Subject: High Ambassador Kivar Shuel

Species: Isolan

Description: Mammalian Shokanoid, no tail. 5'9" (1.75 m) avg height. 180 lbs (81.6 kg) avg weight. 95 year life expectancy.

Ship: N/A

Location: Rigara

"Ma'am, have you finished packing for the mission?" Grugna, my lead assistant, asked. Her tone hinted at a sense of urgency.

"Yes. I am fully prepared to leave when we're scheduled to depart," I replied hesitantly. "In three days, yes?"

My aid sucked in her lips and treated me to an expression of apprehension. Like someone who is about to break some bad news, and really doesn't want to.

"No," I stated. Her expression remained the same. "I'VE GOT APPOINTMENTS GRUGNA! I can't be running around the galaxy at the drop of a hat!"

"Ma'am, the United Systems has already departed on their diplomatic mission. The higher ups have moved up our time-table," Grugna said with a wince.

"How soon?" I demanded.

"Now."

"NOW?" I nearly screamed.

"Yes, ma'am."

"UNACCEPTABLE! I have meetings with the United Systems delegation to discuss potential trade partnerships! I CAN'T leave now!"

Grugna scrunched up her face and gave me a toothy frown, as if she were about to break even more bad news. An expression learned by proximity to humans. I would normally frown upon such cultural cross-contamination, but the expression suits Isolan faces quite well.

"Oh, come on," I sighed. "When does my replacement get here?"

"She's already here, ma'am. High Ambassador Ulooni will be taking over for you," Grugna said quietly. "She'll be taking over the scheduled meetings and negotiations."

"Ulooni? You've got to be joking. She just got this position, and they mean to have her negotiate with the biggest war-tribe conglomeration that the galaxy has ever seen?" I asked skeptically. "Plus she's an Urakari! How's an Urakari supposed to be avoid being intimidated? Their delegation are all senior military and trained to kill. They even give ME the shakes, but at least I know how to hide it!"

"Well, she's negotiated with them before. She's the one who did the first contact," Grugna said in a soothing tone. "It'll be fine, ma'am. We've got to go."

"How high are the higher ups that arranged this?" I growled. If it's my immediate higher ups, I can badger them into changing their minds. One's a Kinran and the other is an Oyan. Complete pushovers.

"Executive branch. Might have been the Executive himself."

I glared at Grugna in an attempt to find any trace of deception. When I found none, I deflated in defeat.

"Well, that changes things, I suppose. Alright, have my things fetched. Tell whoever you've got to tell that I'm on my way," I said as I pushed myself up from my desk with all four arms.

"Yes, ma'am!" Grugna replied as she scampered off.

Shit. This is bad. Urakari are short, and even the buffest of them look lanky compared to an Isolan. Ulooni might be experienced, but that's not going to help her when she's meeting with one of the human Admirals surrounded by literal giants in olive drab armor. I had to look up at the first Admiral I met, and I'm 5'11"! Urakari don't usually get taller than 5'7"! This is going to turn out to be a disaster.

I slammed my fist on my desk in frustration at the fact that there was nothing I could do. Orders are orders, and the ones giving them are out of my reach. Dammit! The only thing I can do is address my concerns to my superiors and hope for the best. I grumbled to myself as I left my office for the docking bay.

I marched with all four of my fists clenched. Kinran, Oyan, and even other Isolan saw me and scurried out of my way, avoiding eye contact as I passed them. I growled in response to any greetings given, until I turned a corner and came face to face with one of the giants the humans call Marines. I stopped just before we collided, and I couldn't help but gape up at the helmet of the armored beast before me.

"Ah, High Ambassador Shuel. Nice to see you again," Admiral Bakir said. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Hello Admiral," I collected myself hurriedly. "I'm afraid that my presence is required on a certain diplomatic mission. It was planned to begin three days from now, but my counterparts in the United Systems have decided they're tired of waiting."

"I see. Well, I know nothing about that, but you have my apologies regardless. Who's taking over for you?" he asked.

"High Ambassador Ulooni. I'm confident that she'll represent the Republic admirably," I lied. "As far as I'm aware, she's keeping our same schedule."

"Oh, good. Well, don't let me keep you. Pleasant journeys," the admiral said as he walked past me.

The marine gave me a nod and followed after Bakir. I once again clenched my fists in frustration and continued my march. Ulooni better not be a goddamned case of nepotism. The Ul family has plenty of political clout in the Republic, but even they won't be able to save her if she fucks this up.

I made my way to the docks and found the ship I was going to be travelling in. The RSV Tililimo {Beautiful Jewel}, a wonderful diplomatic vessel. All of the United System's diplomatic ships were well armed, but not ours. We knew that real diplomacy comes from a deeper understanding of one's neighbors, not from simply having a bigger stick than they do.

