Suddenly her mother's words from when she was a child in the third grade flashed into her mind. "Honesty is the best policy, Mahree," Renee Lamont had told her little girl. "Not only because it's morally and ethically right, but because trying to remember lies is chancy. But you'll always know the truth."
Okay, Maman, she thought. Here goes.
Mahree took a deep breath. "I am young, the daughter of a builder and a healer. I was traveling between the stars so that I could attend a place of higher education when our ship picked up a radio frequency ..."
She recounted what had happened as she had witnessed it, sparing neither her own people nor the Simiu. The misunderstandings and evasions that had mounted up between them, then Simon's insanity, and Khrekk's wounding. Her voice faltered as she spoke of Jerry's death, then of Khrekk's tragic suicide, resulting from Raoul's refusal to allow his people to enter the Arena. She related her panic when she'd overheard the frightened crew making plans to escape, no matter what the cost . . . then proudly told of Dhurrrkk's decision to seek CLS aid, knowing that he might be punished for helping the humans. Then, briefly, she summed up their voyage and its perils.
She left out only two things: how she had held Rob at gun
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point, and the truth about Doctor Blanket's sentience. But even as she characterized the blanket as simply an oxygen-emitting fungus, a plan was crystallizing in the back of her mind concerning the Avernian.
As she spoke, Mahree lost her self-consciousness, and her voice grew in conviction. "My people want only honor and good to come to the Simiu, who have been our gracious hosts. We regret the misunderstandings that occurred and would not want our voyage here to stand in the way of their full League membership."
She took a deep breath. "Our actions were impulsive, I know that. It is possible that we did the wrong thing, Dhurrrkk' and I, in not appealing to our elders. But we were two young people who faced a situation whose possible consequences seemed to us too dire to risk.
"So we acted. For me, the decision to act was easy, because my people stood to lose the most by inaction. My friend Honored Dhurrrkk' is the one who demonstrated not only nobility of spirit and great courage, but also a true commitment to interstellar peace. He could have related to his people what I had told him, but he chose instead to stand by his personal honor and the bonds of our friendship. It is my greatest hope"--she looked straight at Councillor Ahkk'eerrr--"that he will not be made to suffer for helping my people."
Mahree paused to wet her lips."The Simiu goal of CLS membership is one I can fully understand, one that I believe humans will share. I am not officially authorized to speak for the leaders of our worlds, but I believe that Earth and its colonies will be very interested in becoming CLS members. Your organization seems to be the embodiment of all that is best and noblest in human dreams coming true--and if my words have helped in any measure to advance that day, then my life has been given lasting meaning."
She paused, then said, "Thank you for listening."
And sat down.
Again the rippling murmur, much louder now, ran through the vast auditorium. Mahree closed her eyes, then turned to Rob, a silent question on her face.
"You were wonderful," he whispered hoarsely, giving her a lopsided grin.
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Mahree heard a sound from the Drnian. She faced the Secretary- General, then, at a gesture from Shirazz rose to her feet again.
"We thank you, Esteemed Mahree-Burroughs," the Drnian said. "Your story is one we will not soon forget." The Drnian glanced over at the Simiu contingent. "Most importantly, it was true."
Ahkk'eerrr did not move, but seemed to wince inwardly.
The Secretary-General gestured at the lone Shadgui, whom Mahree had forgotten, hanging there, silent and still. "Though you did not know it, our Esteemed Truth-Searcher touched your feelings to evaluate the truth of your words."
That Shadgui's some kind of living lie detector! Mahree glanced at Rob, with a can-you-beat-that? expression. Wondering whether Dhurrrkk' had known the Shadgui's function, she gazed inquiringly at him. Interpreting her look, he nodded, proudly. "Ahkk'eerrr refused monitoring," he said softly. "That is not unusual among my people, for we are renowned for our honesty. But it makes her look very bad in light of your testimony."
Dhurrrkk's got more faith in me than I deserve, Mahree thought, feeling wrung out. She returned the Drnian's bow, then sat down again.
