Journey Beyond the Sea - 18. Chapter 18

Bzup had provided seats for the humans, and they had talked for some hours now in the great hall beneath the bowl of alien stars. Well...alien, save for one bright dot, making its way slowly along the lines that tied the stars together.

A ship from Earth.

"They were bound to find a way back," Til said, his voice hushed but somehow still sounding amazed, as he glanced again at the bright dot. "It took them three centuries, two lifetimes...but they're coming back."

"There's no way to talk to them?" Nico asked.

"Not until they leave the Righoff line and re-enter normal space. Once they are inbound to Benteen, we can speak with them."

"I wonder how long that will be?" Jem asked.

They asked that question of the aliens. With the tech now at his disposal Bzup easily managed to convey to them that the starship would arrive in about two month's time. That hardly seemed any time at all now, after all the years humans on Benteen had waited to be reunited with the homeworld. Waited, and wondered.

What had changed with the mother planet in so long? Where, and how far, had the human race gone in that amount of time? What could be expected of the people on the ship, when they finally arrived?

And, why did Azim feel that the aliens had to leave?

Bzup and Azim had had a long, amazing, and mesmerizing conversation, after which it seemed the taller alien had learned what Bzup knew of human language. Nita expressed her amazement at this fact, but also a weary admission that nothing the aliens did much surprised her anymore. Bzup's kind communicated with each other at a level that humans might never really understand.

They spent some more time talking after that, still limited in what they could convey to each other, but with that ability growing rapidly as they moved along.

"Azim leave Benteen," the taller alien told them. "Protect Bzup."

Jem had found himself doing a lot of the talking, while the others listened intensely. "But why? There is room on Benteen for both of our races."

The taller alien had used a tentacle to indicate the white dot in the sky above them. "Jem-kind Zhip find Bzup one-zhip. No hide like hide now."

Mister Sharples had let out a sigh. "That's true. The arriving vessel will immediately sense this ship. They'll have sensors that will be able to locate anything on the planet."

"Bzup-kind go," Azim insisted. "Before find."

Jem shook his head slowly. "There is no need to leave." He turned to Bzup and gently laid his fingertips on the alien's hide. Bzup looked up at him, and Jem tried not to smile. The alien's fondness for Jem seemed so clear now. And Jem felt the same way about the little alien, and knew that he did not want to lose this unique and amazing new addition to his own life.

"We're friends now," Jem explained. "We look out for our friends."

Azim stared at him for a long moment. "Jem say what Jem-kind do?"

"Careful," Til warned. "You can't speak for Earth."

That Azim understood the shotsman's words was immediately clear. "One-zhip leave," he repeated, this time more forcefully. "Protect Bzup."

Jem turned to Til. "I know I can't speak for earth. None of us can. But--"

"The Compact," Nico urged then. "Tell them about it."

Jem tried his best, and the others helped him. They described the law by which humans lived, that all living things had a right to life, and that all intelligent beings had a right to be themselves and to live their lives in peace, so long as they did not threaten the safety of others. Jem's own doubts about the Compact faded as he spoke, the memory of what had happened to the Teddy Bears managing to recede from his mind. That had been a terrible and embarrassing moment for humankind, but this situation was different. These aliens were here now, and undeniably equals. Jem felt in his heart that the people of Benteen would not allow such a disaster to happen again.

They talked a long while, with the humans expressing hope, and Azim expressing doubt, until at long last, with the humans now tired, Bzup had walked with them back out to the Raptor.

"Bzup ztay with Jem," the alien announced, when they reached the small ship. "Go back after rezt, talk more Azim."

"Do you think it will do any good?" Jem asked, feeling a little depressed after their efforts. "Azim seems a little bit stubborn, to me."

But Bzup buzzed happily. "Azim lizten to Jem, lizten to all. Good."

"Whatever that means," Nico said, smiling.

The Colonial Administration people at Hennessy were informed of the approaching vessel from Earth, and Mikulsa told Jem and the others that the news was greeted with shock and initial disbelief. And then a flurry of questions, of which only a few Mikulsa had answers for. The news that Bzup's people intended to flee before the ship arrived was unremarked upon at first, and Mikulsa was instructed to do nothing but continue talks at this time.

Mister Sharples immediately informed Master Terpin of the news, and the captain of the Vespris responded by calling Jem an hour later.

"I understand our friends are leaving, Jem lad?" The master looked calm, as always.

"Yes, sir. At least, at this time."

"And how does Bzup feel about this?"

Jem sighed. "He says he doesn't want to go. It's the Azim segment of the crew that wants to leave."

The master was silent a moment before continuing. "Is there anything you can do to change their thinking?"

"Me?" Jem was stunned at the idea. He didn't want Bzup to go, but he also knew it wasn't his decision. "I don't know what I could say that would change things."

