Silent Dances (6 page)

of the relationship. That was about three years ago."

Tesa knew that the giant corporations in the colonizing business had a

different view of CLS membership-they were
against it
. A year after the

Desiree
encountered the Simiu, Rob Gable had sponsored a law on Earth

that
required
all colonizing expeditions to search for intelligent life on the

habitable planets they discovered. The corporations had managed to water

down the law's language-what, after all,
was
intelligence?

Similar
situations
had inspired the Mizari to begin plans for StarBridge

fifteen years
ago-a
school where diplomacy, the diversity of cultural values,

and, above
all, the
waging of intergalactic
peace
would be taught. It had taken Rob Gable and the Mizari Mediator, the Esteemed Ssoriszs, almost

ten years
to finalize
those plans and construct and staff the asteroid school

they were
now on
. But StarBridge-located in an area of space that had long

been used
as a transition
point for spacefarerswas now a reality
-and

things
would begin to change.

"Jamestown
Founders didn't want to sink a lot of money
into a planet
they couldn't colonize," Rob told Tesa, "but they didn't want to lose their claim if the First Contact was denied, either. So the core of their scientific
team

stayed at Trinity,
including
Scott and Meg, but as independent researchers.

We suspect the others stayed to cover themselves-there'll be recognition if

this is a verified First Contact, and they can keep an eye on their claim if it

isn't
. Earth sent in a few more staff
members to assist
the core team."

The holo scenes shifted, and Rob pointed to a group of avian weavers. "The

fabric they make is incredibly beautiful. The
weave is
very complicated, and

the patterns are illusory,

25

shifting with the
play of light."
He lifted a case from the floor,
re
moved a
mound of whiteness
,
then tossed
it over Tesa's lap.
Rob smiled at her
reaction.

"The Grus,"
he signed
, "
line their nests with the cloaks.
They may also
use them in their religion
, but we
're not sure."
Tesa touched
it
tentatively
,
then
checked the other side. The

tight
,
even weaving reassured her, and
she stroked
the iridescent

feathers.

"Like
a lot of beautiful things,
these cloaks
have tu
rn
ed out to be both a
blessing
and a
curse. The Grus enjoy
giving them away
, so we
began to
trade."

Tesa felt a
sense of
foreboding. "So what does
a space-age planet trade

for this ìncredibly
beautiful
' fabric?" she asked.
Rob grimaced
. "
Don't
look at me like that
, Tesa.
Scott and

Meg could only
find one thing
the Grus
wanted that
their world
didn
'
t
supply them."

It couldn't possibly
be
alcohol,
she thought
. "What?"

"
Wind chimes."

Tesa looked
at Rob blankly
,
not understanding.

"Crystal
wind
chimes, specifically
,"
he elaborated. "Meg had a little
cheap one and the
Grus
became enamored of it.
They
said that
the

refracted
rainbows it threw
re
minded them of an insect that omens
good

luck, so crystal wind
chimes have become official trade items." He

shrugged.

Tesa rolled her eyes. "Have
we bought Manhattan yet?"

"
If
you go to Trinity,
maybe
you
can come
up with a better solution
!"
Rob
finished
his coffee
, then continued
, "That first
cloak was sent
to Earth,
whe
re
it generated a lot of excitement.
As the Grus
gave us more,

museums, gove
rn
ments
, the wealthy
and powerful
,
all lined up for
them
.
Demand far outstripped the supply
.
Then
,
two years ago, one of
these
was found in a ro
utine customs search by special agents-biologists working as law
-
enforcement agents who'd been trained to

recognize illegally obtained wildlife a
rt
ifacts."

He opened the case again. In it was the feathered skin. Tesa was
drawn by

its beauty, but repelled by its b
ru
tal o
ri
gin. Rob gestured for her to
take it.

Reverently she spread it between them on the couch, marveling at its size.

Here was the long white neck
,
with tiny black feathers where the head

had been joined, and bits of the knubby red skin that made the c
ro
wn,

now an ashy plum color. There
we
re
the impossibly huge wings
.
Tesa
shudde
re
d as her hand

26

touched the black primaries and she felt the delicate bones that made the

three-fingered, almost palmless hand.

How could
anyone
do
this? There were ragged tear holes by the spine.

"When this was confiscated," Rob signed, "it had a datacard identifying it as a genetic reconstruction. The card was an incredibly sophisticated

counterfeit that got the skin past a lot of spaceport checkpoints. We traced
it

as
far back as we could, but the trail died when it entered Sorozssow

Sector."

Tesa started in surprise. Rob had spelled the Mizari word that most Terrans

translated to Sorrow or Outlaw Sector. Literally, the Mizari word meant

"place outside the law," or "place with no ethics," since, to the Mizari, law and personal ethics were one and the same. It was all the more astounding

that the notorious criminal underworld operating out of a mysterious, distant

cluster of systems was supposedly run by a very old Mizari-a Mizari without

ethics. To Tesa's knowledge, the ancient renegade had never actually been

seen, but then, no law officer or journalist who'd entered Sorrow undercover

had ever emerged to confirm or deny his existence.

Sorrow Sector was home to anyone needing refuge from the law and willing

to support the operations of its network, which included the best in illegal

technology. In Sorrow Sector,
everything
was available-for the right price.