Ssoriszs now spoke: "Assembled members," he said. "You have heard the human's story. You have also heard the testimony of First Councillor Ahkk'eerrr during our previous session. What is your decision? Shall the Simiu receive credit for a First Contact, and thus full League membership, or not? Please indicate your decision at this time."
A heartbeat's worth of silence fell over the massive dome, then the Mediator glanced down at his podium. "The decision is rendered," he said. "The Simiu did not handle their contact with this new species successfully enough to qualify them for full League membership."
Mahree gasped. Somehow, she'd never really believed that the Simiu would lose the vote. Dhurrrkk's in a world of trouble. What'll they do to him? What will they do to the Desiree?
First Councillor Ahkk'eerrr sat up on her haunches, only her diplomat's training keeping her from snarling openly. "I appeal the decision!"
"I regret that the voting has gone against your people," the Mediator said.
"But the decision of the assembled members is well reasoned and just.
Evasions, untruths, and lack of tolerance
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for other customs are not the way to forge bonds of trust and friendship. Your appeal is denied."
With a glare at Dhurrrkk', Ahkk'eerrr subsided.
The Secretary-General spoke up. "Contact with the humans will be pursued, through a joint Mizari-Simiu mission to their home world, Earth. We will conduct the humans back to Hurrreeah, where CLS contact will be initiated with the Desiree. Esteemed Ssoriszs wil lead the contact specialists."
Rob nudged Mahree's arm, whispering, "The Simiu won't dare act up if they're under Mizari observation!"
"Yeah, but this is going to mean a tremendous loss of face for the Simiu. The Council may blame it all on Dhurrrckk," she pointed out grimly.
His face fell. "You're right."
With an air of decision, Mahree stood up and waited to be recognized. When Fys looked at her, she said: "There is one piece of evidence pertaining to the Simiu ability at initiating a successful First Contact that I did not tell this assembly. That was because, rightly speaking, it was not my information to offer. But Honored Dhurrrkk' has declined to speak, so I must do it for him. I know this assembly wishes to act as fairly as possible. I ask permission to present this evidence now."
The Drnian glanced at the Mediator, who said something softly. Then Fys warned, "The decision of the assembly will not be overturned in regard to the Simiu/Human First Contact, Esteemed MahreeBurroughs."
"I understand that, Most Esteemed Fys," she said. "What I wish you to know concerns a different matter."
"You may offer your evidence, then."
Mahree knelt beside Dhurrrkk' and whispered three English words into his small, furry ear. Then she turned to the Guest Liaison. "Esteemed Shirazz, will you please assist Honored Dhurrrkk'? Without your help, this would be difficult, but I know you will provide for all contingencies."
The Guest Liaison, though visibly surprised, agreed.
Together, Shirazz and Dhurrrkk' left, via the sinking platform.
Time went by as the murmuring assembly waited. Mahree sat hunched on the bench. Rob held her hand. They didn't look at one another as the minutes dragged by.
Finally, thirty minutes later, the lights suddenly dimmed and
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took on a reddish hue as the white light was leached away. The murmurs from the assembled League members grew louder.
Mahree glanced over at Rob; he gave her a thumbs-up.
The surface beneath her feet
vibrated slightly as the platform began to rise; the floor irised open again.
Dhurrrkk' and Shirazz came into view as the platform drew level with the floor. The Simiu was draped in a glowing phosphorescent "cape" that shone a ghostly blue-white in the dimness.
Mahree and Rob walked over to stand on either side of their friend.
Together, they faced the Secretary-General. "Most Esteemed Fys, Esteemed Ssoriszs, Councillor Ahkk'eerrr," Mahree said. "May I present Doctor Blanket, the second-- and eminently successful--Simiu First Contact. The first person to successfully speak with Doctor Blanket was my friend, Honored Dhurrrkk'."
The Avernian's edges rippled as it lay atop Dhurrrkk's mane; warmth and a gentle amusement brushed Mahree's mind with the most delicate of mental touches.
