Novice in paul anderson.

It was not long before the first immigrants came to Nildos. There are only a few farms dotted around this boundless grassland, and Stan Wright is the only town on this immigrant planet.

That day, Peter was lying on the ground, watching insects like green ants busy building nests. Suddenly, he found a shadow covering him. Peter rolled over on the spot and stood in front of an ... an alien!

"Hello." Peter stood up and stammered.

"Good morning." The stranger greeted him in a very proficient earth language.

Peter can swear to God that he has never seen such a person. But there are countless planets in the Milky Way where intelligent creatures live, and no one dares to boast that they can identify all aliens.

The stranger is about two meters tall with long legs and thin legs. He has four hands, one on the other. His head is big, his ears can catch the wind, his eyes are yellow and bright, and there are two tentacles on the top door. All his clothes are only a waist cloth with pockets sewn, and the rest of his body is covered with green hair.

"Who are you?" Peter asked, but he realized it was a bit rude. After all, he is 1 1 years old, so he added, "Excuse me, my name is Peter, and I come from the solar system. This farm belongs to my uncle. His name is Gunnar. Can I help you? "

"Maybe," the stranger replied. "I heard that your uncle needs help with his work?"

This is exactly what you want. Although Uncle Gunnar was busy with the help of robots, he advertised a job on TV, but no one applied. The labor force here is very scarce, and new immigrants prefer to stay in the town, where the treatment is higher, so the arrival of this alien is undoubtedly good news.

"You found the right one!" Peter shouted, "I'll take you." So he started running, followed by strangers.

They found Uncle Gunnar in the workshop, sweating and covered in oil. Uncle wiped the sweat from his face covered with red beard and greeted him politely. His eyes sparkled with surprise when he learned that this man had come to apply for a job.

"Let's go in and talk it over." Uncle suggested.

Eddie menstruation was at a loss about the arrival of aliens, but the stranger looked calm and not embarrassed at all.

"I'm from No.4 Estella," he introduced himself. "Well, just call me Joe."

"Estella four stars?" Uncle Gunnar was confused. "I have never heard of this place. It was discovered not long ago? "

"Almost, in fact, we have opened interstellar flight there, but most of my compatriots don't appreciate technological progress and rarely participate in the activities of the Milky Way. I want to see the world and earn money to support myself along the way. I soon became familiar with everything. " Joe speaks well, and Peter likes the wisdom in his rhubarb eyes.

"Why don't you stay in the city?" Uncle Gunnar asked, "Can I earn more money there?"

"I have been to many immigrant cities and I feel similar. This farm is more attractive to me. I don't want to stay in the small circle of the city. I left as soon as I saw your advertisement. "

"From Stanley Wright? Through that vast virgin forest? It will take weeks to get there! I advertised on TV recently. "

"er ... an immigrant car gave me a ride halfway. I am not afraid of the forest. I feel at home in the forest. My home planet is all Woods. "

"Oh ..." Uncle Gunnar scratched his head, and I could see that he was hesitating. Who the hell is this alien? If the fugitive. But my uncle is eager for help, and Joe left such a good impression on him.

Finally, they agreed that Joe would start work tomorrow morning. Uncle Gunnar immediately took him to inspect the farm, and Peter followed them with wide eyes.

They looked at the livestock first. My uncle only brought a pair of cows, some pigs and chickens from the earth. He is particularly interested in raising local animals. He domesticated several hexapod mammals: a domestic animal named Revo can provide meat and skin, and Boni can let people ride where cars can't drive. He also tried to keep a bird with four legs and two wings.

"Many immigrants plan to breed animals and plants here, mistaking Nildos for the earth," uncle explained. "In fact, this method doesn't work, and there are many special factors that the earth animals can't adapt to. Look how thin my cow is. I specially bought some of its feed from the earth. I found that local animals can grow fat and strong. Nildos will not be our ideal home if we can't get used to it. "

The cow moved her hoof uneasily and squinted at Joe as if she were afraid, while Wally and Bonnie in the local area were poised.

"Then you don't eat local food? You are not afraid of malnutrition? " Joe asked.

"That's a good question," Uncle Gunnar nodded. "This is one of our main topics. We must first

To determine what food is toxic, we should also find out its nutritional composition and whether it is suitable for our body's needs, and then supplement it with tablets. As time goes by, the new generation born in Nildos will be different from us, and they will adapt to this planet more quickly. "

"Are there any local aborigines here?" Joe asked again.

