Page 29 - The Perpetrations of Captain Kaga

Persuading the Zookeeper of Apadat

to communicate our wisdom to a species like yours, but there is no
way that you can drag us back down to your level.”
The Admiral shook with frustration. He switched off his Languex
and turned savagely to the cadets.
“You hear that, men? These dirt-farming quadrupeds think they
are superior to us! Why, why, they’re nothing but a pack of wild
animals! Look at the way they live! Look at this town! They have
nothing, nothing! And they’re too stupid to see what they could get
from us! Why don’t they realize that we are the higher species?”
Kaga saw that Ploon was on the verge of making a sarcastic
remark. He stepped quickly in front of the Urmite, turned off his own
Languex, and said hastily, “Sir, perhaps we should learn a little more
about these creatures before we continue bargaining. For instance,
why does such a simple society have a zoo, and why is its leader the
zookeeper?”
The Admiral blinked and looked suspiciously at Kaga, who was all
bland innocence.
After a tense few moments, he slowly said, “Of course, you cadets
have never confronted a situation like this before. Often a primitive
culture will have some trivial aspect that seems bizarre or out of place.
It can usually be ignored. Nevertheless, it may be of interest to inquire
about this zoo business; perhaps it will give us the means to get what
we want.”
Borjug turned back to Lipopotom and his assistants. Kaga returned
to his place against the wall, relieved that he had been able to defuse
the situation. Ploon was inscrutable. The admiral had asked a
question, and Kaga got his Languex switched back on just in time to
hear the response.
“The zoo?” said Lipopotom. “It is the only institution in Apadat
requiring skill and knowledge beyond the norm, so only the most
capable individual among us is chosen to manage it. He is also our
representative in such rare instances of communal concern as your
arrival. The zookeeper is responsible for maintaining living examples
of the folly and ignorance manifest in the earlier forms of our species.
We are reminded of the values of our advanced society by observing
the behavior of our confused and violent predecessors, preserved and
isolated in this compound. It is particularly instructive to our young,

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