Larry Niven - Fate of Worlds - Return From the Ringworld

“A few.”

“Such as impersonating humans?” Tanya gibed.

“I’m as human as you,” Alice snapped back. “I grant I can’t prove it over a comm link.”

“And seven hundred years old? Really?”

“Bringing us back to tricks we’ve learned.” The lie was again simpler and more credible than the truth.

Tanya’s eyes darted about once more. “How do you see this encounter playing out?”

“We propose to jump Endurance into an ARM formation.”

“I don’t recommend that. We’ll blow up any unfamiliar ship that tries.”

We’re not Kzinti, Alice thought. But she and Long Pass alike had left Sol system before Kzinti first burst onto the scene. How would she explain knowing about Kzinti? Was she caught already in a web of her own lies?

Text, this time from Nessus, flowed across Alice’s lenses: Time to move. Safety first. His forehoof ceased tapping a rhythm to begin clawing at the deck.

Alice shook her head marginally: no. She considered swinging the camera to reveal Nessus — only that would beg the question why New Terra didn’t ask their Puppeteer friend for the way home. Finagle! She would not have believed the story she was spinning.

Alice said, “Then give me coordinates for Earth, or to any human-settled world.”

“It’s a dangerous galaxy, as you said.” Tanya laughed mirthlessly. “If a ship of strangers doesn’t know the way, I’m not about to tell them.”

Julia typed: Plan B.

Alice nodded. “Tanya, I understand. How about a one-on-one meeting? Endurance and your ship. You set the coordinates.”

“And a swarm of ships swoops down on us the moment we appear.”

For all Tanya knew, this could be an elaborate trap. Alice wanted to cry, to scream, to break things. Had they traveled so far, had they come so close, only to fail? It was tragic.

“I have a question,” Tanya said. “Why me? Why in particular did you contact me?”

Tanya Wu was a name recovered from the message stream, because she texted a lot. Alice might as well have contacted the friend, Elena.

“Simple coincidence, most likely,” Alice said. “Wu was a common name the last time I visited Earth. Still, long after, I met a man named Louis Gridley Wu. You wouldn’t happen to know him?”

Tanya blinked. “My great-grandfather. In a way he’s why I’m here. He discovered the Ringworld.” More eye darting. “I’ll be right back, Alice.”

The video froze.

“We’re overdue to jump,” Nessus said.

“Not yet,” Julia ordered.

As Alice was beginning to doubt they would ever hear back, the image flashed. An older man with a pencil-thin mustache had taken Tanya’s place. “I am Captain Wesley Wu. My grandfather was a wanderer and an incorrigible storyteller. Agent Jordan, see if you can convince me that you knew him.

“And if you manage that, you can explain why Grandpa didn’t tell you the way home.”

“They missed a jump!” Hindmost said in alarm.

Louis yawned. He hadn’t slept since emerging from the ’doc more than a day earlier. “Who? The ship you believe has Nessus aboard? That its maneuvers remind you of a ballet could be a coincidence.” Or, more likely, wishful thinking.

“I do not believe that,” Hindmost’s Voice offered. “Too many jumps have matched the cadence Hindmost remembers.”

“But you still see the ship?” Louis asked.

“Yes,” Hindmost said.

Louis yawned again. “If Nessus is aboard, he can’t pilot nonstop. Maybe he’s getting some sleep.”

“Perhaps.” Hindmost plucked at his mane. “That his shipmates do not follow the rhythm suggests they are not a party to his signaling.”

“Or maybe Nessus is alone on that ship,” Louis countered.

“The ship just took a short jump,” Hindmost’s Voice announced. “It emerged as near as I have seen it to the star.”

Scanning the tactical display, Louis saw nothing close to what might be Nessus’ ship. Louis said, “Hindmost’s Voice, how long will it take to gather data for a spectral analysis?”

“No more than five seconds.”

“What are you…?” The question trailed off into an anxious, two-throated bleat as the view port flashed to static.

Seconds later, Louis dropped Long Shot back to normal space. “Start recording. Tell me when you’re — ”

“I have the data,” Hindmost’s Voice said.

Louis jumped Long Shot to hyperspace, emerging four light-hours from where they had been. He turned to Hindmost. “Weren’t you tired of waiting?”

“Very well.” With a shudder, Hindmost straightened. “Voice, did you identify the hull material?”

“It is twing. ”

“What’s twing ?” Louis asked.

“It is — ”

With a short, sharp trill, Hindmost silenced the AI. “Louis, it is almost certain that ship was built on the world where I last saw Nessus.”

What about a hull material is so secret? Louis wondered. “That’s good, I assume.”

“It is encouraging.” Hindmost stared into the tactical display, crooning to himself.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Why aren’t you hailing that ship?

Hindmost said, “That world is called New Terra. Most who live there are humans.”

“Why haven’t I heard of it?” Louis asked.

“It lies far outside Known Space.” Hindmost turned one head toward Louis. “But you are correct. The time has come to contact that ship. Will you make the call? Lest I am mistaken about Nessus being aboard, I prefer not to reveal myself just yet.”

“Easier said than done. I don’t expect Kzinti comm software to know New Terran protocols.” Because if the Kzinti knew of an isolated human colony, that would not be the sort of place Hindmost would have stashed his family.

“I know New Terran protocols,” Hindmost’s Voice said. “Shall I make the call?”

“Louis,” Hindmost said, “do not disclose your true name.”

Louis shook his head. “I’ve never heard of this world, and I’m supposed to use an alias? Explain.”

“It is complicated. Please, Louis, we cannot know how long that ship will remain in the area. That it no longer signals in the form of the ballet may denote its imminent departure.”

“But you will explain,” Louis said.

“If need be, but it is more Nessus’ place to explain. Let us both hope he is aboard.”

Louis rubbed his nose, intrigued. “Do New Terrans speak Interworld?”

“They speak a dialect of a precursor language called English. Voice can translate.”

“All right,” Louis decided. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Hindmost retreated to the adjacent tiny rec room, abandoning the equally tiny bridge to Louis. “Voice, hail the New Terran ship.”

“Done, Hindmost.”

They waited. After a minute a light began flashing on the comm console. Louis accepted, and a holo opened. He didn’t recognize the person who answered, a young woman, but he hadn’t expected to.

“ Endurance, ” she said. “Who is this?”

“Nathan Graynor,” Louis improvised. The name had just popped into his head. “May I speak with — ”

“Hold on. You’re not … at home. There’s no comm delay. Where are you?”

“On a ship, of course. Look, I don’t have all day. May I speak with Nessus?”

“He’s in his cabin, asleep. I’ll take a message.”

Nessus was there. Why didn’t Hindmost stick a head through the door with some guidance? Louis kept improvising. “Actually, Miss, I’d — ”

“Captain.”

“Sorry. Captain, I need to deliver this message in person.”