"You mean intelligent creatures? That's not true. Before the immigration, the planet was carefully surveyed and no signs of civilization were found. There are no villages, no historical sites or even any stone tools here. If there are intelligent creatures here, we will only be happy, because they can at least prompt many things that are still unclear, but the earth law prohibits immigration to the planet with intelligent creatures. "

Joe nodded slowly, his yellow eyes shining in the dusk.

They soon discovered that Joe knew nothing about technology. Although he tried, it didn't help. He can't even repair and start the machine in the simplest way. He was at a loss behind the steering wheel of a car or tractor, and the car didn't listen to him at all.

But when dealing with animals or plants, he is completely different. He can train the unruly Boni, and even let Boni drag the car to follow the whistle and quietly let Joe brush his hair. The basket of grass he brought back from the forest was eaten with relish by the turtledove. When his uncle asked him how he knew the smell of pigeons and birds, Joe just shrugged and said that maybe he was closer to nature than humans. He always thinks about gardens, vegetable gardens and lawns, and makes many strange suggestions.

"Try interplanting this grass with wheat," Joe handed his uncle a bunch of small yellow flowers. "The harvest may be much higher."

"Then why?" Uncle asked, "Isn't it just a weed?"

"Yes, but this kind of grass often grows with wild wheat. I think they may help each other to some extent. Let's have a try. It doesn't hurt anyway. "

Uncle Gunnar disagreed, but he didn't object to Joe planting some such weeds in the wheat field, which soon proved that the wheat in this field grew stronger than other places.

"Joe is a real weirdo," my uncle once said. "He is an idiot in technology, but he is far ahead of us in biology."

"Yes, even I have learned a lot from him." Aunt Eddie took over the conversation.

She was full of praise for Joe, boasting that he could make beautiful pots, pans and baskets with grass and mud. My aunt doesn't like Stan Wright's plastic utensils, which are expensive goods shipped from the earth.

While walking in the garden, Peter found Joe busy in a field like a strawberry. This kind of berry is moved from the local forest and can produce delicious fruit, but in the past, it failed many times, but Joe succeeded at once.

"He does have green hands," Aunt Eddie once said with a smile.

"Maybe," uncle guessed, "our skin will secrete some trace substances, which is not good for plant growth, but Joe is different from us."

When Peter approached, the alien looked up with a smile.

"Hello, Peter."

"Hello," the boy squatted down beside him. "Don't you feel tired?"

"Of course not," said Joe, his hand still moving flexibly on a small stem like a strawberry. "I like to do this kind of work. With sunshine, fresh air and fragrant soil, how can it make people tired? " He shook his big round head,

"I really don't understand why you are isolated from nature?"

Indeed, Joe usually comes into the house only at lunch. Even if he sleeps, he sleeps under a tree, and he is not even afraid of rain.

"No, we just want to transform nature." Peter retorted

Joe was shaking all over. He looked at the vast horizon and the forest bathed in the sun: "Do you cut down trees, hollow out the ground and let buildings cover the sun?"

"No, not exactly," Peter said hesitantly. "We also know how to protect forests, but more and more people come to Nildos, and people can't live without houses and land."

"Our Estella Ⅳ star is completely different from your Neil Doss star. Primitive forests and grasslands are everywhere, quiet and vast. Our people are few, free, healthy and long-lived. I really can't introduce it to you clearly. "

"Have you ever been to the earth?"

"Haven't been to, even haven't been to the planets of the Milky Way, I'd rather go to a quiet distant planet. I can't tell you many interesting things. "

"Oh." There was disappointment in Peter's voice.

That night, a rare spectacle appeared on the planet Nildos: two full moons appeared in the sky at the same time, which made it difficult for Peter to sleep.

He lay with his eyes open for a long time, and the cold moonlight fell on the ground through the pane, even the moon shadows on the ground were paired.

The curtains were slightly shaken by the night wind, and the rustling of leaves, the squeaking of insects and the chirping of exotic birds were heard in the distance.

Why don't I get up? I can't sleep anyway. So he approached the window sill, and the moonlight shone around like day.

Peter suddenly held his breath: a long and narrow figure crept across the grass. It's ... it's Joe! What is he doing here?

