As they approached the broad stairway at the end of the street, Adri said to Brandon, “You can stop at the bottom of the stairs.”
Jordan tapped his brother’s shoulder. “Are we beaming all this up to the others?”
Nodding without taking his eyes from his driving, Brandon said, “Automatic feed. Thornberry’s getting everything our cameras see.”
“Good,” said Jordan.
They glided to a stop at the base of the stairs. A dozen or so people were coming down the stairs toward them.
“A reception committee?” Jordan asked as he swung his legs over the side of the buggy and got to his feet.
“A welcoming committee,” said Adri. He got up too, more slowly, stiffly. “We have decided to speak English to you. I hope that is agreeable.”
“That’s fine,” said Jordan.
As Brandon, Meek, and de Falla got off the buggy, Adri went on, “I believe that English is the lingua franca of your people.”
A pun? Jordan asked himself. A multilingual pun from an alien?
The others came down the steps and arranged themselves around Adri and the four men from Earth. Looking them over, Jordan saw that there were six women and six men, their hair and skin coloring ranging from pale Nordic to dark African. It’s as though some politician put together a group to represent every possible type of human being on Earth.
But we’re not on Earth, he reminded himself. These people may look human, but they are aliens.
One of the women, a pretty, pert redhead with short-cropped hair and smiling brown eyes, took a step forward and said, “Welcome to our city. We hope you make yourselves comfortable here.” She was wearing a short-sleeved light tan blouse and dark brown slacks.
“Thank you,” said Jordan, with a suggestion of a bow. “My name is Jordan Kell. You are…?”
She looked puzzled for a moment, then seemed to grasp what Jordan was asking her. “Oh! My name is Aditi.”
“A charming name,” said Jordan. “And may I ask, what do you call your city?”
Again she looked perplexed. Adri said, “We merely call it the city.”
“And this planet?” Brandon asked. “When we first met you, you called it New Earth.”
“Yes,” said Adri. “Isn’t that what you call this world?”
“That’s right. But what do you call it?”
“And how did you know that was the name we used?” Meek added.
Adri smiled placatingly. “This planet’s name in our language is very similar to your term, New Earth.”
Meek’s lean face took on a suspicious scowl. “And just what is your language, may I ask?”
Adri stood silent for a moment, then uttered an indecipherable sound, a combination of a fluting whistle and an undulating low moan. Meek’s jaw dropped open and Jordan fought down an urge to laugh at the astrobiologist’s consternation.
“I’m sorry,” Adri said. “Our language has very different roots than yours. I believe it will be much easier if we communicate in English. At least for the time being.”
“I agree,” said Jordan. “At least for the time being.”
Aditi gestured toward the stairs and said, “Would you like to see our…” She hesitated, looked at Adri.
“Our administrative center,” Adri finished for her.
“City hall?” Jordan asked, with a smile.
“Oh, it’s more than that, Mr. Kell. Much more.”
The Administrative Center
With Aditi on one side of him and Adri on the other, Jordan climbed the steps of the impressive building. He felt somehow eager, excited by these strange yet familiar surroundings. It’s as though I’ve come home, he thought. Home, to a place I’ve never been to before.
Brandon, Meek, and de Falla were behind him, Brandon chatting with the welcoming committee as they made their way up the stairs, while Meek and de Falla kept a guarded silence. Jordan opened the front of his biosuit and fished his phone from his shirt pocket.
Hazzard’s dark face appeared on the tiny screen. “We’re tracking you, Jordan, no problem,” said the astronaut.
“Where’s Thornberry?” Jordan asked.
“He’s running the remote console, packing the rovers into the ship they flew in on,” Hazzard replied. “Wants to move them to other regions now that they’re working okay.”
“And the robots?”
“They’re back at your plane, standing by.”
Nodding, Jordan said, “We’re going into what appears to be their main building. Reception might not be so good once we’re inside.”
Lowering his voice, Hazzard asked, “You trust these aliens?”
Jordan glanced at Adri, climbing the stairs beside him, then Aditi, on his other side. “Yes,” he answered. “I do. At any rate, we won’t learn much by keeping our distance from them.”
“Maybe,” Hazzard granted. “Just stay in touch with me.”
“Of course.” He flicked the phone shut and stuffed it back in his pocket.
Adri said, “I’m afraid I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation.”
Jordan shrugged. “That’s all right.”
“You’ll find that electromagnetic reception inside our buildings is quite clear.”
“Good.”
“I can understand your teammate’s concern. Xenophobia is a survival trait that must have been important in your earlier evolution.”
“I suppose it was,” said Jordan. “But I think it’s time we got past it.”
“Oh yes,” Adri agreed, beaming. “Long past time, I should think.”
Adri led them through an imposing entry, high double doors of some dark wood, and into the building. Out of the corner of his eye, Jordan noticed Aditi eying him curiously. This must be just as exciting for her as it is for us, he realized. And he felt glad of it.
Escorted by the little band of aliens, Jordan and the three other Earthmen followed Adri through stately corridors and large rooms that appeared to be offices where men and women sitting at desks were working away industriously. He felt impressed with the size of the offices and the apparent efficiency of these people.
“Just what are they doing?” he asked Adri.
“Oh … administrative tasks, for the most part. We have a sizeable community here.”
“I can see that.”
They entered a smaller room, where a long table was set with dishes and glassware.
“You must be hungry,” said Adri. “We’ve prepared something of a luncheon for you. I hope—”
Brandon interrupted, “You’ve prepared food we can eat?”
Again that patient smile curved Adri’s thin lips. “You and we can digest the same foods, I assure you. We’re just as human as you are.”
“That’s not possible,” Meek objected. “By all we know of biology, it’s impossible for two species from two different star systems to share identical biochemistries.”
“By all you know of biology,” Adri retorted, patiently. “You are about to learn much more than you currently know.”
Trying to stop an argument from developing, Jordan said, “Well, I’m rather hungry, aren’t you? If Adri says we can digest the food, why not take him at his word and give it a try?”
“That’s a good way to poison ourselves,” de Falla blurted.
Adri extended a hand to his shoulder but the geologist flinched back.
“Please,” said Adri, “we have no wish to harm you. And we do know something of your biology. After all, we’ve been watching and listening to your broadcasts for many years. And your Internet is a cornucopia of information on all sorts of subjects.”