Humans actually bore little resemblance to Jao, Jihan thought, as the little transport soared down through Valeron's buffeting atmosphere. They were shorter than their ancient enemy, even the oldests, and much slighter in build. Their ears were not mobile. Their skin was mostly sleekly bare like that of a Lleix, a variety of shades, none of them even close to silver. Some of them, though, possessed sparse scatterings of fur on arms, legs, and chest, and even occasionally on their prominent-nosed faces.
She was already picking up some English words, which seemed to surprise Cat-lin—no, Jihan reminded herself, the correct pronunciation was "Caitlin." Evidently humans found it much harder to learn new languages. On this short journey from the big ship, she was doing her best to decipher as many terms as possible, though, since most of the humans spoke in this English language, not Jao, unless addressing their slaves.
She gazed around the crowded cabin. Oddly enough, the Jao slaves were clad the same as the rest, in dark-blue "shirts" and "trousers" which fit rather snugly and required little in the way of draping to look their best. Jao carried the same equipment, even weapons, and performed the same tasks. To outward appearances, humans did not seem to regard them as inferior or untrustworthy. That was strange—but also boded well for the Lleix. Even in the short time since she'd met them, it was clear that, whatever else they might be, humans were far different from the savage Ekhat.
The ship landed finally with a jolt that wrung a painful throb from her wrenched arm. Jihan sniffed, twisting about in her safety harness to survey the other passengers. They did not seem alarmed, so such carelessness must be standard. She could have done far better with a Starsifter ship. Perhaps human pilots did not get much practice.
The Queen, Caitlin, rose and made her way back to the three Lliex. "You should go out first," she said. "We do not wish to frighten your people unnecessarily."
Jihan wished the queen looked more impressive. She would have difficulty convincing her people of the richness of Caitlin's resources when they had never seen the gigantic Lexington for themselves. Perhaps she could have the Patternmakers design traditional Lleix robes that would disguise her seeming frailty. Nothing, though, could hide her distressing lack of height.
The hatch unsealed and Jihan peered out. With a jolt, she saw that the sun was just disappearing over the mountains. It was early evening planet-side. On the ship, it had been considered morning.
A veritable sea of silvery faces watched. Just beyond, she could see the low graceless buildings of the dochaya. A murmur went up at the sight of her Lleix face. "There is no danger!" she called, then ducked her head to get through the low door and took up a position on the extended ramp where all could see her. "The great devils who invaded our system are dead, though more will surely come."
They were clad in the simple gray shifts of the unassigned and shifted from foot to foot, unsure of how to react to this unprecedented sight. She knew they were not used to working things out for themselves.
She turned back and motioned Lliant, with his bruised face, and weary Hadata out into the fading light. It was nearly the time of evening-meal. She could smell sourgrain roasting in the communal cooking house. Most likely, they were weary from the day's labors as well as hungry.
Caitlin eased out to stand beside them. The yellow fur on her head fluttered in the chill breeze coming down from the mountains. The human rubbed her arms with her hands, braced against the wind. "Now what?"
Jihan had been thinking about this ever since Caitlin had said they would accompany the three Lleix back to Valeron. "We request meeting of elian in Hall of Decision."
She gazed down at the little queen with her delicate hands and felt almost a moment of tenderness, such as usually reserved for the young and helpless of the Children's Court. Really, for one who held a great deal of authority and power, she was so tiny! "You and rest staying here. I go to Grijo, return soon."
"All right," Caitlin said and hastened back into the ship, apparently uncomfortable. Two humans emerged to take up positions just outside the hatch, weapons in hand. The unassigned stared in dumb amazement at the diminutive creatures.
"What are they?" one, bolder than the rest, whispered. "Are they Ekhat?"
"These are humans," Jihan said patiently. "They came in a great ship, bigger than any ever seen before, and defeated the Ekhat, or we three would not be standing here before you now."
Aureoles flared with interest. The murmuring grew and some even pushed forward to get a better look at the aliens.
