Koch considered this, not alone of mri… glanced at Averson and back at Suth. "A question you have evaded, reverence; do you have a mri expert among you?”

The mouth gaped at once into a hiss, amusement. "He sits among you, bai Koch. I am that expert I am, you may mark for your memory, a colonial of doch Horag. Horag has employed mri as guards for most of the two thousand years in question. Doch Alagn misled you; they were amateurs and newcomers, and you believed them expert My adulthood has put into authority ... a true expert in these matters. And a new doch. You are very prudent to inquire.”

"Are you fluent in their language too?”

"There are two languages. I sorrow, bai, but the languages of mri were always a point of stubbornness with them. They persisted in coercing the regul language into their sluggish memories and speaking it badly.”

"Meaning that they would not permit outsiders to become fluent."

"Meaning whatever that means within their mental process, reverence. These leaps of analysis are perhaps a natural human process, or you are withholding data. It means what the mri wish it to mean; we are patently not mri, neither you nor I. Are you withholding data?”

"No. No, bai Suth." Koch reflected on that matter, staring at the bai, nodded finally. "You are an authority on mri. Without access to their thought processes.”

Nostrils shut and flared in rapid succession. "I contain information, bai, and without it you may deal in errors and experimentations at hazard of life. I tell you that we have never been able to translate the concept of negotiation into the mri understanding; and that should be marked for memory. I tell you that at any time a mri was hired to fight, there was no deviation from that path; he would kill or be killed and no offer would sway him. Trade concepts are not in their minds, reverence bai. They hired out their mercenaries, but hired is our word for the process and mercenary is your word. We deal in regul and human words; what do they think?”

"The bai is right," Averson interjected. "There is no exactitude between species. Regul hocht and our mercenary aren't the same either.”

Nostrils expanded. Koch watched and wondered how much of his own expression the bai had learned to read. "You've come here for some specific purpose, bai. Perhaps we could have some definition of that.”

"Understanding. Mutual protection.”

"We do not desert our allies, if you are concerned.”

That hit the intended mark; the flutter was clearly visible. "Bai, we are delighted to know that. There is of course reason that the mri should bear a grudge against us. And how will you deal with that matter in this peaceful solution you seek?”

"We will not desert our allies.”

"Mri do not back up, as regul do not forget.”

"Mri forget; perhaps regul can back up.”

Again the flutter of emotion. "Meaning, bai Koch?”

"That mri may be persuaded to forget this act of yours at Kesrith if they have assurance that regul will not act against them here.”

"Your leaps of process bewilder me, bai Koch. I have been led to understand that forgetting is not a precise act”

"We use it with many meanings, bai Suth.”

Suth's nostrils heaved and flared. Suth's great fist banged the re-emptied cup against the sled and the youngling nearest raced in stumbling steps to fill and return it Suth drank in great gulps, seeming in physical difficulty.

"Forgive us," Koch said. "Have we disturbed you?”

"I am disturbed, indeed I am disturbed." Suth drank heavily, set the cup down on his sled's rim. "I perceive great threat based on real experience and my allies leap like insects from one precarious point to the next”

"We are constantly monitoring the situation. We do not believe the threat is immediate. Information indicates we are dealing with a declined and nomadic group.”

"Nomads; unstable persons.”

"A stable but mobile community." He reflected on the difficulty of translating that to a species which regarded the least walking as agony. "They have no arms or transport sufficient to damage us. The cities are purely automated fire.”

Suth's nostrils flared and shut, flared again. "Do not be angry, human bai. But can mri lie? This is a human possibility. Is it also mri? Does your experience or your imagination. . . judge?”

"We don't know.”

"Ah. Do you imagine?”

"We don't have sufficient data.”

"Data for imagining.”

"It does take some, bai Suth. We operate at present on the premise that they can." He considered a moment, made the thrust. "In our experience, bai Suth… even regul can be dishonest.”

"Dishonest, not honest, not. . . truthful.”

"What is truth, bai Suth?”

Nostrils closed. "According to fact”

Koch nodded slowly. "I perceive something of your thinking, then. Is there, Dr. Averson, a regul word for honest?"

"In business, the word alch… meaning evenly balanced advantage or observation, or something like. Value for value, we say.”

"Mutual profit," Suth said. "We can spend much time at these comparative exercises, reverence. Favor, consider our position in orbit about this world. We are in range of these cities, which you imagine to be safe. I strongly urge a reconsideration.”

