So we played cards and pretended everything was going to be okay. The night before our arrival, we had a special dinner, broke out the wine, drank to the home world, and to success. At approximately 0600 hours ship time, Belle woke me to announce we'd arrived.
THIRTY-FIVE
Being truthful is okay. But it can get you just so far. If you're serious about getting things done, what you really need is public relations.
- Etude in Black
Borkarat was where I'd met Selotta, who still oversaw the Museum of Alien Life-forms and where Kassel enjoyed an apparently pleasant life in government unlike anything a human politician could know. Bare-knuckle politics didn't really work among the Mutes. And that, I hoped, would prove our salvation. Maybe a quiet, reasonable approach to the issue of war and peace could be managed. The problem was that the Ashiyyur considered us an inferior species. "How is that possible?" asked Giambrey. "Our technology is on a level with theirs. And they had a head start. They were living in cities several thousand years before we got down out of the trees." Alex was looking at an image of the Mute world, afloat in the center of the common room. "They don't measure civilization the way we do," he said. "Technology is a minor consideration. They see themselves as essentially spiritual creatures. As more philosophical, more curious, more concerned with living the right sort of life, than we are. That notion got reinforced when they actually sat down with us-with humans-and felt their skin crawl and discovered we couldn't communicate the way they can. I think they see our way of communicating the way we might see a cat's." "We're not telepaths." "Sure. That puts us considerably lower on the evolutionary ladder. They've had a long-standing debate over whether we'll ever achieve what they have. Some of them think we have the potential to reach their level of development, but they're in a minority." "How about the people on the street?" asked Circe. "When I was here," I said, "they treated me okay. That is, they left me alone, for the most part. Some actually tried to put me at ease. But you'll be made aware you're not to be taken seriously."
Less than an hour after we'd come out of jump status, we were hailed by a patrol vehicle. Alex followed me onto the bridge after Belle sounded the warning. "Range is 1.2 million kilometers," she said. The weapons warning system began blinking. They were keying something on us. "Try to look friendly," Alex said. The patrol boat was even smaller than we were, but I could see arrays of particle-beam cannons and lasers and God knew what else on its hull. Its lights began blinking. Moments later Belle put a message on screen: INTERLOPER: STATE DESTINATION AND PURPOSE OF ARRIVAL. "Not very friendly," said Circe. Giambrey dictated our reply: "We are the Belle-Marie , a private vessel in the service of the Administrator, representing the Coalition at Salud Afar. We are on a diplomatic mission, and your government has been notified. We request permission to proceed to port." I directed Belle to transmit it in text form. Minutes later, she put a reply on-screen. It was short: MAINTAIN COURSE. Then, after another few minutes: PLEASE FOLLOW US. A few hours later they handed us off to another ship. Borkarat was only a bright star when we retired for the night.
We followed the escort in. And gradually, Borkarat split into two stars, which grew into a pair of disks , one large, one small. We went through a second cycle of meals and sleep before it became a discernible globe, adorned with seas, continents, and clouds, attended by the inevitable moon. Watching the world grow larger, as I'd watched so many others over the years, I couldn't avoid a sense of order and disposition. Worlds floated serenely in the vast womb of the universe. They did not bang into one another, did not plunge into suns, did not get lobbed into the outer darkness. Generally. Generally. I guess I felt some bitterness there. In a Darwinian universe, safety is an illusion.
Borkarat could have been Rimway, with differently shaped continents. Its gravity variance was a bit higher, but not so much that we wouldn't adjust fairly easily. When we were only a few hours from orbit, we received a live transmission. From Kassel. It was good to see him. We were going to need friends. "Chase and Alex," he said. "I was surprised when your message arrived. Selotta and I are delighted to see you again so soon. We welcome you and your associates. Although I wish circumstances could be better. I'll be waiting when you get in. The Planning Board has been in touch with me, and I've been appointed guest liaison. A meeting with one of the Board members has been arranged for you. We've reserved a room for you at the finest hotel in the capital. How was your trip?"
"Uneventful," said Alex. There was a delay of a minute or so while the signal traveled to the world, and the response came back. "The best kind." You don't spend much time on small talk when you have delays built into the conversation. "Alex, I'm curious about the purpose for your visit. Not that Selotta and I aren't delighted to see you. She'll be coming in later to say hello. But it seems a dangerous time. If major hostilities break out, you could be interned here."