“Like I said, he had the books.”
Jim rapidly asked the other questions he and Tella had prepared. Pilo was talking freely now. Within a few more minutes, the interview was over, and Jim pressed a buzzer for Amarno to come back in. Jim thanked Pilo for his help but was met with a hostile squint.
After Pilo was led out, Jim sighed deeply and heard a sound behind him. Turning quickly, he saw the plain wall of the interview room move. A faint ripple in the paintwork moved along the top of a cupboard and picked up a white robe. Tella became visible once more as it took on the reflection of its clothing.
“That went well, Jim, very well.”
“I...I’m glad. I’m also amazed that you can do that.”
“I don’t advertise it. I don’t want people thinking that I like loitering naked in dark corners.”
Jim laughed. “No, I suppose not.”
***
Jim and Tella left the Hawkins Array shortly after the interview. Tella had learned enough.
“Sopha Luca does not know the device was stolen,” Tella said as they settled into their flier.
“You sure?”
“Absolutely. For Sopha, Pilo was an official. He would have played up that aspect to gain Sopha’s trust.”
“How do you know that?”
“I know from watching him and from listening to his breathing as he spoke with you. It is always revealing.”
“Really?”
“Pilo is an excellent salesman. He will probably work the prison system to his advantage. Once he realizes that he can still sell things, he will quickly rise.”
Jim shook his head. He had assessed Pilo as a loser.
When they had traveled far enough to engage the autopilot, Tella turned to Jim.
“Now, tell me again about Sopha’s religious beliefs that have brought him to this point. Why does he want to clean all foreign matter from TMV?”
Jim thought back to the night on the promontory. He remembered how inspiring it had been. He sighed. “Do you know who Albert Einstein was?”
“No.”
“Well, he was one of our greatest thinkers and scientists. He once said that a great unanswered question is whether the universe is friendly.”
Tella smiled and looked at Jim. “That is a very excellent question. I am surprised to hear it from a human.”
Jim frowned but let the remark pass. “The Turcanians, well, the Regdenir anyway, have an answer to it. The planet is very beautiful when seen from their moon. They...pivot their beliefs on that. They believe that because the universe contains something beautiful, well...then it isn’t so bad. It changes how they look at the rest of the universe. Sopha said that because there is beauty, there is room for love and hope, and so on.”
Tella did not immediately reply.
“You really need to see it, and to hear a Regdenir talk about it.” Jim shook his head. “I’m not expressing it well.”
Tella lifted a pale hand. “You have said enough.”
They were both silent for a while. Then Tella said, “It is a profound belief. It is an insight that many would miss. We have a responsibility here.”
“What’s that?”
“This insight, this belief...we must do nothing that would cause it to be lost to the universe.”
Jim wondered if he understood Tella’s implication. “I should hope not. Liz has already told me not to start a war. I have no intention of allowing any harm to come to anyone.”
“No, you misunderstand me. I mean this.” Tella was silent and still, then continued, “The others, the ‘audnir,’ do not share the belief, yet it will be these who venture out into the galaxy. Turcanis will become whatever they make it in the eyes of other races. The beliefs of the Regdenir will be...overlooked. Who will come to listen to the Regdenir? Who will hear of them? Those who do will hear nothing good of them. Do you begin to understand?”
Tella was silent again for a long time before speaking. “Our responsibility is to hold the door open to both Regdenir and audnir; they may not be ready, they may not care. We must court both sides, Jim. What do you think?”
Jim had not expected such thinking from his strange colleague. “I don’t think they’ll care. To them, we are all audnir. They will want nothing to do with us. As Madhar said, they have made themselves weird. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“They are precious because their insights are precious. We must treat them with proactive respect. They hold an idea. We must hold them up because of it.”
“‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,’ you mean?”
“A most curious expression.” The pale smile spread across Tella’s face. “But, yes. There is a ‘baby’ there. It is a good image.”
There was another long silence until Tella spoke again. “The audnir spacecraft left remains on this most beautiful world. But the Regdenir have never been there to see how bad the damage is. It might already have been overgrown or absorbed into the soil. The world may have already repaired the damage.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“And if he reads the documentation with his purchase, he may find the effects of his work to be far worse than the present state.”
“He will have read it, but I wonder if his science is strong enough to realize the full implications.”
“Is Sopha open to discussion and reasoned argument?”
Jim laughed. “Discussion and argument are a way of life for them. They have discussions that last for generations. Do you mean ‘Will he change his mind?’ I think the answer is no.”
Tella made no answer, but Jim got the impression of a slight darkening in his colleague’s skin tone.
Chapter Two
A few days later, Tella and Jim began to plan in detail their work on TMV-I.
“We can meet with Madhar Nect easily enough. She said she would try to arrange a meeting with the government.”
“Yes, we should begin as officially as possible,” said Tella, nodding.
“Perhaps we should call her?”
“Soon. Which Regdenir have you chosen to visit?”
“I...I haven’t. I don’t really know any others. I
