Lost Past (33 page)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"No," said Jason frantically.
 
"Neither of us will do it."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"He is not worth anything anymore," said
Gjeye
.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"That's no reason to kill him," said Jason.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"He is dying and in pain."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Then he can kill himself," Jason said stubbornly.
 
"It's his decision, not yours."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gjeye
didn't understand the human.
 
Why would anyone prolong the suffering of a Bud?
 
It was sadistic.
 
But he needed the human to get off the surface of this moon.
 
He had to deal with him somehow.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Should he let the Bud die, and be through with it?
 
No, that wasn't right.
 
Perhaps he could reason with the human.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Then let him make the decision,"
Gjeye
said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"How?
 
He can't talk."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Ask him."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Do you want to die, Bud?" Jason asked.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Bud was slow to answer.
 
Gjeye
understood.
 
He didn't want to die, but knew he must.
 
He slowly and reluctantly nodded his head.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jason stood there clutching the knife.
 
Gjeye
was uncertain as to human gestures, but understood that Jason was unconvinced.
Gjeye
asked the Bud, "Do you want one of us to kill you?"

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Bud nodded his head vigorously.
 
Jason looked appalled.
 
He refused to release or use the knife.
 
All the while the Bud was suffering.
 
Gjeye
realized that Jason was totally irrational and would be unable to kill the Bud.

             
"Give me the knife," he said gently.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
             
"No."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
             
The Bud reached out towards Jason.
 
Jason looked back and forth between the Bud and
Gjeye
.
 
Finally he gave the knife to the Bud.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It was never as efficient for a Bud to kill himself, but the Bud tried and bungled it.
 
Gjeye
quickly stepped in and finished the job.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There was no point in waiting.
 
He took the sharp knife and made a few practiced cuts and the Bud's body was in pieces, which were small enough for the recycling unit.
 
Gjeye
stuffed them in.
 
He washed himself off and sat down for a
well deserved
meal from the recycling unit.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
All the while, Jason stood frozen.
 
He had not helped, but at least he hadn't hindered.
 
Gjeye
wasn’t familiar with human customs, but remembered hearing that humans often put great store on sharing food.
 
Jason was clearly an irrational being, possibly insane.
 
Perhaps the soothing custom of food sharing would calm him.
 
He gestured towards the recycler and asked, "Would you like something to eat?"

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jason was obviously having digestive troubles, and was not in the mood to eat.
 
He gagged and left the ship.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Later when
Gjeye
went out to work on the runway, he found a pile of refuse that
Jason had left.
 
How revolting!
 
He hadn't recycled it.
 
Jason was obviously totally morally reprehensible.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gjeye
was worried.
 
Jason and
Gjeye
needed each other to get off the moon.
 
Neither could complete the runway on their own.
 
The fact that Jason needed his help didn't seem to stop him from his irrational behavior.
 
Gjeye
briefly considered killing Jason and using a wheel from his ship without him.
 
Although he was not certain if it would be possible for him to get off the moon alone, the moral issue bothered him.
 
Jason might be insane, but he hadn't actually harmed
Gjeye
.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The issue was clear.
 
Unless and until Jason actually did something to harm
Gjeye
,
Gjeye
would have to use every reasonable means to cooperate with him.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gjeye
worked alone for several hours, while Jason sulked in his ship.
 
Gjeye
went back to his ship for a meal.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Hello," Jason called as he knocked on the side of the ship.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Come on in,"
Gjeye
said.
 
Pretend nothing has happened,
he thought to himself.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"I'm sorry my nerves were a little shot," Jason said.
 
He then said he did something, which
Gjeye
did not understand.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gjeye
asked for clarification.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jason repeated the meaningless word.
 
Seeing
Gjeye's
confusion, he said, "It's something humans ingest.
 
It's my cargo, but sometimes I take a little.
 
It cuts into my profits, but I get tempted.
 
Besides, sometimes I can't function without it." Jason wasn't usually so talkative.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Food?"
Gjeye
asked.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"No, not exactly.
 
It has no nutritional value.
 
It gets people going."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"All humans use it?"
Gjeye
was puzzled.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Oh no.
 
It's too expensive for most people, especially since it comes such a distance.
 
It's a high quality product.
 
But those who can afford it will buy it.
 
I can't live without it.
 
I admit I'm addicted.
 
I can't do anything until I have some every morning."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A drug addict!
 
Jason was a drug addict.
 
That explained his irrational behavior.
 
He was also a drug dealer.
 
He said his cargo contained the drug whose name
Gjeye
didn't recognize.
 
There were no drug addicts among the
Plicts
, but
Gjeye
heard of this behavior in humans.