Warlord of Kor | Page 8

it out with some very learned
speculations, you know the type...." Manning stopped, and grinned. "Speaking of
indecent reports, what have we turned up on their sex lives?"
"Marc Stoworth covered that in his report yesterday," Mara said. "They're unisexual, and
their sex life is singularly boring, if you'll pardon the expression. At least, Stoworth says
so. If it weren't I'm sure he'd tell us all about it."
Manning chuckled. "Yes, I imagine you're right; Marc is a good boy. Well look, Lee, I've
told you the position I'm in. Now I'm counting on you to get me out of this spot. I've got
to transmit my report to Council within a week. I don't want to pressure you, but you
know I'm in a position to do it if I have to. Dammit, give me a report."

"I'll turn something in in a few days," Rynason said vaguely. His brain was definitely
fuzzy now from the tarpaq.
Manning stood up. "All right, don't forget it. Trick it out with some high-sounding
guesses if you have to, like I said. Right now I've got to see a man about a woman." He
paused, glancing at Mara. "You're busy?"
"I'm busy, yes." Her face was studiedly expressionless.
He shrugged briefly and went out, pushing and weaving his way through the hubbub that
filled the bar. It was dark outside; Rynason caught a glimpse of the dark street as
Manning went through the door. Night fell quickly on Hirlaj, with the suddenness of age.
Rynason turned back to the table, and Mara. He looked at her curiously.
"What were you doing with him, anyway? You usually keep to yourself."
The girl smiled wryly. She had deep black hair which fell to her shoulders in soft waves.
Most of the women here grew their hair down to their waists, in exaggerated imitation of
inner-world styles, but Mara had more taste than that. Her eyes were a clear brown, and
they met his directly. "He was in a sharp mood, so I came along as peacemaker. You
don't seem to have needed me."
"You helped, at that; thanks. Was that true about the governorship?"
"Of course. Manning seldom brags, you should know that. He's a very capable man, in
some ways."
Rynason frowned. "He could be a lot more useful on this survey if he'd use his talents on
tightening up the survey itself. He's forcing a premature report, and it isn't going to be
worth much."
"Is that what's really bothering you?" she asked.
He tried to focus on her through the haze of the noisy bar. "Of course it is. That, and his
whole attitude toward these people."
"The Hirlaji? Are they people to you?"
He shrugged. "What are people? Humans? Or reasoning beings you can talk to,
communicate with?"
"I should think people would be reasoning beings you could relate to," she said softly.
"Not just intellectually, but emotionally too. You have to be able to understand them to
communicate that way--that's what makes people."
Rynason was silent, trying to integrate that into the fog in his head. The raucous noise of
the bar had faded into an underwater murmur around him, lost somewhere where he

could not see.
Finally, he said, "That's the trouble with them, the Hirlaji. I can't really understand them.
It's like there's really no contact, not even through the interpreter." He stared into his
drink. "I wish to hell we had some straight telepathers here; they might work with the
Hirlaji, since they're telepathic anyway. I'd like to make a direct link myself."
After a moment he felt Mara's hand on his arm, and realized that he had almost fallen
asleep on the table.
"You'd better go on back to your quarters," she said.
He sat up, shaking his head to clear it. "No, but really--what do you think of that idea?
What if I had a telepather, and I could link minds with Horng? Straight linkage, no
interpreter in the middle. I could get right at that race memory myself!"
"I think you need some sleep," she said. She seemed worried. "You're getting too
wrapped up in this thing. And forget about the telepathers."
Rynason looked at her and grinned. "Why?" he said quietly. "There's no harm in
wishing."
"Because," she said, "we've got three telepathers coming in the day after tomorrow."

THREE
Rynason continued to smile at her for several seconds, until her words penetrated. Then
he abruptly sat up and steadied himself with one hand against the edge of the table.
"Can you get one for me?"
She gave a reluctant shrug. "If you insist, and if Manning okays it. But is it a good idea?
Direct contact with a mind so alien?"
As a matter of fact, now that he was faced with