“I suppose that’s reasonable,” Ori said. “In their terms, anyway . . . they had to fit you into some category.”
“And now I’m a nest-guardian for them as well,” Ofelia said.
“What? How?”
“When these babies were born, I was there; they accept me as click-kaw-keerrr—” At this, the babies all looked at Ofelia and squeaked; the ones on the floor ran to her and leaned against her legs. She squatted slowly, her knees creaking, and they grasped her hands. She felt the now-familiar touch of their tongues on her wrist.
“Imprinting . . . chemotaxis . . .” Kira said softly. “They’ve imprinted on her.”
“Which is why I can’t leave,” Ofelia said. “I’m their click-kaw-keerrr, the only one they have. Ordinarily, they’d have had several, but it’s too late for them to get another—”
“But these others could have—” began Kira. Ofelia shook her head.
“No. Only the mothers past nesting can become nest-guardians; no one else. I was the only one available, and they asked me . . . I agreed. Who wouldn’t want to care for these—?” She smiled down at the big-eyed babies who looked back at her with the trust and eagerness she remembered so well from her own children. She would do better by these, she promised herself. And them.
She looked over at Likisi, red-faced and sweating; though he no longer struggled, every line of his body expressed resentment and anger.
“I’m sorry, Ser Likisi, for your embarrassment, but you see I had to tell you this, convince you. I cannot leave, even if I wanted to leave, and I don’t. These babies need me; I’m the only one who can do for them what the click-kaw-keerrr must do.”
“They’re aliens,” he said hoarsely. “You can’t do whatever it is—you’re only an ignorant, interfering old woman.”
The ones holding him expanded their throat sacs and throbbed. Likisi paled; Ofelia could see the sweat break out on his face.
“They respect and trust nest-guardians, Ser Likisi,” Ofelia said. “They do not like those who don’t.”
“But—”
“Be quiet, man,” Ori said. “You’re messing this up.” He sat down where he was, by the tangle of wires and little bulbs, then looked at Ofelia. “Please go on.” Likisi said nothing; Ofelia felt the shift of power within the team, and hoped it was final.
Her knees hurt too much to keep squatting like this; she sat down, and the babies crawled into her lap. “What they said—what Bluecloak told me—is that they accept me as the nest-guardian for them as well as for humans. That means I’m the one who can make the agreements. But I have to stay here.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” Ori said. He didn’t even glance at Likisi. “We can explain it to you, and you can explain it to them . . .”
He still did not understand. Ofelia hoped he would stay this calm when he did understand it. “I’m sorry, Ser, but it goes the other way. They explain it to me, and I explain it to you.”
“Yes, of course . . . but I meant the terms of the agreement.”
“So did they,” said Ofelia. He stared at her a long moment, his face expressionless as he worked it out.
“The . . . terms of . . . their agreement.”
“Yes, Ser.” She tried to sound unthreatening.
“I . . . see.” Ori looked up at the other three, who were still standing, Likisi still held by two of the People. “I think we need to go talk about this. With all respect, Sera Falfurrias, without you. You are too . . . involved . . . to have a completely open mind.”
“Nnno.” That was Bluecloak, who had let Ofelia carry the basket this far.
“Don’t be silly,” Kira said, heading for the door. No one stopped her. She grabbed the handle and pulled, but it didn’t open.
“It’s locked,” Ofelia said, unnecessarily. She felt a wicked glee at the look on Kira’s face. Had the women she thought bad felt this way? She had seen such looks as she felt inside on others’ faces. “So is the main door. You will have to discuss it here.”
Their hands reached for pockets, for belts, and only then did they remember that they had not brought their working tools, their handcomps and shirtcoms, to a quiet dinner in the small house of an ignorant old woman who could after all do them no harm.
Power, Ofelia realized, could indeed beget wickedness; her old voice scolded her soundly for the laughter that wanted to break out as she saw their expressions shift, and shift again.
“No harm will come to you,” Ofelia said. “But you will have to listen, and you will have to make up your mind to what is necessary.”
“Do you know what they want?” Ori asked. Practical, that one, and still calm. She hoped he would stay, later.
“They want to learn,” Ofelia said. “It is their greatest joy.” She pushed the babies in her lap gently, and Gurgle-click-cough murmured to them. They tumbled out onto the floor, and skittered over to their abandoned creation. “Watch them,” she said.
“Rready,” said Bluecloak, and one of the People picked up the contraption and set it on a display table. The babies squeaked; Ofelia could not quite distinguish the words, but by the way the elders were listening, they were making sense. The adult picked the thing up again and put it into the schoolroom’s deep sink. Bluecloak offered Ofelia an arm, and helped her up so that she could see. More urgent squeaks from the floor, and Bluecloak picked up all three babies; one scampered up its arm to the shoulder. Another reached out to Ofelia, who took it and cradled it.
When the adult turned the water on, and adjusted the faucet, everyone could see that the babies had contrived a water-driven machine that turned geared wheels faster and faster . . . “Zzzzt!” cried a tiny voice. “Aaaaksss zzzzt!”
“Impossible,” breathed Likisi, but this time with no anger in his voice, only awe. “Let me go,” he said to those holding his arms. “I want to see . . .” They let go at once, and he walked over to the sink, peering in. “They can’t—there’s not a water-driven generator for light-years in any direction . . . and yet . . . this might actually work.” He put out a finger, drew it back.
“Do you want them for friends, for nest-guardians, or as enemies?” Ofelia asked. She still didn’t understand the thing the babies had built, although if they said it would make electricity, she believed them. “If you try to stifle them—you can’t do it, you can only make them angry. That’s your choice.”
“But it’s too fast—they’re so . . . so smart . . .” Likisi looked around at the adults, then at the babies, then at her.
Ofelia tried not to sound impatient. “The choice is between smart and friendly, or smart and angry. They believe that good nest-guardians—good teachers, good friends—help the young ones grow and learn . . . everything.”
“I wonder what their Varinge score would be,” Likisi said, with envy in every syllable.
“Higher than ours,” Kira said. “We’ll need larger samples, but if this group’s representative, then their population mean is a good twenty points above human. And they’ve had these textbooks, these computer manuals . . . their development’s already explosive, and with this—I’d say starflight in less than a hundred years. Without our help.”
“And aggressive in defense of nesting territory,” Ori added. “Aiee. It’s scary.” He didn’t sound that scared; he sounded eager.
Ofelia stroked the baby’s knobbly back. “Not that scary, Ser . . . here . . .” She held out the baby. They had discussed this; Ori had been the gentlest of the humans on the team, when trying to observe and interact with the People, and the People thought he should be given a chance to hold a baby. Ofelia still thought it wasn’t safe, but . . . but it was hard to fear and hate anyone whose baby you had cuddled. Now Ori stared at her . . . then reached out gingerly. The baby went into his hands eagerly—a chance for something new—and licked his wrist. Then it looked back at Ofelia and squeaked. Not the same flavor—she didn’t need to hear all the sounds to know that’s what it meant. It focussed those remarkable eyes on Ori’s face, and stretched up to lick his chin. His expression softened, and Ofelia relaxed. Kira grinned, a wide natural smile of pleasure; so did Bilong.