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CHAPTER 18
?
Troubled Homecoming
Dhurrrkk' is too damn honorable for his own good. If he'd kept his muzzle shut about who was the first person to communicate with Doctor Blanket, the Simiu might have received full credit for the Avernian Contact. But that honorable so-and-so told the truth, so the Simiu, in a precedent-setting decision, wound up getting only half the increased CLS representation they wanted so badly.
Since they fully expected to get no additional representatives at all, getting half mollified them somewhat, and Dhurrrkk' is now a planetary hero!
How ironic!
The Esteemed Mediator told me that the human share in the Avernian Contact will count very favorably toward Earth being invited to join the CLS ... it may even give our worlds increased representation if we do join.
How 'bout that?
He also said that the CLS will place Avernus under protection, whether or not the Blankets join the League. The discovery of a species with such powerful telepathy is a momentous one. The coordinates of the Avernian system are to be considered TOP SECRET.
Doctor Blanket is fine. Shirazz and Ssoriszs seem captivated by the Avernian's wise, kind nature, and its gentle but whimsical sense of humor. It accepted Ahkk'eerrr's invitation to meet the members of the Simiu Council, on the condition that Dhurrrkk' will "interpret" for it, since it's still difficult for it to "speak" to new minds.
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But the news of the Avernian Contact came too late to save Rhrrrkkeet'--the Simiu Council, spurred on by members who supported Khrekk's "aunt," had already given her her walking papers. However, that turned out favorably, too, because Esteemed Ssoriszs was so impressed by what Uncle Raoul told him that he asked her to serve as the CLS liaison between the Simiu and Mizari during their mission to Earth. She accepted, and, I hope, thumbed her nose at her former bosses.
So here we are, aboard the Mizari vessel Dawn Wind, enroute back to Hurrreeah and Desiree. We've been traveling for ten days, and we'll be there in ten more. Mizari ships are fast.
And big-- so big that Rosinante is crowded onto the lifeboat deck. Rob and I have a suite all to ourselves, with a bathtub in it. What luxury!
I've gotten to know Ssoriszs during the voyage, and he's a real treasure. He always calls me "Esteemed Mahree," in his charming, formal manner. He's teaching me about the CLS member species and their cultures.
When he gave me back my journal cassettes, I asked him straight out if Rob was going to be offered that CLS position. He told me he didn't know, but that he planned to recommend him for it. He wouldn't give me even a hint as to what kind of job it is, though.
I'm having second thoughts about begging the Mizari to let me "
stay with Rob. I don't think I could stand watching him work with the CLS, and not doing it myself. I feel petty admitting that, but it's true.
Maybe they want him to be the Earth/CLS liaison. That makes sense.
They're going to need one.
It's hard, knowing what I know, especially after we're lying there after making love, and Rob talks happily about us being together, what we'll do on Earth, the places we'll go, the things- we'll see.
The other night we watched Casablanca together, and I had to excuse myself when M'sieu Rick tells lisa, "We'll always have Paris."
At least Rick and lisa were still going to be on the same planet . . .
Mahree activated the portal and stepped through into her little cabin aboard Desiree. She leaned against the plas-steel bulkhead,
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wiping tears from her eyes. The jubilant greetings of her friends still echoed in her ears, and her shoulders tingled from all the bear hugs and back slappings.
It was blessedly quiet in her quarters, and she sighed with relief. She was happy to see everyone, she truly was, but ... her ears were ringing from the loudness of their voices. Human speech seemed so noisy compared to the soft, sibilant hissing of the Mizari! And she'd never realized that human beings moved so jerkily!
These are your people, she chided herself. You've been gone for two months, that's all. No wonder it seems strange to be among humans again.
You'll get used to it.
But the thought of her room aboard the Dawn Wind stil made her swal ow, and she wished she could go back there.
Exhausted, Mahree sank down onto her bunk, looking around her
wonderingly. So much has changed, she thought. And yet it still looks exactly the way it did the day I left.
