Birthright

“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.”

“Unharmed,” said Consuela.

“Of course. My dear Mrs. Orta, what kind of monsters do you take us for?” “If you'll be polite enough to take me back to the ship to await the alien, I'll be polite enough not to answer your question.”