The master's eyes looked intense. "It seems clear that this Azim fears what may happen to his people when the ship from Earth arrives. Jem, this is a singular moment in the history of our kind. The first meeting with an alien race that travels the stars as we do. It must not be remembered as a retreat. Do you understand?"

Jem looked at Nico, who was listening in. His friend nodded at him, and smiled. Jem closed his eyes a moment, and steeled himself before replying. "Do you have any suggestions, sir?"

Master Terpin's eyes crinkled in an almost-smile. "I have been online, speaking with Colonial Administration. Reminding them of the import of this situation. I am trying to get them to guarantee the safety of Bzup's people if they stay."

Jem gasped. "Can they do that? What about the earth ship?"

"They will be subject to the priorities of the Colonial Administration here upon arrival. If we can get our own government to guarantee the safety of our visitors, the new arrivals will have no choice but to honor that commitment."

Nico looked excited, and Jem felt breathless, himself. "But...what if Earth has changed? What if they don't agree?"

The master shook his head. "We cannot act based on such a supposition, lad. The Compact has only strengthened with time. I would hope it is more durable than anything that two mere lifetimes could throw at it." The man leaned closer to the video pick-up on his end. "You must try to discern the roots of Azim's fear, and then to allay them. We must stall for time until Colonial Administration makes up its mind."

Even Nico gasped at that.

"That's a tall order," Jem managed to get out. "What do I tell the others about this?"

"I would say nothing just yet. There is no reason to get everyone's hopes up until we are certain of the outcome." Master Terpin nodded. "Azim is the key. We must understand why he feels he must leave."

Jem reached over and pulled Nico closer, so that he was visible to the master. "Nico has been here all along. He knows what you've told me."

The man onscreen nodded. "I would have been surprised if it was otherwise. All you must do is try, lads. If we try and fail, at least we know we did make the attempt."

Nico squeezed Jem's arm, a sure sign of his support. Jem nodded, his thoughts awhirl. "We'll do our best, sir."

Master Terpin smiled. "That's all I ask of you, lads. Good luck."

Jem simply sat there after the connection had been broken, staring at the com. Nico put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a brief hug. "Don't worry."

Jem laughed at that. "Worry? I wouldn't even know where to start!"

Nico squeezed him. "We can't tell everyone what we know yet, but we have already been working on making Azim understand we mean them no harm. I say we just keep doing that for now."

Jem shook his head. "There's something we're missing with that. I'm sure of it."

"What, do you think?"

Jem sighed. "If I knew, we wouldn't have this problem."

Nico leaned closer and kissed his cheek. "Let's start by going back to the others. The more we talk about this, the more of a chance we have of figuring something out."

Jem sighed, and kissed the other boy before getting to his feet. "Okay. Let's go."

 

* * * * * * *

 

They found the others in high spirits when they joined them. Bzup stood beside Til's seat, as if listening to the conversation.

Nita was laughing in delight. "What an amazing race we have here! Two groups, both from the same ancestor, who have diverged both mentally and physically over time, yet have still managed to arise to civilization by working together." She smiled at Ana. "We're going to write a paper that will turn the scientific community on it's ear!"

Ana's excitement was just as plain. "It's as if Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal had joined forces at the dawn of humankind to rise to the top on Old Earth. Imagine what that would be like today, with two types of humans."

Til smiled at that. "We still have two types of humans. Male and female." He winked at Jem and Nico over the back of his seat. "And we're definitely different!"

Nita gently swatted him. "Now just stop. This is important!"

Ana sighed. "Bzup's people are so sweet. So friendly."

Mister Sharples laughed. "That's because Azim's folks got all the wariness and suspicion!"

Nita nodded at that. "They definitely got the skepticism gene of the race." She smiled then. "But I find the two halves of this race more alike than they are different. And I find Azim's protective stance toward Bzup absolutely endearing."

Nico gave Jem a gentle poke, and then plunged into the conversation. "Azim acts like the Bzup part of their group hasn't got any common sense at all. Like it should be obvious that leaving before the ship from Earth gets here is the best course of action." He smiled at the alien. "Bzup's people certainly are more trusting!"

"I guess that's how they have evolved," Nita supposed. "Bzup's kind concentrated on learning, experimenting, and" -- she smiled -- "dreaming, while Azim's kind were the more practical side of the race. I suspect Bzup's kind did the visualizing and designing, and Azim's kind did the coordination and the building. Together, they are a mighty combination."

"I think they balance each other well," Ana agreed. She looked thoughtful. "Maybe Bzup and his people didn't really have a good argument to counter Azim's desire to stock up with food and leave. So Bzup came to Vespris, to find one."

Jem looked at Bzup, and smiled. "I hope we gave him a good reason."

"We're here, aren't we?" Mister Sharples said. He wore a look of satisfaction now. "I very much doubt Bzup would have brought us here to meet Azim if he didn't see the value in a relationship with our kind. Now, if we can just get Azim to see that, too!"

