01 Taxilas Children

TAXILA'S CHILDREN
the planet, despite all that had been taught about the incompatibility of enzymes. The theory
was that alien food could kill a human being, either by direct poisoning, or through the
inability of the human digestion to get anything out of the food substance. He hadn't thought
much about it, he had survived on the diet provided by Caela for fifty days when he had been
unconscious, and he was still around and comparatively healthy.
He avoided looking directly at Lyot but he could feel the intense stare of his host. It was to
be expected, it wasn't every day that the average Thane found himself the host of a man from
another star system. The Lady Hepha had a different look, one of wariness. No doubt, Hara
had been well and truly mind searched by his formidable hostess and a complete knowledge
of their private moments had been extracted. Steve made the point of returning her gaze with
a frank and steady eye. They had done nothing for which they ought to be ashamed and he
saw no reason why they should have to account to a third person, even if she was a high-born
lady. The thought must have registered, there was a noticeable tightening of the lips, which
reminded him of his mother when she was on the warpath.
Danyk pushed Krin along to his rightful place at the table and sat himself beside Steve,
who gave him a quick look. There was nothing in his expression to show what he thought of
the verdict Zayez had given. The old man had been given the place of honour next to him and
at the right hand of Lyot. The meal began without preamble and the room became silent
expect for the sounds of two hundred people eating the food. Ivan would have been at home
in this assembly, he had almost appreciated a healthy appetite. Steve felt a stab of anguish at
the thought of his dead brother - and of Mars. Zayez suddenly spoke in his mind.
"Emissary Steve Holt from the Confederation of New Earth, tell us of your people, so that
all may know of what I have seen in your thoughts."
Steve hesitated, it was an unexpected request and he wanted to choose his words carefully.
He tried to explain with his limited vocabulary.
"Once, the ancestors of those who live on New Earth, lived on the planet Earth - which we
now called Old Earth. Old Earth is the third planet from our sun and one of a family of nine.
Man gained control over all the other species on Old Earth and became the dominant sentient
being on the planet. Although he conquered all other species, he didn't learn to conquer
himself and his greed. He abused and despoiled his beautiful world and eventually, he was
forced to abandon it. We call that event, the Evacuation. When they saw that the planet was
doomed, they constructed space ships to transport them off the planet. They then built an
orbiting space station and then, later, they journeyed to the fourth planet which is called
Mars. This is my birth-world. All this happened over two hundred years ago in Earth years.
From that time, man learned to master the harsh environment of Mars and also to live in
space in orbiting asteroids which he built to orbit the third and fourth planets. From the
comparatively few survivors, the population has started to grow again. We have now arrived
at the situation that resources can't meet our expanding needs."
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