Ominian System
Automated Border Outpost 1D-25
1,893 light-years from Earth
June 12th, 2176 A.D.
“Do you think I should go over to President Sarix? He looks... distraught and is not eating anything.”
President Lopez glanced furtively in Sarix’s direction before leaning in closer. “Leave him be, Ambassador. I think he needs time to process everything that has been happening, and I did not expect him to outright admit in front of everyone what the old Commonwealth was planning. And to be honest, I don’t think he did either. That was hard for him to admit.”
Ray quickly glanced in the corner where President Sarix was brooding with a glass of human mead before nodding his head in agreement. “I will defer to your assessment, Madame President. I only met him for the first time two days ago, but I feel like I’ve known him for a lot longer, if that makes sense. I find him refreshing after dealing with all these duplicitous assholes here; he is guileless, a rare thing for an ambassador to come across.”
“I know what you mean, Ambassador. There is not a dishonest bone inside that man, and I cannot imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t stepped up to lead the Commonwealth. We would certainly not be joining our two nations or be here trying to form an alliance, that much I do know.” The president replied quietly.
“What of Aurora? When will she be speaking to all of us? Though there is a lot of resentment among the delegates here, they are also extremely curious to hear what she has to say. I get the distinct impression many of them care more about seeing an Insectoid talk than listening to what she actually has to say to them, Madame President.”
The president snorted in disbelief. “These fuckers better show her the proper respect or I'll give them something to talk about.” She whispered hotly before glaring around at the oblivious delegates scattered around them.
“Sorry, Ambassador. Aurora is my girl, and I am very protective of her. As to your question, she arrived late last night and has been resting to recover from sending her essence to help her sister fight off the rebellion. It took a lot out of her, and I do not foresee her speaking today.
She is also terrified of facing so many animals who hate her kind all at once, and I have been wondering if it would be better for her to meet with small groups instead of all at the same time. I think that would make things easier for her, and I believe the personal aspect of it might allow for the others to see her as a unique individual rather than as the Insectoid boogeyman personified.”
Ray nodded thoughtfully, running scenarios in his head as he divided the delegates into smaller groups and thought about how to make it happen. There would be resistance from the others, and he would need help from the Ma’lit to make it happen.
Looking over to the Republic dessert table, he spotted Hreth’nir’s suit over there, placing a small plate of Baklava into the suit receptacle. That was the second one so far, and he snorted at the sight, causing President Lopez to lean closer and ask him what was so funny.
“I was just watching Hreth’nir put another plate of baklava into its suit; I made sure it was one of our dessert offerings specifically for it. I contracted out the order from a Greek friend’s yiayia and had to finagle some favors to have it shipped here in time. She wouldn’t accept money for it, but I deposited a thousand credits into her account anyway; I consider it money well spent.”
The president giggled at what he said, her eyes twinkling as she nodded approvingly of his efforts to keep the honored elder happy. “Nobody makes food better than a grandma, Ambassador. Maybe we can trade Yiayia’s baklava for some more Ma’lit tech if they like it so much.”
Ray laughed in response to the idea of bribing the Ma’lit with baklava before leaning in and whispering conspiratorially. “You might be on to something, Madame President. From what Hreth’nir tells me, it is a really big hit among the Ma’lit. I think 500 pounds of Yaiyia’s baklava for, say, one of their particle beam relays would be a fair trade. Look! It’s getting another plate!”
President Lopez furtively glanced towards the dessert table, just in time to see Hreth’nir sliding his third plate into his receptacle. She turned her face back towards him and covered her mouth, cheeks puffed out as she tried not to burst out laughing and draw attention to them.
Ray almost lost it and quickly spun around, the president following his lead as they both tried their best to keep it in. The president leaned in closer and murmured out the side of her mouth, “Jeez, do the Ma'lit not get diabetes? And why am I wondering what a fat cyborg would look like right now?”
That was more than Ray could handle, and he just barely managed to toggle his wristcom and activate the privacy field around them in time before he doubled over and roared with laughter, the president joining in as she gasped out, “Why… do I feel... like I am laughing at a funeral right now?”
Ray knew the feeling, and he waved his hands desperately to get her to stop making him laugh, which only made her laugh harder. After a few moments, they were both giggling uncontrollably as they tried to get a hold of themselves, and Ray was grateful he had the foresight to make sure he had the privacy field function installed on his wristcom before the function.
The Ma’lit had ensured the attendees that the forum had privacy dampeners installed that would prevent eavesdropping when the AI detected private conversations, but it would not prevent them from seeing each other. At least with the privacy field up around them, the others would only see a frosted bubble and not know what they were actually doing.
“Oh shit, I haven’t laughed like that in a long time!” The president uttered breathlessly as she used her fingers to wipe at the corners of her eyes. “Me too, Madame President!” Ray agreed as he pulled out the burgundy-colored handkerchief from his chest pocket and offered it to her.
She took it, nodding gratefully as she dabbed around her eyes before folding it inside out and giving it back to him. He took it and used the untouched parts to wipe his own eyes and cheeks before placing it back in his chest pocket.