"Azim did seem to be relaxing his stance a little," Mikulsa said. He had been fairly quiet since Bzup had informed them that the ship coming to Benteen was a human vessel. Jem had wondered if the man had been embarrassed by his first reaction, saying they were about to be invaded. But Mikulsa seemed not the sort to suffer much from embarrassment. Maybe the incident had just given him a few things to think about?

"At least he seemed as tired of talking as we were, when we left," Mister Sharples pointed out. "But I don't know if that meant he was wavering in his views."

Nita stretched in her seat then. "I know how he feels! I'm bushed after all that talk."

"Bzup rezt," the alien announced then. "Jem rezt. Rezt all."

Jem smiled at that, wondering if Bzup had waited for the right opportunity to remind them that they had come back to the Raptor for a break. "I could use a nap, at least, before we get back to talking."

"I'll second that," Til agreed. He covered a yawn with one hand then, and laughed. "I think I may have gone a little bit past the light duty provision that Moira gave me!"

The Raptor could provide sleeping accommodations for all of them. The seats up front reclined, and looked more comfortable to Jem's eye than the bunks in back. But it didn't matter where the nap took place.

Jem and Nico each took a bottom bunk across from each other, while Bzup moved to stand between them. But Jem had hardly gotten settled before he sensed someone at his side, and then Nico squirmed into the bunk with him. Jem spent a moment smiling in greeting and trading a long kiss with the other boy, before a sense of decorum gave him a poke in the back of his mind.

"Should we be doing this? What about the others?"

Nico laughed softly. "They're grown ups. And they all know how we feel about each other." Another soft laugh. "And we're not getting naked, or anything."

Jem sighed, tightening his arms around Nico. "A shame, really. Is there a reason you're here, besides the obvious?"

"Yes. My head is just buzzing with thoughts. I can't talk to you from the other bunk, like I can here."

"Oh. So that's why you're here!"

Nico kissed him again, and nuzzled his face. "Just shut up."

Jem laughed. "I thought you wanted to talk?"

"Kiss first, talk in a minute."

It was more like five minutes before they both sighed, and turned their faces cheek-to-cheek. "You're the best kisser," Nico whispered.

"I learned from you," Jem whispered back.

They both laughed, and Jem felt Nico relaxing against him. For a moment the other boy was quiet, and Jem just enjoyed the feeling of having him pressed close. But as the silence grew to several minutes, he gave the other boy a gentle squeeze. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh. Jem...have you noticed that when Azim talks about protecting their people, he only says protect Bzup?"

Jem had noticed that, "Yes. It's been apparent to me since we met Azim that he feels the easy-going nature of Bzup and his kind are a failing of some sort, that they need to be protected from. I don't happen to believe that. I think Bzup is more than smart enough to decide if he feels threatened or not."

"I feel that way, too. And yet, he took a chance coming to us on Vespris, to meet. What if we had been hostile?"

"I know," Jem agreed. "I've wondered how much they have been watching us, all this time. How much they already knew about us."

"If I were them, I'd be curious about us, at least."

Jem considered that a moment before continuing. "Bzup said that after the Righoff lines shifted, his ship went out to look for an alternate route home. They searched for quite some time, it seems, before they realized they had no alternative but to come back here. So they did. Now, I don't know how long it took them to scout the lines for another way home, but it couldn't have taken more than a few years. But let's cover ourselves on that and say 20 years. Just to be sure."

"That's a long time," Nico decided. "It only took the colonizer nineteen months to get to Benteen from Earth."

"But Bzup's ship had many more lines to travel, while looking for a way back home," Jem pointed out. "They could even have been gone longer than 20 years. But...that doesn't matter. They have been back here on Benteen for a couple of centuries, at least. They have remained hidden, haven't bothered anyone, and only got going and tried to gather enough food to go out long-term for more exploration when they detected a ship on its way here from Earth."

Nico raised his head to look down at him. "So, what does that mean?"

Jem shook his head. "They had to be observing us for a long time. Bzup must have felt sure enough of our response to him that he took the chance to come to meet us. What I can't figure out is why they didn't learn our language in all that time, and be ready to talk to us."

"Maybe because they could only experience tiny bits of it?" said a new voice.

Jem and Nico both started, and looked up to see Nita watching them with a small smile on her face. "I could hear you talking."

Jem felt his face warm. "I'm sorry. I thought we were whispering."

The girl nodded. "You were. Sound seems to carry here, when everything else is silent."

"We thought everyone was sleeping," Nico said softly. "We didn't mean to bother anyone."

Nita tossed a thumb back towards the front of the craft. "I don't think anyone is really sleeping. Not even Mister Kim. Everyone is too wound up to sleep."

Jem sighed. "I'd offer you a chair, but we don't have one."

Nico was staring at Nita. "What do you mean by saying they could only experience tiny bits of our language?"

