The Draco Tavern - Larry Niven [30]
“I thought it was more dangerous to leave him in a predator’s grip.”
She didn’t answer. Bennett turned red. He said, “You hunted him wearing a flying belt.”
I said, “Z. Wayne, it strikes me that a lift belt is no different from a hunter’s gun except that it’s not a weapon. Do you hunt?”
He glared.
“If you were strong enough, you’d hunt without the gun. Tefee tee hatch nex ool means their world has lighter gravity, that’s the tefee, with air enough like ours to breath, that’s the tee.”
“Still cheatin’.” To the female, “And who gave you the right to hunt my boy?”
The female said, “Need.”
I said, “Oh, come on.”
She said, “Doctor Schumann, the hunt triggers our appetite. We need eat only seldom, but we must gorge then. You can testify.”
Bennett said, “What?”
“I ported stocks of their food from the market,” I told him. “I haven’t seen them eat, but I know how much food goes up. At first none, then lots.”
“If we can’t work up hunger during a hunt,” she said, “we become malnourished, or we must take noxious medicine.”
“Don’t we all,” I muttered.
“The effect is temporary. We will be lucky to last twenty days. Then, if we cannot hunt, we must endure cold sleep. We had expected to study Earth and mankind for two years.”
I had given his children the thrill of a lifetime, then let Bennett confront the entity he’d shot. She had shown him the risk he had taken with his son’s life. If Bennett could stay reasonable, couldn’t I? But these idiots were throwing it all away, and I was getting angry.
“You don’t have a problem,” I said. “If you need to hunt, arrange a hunt! I’ve hunted with the Folk myself! They sold the TV rights and videotaped it!”
“Hunt by arrangement?” She couldn’t believe it.
“Live at eleven,” Bennett said grimly.
Better take care of Bennett’s grievance first. I said, “Mr. Bennett threatens exposure, as is his right. The price of raising a child until he’s finished college is around a hundred thousand American dollars, I think.”
“Skeep? Price is stunningly high!”
“You might have got a better price by getting his agreement first!”
Silver Tongue asked, “What would you do, warn the victim?”
“Sure.”
“No,” said Silverback.
“The thing is,” Bennett said doggedly, “my wife talked me into coming here first. She’s walking today because her spine got fixed by some alien technique I can’t spell or pronounce. I’m asking because you might ... might have a rational answer. What gave you the right to attack my son?”
“We must buy that.”
“After stealing it!”
Silverback said, “We hoped for two years on Earth, continue on the next liner. If Earth cannot feed us, we must endure cold sleep beginning tomorrow! Feeding aliens, isn’t that your business, Rick?” She examined me hopefully; gave up and turned to Ham. “But you are harmed, debt must be paid. Skreee?”
Her mate said, “Price is ridiculous in the up direction.”
Ham said, “I’m all right.”
I wanted the price to sting a little. I said to the birds, “Your sense of proportion is way off. What if you did catch an orphan? There wouldn’t be anyone to deal with.”
“An orphan would be the business of local government,” Silver Tongue said.
“Were you ready to ask the French government to name their price?” Sacre bleu, I thought.
“Is France rapacious?”
“No, it’s governments that are rapacious ... and lawyers. You’ve attacked Ham in the United States of America, where lawyers are thicker than anywhere on Earth!” I had my second bright notion. “You try that again, you’ll be lucky not to lose your place aboard Clickety-ponk to some small boy with stars in his eyes and a smart-mouthed lawyer.” That should push some buttons.
Ham stared at me. Then he pulled at his father’s sleeve. “Dad?”
Silver Tongue said, “You exaggerate for effect. I offer two bars silver, two pounds each.”
Ham’s eyes weren’t really glowing, and no alien could read so subtle a signal. But Ham and his father were trying to interrupt each other, and suddenly Z. Wayne bellowed, “You would never see me or your mother again! Nor Lilly either!