"What would the regul wish?”

"Negation of the hazard here.”

"Ethical considerations forbid. Or is that another word that doesn't translate?”

There was a silence from the other side. Koch looked at Aver-son. Averson muttered a regul word.

"We understand," said Suth. "We also respond to instincts.”

"Sir," said Degas, "I think abstracts are in the way.”

"Yes," said Suth, and grinned broadly.

Koch frowned at Degas, nodded slowly. "So the bai is concerned for our safety and that of home space. So are we.”

"How much time, bai Koch, how much time? This youngling Duncan… how much have you given him?”

"A human matter, bai.”

"We are allies.”

"We are waiting.”

"Humans walk very quickly. This youngling has taken far more days than needed to reach Flower after the attack. This evidences misfortune ... or lack of cooperation on the part of this youngling. True?”

"Do you have information on him, bai?”

"No. Nor do you. Fact?”

"We simply wait.”

"How long do you wait?”

"Does it matter?”

"Mri have had time to prepare response, bai Koch. Does this seem wise, to afford them this? They have weapons.”

"Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

"You balance all home space on this perhaps, bai.”

"We are aware of the hazard.”

"If they fire-"

"We adjust policy.”

Suth clamped his bony lips shut, exhaled long and softly. "We are your allies. We, we are not a fighting people. We are your very safe neighbors, rich in trade, in mutual profit And will you trade us for mri? Go home, bai. Leave this matter to us if your instincts forbid you to settle it You know that we do not lie. We have no interest in hiring mri.”

"It isn't likely that you could, is it, reverence?”

"The situation does not make agreement likely.”

"Doubtless not Nor was the fact that bai Sham destroyed peace messages from them and deliberately deceived us.”

"The messages themselves were deceptive.”

"I thought regul did not hypothesize.”

"We do not leap across dataless voids. The intent of the messages was to delay your response and encourage your near approach to the world without firing. You are alive; you might now be dead. Consider this hypothesis, bat”

"We do, in all respects.”

"How long will you wait on this youngling?”

"Our patience is not yet exhausted.”

"We remain, then, in danger. The dead worlds; think on them; and what if there is a mri fleet loose; and what if it comes on us here?”

"Regul imagination?”

"We make hypotheses based on data and experience. Both indicate mri are apt to wild actions which do not take into account their personal survival. We suggest you set Saber a little farther out in the system; one of our two ships can hover over Flower for its safety since you insist on its remaining on the surface; one of us can scan the other side of the world. We have not been sharing data. I suggest we do so, to our mutual benefit”

"We at least have a basis for discussion.”

Suth let go a great breath. "So, indeed, I invite the human bai to my ship.”

"No.”

"Basis?”

"Nature of human patterns of command, bai; I have to stay near my own machines. We're not as highly automated."

Suth's nostrils puffed. Whether he believed this or whether a regul could doubt a plain declaration… remained uncertain.

"Compromise," Suth said. "We discuss through channels. We may also consider opening channels between Flower and our own onworld mission.”

"You do have an onworld mission.”

"Why not, reverend ally? Why should we not? A closer cooperation, I say.”

Koch frowned. "I shall take it under advisement, bai Suth. I think we are at that point. What regul activity onworld?”

"When we have Flower data, we shall give you ours.”

"When we have yours we will consider the matter.”

"Simultaneous exchange?”

That put it untidily fair. Koch felt the burden on himself, denied it with a hissed breath the regul might understand. "What might you have? Scan data? Our own is highly efficient.”

"You have more?”

"Might." Regul feared not knowing, Averson had advised him; it seemed valid, for Suth showed discomfiture at that suggestion.

"Neither of us knows what the other has," Suth said.

"I will consult with my own staff, bai Suth. Doubtless you will want to consult with yours.”

Suth's nostrils puffed back and forth, back and forth. Suddenly the grin reappeared. "Excellent, reverence bai. Soon, another conference, in which we hope specific proposals. Younglings, move. Your favor, bai.”

"Favor, reverence." Koch leaned elbows on his desk, stared at the flurry of motion as the massive sled trundled toward the door and the waiting escort, and the younglings hastened after. Koch shifted a glance toward their own two superfluous aides, dismissing them to join the group outside. They understood and went without oral command.