Sliding Scales Page 4

  Though the aircar's passing was low and swift enough to rock pebbles and arthropods from their resting places as it rocketed madly toward the shuttleport, no bladder-lifting individuals, either domesticated, wild, or of voting age, splattered themselves against its transparent dome. By the time she arrived, tense, out of breath, and struggling to adjust the coiling straps of her right sandal, the crew of the shuttle was already being debriefed by local Vssey authorities. Hurrying to keep up with her, one of the AAnn soldiers assigned to the shuttleport supplied yet another surprise. Apparently, the crew of the shuttle consisted of a single individual. A single individual and his (it was apparently a male human, though the soldier was not sure, having never in his life encountered a human in the flesh) pet.

  She finally slowed as she reached the room where the unwanted arrival was being debriefed by Immigration. Two Vssey stood behind a curving counter festooned with built-in instrumentation. There were no chairs, no seats. The Vssey had no use for seats, their bodies boasting nothing to put in them. They could stand in one place for hours, even for days, at a time, doing nothing but contemplating their surroundings. In contrast, a sane AAnn forced to remain motionless in one place for any length of time would quickly go crazy, Qerrudd knew.

  There was no question that the arrival was a human. To her additional surprise, it was conversing with the Vssey not in symbospeech but in extraordinarily fluid AAnn. That immediately roused the captain's suspicions. While many of the softskins could speak the language of the Empire, few did so with any fluency. This tall young male's enunciation was superb. Idly she noted that his pet, some sort of colorful but otherwise unimpressive limbless, winged creature, was sheathed in scales not unlike her own, albeit far smaller and different in shape. Whoever the strange visitor was, he at least showed some taste in his choice of companionship.

  She was startled when he glanced unexpectedly in her direction. Since she and the soldier who was accompanying her were standing behind a privacy screen and could not be seen from the immigration room, the glance had to be coincidental. Still, she found it hard to escape the feeling that he had been looking directly at her.

  “I am going insside,” she informed her subordinate, adding a third-degree gesture of insistence.

  “Do you wissh me to firsst clear your arrival with the authoritiess?” the soldier inquired.

  She brushed him off with a simple gesture. “I have no time to wasste on the ussual interminable Vsseyan procedure. They sshould have no objection. I intend only to obsserve, not to interfere.”

  The human barely took notice of her when she entered. It was as if he had already seen and appraised her. Nor did the presence of the large sidearm prominently displayed on her belt appear to unsettle him. The Vssey officials, of course, were not armed.

  Without moving its body, the nearest swiveled one eyeball to regard her. “We welcome the presence of Captain Qerru'.'' You have come to greet our visitor?”

  Double eyelids half closed over slitted pupils as she studied the imperturbable human. He smiled back at her.

  “I have come to ponder him. Greetingss I leave to you. Thiss iss your world. It would be impolite of me to contemplate ussurping any of your official functionss.”

  “That's very gracious of you,” the human responded. His command of her language really was impressive, the captain decided—exactly what would be expected of someone sent to spy on Imperial operations. What operations? The Commonwealth had expressed no special, distinctive interest in or plans for Jast. Why do so now? And if that was the case, why send only a single observer? Could the human be nothing more than a casual visitor? A lone casual visitor? Or were, even now, as they chatted coolly but amiably in the pleasantly warm room, dozens of skilled, heavily armed fighters listening and waiting in his vessel high in orbit, waiting for the right moment to descend and wreak havoc with the limited AAnn operations on Jast?

  What operations? she had to ask herself again. Jast was not an Imperial colony, or even an outpost. It was a developed, technologically sophisticated world whose inhabitants had shown an interest in ongoing AAnn overtures. She was being paranoid.

  Lone representatives of hostile species who dropped from nowhere tended to do that to one, she reminded herself.

