Decision at Doona

Chapter XXV. VIGIL

“AND STILL WE don't know to go or stay,” Lee Lawrence remarked with a wry grin.

The weary, confused colonists had asked the three departmental representatives to a meeting on the Common. It had been decided not to remove any of the Hrruban devices although most had been located. It seemed wiser, however, to hold the meeting on a 'blind' spot.

“The Hrrubans are technically the owners of this planet,” Sumitral pointed out, “until we can assume, by their continued absence, that they have abdicated their rights. In either case, an apology is owed these fine people,” and he gestured to the colonists, “for the discourtesies, inconveniences and insults they have suffered.” He glared at Landreau and Chaminade. “They have earned their right to remain on Rrala.”

“Yes, indeed,” Chaminade agreed easily, staring pointedly at Landreau.

The spaceman rose, his manner truculent. “There were neither reptiles nor aliens when I landed here.”

“Indubitably. According to Hrrestan, they are deep-sea creatures,” Dautrish put in. “They were quiescent at the time of the two surveys. And we know now that the Hrrubans are only in residence during the warmer seasons.”

Landreau shrugged and sat down again but Ken hoped they would never require favors of Spacedep.

“However, if the Hrrubans release Doona,” Chaminade clung stubbornly to Terran nomenclature, “to my colonists, they are under Codep authority,” and he had the gall to smile.

Sumitral's objection was indignant. «On the contrary. These people have made a fine, favorable contract with a highly civilized, technically advanced species. They have learned not only the language but its rigid and complex protocol.» He glanced briefly at Ken. «There is every chance that although the Hrrubans withdraw from Rrala now, events may bring them back at a later date. We have overlapped too often in our mutual space explorations. Some agreement, now or later, will eventually come to pass. Therefore Rrala, by edict of the Congress of the Amalgamated Worlds – check it if you must, Chaminade is under Alreldep aegis.»

“Now wait a moment, Sumitral,” Landreau began belligerently. “Alreldep handles alien relations, but Spacedep handles defense and . . .”

“Shut up, Landreau,” Ken snapped, rising. “We'd've been at a treaty stage if you hadn't acted like a horse's ass with your snake drive . . .”

“See here, Reeve,” and Landreau advanced menacingly.

“That's enough,” Sumitral bellowed, staring the spaceman down. “And frankly, Landreau, if I thought we weren't in danger of being observed, I'd let Reeve take you apart. But get this: defense is not indicated, a difficult distinction for your space boys to make. The Hrrubans aren't the cotopoids of Lyrae or the plague carriers of Zeta Algeiba. And they're not Siwannese either. We've still got a chance to form a mutual coexistence pact with the Hrrubans and I will do everything in my power, including the use of a six-year-old boy as my chief of protocol if that can be achieved.”

Sumitral looked a little startled when the colonists, led by Ken, began to cheer him.

"My chief informed me – before he went to bed," Sumitral continued with dry good humor, "that we'll know tomorrow. That boy's remarkable, Reeve, and I regret I had to monopolize him when he's been away from you so long, but he was able to give me some valuable insight into Hrruban thinking. However, since their civilization makes full use of mass communications, we can assume that a popular vote can be computed overnight. If a popular vote was forced by the First Speaker's superb strategy of this afternoon.

“Now I'm for bed. I'm an optimist by nature and I want to be ready for tomorrow's demands.”

He departed, adroitly taking Landreau and Chaminade with him back to their respective ships.

"How'd we ever turn up lucky with Sumitral?'' Lawrence asked.

“Third time?” Ken tendered.

"No," Hu Shih answered. "I know his reputation. He is a shrewd man but an opportunist. Our circumstances give him an unparalleled chance for promotion into the Executive Echelons – if he can bring off a treaty with the Hrrubans. He may not like the expedients but he is clever enough to use them. However," and Hu Shih's unexpected cynicism dissolved into a more characteristic smile, "he is forced to be as candid as a child and that is to our advantage – and Hrruba's.''

“I'm so tired, Ken,” Pat whispered plaintively. “They kept us up all night last night.”

"I didn't sleep much myself, honey he replied, "and if our shrewd admiral is seeking the sack, so will I." He slipped an arm around her and, bidding the others good night, led her off toward their cabin.

“Ken,” she murmured as they passed Todd's mourner's bench, “what will Toddy do if the Hrrubans leave us?”

“Rrala wouldn't be the same, would it,” he mused, glancing back to the Commons. “But Todd's done more than any of us to prevent their leaving. And he may well have pulled it off.”

“What do you mean?”

Ken was so tired the words did not come easily to his tongue. He half pushed, half dragged her to their room, sinking wearily to the edge of the bed.

"Nothing's more appealing than a cute kid and that crazy rope tail of Todd's – " he stopped to yawn. Pat was fumbling with her shoes and stretched out with a groan. He forgot what he'd been trying to explain and lay back, pulled both legs up onto the bed and was asleep.