The alien whistled in a low voice at the edge of the forest. Does he cry roast meat, or does he like walking under the moon?

Peter wanted to scare Joe, so he climbed out of the windowsill and tiptoed to the door. He was wide awake, absorbed in Joe's funny appearance when he was surprised by the accident.

The bushes became his ideal cover, and Peter stepped on the wet grass silently until he slipped behind the big tree only three steps away from Joe.

The aliens are still standing still. He held out four hands high, and Peter felt a sudden fear: for this strange whistle, for this secretly glowing eye. ...

Joe howled again, and there was a flapping sound in the air.

A huge strange bird landed during the day. Peter heard their strange songs in the forest and saw their shining eyes in the dense leaves. The strange bird swooped into Joe's palm, and Joe caressed it and comforted it in a low voice in some language. Peter was too scared to breathe, for fear of exposing himself.

Joe took a piece of paper from his waist and fixed it on the bird's leg. He smiled and let the bird go. It spread its wings unstoppable and took off quickly.

Then Peter made a noise, and Joe jumped to his side like lightning, with yellow light in his eyes. Peter stood up hurriedly.

"Ah, it's you! Peter. " Joe grinned. "You gave me a fright. What are you doing here? "

"I ... I just came out ... for a walk." Peter hesitated, afraid to raise his eyes.

"You should have gone to bed a long time ago," Joe shook his head. "Uncle and aunt don't like you like this, Peter."

"I saw you on the grass and wanted to talk to you ..."

"Any time, Peter, but not now, not when everyone is asleep. Go home. "

"What are you doing with that bird?"

"I and birds? Oh, this is just my pet. It flies as soon as I call it. "

"Don't this kind of bird can also be tamed? My uncle said that someone tried this, but it didn't work at all. "

"That means I'm lucky. Peter, let's go. " Joe put his hand on his shoulder and urged gently.

But Peter is in no hurry to leave.

"You tied a letter to the bird's foot. Who is it for? "

"I'm not a letter, it is a white note. I want to train this bird's name Ovisha to be a messenger. It is very smart and may be able to deliver messages within a certain distance. "

"Then why? Doesn't everyone have a phone? "

"What if the phone is broken?"

"It has never been broken. Even if it is broken, someone will repair it immediately. They often check the lines. "

"I know too little about you humans," Joe said with a smile. "But I may take this bird back to Estea IV, where they are badly needed. My home star is very backward. "

Joe stopped when they were almost home.

"Go in, Peter. Wash your feet well and get wet with dew. Don't tell anyone about tonight. You know it's time for bed. I won't betray you. "

When he woke up the next day, Peter thought he was dreaming last night, but the green grass marks on his legs showed that it was not a dream.

At breakfast, as usual, Joe sat down to read biology books after finishing his farm work, which he brought from his uncle's library. He has a soft spot for biophysics and biochemistry, but he doesn't know much about it, although his actual understanding of animals and plants is many times better than that of the authors of these books.

"Peter, what's the matter with you?" Menstruation asked, "You seem glum today?"

"I was thinking." The boy corrected her and said.

He is really thinking. Joe's behavior made him feel uneasy. He always recalls his meeting with Joe last night.

Joe does have a lot of doubts: he usually avoids talking about which planets he has been to, and even refuses to tell his home planet more. His explanation last night was too perfunctory. Can he continue to travel with such a big bird? Joe may be lying. Maybe he's a spy sent by Estella IV? Maybe Joe's spaceship is landing in the virgin forest? This explains why Joe can walk to the farm; That strange bird is used by him to communicate with his companions. He is afraid that the radio signal will be eavesdropped or aroused suspicion.

But what if all this is purely my own imagination? Uncle will laugh at him and persuade him to watch less horror TV. But you can't just sit back and watch. Peter has drawn up an action plan. He feels like a detective.

The most important thing is not to be impatient, everything should be done in the dark. The adults don't take his advice seriously, even if he is allowed to call in town, what should Joe do if he knows?

After a long day, the sun seems to be fixed in the air, and Joe is still working in the farmland.

"What's the matter with you, Peter?" At lunch, menstruation asked him, "You look terrible."

"I'm normal," Peter muttered. "Really."

"He may be exhausted," Joe and the child sat at the table and buttered the bread. "Is there anything bothering you?"

"No, absolutely not." Peter said.