  Maintaining her vow to remain aloof from the actual questioning, she positioned herself off to one side and tried to still the steady back-and-forth switching of her long tail. Occasionally reaching up to stroke the head of his quiescent pet, the human proceeded to answer with quiet aplomb every question the Vssey immigration officers put to him.

  “Very few of your kin have visited Jast,” the nearest one commented aloud. “Those who have done so have all been official representatives of your Commonwealth government or United Church.” The Vssey hesitated. “Yet you insist you are not a representative of your government or your principal religious institution?”

  “That's right.”

  “You have come alone? There are no other organic sentients on your orbiting vessel?”

  “Yes. No.”

  “Then why are you here?” the other immigration officer asked.

  The human bared his teeth in a slight curve. “As you have already observed. To pay a visit.”

  “Commercial?” inquired the first immigration officer. Its tentacles were fluttering irregularly, a clear indication of uncertainty. “Scientific? Historical research?”

  “Just a visit,” the human replied placidly. There being no word in AAnn that translated precisely as vacation, Flinx added helpfully, “For a period of hopefully recuperative non-workingness.”

  Truly alien were the softskins, mused Captain Qerrudd. Unable to restrain herself further she asked, in a voice notably more brusque than that of the more soft-spoken Vssey, “Why Jasst? No humanss come here without a sspecific program in hand.”

  Undaunted by her tone, the human turned to face her. “That's why I've come. Because no humans come here.”

  Disgusted with this uninformative response, she eyed the two officials. If it was up to her she would have simply shot the human and been done with it. If he was here on his own, without the encouragement or protection of Commonwealth authorities, then that meant there would be no one to object to his sudden demise. Probably no one would even know.

  But what if he had come burdened with such imponderables, and someone would know if anything untoward happened to him? Faced with an unexpected crisis, the AAnn could move swiftly. They could also step back and evaluate. Captain Qerrudd elected to step back. Caution, care, cogency: always caution first.

  She could always shoot him later, she knew.

  Or perhaps even leave him alone. If he was telling the truth about his reasons for coming to Jast, then maybe he was harmless enough. He would uncover no secrets (not that there were any secrets to uncover), cause no trouble (not that the present situation on Jast was trouble-prone), incite no awkward questions (not that there were awkward questions to be asked). His visit might even be some sort of deliberate provocation, designed specifically to test AAnn reaction to a human's unplanned arrival. If that was the case, then she could best defeat him by ignoring him.

  Clearly, the Vssey officials were as unsure as to how to treat this visitor and what to do with him as she was. The opportunity to gain merit by making a constructive suggestion could not be disregarded.

  “Truly, it iss apparent this human means no harm to Jasst. The AAnn also recognize the need to interrupt working with periodss of non-working. Iss thiss not a mosst Jasstian concept?”

  The Vssey officials agreed that it was. Still, they hesitated. They would have much preferred to report the arrival to their superiors, who would call a conclave where everyone with even a remote interest in such an unexpected occurrence would enjoy the chance to have their say. There would then follow an extended period of discussion, at the conclusion of which a decision would be rendered and then implemented. By which time, for all they knew of its alien biology, the smooth-skinned bipedal arrival might
be dead of old age. One of the officials thought there might be a possible solution. If nothing else, it might absolve them of the responsibility of having to reach a verdict.

  “As this is something of a unique situation, some latitude must be allowed for lack of precedence.” Eyes on slowly weaving stalks exchanged a look of understanding. “While the human presents no visible threat to Jast or Vssey, we are too ignorant of its kin to properly evaluate any potential for trouble.” One eye swiveled around to focus on the tail-twitching captain. “In contrast, it is well known that the AAnn are quite familiar with humankin', with their mannerisms and needs. If Captain Qerru' woul' be willing to assign one of her own to accompany and guide the visitor during his stay on Jast, we believe this would be sufficient to allay any concerns of the relevant governmental agencies.”