"Go partake of evening-meal," she told them as Lliant and Hadata followed her down the ramp. "Nothing will happen here until I consult the Eldests."
And then, because this was their sole meal of the day and hunger blunted curiosity, the unassigned turned away to drift toward the cooking house and left the three human ships sitting out on the plain unattended.
"No one will disturbing you now until I return," Jihan called from the foot of the ramp. "I hoping to come back with news from the Eldests soon."
Caitlin stood in the hatch and waved her small arm, possibly a gesture of permission to depart, then Jihan set off, trailed by the other two.
She went first to the Dwellingconstructors to consult Grijo, who was currently Eldest of all the elian. He met them in the elian's Application Room. The house was redolent with bluebean stew. Jihan realized with a start how very hungry she herself was. The humans had offered food on their great ship, but it all smelled wretched and she had been too excited to think of eating anyway.
Grijo settled his magnificent bulk on a padded bench while Lliant retreated to a corner as if ashamed, staring down at his feet. "News has preceded you," the Eldest said after a few moments of deliberation. "The Starwarders reported that a great ship of unfamiliar design is in orbit around our world."
"They are called humans," Jihan said, her eyes respectfully downcast. Her feet were filthy, she saw. She should have taken time to bathe them before coming into this august house. "They defeated five Ekhat ships with only the one of theirs!"
"And you thought it safe to bring these aliens back to our city?" His aureole rippled.
"They are the Ekhat's enemy," she said, "and they wish to help the Lleix."
"They have Jao among them," Lliant blurted.
Grijo's eyes went to the Ekhatlore.
"The Jao are their slaves," Jihan said, "as once they were slaves of the Ekhat. As long as the humans control them, they are no longer a danger to us."
"Then you were correct, little Jaolore," Grijo said, "that day up on the mountain."
She turned her head aside. It was not polite to acknowledge an Eldest's error in judgment. "Not entirely, Eldest. I believed the Jao had returned with the Ekhat to destroy us. Instead, it seems that at some point, these humans subjugated them, so that now the Jao do their bidding, not the Ekhat's."
"They are very short," Hidata said softly. "These humans."
"They are another kind," Jihan said. "I do not believe height and girth have as much meaning to them as they do to us."
Grijo considered. "We will have to meet," he said finally.
"Tonight, if at all possible," Jihan said, shocking even herself with her haste. "Though they are vanquished for now, the humans believe the Ekhat will return with even more ships. This will be Last-of-Days if the Lleix do not flee to safety."
"We are already preparing the few ships we have left," Grijo said. "You know that."
"They may be able to help, though," Jihan said, abandoning all attempts at propriety. She met his black gaze with her own, positively round-eyed with urgency. "They have many ships and are considering transporting all Lleix to safety."
"And what would they want in return for this?" Grijo said.
She looked away. "I do not know. They have never named any sort of price or trade."
"I will call the Han to the Hall of Decision tomorrow," Grijo said. "Perhaps older heads than yours can make sense of this."
"But," cried Jihan, "we should meet tonight! They are waiting and there is no time to waste! The Ekhat—"
"If you do not conduct yourself appropriately, little Eldest, no one will ever listen to you," Grijo said. "Surely, you know that."
With an effort, she bit back all the arguments she longed to make. Matters would proceed as they always did, in an orderly and precise and leisurely fashion. The Han would be called, everyone would dress properly, and then parade up the mountain. Only this time, her presence as Eldest of Jaolore would be expected.
"Go to your houses," Grijo said. "Partake of evening-meal. Bathe and prepare for tomorrow. The sun will rise soon enough and we will decide all the better for having eaten and rested."
Jihan dropped her gaze and then the three of them retreated.
Half an hour after Jihan departed, Caitlin put on a heavy coat and went back outside the ship with Tully and Nam. The red tinged light was fading with the setting sun, but enough lingered to illuminate their surroundings. This was her first chance to experience a new world and she wasn't going to waste a single minute skulking inside while they waited for Jihan to return.
