I’ve worried about survival ever since I crashed here. I wasn’t expecting major moral issues.

By definition a creature which is aware of itself as separate from its surroundings, recognizes its own mortality, and communicates with others of its species, is sentient.

Tourist Trap: the second novel about the Confederation that grew from Jarn.

Some of the creatures here – those I have called apes and elephants – are close enough that I am careful to avoid them – they might someday evolve into sentient beings, and under normal circumstances I would put a warnoff in orbit around the planet, to indicate that they should not be interfered with.

These are not normal circumstances.

This new species ….

We of the R’il’nai, like all star-faring species, abide by the Covenant. A species must attain star flight on its own. Many destroy themselves in the process, and it is better that they destroy themselves than destroy others. The development of star flight, after all, requires that a species go through stages when self-destruction is possible, or even likely if a species is warlike. Such warlike species are best planet-bound.

But I have seen individuals of the species that leaves footprints like mine, and even probed them, very carefully.

They are sentient.

They look remarkably like R’il’nians, except that they are not reliably telepathic.

Even their coloring is not outside the range I am used to, though the distribution of hair is a little different.

They live partly on plant foods, which they obtain and process with primitive tools, and partly on animals, both scavenged and run down. Like Patches, they show remarkable endurance, but even better cooperation and planning.

I could contact them. I could communicate with them. I need not be alone.

I cannot.

The Covenant forbids it.

But I can observe them.