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“We have no response,” Queen Neco’s fleet commander was saying.
She said nothing. They had no technical response, but her feelings were growing stronger and stronger as the visitors drew closer. She knew their messages had been received, and they were working on it. The woman, in particular, was working on it.
On board the Ambassador, “the woman” who was Sara Perci, was indeed working on it. As was Pilot, the sentient computer from Tandew’s old ship which had successfully translated human and Restan languages during their first contact.
“Pilot, anything yet?” Sara asked.
“I have very little to go on. With the human language, I had the wealth of communication transmissions we’d been monitoring at Tau Ceti. I have nothing to reference this transmission to help us.”
“But certainly they are clever enough to put the key in there somewhere?”
“I have found nothing helpful.”
She returned to the huge paper printout she’d been studying. People used to make fun of her for using paper, but since it worked so often, they’d stopped.
Taland came in, looked at the stack of paper, said nothing. He sat on his haunches.
“Sara, it occurs to me this has only been a one-way communication. We need to respond. Our protocol on the old Tandew was to send basic messages and see if the aliens could decipher it. The more we communicate both ways the more likely we will see a pattern, and who knows, they may be more skilled at deciphering than we are.”
She stared at him. It was so obvious!
“Taland, sometimes, like right now, I am so tempted to come over and just pet you and rub your ears!”
He just stared back.
“But, anyway, of course they will probably be the ones to come up with the cypher. I mean, somehow they know we are coming, and where we were exactly. How did they know that?”
“We need to respond quickly. How long do you think it took for us to receive their transmission?”
“It’s a few days old, at least,” she said. “But shouldn’t we respond real-time?”
“If you don’t mind sharing that technology with them.”
“Well, why wouldn’t we?”
He said nothing.
“I see. Well we’d better get everyone together to discuss this. We already have the protocol messages like you do, but is it wise to give up an advantage we have to them at this point?”
“If you want to make friends. If you have some doubt we will be received in a friendly way, then perhaps not?”
“Of course, I want to make friends. Allies, as we have with you.”
“That is what you want. But what do they want? For all we know that transmission was a very pointed warning to stay away.”
She stood up, started rearranging the stack of papers on her table. He said nothing, he knew her habits, and that she was thinking about what he’d said.
“If they want us to stay away they will have to tell us more than once, and in a way we can understand. Otherwise, we have to assume they want peace. Maybe we can’t assume they’ve encountered all the evidence of war we both have, but maybe they actually have.”
“I would remind you, Sara, when we met it was just the Tandew travelling alone, and the custom of the Ambassador was the same. On this journey, we have a squadron of Restan warships escorting us. They can’t see that as anything but an implied threat.”