Early Byrd Read Online Free PDF Page A

own minds divided
human "clans" strictly by language as well and set up their
administrative networks accordingly. It was up to us humans, as the
losers, to adapt to their way of doing things. In some places this
didn't cause too many problems—the US, Britain, and the
commonwealth nations hadn't had too much trouble developing a
mutually satisfactory system for dealing officially with the
Artemu, for example. We English-speaking countries had gotten along
well together for a long time. Yet, even among such historically
good and well-meaning friends, in some ways the new setup was a
real mess and all the bugs hadn't been worked out yet. Dad
complained that he had to spend more time bickering over personal
and national privileges than actually getting any work done. But
our problems were nothing to those faced by, say, the Arabic
and Spanish-speaking countries. At any rate, the Artemu had set up
a series of local administrative centers all over the planet, and
we were headed for the one in Vancouver, Canada . "But . . . I packed my passport
in with my clothes!" Tim complained.
    Rapput laughed. "Don't worry, nephew. You'll
never need travel documents again. Gonther-clan issues such
documents. We're not troubled to carry them."
    That made Mr. Li blink, but otherwise no one
said anything more. Nor did anyone ask any of us for so much as a
scrap of paperwork as we landed on what'd once been the main
parking lot of the finest hotel in the province, greeted by what
looked like a platoon of the first Artemu I'd ever seen carrying
military arms, lining one side of the landing zone and standing
stiff and straight. They held that posture the whole time it took
us to disembark and walk to the hotel's main entrance; Rapput and
Mr. Li both ignored them, so Tim and I did so as well even though
it felt impolite. Then we were all on the elevator together, headed
for Rapput's private set of suites on the fifth floor.
    "You two," he said to his Artemesian
servants, "will tend to the luggage and set up my nephew's quarters
for the night. You need not unpack everything, as we'll be leaving
for home tomorrow afternoon. Let the boys pick and choose—they know
best what they do and don't need. Should you question their
judgment, contact me."
    The two Artemu servants bowed, keeping their
eyes low.
    Then it was Mr. Li's turn to be attended to.
"Congressman Byrd claims you have three . . . doctorate degrees?
Are you a healer, then? My understanding was that you were a
physical fitness academic."
    He smiled. "No sir. I'm not a physician,
though that's a common misunderstanding. In English-speaking places
the title 'doctor' is also applied to those who achieve our highest
level of educational attainment. In my case, I have doctorates in
human physiology, American history, and Korean studies."
    "Hrrm," Rapput replied, looking thoughtful.
Just as the elevator doors opened, he came to a decision. "Then
perhaps the congressman is correct. You might indeed prove useful
as an academic tutor as well, though of course a subordinate one.
In truth my planning is deficient. When I left the homeworld, there
were as yet no plans to take hostages at all." He led us through
the elevator door and stopped again in the hallway. "You'll find
Artemesian teaching machines in the boys' rooms, Mr. Li, along with
primary-school level datacubes. While my nephews are obviously long
past these in academic terms, they contain important cultural
elements. It is my hope to impart these as soon as possible." He
crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes in what was clearly a formal
Posture, but not one I knew yet. "Therefore, you shall sit down
with these teaching machines and master their operation as soon as
you yourself are unpacked and settled in, so as to help our
students along as much as possible during the long trip home. This
should be a relatively simple matter—they're meant to be operated
by mere kits, and your command of our language is commendable.
"
    I
inhaled ; Mr. Li