Andrea matched Unla-Ela’s serious look. “What do you mean by trouble?” Unla-Ela gestured for Andrea to wait for a moment before they looked over at Trophirte “Go get Olan Lunere. They need to hear about this.” Trophirte, the youngest, and the jokester, among Unla-Ela’s students, gave a solemn nod “I’ll be back with the Olan as fast as I can.” The last of their words came half shouted over their shoulder as they wasted no time in beginning the run back into the camp.
Unla-Ela turned back to Andrea. “I apologize for my rideness…, rode…, rudeness Andrea, but that flag belongs to the Protectorate of Galyon, and while neither my country or Olan Lunere’s are currently at war with them, tensions are very high and, sabotage…, assassinations…, ambushes…, skirmishes…, ‘incidents’ have been known to occur in more remote regions and near the edges of the known world. Since this valley is remote and isolated, as well as bordering the edge of the explored regions, it is quite possible the Protectorate expedition’s presence will lead to another unfortunate ‘incident’.”
Andrea had been delaying a discussion of this planet’s political landscape till she had an excellent grasp of Unla-Ela’s language; she was particularly concerned with the nuances of meaning that could be vital in understanding complex subjective concepts. With this new development, it appeared that Andrea couldn’t put the discussion off any longer. She’d just need to be cautious of the likelihood that she’d be missing, or misinterpreting many of the details. She would have to make do, for the time being, with the broad strokes.
The Surveyor Corps provided training on how to handle diplomacy, as well as navigating complex and potentially volatile political situations as an outside party. While it was deemed unlikely to come up for most surveyors, it was also reasoned that having even a little preparation would be invaluable if the improbable occurred. Pulling on that training now, Andrea recalled that making her own position clear first was considered best practice. “Unla-Ela, I wanted to hold off until I was speaking as if born to your tongue…, fully fluent in your language, but based on what you’ve said we should discuss my country and how that impacts my involvement in any potential conflicts. Once your counterpart arrives I want to go through our respective positions and countries before I speak further about the incoming group.”
Unla-Ela took a moment to absorb Andrea’s words before nodding slowly. “It is true that we will proceed with difficulty…, struggle, to properly describe all the nuances of the political landscape, but I have been impressed by the speed with which you are learning our language. I believe you will understand well enough. It is unfortunate that we can’t just work together as fellow explorers and ignore the rest, hopefully we are worried for nothing and we can return to focusing on what’s really important soon.” Andrea smiled at Unla-Ela and nodded in agreement. “Agreed, I didn’t choose my work to get stuck dealing with politics, except perhaps the academic kind.” Unla-Ela chuckled and broke into a grin. “So your people too have a tradition of petty bickering amongst those of great learning. It is somehow comforting to learn that that particular failing is probably universal.”
Unla-Ela and Andrea spent another few moments in shared amusement before the sound of rapid footsteps reminded them of the situation. The sound presaged the appearance of Trophirte jogging back followed closely by another much larger figure whom Andrea presumed was Olan Lunere.
Andrea’s supposition was proved correct a moment later when Unla-Ela made introductions. The Olan’s face seemed cast with a serious aspect, one rendered all the more intense by the news Trophirte had undoubtedly related. While they didn’t tower over Unla-Ela, Olan Lunere was noticeably taller than the scientist-explorer and built far more broadly, they also seemed to have a lighter complexion than Unla-Ela and the trio of students. This paler tone was emphasized by the dark and obviously military uniform that was, despite being in a remote camp in the field, impressively well kept and seemed as if it was an extension of the Olan’s body more than mere clothing. Olan Lunere turned to Andrea and spoke with a warm but somewhat brisk tone. “A pleasure to meet you Andrea, I only wish it could have been under more auspicious circumstances. I heard that you have word of a Protectorate force heading in this direction. Are you able to tell me more detail on their composition, location, and pace of advance?
