The Course of Empire(133)

"You must have accepted," Kralik said, "or things wouldn't be as they are today."



"Not right away," Yaut said. "But the Lleix did initiate the idea of separation, which filtered slowly through our culture as we examined it for usefulness. The Jao are not impulsive like humans. By the time flow had brought us to a decision, and then action, the Lleix were extinct."



The ship in the viewscreen shed more fiery plasma, in measured bursts that resembled preconquest fireworks displays Caitlin had seen on old vids; and then again, each time becoming more clearly recognizable as a vessel, though one configured in a truly alien style. The Ekhat ship resembled two tetrahedrons oriented in opposition to one another, with an immense and lumpy almost-pyramid close to what would have been its center. A multitude of connecting girders or beams gave the whole ensemble a strangely delicate aspect.



Caitlin could only begin to guess at the amount of heat being dissipated. She shuddered to think how it would vaporize living flesh.



Finally, with a last stupendous burst of flames that winked out like dying embers against the blackness of space, the alien ship took up a new position, well inside the orbit of tiny, barren Mercury. Aille studied the readouts, his hands busy as his own ship edged closer and the Ekhat ship grew in size until it occupied the entire viewscreen.



At length, he stood, his body taut with determined-readiness. "They have activated a beacon," he said. "We must dock and listen to what they have to say."

* * *



Tully stared, cold fear in the pit of his stomach, unable to look away. "How big is that thing?"



Yaut flicked an ear, considering, then stood and straightened his shoulder harness. "In your terms . . . about two miles in its greatest dimension."



Tully's nerves crawled. "Are all of their ships this big?" he asked, as Yaut and Aille shed their side arms.



"Yes," Yaut said. "None are smaller, and some are larger."



"It looks incredibly fragile," Caitlin said, "like it's made out of Tinker Toys. I guess it was never meant to actually land on a planet."



Following the Jao's lead, Kralik unbuckled his holster and laid it aside. "If they can't even land, why do they want Earth?"



"Most likely, they do not," Aille said.



"Then what exactly do they want?" asked Tully.



"Nothing we will be able to understand clearly," Yaut said. "This faction, the Interdict, believes contact with other species is polluting."



"Then why are they seeking parley?" Caitlin asked.



"I do not know what is behind this request," Aille said. "And I doubt any of us will, even after it is concluded. Despite their antipathy toward lower life-forms, the Interdict is prone to such requests, so it is reasonable to conclude they extract something of use to them during the experience, though Jao rarely do. Still, there is always the hope one may come away with useful information of some sort. And, in the meantime, while they are parleying, they never attack."



The ship lurched sideways to their present orientation, unbalancing Yaut. The Jao stumbled against Tully and knocked him into the wall. A moment later, Tully squeezed out from under him, scowling slightly. Being "stumbled against" by a Jao was a bit like being stumbled against by a small, furry tank.



"Be warned: there may be more sudden moves. I have surrendered control of this vessel to their systems," Aille said. "That is a requirement in this situation."



Caitlin Stockwell returned to her oversized seat, buckled herself in, and then stared at her clenched hands. In jeans and a white shirt, short hair combed back with her fingers, she looked even younger than her twenty-four years.



The view in the screen changed inexorably until the lumpy pyramidal structure was all they could see. A door in its most proximate side didn't so much open as fade, providing access to an immense docking bay.



Their ship, minute in comparison, drifted into the aperture, which was much larger than Tully had first thought. An aircraft carrier could have sailed through that hole, he realized numbly.



Inside, lights flared in measured red and blue bursts, so bright he blinked in pain. His arm came up to shield his eyes before the viewscreen dampened the intensity. Ghost images danced on his retinas wherever he looked. He blinked hard, trying to clear his vision. "Is that normal?"



"I have studied fifty-two accounts of similar situations involving the Interdict," Aille said. "This effect has never been noted, but every account contains unique elements."



"You mean they never act the same way twice," Tully said, "so that business about them not attacking while we're here, or not killing us on sight, doesn't hold water."