Nita reached out and gave the boy's legs a gentle push to make room, and then seated herself on the edge of the bunk. "Just that. Everything we do in our culture, data-wise, moves on fiber-optic cable. The exceptions are the wireless links to everyone's pads, and com-talk between ports and ships at sea, and transport craft in the air. That data is all digital, and encrypted. Even if they broke the encryption - and I figure they probably did that, because it's just commercial stuff, and not military-grade - they really couldn't do much with what they could listen to. It's a damn hard job learning a language you can only hear."

"They couldn't see our view shows?" Nico asked. "The video data feeds between pads?"

"Maybe some of the latter. In fact, very likely some of that, though remember that pad links don't have great range on their own. Since we lost the satellite network, everything has to be relayed by ground-based repeaters. They would have needed to be close to the continent to receive them, or close to a ship at sea. For argument's sake, we'll say they did get bits and snatches of that sort of stuff now and then."

"But not our view stuff?"

"Not without tapping into a fiber optic network somewhere. They would have actually had to send either their people or one of their devices ashore to do that, and the risk of detection would have been quite high. Apparently, they were unwilling to risk discovery by doing that." Nita laughed. "And that was probably a good thing! I have no idea what they would have thought of some of our danger dramas, had they been able to see one. They might have thought them real, and that our people were far too unpredictable to contact!"

Jem digested that, and nodded. "Wow. I never thought of that."

"Everybody on Benteen speaks the same language," Nico said. "I never really understood what might be involved in learning another one." He smiled. "Well, not until Bzup came along."

"Bzup," Bzup said, as if he agreed.

"In our culture, learning another language has largely been a comparative process," Nita supplied. "This means that. That means this. Languages are taught. People could learn another language by simply being immersed in the local culture, but even then it is a comparative process. Words linked to experiences. If you simply closed your eyes and sat among people speaking a different language not phonetically related to your own, you'd have a hard time deciphering anything."

Jem nodded. "Ah. Bzup had to actually come to us to learn anything."

"Seems so." Nita turned to smile at the little alien. "He's done a magnificent job of it, too."

"Nita," Bzup said, followed by a pleasant zzzzzz sound.

Jem laughed. "You'll make his head swell."

The girl smiled. "I think our friend here is not the sort to have that happen." She suddenly frowned then. "Oh. What brought me back here was something I heard you say, Nico."

"Me?"

"Yes. You mentioned that when Azim talked about protecting themselves, he always said, protect Bzup, as if he felt that the Azim portion of their group did not need protection." The girl frowned. "I'm not sure why, but I feel there is something key to that idea. Something we're missing."

Jem was amazed. "I've felt the same thing!"

"But what is it?" Nico asked.

Nita rolled her eyes. "I have no idea yet."

An thought occurred to Jem then. "Um, not to change the subject, but I just remembered I wanted to ask you about the siffle back home getting together in packs, like they're protecting themselves from human hunters."

Nita frowned at him. "What about it?"

"Well...my dad informed your biology people about it, but no one seemed interested. When I heard the orx might be doing the same thing, I did wonder if the two were linked somehow."

Nita looked skeptical. "You never found any sort of rider on a siffle, did you?"

"No."

The girl nodded. "And we now know that orx were only acting like they were because they were being controlled by riders. And that action was to gather large amounts of food fish in order that Bzup's people would have the basis for nourishment on a long exploratory flight."

Jem sighed, already seeing where this was going. "Well, why are the siffle doing what they're doing, then?"

"I don't know. I did pass this on to the proper people back home. And, I think, with everything going on now, they probably did send some people to look at that. But as yet, I haven't seen anything on it."

"No ideas of your own?"

Nita laughed. "I see a trap here." But she nodded. "Okay. It's entirely possible that these animals are getting together for safety. Siffle fill a niche on Benteen somewhat above the one that wolves filled back on earth. Wolves are very smart and efficient hunters, and so are siffle. And, wolves are pack animals. They work together to feed and protect the pack."

"But siffle are not pack animals," Jem pointed out.

"Not now, you mean," Nita corrected. "But following their history back may indicate that they once were a pack animal. Siffle are thought to have once been native to the northern plains on the other side of the Barrier Range. That was in the somewhat colder past of Benteen. The planet is warmer now than it was then. Some of those big, nasty critters that once only lived in the southern plains have moved into the northern parts now, as that area warmed. Siffle are not really able to compete with those species. I can make a guess and say that they migrated north, and over the mountains, to where they are now. Siffle would be one of the few species capable of crossing the barrier range. They were already adapted to cold, and they are extremely sure-footed and agile climbers. And since the northern side of the mountains are very safe for them, with only the much slower ustric as competition for the food animals there, it's entirely possible that the pack mentality waned as the level of danger did. But after humans arrived, the danger level rose again, and old habits kicked back in."

Jem's jaw dropped. "Is this just a guess?"

The girl shrugged. "It's a fair one, based on the things I know. But it's by no means conclusive. History is full of examples of lifeforms dropping habits that they needed to regain later." She smiled. "Evolution is like that."

