Liam still wasn’t sure if Ito was hoping to trade insults, but he had to admit that would appeal to Ondry. A unique gift that represented the shared values of humans and Rownt would please the Grandmothers. “The Rownt would be interested,” Liam said, using the blandest terms possible.
“I thought so. But I can’t promise you anything. Charles Tsang sees himself as a guardian of the artifacts he’s purchased, and no one can determine any pattern in who he chooses to sell to. He’s a difficult man to buy from.”
Liam kept his gaze on the street as they passed through a business section of town. Several children were playing in a park fountain, and people rode the mechanical sidewalks that lined the edges of the road. Liam wondered what one of them would say if he stopped and asked what sort of life they had. He wondered where his younger siblings fitted in this world.
After a long silence, Colonel Ito asked, “How did you meet the Imshee?”
Liam pulled himself away from his sad thoughts and concentrated on the trade. Ito had offered information, both on the merchant and on the trade goods. Liam would not dishonor Ondry by failing to provide the information he had promised in return. “The Rownt trade with them regularly. After we left Earth, we went to meet an Imshee ship.”
“And what are they like?”
A sharp bark of laughter slipped out before Liam could control it. It was such a human sound, one he had stopped making on the ship. However, in this case, it fit. “Disturbing,” he said as he remembered his time on the ship. “Physically, I mean,” Liam added. He still found Anla psychology far more upsetting, but Imshee were the ugliest of all the aliens.
Ito frowned. “In what way?”
“Imagine a pony-sized insect with ratty, mangy hair.”
Ito shivered. “That is disturbing.”
“They no doubt find each other attractive, but they are unimaginably ugly when judged by a human aesthetic. They have a lot of technology. The Rownt are cautious around them because an Imshee ship once destroyed a Rownt ship with all the children and families on it.” Liam meant that as a warning. Ito’s face lost all expression, so Liam assumed he understood the significance of that fact. Earth tech couldn’t touch Rownt and Rownt tech was equally useless against Imshee.
It took Ito a long time to respond. When he did, he spoke slowly, carefully, and softly. “From what I have read of the Rownt that would cause significant distress.”
“It did.” Liam didn’t elaborate. He watched the city pass as the silence continued. Humans were quicker to fill the world with words, or perhaps Liam’s memory of human interactions cast them in the worst light. That was a possibility.
“And yet they continue to trade?” Ito eventually asked.
Liam smiled at him. “That is related to their inability to grasp the logic of war. The suffering of a great loss does not justify continued loss or retaliation.”
“That makes them sound like saints.” Ito didn’t hide his incredulity.
“Until you realize they will also cheat you out of your last pair of socks and brag about leaving you in poverty.”
“So, not saint like.” Ito smiled. “So what are the Imshee like psychologically?”
Liam wished he could share some great piece of insight, but he and Zach had no firm conclusions. “They don’t use singular pronouns and they seem very concerned about which individuals belong to which group.”
“That’s an important insight. Do you have any others?” Ito took out a pad and recorded the information with a few quick taps.
Liam waited until Ito had finished before he added the one piece of information Command needed. “They are scared of humans.” In Liam’s experience, fear didn’t lead to good decisions.
Ito looked up from his pad. “What?”
“They see our history of persistence hunting as evidence that we’re dangerous. They appear to believe that if our ancestors could take down large prey through sheer determination, then we are dangerous to them no matter how much superior technology they possess,” Liam explained. Ito typed madly on his pad. “I’m not sure if they believe the Rownt are brave or stupid for trading with us. If Imshee do come to this part of space, you may want to tread carefully.”
Ito nodded slowly. “That’s important to know.” The man projected a calm determination even as he tapped away. “Is there any chance the Rownt will allow Captain Mora to brief his superiors?”
“No,” Liam said. Ito’s head came up and he frowned at Liam. Liam explained, “The Rownt believe that transitions are difficult for palteia and that old loyalties will continue to exert influence for some time. The Grandmothers want to protect Zach from feeling any conflict over whose interests he should serve.”
He put his pad down on the seat next to him. “That might cause some concern in Command. The assumption was that we could contact him.”
“No one could contact me for months. For a time, Ondry was irrational in his anger toward everyone on the human base.”
“And it has been months,” Ito said.
Liam sighed. “But Zach has stronger ties to Earth and Command. The Grandmothers recognize that.” Zach had wanted to visit family. Liam had left his family, and he didn’t want to drag the past and his own bad choices into their lives. Luke would be an adult by now. Jae would be a year or two shy. He had no idea how old the two brothers would be. Liam was the first to admit that once he started hanging out with Mort, he hadn’t paid attention to the toddlers. He hadn’t liked his mother’s third husband, a man who had married her while on leave from the war. He’d used that as excuse to ignore his children. Liam still thought of them as toddlers sucking on their fists. Liam couldn’t offer them anything other than part of his salary, and he had already set them up to get money from him. He doubted they wanted any other part of him.
Ito put his hand on his pad, but he didn’t type anything in. Instead, he stared out the front window past the silent driver. They had crossed several pedestrian bridges before Liam said, “I’m impressed. You haven’t asked what happened to me.”