"You should go for a walk," said the alien. "Why don't you go out for a walk with me? In the afternoon, I went to the forest to get some humus. The flowers don't grow well, so it's time to fertilize. "

"I … I don't want to go." Peter's heart is pounding.

"Why not go?" Uncle said, "such a walk will only be good for you."

Peter fought back his desire to shout loudly. He doesn't want to go anywhere, for fear that Joe will guess his mind and kill him in the depths of the green forest, but Joe may not do that.

"Well," Peter nodded, "I'll be ready."

He ran back to his room and wrote a note: Joe is an alien spy. If I don't come back, he will kill me. Kiss you. Petriu wrote a note. He put the note in the drawer and then went back to the restaurant.

They put Bonnie in a carriage and went to the forest, but nothing happened. Joe made irresponsible remarks as usual, accusing mankind of not destroying the forest. Once he stared at Peter with strange and sad eyes, shook his head, and then came back for dinner.

Peter is so anxious that he doubts almost everything. Joe really doesn't look like an enemy spy. Besides, what's the reason to send spies to their farm?

But Joe is really different from ordinary employees.

It was dark and Peter was sent to bed. I managed to stay up until the lights went out everywhere, and waited for another day. Then Peter got up and put on his clothes.

He looked at the grass from the window. The moon and stars are scarce, the silver grass is as smooth as a carpet, the trees are dark and all is silent. He can't see Joe, so he may be sleeping under the tree again.

Peter went to the living room, and the moonlight could not reach this side of the house. In the opaque darkness, he touched the cell phone in the corner, and the floor under his feet suddenly creaked, which scared him out of his wits, but the room was still silent.

Peter crept through the videophone in the spaceport, and the screen lit up. A young girl appeared on the screen.

"Hello," Peter whispered, "My uncle Gunnar asked me to call you."

"I'm sorry," Peter felt that her voice almost made the wall collapse. "I can't hear you clearly."

Peter tried to speak loudly and repeated it.

"Well, I'm happy to help Mr Gunnar." The girl talks as if she knew her uncle very well.

"Do you have a catalog of planets in the Milky Way? It is the kind of list that introduces the discovered planets. "

"Of course, any space port has such a catalogue."

"Is your version new?"

"The latest planet is generally registered after a period of time after the official notice arrives. What do you want to inquire about? "

"Tell me if there is Estella Ⅳ star on the list? Maybe this is what the local residents call it, but I don't know its exact name. "

"It doesn't matter. There are planet names in various languages in the catalogue. Do you know anything else about it? "

"This is an Earth-type planet, and the local people ..." So he described Joe in detail and described the civilized characteristics of Estella IV. "My uncle wants to know who has come from this planet recently?"

"I have to check the passenger list. Why does your uncle need these materials? "

"He ... he is writing a book, but he is not sure whether the name of this planet is correct ..."

"I see. Just a moment, please. I'll make everything clear right away. "

"Ok, thank you very much."

Peter breathed a sigh of relief after the girl disappeared.

"You don't believe me, Peter!" Then Joe's reproachful voice sounded from behind him.

Peter's hand trembled and almost knocked over the videophone.

Joe's huge figure appeared at the door, and the bright screen reflected the amber moon in his eyes.

Who do you think I am? The alien asked gently.

"I ... I ..." Peter wanted to shout.

So suddenly a weapon appeared in Joe's hand.

Peter was shaking all over.

"What are you doing?" He muttered, "Why are you here?"

"I found a light in the living room. Let's see what is going on. " Joe walked across the room to the bookshelf. "I don't understand why you ask that girl these questions."

"You may be an alien spy." Peter's chin rattled.

"Then where did I fly from?" Joe asked without scruple.

"I don't know, but I can find out ..."

"Of course. It is true that there is no Estella Ⅳ star in the catalog of the Milky Way, and no tourists like me have been to Stan Wright. This proves that I am lying, but does this mean that I am the enemy? "

Peter didn't answer.

"Turn off the phone, Peter." Joe pleaded, "The girl may be suspicious, but I was far away before she took measures."

He took the book off the shelf with his free hand.

"I'm sorry, I have to be a thief, but I have no choice. I need these books very much. "

Peter asked in a low voice, "What are you going to do?"