  Her intervention had paid off. She couldn't have come up with a better solution to the discomfiting state of affairs had she proposed it herself. As she prepared herself for refusal or argument, the last thing she expected was for the human to readily agree to the idea.

  “I'd be delighted to have a guide,” Flinx avowed when the suggestion was put to him. “Until I learn my way around, anyway.”

  Which, if things went well, might never happen, Qerrudd reflected. “We are pleased to be able to offer our assistance to one insspired to travel sso great a disstance for sso little.” If the cavalier insult offended the two Vssey officials, they chose not to comment on it, not even when she added a gesture of second-degree assertion. “I mysself would introduce you to what vissual and other pleassures Sskokossass hass to offer, but truly, I am consstrained by my dutiess as an Imperial military attaché.” When the human exhibited no reaction to this revelation of her martial credentials, she did not know whether to be relieved, pleased, or disappointed. Perhaps, after all, he was no more than what he claimed, and his purpose in traveling all the way to Jast no more than what he had declared it to be.

  “I'm sorry to hear it.” To her ears, the human sounded genuinely disappointed.

  “However,” she added, “I do know of one on the Imperial sstaff who not only possessess wide knowledge of the entire province and in the coursse of hiss work hass traveled extensively through Qwal-Dihn, Abuv-Dwan, and Tual-Sihb, but who may alsso be ssomewhat knowledgeable of human dessires and requirementss.”

  “My requirements are very slight,” Flinx informed her, “and my desires easily satisfied.”

  “Excellent,” she declared. What could have been an awkward confrontation had been resolved in a highly satisfactory manner. “Then while you conclude the landing and arrival formalitiess with thesse good repressentativess of Sskokossass, I will make hasste to ssecure the sservicess of the individual I have in mind to assisst you.”

  Surprising her yet again, the human responded with a second-degree gesture of thanks. It could not, of course, punctuate the gesticulation with the appropriate corresponding tail swipe. Setting her instinctive dislike for his softskinned species aside, she found that there was much to admire in the way he was handling himself before not one but two different alien inquisitors, albeit an inquisition that was as mild as it was polite. She rather hoped he was just what he claimed to be and that he was not some kind of spy or agent provocateur.

  Graft some proper scales over that revoltingly flexible and pulpy flesh, enlarge the eyes, and equip the rest with some decent teeth and claws and the visitor might even have made a decent AAnn. She hoped that the official she had in mind to serve as minder—no, as guide, she corrected herself with a slight internal flush of amusement— to the human would similarly appreciate the softskin's qualities, so lacking in others of his kind. In any event, no matter what eventuated, she was safely out of it.

  Feeling very good about herself, she left the Vssey immigration officials to conclude their interview with the human.

  Takuuna was fuming. That is, he was fuming more than was usual for him. Nursemaid to an alien! And to a human, at that. While part of him was undeniably intrigued (he had never encountered a human in person; only in the form of material representations), the rest was outraged that he was to be drawn away from his assigned duties. They would pile up in anticipation of his return, burying him beneath work that ordinarily was dealt with on a daily basis. Subordinates in his department could deal with a portion of the backlog, but not all of it.

  Nor had he been consulted. That was what galled him most. To be ordered around by a simpleton like Qerrudd, may her ovaries shrivel and be voided through her alimentary canal! But there was nothing he could do about it. Qerrudd had invoked clauses relating to matters military. Before these, even a high-ranking administrator like himself had to submit.

  He would retaliate. He would get back at that domineering, supercilious, self-centered—he ran out of breath before he ran out of expletives. He had no idea how he would do these things, but accomplish them he vowed to do. Meanwhile, he was as stuck with the situation as a juvenile who had forgotten to retract its own tongue while eating and had accidentally chomped down on that sensitive appendage.