"Having a bigger stick doesn't hurt, though," I whispered to myself as I realized we were taking this ship into a warzone.

I entered the ship and nodded at the welcoming committee who greeted me. Grugna had let them know I was coming, and they were currently loading my belongings. After they finished explaining the layout I went to the bridge to speak to the ship-head, desiring a more accurate timeframe for our departure than 'as soon as possible'.

I arrived at the bridge to a shocking sight. The ship-head was laughing with a human. When he saw me he snapped to attention and saluted. I returned the gesture. It's not required of me, but I find that returning a salute is the fastest way to get it to stop.

"Welcome aboard the Republic Space Vessel Tililimo, Ma'am. I'm Ship-Head Orava," he said crisply.

"What's the meaning of this, ship-head?" I demanded, gesturing at the human.

"Ma'am, this is Mister Eugene Havencroft, the United System's ambassador for this mission," the ship-head explained.

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I studied the human carefully. He was diminutive compared to the other humans I had encountered. 5'7" and remarkably thin. His tight black suit caused his limbs to be reminiscent of a Kinran's, but this was offset by his pale pink skin. If anything, the darkness of his suit and the lightness of his skin clashed in a strange way.

Even so, he was undeniably well-groomed. His outfit was accentuated by a modest amount of jewelry, which was placed in such a way to be noticeable but not distracting. His dark brown hair was styled to look wavy, but not a single hair was out of place. His smile demonstrated teeth that were straight and white, the picture of perfect health. Surprisingly, I felt intimidated.

"I see. Hello Mister Havencroft…" I began.

"You can call me Eugene," he interrupted and offered a hand. "You must be High Ambassador Kivar Shuel."

I recognized the greeting and took his hand in my own to shake it. Soft but firm, symbolizing the United System's stance on diplomacy. Well, their public stance at any rate.

"Yes, I am," I recovered my decorum. "You can call me Kivar or Shuel. So, you're not military?"

"No, I'm not," he smiled. "I am a diplomatic representative of the United System's Senate. I believe that most of the diplomats you've been dealing with thus far are a part of our Diplomatic Corps, which is run by the Directorate."

"Well, it's good to have you with us," I said. "Tell me, what are the United System's intentions regarding this new race?"

"That depends on their capabilities," his attitude shifted to match my own. "If they're close to us technologically, I'm to make the best case possible that they join the United Systems. If not, then I'm to urge them to join the Republic."

"Hmm," I studied his demeanor carefully, looking for weakness. "They're closer to our space, though."

"From my understanding, that's irrelevant. The agreement between our governments clearly indicates that the only relevant matter is the consent of party in question. Any attempt to subvert or force said consent will result in harsh repercussions."

When we were initially negotiating the peace treaty between the Republic and the United Systems, our diplomats wondered if the Gont Insurrections were what they appeared to be. As such, we were quick to come to the conclusion that the very clause that Mr. Havencroft just mentioned was an absolute necessity to ensure peace between our civilizations. We were shocked when the United Systems suggested it while we were still trying to formulate positioning statements.

Most would take this as a sign that they weren't forcing the gont to be members of the US. I, however, see the other possibilities. The US could have suggested this to indicate their innocence. They could have guessed at our suspicions and used this as a tactic to alleviate them, regardless of their own guilt. Another possibility comes from the fact that it is rare for an organization to be monolithic. Certain factions within the United Systems could very well be forcing the gont's membership while other members of the US are completely ignorant to their actions.

Or, the situation could be exactly how it's portrayed by the United Systems. The majority of the gont want to be part of the US, and a few spoiled rich kids with ambitions caused by delusions of grandeur have been causing cosmic war. It's a ridiculous situation, surely, and I wouldn't believe it for a second were it not for the fact that it had happened to my own people on multiple occasions.

I laughed, "I wonder what those repercussions would be if it were you that broke the agreement. It's not as if we have the capacity to punish you militarily."

I already know exactly what our diplomatic response would be to the US breaching our agreement, but I need to know who I'm working with. Is this human as shrewd as he portrays himself to be?

"Quite the contrary," he said. "The Republic can refuse to ally with us and can halt production of the ships we need to fight the Omni-Union. That alone would ensure that the individual who broke our agreement with you would face stiff penalties, and likely an involuntary career change."

I nodded, satisfied that I wasn't dealing with a fool.

"Ship-head, we are prepared to depart," one of the bridge crew said.

Orava gave Mr. Havencroft and I a nervous look. Most ship-heads dislike having non-crew on their bridge unless absolutely necessary, so he was no doubt wondering how to politely kick us out. Fair enough, it would take at least half of an hour to arrive at our destination.

