Tuning William - Fuzzy Bones

"But not impossible," Jack said. Liana frowned prettily. "I don't follow you,"

she said. "What I mean," Jack said, "is that a primitive intelligence doesn't learn things which have no practical benefit to apply. It doesn't mean that the primitive is notable to learn, say, to tell time-only that he is not interested, because he can't see any use for it."

"That's one of the things that makes this business of measuring intelligence and charting social systems so tricky," Liana said."We have the stubborn habit of applying our own yardsticks to totally alien creatures, and singing ourselves a lullaby that it's all right because they are anthropomorphic and look something like us."

"You're right, of course," Jack said. "We never had the least notion that Fuzzies could count beyond twenty-five- using the fingers of one hand to count with and those of the other hand to keep tally. Christiana Stone, though, taught Little Fuzzy to tell time by counting the digit marks on a watch. As soon as he saw it was useful to us, he picked it right up-and without any repeat lessons, either. Then, there's Star watcher. He counts time by star and planet movements, although he still uses the old hand-and-fingers method."

"Starwatcher?" Liana said. "I don't recall him." Gerd shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Jack squirmed a little, as well. Damn! Old Man Holloway is getting forgetful. I don't think we want someone from Company Science Center to know much about Upland Fuz-zies just yet-at least not till we 're ready to start releasing our data.

"He's another Fuzzy I know," Jack said smoothly. "I imagine you'll meet him sooner or later-that is, if you continue your Fuzzy project."

Liana's face became eager. "Yes," she said, "I'm dying to continue. There's so much to be learned."

Lynne Andrews had been quiet during most of the conversation, but now she suddenly spoke up. "What about contamination? " she asked. "Won't all this exposure of Fuzzies to Terrans change their society and contaminate the study experiments? Their language has so many Terran words in it now that it's either a distinct dialect or even a new language-sub-Fuzzy."

Contamination. Lynne's M.D. was in pediatrics, so it was natural for her to think in terms of infection versus immunology.

Liana pursed her lips. "I don't think contamination is really the right word,"

she said reflectively. "Influence would be better, that is, as far as future development is concerned. Terrans have branched into Fuzzy social systems at year 654 A.E. with resulting interaction and influence-us on them and them on us-but we can never tamper with the origins that shaped the social systems. It was what it was when we first viewed it in time, and nothing can change what happened before the moment when Jack discovered Little Fuzzy hiding in the shower stall."

"You mean it's a natural system," Gerd said. "What?" Liana asked.

"As differentiated from an artificial, or created system," Gerd replied. "It's a term xeno-naturalists use a lot. The computer guys and the environmental engineers talk about systems all the time. They mean something man-made. When we talk about systems, we're often talking about ecology, or food chains, or breeding habits, so we use the term natural systems to avoid blurring the two ideas."

"Oh, sure," Liana said. "I see what you mean. Yes, it'sa natural system. All the Fuzzy culture that existed before that first contact between Fuzzy and Terran is already imprinted. Nothing can change it. But, we have to analyze it if we hope to understand the nature of events which produced it, and which made Fuzzies what they are."

Jack leaned back and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. "How can you get around their alien thinking?" he asked. "They think as well as we do-maybe better-but their processes of thinking are different; their thinking patterns are alien, by definition."

"Custom," she said. "Ingrained custom forms the fabric of social systems, so we study that. Once established, such practices do not undergo essential change. Look at us; wherever Terrans go, the first thing they plant is coffee and tobacco, so they can have coffee and cigarettes in the morning. The next local product is some source for ethyl alcohol, so we can have a cocktail hour at the end of the day. The natives on planets like Loki and Gimli and Thor-and even Shesha and Uller-think it's a religious observance."

"Maybe it is," Jack said.

"The Fuzzies would think that, if they had any notions about religion," Ruth said. "They understand the cocktail hour is very important to Terrans, so they always go to great pains not to interrupt it."

"Big Ones drink tosh-Id waji. Make Big One talk," Gerd said.

Liana spread her hands. "Social systems," she said. "I think what Gerd said about natural systems is likely a more revealing way to put it. We never really escape from a social system, because it's a natural system. All the impact of technology on human culture hasn't made the slightest dent in those kind of systems; they 've been with us longer than the wheel."

"Something could, though, couldn't it?" Lynne asked. "Surely there must be something that would have such a profound effect on our civilization that it would alter society itself."

Liana shrugged. "Nothing big enough has come along yet," she said. "If the Atomic Wars, contragravity, the Dillingham Drive, and interstellar colonization weren't big enough, I can't think of anything that would be.

That's why we use social system establishment as a common denominator.

"The idea of a 'clean break with the past' is a romantic notion easily poked full of holes by reality. Our social systems are what shape us and define us.

We are essentially nothing, except in relation to them. We cannot deal out the deck again.

"The same holds true for Fuzzies. At least that's the way I would approach examining the matter."

Jack smiled. "Is there anything you're not sure of, Liana?"

She missed the edge on his remark. "Yes," she said. "Yes, there is. I can't say yet whether they have a nuclear family. Mating appears to be on a random and transient basis. We don't have a long enough observation chain to be certain what happens to these pairings if a viable birth results."

"Hell," Gerd said, stubbing out his cigarette, "we don't even know how long it takes a Fuzzy to reach adulthood- and probably won't until we've watched Baby Fuzzy grow up, however long that might take."

Liana Bell's eyes fairly sparkled. "That's why I envy all of you," she said.

"Here you are, right at the beginning of the most important body of knowledge in Terran history-to a sociologist, anyway. I've just hit the high spots.

It'll take years to get a rough idea of the true operations of Fuzzy culture.

There's a whole career here for a half-dozen sociologists."

Lynne Andrews suddenly spoke up. "Why don't you ask Dr. Mallin to loan you out to Fuzzy Institute?" she asked.

Liana's eyes widened. "Is that an invitation?" she said excitedly.

Ruth and Gerd looked at each other for a moment. "It certainly is," Ruth said.

"We've all got, as you say, a lifetime of work all mapped out. You certainly won't be encroaching on any of our programs."

"You could stay with me," Lynne said. "I have a whole bungalow to myself."

"Oh," Liana said, her mouth making an "O" as she said it, "that would be too good to be true." She frowned. "Dr. Mallin wouldn't hear of it, I'm afraid."

"Ask him, "Jack said flatly. "He can't put you in jail, and he can't shoot you in the foot; all he can do is say no. And," he added,"I imagine Juan Jimenez might be persuaded to put in a word for you."

Liana's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'll talk to him about it tomorrow," she said.

Fait accompli, Jack thought. Looks like we're just before seeing a lot more of Juan over here. It will be interesting, to say nothing of how she might be able to explain why the Upland Fuzzies have a lot of habits that are different from the woods Fuzzies. Well, all in good time, one supposes.