"Fiery Birds", Part IX

Zho was fitting in better than he expected. 

These giants seemed so unlike his people, the "Neanders". They even gave him clothing like theirs, the same sort of top, the same sort of trousers. He was allowed to wander, a little, within the building, even allowed outside on the balcony and the in the courtyard.

But he had so many questions.

Did his father make it here?

He decided to wait until his evening meal, supper, to ask Dr. Trant, as she normally came by the great room where he ate.

This evening, they brought him fish. It was cooked the way they prepared fish in Seaside, on a skewer and over an open fire. At least it looked like it was roasted that way. And there was a grain pilaf of some sort, like the rice they would get from the Centerlanders, but with a nuttier taste. There were also the regular vegetables and fruits from where he was from. 

He was just having a hard time of eating the way these giants did. He wanted to learn how to use the other utensils. All he was used to were spoons. This thing known as a "fork" seemed simple enough. 

Stab the food, raise it to your mouth, and eat it.

Instead, he tended to bite clear to the fork, and this hurt his teeth.

But he was going to learn.

-

As expected, Dr. Trant showed up as he finished his meal. She sat across the table from him, and asked "how was your supper?"

"It was good. That rice tastes different. Is it rice?"

"Well, yes, our rice. It's better for you."

"Better?" he asked.

"It's good for your muscles."

"Ahhhh, yes. That is good," Zho said, and then sat for a minute, working up the courage to ask about his father.

"What other things did you do today?" Dr. Trant asked.

"I did running. They made me run on this... thing. The ground moved..."

"A treadmill?"

"Yes! And I had a clip on my finger," Zho said, holding his right index finger in the air, "what was that for?"

"It tells us how well your body is doing."

"Ahhh. Dr. Trant, I have a question," he said, looking down.

"Go on," she said.

"Do you know of a... Neander... named Kha?"

She sat up straight for a moment, "first of all, do not call yourself a Neander. I wish some of my people would not use that word. You are not a Neander. You are a... New Person. As for your father, yes, actually, I was going to talk with you about him soon, but I suppose now is as good a time as any."

"You know my father?" Zho asked, excitedly.

"I know him well, Zho. He is so much like you, and a very good student and a very hard worker."

"Can I meet him?"

"You will, soon. He isn't here... in the city."

"Where is he, then?"

"He is on a mission, with my people, to a place west of here. Very far west. He helps them, and is great at what he does. He will be back in a few days. I should tell you, he is excited to see you."

Another question crossed Zho's mind.

"If he is okay, then... why didn't he return home to Seaside?" Zho asked.

Dr. Trant knew this question was coming, and still didn't know how to answer it.

"He wanted to stay," she said, which was a half truth.

"He did? Did he not love me and my mother?"

Dr. Trant looked at Zho. There was a sad expression on his face. 

"I will have to let your father explain," she said, though she knew she would have to talk to Kha before he had a chance to be with Zho. As it was, Zho was being shown little bits of this new world a little at a time, so as not to overwhelm him. Kha had handled things the same way, as did the others before them. And only one of them ever returned to their village. 

"Then I will wait," Zho said, "maybe my father can explain why. Me... I do not know if I want to return, though I worry for my mother."

"Your mother must miss you," Dr. Trant asked.

"Maybe," Zho said.

-

This was an aspect of New People that Dr. Trant found strangest. They didn't mourn loss like higher primates. The great apes had long since been removed from Earth, and, like humans, were scattered among the stars on various preserve planets. In many ways, the New People behaved more like lower primates. There would be the initial shock of a loss, and then they would simply go on.

What Dr. Trant did not tell Zho was what happened a few times when a New Person was allowed back to their village. It was disturbing. The two villages where this occurred were now gone entirely, but the violence of those incidents were unforgettable. That the villages were cut off from Seaside and the Centerlands was fortunate. 

New People would kill their own when confronted with the overwhelming. When these New People returned, something was triggered. Dr. Trant was beginning to suspect something more insidious in their genetic make up. They could show violence, but only on themselves.

This didn't happen all the time, of course.

The secret was getting them to remain silent, like Gioff Gotlu, and the two others like him, had done. 

And they had proven useful as well.