pupilless eyes were golden. As he saw Mahree's gaze on him, the being graciously bowed.

  Mahree poked Rob, who was busy not-staring at the sharp-toothed canisform, and squeezed Dhurrrkk's hand warningly, then all three travelers bowed to the Mizari.

  Another alien stepped over to join the Mediator. Mahree decided this one must be the Secretary-General. Fys the Drnian was a tall, skinny, two-armed biped with dry, shiny, sable- colored skin. She was the first alien the humans had seen who wore clothing. A short, sleeveless green tunic was belted around an improbably tiny waist, and below the sticklike legs, her long-toed feet were shod with matching sandals. She also wore a necklace, wristlets, and earrings of the iridescent Rigel ian exudate.

  Humanoid as the Drnian's body appeared, the faint resemblance ended with her face. Beneath coils of fine, wirelike hair as dark as her skin, the Drnian's forehead bulged out, a bulge matched by the one at the back of her skull, so that the top of her head was flattened. Her eyes were huge and red, half-covered with nictating membranes, and below them, instead of a nose, she had a sunken depression with two slits that Mahree assumed were nostils.

  Fys' mouth was small, round, and wet-looking, and, as she watched the Drnian, trying not to stare openly, the young woman saw a tongue emerge--a pale pink tube of a tongue.

  Remember the lesson the Rigellian Master taught you, she thought.

  The Secretary-General slowly, ceremoniously, made the Mizari greeting-bow, following it with a complicated gesture with her elongated fingers that Mahree guessed must be her native greeting. The three friends bowed together, then they walked over to the Drnian.

  Fys towered over both humans by half a meter. "How do you do, Most Esteemed Fys?" Mahree said in Mizari, holding out her hand. "It is a pleasure and an honor."

  The Drnian barely hesitated. "I do well, most well, Mahree Burroughs. I thank you," she said, in heavily accented but

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  understandable English, while extending her own hand. Surprised and touched, Mahree took the Drnian's hand gently and carefully shook the dry, sticklike fingers. The Secretary-General lapsed back into Mizari. "Thank you for attending our meeting. We are eager to hear your story."

  Dhurrrkk', at Mahree's side, made the Simiu greeting gesture, and Fys returned it, greeting him in accented Simiu.

  "Most Esteemed One," Dhurrrkk' said.

  The Drnian hesitated again as she turned to Rob, but his hand was already out. "A pleasure and an honor to meet you, Most Esteemed Fys," he said, carefully, in Mizari, bowing over her hand.

  "How do you do, Doctor Robert Gable," Fys said, enunciating the English words carefully.

  "Very well, thank you," he responded, smiling.

  The humans and Dhurrrkk' stepped back as the Drnian turned away.

  Ssoriszs bowed, first to them, then to the Secretary- General, and finally, ceremoniously, to the assembly. "We are begun," he said formally, in Mizari.

  Rob, Mahree, and Dhurrrkk' walked over to the bench Shirazz indicated. It appeared to have been constructed especially for humans. Dhurrrkk'

  squatted beside them on the floor, and Shirazz coiled herself at the opposite end.

  Mahree took out her computer link to record the proceedings, while Rob reserved his to translate, since Shirazz had warned them that Mizari was the official CLS language.

  While she waited for the hearing to start, Mahree glanced around, seeing the Simiu contingent sitting tensely atop their padded lounges. One elderly female she tentatively identified as First Councillor Ahkk'eerrr. There were also three other females and a male representing the Simiu worlds.

  Not far from their bench a complicated sling-type arrangement supported a single Shadgui. Mahree wondered what the symbiont was doing there, but she was distracted as Ssoriszs began to speak: "Friends, we are gathered on this occasion to meet two individuals from a hitherto unknown species, an occasion which is always one of great celebration for our League. Allow me to present the humans, Mahree-Burroughs . . . and Doctor-Robert- Gable."

  As he spoke her name, the young woman stood up and made the Mizari greeting, as did Rob.

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  A ripple of murmurs ran throughout the amphitheater.

  "We meet today in special session, to hear the stories of these humans, and a young Simiu, Honored Dhurrrkk'." Mahree's friend made the greeting gesture. "The Simiu Councillor has testified that the actions of these three in coming here was unwarranted and capricious, since no League intervention was needed or desired by their world or the humans in authority. The Simiu contend that their First Contact with the humans has been entirely successful, and thus qualifies them for full League membership and representation."