"Mr. Havencroft, would you care to join me in the mess? I'd like to get to know who I'm working with a bit better," I suggested.

"Certainly, I could use some refreshment," he replied.

The ship-head looked relieved as we left the bridge. The walk to the mess was quite short. The Tililimo is a beautiful ship, luxurious even, but she's built for mass efficiency like every other Republic ship. US ships have a tad more room here and there, which initially led me to believe that their designs were wasteful.

Technically, they are, but they can more than afford the waste. Working with human representatives showed me that their reactors and engines are much more advanced than our own. The products of thousands of years of one-upsmanship. A decade ago I'd have called it foolishness, but now our space is kept safe because the United Systems can't seem to stand peace for very long.

"So, what would you like to know?" Havencroft asked as filled his cup and sat at a nearby table.

I followed suit and said, "I'd like to know more about how you came to be in the position you're in, if you don't mind."

"Hmm," he smiled softly, "Well, I was born on Earth where I initially studied law. However, a lawyers life is a hard one, and a friend of mine suggested that I turn my attention to diplomacy instead. I went for it and ended up studying political science, cultural anthropology, international relations, sociology, and foreign policy. I also studied a bit of history and etymology so that I could better grasp patterns in the way that societies interact with each other. My first diplomatic assignment was for the North American Union as an ambassador to Austricana."

"I haven't heard much about Earth other than it's your kind's cradle planet. Is it a nice place to live?"

"Yes and no. In the United Systems, Earth is considered a backwater where nothing happens. It's... stagnant, for lack of a better word. That being said, it's a lot less difficult to live there than it is in most other places. Plentiful food and water, but..." he looked pained for a moment. "It's unnatural. Nearly the entirety of the planet is covered in artificial structures dedicated to housing, manufacturing, entertainment, or food and water production. Buildings that are taller and wider than mountains, filled with people. It's so... contained. Most would say it's boring, even."

"Boring? But that sounds almost like a paradise," I said incredulously.

"For some it is. On Earth, poverty is largely irrelevant, starvation has pretty much been eliminated and the planetary government has put a stop to large-scale wars. But for every good there's a bad. Diseases have gotten downright sadistic, human rights violations happen with an alarming frequency, and it's been decades since any new tech has come from Earth. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a dystopia, but it definitely isn't a utopia."

"Wait, I've heard your medical technology is amazing, how are diseases still impactful?"

"I'm not a doctor, but from what I've been able to glean the biggest threat are the infectious diseases. Microorganisms love evolving in pesky ways, and the people on Earth live in very close proximity. On the one hand, this fosters a strong sense of community. On the other hand, when one person gets an infectious illness, EVERYONE gets it," he said. "While the doctors figure out a cure, some people will inevitably die."

This was like taking a peek into the future of my own kind, but my follow-up questions were hindered by the feeling of the ship entering warp. It wouldn't be much longer before we were at our destination, and I desperately wanted to know about the organization that Havencroft belongs to.

"That's unfortunate," I said. "Hopefully things will change for Earth one day. I did have another question, though. What's the difference between the Diplomatic Corps and... whichever organization you belong to?"

He chuckled a bit before saying, "I belong to the United System's Senate Ambassadorial Commission. SAC, for short. By far and large it's the same as the Diplomatic Corps, but the key difference is that we're a civilian organization. Typically, the DC are first responders to matters of diplomacy and we're the ones that formalize diplomatic ties. They get the embassies built, we fill them up."

"So you being here means..."

"That we fully expect this species to want to join the United Systems?" he interrupted with a smile. I nodded, less amused than he was. "I thought that would be the assumption. No, we simply plan on opening an embassy with them regardless of their choice, and it will be easier to maintain good relations if the face of those relations doesn't change. To use a military parlance, this is to be my permanent duty station."

"Is there a member of SAC aboard the Thanatos?"

"I don't believe so. I lobbied pretty hard to be involved in one of these missions, and knowing my colleagues, I'm willing to bet I was the only one."

"Why's that?"

"I like frontiers. Growing up on Earth leaves one with an appetite for adventure, and it's not every day one gets the chance to spearhead a first contact," he grinned.

Spearhead. A metaphor that is startling similar to one that we Isolan use frequently. I'd had to give up using that particular metaphor when I became a diplomat, so it was strange to hear a similar one from a fellow ambassador. Although, I shouldn't be too surprised to hear it from a human. Our kinds are more similar than I care to admit.

I felt the ship exit warp, and a moment later the comms crackled to life.

"High Ambassador and... Eugene, we've arrived at our destination. Your presence aboard the bridge is requested."

I sighed softly, having more questions that would have to wait for answers. We quickly finished our drinks and stood.

"Time to go to work," Havencroft said with a smile.