Anne McCaffrey - Decision at Doona

The giant veterinary rose languidly, stretched until his joints cracked and, with a step unusually noiseless for one of his physical bulk, walked out of the hall.

“Well!” Dautrish exclaimed, looked around until he saw Reeve grinning at him. “An astonishing man. One never knows what to make of him. Anyone else want to grasp the golden opportunity of learning a real live alien language?”

“Fleeting opportunity, you mean,” Lawrence said, then added, “I'd give my sociological left arm to know what's been happening tonight at Hrrula's village.”

WHEN THE FILMS and tapes reached Exploration, the Chief, trusting no one else, personally brought them to the First Speaker in the Executive Cube. To his intense gratification, he was asked to remain as the First Speaker ran through the records of that initial contact with another intelligent species.

After the last scene faded, the Chief watched the First Speaker meditate until the silence was unbearable.

"Sir," he all but stuttered in guilty uncertainty, "the Prime Rule is in jeopardy. We will withdraw our people.

The First Speaker regarded him with a deceptively blank expression.

“On the contrary, Chief, we must remain and observe.”

"Observe?'' The Chief was surprised-and relieved. One of the few pleasures he had in his position was the opportunity to visit that planet.

“Of course we must observe. Surely, Chief, you of all our people have realized that a contact of this sort was only a matter of time. You know how often your Scouts have discovered traces of other space explorations.”

"Indeed I do, sir. But considering our wretched history – " he hesitated, arrested by a minute change in the calm face.

“Chief, it is time we stopped making that 'wretched history' an excuse for racial cowardice.” The gentle voice in no way lessened the shock of the statement.

“Ssssir?”

«That planet is ideal for a confrontation. It is also obvious that this species intends ours no harm. Indeed, the film is witness to their very earnest attempt to meet us with friendship. Notice, also, the willingness to learn our language – surely no easy task for them. No, Chief, I regard this incident as extremely providential. Extremely.»

The First Speaker rose and walked to the windowed wall, turned off the opacity in order to look out at the endless panorama of structures.

“All those people and so few interested in more than the fare on the view and food panels. Something must snap them out of this crushing lethargy. What they need is a good fright! Yes, a blood-stirring fright!”

Gone was the gentle-voiced Speaker. The Chief sucked in his breath at the vibrant ring as he felt his heartbeat accelerate.

“Nothing gets a man more than a threat to his very existence!”

“Sir,” the Chief began tentatively, “it will provoke another wave of suicides and our young adults . . .”

A growl deep in the First Speaker's chest paralyzed the Chief completely.

"A suitable end for those unable to face any sort of challenge. No, Chief," and the First Speaker paced energetically, his eyes gleaming with excitement, ''this crisis will be the making of us – or the end. And if it's the end, then good riddance to a species that has outlived its purpose. Now, here are my orders for . . ."

A discreet tap on the door was instantly followed by a muffled oath as the door swung open abruptly, framing an apologetic aide trying to restrain the Third Speaker from forcibly obtaining entrance.

"First Speaker, I demand – " the Third Speaker began over the aide's protestations.

The First Speaker raised a reassuring hand to his aide before beckoning the Third in. The moment the door closed behind the aide, the angry intruder erupted into accusations, barely able to enunciate in his rage. The Chief wondered who was the spy in his office. Or had the Third, in his zeal to end the whole project, managed to place an adherent in the colony?

“Aliens on that pet planet of yours. I told you that worthless place would be more bother than use. Pastoral, indeed! With who knows what else running around loose. Call 'em back. Call 'em back before another moments loss of time. Before irrevocable damage is done. Never should have permitted this ridiculous experiment, First. Never. Doomed from the beginning.”

“On the contrary, Third,” the older man replied calmly, indicating a chair for his unexpected visitor.

“What do you mean? On the contrary, First? Clear case of Prime Rule. Clear case. No discussion necessary. Call 'em back.”

“It is not that simple, Third, nor can we call them back.”

“Why not?”

"I believe that you have scarcely had the chance to see the film tapes that were taken of the first encounter,'' the First Speaker remarked suavely and firmly pressed the Third Speaker into a chair. "If you would be kind enough to start the film, Chief . . ."

A flash of repulsion mixed with curiosity crossed the Third's face and he subsided with a show of reluctance.

During the replay, the Chief kept surreptitious watch on the Third's reactions and tried not to be pessimistic as he realized that the film clearly did not reassure the conservative.

«If you think First, that I will let any member of our species stand in danger from those – those . . .»

“We stand in considerably more danger from our own species,” the First Speaker interrupted with such fervor that Third stared at him in stunned silence. “Another race, as intelligent as we ourselves, co-inhabits this galaxy. Prime Rule notwithstanding, contact has been made on a neutral world. It is my intention to make the most of this fortuitous confrontation to pave the way to a peaceful alliance.”

"Peaceful alliance? With creatures like that?" Third was apoplectic with indignation. "You overstep your authority, First Speaker. I am calling an emergency meeting of all Speakers. We shall determine if you have not also overstepped the borders of sanity.'

Before the First Speaker could reply to the insult, the other man had swept from the room.

“Sir, what will happen now?” The Chief was aware of the cold slowing of his heart.

«Why, the Third Speaker will convene a meeting, just as he declared. And then we shall indeed see – what we shall see. However,» and First's smile was characteristically benign, «since it will take a few days to drag the Speakers back from their various retreats, let us make a few plans of our own. Let us determine what sort of people our new acquaintances are, and what they have in mind for that lovely world.»

FOR THE HUNDREDTH time, Ken wondered just how it had come about that they were learning the Hrruban language instead of the other way round.

«It must have been my fault,» he said out loud. «I made the initial contact. How did I goof? Or did I? Hell, all I did was learn some plant and tree names,» he defended himself. «And I did get a language tape. Somehow we've lost the first round. Or maybe – maybe we've won it.»

It was now four days since he had trod into the Hrruban village. No homing capsule had arrived from Amalgamated Worlds with instructions. Nor had the colony ship arrived with their families. This caused a good deal of unrest among the men. Ken forced his mind away from that insidious thought.

He wondered what kind of a flap their report of natives on Doona had created in the ultra-conservative Executive Block. It would be like them to reply that indeed there had been a mistake; there couldn't be natives on Doona. None had been reported by Spacedep, Alreldep or Codep. He thought of the films and tapes which closely followed the first message: films made by concealed camera of every step of the second day, starting from the instant Hrrula rose, and indicated that he wished to return to his village, and that he wanted Ken and Hu Shih to accompany him. Ken had pointed to Vic Solinari and Hrrula had not hesitated a moment to include the storemaster.