Footfall

“The fithp complain that their warriors have not been well treated, and that many were killed as they attempted to surrender. The fithp regard this as barbaric.” Dawson’s voice registered bitter amusement.

“The surrender gesture is easily seen. They lie on their backs, rendering themselves helpless. This gesture is deeply embedded into their psychology. One might say it is deep within their very souls. They do not surrender lightly, and when they do, the submission is total. You may believe this. It is true.

“Their leader or Admiral-the word translates to herdmaster as closely as anything else-has asked me to speak to you in order to save slaughter. He says that he can deliver many asteroids, and drop them precisely where he wishes. They do not need to go to the asteroid belt. They can use lunar rocks. Their command of space is complete and they have begun construction of a lunar base.

“When they first approached Earth we all wondered what they wanted. We know now. They intend to live on the Earth. They intend that all humans submit. They have come to stay. They mean to be the dominant but not the only intelligent species on Earth. They have assured me-and I believe them-that they will take the surrender of all humans, and they will incorporate them into their herd.

“Those of their race who surrender become the property of the herd. Eventually they or their descendants may find status therein. For biological reasons humans will never be able to integrate as fithp have traditionally done, but our descendants will be their partners. The human herd will be allowed to live under man-made rules. They will study us to know what those rules shall be.

“We will be allowed to choose our own rules so long as they do not conflict with fithp dominance, but they insist that we must live by the rules we choose. They do not tolerate rogues. We will achieve mankind’s oldest dream, to be one people, with one philosophy, one set of rules for all of us. They do nothing alone. A individual’s acts are taken to be the responsibility of his grout In particular, the fithp mating practices are entirely instinctual going by mating seasons, and they mate for life.”

Good-bye to individualism. Reynolds shuddered. A moment later, Hello, monogamy. Interesting.

Dawson went on. “They intend to do what they must to rule the Earth. They regret the great loss of life from the Foot, but this will not stop them from sending another, and another, until humans understand the great power of the fithp.

“Until you do understand, they have no wish to kill noncombatants. There is a symbol—”

Dawson was describing a fithp on its back, Oh? We use a red cross—

“—urge you not to misuse the symbol. They will be watching. Using the ‘harmless’ symbol for military equipment or installation will result in bombardment of all the places so marked. They se more than you believe they can see. Their radars and lasers are efficient and powerful

They would be.

“Do understand,” Dawson’s recorded voice said. “The Chtap tisk Fithp mean what they say. They have crossed light-years a space to come here. They will not go home. They will be here for centauries.

“They are a collective people who live by strict rules in herds Evolution has eliminated all the rogues from the fithp. They will give humans good treatment by their standards. They would prefer to take the Earth in good condition, but take it they must. Their large spacecraft is their world until they do.”

“Very good,” Wade Curtis said. His voice was loud in the quiet.

Fuck him, he’s staring at the walls. “Centauries. Alpha Centauries.”

Joe Ransom said, “They let him get away with a lot. You caught that, at the end? There’s no backup. What they’ve got, we’ve seen. And they can’t go home, I was right there—”

“-Uses his tone of voice like a fine working tool. ‘By their standards.” Sherry mused, “I wonder if they’ll want us to follow their mating seasons? And of course the fithp won’t catch any of that.”

The President and the Navy men watched in evident surprise. The Dreamer Fithp were all over that speech like dogs on a stag.

“Monogamy, anyway, Sherry. He made quite a point of it. I wonder if they saw some X-rated movie.”

“Whatever,” Curtis said. “Dawson is one smart son of a bitch. Can we hear that again?”

The air-duct pipes narrowed. Alice felt trapped, and for a moment she thought of turning back. Then she set her jaw, hard, and went on.

She rounded a turn. He was there.

Wes Dawson was curled into a small ball. Fetal position. The really sick ones do that. In the movies they always go violent. The therapists would love it if they could get that much action on the closed wards.

Dawson didn’t move as she came closer to him.

He didn’t answer.

“Wes, it’s Alice—”

“I ate shit for the sake of that Don’t-Bomb-Me symbol.”

She said nothing. Didn’t I used to do that? Try to blow the therapist’s mind by using dirty words? And Mrs. Fitzpatrick caught me at it.

“Well, I’m going to be famous.”