Treaty at Doona Read online

  The Gringg voder repeated much of what he was saying in a deep bass, but skipped parts of the higher tones. Wielding a tool that was a cross between a laser and a screwdriver, Ursa attempted unsuccessfully to adjust the tympanum to encompass all of Hrriss’ vocal tones. She grunted and raised her paws palm up to show helplessness.

  “Not perfect yet,” Todd said sympathetically. “The waveband it uses is too narrow. We’ll just have to wait until we get back down to Doonarrala. Better still, we could make use of Spacedep’s engineers. The Hamilton’s still floating along behind us. The Admiral was hinting none too subtly that they wanted to be involved. Let’s get one of their technicians over here.”

  * * *

  With a little tinkering and a lot of luck, Todd was able to adjust the Gringg communication system to the frequencies monitored by Spacedep. The communications officer, Rrawrum, maneuvered up and down the band until Todd heard static, and gestured for him to fine-tune onto that narrow wavelength.

  “Hello? The Hamilton? This is Todd Reeve. Repeat, this is Todd Reeve.”

  “Where are you transmitting from?” demanded the voice of the communications tech. “You’re interrupting a secured signal.”

  “Sorry,” Todd apologized. “I wasn’t intending to break in on anything. I don’t know the field strength of this transmitter. I’m aboard the Gringg ship. I need to speak with Captain Castleton.”

  “The captain’s not available at present, sir.”

  “Then, Admiral Barnstable? The matter I have to bring up with him is pretty important.”

  “Not available either, sir.”

  “Strange,” Todd said, frowning at Hrriss. “I wonder where they went?”

  “I’m not at liberty to divulge that, sir,” the Spacedep comtech said.

  “Uh-huh. How about Commander Greene?”

  After a short pause, Greene came on the line. Todd described the situation and told him what they needed.

  “Wouldn’t construction of a translation device be their problem? Surely they’ve had to deal with the other species they’ve encountered,” Greene said slyly.

  Todd sighed. Greene had been his last option for help. “I doubt it, Commander.”

  “Really? A virgin species. Ripe for the plucking?” Greene asked acidly.

  “Certainly ready to, and helpful in forming a meaningful relationship,” Todd said, trying not to let the other man’s sour tones annoy him. “A frame of mind I doubt you’ve ever experienced. At that, Greene, I’d expected that a man of your caliber and ambition would be able to catch the moment and run with it.”

  “What do you mean by that, Reeve?”

  “Spacedep wants answers about the Gringg, don’t they? They don’t want them secondhand, do they?”

  “No,” and the reply was grudging.

  Todd grinned. “So send us a communications technician who can help us refine a translator. They’ve whipped up a voder but it doesn’t compensate for under- and overtones . . . and they’re necessary to establish communications. Get a two-way exchange going and we’ll find out what the Gringg are really saying.”

  “Will we?”

  “As an Alreldep representative, I’m asking you, a Spacedep officer, to provide assistance. You know, the sort of addition that looks so good on a code sheet. Or are you unable to function without direct orders from Barnstable?”

  “I can’t order Castleton’s officers to suit you, or Alreldep,” Greene said in a sort of a snarl. Then he paused. “If someone volunteers . . .”

  “Yes, a volunteer is the answer,” Todd said, trying to keep the irony out of his voice.

  “Not that I think anyone in their right mind—” Greene began and then briefly shut off the channel. He returned shortly. “You’re in luck, Reeve. There’s a sucker on every ship.”

  “I knew I could count on you, Greene,” Todd said cheerfully. “Send him across. And don’t worry. We’ll vouch for your reluctance to send a man into danger. Reeve out!”

  * * *

  “This thing’s pretty good,” Lieutenant Cardiff, junior grade, said as he examined the Gringg prototype voder, running a sonic probe over the exposed interior of the device. He’d brought two heavy tool kits with him. And Commander Jon Greene.

  Neither Todd nor Hrriss were surprised that Greene had accompanied the signals officer. The Gringg had courteously retired from the bay once the little ship was safely docked in their massive vessel.

  “Sound reproducer of some sort, huh? First, what is it supposed to do when it’s alive and well and working right?”

  Todd explained the difference between Gringg voices and theirs. He had acknowledged Greene’s presence but had to ignore the suspicious and cynical expression on his face, determined not to be provoked by Greene’s open antagonism.

  “Yeah, well, they were nearly there, I think. This resonator, here, is really brilliant. Should handle any decibel range. It looks like something they mass-produce, by the way. This plastic core looks prefabbed and the chips are probably standard for all their audio equipment. But I think these relays are too cumbersome; that’s why you can’t fine-tune. Think I can alter that to suit the purpose.” He grimaced, and settled his probe on one of the baffles. “This one’ll poop out on you after a few too many high notes.”

  “Can you remedy the problems?” Todd asked.

  “Oh, I’m a master fixit,” Cardiff said easily, and grinned at Todd and Hrriss. He had very white teeth in a face as dark as Grizz’s fur, and a mat of silky, silver hair which he continually raked upward with the fingers of both hands. He seemed to be one of those enthusiastic people whose vocation was also his avocation, and was more interested in a challenging job than the wherefores of it. “Got some tricks of my own, I have. I’ll just tinker with these relays—here and here—strengthen this baffle, and put in a more sophisticated tuner. Odd how there’re only a few ways of doing some jobs? Sound’s one of ’em. These guys have some mighty slick gadgetry.”

  Cardiff frowned slightly, turning the voder from side to side, re-examining its components. “But why leave it as just a frequency modulator? I can add a memory chip so it uses terms in the languages as soon as we have equivalents, build up the usable vocabulary. I’ve got some multiprogrammable blank chips here that’d do the job stellar! That way, all three races get used to hearing one another’s tongues.”

  “Zat would be much more useful,” Hrriss said approvingly.

  “Sure thing,” the tech said. “You know, they’re trying to build something like this on the surface, too. Or so I heard from Commander Frill. He was looking for a decent resonator. I ought to turn him on to this one.”

  “Well, pool your knowledge, Lieutenant,” Todd replied. “No use in redundancy.”

  “Nossir.”

  “Cardiff can’t work here,” Greene said irritably, looking about contemptuously. “There’s no work space in this . . . barn.”

  “Since you’ve now seen what needs to be done,” Todd said, ignoring Greene, “the Gringg have set up a place where you can be comfortable. They stayed out of the way on purpose”—he flicked a glance at the commander— “first to let you examine the voder without distraction, and two, so I can reassure you how hospitable they’ve been. Three, so I can warn you that they’re big, Cardiff, really big.”

  “I figured they must be, from the size of their ship,” Cardiff said affably. “Won’t bother me.”

  “Well, you have nothing to fear from them.”

  “Nothing to fear?” Greene said, his lip curled derisively. “With claws that could gut a space shuttle.”

  “Which, I remind you, Greene, they haven’t done. Keep your xenophobia to yourself,” Todd replied in a harsh voice.

  Greene raised a taunting eyebrow, his expression supercilious.

  “I’m ready, sir, I think,” the tech said, slinging one huge tool case to his bony shoulder a
nd nodding for someone to pick up the big padded one that held his inventory of chips. Todd hefted it. “Lead me to ’em.”

  Through pictures and pantomime, Todd had managed to convey to Grizz the need of work space for the technician. She and Panda had shown him one not too far from the shuttle bay, one level up on the belt elevator, and a short dogleg. It was yet another mark of Gringg tact that they met no Gringg on their way to the workroom. That Todd hadn’t expected, but it pleased him very much. Hrriss, too, grinned as he followed behind the others while Greene kept glancing apprehensively up corridors and around corners. The belt elevator had surprised both Greene and Cardiff, though they were familiar with such mechanical lifts.

  “What are they like, these Gringg?” Cardiff said, listening to his voice echoing back from the high, smooth ceilings. “I was hoping for a glance, you know.”

  Todd indicated the door to the workroom allocated to them and opened it. “See for yourself.”

  Cardiff lifted one foot, froze, and stared into the huge room. “Holy fardling afterburners!”

