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“What do you have for us, Captain Fuchida?” Hooker asked.
“Sir, we have all sensors trained on that star system. So do the Restan ships.”
“Yes, yes I know! But what are you picking up?”
“Nothing sir.”
“Nothing? Not any sort of transmissions at all?”
He shook his head. “No, sir. Not a thing on any energy frequency we have tried.”
He slammed his fist on his desk. “Damn! Try harder!”
Tandew was seated beside his desk on his customary cushions. He showed no reaction at all to Hooker.
“Captain, when we were approaching your mining colony on Tau Ceti 2 we detected nothing until we were well within the star system. Perhaps we are just too far away?” Tandew offered.
Fuchida looked at Hooker, who nodded to him.
“Tandew, our colonies use shrouds to guard against the unintended leaking of communications. And we keep our communications with our other colonies and ships very focused. Yes, there are leaks, but only perceptible, as you said, when you come very close.”
“Could the Neanderthals or whatever they call themselves now be shrouding their signals?” Hooker asked.
“That would imply they know we are coming, or that someone could be coming if something were overheard. We did our shrouding for security reasons, but for hundreds of years Earth’s transmissions were unencumbered and spraying out in every direction for anyone to pick up,” Fuchida said.
Hooker considered this. “Could they know we are coming? Or could it be they know of the marauding devils and their handiwork as we have learned?”
“Or could it be, Hooker,” Tandew said, “they died off or never developed technology and space flight as you humans and we have?”
Hooker stared at Tandew. “If that’s the case, they will be more of a liability, someone else we need to protect, than an ally to help us.”
Fuchida hesitated, then finally spoke. “Or it could be they have already been found by these devils and wiped out...” he said sadly, letting his voice trail off.
Hooker and even Tandew looked nervous at that possibility.
In another part of the Ambassador, Taland and Sara were having a nearly identical conversation.
“Sara, I have absorbed all the information you gave me about these Neanderthals. I have to say, however, I wonder how accurate it all is? It seems like every few years your researchers changed their theories.”
She smiled. “Yes, well that is what we human scientists seem to do, isn’t it? As a scientist I am in a constant state of surprise, it seems!”
He just blinked his green eyes at her.
“I mean, talk about a surprise!” she gestured at Taland. “Here I am sitting her talking with what we thought was an extinct species on Earth. And yet here you are, and here I am, talking to you!”
He yawned. It was time for a nap, but he felt she wanted to talk more. She was a talker, more than any other human he’d met. But no doubt the most brilliant also.
“So, if I understand, the latest theory, though an old one revived it seems recently,” he began again, “is they interbred with humans like you and their genes were overwhelmed and could not then reproduce their own kind?”
She nodded. As she talked with him she was working her own console, looking up information, reading, looking up more. He did not seem insulted by her lack of full attention. She knew he was used to it.
“Yes, the old theory is new again,” she said distractedly.
“But all of this is based on some very old bones, the age of which is even in question and constantly changing?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“I find how you study old bones fascinating. We Restans have never done it. And this DNA research, it is a fine science, but to me one which can easily be flawed.”
Now she looked at him. “Yes, bingo!”
She could tell his translator was having trouble with that one.
“I mean, you win the prize for being correct.”
He just stared at her.
“Anyway, there is no sign of any energy emanating from that star, Taland. Even using our newly enhanced receiving abilities.”
“Perhaps they use their minds. I saw quite a bit of speculation about their psychic abilities.”
Now it was her turn to stare. “You think there could be some truth to that?”
“Many Restans have this ability.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “They do?” She wondered if their translators were failing to communicate what the word psychic meant?
“I’ve read many humans do also. Perhaps these beings just have it occurring more often in their species.”
Her mind was off and running. Maybe they needed to search for energy more on the level of brainwaves? But how?
“Isn’t it time for a nap, Taland?” she said.
“Yes. See you after I awaken.” He trundled off to his cushions.
Sara was out the door and off to see their communications officer.