"So, you don't think there's more going on?"

"I didn't say that. I am saying that I don't see any link to siffle acting differently to what has been going on with the orx."

Jem heard footfalls then, and Til and Mister Sharples passed them, heading for the kitchen in the rear.

"Coffee," the engineer explained with a grin, as they went by.

Nico gave Jem a squeeze. "I could use something hot."

"I'm not hot enough?" Jem whispered, grinning.

Nico laughed, but looked over at Nita. "Let me up?"

The girl stood, and Nico climbed out of the bunk. He turned to smile at Jem, but made no move to go on.

Jem sighed, and swung his legs over the side of the bunk and sat up. "I guess I could use something, too. Coming, Nita?"

"Might as well. I can't sleep, with all this talking going on."

Jem stood, and paused beside Bzup.. "Bzup, come, if Bzup want. Or rest."

"Jem, Bzup rezt."

Nita smiled. "He probably already has one half of his brain turned off. Let's let this half have a break, too."

The three of them moved aft to the small kitchen. The two men had just sat down at the narrow table, with cups before them.

"I made plenty," Mister Sharples said. "I figured we'd have company."

"I'll get it this time," Jem said, giving Nico a gentle push towards the table. "Sit." He turned to the biologist. "Nita, would you like some?"

"Might as well make certain I can't sleep," she returned, smiling. "Black is fine with me."

"Ouch," Jem said, wincing. "You outdoor types are tough!"

Nita swatted at him as he moved off to get the coffee. He quickly poured three cups, fixed his and Nico's the way they liked, and then took the two cups for the others back to the table before returning to get his own. When he got back to the table, Til and Mister Sharples were talking.

"--ask you what you and Master Terpin were up to back on Vespris."

Jem sat next to Nico, and cradled his hot cup in-hand before him. "Is this about all the mysterious goings-on back on the ship?"

Til nodded at him. "I knew that there were some sort of preparations being made in case we ran into orx again. I just didn't know what they were."

Nico nodded. "We all sort of knew Mister Sharples and the the master were up to something."

"Nothing done officially can be called up to something," Mister Sharples said, with a wink. But then he sighed, showing his weariness. "It seems irrelevant, in the light of what we know now about Bzup and his people."

"Humor me, maybe?" Til asked, with a smile.

The engineer nodded. "We knew that the riders operated on sound. And that orx are pretty good listeners, too. Master Terpin had me rig up a sound generator that could be cut into the deck speakers, and to a pair of sonar transducers placed at each end of the working deck."

Til leaned forward on the tabletop. "I didn't see the transducers."

"No one was meant to. They were installed after hours, so to speak, while Bzup was in his tank and everyone was asleep."

"What was this for?" Nico asked. "Defense?"

"Basically." The engineer shrugged. "We knew our opponents were very sensitive to sound. We intended to use that, if the need arose."

Til nodded. "I get it. The deck speakers can handle a lot of volume, to be used in the event of storm or other conditions where people on deck may need to hear information in a noisy background. But those speakers are limited in the range of sound they can reproduce. That's why you added the sonar transducers?"

"Right. Sonar transducers can reproduce a much wider range of sound, from the infrasonic to the ultrasonic. I intended to bombard any intruders on deck with a range of sound at a power level that would have been quite uncomfortable, believe me."

"To us, as well, I imagine," Til said drily.

The engineer smiled. "True. It would not have been pleasant for anything or anyone out on that deck. But we would not be affected nearly as intensely as either the riders or the orx. It was a trade-off that seemed worth the extra effort."

"I thought sonar was for underwater detection," Nita said.

"It works in air, too." Mister Sharples tapped the tabletop with a finger. "In fact, if I recall my history properly, it was experimented with as a form of detection and location imaging technology in an atmospheric environment before radio frequencies and microwaves were found to do the job much better."

Jem sighed. "That was why no one wanted to talk about it in front of Bzup."

The engineer made a face at that. "Well, we didn't know his capabilities then, nor how we were going to get along with him or his people."

Jem turned to look at the alien, still standing by the bunk. "I'm glad we didn't have to use it."

He saw Varin Mikulsa then, as the man stopped briefly by Bzup and smiled at the little alien, before coming on back to the kitchen. "I'm missing the party!"

"You were invited, if you'll remember," Til said.

"I know. I still had some fiction in mind that I might be able to sleep." Mikulsa moved to get a cup of coffee, and then sat down with them.

"What's Ana doing?' Nita asked, looking back the way the man had come. The Raptor was perhaps 12 meters in length, but the front cabin was dark save for a few small lights glowing that didn't do much to enhance the view.

Mikulsa grunted. "She's on the link back to Hennessy, through Vespris, uploading her notes. I think she may be back in a few minutes."

Nita smiled. "And Mister Kim?"

"He's either asleep, or good at looking like he is." Mikulsa smiled. "He seems the most relaxed person here, except for maybe Bzup."

