Squatter's Rights
Three days later Kharmadi sat at her desk fuming. She hadn't yet been back to see the aliens. In fact, everyone above her seemed to be dumping their work onto her, so that they could go see the new aliens. Terra and the new Intergalactic Alliance that was working on a new Interspecies Treaty were sending representatives out to make certain everything was on the up-and-up, and that these new aliens weren't being mistreated by the colonists. The way things were going she might finish her tour here without ever again contacting the aliens she'd found.
Unfortunately, even after three days the colonists were still having trouble talking with the aliens. The communications unit was still sorting out the alien's mathematical and chemical conventions. The bigwigs were still working on proper protocol and precedence. Luckily the military had decided the new aliens weren't a threat, though they sent an armed "honor squad" with every visit to the meadow between the alien's village and the colonists' settlement.
The worst part, as far as Kharmadi was concerned, was that she hadn't been able to return to the field and collect samples. Her real tasks had been put on hold so that she could cover other people's work while they fiddled with the new aliens. She wasn't even able to finish cataloging the samples she'd already gathered. Instead she sat at her desk filling out forms and writing reports for people higher up the org chart.
Worse yet, all the reports seemed to be about the new aliens, the Rcyyt. One from Dr. Ayers reporting how the Rcyyt lived underground - in fact under the hillocks Kharmadi had climbed - to support a report by General Baxter on why the reconnaissance missions hadn't spotted any native intelligent life. Another by Dr. Kasis O'Flynn on what she'd seen of Rcyyt agricultural techniques, and why a reconnaissance mission wouldn't spot that either. Ad infinitum. Kharmadi pulled up a form to commit to officialdom what all had been given to the Rcyyt as "presents to the natives."
A soldier entered her office, just as she pulled up another form. He nodded to her. "Dr. Kharmadi? You're wanted in the meadow."
Kharmadi dropped the stylus in surprise and it fell through the hologramatic screen on her desk, turning the neat empty form into so much static. "What about?" She hurriedly started shutting her desk down.
"Don't know. The aliens keep asking for you."
"Asking for me?"
"They keep saying Kharmadi. Don't know what they want." The soldier shrugged. "So Dr. Ayers said to get you, and bring you back."
Trying not to look smug, Kharmadi followed the soldier back to the meadow, though she couldn't figure out what the aliens wanted with her, or why. Still it was flattering.
An enormous pavilion had been set up for shade. Underneath the canvas, on one side of a cleared and leveled area, a table had been set up with several benches for the humans. On the opposite side several aliens lounged on oddly shaped seats with outcroppings to hold their equipment.
"Ah," Dr. Ayers stood as he sighted Kharmadi. "There you are."
Uljana sighed. "Now maybe we can make some progress." She looked at the aliens while motioned to Kharmadi, and said, "Here's Kharmadi."
All seven of the aliens turned to look at Kharmadi, but said nothing. Kharmadi waited with ever growing curiosity to see what they wanted. However the aliens examined her with what seemed to her to be the same curiosity.
"It would seem we've been mistaken again," Uljana said with frustration. "They didn't want to see her at all."
"Then what could they mean when they say Kharmadi?" Uljana's assistant said petulantly. "It doesn't even sound like one of their words."
"How should I know?" Uljana said.
"Maybe this group isn't one of the ones that wants to talk to me," Kharmadi said.
"Sit." Dr. Ayers moved to create room for her on his bench. "Let's see what happens."
After a few more minutes of silence the aliens began to talk amongst themselves again. Off to the side the communications unit recorded information from a small blue alien projection box. Kharmadi glanced at Dr. Ayers and shrugged.
"All right." Uljana powered up her desk. "Let me try this again." After a few minutes of examining her screen, she looked at the aliens and said, "Terra mior appo Rcyyt."
This launched the listening aliens into a jabbering frenzy, punctuated by flourishes of the various equipment they kept near to hand. Uljana turned back to her screen, obviously hoping they'd mention something that her computer could translate.
After a few moments the central alien turned toward Uljana and said, "Kharmadi." When Uljana looked up, despair on her face, it said, "Rcyyt mix Terra yes."
Kharmadi covered her mouth, but couldn't stop laughing.
"What's so funny?" Uljana demanded.
"It would appear they think 'Kharmadi' is a word that means, 'may I have your attention.' I don't think they realize it is a name." Kharmadi bit her lip to stop laughing.
Dr. Ayers pulled up a recorded version of their first meeting with the aliens, fast forwarding to portions where Kharmadi's name was used. He leaned back as he shut his desk down. "It would appear she is correct."