«Daddy – Dad. Hey, dad, wake up. Dad!»

“Huh?”

Even that monosyllable took tremendous effort. Ken's mind seemed to grasp that someone wanted him awake, but his body could not be convinced of the urgency.

“Dad!”

The sound was accompanied by the touch of a small hand, warm where it rested on his chilled shoulder in an effort to move his rebellious body.

“DAD!”

Ken's eyes flew open. Todd's anxious face swam into focus. Ken could still only blink and wish the hell that Todd would leave him alone.

Surprisingly, that was just what Todd did. The reprieve, however, didn't last long. This time Todd brought coffee and the smell was the necessary catalyst.

Groaning because his muscles were slow to function, Ken swung his legs over the side of the bed. The lower part of him was warm, the upper frigid. Then he realized that both he and Pat had fallen asleep fully dressed on top of the covers. He gestured to Todd to pull the blanket over Pat. Then he saw that Todd was fully dressed and in his best coverall, over which he wore his mda fur vest, a Hrruban belt with modestly carved knife dangling down and, of course, a rope tail. A new piece of rope, with the frayed end fluffy and neatly tied off to prevent further raveling.

“Are the Hrrubans back, Todd?” he croaked.

Todd's face took on a closed look and suddenly Ken understood.

“I'll dress, son, and we'll go wait at the bridge together.”

The look in Todd's eyes made Ken feel nineteen feet tall. The lump in his throat prevented him from saying anything until he'd melted it with coffee.

“Make me some more, huh? And grab up some food. We'll need our energy today.”

Dawn was just tinting the sky a pale green, Ken noted ruefully as Todd skipped ahead of him down to the bridge. Well, if the First Speaker of Hrruba would see that Todd kept his promise, he could lose a little sleep to do the same. Unbidden, Pat's words leapt to mind. “What will Todd do if they leave us?” Ken felt chilled with more than cool morning air.

He had thought to bring a blanket and they wrapped that around them. sipping their coffee, eating stale bread and cold mda steak in a companionable silence.

“How'd you get to learn the formal language so well, Toddy?” Ken asked at length.

«Oh,» Todd scrunched his face up expressively, «Hrrula told me I had to. Hrriss helped. So did Mrrva,» and he giggled. «She'n' Hrrestan took turns pretending they were very broad Stripes. And then some always turned up at the flat. Dad, they have aisles and corridors like ours only they call 'em 'narrow trails' and 'wide trails.' Then Hrral – remember the old white-face in the village – well, Hrriss told me he's way high in government. He'd come and make me talk and talk Me and Hrriss didn't get that much time to play but I didn't mind – too much. We'll have all summer to play. Hrrula promised.»

Fervently Ken hoped that promise would be kept.

"Toddy, sometimes adults aren't able to keep promises, no matter how hard they try or how much they want to.

Todd let his bread drop back into his lap, staring at his father with penetrating accusation.

“I know I did everything right. Hrruna told me I did and he used village talk. He said I remembered everything. And that it'd be all right!”

Fleetingly Ken thanked the First Speaker for his kindness. How could he tell Todd that Hrruna, too, might have to break his word?

"Son, you did so well everyone in this colony is bursting with pride. And the admiral called you his chief of protocol . . " Ken couldn't continue.

“We're staying on Rrala, aren't we, dad? Aren't we?”

“Yes, Todd,” Ken had to agree, looking away from him, down at the rushing river, “Yes, we're staying on Rrala.” He made his mind blank so he would not communicate his fears to the child.

The sun came up over the edge of the pass, slanting down into the valley, touching the exclamatory shafts of the three ships before lighting the lower colony buildings. Animal noises drifted up to them. The lights in Ben's cabin came on. They watched as the veterinary made his way into the barn to milk the cows and grain the stock. The lights in Hu Shih's house lit too, but the rest of the cabins were dark inert. Ken envied them their respite, yet he would not have traded this vigil with his son for anything.

The decision to be made on Doona, Ken decided as his mind refused to ignore its uppermost concerns, was more than the justification of the colonists' reports of the Hrrubans or which department had jurisdiction over their futures; or whether the colonists could pursue their interrupted dreams. It was more important than the terms written into any treaty, more than a symbolic expiation of the terrible Siwannah tragedy. Yet it was all of these and more. And it was two small boys of different races, listening very hard to each other's words, and wanting to grow up together on a world with plenty of space to run and shout in. Mutual coexistence already existed on Rrala – between Hrriss and Todd.

Suddenly Todd's body stiffened, his head jerked over his shoulder. Ken was sure he saw the boy's ears twitch. They were both on their feet, both eager for the sight of tall, tailed figures on the ridge.

There are too many of them, was Ken's first thought. It's the guard come back. And he caught Todd by the shoulders for fear the boy would run forward to disappointment.

“It's all right, Dad. It's all right,” Todd screamed. “They've got the grid with them. See. Lots and lots of grid!”