Chapter 38

Eden's sun had reached its point near the horizon when they had usually stopped, but Joe showed no signs of finishing. Indeed, as the day had worn on he seemed more and more eager, readier to answer the humans' questions than ever before, even volunteering information occasionally, but mostly pushing his own questions forward and greeting the responses with still more questions. Finally Meiersdottir held up her hand palm outward as she finished her response to a particularly delicate inquiry about social interactions.

"Joe, it's enough for today," she said. "This is past when we usually stop, and Carlos— Igwanda and I are tired. We must talk among ourselves, hand-talk with those on the ship, and we must eat and we must sleep."

Both natives arose immediately. "We ... sorry, Agnanga, make you tired," said Joe. "Not wish. Tomorrow we talk more?"

"Yes, Joe," she said. "But will you wait until we call you? We must do things before you come, hand-talk to ship."

"You wave arm"—he showed a good imitation of a come-hither gesture—"we come then. Not before."

"Thank you, Joe. And good night."

"Good night." The natives started to leave. Suddenly Akakha turned.

"Agnanga, Eeghanka," he said. "I chosen say this. Today best day us. Not before talk single with other single. You say good part be single talk new thoughts, new ideas. We not know before. Know now. We think single not good idea some way, but other way more good. Much more good. Learn more today any day before. Want talk more, many day. Much to learn. We want learn."

Both Meiersdottir and Igwanda were flabbergasted at this sudden speech. Igwanda recovered first—as might have been appropriate, since it was the usually silent Akakha who had spoken.

"Thank you, Akakha," he said. "It was a good day for us, too. And we, too, want to talk more, much more. Good night."

"Good night," Akakha replied. They walked another few paces before Joe, this time, turned back. "More water tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," Igwanda said. "More water."

"Please," added Meiersdottir.

The natives moved toward the overgrowth and disappeared.

"They're gone," said Meiersdottir over the communicator. "But keep it to one at a time; we really are tired, it was an exhausting day. Gustav, please moderate."

"Amanda, I shall begin on behalf of all, I believe." came Heisinger's voice in their ears. "It was really a spectacular performance, and I say that to you both. I've never heard a more cogent discussion of human behavior. And there was much for us in what they said, as well—in what you induced them to say."

"Thank you Gustav," she said. "We had a lot of help—you, John ... oh, and Bernard, it was you who organized the applause, I suspect?"

There were chortles on the other end.

"And fuck you very much," she said.

"Amanda, this is John," came Toshimura's voice. "The last of what was said, and some of the earlier—do you credit it? Colonel, I ask you, too: was that real?"

"Dr. Toshimura—" Igwanda began, only to be interrupted.

"Col. Igwanda, I know how you must think of me," said Toshimura. "I can't tell you how sorry I am— It was my fault, my intransigence that your trooper died. It is ... well, it's hard to live with. But if you would ... I'd be honored if you'd call me by my first name."

"John, then. I am Carlos," responded Igwanda. "What is past is past. 'I tell you before, ' as they say it. But to respond to your question: I simply do not know. Or— Amanda?"

"No," she said. "They've feigned friendship before. But ... well, the last was unnecessary. Not their style. Joe pointed it out, they haven't yet lied to us directly. They've concealed, pretended, had us for breakfast in terms of truth, but I can't recall anything that was an out-and-out falsehood. Can anyone?"

There were murmurs of denial over the communicator.

"Then, until proven otherwise, I choose to believe them," said Meiersdottir. "It wasn't a necessary part of their act to say that. So the last I choose to take at face value."

"Of course," interjected Igwanda, "that is not to say we should be convinced that this has dissuaded them from their original plan—kill the guards, capture the 'teachers.' They may still have such ambitions, which could have been reinforced by how much they were stimulated by today's discussion. We must await developments."

"But they didn't attack you," Heisinger pointed out.

"No," acknowledged Igwanda. "But we are only two—and they are under a threat they find formidable, the killing of their 'mothers.' I cannot regard our so-far-continuing safety as proof positive of anything."

"Has there been any further clearing of the atmosphere so you could see down here?" asked Meiersdottir.

"Blind as bats again today," said Shaw. "Weather says maybe tomorrow or the next day, but it's not certain."

"So—we do not know what they do elsewhere," remarked the colonel. "Not so important, though, since we know now we talk to one, we talk to all."

"You're sounding like them," said Meiersdottir with amusement. "'How, whiteye?' 'Big wampum.' I wish they'd quit talking pidgin, it isn't what we taught them."

"Amanda, it's Janet," came Lee's voice. "They aren't talking pidgin. Their vocabulary is still limited, but they're picking it up quickly out of what you say—did you notice that 'most good' became 'best' in Akakha's final speech?—and the rest is something else. They're eliminating conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns, articles and so on, except when they're necessary for clarity. Then they use them fluently.