Free The Candle of Distant Earth by Alan Dean Foster Page A

already know, we have no such vessels, nor the ability to construct them, nor the inclination to pilot them.” Bright black eyes locked onto Walker’s own. “Other species, however, do.”
    Walker halted and stared down at the diminutive delegate. Ussakk the Astronomer and Mardalm the Linguist were eying him with equal intensity, he noted. So was George, though more out of casual curiosity than with intensity.
    â€œAre you asking for our help?” were the first words out of Marcus’s mouth.
    Ever the diplomat, Sehblidd kept his whiskers carefully parallel to the ground. “It was
your
companion who brought up the need for the weak to seek out strong allies.”
    â€œMy companion has a big mouth.” Walker glared down at George with an expression that said clearly,
That’s right—put me in the middle.
    â€œIn the first place,” he told the trio of suddenly very attentive Hyfft, “we’re trying to get home. Involving ourselves in an ongoing armed conflict between two other species wouldn’t exactly hasten us on our way.”
    â€œCertainly true,” agreed the respectful Sehblidd.
    â€œIn the second place, this isn’t a military expedition.”
    â€œBut you travel with individual weapons and armor. Surely your ships carry armament as well?” Ussakk asked.
    â€œYes, they do, but they’re for defensive purposes only,” Walker countered protectively.
    â€œUnderstandable,” agreed the ever amenable delegate, whiskers locked rigidly in place.
    â€œAnd lastly,” Walker concluded, “that kind of decision isn’t up to me. It lies with Commander-Captain Gerlla-hyn and the captains and staff of the three Niyyuuan starships who are trying to help us find our way home.”
    â€œOf course,” Sehblidd acknowledged without argument.
    â€œBesides which,” George added forcefully, intrigued at the direction conversation had taken, “you don’t even know when these Iollth are liable to hit you again. Could be next week, could be next century. Even if we and our pack friends had a collective attack of temporary insanity, we can’t hang around here waiting for them to put in an appearance. When I suggested you needed strong allies, I meant allies who’d be available to assist you all the time. Not casual passersby like ourselves.” He looked up at Walker. “After the celebrations and the exchange of mutual howdy-dos are over, we’re out of here. Right, Marc?
Marc?
”
    â€œWhat? Oh, sorry, George. I was just thinking.”
    â€œWell, don’t,” the dog instructed him. “It tends to get us into trouble. Unless you’re thinking about cooking. And sometimes that gets us into trouble, too.”
    â€œThen you won’t help us?” Sehblidd murmured. Three pairs of dark eyes continued to gaze mournfully up at the tall human.
    â€œLook,” Walker finally told them, after what an increasingly uneasy George felt was far too long a pause, “even if the decision was made to do so, what makes you think we’d have anything to defend? Your own people would have to agree to stand up and fight. You just said that your people had ‘adapted to the necessity.’”
    â€œAdapted, yes,” Sehblidd told him, and this time the tips of his white whiskers arced noticeably forward. “But that does not mean any of them are happy about it. It is an accommodation that was forced on us because we have not been able to see any other alternative. Offered one…” He let the implication hang in the air.
    â€œWe’re on our way home,” Walker informed them decisively. “We’ve no idea how long it’s going to take us to get there, or even if we’ll be successful in the attempt. We may have to give up and return to Niyu, the world of our hosts. We can’t stay here, waiting to help you defend yourselves against an assault that may not come