The air, a bit thinner than humans liked, was dry and cold, close to freezing, and a stiff wind blasted down from the mountains to the west. The darkening sky had a greenish cast. She could see white blanketing the crests of the two tallest peaks. Evidently the Lleix were not sensitive to the chill because, from what she'd observed, they all went about quite barefoot. At any rate, the city had a pleasantly herbal scent, a bit like sage, she thought, with a hint of rosemary.
Before her, the Lleix buildings were low and squat, only a single story each, laid out in long rows and constructed of ugly gray stone, possibly mined from those nearby mountains. Waist-high posts were studded along the narrow "streets" and were now brightening with green-tinged light. She could see small leathery flyers fluttering about them as though chasing insects in the growing dusk.
"This place sure isn't much to look at," Tully muttered as the three of them walked down the assault craft's ramp. He shoved his hands into his pockets.
No, it wasn't, thought Caitlin. On the other hand, if this sort of high desert terrain and climate suited the Lleix, it would be easy to find a place for them in North America. The continent's southwest had lots of areas like this that were sparsely inhabited—or even completely uninhabited, if the Lleix could handle more severe conditions.
Taller buildings, which seemed to promise more interesting architecture, loomed in the distance. Caitlin wished they could explore, but didn't want to alarm the natives any more than necessary by setting off on their own. The Lleix must already be spooked by the arrival of five Ekhat ships in their system. Having three alien ships land right in their midst, filled with both humans and Jao, just added to the confusion.
"They've been in hiding for hundreds of years," she said. She'd filled Tully in on the history between the Jao and the Lleix on the way down from the Lexington. "I would imagine that design wasn't foremost on their minds. They may not even have been here very long or meant for this to be a permanent settlement." The wind gusted and she huddled into her coat. "I guess we'll learn more once Jihan arranges a meeting with their authorities."
Two figures rounded a corner, then hurried toward the assault craft. Squinting through the growing dimness, Caitlin thought she recognized Jihan, but not the other who was much slighter.
The Lleix stopped at the foot of the ramp. "Caitlin, Queen of the Universe," it said.
Really, this was going to get old very fast, Caitlin told herself. "Jihan?"
"The Han will meet next-sun," Jihan said softly, using the Jao term for tomorrow. "Nothing can be done before then."
Caitlin blinked in surprise. Alien ships land in the middle of their settlement after a huge battle in the solar system with their ancient enemies, and no one can be bothered to leave the dinner table long enough to say hi or even get off my grass? "I . . . see," she said, though she didn't, not at all.
"Humans come to Jaolore elian-house," Jihan said, its corona fluttering. "Stay through night there."
"No," Tully said in English. He had stepped closer and held his gun ready, angling to protect Caitlin. "You're better off here where we can seal the hatch. With their history, they have to be paranoid about contact with aliens. Who knows what's going on inside their heads? They might be planning to slaughter us the minute we leave the ship."
"I agree about making this our base," she said softly. "But I would like to at least see this elian-house. Leave the Jao here for now, but let's take a small armed company into the city and accompany Jihan for a short visit."
He shook his head, plainly not liking the idea. "You only have this creature's word that they mean you no harm," he said. "There's no telling what kind of reception we'll get."
A few Lleix emerged from one of the low buildings and walked toward the ship, their gray shifts fluttering in the stiff breeze. They looked strangely aimless. "We are here to help," Caitlin said. "I don't want to act guilty and make them think we have something to hide."
"We do have something to hide," Tully said, glancing back inside the ship at Kaln and Mallu, who, against his better judgment, were listening to Miller spin a highly improbable yarn about Pecos Bill. "And you darn well know it."
"Yes," Caitlin said to Jihan, "we would like to see the Jaolore elian-house, though we will come back here."
Tully sighed. "Burgeson, Reese, Murphy, Estrada, Fligor, fall in. Lieutenant Murphy, you're in charge here until we get back. Just sit tight." He checked the power indicator on his own rifle, then hefted it meaningfully.
