Eden
Copyright© 2014 by Colin Barrett
Chapter 27
"Joe," Toshimura began, "I must speak to you now about a thing that has been of concern—of trouble in the mind—to me and to all of my people." He paused.
"You speak of before," said Joe in its flat, accented Standard.
"Yes," said Toshimura. "You have met us well, we know that you are good people, we know you are friends. But in the time before, when our people came then—we do not understand. Something happened to make us not-friends, and we—" he made a clashing gesture with his hands.
"Many die," said Joe. "Six you. Many us. Hurt, die. We remember."
"We remember too," Toshimura continued. "We don't wish to do that again. You are friends now, no more fighting." He made the clashing hand motion again. "But we need to understand. I tell you first how it was to us, how we remember. We think you attack"—he gestured with a fist pounding into his other palm—"you try to kill us, make us die, when we offer peace, we come in peace." He extended his arms in the peace gesture both species had used. "But we do not know why, what reason."
The native seemed frozen. It neither spoke nor moved. But Igwanda noticed that its eyes had enlarged significantly and, glancing around unobtrusively, that those of the growing crowd of aliens who had assembled as the discussion began were likewise distended. Without moving a muscle he, too, tensed. Would this conversation become the trigger for another attack?
"Were you afraid?" Toshimura broke the silence. "Did our people frighten the ones of yours who met them?"
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