else.?
?You do that??
?Yes. We can?t do it very well with Humans. The ooloi can, but males and females can?t.?
?Yeah.? He sighed and lay down on his back. They had cleared some of the plant growth and rubble from the stone floor of the shelter and could wrap themselves in their blankets and lie on it in comfort.
?What was this place?? Akin asked, looking up at the stars through the roofless building. Only the overhang of the hill provided any shelter at all if it happened to rain that night.
?Don?t know,? Gabe said. ?It could have been some peasant?s house. I suspect it goes back further, though. I think it?s an old Indian dwelling. Maybe even Inca or some related people.?
?Who were they??
?Short brown people. Probably looked something like Tino?s parents. Something like you, maybe. They were here for thousands of years before people who look like me or Tate got here.?
?You and Tate don?t look alike.?
?No. But we?re both descended from Europeans. Indians were descended from Asians. The Incas are the ones everyone thinks of for this part of the world, but there were a lot of different groups. To tell the truth, I don?t think we?re far enough into the mountains to be seeing Inca ruins. This is a damn old place, though.? He pulled his mouth into a smile. ?Old and Human.?
They walked for many days, exploring, finding other ruined dwellings, describing a great circle back to the salvage camp. Akin never asked why Gabe took him on the long trip. Gabe never volunteered an explanation. He seemed pleased that Akin insisted on walking most of the time and usually managed to keep up. He willingly tried eating plants Akin recommended and liked some of them well enough to take them back as small plants, seeds, stalks, or tubers. Akin guided him in this, too.
?What can I take back that will grow?? Gabe would say. He could not know how much this pleased Akin. What he and Gabe were doing was what the Oankali always did?collect life, travel and collect and integrate new life into their ships, their already vast collection of living things, and themselves.
He studied each plant very carefully, telling Gabe exactly what he must do to keep the plant alive. Automatically, he kept within himself a memory of genetic patterns or a few dormant cells from each sample. From these, an ooloi could recreate copies of the living organism. Ooloi liked cells from or memories of several individuals within a species. For the Humans, Akin saw that Gabe took seed when there was seed. Seed could be carried in a leaf or a bit of cloth tied with a twist of grass. And it would grow. Akin would see to that. Even without an ooloi to help, he could taste a plant and read its needs. With its needs met, it would thrive.
?This is about the happiest I?ve ever seen you,? Gabe remarked as they neared the salvage camp.
Akin grinned at him but said nothing. Gabe would not want to know that Akin was collecting information for Nikanj. It was enough for him to know that he had pleased Akin very much.
Gabe did not smile back, but only because he made an obvious effort not to.
When they reached camp a few days later, Gabe met Tate with none of the odd anxiety he often showed when she had been out of his sight for a while.
23
Ten days after Akin and Gabe returned, a new salvage team arrived to take their turn at the dig. While both teams were still on the site, the Oankali arrived.
They were not seen. There was no outcry among the Humans. Akin was busy scrubbing a small, ornate crystal vase when he noticed the Oankali scent.
He put the vase down carefully in a wooden box lined with cloth?a box used for especially delicate, especially beautiful finds. Akin had never broken one of these. There was no reason to break one now.
What should he do? If Humans spotted the Oankali, there might be fighting. Humans could so easily provoke the lethal sting reflex of the Oankali. What to do?
He spotted Tate and called to her. She was digging very carefully around something large and apparently delicate. She was digging with what looked like a long, thin knife and a brush made of twigs. She ignored him.
He went to her quickly, glad there was no one near her to hear.
?I have to go,? he whispered. ?They?re here.?
She almost stabbed herself with the knife. ?Where!?
?That way.? He looked east but did not point.
?Of course.?
?Walk me out there. People will notice if I get too far from camp alone.?
?Me? No!?
?If you don?t, someone might get killed.?
?If I do, I might get killed!?
?Tate.?
She looked at him.
?You know they won?t hurt you. You know. Help me. Your people are the ones I?m trying to save.?
She gave him a look so hostile that he stumbled back from her. Abruptly she grabbed him, picked him up, and began walking east.
?Put me down,? he said. ?Let me walk.?