"I thought we were past the 'Me Tarzan, you Jane' part." Uljana leaned forward to examine the same recording on her screen. At the end of it she groaned. "If we don't get farther than this before the officials get here, we're going to look like complete idiots. I don't understand why this is taking so long. Within three days the Titans were already hammering out a treaty with Terra. We're missing something here." She shook her head. "All right, lets start back at the beginning again."
Holding her hand to her chest, Uljana said, "Chief Administrator Uljana Koleka." She stood up and stepped behind her assistant, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Assistant Administrator Alois Lagast." She moved to stand behind Dr. Ayers, and put her hands on his shoulders. "Dr. Cleveland Ayers." Then, standing behind Kharmadi, with her hands on Kharmadi's shoulders she said, "Dr. Oxana Kharmadi."
The aliens were silent for a moment, then began again conferring over their equipment. After a bit the central alien said, "Kharmadi."
Kharmadi waved and said, "Yes? Hi!"
After conferring again, the central alien stood and walked to stand in front of Kharmadi. It clasped its hands together in front, over its pot belly, with the thumbs strangely entwined, and bowed low, before giving a short speech. Kharmadi didn't understand a single word. She turned to Dr. Ayers.
"I didn't get any of that either," he said. "Anyone else?"
The wind stirred the grass around them, and breezed gently through the pavilion, while the communications unit toiled away off to the side.
Dr. Ayers shrugged, and nodded at the waiting alien. "Yes."
"They understand yes?" Kharmadi whispered.
"Yes, and nodding. We seem to have that in common actually."
"Ah." Kharmadi clasped her hands, and gave a small sitting bow. "Yes. Yes, of course. Whatever you said is fine." She nodded too, just in case.
The alien relaxed, and sat down. No sooner had it made itself comfortable on its seat than the others started jabbering at it. After a moment, another of the aliens stood. Kharmadi recognized Purple horns.
It approached her, and made its own little speech, much shorter than the other alien's, and without the little bow.
When Kharmadi looked to him, Dr. Ayers said, "Didn't get any of that either."
Purple horns mimed drinking and setting the cup down, then walked its thumbs up the opposite hand and pointed to her using its central finger, then pointed off in the direction of its village, then pointed down to where it'd set the pretend cup.
"My flask." Kharmadi stood. "I guess I'm going to get my flask."
"Be careful," Uljana said.
"Perhaps we should send a guard with her," Baxter said. "Lieutenant Duffy, accompany Kharmadi to the alien village."
Dr. Ayers grabbed her arm. "This one's name is Duyhu Vhawk Fdohe Jlool Gdyl Vwo Iol. They're very particular about their names. They don't allow nicknames."
"I'm suppos
ed to remember all that?"
"Do your best."
"I just won't use anyone's name," Kharmadi said as she walked away behind Purple horns.
"That seems to be the best way," Duffy whispered beside her. "Just think of it as Iol."
They followed Iol back to the village. Iol said something to another alien, who rushed off. Iol babbled a bit to them, then fell silent.
In a minutes they were surrounded by aliens of various sizes. Duffy shifted uncomfortably under the combined alien stares, but Kharmadi took the opportunity to stare right back.
A very small alien crept closer, until it stood beside Iol, and gripped the hem of Iol's over-robe. The little one was only just taller than Iol’s knee. Iol patted its head, murmuring something.
Kharmadi crouched down. "Hi. I guess you probably wanted to see the aliens too?"
The little one's eyes got very big, and it hid behind Iol, covering its purple horned head in the folds of Iol's over-robe.
Sheepishly, Kharmadi stood. She tried clasping her hands and bowing to Iol. "Sorry."
Iol bowed back, reaching behind to pat the little one again. Iol said something, but Kharmadi wasn't certain if it was meant for her or the little one.
An alien ran up, carrying Kharmadi's flask. Iol presented it to her with a bow and a flourish. Kharmadi bowed back, before hooking the flask back to her utility belt.
"All right," Duffy said nervously. "Let's go."
"Wait." Near the base of one of the mounds was an approximately two-meter high shimmering half-oval. A red-barked, branching, leafless plant grew beside it. "I want to check this out."
"I doubt they'll invite you in. Nobody gets in," Duffy said. "I think that's a door, or a window, or whatever their equivalent is."
"Not that. The plant. It's not like any of the others I've seen here." Kharmadi crouched down by the plant, examining it without touching it. "It's completely different from anything else here. No fur, no tendrils, and see how inflexible it appears. It doesn't bend in the wind."
"So take a sample, and let's go."
"I didn't bring my sampling kit, and I wouldn't dare touch it without one." She turned back to grin at Duffy. "It might be the local equivalent of poison ivy."