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Andrea fought the urge to raise an eyebrow, Olan Lunere was obviously treating the oncoming expedition as a hostile enemy formation. This was a definite escalation of stakes compared to the impression given by Unla-Ela. Though Andrea supposed that as a civilian Unla-Ela was bound to have a different perspective on the news than the Olan. “Before I touch on those details, we need to discuss what our positions are and, in particular, I need to know your intentions with any information I might have about this Protectorate group.” At this Olan Lunere seemed to bristle, tensing up they bit out. “While open hostilities with the Protectorate are the last thing their majesties want They have repeatedly made their claim to this region clear and directed that their forces firmly reject any unsanctioned incursion. Even if that were not the case, the safety of Unla-Ela and their team is my responsibility and I am not in the least bit eager to trust in the goodwill of the Protectorate.”
Andrea allowed her face to shift into an impassive mask as she shifted her gaze back to Unla-Ela. “While that is good to know, I am afraid I require more context before I can even begin to consider what position to take in this conflict. I’ll start with the basics. I am from the Inannian Imperial Federation. As we’ve discussed before, I’m an explorer and empirical philosopher…, scientist. However, in situations where I meet unknown peoples, I do have diplomatic duties and some limited authorization to negotiate on behalf of the Inannian Imperial Authority. I had hoped to delay those duties for a while longer, but it appears I no longer have that luxury. What countries do you and Olan Lunere represent?”
Unla-Ela looked over at the obviously impatient Olan. “That seems entirely fair Andrea, we can’t expect you to gladly jump into a conflict you know nothing about, against people who have done you no harm.” At those words Olan Lunere’s tense expression seemed to relax a touch and they dropped with fatigue, and just the slightest hint of despondency, into a chair that was hastily vacated by Ela-Nu. Waving their hand to Unla-Ela, and revealing the ghost of a wry grin the Olan conceded. “You are of course right, as usual, Unla-Ela give me a moment to pull myself together as you tell her your part. My apologies Andrea, at times my zeal for my duty outpaces my good sense.”
Unla-Ela heaved a sigh, but smiled fondly in thanks at the Olan before beginning. “I’m here as part of an expedition from the Tahtrik League, while my primary responsibility is to my university, I am also acting as part of a joint program between my country and Malepre, represented by Olan Lunere. Our two countries have extensive trade connections and are moving towards a closer alliance, programs like this one are part of the process. My team and I are here to assist the Maleprian dual crown in their exploration of this border region. The double monarchies have long laid claim to the region that stretches from just past this valley, through the territory to the south and east up to their current hard borders. However they have been short on qualified personnel who were willing and able to spend the months, if not years, it would take to make this expedition. That’s before you even mention the high risks involved in confronting the unknown creatures that are always sure to inhabit unexplored regions. Ultimately it was decided that the Tahtrik League’s famed scholars would get their coveted first crack at the unknown and the Maleprian crowns would finally learn what they might be able to gain from this region. I actually had to fight off a number of colleagues who were competing with me for this position, though I digress.”
Andrea was fascinated, even just this little bit of information already seemed to be painting a picture of the situation, though she reminded herself that she was still only getting a single perspective. As Unla-Ela paused for a moment Olan Lunere straightened up in their seat and gently interjected. “Thank you Unla-Ela, I think this is a good point for me to take over. As you may have gathered I am an Olan in their majesties’ royal army. I am widely reputed to have a scholarly bent.” The hard faced Olan actually blushed a bit as he mentioned this last point. “I wouldn’t dare to make any real claims in the scholarly disciplines next to my colleagues from the Tahtrik League. But by the standards of many of my fellow officers I was deemed to be most suitable as a liaison. Considering how well we have all gotten along, I am forced to admit their judgement was accurate. Perhaps more important than my role as liaison, is my duty to ensure the safety of this expedition. While the primary threat we expected to contend with is, of course, that of nature I was briefed on other possibilities as well. Topmost among those potential threats was the Protectorate of Galyon. While I am no student of their history I know of it in passing, and was briefed extensively on their disposition and suspected intentions as of four months ago. Some of what I know is privileged information, but I think you’ll be satisfied with what I am free to tell you.”