Foreigner - Explorer. Part 15

That did it. He wasn't going to lie there after that answer, rational and sensible as it might be on the surface. He was sure Sabin would head back for the deck like a streak.

Faster. An answer came immediately. "C1, repeat our former query as a response."

Sabin hadn't budged an inch.

d.a.m.n, he thought. But he approved her obstinacy. If there was any doubt about the fuel situation and they weren't talking about the alien, he was just as glad she wasn't taking Phoenix Phoenix in to become part of a larger, predictibly orbiting target. in to become part of a larger, predictibly orbiting target.

He heartily wished there were better answers out of Reunion. But going out there at the moment wouldn't help matters. He had nothing to say.

"Senior captain," he heard Jase say, and he tried to stay in his semi-rest, expecting Jase to concur in the response, or to report the s.h.i.+ft change complete. "We have a flash response from the alien. Three bright pulses."

That was it. He flung the chair upright, and moved. was it. He flung the chair upright, and moved.

Chapter Six.

HE AND SABIN CAME OUT INTO THE CORRIDOR at the same moment, Banichi and Jago close behind him, Cenedi exiting the dowager's cabin, Gin and Jerry not far behind.

"It's not a d.a.m.n group tour," Sabin muttered, ahead of them only by virtue of her cabin's position in the corridor. Words floated in her wake and echoed in Bren's earpiece. "Advice, Mr. Cameron. Advice!"

"Repeat their signal sequence at the same pace as our answer. Not upping the bet. Duplication, we can hope, is perceived as neutrally cooperative. I hope it gains us time, maybe a further signal to compare."

"Second captain. Do you copy? Implement."

"Implementing," Jase's answer came immediately.

Bridge personnel had all changed. Every seat was filled, all the same, every head directed absolutely to console screens and output.

"If that should be a robot," Bren said as they arrived in Jase's vicinity, "we might try to calculate the position of any outlying installation by any significant lag in their reply."

"Ahead of you, Mr. Cameron," Sabin said. "We'll be working on that information."

"Or it could just represent the lag-time in their decision-making," he said. "We've already told them we're independent enough that it could just represent the lag-time in their decision-making," he said. "We've already told them we're independent enough that we we generate answers when station doesn't. Contact station and get them to join us in another response. Indicate their cooperation with us." generate answers when station doesn't. Contact station and get them to join us in another response. Indicate their cooperation with us."

"The h.e.l.l they'll do that," Sabin muttered, but: "C1," she said. "Transmission to station. Quote: Request you also transmit three bright flashes, identical duration, toward spook source. Critical you comply."

Bren suffered cold s.h.i.+vers. He'd tried to rest and the body hadn't quite waked up. The mind, however, had, calculating possibilities that began to branch and multiply untidily. The h.e.l.l they'll do that The h.e.l.l they'll do that. Clearly, by this demonstration and others, the Phoenix Phoenix senior captain didn't expect to give the orders to her Guild. It was becoming critical, and the Guild still thought it ran matters. Not a surprise. senior captain didn't expect to give the orders to her Guild. It was becoming critical, and the Guild still thought it ran matters. Not a surprise.

But that the Phoenix Phoenix senior captain meanwhile prepared to act and make a statement, a simple, light-flashed statement to match the s.h.i.+p's singular: senior captain meanwhile prepared to act and make a statement, a simple, light-flashed statement to match the s.h.i.+p's singular: I I-that was going to have its effect later in their dealings with station, and they couldn't help that. Not in their present situation. They could only hope for station to comply, if only it would.

And they had to wait more than an hour to get station's yes or no. Were they unified we we? Or not?

"Visual senses dominate in that species," Bren muttered. He'd studied the processes of contact-historically-with the atevi. He couldn't swear another living soul aboard had that background. And he'd spent eleven months reading on that topic. "Visible spectrum overlaps ours. Brain architecture has that in common, at least, with us and atevi."

Jase and Sabin alike shot him a look as if he were launching into prophecy.

"The s.h.i.+p out there won't know the station refused you," Bren said, teeth chattering in a persistent edge-of-sleep chill, and it sounded like fear, and he couldn't stop it. "But if our own station won't cooperate, it tells me me something about the Guild, while I'm unraveling alien behavior." something about the Guild, while I'm unraveling alien behavior."

"Screw your suppositions, Mr. Cameron. Confine your speculations to that s.h.i.+p out there and give me facts, not guesswork."

"Best I can, captain. The only thing we've said to them so far is I I and they've answered and they've answered me, too me, too. Useful if we could get the conversation to include a demonstrable we we, but we don't expect to have a we we with station, do we, so that's likely out." Where with station, do we, so that's likely out." Where did did a dialog start, without sea and land and sky for conversational items? Series of lights? Sequential blink used as a pointer? a dialog start, without sea and land and sky for conversational items? Series of lights? Sequential blink used as a pointer?

