Footfall

“Not without new reason. I found the interview painful. I will speak with it again when we have obtained more of its herd. Perhaps it will regain its sanity. Until then, Breaker-One Raztupisp-minz will study the herdless one. He chooses not to speak with it.”

The Herdmaster twitched his digits against his forelegs. Takpusseh was being tactful. Raztupisp-minz was not fluent in the language of the prey.

“The other prisoners are in my domain, but we house them together,” Breaker-two Takpusseh finished.

“Do any of them submit?”

“I have had no opportunity to examine the others while Message Bearer maneuvers violently. Instead, we have experimented with their living conditions. We gave them cloth from the great stores they kept in the orbiting habitat. They draped themselves with it. We gave them water and watched how much they used, and analyzed their excreta. We change their environment. How do they treat their food? Which of our foods can they tolerate? Do they like more oxygen, or less? Warm air or cold? To what extent can they tolerate their own exhalations?”

“I expect they breathe the air mixture of Winterhome.”

“Of course, but where on Winterhome? Equator or poles? High altitude or low? Wet or dry? We are learning. They like pressure anywhere between sea level and half that. They can tolerate our air mix but prefer it dryer. They cover their skins with cloth even when far too hot; that deceived us for a time. They drink and wash with clean water and ignore mud. Their food is treated; they have to wet it and heat it. They would not eat ours. And in the process of experiment, we gave them strong incentive to learn to speak to us.”

The Herdmaster laughed, a fluttering snort. “Of course they would like to tell you to stop. Can they speak?”

“We have begun to teach them. It is easier with those who speak the language called English. I see no need to learn the others’ language. The herdless one called — Dawson — can translate until they gain skill at our speech. Their mouths are not properly formed. One day I think there will he a compromise language; but they will never be taken for ordinary workers of the Traveler Herd, even in pitch dark. The smell is distinctive.”

“Are they in good condition?”

“The dark-skinned one is unresponsive and doesn’t eat. I think he must be dying. He too is herdless. The other four seem ready for training.”

“The other herdless one will die as well.”

“Perhaps. He seems in health. We must watch him. Herdmaster. from what region do you intend to take prisoners?”

“You have no need to know.”

“Herdmaster, I must know if Dawson will have companions of his own herd. I must know if he is insane, or if all those of his herd act so strangely.”

“He is insane,” the Herdmaster said.

“Lead me, Herdmaster.”

“Perform your task. I gave no order.”

“Thank you. Herdmaster, it is likely that he is insane. Surely he has never been as far from his herd as he is now. But we must know.”

The Herdmaster considered. “Very well. We will attempt to seize and keep a foothold in Land Mass Two, North, the source of most of the electromagnetic babble. We will take prisoners.”

“As many as possible, Herdmaster: I require females and children. It would also be well to have immature and aged, cripples, insane—”

“I have other priorities, but the warriers [sic] will be told. How shall we identify the insane?”

“Never mind. Some will go insane after capture.”

“Anything else?”

“I would like to show the prisoners some records.”

“Good. Where? The communal mudroom? My officers and their mates are clamoring to see the natives.”

“I’m not sure they’re ready for … Lead me. We will display them, but not in the mudroom. Use the classroom. They’ll have to get used to us sooner or later—”

“And my fithp must get used to them. We’ll be starting spin immediately. You can put your show on afterward. Will you show them the Podo Thuktun?”

“No! They’re not ready. They wouldn’t know what it means. Fistarteh-thuktun would stomp me flat.”

The Herdmaster disconnected. Fathisteh-tulk, who had not spoken during the exchange, said, “Takpusseh was a good choice. Many sleepers have lapsed into lethargy since the awakening. Takpusseh has kept his enthusiasm, his sense of wonder.”

“Yes. Why has he no mate? He is of the age, and his status is adequate … though as a sleeper he lost rank, of course—”

“His mate did not survive the death-sleep.”

“Ah.” The Herdmaster pondered. “Advise me. Shall I expect these prisoners to develop into cooperating workers? Can they persuade their race to surrender without undue bloodshed?”

“You know my opinion,” the Herdmaster’s Advisor said. “We don’t need this world or its masters. We are not dirtyfeet. We should be colonizing space, not inhabited worlds.”

Dirtyfeet: only sleepers used that term for those who had remained comfortably behind on the homeworld. The spaceborn felt no need to insult ancestors who were forever removed in space and time.