“Vadesh,” said the expendable. “This is Vadeshfold, and I am called Vadesh.”
“Did you notice that he actually answered somebody who wasn’t me?” said Rigg. “That’s progress.”
“Is there fresh water around here?” asked Loaf. “Drinkable water? Clean water? Safe water? In quantities we can use to refill our water bags-do I need to be more specific?”
“I’ll lead you to water,” said Vadesh. “But I can’t make you drink.”
Rigg looked at the others, puzzled, then turned back to Vadesh. “Why would you say that? Why would you need to make us drink?”
“It’s an old saying,” said Vadesh. “On Earth, the world where the human race was born. In one of the languages of Earth. It is twelve thousand years old. ‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.’”
“Thank you for the history lesson,” said Olivenko.
“And the lesson in equine behavior,” said Param.
Rigg chuckled at their ironic humor as Vadesh led them away from the Wall, toward a not-so-distant line of trees. But he noticed that Vadesh made no comment on their jests, and a thought occurred to him. “Vadesh,” he said, “your references to the world where humans came from, and teaching us a saying from twelve thousand years ago. Is there some reason why we might need to know about Earth?”
“Yes,” said Vadesh.
“And what is that reason?” asked Rigg.
Vadesh said nothing.
“Does your silence mean that you don’t know?” asked Rigg. “Or that you just don’t want to tell us?”
“I cannot predict the answer to your question with anything approaching accuracy or certainty. But you will need to know many things about Earth, and you will need to know them soon.”
“Why?” asked Rigg.
“Why what?”
“Why will we need to know many things about Earth, and why will we need to know them soon?”
“Because they are coming,” said Vadesh.
“Who is coming?” asked Param.
“People from Earth.”
“When?” demanded Loaf.
“I don’t know,” said Vadesh.
“What will they do when they get here?” asked Umbo.
“I don’t know,” said Vadesh.
“Well, what can they do?” asked Rigg.
Vadesh paused. “There are billions of correct answers to that question,” said Vadesh. “In the interests of time, I will prioritize them.”
“Good,” said Rigg. “What is the most important thing they can do?”
“They can blast this world into oblivion, killing every living thing upon it.”
“Why would they want to do that?” asked Olivenko. “What have we ever done to them?”
“I was asked what they can do, not what they will do. And before you ask, I do not know what they will do. There are billions of answers to the first question, but there is no answer at all to the second. That is the future, and it’s a place where even the five of you can’t go, except slowly, a day at a time, like everyone else.”
“Here’s the water,” said Rigg. “It looks good. Let’s fill up the water bags, and drink.”
