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because there are pretty disorganized people wandering around at that time,
looking for food.
"The Golden Saia are not a different variety of Tran, nor are the Tran a
species of Saia." He ges-tured at
Hunnar, at Elfa, at Ta-hoding. "You and the Saia are the same people."
A mate made a disgusted noise.
"The Saia are the warm-weather mode of the Tran. During the onset of cold,
those who survive the radical weather change develop thick fur. Wing dan
appear and podal claws expand and grow to become chiv for traveling across the
ice." He sat down behind his table of living fossils.
"Think what such cataclysmic change would do to a developing but still
primitive society. Famine, death
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Alan Dean Foster - Mission to Moulokin from exposure, the near instant
destruction of familiar food supplies. Sea travel obliterated, cutting off
inter-continental and interisland communication. A drastic reduction in
population which explains the extent of these cities compared to the size of
present Tran com-munities.
"It explains, Hunnar, why your people retain no memory of your warm weather
ancestors. Survival would be more than enough to occupy every mobile minute of
the dazed remnants of that hot climate civilization. How to make a fire, how
to cook food, those would be the important things to hand down to shivering
children. Not history. Given the frequency of the warm-cold weather cycle, you
never have the chance to catch your racial breath."
"No ice free-flowing water for oceans?" Hunnar's expression showed both horror
and disbelief, as if someone had proved unequivocally that the world was flat.
"No ice," said Ethan slowly. "And probably no real winds to speak of, either.
Rain instead of snow and ice particles good-water-falling-from-the-sky," he
trans-lated awkwardly, remembering that the Tran had no word for rain.
"No ice." Hunnar seemed unable to pass beyond that incredible concept. "One
could fall all the way through to the center of the world."
"Water can support you, Hunnar, though not as well as ice." Ethan forbore
trying to describe what swimming was.
"The more reason for this confederation." Septem-ber brought them back to the
present, back from speculations future and past. "If this information can be
conveyed back to a few Commonwealth bureau-crats in the right agencies, it
could mean a change so big and important here that well, I can't put into
words what it would mean to your people, Hunnar.
"More o' less, it'd mean that the next time your world warms up and you
develop a nice, burgeoning society, get yourselves growing good and proper,
then when it turns cold again, Commonwealth technology will be there to help
you cope. Assumin' the Common-wealth stands. I don't make predictions for any
government. They've got a disconcertin' way o' self-destructing.
"And you'd be able to develop a true planetary society for the first time,
gain a continuity of racial development and history your world's knocked down
every time its gotten started.
"But it won't do anybody any good unless we get this knowledge to Commonwealth
authorities and show them there's a world here cryin' out for associate status
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and some honest recognition."
XVI
It was several days before they broke into the As-sembly. The impressive domed
chamber was buried beneath a huge slide. That unstable ground made Ethan and
several others reluctant to enter, despite the apparent stability of the
intact ceiling. Williams and Eer-Meesach could not be restrained, however.
They were followed by others, reluctantly, into the largest enclosed space
they'd found on Tran-ky-ky.
Built of stone and metal so solid that it supported the cumulative weight of
dirt, rock and structures above it, the dome was filled with engravings and
mosaics which proved conclusively most of William's assumptions.
"You were not entirely correct, my friend." Eer-Meesach ran a gnarled finger
across one wall bas-relief.
"The yellowish grass does not drive out the pika-pina but rather is a warm
weather variety of it, as the
Golden Saia are warm weather versions of us Tran."
Williams was examining the carvings, nodding slowly in agreement. "Probably
the nutrients con-centrated in the pika-pina and pedan are moved land-ward and
help to revive the dormant grasslands."
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Alan Dean Foster - Mission to Moulokin
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