More Lleix gathered as the armed party, with Caitlin maneuvered into its center, descended the ramp. The Lleix's coronas rippled like flowers waving in the wind and Caitlin thought the newcomers all looked cold, dressed only in those brief gray garments. How strange that none of them wore garments similar to Jihan's extravagantly decorated robes. Evidently their contact must hold high rank.
"Do you understand the concepts of male and female?" she asked Jihan as they drew together.
"Yes," the Lleix said, setting off down a crushed stone path, its face green-tinged from the artificial lights.
"Humans and Jao have both male and female genders," Caitlin said, hurrying to keep up with the Lleix's flowing stride. "Do Lleix have these same genders also?"
"Yes," Jihan said. "I am being female. Pyr—" She gestured at her slight companion. "—is being male. The heads of males are rounder, usually."
Pyr's corona flattened, making him seem embarrassed. He kept glancing at them, then looking away, as though their alienness was overwhelming.
Well, at least now Caitlin could stop thinking of Jihan as "it." She mulled over the information, wanting to know more about Lleix society so that her negotiations would be effective. Did gender play a part in determining who would rule? "Do males or females make the decisions for Lleix?" she asked finally as they walked.
"Eldests make decisions," Jihan said in her lyrical voice. "Male sometimes, sometimes female."
There were no stars visible overhead, though the evening sky was cloudless. Evidently, the nebula's dust and gas obscured such sights. How lonely to live here down through the centuries hiding from the Ekhat without even stars in the night sky.
More Lleix appeared in the narrow roadway, staring with their gleaming black eyes. Several approached Caitlin, four-fingered hands outstretched, speaking to her in soft fluting voices. Jihan answered sharply and they drew back, but then trailed after the humans once they'd passed.
"What do they want?" Caitlin asked, glancing back over her shoulder. Tully edged closer to her, his expression grim. None of them seemed to be armed, but still her heart raced. There were so very many. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. Should they perhaps turn back to the ship?
"Are they afraid of us?" she asked Jihan.
"Not afraid," Jihan said. "They wish—employment."
"Work?" Tully said. His brow creased and he glanced back at the following Lleix. "They want to work for us?"
"This is the dochaya," Jihan said, sweeping an arm toward the long rows of buildings. "Home for unassigned. They have no—" She thought for a moment as they walked, feet crunching over the crushed stone. "—no purpose, no reason for living. They want employment so they can leave."
Understanding formed. This was some kind of slum. Caitlin stopped in the roadway, surrounded by silver faces and inscrutable black eyes, all trained upon her as though she possessed the answer to the meaning of life. Five Ekhat ships had just blazed through this system, ready to extinguish these people. Then aliens had landed in the middle of their city, and all these poor wretches were worried about was a job?
Tully whistled in surprise, which startled the Lleix far worse than their ships had. The natives screeched, then scuttled back into the structures, coronas flattened. He stared after them. "You've got to be kidding," he said in English. "What the hell kind of place is this?"
Caitlin cleared her throat, trying to think how to proceed. "Do all Lleix feel this way?"
"No," Jihan said, "only those without an elian." She had held her ground, but she looked unnerved and kept glancing at Tully as though afraid he would whistle again. Pyr had ducked behind her and was staring at his feet. "Please not doing that—sound—again! Lleix find such—most alarming."
"Sorry," Tully said.
What in the blazes was an elian, Caitlin wondered, and why didn't these particular Lleix have one? Jihan set off again and the small party walked in silence, passing stone building after building until finally Lleix again emerged. The silvery forms shuffled together, mostly silent, jostling to get a better look at the strangers.
She could almost feel their hunger as though they yearned for—something. "Are we in danger?" she said, shivering in the cold wind. "Are they angry that we have come to Valeron?"
Jihan turned to her. "No, Caitlin, Queen of the Universe, Eldest of all Humans," she said. "They will not hurting you. They are being sad."