  His studies, common to all AAnn who entered the Service, did not prepare him for the height of the human. While AAnn varied considerably less in individual physical dimensions than did the softskins, they tended to see eye to eye with a goodly number of them. That was not the case with this specimen. It gazed down at Takuuna from a considerable, if not commanding, height. Takuuna guessed its weight at a hundred kuyster or less. The administrator was not intimidated, only surprised. Of additional interest was the small winged creature that lay across the human's shoulders like a decorative insignia. Though not sapient, it was scale-skinned and quite colorful. It eyed the administrator intently, almost as if sensing his irritation.

  Turning from the window through which he was contemplating the city, the human took notice of the administrator's gaze. Reaching up and out with one spongy hand, he smiled. Takuuna recognized the expression from his lessons. It was one of an extensive range of expressions the softskins could produce with their disgustingly flexible, soft facial features.

  “This is Pip.” Though he had been told that the human could speak the civilized language, Takuuna was still startled by the human's glibness and lack of accent. Well, fluency would simplify things.

  “I am Ssecondary Adminisstrator Takuuna. I am to be your esscort during your sstay on Jasst.” He saluted, simultaneously sheathing his claws, bowing slightly, and turning his head to the right to expose his jugular. Adding to his astonishment, the human proceeded to replicate the gesture, though he had no claws worthy of the designation to sheathe. Instead, he curled the tips of his fingers slightly inward.

  The impressive showing only enhanced Takuuna's suspicions. How came a human who professed to be traveling alone, on his own private business, and having nothing to do with either the Commonwealth military or diplomatic service, to have such knowledge of AAnn language and ways? In the straightforward AAnn manner, he asked as much.

  “The gaining of knowledge is a hobby of mine,” the human replied. “In some ways, it's my life. By the way, you can call me Flinx.”

  At least that was pronounceable, the administrator appreciated. Not the usual barbaric multiplicity of vowels that made so many human names and words sound like their user existed in a state of perpetual drowning. In fact, he found it easier to enunciate than the great majority of Vssey names.

  “I am told you have come to Jasst to do nothing.”

  “More or less.” The human smiled anew. With a couple of modest exceptions, Takuuna noted, every one of its teeth was as flat as the soles of an infant's feet. As useless in a fight as Vsseyan grinding plates, he mused. It did not make him less wary. Humans, he knew from his studies, could fight well without having to resort to biting. He glanced down at the equally hopeless excuses for proper claws that tipped each of the softskin's fingers. Or scratching.

  Too soon to think of fighting. Rationale first. Meanwhile, the softskin was not the only one capable of learning fr
om new experiences.

  “And you have come alone. There is no one elsse on your sship? No crew?”

  “The onboard AI takes care of everything,” Flinx assured him. “I came here because few do. I like places like that. They help me think.” The human seemed to pause. “Although while I'm here I'm not supposed to do any more thinking than is absolutely necessary.”

  Was the softskin mentally addled? Takuuna found himself wondering. No, he decided. The creature was too alert for that. Too aware, too quick, and too logical with its responses. There was something else. Something he could not put a claw on. That he would eventually isolate this puzzling component of the softskin, Takuuna had no doubt. Until then, he would do as he had been ordered, while subtly seeking out the visitor's secrets—and weaknesses.

  Both sets of eyelids blinked twice. “It sseemss that I have been placed at your disspossal, worthy guesst Flinx. What would you like to ssee firsst?”

  The human lifted its shoulders slightly and then dropped them in a gesture Takuuna did not recognize. He found himself wishing he had paid more attention to the relevant studies. As was only natural, during his matriculation period he had focused his attention far more on the thranx, humankind's close allies and the AAnn's ancient irritants. Humans, he now saw, were nothing like the thranx.

  “What would you suggest?”

  The administrator considered. “Without knowing more about you or your perssonal tasstess, it iss difficult to resspond to ssuch a query.” The human did not rise to the bait, but merely waited patiently. It had been worth a try, Takuuna felt. “I am an adminisstrator, not a guide. You ssay that you are interessted in gaining knowledge. What do you know of Jasst's ecology?”