“How interesting,” said Loaf. “They’ve been chattering constantly until you asked that.”
“It’s what they plan to do with the Visitors, yes?” asked Rigg. “Get aboard their ship, go to Earth, and then breed their brains out.”
“They’re a breeding pair,” said Loaf.
Rigg did not mention that there were almost certainly many dozens of breeding pairs among the rest of the mice aboard. “So if we take them into Larfold, they intend to establish themselves there?”
The mice immediately struck the pose that showed that they were speaking into Loaf’s ears. But Rigg had long since decided that this pose was just for show. Loaf could hear them perfectly well no matter which way they faced, and they were so small that at any distance—like across the cabin of the flyer—it was nearly impossible to see when their lips moved in speech. So they struck this pose when they wanted to be seen to be speaking.
“They say the thought hadn’t occurred to them,” said Loaf.
Rigg said nothing. Nor did anyone else.
“All right, they admit that was a lie,” said Loaf. “They do intend to colonize Larfold. They say that since the people of Larfold live in the ocean, the land is fallow and there’s no reason not to use it.”
“It would be the first invasion of one wallfold by the people of another,” said Rigg.
“Not an invasion,” said Loaf. “Colonization.”
“And the colonization of Garden was so gentle on the natives the first time around,” said Olivenko.
“Since we’re going into Larfold in the past, it will give them many generations there before the Visitors come,” said Umbo.
“If they make weapons in Odinfold,” said Param, “and bring down destruction on that wallfold, they will still survive in Larfold—along with the knowledge of weapons-making, I assume.”
“So many possible plans,” said Rigg. “No, I don’t think I’ll let them pass through the Wall.”
Again they chattered into Loaf’s ear.
“Tell them not to bother with another set of lies,” said Rigg.
“They know,” said Loaf. “They want you to understand that they assumed you would see them all, and didn’t understand why you hadn’t already mentioned their presence.”
“Another lie,” said Rigg. “They didn’t have to come stealthily, they could have done it openly. They chose to be deceptive.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Umbo.
“There are more than a hundred mice on the flyer,” said Rigg. “Since they were traveling ‘with’ us, I suppose they thought that would qualify them to go through the Wall.”
“Where are they?” asked Param.
“There are two in your hair,” said Rigg.
Param shrieked and combed through her hair with her fingers; the mice leapt out onto the seat back and then out of sight behind the chairs.
“In all our clothes,” said Rigg. “I’d appreciate it if they’d all assemble here in plain sight.”
Within moments, a swarm of mice was visible, tightly packed on the floor, perched on chair backs, and at the controls of the flyer.
“The flyer is not to obey any commands from the mice,” said Rigg.
“Understood,” said the voice of the ship’s computer.
“Have they given you any commands?” asked Rigg.
“They chose the point where the flyer should land,” said the ship’s voice.
“Silbom’s left . . .” began Umbo.
“This is way beyond Silbom,” said Olivenko.
“I didn’t hear them command anything,” said Loaf.
“They click their teeth, they tap their toes,” said the ship’s voice. “They slide and brush against surfaces, they sigh and gasp. It is a language as complete as any other. They taught me centuries ago.”
“Were they prepared to crash the flyer?” asked Rigg.
“Yes,” said the ship’s voice. “If you made any attempt to kill them, I was to make a fatal impact into the ground.”
“So I’m not in charge of you at all,” said Rigg.
“You had not yet commanded me not to obey the mice.”
“Very smart group,” said Rigg. “Much smarter than we are, with so many here.”
“Not really,” said Loaf. “They can handle more tasks and recall more data, when there are this many. But they aren’t any wiser, necessarily. It depends on how you define ‘smart.’ ”
“After all the times we’ve been lied to,” said Umbo, “I can’t believe I was believing mice.”
“They’re so cute,” said Param bitterly.
“Fatally,” said Umbo.
“I’m afraid our rodent companions have the odd notion that because they created us, after a fashion, they can do with us whatever they want,” said Rigg.
The mice sat rigid, regarding him steadily.
“It’s the mistake a lot of parents make about their children,” Olivenko added.
“I give an order that must survive my death. No mice will be allowed to pass through the Wall, ever.”
“Understood,” said the ship’s voice.
“And agreed to?” asked Rigg.
“Your commands cannot survive your death,” said the ship’s voice. “But we agree with the desirability of this command and we will continue to respect it.”
“The jewels confer authority only on persons of human shape,” said Rigg. “Is that rule agreed to?”
“Yes,” said the ship’s computer.
“They think you’re a bigot,” said Loaf.
“I think they’ve proven themselves to regard the killing of humans as one of their rights,” said Rigg. “That puts them in a different category.”
“They’re saying all kinds of soothing things,” said Loaf. “But I don’t believe them, and so it’s hardly worth telling you what they’re saying.”
The mice all turned as one to face Loaf.
“I think you just pissed them off,” said Umbo.
“Do you want the flyer to proceed to the landing place the mice selected?” asked the ship’s voice.
“Yes,” said Rigg. “I’m assuming that many thousands of mice are already waiting there, expecting to cross into Larfold. We might as well have a conversation with this squad of would-be colonists as a whole.”
“They don’t have to listen to you,” said Loaf. “That’s what they just said to me.”
“And we don’t have to listen to them,” said Rigg. “We also don’t have to take any of them with us into the past.”
“They think they know how to attach to your timefield as you shift,” said Loaf. “They tried it out when you went back to get Param.”
“I wonder if that’s true,” said Rigg.
“They’re practically screaming that it’s very, very true,” said Loaf.
“Just what they’d do if it were a lie,” said Olivenko.
“Suppose one mouse always lies, and one always tells the truth,” said Loaf.
“Ask one if he’s a liar, and then ask the other one if the first one told the truth,” said Param. “That’s an old one.”
“The trouble is,” said Rigg, “they might both be liars. In fact, I’m pretty sure that we can’t believe anything they say.”
“I think there are too many of them,” said Olivenko. “They have a lot of redundancy. I think a little mouse-stomping would thin the herd.”
Mice skittered away from him.
“It’s our one advantage,” said Olivenko. “We can break their little skulls under our feet.”
“Or between our fingers,” said Umbo. “Much less elaborate than sliding a slab of metal into Param’s throat while she’s time-slicing.”
“I don’t think we need to declare war quite yet,” said Rigg. “Besides, from the paths I’m seeing, there are several dozen who are not out in the open here. They’re all deep inside the machinery of the flyer. I think that regardless of who actually commands the flyer, this vehicle will crash if the mice feel threatened.”