Birthright

“I'll meet you at the spaceport this evening,” said Tanayoka. “And Mrs. Orta, there is one other

consideration.”

“Oh?” asked Consuela, her eyebrows rising. “My department is being pressured to come up with a solution, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass some of that pressure down the line to you.” “How much time do I have?”

“Twenty days.”

“Twenty days!” she exploded. “Do you realize how long it takes to learn an alien tongue, or to discover what motivates an alien mind, or—”

“They originally gave me ten days,” said Tanayoka apologetically. “This is the best I can do.”

“Well, you can tell your department that I think it stinks!” “I do have the authority to make you come,” said Tanayoka softly. “Oh, I'll come, all right. There's not much I can do in twenty days, but these poor creatures deserve some consideration before you exterminate them!”

She was still fuming when she boarded Tanayoka's ship, and she hadn't calmed down appreciably by the time they landed on Beelzebub. Tanayoka escorted her to an armored groundcar and took her to the mining sight. Seven small mountains had been strip-mined. The miners had carefully restored the landscape before moving on, and had broken down their ore refinery, which had been at the base of the largest mountain.

“Where was their ship, and at what point were they attacked?” asked Consuela after she had given the area a cursory inspection.

“The ship was about two miles south of us,” replied Tanayoka, “and the miners were attacked just about where you and I are standing.”

“I assume they fought back?'’ she said dryly. “Their contract gives them the right to defend themselves,” said Tanayoka, “although it specifically prohibits offensive or aggressive actions.” “I don't suppose anyone thought to save an alien corpse?” “I'm afraid our weapons fried them to a crisp,” admitted Tanayoka. “However, I do have some photographs of the aliens taken by Elaine Bowman, the Pioneer who opened the planet up.” “Why didn't you show them to me during our flight?” asked Consuela. “You never asked,” said Tanayoka.