And a pointer aimed at what? At the non-cooperative station, which might pot-shot the alien and start a war? That That was no good. was no good.

"It may be a naive question, captain, but are we moving toward the aliens at the moment? Or toward station?"

"What are you getting at, Mr. Cameron?"

"I'm trying to figure out what we're saying in relation to where we're going. Everything's Everything's a word. Where we're going is a word." a word. Where we're going is a word."

"We're splitting the difference at the moment. We've veered off from station signal. We haven't gone on a heading directly for the alien craft. We're not going directly at either."

"Good decision."

"Thank you," Sabin said dryly, and he ignored the irony.

"Can we stop? Stand still?"

"Relative to what, Mr. Cameron?"

"I don't know." He was totally at sea where s.h.i.+p's movements were concerned. "Just, once we go on toward the station, now or hours from now, we've involved the station. If our own station will cooperate with us-then, yes, we could slow way down, sit out here and maybe work this out. I'm a.s.suming the Guild's not going to be helpful. So if we could, relatively speaking, just stop or slow way down and talk with this outlying s.h.i.+p-if we could say, by our motions, we're going to deal with you rationally and calmly, no hurry here we're going to deal with you rationally and calmly, no hurry here ..." ..."

"We don't even know if there's intelligence aboard."

"But something somewhere in control of this is rational. We have to believe that, or there's no hope in this situation-and percentage, captain, percentage in this is all with hope hope. If we can get to talking, if we can get them to accept a slow closer contact and occupy their attention with communications-we may just possibly s.h.i.+ft decision-making from their warlike to their deliberative personnel, if there should be that division of power aboard."

He saw the little frown grow. Sabin was at least listening. And the next part of the thought he didn't like at all-but it was, personally applied, the hope equation. Percentages.

"If we can do that," he said further, "if we can just calm down and sit out here increasing our ability to talk to them, then we've over all increased the likelihood they'll talk in all other circ.u.mstances. They'll have invested effort in talking. At least on economy of effort, they'll reasonably value that investment. Individuals will have committed work to the idea. We may gain proponents among them. We could be several years years sitting here unraveling this, but the immediate threat to the station will be a lot less down this path. We might be able to defuse this situation and get their decision-making well away from the fire b.u.t.tons and over to the communications officers." sitting here unraveling this, but the immediate threat to the station will be a lot less down this path. We might be able to defuse this situation and get their decision-making well away from the fire b.u.t.tons and over to the communications officers."

"And you think you can accomplish this fantasy of cooperation."

He didn't know what to say. Then he s.h.i.+fted a glance over his shoulder, by implication the array of atevi and Mospheirans-and back. "My predecessors certainly did."

Sabin's glance made the same trip. And came back. "You can do it and take my orders, mister."

"I respect your good sense, captain."

"What do you propose for the next step?"

"Ignore my ignorance about s.h.i.+p's operations. But we've answered the aliens. Where's the clock on that, relative to our request to station?"

Sabin checked her wrist.w.a.tch. "That's thirty one to station reply and forty six to alien reply."

"If station agrees to signal with us, we do a unison approach. If station doesn't agree... how many lights can the s.h.i.+p manage in a row, to signal with?"

"Eight."

Infelicitous eight. Was it mad for a human mind to think in those terms-to have numbers make a difference at all?

"I'll give you a blink pattern with those eight. I'll think of something."

"I'm sure that's very useful, Mr. Cameron."

"We can signal an approach. If we can make an approach to them."

"You're recommending this."

"I'm recommending this."

Again a long stare. "I'm not expecting station cooperation. Get me your blink pattern, Mr. Cameron. Let's just see what we can learn."

Half an hour. He had other minds to consult, and he went and consulted, the aiji-dowager sitting ramrod stiff in an upright chair in Jase's cabin, Ginny sitting on the bed, security standing about. He sat down and made his proposal, talking to two individuals: the human one of which didn't remotely understand his craft, but the dowager understood the problems. So, even, did Cajeiri, who stood by his great-grandmother's chair and listened very solemnly, not a word from him, but a lively spark in his eyes, not a reasonable ounce of fear.

No more than in his great-grandmother. "So," Ilisidi said, having heard him out. "What does Jase-aiji think?"

"One will surely consult him in this, aiji-ma." He had a keen awareness of pa.s.sing time. Of the impending reply window. He hastily took his leave, gathering Banichi and Jago and Gin-almost Cajeiri, but for the dowager's sharp command restraining the rascal.