  Grinning, Todd gave Cardiff a little shove in the back so that he moved on. Nevertheless, as he himself entered, he had to admit it was an impressive scene. Grizz and Weddeerogh sat beside Chief Engineer Koala, who was working over a low table, tweaking the components of the second voder. Her scribe, and Rrawrum, the communications officer, lounged around. At the appearance of the Human, all of them turned toward the door and smiled.

  “Great gods! What a set of cutlery!” Cardiff declared, his eyes focused on the long claws the Gringg had extended in her work. His ebony-dark face had an ashy tint to it, and his already wild hair seemed to stand out further. “D’you suppose they file their nails like screwdrivers? Do I gotta work with all of them? They’re big enough to cramp my style, I think.”

  “The silvery one over there’s the engineer,” Todd said with a chuckle, pointing out Koala. She waved a gigantic paw, and Todd could see the technician’s eyes riveted to the length of claw displayed.

  “You all right?” Todd asked, bracing the man’s shoulders with a sturdy arm.

  Gamely, Cardiff gulped. “Even with you warning me, I didn’t quite appreciate . . . Hell, I’ve seen a stuffed bear in the museum and I just thought you meant they’d be a little—but whew!” He whistled softly.

  “Get on with it,” Greene muttered.

  “Button up, Greene,” Todd said in a fierce undertone.

  Greene glared back with a hatred which he now made no effort to hide, but he said nothing. He could contain himself now, in anticipation of the total humiliation of Todd Reeve in the not-too-distant future. The Gringg had never met another species, had they? When Reeve found out the truth . . . When he could not retreat from his untenable position . . . When they had all the proof they needed . . .

  Meanwhile he watched as the lanky technician was urged forward to be introduced to the Gringg. Greene momentarily sympathized with the reluctance evident in every line of the man’s body, but then, Cardiff had volunteered. Greene contented himself with a smile and settled himself on a low counter, while Cardiff eased himself down on the floor with Koala and the scribe, and put the voder he’d examined on the table beside the other.

  “Now, this is a good piece of work,” Cardiff said, removing the resonator chip from the heart of the device and brandishing it at Koala.

  “The word for good is rehmeh,” Todd told him, squatting down alongside. Hrriss joined him, leaving Greene by himself, glaring at the roomful of absorbed Gringg.

  “Right,” Cardiff said, grinning. “Rehmeh, this. Not rehmeh, that. Downright cow patties, that. What you need is a couple of these transformers; a different microphone assembly, something with real range, but solid, too; and a new power supply.” He rummaged in the big tool case. “I’ve got the very thing—somewhere in here.”

  The language of engineering had intrinsic universality. Circuitry symbols might be different, but the way to diagram a circuit was surprisingly similar. In no time, Cardiff and Koala were communicating easily through the sketches, augmented by nods, smiles, frowns, grunts, and much gesticulation, oblivious to all else. Cardiff’s long, thin fingers assembled components, using hot-tipped tools and minute pliers as Koala made suggestions by pointing and making hand signals.

  “Where’s my soldering iron?” Cardiff cried, pawing through his case. “I’m sure I packed it. Oh, never mind. I can use the laser tool.”

  “Rehmeh,” Koala said, at last, giving the Hayuman technician a rubbery-lipped smile of approval.

  “Right,” said Cardiff, straightening up. “Let’s teach these things to talk.” He had made use of the original casings, but shuffled components from both worlds. Out of the kit, he pulled a frequency monitor, and ran the dial up and down the cycles. “This will compress the greater range of Hrruban tones into the range the Gringg can hear, and match Human stuff as well. It’ll also translate any one of the ranges into any one of the other, depending on who it’s set to be worn by. This switch has three settings.”

  “Aha,” said Todd. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  Cardiff strapped one of the voders onto his neck. “You want them to learn Middle Hrruban first?” He ignored Greene’s belated protest. “Sensible notion, since so many of us can get along in that. So that’s what we’re going to record into the memory.”

  Todd began to recite the words for which he already had the Gringg translations. Grizz recorded the translations in her booming voice when Cardiff pointed to her. Back and forth they went, putting more and more into memory, slowly expanding a Gringg/Middle Hrruban glossary. Todd suggested the words for body parts, things in the lab, male, female, baby, and any verb he could think of for which he could express the concept. Grizz responded.

