“Some are runaways, yes, sir. Most of them have always been free. They’re descendants of humans who got away from the Frogs, oh, over the past few thousand years, I guess. Maybe going all the way back to when humans were first brought here as slaves. A few must have escaped even back then and set up communities out in the jungle. The Ahannu…they don’t come out in the wild all that much. They tend to be content to stay where they are, inside their cities and tunnel complexes.”
“The Ahannu try to recapture them, surely.”
“Oh, once in a while. Sometimes the Frogs band together and try to catch them or stomp them out, but the dumu-gir have learned a few things, living out here in the jungle all these years. Sir, they’re good. The Marines could learn a few things from them.”
“How many natives are there?”
“Oh, about a hundred at last count. In this village, anyway.”
“A hundred? A hundred free Ishtaran humans?”
“There are other villages, of course. No one knows how many. They don’t go in much for governments and such here. Nothing more than a tribal council, anyway. They took us in when we got out of Dodge…uh, I mean, when we retreated from New Sumer. We’ve been teaching them a few tricks, helping them develop weapons and tactics against the Frogs.”
“You speak the local language, then?”
“A bit, sir. Our expert is Dr. Moore. She was our xenosoc expert, and she’s gone on to learn a lot about the Ishtarans, both the humans and the Ahannu. And a lot of the dumu-gir speak pretty good English now. They’ve been learning it for ten years.”
“Master Sergeant, you may have just saved this expedition’s collective ass. Whose bright idea was it, anyway, to leave a survivalcam screen in the Chamber of the Eye?”
Aiken grinned. “Mine, actually, sir. I figured the Marines would be coming, and one of the first things they’d do was get the Chamber of the Eye back, so they could talk to Earth. One of our locals, Kupatin, volunteered to sneak in and put it in place, since he could look the part of a Sag-ura, with all those tattoos and stuff, and I couldn’t. That was maybe…oh, a year ago, maybe. When we began to think that you guys would be showing up any day now. And actually, sir, to tell the truth, I was under the impression that it was you who were saving our ass.”
“Either way. That was damned good thinking on your part. We’re sending a Dragonfly for you. Please report to me…with your Marines and any senior Legation people who want to come. We’d particularly like to see Dr. Moore, if she’s available.”
“She sure is, sir.” He grinned. “Happens I married the lady, a few years back.”
“Ah! Well. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, sir. But our people have been intermarrying with the locals too. There haven’t been any problems at all in that regard. The biggest difference between Earth humans and Ishtaran humans is in the psychological conditioning. And the dumu-gir have managed to break most of that conditioning.”
Gavin Norris had been watching and listening in silence to the entire exchange. Suddenly, he stepped up close to the table. “Master Sergeant Aiken,” he said. “Is Randolph Carleton among the survivors, by chance?”
“Who are you?”
“The PanTerra Dynamics trade representative on this planet.”
“I see. Yeah, Carleton’s here.”
“Tell him to come along as well.”
Aiken looked at Ramsey, who nodded. “Tell him, Master Sergeant. We’ll see you in a few more hours.”
“It’s gonna be good, Colonel. Damned good! Five years we were here since Emissary arrived, and then ten more out in the sticks. I tell you, sir, we’ve gotten more than a little tired of the same old faces!”
“We’ll see you soon, Master Sergeant. New Sumer out!” He turned to Warhurst. “Quite a stroke of luck,” Ramsey said. “If one of your men hadn’t spotted that comm cloth…”
“Yes, sir. Although Master Sergeant Aiken indicated that they have been expecting us. They’ve probably had locals watching New Sumer for our arrival and would have been able to contact us sooner or later.”
“Right. But we’re in contact now. And we need people who speak the language.” Ramsey looked across the room. Their most recent captive, the unarmed Ahannu taken in the Chamber of the Eye a short while ago, was tied to a chair, his face and expression unreadable.
“You said you did hear that Frog speak English?” General King asked. “I haven’t heard anything from him except gibberish.”
“Yessir. Clearly. He hasn’t spoken since we got him back down here?”