Iol said something to Duffy, who shook his head. "She's a biologist. It's a plant. What can I do?"
The little one approached cautiously. "Kilbo."
"Is that what this is?" Kharmadi pointed to the plant. "Kilbo?"
"Kilbo." The little one pointed to the plant, and started babbling away. Kharmadi listened intently, as if she could understand.
When the little one finished, she nodded. "Ah, yes. Thank you." She added a little bow.
Puffing up a bit, the little one crept closer, and whispered something.
"Oh, yes." Kharmadi nodded.
A little hand reached out, cautiously, and touched Kharmadi's hair. Kharmadi held perfectly still as the little alien ran its fingers through her short hair. It looked at its hand a moment, then clapped twice.
Kharmadi looked up to see Iol staring at her wide eyed, grinding its mouth. Before she could move the little one had reached out to run its fingers through her hair again. She held still, hoping Iol wasn't getting upset, hoping she hadn't committed some terrible breech of etiquette.
Instead, other little ones approached her, all reaching out to touch her hair.
"Dr. Kharmadi?" Duffy said, nervously glancing at Iol. "I don't think this is a good idea."
Since Kharmadi could hear Iol's teeth grinding, she had to agree, but she was afraid to upset the children. So Kharmadi held still, and let the children run their fingers through her hair.
Suddenly a little blue horned child looked at its hand wide eyed. Kharmadi glanced at its hand. A single strand of her plain brown hair rested in its palm. Quickly it tried to put the hair back, before she saw it.
"It's all right. Hair falls out all the time." The strand slipped from her head to rest on her nose. Kharmadi pinched it off her nose before it could tickle her to a sneeze.
The little blue horned one backed away, quickly. Kharmadi caught it by the hand. It stared wide eyed as she gently put the strand back in its hand, and closed its fingers. "Here, you keep it as a souvenir of the time you touched the alien's head. Yes?" She nodded.
Opening its hand the little one stared at the strand of hair there, then at Kharmadi.
The first purple horned child looked from its friend's hand to Kharmadi also, then looked into its own empty hand. The little blue horned one closed its fist around the strand of hair, and clapped its open hand against its fist twice.
It didn't take an interpreter to recognize the jealousy. Kharmadi raked her fingers through her hair, tugging out loose strands. She began handing them out, one to each of the children. After seven she began to suspect that several of the gathered children either hadn't been around originally, or they were coming back for seconds.
"That's enough." She stood up.
Iol bowed, and said something. When Kharmadi started to bow back, it shook its head. Then touched its horns with its center finger before pointing at her.
"It's all right." Kharmadi plucked a strand from the top of her forehead, tossed it away, then mimed another growing back.
Wide eyed, Iol stared at her. Then repeated her mime.
"Yes. It'll grow back." Kharmadi turned to Duffy. "I guess horns don't grow back."
"I wish they wouldn't use that finger."
Kharmadi looked back to see that Iol still pointed to her with its center finger. She held up her hand with the center finger pointed, then folded it back into her fist. "No." She shook her head. "Not that one. This one." She pointed with her pointer finger. Kharmadi had to repeat the whole thing several times for Iol.
Repeating her mime, Iol had trouble using the Terrans' preferred finger, and appeared confused.
"Don't ask," Kharmadi said. "Just use the other finger. Trust me."
Iol escorted them back to the meadow, where the meeting was breaking up. Kharmadi watched as Iol gave a quick precis of their adventures in the Rcyyt village to its people, ignoring Duffy as he did the same for the Terrans. The other Rcyyt seemed surprised about hair also, and looked at her curiously.
Uljana sighed. "You two accomplished more by retrieving that flask than we did all day." She tossed her carry-computer into its soft sling with disgust.
"It was the kids really." Kharmadi winced at the look on Uljana's face. Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say. Kharmadi didn't want Uljana to explode.
"Children," Uljana breathed. "There's an idea." She turned to Baxter. "Children always pick things up faster than adults. Perhaps if our children played with their children, supervised of course, we'd find that rosetta stone piece we need to really communicate."
After a moment's careful consideration, General Baxter nodded. "With appropriate supervision, I think that would be all right."
While Uljana and Baxter mimed to convey this idea to the Rcyyt, Kharmadi pigeonholed Dr. Ayers.
"I need to get back to collecting my field samples." She motioned around them. "I haven't even started on this meadow yet. Before we let the children run through here we have to make certain there isn't anything poisonous."
Dr. Ayers nodded as he gathered up his stuff. "Tonight. You and O'Flynn and Troan and Poole can work together tonight to give this meadow the all clear."
While that hadn't been quite what Kharmadi had wanted, it was enough.
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