Read Online Howling Stones by Alan Dean Foster - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alan Dean Foster
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mean to imply otherwise,” he muttered.
“Of course. Nobody ever
means
to.” She boosted the skimmer another meter above the water.
Well out on the bay, the wind was now howling around them. He really would have preferred an enclosed, climate-controlled cockpit, but decided to hold off making the suggestion. Instead, he studied his surroundings intently. How the wind blew her burnished gold hair out behind her, how the sculpted profile of her face stood out pale against the green walls of the fjord—not forgetting to make mental notes on the surrounding terrain as well, of course.
“What’s so special about the Parramati, besides their reluctance to formalize relationships with outsiders?”
Reaching the end of the bay, she turned west, following the coast. Beneath the skimmer’s thrusters, the smooth waters of the encircling lagoon flashed by. Silicaceous pseudocorals shoved bumps and blades and nodules toward the surface.
“Everything. Their society is unique on Senisran. They’re friendly, polite, but defiant.”
“What are they defying? Everything is subject to negotiation. It’s not like we’re trying to impose our will on them.”
“But we are. However benignly, we’re imposing contemporary culture on them, be it in the form of a formal treaty of mutual cooperation, trade goods, weapons, politics, even comments and suggestions about art. The AAnn are doing the same. The Parramati reject nearly all of it. It’s not part of their kusum, you see.”
Pulickel blinked as the skimmer rocked slightly. “Their what?”
“The term is a phonetic coincidence, though it means much more than just custom. It signifies a way of life that goes beyond the superficial. It’s a way of looking at the entire cosmos. They’re afraid that if they ally themselves formally with either us or the AAnn, it will go against kusum and they’ll lose their way.”
“For a supposedly primitive people, that’s a relatively enlightened outlook.” He smiled thinly. “Of course, it never works. You can’t reject and ignore advanced technology once it’s been offered to you. If not the elders, then the youth of primitive species who are less steeped in tradition are always willing to try exciting new things. Historical xenology proves it over and over. Any group that attempts to exclude high tech soon finds that its less diffident neighbors have leapfrogged beyond them in terms of wealth, education, and the ability to wage war.”
“I know that.” She leaned back and let the autopilotguide the skimmer. “I’ve tried explaining it to them. They just humor me and insist that as long as they stick to their kusum, they’ll be all right.”
“Very admirable. Noble, even. But misguided. Stubbornness never works. Sooner or later on every inhabited world, those who advance assume control over or come to dominate those who do not. The natives of Ophhlia have already advanced a full classification by accepting and embracing the Commonwealth presence there.”
“The Parramati wouldn’t be impressed. You could offer them untold wealth. They’d consider it politely, discuss it at length, and if the determination was that it went against kusum, reject it outright no matter how many lives it would better. That’s why I’ve had such a hard time getting them to accept gifts.” The skimmer automatically eased around a small, sandy islet from which a flock of bright red gliders exploded into the sky like the outpouring of a burst crimson piñata.
“Like all the rest of it, the gift-giving rituals of their kusum are very elaborate. If I were to offer them something like a small, portable entertainment center, they’d have nothing equivalent with which to reciprocate and therefore, according to kusum, they couldn’t accept it. About all they’ll exchange readily are foodstuffs. There’s a soft drink concentrate from New Riviera that they’re particularly fond of. Swapping drinks doesn’t make for an instant treaty, but
“Of course. Nobody ever
means
to.” She boosted the skimmer another meter above the water.
Well out on the bay, the wind was now howling around them. He really would have preferred an enclosed, climate-controlled cockpit, but decided to hold off making the suggestion. Instead, he studied his surroundings intently. How the wind blew her burnished gold hair out behind her, how the sculpted profile of her face stood out pale against the green walls of the fjord—not forgetting to make mental notes on the surrounding terrain as well, of course.
“What’s so special about the Parramati, besides their reluctance to formalize relationships with outsiders?”
Reaching the end of the bay, she turned west, following the coast. Beneath the skimmer’s thrusters, the smooth waters of the encircling lagoon flashed by. Silicaceous pseudocorals shoved bumps and blades and nodules toward the surface.
“Everything. Their society is unique on Senisran. They’re friendly, polite, but defiant.”
“What are they defying? Everything is subject to negotiation. It’s not like we’re trying to impose our will on them.”
“But we are. However benignly, we’re imposing contemporary culture on them, be it in the form of a formal treaty of mutual cooperation, trade goods, weapons, politics, even comments and suggestions about art. The AAnn are doing the same. The Parramati reject nearly all of it. It’s not part of their kusum, you see.”
Pulickel blinked as the skimmer rocked slightly. “Their what?”
“The term is a phonetic coincidence, though it means much more than just custom. It signifies a way of life that goes beyond the superficial. It’s a way of looking at the entire cosmos. They’re afraid that if they ally themselves formally with either us or the AAnn, it will go against kusum and they’ll lose their way.”
“For a supposedly primitive people, that’s a relatively enlightened outlook.” He smiled thinly. “Of course, it never works. You can’t reject and ignore advanced technology once it’s been offered to you. If not the elders, then the youth of primitive species who are less steeped in tradition are always willing to try exciting new things. Historical xenology proves it over and over. Any group that attempts to exclude high tech soon finds that its less diffident neighbors have leapfrogged beyond them in terms of wealth, education, and the ability to wage war.”
“I know that.” She leaned back and let the autopilotguide the skimmer. “I’ve tried explaining it to them. They just humor me and insist that as long as they stick to their kusum, they’ll be all right.”
“Very admirable. Noble, even. But misguided. Stubbornness never works. Sooner or later on every inhabited world, those who advance assume control over or come to dominate those who do not. The natives of Ophhlia have already advanced a full classification by accepting and embracing the Commonwealth presence there.”
“The Parramati wouldn’t be impressed. You could offer them untold wealth. They’d consider it politely, discuss it at length, and if the determination was that it went against kusum, reject it outright no matter how many lives it would better. That’s why I’ve had such a hard time getting them to accept gifts.” The skimmer automatically eased around a small, sandy islet from which a flock of bright red gliders exploded into the sky like the outpouring of a burst crimson piñata.
“Like all the rest of it, the gift-giving rituals of their kusum are very elaborate. If I were to offer them something like a small, portable entertainment center, they’d have nothing equivalent with which to reciprocate and therefore, according to kusum, they couldn’t accept it. About all they’ll exchange readily are foodstuffs. There’s a soft drink concentrate from New Riviera that they’re particularly fond of. Swapping drinks doesn’t make for an instant treaty, but
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