Erya stared at him disbelievingly, and then, evidently not knowing what to say, asked her veebee for a suitable expression. “You’re kidding!” she told him finally.
Cade shrugged, not letting his amusement show. “I won’t stake my life on it, but I’ll see what I can do. We might be able to surprise you.” Hyadeans found it hard to conceive of a simple favor. Everything they did seemed to be determined by some kind of intricate cost-benefit analysis that computed tangible gain. Their actions tended to be totally pragmatic, directed toward measurable “efficiency” with little feeling for any deeper value system. Maybe that was why they found Earth so incomprehensible and mysterious.
Wyvex spoke, looking at Erya. “There is a Hyadean called Tevlak, down in South America—in Bolivia, I think. He’s very much involved in promoting Terran art back on Chryse. You ought to meet him before you go back—or at least talk to him if your schedule doesn’t allow it.”
“I’d like to,” Erya said.
“I’ll try to arrange it.”
At that moment, Luke appeared with Henry in the archway from the front part of the house and signaled for Cade’s attention. Cade excused himself and went over. Luke drew him through, away from all the attention. “We’ve got police at the door, and a Lieutenant Rossi from the ISS,” he murmured.
Cade frowned. “What’s it about?”
“Something to do with that aircar that was shot down near Washington this afternoon,” Luke said. Cade sighed and went with them to the front door. Two men in suits were waiting, with figures in police uniforms standing behind and in the driveway. The smaller of the two introduced himself as Rossi. He had fair, sleeked-back hair, a thin line of a mustache, and that cold-eyed, dispassionate look that seemed to go with factotums of enforcement bureaucracies everywhere.
“As you probably know, Mr. Cade, four individuals were assassinated in an incident that took place in Washington today, including two Hyadeans. We have reason to believe that the deaths of the Hyadeans were not planned. However, it’s still an embarrassment to the administration. As a precaution, it has been decided to keep prominent Hyadeans under extended security protection for the time being. A guard has been placed at their mission building in Lakewood. Our instructions are to escort your Hyadean guests back when they are finished here. I apologize for any inconvenience.”
Cade snorted. “We were thinking of maybe moving things out on the water,” he commented, mostly to test how serious this was.
Rossi shook his head. “Under the circumstances, we don’t think that would be advisable, Mr. Cade.”
Cade nodded. Whatever the form of the words, the tone left no doubt. He turned his head to address Henry. “I guess you’d better go and tell Warren he can stand the crew down.”
People who were smart didn’t mess with these guys. There were too many ways they could make life miserable. And apart from the occasional intrusion like this, life wasn’t that bad. So go with the flow, Cade told himself. What else could anyone do?
CHAPTER FOUR
MORE THAN TWELVE YEARS had passed since the first reconnaissance squadron of five Hyadean ships was detected coming in fast from the outer Solar System. In a matter of days they had arrived. There were no claims of mysterious objects seen by questionable people, or allegations of strange happenings in unlikely places as had been depicted in generations of fictional imaginings. These aliens were here, and all the world knew it. A week later, they commenced descents to the surface.
The first landings were in parts of South America, western China and Tibet, and northeast Australia. The selected areas were similar in being sparsely settled, rugged, and having climate that varied with terrain ranging from dense forest to bare mountains. Since the aliens appeared to be shunning population centers, and their motives were obscure, official contacts were initiated by Terrans.
The effect on the nations and peoples of Earth was, understandably, stupefying. Some of the first organized representations to descend on the alien bases after the nervous military withdrew to a watchful distance and governments had presented diplomatic calling cards were by the scientists. Some of their most cherished beliefs were already in ruins, after all, and their questions came in torrents.