  Ssoriszs' thin tongue lashed out for a second, then withdrew as the Mediator went on. "Since ascension to ful membership is dependent on establishing a successful First Contact with a previously unknown people, it is vital that we discover the truth. We therefore ask our visitors to tell their story."

  The Mizari turned to Dhurrrkk'. "Honored Dhurrrkk', as a member of a League-affiliated species, will you speak first?"

  Dhurrrkk' straightened up onto his haunches. "With all due honor and respect, Esteemed One, I will not speak."

  The Mizari stood very still, in what Mahree now recognized as the way his species expressed surprise or distress. First Councillor Ahkk'eerrr growled wordlessly, in the silence.

  "May we know the reason why, Honored Dhurrrkk'?" the Secretary-General asked.

  Dhurrrkk' nodded. "I am honor-bound to MahreeBurroughs. We braved danger together, we have shared the prospect of imminent death as well as the breath of new life. Her honor is thus mine to defend and uphold. Because we share many honor- bonds of silence, I wish her to speak for us. I place full trust in her judgment. Also, I hereby release her from all constraints occasioned by our honor-bonds, so that she may speak as freely as necessary, in relating our stories."

  Mahree stared at her friend in dismay. "Dhurrrkk'!" she whispered. "You have to defend yourself! It's your only chance!"

  He shook his head, calmly. "It is my right to ask that you speak for me. Speak truthfully and well, my friend, and you will do us both honor."

  Ssoriszs then turned to Rob. "Very well. Doctor-Robert-Gable, will it please you to speak first?"

  Rob rose to his feet and faced the Mizari, his eyes steady.

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  "Esteemed One," he said, in slow, careful Mizari, as though reciting something he had memorized, "I respectfully decline."

  "Rob!" Mahree blurted.

  "Shut up," he whispered, in English. "This is the way it has to be. Don't make it any harder."

  Again the Mediator seemed distressed. "May we know why, Doctor-Robert-Gable?"

  "Yes," Rob said, in that slow, precise manner, "I would prefer that MahreeBurroughs speak for me, since my ability to speak League-recognized languages is inferior to hers. Effective communication is essential in a situation of this magnitude, too essential to be entrusted to mechanized--and possibly faulty-- translation programs." He bowed and sat back down.

  Ssoriszs hissed quietly to Fys, evidently concerned, then turned back to the humans. "Mahree-Burroughs, will you speak?"

  Mahree rose to her feet, trembling. "One moment, please, Esteemed Ones."

  "Certainly," the Mediator said. "Begin when you wish."

  Still shaking, she managed to bend
her knees and sink back onto the bench.

  She looked at Rob's set, determined face. "Why?" she demanded, her mouth so dry she could barely speak.

  "You heard why," he said fiercely, his voice low and bitter. "You think I like bowing out of the most important event in human history? Shit, no! But this is too important. Remember the 'pubic awareness' translation the other night?

  We can't risk any misunderstandings!"

  "But I can't-- " she began. It's too much to have the whole thing depend on me! It's too much!

  "Yes, you can!" he snapped. "Now stand up and do it!"

  Mahree's mind seized on one inconsequential matter out of all the questions and protests jumbling within her. "But you-- where . . . how did you learn the Mizari?"

  "Take deep breaths," he ordered, reaching over to grip her hands. "Relax.

  You'll do fine. What do you think Shirazz and I were doing all morning? I told her that I had decided to let you speak for both of us, and she agreed. Hell, Raoul knew it too, remember what he said? So I told her what I wanted to say, she translated it, and I memorized it."

  As he spoke, he absently chafed her hands, eyeing her closely. Mahree forced herself to breathe slowly and, though she was still

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  shaky, that helped. "Are you sure?" she pleaded. "What if I screw up?"

  "I'm positive," he said, his eyes holding hers.

  Mahree stood up.

  "Most Esteemed Fys, Esteemed Ssoriszs, Esteemed Shirazz . . . Honored Ahkk'eerrr and her staff, Honored FriendDhurrrkk', my esteemed companion, Doctor Robert-Gable . . . and members of this most admirable and beneficial League," she spoke Mizari, feeling as if her voice were coming from someplace light-years away. "I am grateful for your invitation to speak."

  She glimpsed First Councillor Ahkk'eerrr's reaction as the Simiu heard her speaking fluently in the official CLS language ... saw her flame-colored crest suddenly droop, then flatten completely. Surprised you? You deserve it, for what you tried to do to Dhurrrkk'! she thought triumphantly.

  Mahree had memorized a prepared speech earlier, but little of it now applied, since it was up to her to relate both sides of the story.

  What should I say? she wondered frantically.