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made an example of and are eaten, pieces of their bodies distributed to those
whose work has not been satisfactory, as a warning.
This is a lie! Saras stated. Her chitin had a sickly green tint to it. It
is not possible, and it makes no sense!
Tewsee looked at Saras with sympathy. Syaris had been one of her daughters,
and Clan
Lince had been proud of her rise to queen of a new clan.
I agree that it makes no sense, she said aloud. Are there more questions
you have for my child?
There were, and though the answers were painful to hear, the queens kept
asking until they were convinced.
Still, Saras insisted, we should also question these humans. The child
knows nothing of the politics of this situation.
Agreed, Tewsee said. But I think we ve endured enough this day. Let us
retire and give thought to what we ve learned and think of what we ll ask the
humans.
Agreed, the exhausted and troubled queens said in unison.
Tomorrow then, Tewsee said. At the same hour.
She watched the queens blink out in sequence, turning her head aside at the
defeated posture of Saras. Sharing her burden hadn t lightened it, and she was
ashamed of being the one who had told them. She wondered, as they all must be
wondering, what had happened to the red clan to have made them such monsters.
She stroked Sna-Fe s tense back.
Come, she said, have dinner with me. And then we can play a game of nalls.
Would you like that?
The young Fibian nodded. Then he looked up at the queen.
I did not lie, your majesty. Really I didn t. His pedipalps begged for
belief.
I know you did not, my son. But it is hard to hear these things and we do not
want them to be true. She lifted his head with one claw-tipped finger. But
they are true, and now we must think of what to do.
Sun-hes was visibly nervous. Raeder did not find it reassuring that the
protocol expert was fidgety. The Fibian paced from side to side of the
corridor, tugging at the silk on the walls with each of his clawed feet in
succession.
If he s ready to climb the walls, how should I be feeling?
the commander wondered.
The protocol expert came up to him, his pedipalps in the second degree of
respect.
Did I tell you that if they wish you to join the discussion they d give you a
lump of fat?
he asked.
Raeder nodded.
If you wish to speak you must chew the fat, Sun-hes said.
You have done a fine job of instruction, Peter told him, making soothing
motions with his hands. If anything goes wrong, no one will be able to blame
you. Your work has been flawless.
Sun-hes rotated his pedipalps one around the other to indicate his distress.
I simply cannot feel that way, he said. Though I thank you for your
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support, he added hastily, with a respectful gesture.
Far be it for a protocol expert to cause offense, the commander thought wryly.
With your excellent instruction and Ms. Trudeau to advise us we should do
just fine,
Sarah reasured the Fibian.
She and Peter crossed glances. He could imagine what she was thinking.
Who would have thought that we d one day be comforting a Fibian.
Less than a month ago they were an enemy that literally ate humans alive, and
would have caused nightmares even if they didn t.
Now they were people, and damn nice people, too.
I suppose I am still unnerved from the . . . incident, Sun-hes confided.
Anyone would be, Sarah soothed.
Especially poor Ticknor, Peter thought.
The protocol expert, convinced that good manners could overcome any obstacle,
had arranged an accidental meeting between himself and the linguist in the
corridor of the science section. Mr. Ticknor was still under sedation.
And poor Sun-hes could probably use a hit of something himself.
Raeder studied the nervous alien. There was a definite hint of gray around
his . . . mouth, the commander supposed.
The great barrier of wood, definitely not a door, slid aside and Hoo-seh,
Queen Tewsee s first assistant, stood before them.
Clan Nrgun calls forth the representatives of the Commonwealth, he intoned.
Uh Raeder held up a finger and rushed over to him. We are representatives
of our ship, the
Invincible
, he said. We have not come here as official representatives of the
Commonwealth.
There was a pause while the first assistant digested this.
Good going, sir, Marian Trudeau, the ship s lawyer, whispered.
Clan Nrgun calls forth the representatives of the Commonwealth ship
Invincible, Hoo-
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