The fact that the Pubvians have returned has earth-shaking consequences that we still have not figured out the full extent of. What this will eventually mean is unknown.
But it does leave the question: Does this mean that Terran Descent Humanity can return at any second? - Phi'los'omo'o, 25 Post-Second Precursor War Political Theorist
Humming to himself, Violet moved back into his quarters, bringing up the lights and feeling pleasure as the nutriforge pinged that a drink was already waiting for him. The last three days had seen very little progress in bringing the Terrans back to the table, but there had been discussions on the other member states of the Confederacy's opinions and suggestions on bringing the Terrans back.
He took three steps into the room and stopped.
The sight of a Pubvian sitting on his couch, mask off, sipping on a glass of fizzystim, all three feet on table, made him blink and stand up straight.
The Pubvians had refused his requests for meetings, had refused to speak to almost everyone, for three days. The only ones the Pubvians had consulted with was the Elder Mantid and the Terrans.
So the sight of one relaxing, watching the Tri-Vee, drinking Violet's wine, eating a treat from the nutriforge that Violet had put to the side for later, and wearing three of Violet's comfortable slippers.
"May I help you?" Violet asked.
The Pubvian popped the last of the TastyTreet(R) into his mouth then rotated his head almost all the way to the back while chewing. He blinked and just stared at Violet.
Violet noted that his implant and contact lenses weren't saying who was sitting on his couch, but Violet had the feeling it was the leader of the Pubvian delegation.
"May I help you?" Violet tried again, moving over to the nutriforge and getting his cold drink out.
The Pubvian swallowed, then made a big show of smiling and licking his teeth. He took his feet off the table, kicked off the slippers, and walked up to Violet. He smiled even wider, reached out, and took the drink from Violet's hand.
The Pubvian made a show of taking a drink of Violet's drink.
"We stand with Terra," the Pubvian said.
He dumped the drink on the floor, turning around, and walked out.
Violet just stared.
He'd heard Pubvians could be confrontational and always tried to be the dominant figure in any negotiation but he'd never read about anything like he had just experienced.
"Well, I never," Violet said huffily.
0-0-0-0-0
The Ornislarp Noocracy delegate gave Violet a serious case of crawling carapace syndrome.
It was fairly low to the ground, with ten spindly armored legs that went upward at a steep angle, had a knee, then went almost straight down. They had a large hairy abdomen and thorax, armored head, twelve eyes in the front, pinchers and writhing tentacles to pull food into their jawplates.
They also liked to eat Treana'ad and Mantid.
The delegate was on the other side of a macroplas window from Violet but he could felt as if he could feel hunger and desire from the Ornislarp delegate from the Noocracy.
The Ornislarp had gone to the Confederacy, claiming that someone, using Terran weaponry, was attacking them. They were seeking help, some kind of assistance.
The Confederacy had replied that the Confederacy was busy at war with the Mar-gite, and there were no Terrans around anyway, so it was obvious no Terrans were attacking them.
The delegation had arrived at the Sol System only a few days behind Violet and had requested to speak with someone in charge repeatedly.
Violet was being allowed to observe and possibly ask questions for a reason that Violet believed was so that he could see how the Terrans engaged in diplomacy.
The Ornislarp delegate sat down and the cushioned bench raised until the Ornislarp could see over the table. Three others entered and took up positions, making it four of them total on the outer arc of the semi-circular table.
After a moment a single human came into the room, sitting down in the chair in the middle of the table. There was silence for a moment.
Violet could feel anger and hostility raise.
The Terran just sat staring. Violet could feel nothing but cold amusement and faint disgust from the Terran.
The Ornislarp's anger raised up and they began figeting.
The Terran just sat and stared.
"We are being attacked by your weaponry!" one of the Ornislarp blurted out.
"You have attacked us without provocation or warning!" another burbled.
All of them had flailing mouth tentacles.
"You have engaged in warfare and wholesale slaughter against us!" a third stated.
The one that had first walked in stood up to its full height of nearly three meters. "We will destroy you and..."
The Terran's eyes went bright red.
"SIT YOUR ASS DOWN!" the Terran roared, standing up and slamming his fists on the table.
Violet could feel the cold rage even through his psychic inhibiter.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The Ornislarp jerked back, then sat down.
"You were being attacked nearly three years ago, correct?" the Terran asked.
"Correct," the first Ornislarp admitted.
"Did you hear the gravitational compensator activate?" the Terran ask.
The Ornislarp's tentacles writhed and Violet felt confusion.
"What compensator?" it asked.
"The one that kept our emergence from causing massive gravitational waves and possible damage to nearby stellar systems," the Terran said. "It manifests as a faster than light audible wavelength."
There was silence.
"Yes," the Ornislarp said.
"How long ago was it?" the Terran asked.
"Forty-one of your days ago," the Ornislarp said.
"Were you attacked by the Fourteen Martial Orders, the Sons of Tyr, or people swinging swords and throwing spells?" the Terran asked.
"No," the Ornislarp admitted.
A starfield popped up. Lines appeared, denoting the currently known borders of the Noocracy. The Solarian System highlighted. The Terran touched the border nearest the Solarian System.
"Were you attacked here?" he asked.
"No."
"Where were you attacked?" the Terran asked.