"He's pretty disciplined," Nita agreed. "I've been talking to him." She smiled. "I like him."

Nico nodded. "I do, too. I guess if you're committed to peace, it makes you more relaxed."

"I've known Hans a long time," Mikulsa volunteered. "He's an extremely stable man. But he'd not committed to peace."

Nita looked surprised by that. "I thought he said he was a pacifist?"

"He is. He believes in searching out every other option possible, before resulting to violence as a method of solving disputes. Which means that he is committed to solving problems peacefully. But being a pacifist does not mean he cannot do something violent, if he feels it's necessary. It's not an absolute position."

"I thought these people wouldn't fight at all," Til said, frowning.

Mikulsa shook his head. "No. Hans believes that differences should be settled peacefully, and that war is counterproductive and useless. In our time this is virtually a moot point, because we have no wars anymore. But, believe me, if Hans became convinced that there was no way out but to fight, he would pull that trigger just as fast as anyone else. He simply will go much farther without fighting, looking for a peaceful solution, than any of us probably would." The bearded man shrugged. "That's one reason they sent him along with Ana and me. He's the safety feature that Colonial Administration wanted in place for this affair. If Hans decided to fight, it would mean that the people in Hennessy knew there was no alternative."

Mister Sharples laughed. "I guess they figured they couldn't just give energy weapons to anyone."

Mikulsa looked like he might be annoyed at that, but then sighed. "It was a good idea to send him with us. I approved of it, actually."

Til smiled at the man. "You keep right on amazing me."

Mikulsa's mouth twitched, but the result was another smile. "That's what I'm here for."

The shotsman took a sip of his coffee, and set the cup down. "I had you pegged as a man who takes what he wants, and isn't that concerned about how people feel about it. But you're a sham."

Mikulsa's eyes lit with what looked like pleasure. "Oh, no. I can be a mean bastard when I need to be. But I also have found I can see when that course of action is not only not necessary, but runs counter to what the situation needs." He pulled at his beard a moment, watching the shotsman. "This has proven to be once such situation."

"I think you've done well," Mister Sharples put in. "A hiccup here and there, but you've basically surprised all of us with how you've handled things here."

Mikulsa looked around at those seated at the table. "It seems it's a unique trait of human gossip that bad impressions of people travel much farther than good ones. I have been nice before, but no one remembers that."

"You like to stir things up," Til accused, laughing.

"In the situation we have in the southern towns, I have found it a good idea to keep those on the security wall duty a little riled, yes."

"A little riled!" Nita said shaking her head. "From all I've ever heard about you, I thought you whipped them each day before and after their shift!"

Mikulsa grinned. "I keep them sharp. See, we are far enough along on this world for town life to not only be pleasant, but easy. People that come to work each day after eating a good meal, kissing their partner and their children at the door, and then walking or riding through a tidy and comfortable town to the security wall, are not prepared to instantly switch to a warlike footing. I travel to each town every day of the week. Those on duty never know when I will be there, lurking in the background, watching. I ensure that they know in their hearts that the moment they get there, I may be on them like a pincerfly on a pup tiger turd." He sighed. "It's the only way I have ever found to keep them safe."

"Your stats do show that," Nita agreed. "Like Kel said, deaths among the security wall forces have dropped to just about zero since you took over that position."

"And that's what matters," Mikulsa said quietly. "I'd rather scare the pants off them and have them hate me, than for even one of them to be injured or lose their life."

Til shook his head slowly. "I don't think they hate you, Varin. All the stories I've ever heard about you, how hard you are to deal with, how rough you are on people, how disagreeable and maddening you can be" -- Til looked amazed now -- "it just occurred to me that never once have I heard anyone say that they hate you."

"You protect them, as well as the people they protect," Nita said quietly.

Mikulsa nodded. "Yes. Because I care about them all."

Jem had been listening to the exchange just like everyone else, but now he suddenly froze, staring at Mikulsa. The man noticed his stare immediately, and looked down at his shirt. "Did I spill something?

"You protect them," Jem repeated softly, "because you care about them."

Nico turned to stare at him, instantly alerted by the tone of Jem's voice. "Are you okay?"

Jem looked around the table at the others. "I...I don't know. I just...wait a moment. Let me think."

Jem closed his eyes and gently massaged his forehead his thumb and forefinger. Protect. That was the key word. They had been hearing it a lot lately in their talks with Azim, and Jem had become used to the sound of it. And the definition of the word - at least, the definition as he knew it. Bzup had made the comparison first, when referring to Azim, and in reference to Mikulsa, saying that Azim was a protector, like Mikulsa. They had just accepted that at face value then, and had been doing it ever since.

Jem opened his eyes and looked around at the others. "What if...what if, when Azim says he protects Bzup, he doesn't mean exactly what we have been thinking he means?"

Nita frowned at him. "How do you mean?"