"Answer?" Bren asked Jase, arriving beside him on the bridge. The communications flow in his ear was momentarily interrupted, for sanity's sake. He was s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g the earpiece back in as he asked.

"Station says their policy is no contact. They repeat their order to come in."

His heart thudded for no particular reason: he'd expected worse-but the citing of policy under present circ.u.mstances hammered at his nerves. The communications chatter was back in his ear. He watched Sabin stroll over.

"Negative," she said. "So?"

"I suggest, then, unless the alien initiates some new pattern we can work on-blink all lights sequential toward the end-most, toward that s.h.i.+p. Then slow. And turn. Blink all lights toward the center. Then steady light, and go toward them."

"That's it it?"

"Works in downtown Jackson traffic," he said, beyond being defensive. "Communicates to our species. Atevi intuitively figure it on Alpha station."

"A d.a.m.n stationside turn turn signal?" signal?"

He shrugged. "We're not going to communicate the whole dictionary, captain. Simplicity. The most universal things we can think of: we're turning we're turning and and we're coming toward you very, very slowly we're coming toward you very, very slowly."

Sabin swore under her breath.

"What would you do, captain, if they sent that signal to you?"

"I'd uncap the fire b.u.t.ton, plain truth."

"Would you fire?"

Sabin thought more soberly about that. Expressionless, walked over to the third console and gave an order.

Another transmission-wait clock showed up on the main screen.

They'd signaled.

"Takehold, takehold, takehold," the intercom warned the s.h.i.+p.

Maneuvering. His plan was in full, precipitate operation, not waiting for answer.

He looked uncertainly toward Jase. Jase looked to him him, that was the panic-producing realization, and there wasn't time. "Nadiin-ji," he said to Banichi and Jago, "take hold. Advise the dowager. We three shall use the alcove."

Where he had at least the hope of contributing advice-if the aliens didn't construe their movement as attack, or simply prove intractably hostile.

"Bren-ji." Banichi insisted he enter first. Jago followed. They made a sandwich of him within the protective, padded closet, and he tried not to shake like a leaf. They They rather expected the lord of the heavens to have a notion what he was doing. And not to s.h.i.+ver. rather expected the lord of the heavens to have a notion what he was doing. And not to s.h.i.+ver.

An hour and more until the aliens knew they were slowing and turning-and signaling their intentions. Which might also make a shot miss them, if the aliens p.i.s.saciously fired before they considered the blink signal.

Head against the padding. Eyes shut.

Final alarm. The s.h.i.+p began to maneuver. s.h.i.+ps that traveled such vast distances so fast were rather like bullets. They weren't meant to jitter about, changing course, making loose objects and pa.s.sengers into pancakes. Phoenix Phoenix certainly wasn't designed to do it. certainly wasn't designed to do it.

But she did.

Long change of direction. Time for thought, which he tried not to use, except on his next step.

Suppose the other s.h.i.+p echoed the signal, including the s.h.i.+p movement. Supposing they came forward.

Suppose they offered some different signal.

Suppose, on the other hand, they sat inert, not doing a thing. Could Phoenix Phoenix detect it, if they did? Or if, sitting still, they fired? detect it, if they did? Or if, sitting still, they fired?

A certain degree before a physical missile reached them. No detection if hostility traveled at the speed of light. One thought ever so uncomfortably of very bad television, back home, death rays from the heavens, shadow-creatures menacing whole towns- Such naive images. And so unwittingly prophetic if he couldn't think of the right answers.

He felt the living warmth on either side of him, steady, absolutely unflinching.

Calm, calm, calm. Panic didn't serve the cause, not at all.

"How are they down on five-deck?" he asked.

"Very well, nandi," Jago answered.

"And the dowager?"

"Very well, too," Banichi said on his other side.

"Well," he said, "nadiin-ji, we have at least gotten one signal out of these folk, whether or not it comes from something like Gin's robots-which hardly matters: if signal is being offered, signal is being offered, dare one say? So we orient ourselves toward them. We have offered a signal stating our proposed motion, which we hope does not look like stealth or offense." He had had the a.s.sa.s.sins' Guild right at his elbow and hadn't asked them their opinion of the captain's precipitate execution of his plan. "How would you manage a peaceful approach to them, nadiin-ji, figuring a complete dearth of cover?" the a.s.sa.s.sins' Guild right at his elbow and hadn't asked them their opinion of the captain's precipitate execution of his plan. "How would you manage a peaceful approach to them, nadiin-ji, figuring a complete dearth of cover?"

"One would stand at distance and signal in plain sight," Banichi said, "except that distance places this inconvenient lag between responses, and one seems therefore not to be quite in plain sight."