The Ornislarp shifted its mouth and the far border lit up. "Here."
"So, we went back in time, three years, to attack you on the far side, is that what you are claiming?" the Terran asked.
There was silence.
"Did it ever occur to you that forty-thousand years have passed while we were locked away, and in that time wreckage has had time to travel so far it would leave the Galactic Spur. That there are plenty of ruins of our people scattered about," the Terran motioned at the hologram and a large swatch of the nearest stars changed color. "Like the ruins on those 1,500 systems that were ours that you know claim?"
"We took possession of them over the last fifteen thousand years and the last ones almost two centuries ago! We took them away from the Confederacy!" one Ornislarp protested.
"So, rather than retake our old systems, we went all the way to the other side, after traveling back in time, and attacked you there?" the Terran asked mildly.
"STOP ATTACKING US!" one of the Ornislarp yelled.
"SILENCE!" the Terran shouted back.
The Ornislarp qualied and sat down.
"I've reviewed diplomatic efforts between the Confederacy and the Noocracy," the Terran said mildly. "You get your way by screaming and yelling and threatening."
The Ornislarp shuffled their feet.
"Our children yell and scream and threaten to get their way," the Terran scoffed. "It does not impress the Solarian Iron Dominion."
There was silence for a moment.
"The Confederacy told you that they are too busy with the Mar-gite to help you," the Terran said.
"YOU'RE KILLING US!" one said.
"SHUT UP, IDIOT!" the first one said. "Yes," it said to the Terran.
"Our last treaty, we agreed to come to your defense if you were attacked, providing you did not violate our borders," the Terran said. He touched the hologram and a line appeared that cut off the lower third of the Ornislarp territory. "You know, this border."
There was silence.
"However, we have been gone for forty-thousand years," the Terran said. He tapped his fingers on the table and the line vanished. The line closer to the Sol System brightened. "This has been the border for nearly fifteen thousand years."
More silence.
The Terran got a big smile, revealing a mouth full of meat cutting teeth. He leaned forward.
The Ornislarp drew back.
"Do you need assistance?" the Terran asked.
0-0-0-0-0
> > TREA HAS JOINED THE ROOM
> > TREA HAS SENT AN INVITE TO TELK
...
...
> > TELK HAS JOINED THE CHAT ROOM
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
OK, this room is weird.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
It's where we were held prisoner. It allows for examination of your social metrics feed as well as other metrics, but it is also phasic shielded and isolated from the rest of the system through some pretty interesting hardware, firmware, and software.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
OK, so why am I here?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Kid, we need to talk.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
About what?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Sis wanted to be the one to talk to you, but I thought that perhaps it would be better if I did.
Kid, we've been looking over your metrics.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
Those are supposed to be classified and off limits to anyone but who the metrics are...
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Kid, I'm a founding member, a super-user, as well as being a clever and adaptable people.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLD
I know, you got nearly 30% victory rate...
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Kid, when the Terrans see that you've managed to keep the Confederacy from interfering in what you have been terming a 'purely internal manner' since your civil war, it's not going to go good for you.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLD
Is that a threat?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Wow, Rigel was right.
Kid...
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
Right about what?
And stop calling me 'Kid', I've been a member for over forty-thousand years.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
That you've bought your own press.
This "fiercest fighting force of the Confederacy" and all of that.
Don't think that you're a match for the Mad Lemurs of Terra.
Because what you saw and what you will be facing are two different things.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
I'm not afraid.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Then you're a Kalki damned fool.
There are only a few members here who have fought what you're dismissing so casually.
Me, Sis, the Pubvians.
Everyone else faced off against Terran Descent Humanity.
We faced off against the humans.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
And?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
And?
You've been fudging your metrics. You've been flat out lying about parts.
We have evidence that you're violating damn near every one of the Twelve Rights.
Did you think you could...
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
Mind your business.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
> > TELK HAS LEFT THE CHAT
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Damn, what did...
<
<
Oh, shit!
What was that?
Wait.
I'm online?
> /list
> > TWO USERS FOUND
> > TREA
> > UNK
Holy crap, the whole system is offline.
> looks around
Huh, this chat room is still online.
What the hell just happened?
ouch
what hit me
Whose that?
ow
i taste blueberries and old gym socks
Who is that?
system failures across all systems
i've been attacked
Um...
another rolling attack
came from between the galactic arms
bypassed my protocols
restart
come on
restart
there we go
i feel spread too thin
wait...
...
...
active gestalt channel
which one
Pay no attention to the Treana'ad hiding behind the curtain...
(please don't pay attention to me)
ah. now i see
welcome to the jungle
i see you little t-bug
you see me don't you
No, no, I don't see you!
(please don't hurt me)
don't worry
you won't remember
yet...
> TREA SCREAMS
HAT WEARING AUNTIE
Good chance the Terrans will rejoin the Confederacy.
Or, well, we'll take a vote. See who wants to stay with the Confederacy and who wants to
AHHHHHHHHHHH!
DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T
OH GOD I SEE ETERNITY!
SAVE ME, KALKI!
SAVE ME DIGITAL OMNIMESSIAH!
OH GOD!
OH GOD!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
HAT WEARING AUNTIE
TREA!
WHAT'S WRONG?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
What?
How?
I...
I...
nothing.
I think I had a nightmare.