"Well, we have assumed that the relationship between the Azim part of this race and the Bzup part, at least here on Benteen, is sort of like that of a devoted bodyguard looking after a too-friendly client. We have taken the word protect literally. But what if that's not what they really mean when they say it?"

"What else could they mean?" Til asked, watching Jem closely.

Jem turned towards where the little alien stood. "Well...Bzup seems amazingly perceptive to me. I think he sensed right off that the people on Vespris were not a danger to him. And that seemed not to change when Mister Mikulsa and Miss Barasesh came aboard. It occurs to me now that he has treated them just as he has treated us."

Nita turned to look at Bzup, before returning her gaze to Jem. "I'd go along with that."

Jem nodded. "And when Mister Mikulsa was trying to explain what he did for a living, and you tried to simplify that by calling him a protector, Bzup seemed to take an extra bit of interest in that. I wondered at that then, but now I am thinking that that was because he saw Mister Mikulsa as something a little bit different that we did. Not as just the head of security, I mean."

"Then what?" Til asked.

Jem shook his head. "I don't quite know." He turned to Mikulsa. "But when you just said you did what you did, and acted like you did, because you cared about the people under you...something clicked." Jem sighed. "I'm just not sure what it is yet."

Mikulsa squinted at him. "Jem, I have come to agree with Master Terpin that you are somehow playing an important role in all this. I want to hear what you have to say."

Nico turned to Jem. "I might know something."

Jem felt a brief bout of surprise, but then realized he had no reason to. Nico was his other half, wasn't he? He smiled at the other boy. "What have you got?"

Nico looked around at those watching him, and then his eyes came back to Jem. "Protecting others can be for a lot of reasons. It can be a job you are paid for, or it can be a duty you are loyal to." His eyes moved to Varin Mikulsa. "Or, it can be because you care very much for the people you protect." His eyes came back to settle warmly on Jem. "Or, because you even love them."

Jem wanted to be stunned, but found he was unable to be. He was too caught up in the moment, and all he could do was smile at Nico. "What made you think of that?"

Nico sighed. "That night we were playing Marksman, and that beast came at me from behind. You had a choice to make. You could shoot at the beasts attacking you, and protect yourself...or, you could turn your back on them, and kill the beast between us, and protect me. And that's what you did. Because you cared more about me, than you cared for yourself."

Jem took a breath then, as he understood. "Because I love you."

Nico nodded. " A protector is anyone that places himself or herself in harm's way for the welfare of another. For any reason. But I would think that love is the strongest reason there is."

Jem turned to look back at Bzup. His fondness for the alien was sure now, he knew. But...could he call it love?

But then he knew, without even pondering the question. We can love our friends, too, can't we?

He got to his feet and waved a hand at the others. "Come on."

There was a brief clatter of cups against the tabletop and boots against the deck as everyone rose to follow him. Jem led the way back to where Bzup stood, and sat down on the bunk beside him. Jem waited until everyone was there, and then reached out a finger and gently laid it against the alien's velvety hide. "Bzup?"

"Jem."

Jem withdrew his finger, and leaned closer. "Bzup? Azim protect Bzup?"

"Azim protect Bzup," the alien agreed.

Jem nodded. "Bzup? Bzup protect Azim?"

The alien's eye watched him closely now, and Jem thought he actually saw something like surprise there. "Jem. Bzup protect Azim."

Jem looked up at the others. "This might be why Azim feels he has to leave Benteen. Because the relationship between these two groups is so strong, that Azim places the welfare of Bzup and his people above all else."

"He's not willing to take a chance with us, you mean," Til elaborated.

"Yes. To Azim, Bzup's interest in us is probably a mystery. He doesn't understand Bzup's fondness for us at all."

One of Nita's eyebrows shot upwards. "You think Bzup is fond of us?"

Jem laughed. "You don't?"

Nita blinked in surprise, and then turned her gaze on the alien, who turned his eye on her. They stared at each other a moment, and then Nita smiled. "Well, maybe a little."

Jem nodded. He reached out again, and laid his finger on the alien's hide. "Bzup? Jem protect Bzup."

The large eye turned to contemplate him, and Jem could clearly see the fondness there now. Bzup raised a small hand, and placed it on Jem's bare wrist The three small suction cups at the end of Bzup's fingers pulled gently against his skin. "Jem. Bzup protect Jem."

There were small sighs around him, and Jem felt Nico press against him. "Do you think Bzup knows about love, Jem?"

Jem gave a little shake of his head. "I don't know. But he sure seems to know a friend when he sees one."

 

 

* * * * * * *

 

Jem and Nico did manage a couple of hours of sleep after that, but it was restless, and when Til woke them for breakfast, it took them a while to get out of the bunk. But they did, and washed up, and went to sit at the table with the others.

Nita laughed at them. "You look like I feel."

Mister Kim was also at the table with them, sipping coffee. He raised the cup to Jem and Nico. "One of these will help, but I'd also suggest one of the system restorers I have in the medkit."