"Oh, I don't even know myself," Joe smiled. "Everything depends on who I am. If I were a cruel alien, I would kill everyone in the house, right? But I don't kill people. Peter, where am I from? "

"I don't know ... how do I know ..."

"Say, what do you think? Just say it quickly. "

So Peter blurted out all his doubts, and Joe nodded.

"You are not bad, Peter. You guessed everything, except how far I flew. I have no hostility towards human beings, I just want to study your civilization. I have to go now. The spaceship is waiting for me in the forest. My report is one of many reports. After analyzing the report, the leader will decide whether to negotiate with you. Please keep this conversation secret. I didn't mean to hurt you at all. Goodbye, Peter, I'm leaving. "

"You can't leave!" Uncle Gunnar's voice suddenly sounded behind the alien.

Joe froze, his eyes turned to the door. In uncle Gunnar's hand, the gun flashed faintly.

"I heard all your conversations," said Uncle Gunnar. "You must stay, Joe."

"Absolutely not," protested Joe. "Before you kill me, I will shoot. You will suffer, so let me go. "

"Don't dream! I was aiming at you. You have no time to pull the trigger, and I won't let you go. "

"You forget that our spaceship is waiting for me to go back." Joe said quietly, "if I am killed by you, my friends will avenge me." Let me go. "

Joe moves slowly towards the door and never leaves the trigger. "Maybe you can shoot first, but is it worth risking the child's life?" He also said.

"I ..." Then I agree to break up, "Uncle Gunnar suggested," but I need to talk to you and your friends. "

"No," Joe shook his head. "We are leaving here today."

At this moment, Joe suddenly jumped behind Uncle Gunnar. Gunar turned quickly and Joe was already shooting at the gate. With a bang, the door was hinged open.

Joe ran in the bright moonlight and disappeared into the dense forest in an instant.

Peter threw himself into Eddie menstruation's arms and burst into tears. Uncle Gunnar patted him on the shoulder and praised him as a brave boy.

"Why didn't you tell me?" My uncle is a little sad. "I didn't come down until I heard something in the living room. If you had told me beforehand ... "

Later, Peter said how he doubted it. Uncle Gunnar looks calm, while Aunt Eddie looks pale.

"So, Joe has gone back by spaceship," she whispered, "and flew to his home planet."

"Maybe so," said Uncle Gunnar, wandering back and forth in the room, the courtyard door still burning. "Why did he take my book?" My uncle looked at the empty bookshelf and said, "He is so familiar with animals and plants, why does he need biological information?" He scratched his fiery red hair. "It is strange that Joe tried to make up for his lack of knowledge. He is unwilling to give up biophysics and biochemistry. Probably Estella IV is relatively backward in this respect and technically not good ... but how can such a civilization make a spaceship? "

"Maybe they have allies," my aunt said. "Allies build and drive starships ..."

"Maybe," said Uncle Gunnar's voice, "but it can't be justified ..."

He swallowed the second half of the sentence and opened his mouth wide.

"Oh!" A long time before he spit out the voice, "and it is the way it is, so that's it! It really should be! Most animals here have six limbs, and mammals have green hair, which is very similar to Joe. "

"You mean ..." menstruation asked.

"I said, so the animals here are used to his smell, so he is familiar with the plants here, which explains why he is a green expert-Joe is a local! They established a biological civilization and lived in the forest, but they were not barbarians. They just don't need machines. They don't build houses, they live in trees directly, they don't use modern tools, and they can't even find our exploration instruments, so they deliberately hide everywhere. After mastering our language, they sent representatives to contact us in order to understand us. "

Uncle Gunnar suddenly smiled and said, "Yes, it's a good plan. Joe estimated that I wouldn't ask him where he came from, and let us believe that he came from far away. He succeeded, took away a lot of materials and books, and succeeded in surpassing us … but we knew nothing about them. How many people are there? Where do you live? What do you want? ……"

Aunt Eddie took Peter in her arms and said, "But Joe … is so kind."

"Yes, Joe is an excellent young man," said Uncle Gunnar, looking thoughtfully at the silver grass. "But his compatriots are like this? Maybe Joe is faking it? "

"I think they will choose peace," Eddie menstruation said. "They know they can't beat us."

"As long as they want, they can threaten us and benefit from it," my uncle shrugged. "But they may not do this, but they will cooperate with us to make this planet a paradise ... We still don't understand their intentions, and we are not sure ..."