The three Regdenir said nothing but gestured to an area with seats at the end of the fountain room. Tella and Jim walked around the water and sat down. The Turcanians followed and sat in a row in front of them.
Tella began.
“I am Tella of Neraff. This is James Able of Earth. We greet you in the name of the people of Earth. We thank you for allowing this meeting.”
The shorter of the Regdenir spoke first. He was old, and the bumps on his head seemed crusty. His eyes were flecked with white at the rims. His voice was deep and clear.
“I am Angara Myourn of the First Order. Welcome to our home. My friend and esteemed colleague is with us, Oorudi Coungow of the First Order. We have also asked Margrev Aplar of the Second Order to be a witness to all that is said and done here.”
Margrev Aplar held a small recording device in his hand. “If our guests will permit, I shall use this device to ensure that nothing is missed.”
Jim and Tella nodded.
Jim said, “Please do. Though it was allowing such a recording that caused much of the...difficulty of my previous visit.”
Angara Myourn nodded and sighed. “We are aware of the various circumstances of what transpired here. We have many questions to ask you. I would like to address the matter of Sopha Luca, perhaps later in our conversation?”
“Okay.”
“May we begin with a small question?” asked Tella. “We did not see you arrive. How did you come here?”
Angara Myourn frowned and then smiled. “It is a simple matter. The geography of this region, from the mountains to the ends of the marshes, is like our skeleton.” He indicated his side. “The bones run parallel. The mountains run straight, and in between are the wetlands. There are many pathways under the mountains. We travel through where we can. This house lies at the end of many miles of underground paths. Pilgrims may come here for ceremonies and to study the Pongret M’dar, the stones of the promontory.”
“They are beautiful and ancient,” said Tella.
“Indeed so. They have stood there for at least a thousand years, if not more.”
“They are not from the Regdenir, then?” asked Jim.
“No. Our ancestors placed them. For their sake we returned to the marshes, inhospitable though they are. We hold our ancestors in high regard.”
“The carvings are well made to have lasted so long and still be clear to all,” said Tella.
“We lack the skills to make such things in these late days. Their methods are lost. The carvings are a wonder for us.”
“As must be their meaning?”
The Regdenir smiled and did not reply.
“Our first questions are of a more general nature,” said Oorudi Coungow. “We see that your bodies are similar to ours, both in size and capacities. You can breathe our air, and our gravity must be similar to your own. How can this be? We see even in our own planetary system a great variety of conditions, which, we reason, should give rise to a variety of physiologies.”
Tella replied, “That is correct. There are a vast number of different types of sentient beings. We tend to limit our dealings to those races similar to ourselves. We find trading with dissimilar races to be problematic. Your planet and these moons fall within the astronomical parameters that also produced our worlds.”
The Regdenir nodded.
“How have you learned our language?”
Jim said, “From the audnir TV transmissions. From an analysis of what we saw and heard there, we learned enough to begin. I understand I have a Multoaf accent.”
“Similar, but better educated, I think,” replied Coungow with a smile.
“For interplanetary use, there is a new language called Standard. We will leave with you a training device and instructions for replication, if you wish to study Standard.”
Angara Myourn spoke next. “You suggested in your messages that Beauty is to be found in other places. Do you know what we mean by Beauty?”
Jim and Tella looked at each other. Jim went first.
“I was...privileged to be present at a ceremony on the promontory above us when Beauty rose full into the night sky. Sopha Luca explained to me the place Beauty holds in your beliefs.”
“The B’Goron Trahsa,” Margrev Aplar said in confirmation.
Tella continued, “We understand from Sopha Luca’s teaching that the presence of Beauty indicates for you that there is a place in the universe for those things all moral creatures desire: hope, love, and goodness.”
Angara Myourn nodded. “It is well said.”
Tella continued, “I have traveled much. I have lived on many worlds in my short life. I have listened to many wise people. Let me tell you of my own upbringing and the belief with which I was raised.”
“Please.”
“Our teachers say that, in the founding of the universe, three things were brought together: matter, energy, and ‘Quavvour,’ which is best translated as ‘spirit.’ We believe that beyond the confines of this universe of the three dimensions of space, and the fourth of time, there is an intelligence, about whom, because of our place within those dimensions, we can have no direct knowledge. To provide us with a link, an indirect experience of itself, the intelligence created Quavvour to surprise us and remind us whenever we meet it. The spirit is hidden in many places and in many people. It shines when we see it. It lifts us out of the dark. When found inside us and found in others, it inspires love. It is the root of our moral sense. This is our belief. I hear in your regard for Beauty an experience of Quavvour.”
There was silence.
“Thank you, Tella of Neraff. And you, James Able of Earth, what of your beliefs?”
Jim suddenly felt an echo of his previous discomfort in this same room. He did not want to give a personal answer to the question. Tella had sounded like it really believed what it said. Jim didn’t know where to begin; it was a long while since he had believed in
