Mike Resnick - Birthright

“I told your superiors that I needed their best alien psychologist. And with these credentials"—he flashed a metal card before Consuela's eyes—"I usually get what I want.” “And you want me.”

“So I'm told,” agreed Tanayoka cheerfully.

“Well, what rare beastie am I to make sense out of for your department?” asked Consuela.

“Have you ever heard of the planet Beelzebub?” “Sounds like something right out of Paradise Lost ,” commented Consuela. “I very much doubt that it was ever a candidate for Paradise,” said Tanayoka. “It's about forty-five light-years from here. I won't go into all its physical features, but it's pretty valuable. The place is simply lousy with gold, platinum, silver, and even uranium.” “I don't see the problem,” said Consuela. “The problem is that there happens to be a resident alien population on Beelzebub. We've been mining there for about eight months. They never tried to contact us or communicate with us, but they didn't hide their presence from us either. At any rate, we had no problems for thirty weeks. Then, eighteen days ago, when we began to load the processed ores onto our ship prior to moving to another area, they began ripping our miners to shreds. The Federation of Miners has gone on strike, and they won't go back to Beelzebub until the Republic can guarantee their safety.” “It's a big galaxy,” said Consuela. “Why not do your mining on some other planet?” “It's not generally known,” said Tanayoka, “but the Republic is having more than a little difficulty backing its currency these days. We still use rare metals, you know, and though the days of gold-backed currency are definitely numbered, they're not over yet. We need what Beelzebub has to offer, Mrs. Orta, and we need it badly.”

“Badly enough to exterminate an entire native population if it should turn out that they aren't sentient?” asked Consuela, a gleam of understanding coming to her eyes. Tanayoka nodded. “Your primary job is to determine whether or not they're intelligent. We don't want another Doradus IV.”

Consuela nodded. Ever since Doradus IV, when the Navy had destroyed an entire sentient population while defoliating the world prior to mining it—from the air Doradusians bore a striking resemblance to cabbages—a number of alien worlds had closed their doors to the Republic's commerce. The government had suddenly grown very sensitive about its public image, not without cause, and needed no new disasters.

“You mentioned my primary job as if there is a secondary one as well,” said Consuela. “Is there?” “Absolutely,” said Tanayoka. “If they are sentient, we want you to try to convince them to let us perform our mining operations in peace.”

“And if I can't?”

“Why consider unattractive alternatives?” said Tanayoka. “You're the best in your field. Let's just assume that you're going to get the job done.” Consuela suddenly remembered why she had devoted her life to dealing with nonhuman beings possessed of nonhuman motivations.

“I'll meet you at the spaceport this evening,” said Tanayoka. “And Mrs. Orta, there is one other

consideration.”

“Oh?” asked Consuela, her eyebrows rising. “My department is being pressured to come up with a solution, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass some of that pressure down the line to you.” “How much time do I have?”

“Twenty days.”

“Twenty days!” she exploded. “Do you realize how long it takes to learn an alien tongue, or to discover what motivates an alien mind, or—”

“They originally gave me ten days,” said Tanayoka apologetically. “This is the best I can do.”

“Well, you can tell your department that I think it stinks!” “I do have the authority to make you come,” said Tanayoka softly. “Oh, I'll come, all right. There's not much I can do in twenty days, but these poor creatures deserve some consideration before you exterminate them!”

She was still fuming when she boarded Tanayoka's ship, and she hadn't calmed down appreciably by the time they landed on Beelzebub. Tanayoka escorted her to an armored groundcar and took her to the mining sight. Seven small mountains had been strip-mined. The miners had carefully restored the landscape before moving on, and had broken down their ore refinery, which had been at the base of the largest mountain.

“Where was their ship, and at what point were they attacked?” asked Consuela after she had given the area a cursory inspection.

“The ship was about two miles south of us,” replied Tanayoka, “and the miners were attacked just about where you and I are standing.”

“I assume they fought back?'’ she said dryly. “Their contract gives them the right to defend themselves,” said Tanayoka, “although it specifically prohibits offensive or aggressive actions.” “I don't suppose anyone thought to save an alien corpse?” “I'm afraid our weapons fried them to a crisp,” admitted Tanayoka. “However, I do have some photographs of the aliens taken by Elaine Bowman, the Pioneer who opened the planet up.” “Why didn't you show them to me during our flight?” asked Consuela. “You never asked,” said Tanayoka.

“May I see them now?”

He withdrew a pair of transparent cubes from his pocket. Inside each was a hologram of an inhabitant of the planet. They stood erect, though she couldn't begin to guess how tall or short they might be, since there was no point of reference. Their heads possessed rather large eyes, ample mouths, and barely discernible auditory orifices. She couldn't make out any nostrils, but assumed they must have been narrow slits so tiny that they didn't show up on the holograms. The creatures possessed thin, leathery skin of reddish hue.

“Well, what do you make of them?” asked Tanayoka when she had finished studying them. “So soon?” she said with a smile.

“I thought perhaps they might give you an inkling as to whether or not these creatures are intelligent.” “They tell me a lot more about the planet than the aliens,” said Consuela. “Gravity about the same as Earth and Deluros VIII, or else they wouldn't be both erect and slender. Mean temperature between twenty-five and forty-eight degrees Centigrade; any less and they'd need hair or feathers or some other body covering for warmth, any greater and they'd probably be nocturnal, which these beasties definitely are not. Also, they don't come from a very mountainous section of Beelzebub, or their motor muscles would be much better developed.”

“I know all about the planet,” Tanayoka pointed out. “After all, we're standing on it. What I want to know is, are they intelligent? And, equally important, why did they decide to make war on our miners?” “And you want me to tell you all that, based on beings and a culture I've never seen?” said Consuela. “I appreciate the Republic's confidence in my ability, but it's absolutely out of the question.” She paused for a moment. “For what it's worth, the most important single fact now at our disposal is that they waited more than half a year to attack us, and that they did so only after we began making off with the ore.” “Does that imply intelligence?”

“Perhaps. Or it could just be territoriality. Many unintelligent creatures will protect what they consider to be their property. A dog and his bone, for example.” “How about the fact that they have neither clothing nor any other decoration?” asked Tanayoka. “It's a warm planet,” said Consuela “And not all sentient beings feel the need to wear tokens and trinkets. No, I'm afraid I can't even begin to reach a decision until I've had the chance to observe one of them at close range.”

“They've shown no desire to hide from us,” said Tanayoka. “I can have one captured and brought to you in a matter of hours.”