"When Scott and Meg found out about the skins," Rob signed, "they were

stunned. Because of the connection to Sorozssow, no one can find out

who's obtaining the skins, how they're getting off-planet, or who's fencing

them. Those marks on the hide are from a predator attack, so it was

presumed at first that privateers had found the planet, and were stealing

dead Grus from predators and salvaging the skins." He paused for a

moment.

"However," Rob signed, "things are getting worse. Lately,
flawless
skins have been impounded-hides that could've only come from Grus killed with

modern weapons. Of course, our staff isn't permitted to have weapons, so

they're exonerated."

"Aren't the League Irenics doing anything?" Tesa asked. The CLS

peacekeepers were charged with protecting intelligent life.

Rob nodded. "Meg and Scott petitioned the CLS board for protective
status

for the Grus until the First Contact could be resolved. However, a Terran on

the board vetoed that request."

27

Tesa's eyes widened indignantly. "What the hel for?"
Rob smiled ruefully.

"Because
,
of the two Terrans on the
board, one is a past president of Jamestown Founders. She, and others like her, believe that membership will

severely limit Earth's ability to colonize newly discovered planets. If the CLS

intervenes on Trinity, it could set a precedent, giving the CLS a say in all

Earth's colonizing expeditions. If the Grus aren't
intelligent
, Trinity
belongs
to Earth-and Jamestown Founders. If the CLS steps in now, Trinity might

never belong to anyone."

Tesa felt as though she'd traveled back in time and was hearing Columbus

tell Queen Isabella how he had "discovere
d"
an
inhabited continent
,
and
how all its
re
sources we
re now hers.

"The corporations' opponents," Rob continued, "insist the companies would be happy to thumb their noses at CLS membership and all it represents in

long-term achievements just so they can have unfettered opportunities to

pursue short-term profits."

Tesa sagged back on the couch. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"Those of us who are convinced of the Grus' intelligence are hampered in

other ways as well. There are many different species of Grus ... and not all of

them want us on Trinity."

Rob leaned forward. "Fortunately, the most respected of all the Grus leaders-

the avian named Taller who had so boldly met Scott-has befriended the

humans. However, he's old and his power is waning. His people are edgy

about his alliance with
aliens, making our situation
there very
sensitive.

"As a result, Taller has insisted on limiting the number of
hum
an
s
permitted at Trinity. If we believe in the Grus
' intelligence, then we have to respect

his wishes. So, only six people were posted there, with only Scott and

Meg living planetside. It makes it impossible for them to do much about

the invaders, but, really, even if we had six
hundred
people there, they couldn'
t police a planet."

Rob touched the skin gently. "Trinity is too far removed from the hub of CLS

activity to get quick assistance in an emergency. After the skins started

showing up, Meg and Scott asked Taller to allow more staff, but his people

objected. I'm not even sure I can blame them. Somewhere on their planet

there are privateers-possibly human-who are killing Grus ... should they

believe
we're
harmless just because we say

28

so?" Rob frowned. "We've got to prove the Grus are intelligent. Then,

anyone possessing those skins will be accomplice
to
murder.
"

"Haven't the voder translations proved that?" Tesa asked. "They might have, if the Founders had had Mizari voders, but the company used old-style

Terran voders."

"Those voders were good enough for you aboard the
Desiree,"
Tesa signed impatiently, "and they've been upgraded
since then."

"And a study of recent voder upgrades," Rob signed, "found a glitch in one program that would allow some voders to translate any communication-even

an interaction with domestic animals-into meaningful conversation.

Jamestown Founders presented the study results to the board. Of course, it

was the same program they use, and it cast doubt on the Grus'
intelligence
.

The Founders
insist the
Grus are very intelligent animals, perhaps on the

level of apes or dolphins, but
not
intelligent
enough for a First Contact. And certainly not intelligent enough to avoid having their planet colonized."

Rob shook his head at Tesa's expression. "In spite of that the other Terran

board member"--he smiled faintly"Mah ree, voted for the Grus' protection,

essentially neutralizing the corporation's vote. However, the Simiu saw this

as the perfect opportunity to prevent us from
getting
full membership. They

voted against protection and those three votes encouraged the Heeyoon to

side with them. They're colonizers themselves. The board had to table the

request."

"That's ridiculous!" Tesa signed. Irritated, she crammed powdery doughnut

into her mouth, carefully avoiding the Grus
skin.

Rob shrugged.
"That's
politics. When Meg and Scott found out, they were

crushed. They appealed to the board for Miz
voders, and they've just

gotten clearance
.
Meg's going to pic
them up when she comes."

Tesa stuffed the last of the pastry into her mouth, brushed her hands off, and

signed, "So, how do I fit in?"

"I told you," Rob reminded her, "that Meg had lost her
hearing on
Trinity."

"I remember," Tesa signed.

"There was a terrible accident, and it's changed everything.
Taller
'
s son
,
Water Dancer
,
was being trained to become leader so Taller could
`

retire.' Taller
'
s almost seventy Terran

29

years old. Water Dancer had become good friends with Scott." Rob glanced

at the peaceful holo-vid view of Grus lazily walking along, probing the

ground with their bills.

"There was an early-morning predator attack," Rob signed flatly. "Water

Dancer was killed. And so was Scott Hedford." Tesa felt as though she'd