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Stories from the Verse
In Version
Chapter 134: Kondor 253
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Brown 278
Although Kondor had gotten better at finding his way around campus, the number of buildings that had been knocked down and the amount of reconstruction currently underway meant that it was a bit more difficult than he anticipated locating the current office of the language professor. He had met her before, briefly, but despite the variety of colors in their feathers it was not quite like recognizing a familiar face, at least for him. Still, he found her, and to avoid any chance of injuring her grabbed a language link from a student standing nearby.
“Professor!” he began enthusiastically in Parakeet.
“Cho?” she responded, mimicking his English name. “What can I do for you?”
“First, I never had the opportunity to thank you for developing the code used by the telegraphs. It has made a difference.”
“That? I hardly think so. After all, I think that that telephone and those radios have already replaced it.”
“Not entirely,” Joe said. “For long distance communication that can’t be intercepted, the telegraph is still the medium of choice. I know it was used during the war.”
“Well,” she said, sounding unconvinced, “Thank you. Was that all?”
He stepped a bit closer. “I have what might be an interesting opportunity for you.”
“Oh? Does that mean you need a favor, and you want me to think it’s to my benefit?”
Obviously this hen was not adequately compensated for her work on the telegraph. He wondered if he could address that. But first, the current matter.
“We won the war; we believe that the attackers cannot return, at least for many generations. However, some of them, mostly pilots and navigators of their ships, have been stranded here and captured--maybe a dozen worldwide, five of them being held here in our zoo.”
“And?”
“No one can talk to them.”
“Oh?” She seemed to be getting interested.
“Not exactly no one. Zeke and I can talk with them, using that same trick we use to talk with you. That’s not adequate, though. Someone has to figure out their language, and find a way to teach Parakeets to talk to them, and them to talk to Parakeets.”
“Why? Just kill them and be done with it.”
That was unexpected. He wondered if she’d lost someone during the war. He decided not to ask.
“That’s hardly civilized, Professor. We would hope that if they had taken prisoners they would treat them fairly and decently, and if we expect that of others we should do the same ourselves. In any case, we’re going to find someone to do this, and be the first bird to create a way to translate between Parakeet and an alien language, and I thought I should offer the opportunity to you first--what we call the right of first refusal.”
She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then said, “It’s impossible--how could I even get started?”
“Zeke and I would be available to translate between you and the aliens at least until you’re far enough along to continue without us.”
She nodded. “It’s going to be a big job. I might have to create an orthography for their sounds.”
“Or just use theirs.”
The expression on her face suggested she hadn’t thought of that. “That could work. All right. Can we start tomorrow morning, after breakfast--maybe ten o’clock?”
“We will meet you at the zoo; they are in one of the cages there.”
As to the old stories that have long been here:
