Ringworld's Children

Acolyte didnt swim well, but the stream wasnt deep. He scooped up Hanuman and waded up to Louis, who was treading water.

Hanuman spoke briskly. "I saw a meteorite descend near the puncture. Tunesmith would spot another ship."

"He cant tell us. I turned him off. I—"

"Good. I will continue riding with Acolyte. Let me lead. I can take us to a service stack."

A service stack would take them home to the Map of Mars. Louis asked, "How far away?"

"Orbiting. Tunesmith can direct it toward us."

"Do we want the ARMs to see a service stack?"

"Well ask Tunesmith later, when we ask if hes seen other intruders. Your opinion?"

Louis thought about it. "Theyll want to rejoin their ship. We dont mind that, right? As long as they dont learn too much first."

Hanumans voice was a whipcrack, barely audible. "Gauthier rescued their library! I want it! I want to watch them use it before we let them loose. But these ARMs are dangerous companions. No need to risk us all. Louis, what if Acolyte and I escape? We can rendezvous with a service stack. You stay and observe."

It seemed an astonishing suggestion. "Why would I?"

"Across the entire Ringworld Roxa

Louis shrugged.

Acolyte asked, "Have you noticed that we have an audience?"

Louis looked around.

The ARMs, upstream, were waist deep and still talking, their body language gone conspiratorial. Louis had to pull his gaze away from her breasts. Wembleth was onshore, on his back on a warm flat rock, soaking up sunlight. Black birds whirled above the puffball forest, and a pair of horn-bearing quadrupeds were watching it all suspiciously.

"I dont see anything human."

Acolyte said, "Seven hominids. Three men, four women. I found them by smell. We should decide—"

Something had Wembleths attention. Wembleth stood up. He shouted into the woods.

A man stepped forth. He walked past the horned beasts; the beasts didnt run. The man stopped a dozen yards from Wembleth. He spoke. His hands were at his side, conspicuous. So were Wembleths.

They were both naked. The man towered over Wembleth. Hed be taller than Acolyte, eight feet or a little less, and as slender as the trees around them. Every part of him was elongated… but not his head. His jaw was strong and square. The hair on his head was the same color as the forests puffball tops.

Naked in ru

"They havent drawn their weapons," Hanuman murmured. "Louis, will they stay calm?"

He meant the ARMs, of course. Louis said, "Dont know. Someone has to tell them about rishathra."

Wembleth and the stranger were talking freely now.

Claus came in earshot. He asked, "Any suggestions?"

"Wembleth is doing fine," Louis said. "Let him talk for us. There are more locals."

"Where?"

Acolyte said, "In the trees." He pointed. "There, all six."

"He looks like a giraffe," Claus laughed.

Roxa

Luis Tamasan would never have seen a citizen of Luna. Louis said, "Theyll be peaceful. Look at the jaw: hes an herbivore. Probably picks fruit from these trees. We have to decide—"

"Tanj that. Our translators have to hear them." Claus waded out. The others trailed after him. Claus picked up his skintight to wipe himself dry, then dropped it, and picked up his back-pouch. If nakedness was good enough for the strangers, then Claus didnt need clothes; but the pouch held his translator, and maybe a weapon too.

Six tall, slender humanoids emerged from the tall, slender trees. Rishathra? We still have to tell the ARMs.

Wembleth talked rapidly, waving at Acolyte and Hanuman. The tall hominids bowed deeply, and went on talking to Wembleth. Louis and Roxa

The ARM translators were picking up some speech. It was close to what theyd learned from Wembleth, though this local language would be a long way separated from any speech heard near the Great Ocean.

Wembleth suddenly turned to Roxa

Roxa

Wembleth tried to explain. The activity that makes women bear children? But between different kinds it doesnt? Claus and Roxa

Louis said, "Hes using a different word, but it means rishathra. Rishathra is sex practiced outside your species but between intelligent hominids. Not a word youd need—"

"Smart-ass boy." Claus was not amused.

It dawned on Louis that he was afraid of Claus. "No joke, Claus. Its the first thing you need to know about a new species. Look, you can always say youre mated. Monogamous."

Claus was looking at the four women. They were as tall as the men, eight feet or just under. Not lunies, not giraffes: Elves. They were staring as frankly as the men; but the men were looking at Roxa

He said, "Wembleth, tell them Acolyte is not our kind at all. He doesnt rish."

Wembleth talked. One of the women laughed. Louiss translator picked up her "Think not!"

Louis said, "But we need to decide. Claus? Roxa

Claus demanded, "Luis, have you done this?"

"Sure!" What would Luis say? An adolescent wouldnt admit to being a virgin! Hed exaggerate — "With more than one species — nothing like these — but Ive heard more than that. Why not?" He couldnt quite look at Roxa

Wembleth exclaimed, "Same for me! I was a lost one too. Claus, why are you having trouble with this thought? When folk meet, they always ask this question first. Some kinds use reshtra for birth control. Water dwellers — well, to them it is a joke, unless you can hold your breath far too long. Some species cant resh, or mate with any but a life partner. Some oddly shaped ones dont expect reshtra — rishathra? — only ask for politeness. Some insist. Roxa

Louis said, "Luis" being wistful, "Id like to meet a City Builder. Theyre supposed to be really good at it. They built trading empires around rishathra. They even tried to go interstellar."

Claus was gri

"I can do that for you," Wembleth said immediately. He began to speak Hinsh.

Claus said, "Hold up, Wembleth. Ill do it," his eyes flicking toward Roxa

Wembleth asked, "In company, or only two?"

Claus was startled. "Um. Company. I wouldnt know what to say to just, just one."

Roxa

One of the women bent far over. Her long fingers wrapped around a cantaloupe-sized yellow fruit. She bit into it, rind and all, then broke it and offered pieces to Wembleth, then Claus, then the other Hinsh. Wembleth broke his further and offered fruit to Louis and Roxa

Do they rish with carnivores? Not by offering melon. But this ritual would eliminate Ghouls, and maybe they want that.

The fruit was red inside. It tasted a little like berries.

The others took it as a signal when the strangers ate: they feasted. There was fruit all around them. They were herbivores, all right: they needed to eat a lot. They fed Wembleth and Claus, and moved into more intimate contact.