“Humans have tried, many times, social structures very similar to our way. The results have been abysmal — for the sole reason, I believe, that they are not us. Your first assigned reading for discussion tomorrow is Bradford’s chronicles of the Plymouth Colony. You may use my translation; get it from my buckley. As you read, keep in mind that these were mentally healthy humans, of a high degree of ethical development for the species, virtually all of whom deeply believed a way like ours would work and wanted it to work. Do not make the mistake of assuming it failed because of a few aberrants who sabotaged it. Instead, look at how application of a system that would have worked for Indowy served the whole. Our whole premise for why our way is moral is how it serves the whole,” he emphasized.
“First lesson — always evaluate human species’ sanity in terms of how their systems of social organization serve the whole of that society. It is human societies that are their analogues of our clans, not their ‘families.’ Families are incorrectly classified in the literature as proto-clans. In this assignment, think of them as breeding groups, instead. That analogy is usually, but not always, more apt than the proto-clan one. We will study why and when later. For a start, the O’Neals are a bit more of the exception than the rule. I find I am usually most correct when I think of the entire O’Neal Bane Sidhe as now folded into Clan O’Neal. Usually, I think of the human Father Nathan O’Reilly more as a senior clan planner serving at the pleasure of the O’Neal Clan Head. It is very close to accurate, and often the best approximation for Clan Aelool purposes.”
“I do not understand. The human planner O’Reilly’s leadership in the human component of the Bane Sidhe considerably predates the split,” his apprentice said. “He is accepted as being of senior rank to the O’Neal.”
“True. Yet if it came to an unresolvable policy dispute, the organization would not further split. Instead, Human Planner O’Reilly would choose to relinquish his position, unhappily but without external pressure, in favor of the candidate preferred by the O’Neal. By our standards, all the O’Neal Bane Sidhe are O’Neals. Hence the name. However, for some reason specifying this to him distresses the O’Neal, although he clearly takes full responsibility for all the others. Witness that there is a second O’Neal Bane Sidhe base on Earth. It is his own home, run directly by him. The ‘Edisto Island’ base. The terminology bothers him, apparently out of something the humans call ‘modesty.’ It is no use calling it that to him — modesty is an attribute he does not believe he possesses. I humor him, the Indowy Beilil humors him, as must you. I learned this, by the way, from the Sunday annexation. Clan O’Neal is the most vital human society to the Galactic future, and we must carefully nurture it in a healthy direction. Clan Aelool and Clan Beilil consider the Plan entirely remapped by this unexpected development of Clan O’Neal as a growing human ‘society.’ More or less. Alien minds are alien — the clan to society analogy is not exact. Second lesson for the day. Inflexibility in the face of large situational changes is a countersurvival trait for the whole. A bit of human wisdom, ‘No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.’ ”
The young Indowy winced again.
The Clan Head sighed, “No, do not shrug it off because of the barbaric phrasing. We Indowy, and all we Galactic races, do that far too much. It means one cannot plan wisely if one does not adapt to large situational changes. How can the humans be rightly considered such irredeemable barbarians if they have wisdoms they can teach us?”
“I am not wise enough to dispute with the wise, Clan Head, but I respect that as a Clan Head with your expertise, you may best judge if you yourself are. Particularly regarding human xenology.”
“In this, I am quite certain that I am correct. Quite, quite certain indeed. Consider the Himmit and Tchpth… unconvinced, but cautiously interested in our research, so long as we manage it as safely as possible. The Tchpth’s human xenopsychology researches take a more direct, active interest in the Michelle branch of Clan O’Neal. Which has implications for some other developing situations, beyond your level of study.”
“That explains much of Clan Aelool policy on a level I can understand. Thank you, sir.”
“Come. Allow me to show you some of the work we do here.”
The Indowy Aelool entered a room decorated in colors and patterns that offended the young Indowy’s eyes, and would have similarly affected all of his species. The Aelool had equipped the room with odd, unexplained human devices. He donned a human-style garment, cut to his size, that covered much of his photosynthetic surface. Then he picked up a flat ceramic disk with brown rectangular solids of food, covered by a clear human plastic. All of this was quite bizarre. If he had not known better, and if the matter were not unthinkable, the young Indowy would have feared for his Clan Head’s rationality.
“All of this presentation is necessary. Especially the ‘apron.’ ” He gestured to the Earth-cloth garment. “Come,” he said again, carrying the disk in his hands as he left the odd room, walking down to the moving box humans preferred to decent bounce tubes.
“These foods, by the way, are completely ethically clean. They are also metabolically enhanced as I described, obviously,” he said.
The Aelool asked his buckley PDA a question in a human language. Fabulous collaboration between the humans and Tchpth, that. The collaboration aspect was unwitting on the part of the humans, of necessity, but still a fabulous invention. Ridiculously fragile and short-lived, but so incredibly inexpensive! Aelool had assured him that it genuinely did not attempt to spy on you. His Clan Head apparently believed it. Amazing.
He spoke no further as he led his younger clan brother into areas frequented by humans. The young Indowy made every effort to copy his senior’s mannerisms, ruthlessly suppressing all natural fear and, especially, thought of fear.
They approached a human that even the youngster had no difficulty identifying as a female, treated for proper longevity or very young adult, in excellent health. Her head tendrils were a pale, silvery yellow and fell to her shoulders. The colorful parts of her eyes were a clear, bright blue.
“Miss O’Neal, my favorite test subject! I am most happy to see you. May I offer you a brownie?” The Clan Head pulled back the flexible plastic, which stuck to itself awkwardly, and presented the disk of food to the woman.
“Oooh. Thanks, Aelool.” She picked up a brown square and began munching rapidly. Her smile tried to cover the teeth, but with imperfect effect since she was eating the food.
He tried to look away, and kept his gestures under control, but could smell the stink of his own fear pheremones begin to waft into the air. Fortunately, he had been told, humans could not scent or recognize them. This one’s nostrils flared, though, in a way that made him doubt his information. Still, she seemed thoroughly preoccupied with the food.