"The Interdict seemed to regard all other species as 'unclean,' as nearly as I could tell from the records," Kralik said, "though I admit my knowledge of Jao script is only so-so."
"Very perceptive," Yaut said. " 'Unclean' would be a reasonable translation, or perhaps 'tainting.' "
"How long has it been since the Jao escaped Ekhat enslavement?" Tully asked.
The two Jao shifted uneasily, but did not answer.
Caitlin sighed. Sweat was pouring down her face. Grime was rapidly accumulating on what had once been an expensive frilly white shirt, and she did not look like anyone's cherished daughter. "Jao do not perceive time in the same way we do," she said. "They were enslaved until the flow of that particular situation was complete and no longer, as nearly as I understand it, and I admit that I really don't. I doubt any human ever can."
The bursts of light from the hovering globes intensified into a strobelike effect. Inside the pulsating flashes, two immense creatures loomed, their bodies striding toward them on many legs, all of which appeared too fragile to hold their weight. Tully blinked hard, trying to focus.
"I think I count six legs," Kralik shouted over the noise, which was growing louder, "but it's hard to tell with all these special effects."
"Six is common for Ekhat," Aille said, "although many variations on the type have been observed. They are not really a species. More in the way of what your human biologists would call a 'genus,' or even a 'family.' "
The two aliens stopped about a hundred feet away. They had segmented torsos somewhat rectangular in shape. Tully could now make out a row of lidless white eyes circling the immense heads, spaced about a hand's breadth apart. They seemed to shimmer red and blue, which might just be a reflection of the light show. A fringe of what looked to be moss covered their pates and necks. One pair of limbs positioned on the sides of the torso evidently doubled as arms. "Is this display supposed to impress us?" he asked.
"Ekhat do not concern themselves with other species' opinions," Yaut said. "They simply are impressive. They do not need to make us believe so."
Caitlin pressed a hand to her head, abandoning any pretense at calm-acceptance. Her cheeks had gone fiery red and the breath rasped in her throat. "It's so hot! I think I'm going to pass out."
Kralik took her good arm. "Why don't you go back into the ship?"
"No!" Aille's voice was much louder than Tully had ever heard it, even in battle. "She must stay. We must all stay. To do anything else would be exceedingly dangerous."
Tully glanced over his shoulder. Whatever stance the Subcommandant was executing, it sure as hell wasn't Caitlin's calm-acceptance. Probably something more like about-to-shit-a-brick, he told himself.
The Ekhat began speaking, both of them at once. The sounds were similar but not identical, as though the creatures were singing an atonal song with separate melody lines and verses. If he had thought the grinding metal noise bad, this was even worse. The cacophonous sound of the clicking and warbling voices felt as if they were being carved into his writhing brain. He had to restrain himself from clasping his hands over his ears.
"We notice you," a mechanical voice said from behind him in Jao, "infesting this framepoint."
Tully realized that Aille held a compact device against his chest, probably a mechanical translator.
"We occupy the third planet, not the framepoint," Aille answered, also in his own language, "but the Interdict has never concerned itself with planets. Do you intend to permeate this system?"
The device screeched out a thunderous translation. Caitlin bit her lip and shuddered.
"This infested coldness!" The closest Ekhat wheeled away as the mechanical translator repeated its words. It resembled a tall, elongated spider on those thin, segmented legs, now striding in a intricate pattern around its fellow. "Unspokenness! Unsaiding!"
It was oddly compelling, Tully thought. Each movement was precise and controlled, yet utterly spontaneous, as though its kind were somehow born dancing. The Jao with their formalized stances looked positively wooden in comparison. But Tully now realized that they'd acquired their obsession with postures from their one-time masters.
The bizarre light show was getting to him, more and more. He concentrated on calm-assurance, the back leg straight, weight distributed just so, fingers curved.
The two Ekhat prowled closer, their legs twitching. Their hides looked soft and pale, the unwholesome color of whey. They spoke again in that odd dual mode that was not unison. A second later the translator bleated, "Interstitial brilliance surfacing."