Ram laughed. “We’d find that the mice were completely prepared to destroy us, take over our ship, fly back to Earth, and take over everything.”
“We would never,” said the alpha mouse.
“I was just pointing out that if we establish human colonies, it’s because we want to, not because there’s no other way,” said Noxon.
“Well,” said Ram, “whatever we do, I don’t propose to leave it all up to the mice.”
“The other ships have all decided to go back and test the proteins on both worlds,” said the expendable.
“How do we divide the fleet?” asked Ram.
“The computers have already divided the ships randomly into two groups of ten. We’re in the group that stays at this near world, while the others jump the fold to the far one.”
“The one with the tripods,” said Wheaton. “That’s a shame—I was most interested in studying them.”
“That’s how all the Wheatons felt,” said the expendable. “But then they all decided that both species need to be studied, so half the Wheatons have to take the second choice.”
Wheaton sighed. “I suppose for every Professor Wheaton who lost, there’s a Professor Wheaton that won.”
“Depending on how you define ‘won’ and ‘lost,’” said the expendable. “You could say that they all win, with an entirely new sentient species to study.”
“I feel much happier already,” said Wheaton.
“Ironic or sincere?” asked the expendable.
“Pissed off but compliant,” answered Wheaton.
Noxon sliced them through the time it took for the ship to fly into stationary orbit around the near planet. At Noxon’s insistence, the mice stayed on the ship with him and Ram, as Wheaton and the expendable flew down to the surface. “The scientist and the robot can do the job perfectly,” said Noxon. “The time traveler and the pilot have to stay here, in case we have to undo something horrible the mice have done.”
“So untrusting,” said the alpha mouse.
Noxon regarded this comment as not worth answering.
Wheaton and the expendable made frequent reports during their days of data collection. Ancestors of the scuttling aliens were easy enough to spot—they were already as close to sentience as, say, Homo habilis. Using tools, but not yet making fire. “It is difficult for Professor Wheaton to stay focused on the project at hand,” said the voice of the ship. “He keeps wanting to go backward and forward and the expendable has to keep reminding him that only Noxon can do that.”
During one of the lulls between reports, while Ram was exercising, Noxon said, more to himself than to Ram, “I miss Deborah.”
Ram didn’t answer, but the alpha mouse did. “Why didn’t you simply copy her and bring her along? There’d be twenty of her now. Plenty to go around.”
“She wanted eyes,” said Noxon. “The twenty who came with us would be disappointed for the rest of their lives.”
“What?” asked Ram. Now he heard.
“Just talking with the mice,” said Noxon.
“Whatever you say to them, they’re going to use against you later,” said Ram.
“Unless we use it for you,” said the alpha mouse.
“He can’t hear you,” murmured Noxon.
“I wasn’t talking to him,” said the alpha.
“I’ll eventually find someone among the colonists,” said Noxon. “I’m not worried.”
“You’re really strange-looking,” said the alpha. “Most of the colonists will be completely repulsed by you.”
“Is that why all the females were pregnant five times over before they came on this voyage?” asked Noxon. “So they wouldn’t have to do something as repulsive as mate with a small-testicled male like you? Or was I right that you were castrated?”
“I don’t have body-image issues the way humans do,” said the alpha.
“No, you don’t have any kind of shame at all,” said Noxon.
“Someday you’ll understand us,” said the alpha.
After three days, thousands of samples had been brought aboard and stored in the gene banks. The conclusion was clear. Most of the proteins that humans needed could be found readily among the native flora and fauna on both worlds. And a simple array of fast-spreading, highly edible plants would make up the deficiencies. “We can release any Earth fauna we choose,” said Wheaton, “and thus we’ll have meat to eat and enough plants for a varied and pleasing diet.”
“That’s what they’ve found on the other world,” said the expendable, “except that they need to spread a different array of Earth plants.”
“So, no destruction?” asked Noxon.
“Are you disappointed?” asked Ram.
“I still think that walls are a good idea,” said Noxon.
“Because you grew up in a wallfold,” said Ram.
“We can give the mice one wallfold,” said Noxon. “And reserve one on each world for the aliens alone.”
“And give us one to combine with them,” said the alpha mouse.
“If we give one wallfold to aliens and mice together, we have to make sure there’s a tight lid on their technology,” said Noxon. “I’m afraid of what their combined abilities might lead to.”
“Happiness and peace for all sentient species everywhere,” said the alpha mouse.
“No doubt,” said Noxon.
“Same discussion on most of the other ships,” said the expendable.
“Most?” asked Ram. “So we’ve diverged?”
“Two ships on the far world and one here have to deal with a Wheaton with a broken hip,” said the expendable. “It slowed down the decision making.”
“I thought you’d protect me,” said Wheaton accusingly.
“I can’t always anticipate the stupid choices of human beings,” said the expendable.
“Stop bickering,” said Ram. “Dividing up the world is the obvious choice. We have to decide what to do with the extra humans who won’t be needed to found a colony in three of the wallfolds.”
“We can establish more wallfolds than we have ships,” said Noxon. “Let’s make thirteen colonies on each world, ten for humans, one each for aliens and mice, and one for both.”
“Must there also be a colony that includes both mice and humans?”
“I hope not,” said Wheaton.
“Of course,” said Noxon.
“At least don’t let ours be that colony!” said Wheaton.
“You’ll get used to them,” said Noxon.
“That means you already agreed to have ours be the human colony that has mice,” said Wheaton.
“Unless you plan to mate and settle down, Professor,” said Ram, “I think all the copies of you should regularly visit all the colonies. Sleep in stasis in between inspections. See how the alien species are developing, now that they have humans and mice interfering.”
“Assisting,” corrected the alpha mouse. “At least that’s what we’ll be doing.”
“I think that’s an excellent plan,” said Wheaton. “I only wish I could publish my findings.”
“You should write down everything you see and conjecture,” said Ram, “and we’ll eventually share it with every world.”
“One more need,” said the expendable. “A name for each of these worlds.”
“‘Garden’ is already taken,” said Noxon.
“I don’t think the worlds should be named for any of us,” said Wheaton.
“Never crossed my mind,” said Ram.
“Said the man with two wallfolds named for him,” said Noxon.
“I didn’t name them,” said Ram. “I’ve never been there.”
“How about Roach and Tripod?” asked Noxon.
“‘Roach’ is hardly expressive of a desire to get along with them,” said Wheaton.
“All that ‘Roach’ will mean in a generation or two will be the name of a world,” said Noxon.
“The human settlers will know from the start,” said Ram. “They may never let go of the associations. We need them to speak of the natives with respect, at least inside the shared wallfold.”