  “Right. We’ve got a good starting vocabulary,” the technician said happily. “Go ahead, try it.”

  Todd cleared his throat. “I’m Todd, not Dodh.” His voice came out as a deep bass, but with more inflection than he’d had through Koala’s preliminary model. “Todd. Todd Reeve.”

  “Todd,” the Gringg all repeated one by one. “Todd Reeve.”

  “See?” Todd said with satisfaction. “Supersonics—at least super to them—are dropping out, as subsonics are for us.”

  Hrriss took the other voder, and let Cardiff tune it to him.

  “I am Hrriss, and my people are called Hrrubans.” His voice was reproduced, but matching his h’s and s’s without dropping out any of the hissing.

  “Hrrissss. Hrrrroobans,” the Gringg intoned.

  “Piece of cake,” Todd said, spreading his hands happily.

  “Peess of kkayyk,” the Gringg echoed, showing their massive teeth in a grin.

  “Don’t encourage them to smile,” Cardiff said with a twitch of his lean shoulders. “It reminds me of K.P.”

  “Well done,” Hrriss praised him. “Well done by you, too,” he told Koala, who grunted at the compliment.

  “Well, let’s take these things away and replicate ‘em,” Todd said. “Because of the tone differences, anyone who ever wants to talk with the Gringg will have to use one. That means dozens, if not hundreds, of copies. I’ll see what inventory we’ve got and what we can manufacture in a hurry. Maybe even arrange a license to grid stuff in.”

  “Happy to help, if I can,” Cardiff offered. “This was fun! Usually, I’m bent fixing electronics blown up by the visiting brass. No offense to you, Commander Greene.” The three visitors looked around.

  “Wherre did he go?” Hrriss asked, springing to his feet.

  Todd glanced at the Gringg and raised his hands questioningly. Grizz cocked her head, and addressed a question to the others. No one had seen the other Hayuman leave.

  “Wait,” Todd said. “Where’s Weddeerogh?”

  Grizz moved faster then than Todd had yet seen. In a moment, she was on her feet beside a crescent-shaped device
on the wall. She fitted a claw into a hole and spoke into a slotted grille on the side. “Ahrgha, geerh vnamshola Hayuman, parghhen va Weddeerogh. Ahrgha, meena lorrangh.” Todd and Hrriss could hear her voice echoing in the hallway.

  The announcement, if it was an order to bring back any Hayuman found to be wandering the halls with Grizz’s cub, was redundant. Two strange Gringg, one male and one female, appeared in the doorway with a struggling Greene between them. Weddeerogh loped in behind the party, and rolled onto his haunches beside his mother. Grizz’s eyes were hot with anger, but her voice sounded calm when she turned to Todd with a question.

  “Geerh rhaddenoch?”

  “No, I mean, morra, that won’t be necessary,” Todd said, standing up to pinion Greene by the arm. The Gringg male moved away to make room for the tall Hayuman. “I’m taking him out of here now.”

  “What did she say?” Greene asked.

  “She said, should she take you and throw you in the compost heap,” Todd said, trying to master his fury. “What are you trying to do? Ruin the good work that’s been done today, sneaking off for a private pry around this ship? You could have asked and Grizz would have seen you had the guided tour. This your idea? Or Barnstable’s?”

  Greene gave him a look of total contempt. Only the place and company kept Todd’s anger in check. One day he was going to square off against Greene!

  “Captain Grizz,” Todd said formally, switching on the voder as he turned toward her. “We have truly enjoyed our visit aboard the vasharrel.” Grizz murmured approvingly at his correctly enunciated words. “We’ll be speaking again with you soon. May we be guided back to our vamarrel?”

  “Reh,” Grizz said, allowing a glint of humor into her eyes. Weddeerogh trotted up to nose Todd’s hand, then over to Hrriss, and back to his mother.

  “See you soon, little guy,” Todd said warmly. “All packed up, Cardiff?”

  “Lug this, will you?”