The big Mizari ship had docked at Station Three, not far from Desiree's new docking location. The Simiu had asked the humans to move their vessel to one of the berths in their "interstellar" station--part of their new open policy.
Mahree and Rob, escorted by Dhurrrkk' and Rhrrrkkeet', had toted their bags down the brilliantly colored corridors with their now-familiar flat-topped pyramid shapes, until they'd reached one of the featureless white connecting tubes they all had such cause to remember. Then Dhurrrkk' had activated the outer lock and waved them through. "I will see you soon, FriendMahree, FriendRob," he'd said. "Enjoy your homecoming."
Clutching their bags, the returning wayfarers started down the overly bright tunnel. They hadn't gotten halfway before Desiree's airlock had opened, and the crew, Raoul foremost among them, had come pouring out in a wave of yelling, exuberant humanity ...
Well, I can't just sit here, Mahree thought, giving herself a mental shake.
Raoul said we'd all meet in the galley so we could tell everyone about our adventures. But first, a change of clothes and a wash . . .
Minutes later, she came out of the head, clad in a fresh ship's jumpsuit.
"Mirror," she commanded absently, reaching for her hairbrush--
--and froze.
Who is that? she wondered for a fleeting moment, before she realized that she was looking at herself.
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The woman who stared back at her from the mirror was almost a stranger--a lean, wiry stranger, with a confident set to her shoulders. Her cheekbones showed prominently, and her brown eyes seemed larger, because the face in the mirror had lost the last traces of rounded, unmarked girlhood. Stepping closer, Mahree could make out tiny shadowings in the skin around her eyes and mouth that would someday be lines. Mon Dieu, she thought, blankly, I look as though I've aged years instead of a few months!
Hastily, she checked her hair for gray, but was relieved to find only the same brown.
Mahree tilted her head, studying her reflected features, and decided that she liked what she saw. I don't look ordinary anymore, she realized. I look like a person who has been places, done things. Distinctive. That's better than being pretty.
At a sudden thought, she hastily turned sideways t
o examine her breasts.
Oh, well. I guess that was too much to hope for, she thought, and the woman in the mirror gave her a wry grin.
She heard a tap on the door. "Mahree?"
"Come in, Rob!"
Hair freshly cropped and clean-shaven again (his beard repressor had worn off before they'd left Shassiszss), he walked into the cabin, Sekhmet in his arms. "Hi."
"Sekhmet!" Mahree exclaimed, going over to pet the cat.
"How are you, honey?"
"I'm fine," Rob said. "Felt good to get rid of that beard,"
He handed her the little animal.
"Not you," she corrected, "I was talking to the cat." She rubbed Sekhmet beneath her chin, crooning to her, and finally elicited a tiny purr. "How does she seem"
"Well, I'm not sure whether she knew me or not. Now I don't think she can decide whether to fall all over me with welcome or give me the cold shoulder."
"We'd better head for the galley," Mahree said reluctantly. "We're going to be the center of attention for a while, there's no getting around it."
"Guess so," Rob agreed, giving her a concerned look. Then he gently took the cat out of her arms and put the animal down on the bunk. He put a finger beneath her chin, holding her so she had to look straight at him. "Hang on a second . . . what's wrong?"
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She sighed. "I don't know . . . doesn't it feel strange to you to be back with humans?"
"Hadn't thought about it. Does it feel strange to you?"
She glanced away. "Some. It all seems so ... crowded. Noisy. And rather. . .
petty. I feel awful saying that, but I can't help it."
He smiled. "That's because you've been seeing aliens at their best, doing Great Things, making Profound Decisions. You haven't had to see the equivalent of Esteemed Ssoriszs bumping into the furniture before he's had his morning coffee."
She managed to smile at the image. "I suppose you're right. I'll get used to it.
But now humans seem so ... tame. Rather a letdown."
Rob grinned at her. "How you going to keep 'em down on the farm, once they've seen Shassiszss, eh? C'mon, cheer up. Let's go tell everyone everything we've been doing--in lewd, lurid detail." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
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