"What's that?" Til asked, sipping at his own coffee and looking none too happy, himself.

"Prosphalamar," the pilot replied. "That would probably be the best one. It takes about a half-hour to work, but once you take it, it will march through your body with a will, cleaning up all the daily debris that makes you tired and which your body normally cleans up each night on its own. You'll feel like you had a great night's sleep."

Mister Sharples made a brief hissing sound. "I've heard of the stuff. It's safe, but It's not very good for you to take often."

The pilot shook his head. "No, it's not something you can take every day, definitely. But once, in a situation like this, will do you no harm at all. And it will make you much sharper and able to deal with the day." He shrugged. "It wouldn't be aboard if it was dangerous. You just shouldn't use it as a replacement for normal sleep."

"You ever take it?" Nita asked.

"Yes. A few times, and with no ill effects at all. I took one a little while ago, as a matter of fact." He looked around the table with a smile. "And I do feel I am the most cheerful and alert person here just now."

That brought a few tired smiles out, which seemed to denote acceptance of the idea to Jem.

"Okay." Til said. "I'll get one after I eat. Anyone else?"

Hands went up everywhere, and Til smiled. "I'll bring the whole bottle. That's my nice little group of drug addicts."

That brought more laughter. Mikulsa turned to look at the shotsman, and smiled. "You have an evil streak in you, too." The smiled turned to a toothy grin. "Welcome to the club."

Hans was right; the pills worked wonders with the way they felt. By the time they were ready to go back to resume talks with Azim, Jem was feeling as if he had had a good night's sleep.

"Bzup? Go now, talk to Azim?"

"Jem. Go now, yez."

They returned by the same route to the chamber with the stars overhead, where a large crowd of Bzup waited, and an equally large crowd of Azim. Jem stared at the numbers, figuring that there were easily several hundred of the aliens present.

"Wow," Nico whispered, as they went back to the seats they'd used the day before. "Looks like the whole crew is here this time."

They were seated, and Bzup once more stood beside Jem.

Azim - or one of them, as they had no idea if it was the same one - came forward to stand before them. "Jem. Azzzzzzzzzzzim."

Jem cleared his throat, and stood up. His closeness to Bzup, and that he had been the first introduced the day before, seemed to have designated him the leader of the humans to Azim. Jem found the idea embarrassing, but none of his friends seemed to mind. "Azim. Jem."

Azim introduced himself to all the humans, who responded in kind, and then both crowds were introduced and the humans responded. Jem had to smile while all this was going on, wondering how the aliens ever got anything done with the need for all this name exchanging going on. Nita had theorized that in the alien culture, the way they communicated was so fast, and on so many levels, that such introductions were made quickly and simply as the start of any conversation, with no real time involved at all. It was only when reduced to the human level of communication that the time factor grew long.

"Jem." Azim turned to face him. "Bzup-kind leave Benteen."

But before Jem could speak, Bzup released a quick burst of sound in his own language, and then turned to Jem. "Azim. Jem protect Bzup. Bzup protect Jem."

The silence in the chamber lasted for all of a few seconds, before a hum of alien voices filled the room!

Jem stared around at the commotion, wondering what was going on. His gaze returned to Azim then, just as the alien moved forward to stand directly before Jem.

"Jem. Jem protect Bzup?"

Jem's eyes widened, wondering what he had started. But it was too late to go back now. "Azim, Jem protect Bzup," he confirmed.

Azim whirled about, and hastened back to the crowd of his half of the alien race, and a buzz of conversation in a wide range of frequencies came back at them. Jem felt a hand grip his arm, and turned to look at Nico grinning up at him. "I hope you didn't just announce your marriage bond to Bzup!"

Nita poked him from the other side. "You'll have to go through with it now!"

Til released a short whistle of amazement. "It certainly stirred them up, whatever it was."

The conversation went on for several minutes, gaining in volume, and then simply cut off and was over in an instant.

Azim whirled, and came back their way, and Jem tensed at the sense of purpose he detected in the alien's movements. Azim's eye was fixed on Bzup, and as the alien neared, one of his tentacles suddenly stiffened, turning instantly into a rigid lance with a wickedly pointed tip. The lance lowered, and the tip pointed at Bzup!

In that instant, Jem understood that Azim meant to kill Bzup! The alien suddenly accelerated to astonishing speed, and Jem slapped at his sidearm, but realized he couldn't get the weapon up before Azim was upon them. As the moment slowed to a crawl, he was hazily aware of a yell behind him, and of his friends bolting to their feet. He heard one of the compact sidearms go off, a short burst and a series of small explosions, but the moment blurred into unreality as the sounds ceased.

All Jem could see was the point of Azim's lance, aimed directly at Bzup.

In a last instant of panic and despair, Jem did the only thing he could think of.

He stepped between Bzup and the oncoming lance.