“Ooof.” He murmured as the president took out a makeup wand from her small handbag and examined herself in the small holo mirror being projected from it. She toggled a selection and slowly waved it from her forehead to her chin several times before it beeped. She looked good as new now, and she offered it to him.
“Um, I don’t…” She interrupted him as he continued to stammer. “There is a male setting; I already toggled it. Just wave it over your face a couple of times, and it will freshen you up so you won’t look like you have been ugly crying when you shut off the field. Keep your eyes open.”
He took it and awkwardly held it in front of his face six inches away. She gently grabbed his hand and placed it at the proper distance before letting go and nodding. He waved it slowly up and down, feeling a strange, staticky sensation on his face and forcing his eyes to stay open until it beeped.
He gasped in appreciation as he saw himself in the small holo mirror, his red eyes now white and no obvious signs of makeup, though he looked more well rested than he had any right to. Handing it back to her, she smiled at his reaction before putting it back into her handbag. “Are you ready, Ambassador?”
“Ready.” He replied before shutting off the privacy field, and the reception room reappeared all around them. Several of the groups were staring at them and looked away, trying to act bored or uninterested and failing miserably. “How much time do we have left?” She asked as she wrapped her arm around his and gently led them towards the tables.
He looked at his wristcom before answering. “Thirty-six minutes, Madame President.” She nodded and guided them towards the Xenxin table. “Do you like spicy food, Ambassador? The Xenxin have several unique spices that I would like you to try if you are game.”
He hated spicy food, but he hated disappointing his president even more, so he nodded bravely and tried to keep his face neutral. She knew he was full of shit, and she laughed lightly at his expression. “Never say die, Ambassador. I promise to keep you away from the spicier offerings; once the heat dissipates, the flavors are quite delicious.”
“If you say so, Madame President.” He answered nervously as they reached the table, and he stared at the wild riot of colorful Xenxin food arrayed on the uniquely shaped copper serving trays. As the president began to fill a small plate with samples for him to try, he glanced around the reception room at the others.
Everyone had broken up into small groups, and he noticed a blurring effect in front of the delegates mouths whenever his eyes tried to read their lips. It went away when he looked at their eyes or elsewhere, only to return when he tried to read their lips again. Impressive, he thought to himself as he tried to single out any discernible speech from the group nearest to them.
He could hear them talking, but there was an indecipherable quality to their conversation, as if their speech had been scrambled. The president tapped on his arm, startling him out of his spying attempt. She offered him the plate she had made, a mischievous smile on her face that made his stomach clench with fear.
* * *
“The Non-Aligned Powers have designated Ambassador Roo-Nahk to speak for them.” The Ma’lit presiding over the talks said from its suit speakers when all the delegates had finished taking their seats after the conclusion of the reception hour.
Ambassador Roo-Nahk stood up at the mention of her name, her 2.2-meter height making her seem extremely tall in comparison to the seated delegates as she made her way from the last row to the edge of the stage and hopped up onto it with ease, eschewing the stairs on the side.
She went on all fours and sprinted across the stage with remarkable speed, shooting straight up when she reached the repaired lectern. She shook her head several times to the Ma’lit exosuit in a gesture of respect and waited for the lectern to adjust to her height, her head and eyes darting around the assembly.
Ray smiled at the sight of the ambassador as she continued to wait for the podium to adjust, her whiskers twitching in anticipation. Her species, the Iri-Sha, were one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Powers, and they were remarkably similar to the meerkats of Earth, not only in biology but in their mannerisms as well.
The lectern finished reconfiguring to the appropriate height, and her hands went to the belt that was cinching her tunic around her waist, pulling out a sheaf of small papers from the small pouch attached to it.
She placed them on the lectern before toggling the translator attached to her upper tunic, and she began to speak as she read from the prepared statements.
“I am Ambassador Roo-Nahk of the Iri-Sha, and I am honored to peer keenly at all of you and know your scents. The circumstances that have required us to gather here are troubling, and I wish it was not so.
As you all are well aware, the Non-Aligned Powers enjoy cordial relations with the Republic of Humanity. They have always been the best of trading partners, fair in their pricing and never trying to cheat us.
This, we have always remembered every time we glimpse a human.
Others try to steal our secrets for their own gain, but not the humans. They work with us, and they adhere to the concept of intellectual property rights, just as we do. The Republic has helped us to identify violations and thefts of our property and technology by others numerous times, even at the risk of their relations with other governments.
This, we have always remembered every time we glimpse a human.”
Ambassador Roo-Nahk was staring at the Farian diplomat as she spoke of the attempts to steal intellectual property and technology, her eyes narrowed into slits. The Farian ambassador seemed to not care, affecting a bored expression that fooled no one.
The Farian Kingdom and the Non-Aligned Powers had been locked in a bitter economic feud for decades, and the Kingdom’s economic espionage and intellectual property theft were major reasons for the terrible relations between the two organizations.
Looking away from the Farian ambassador, her eyes returned to their normally round shape as she continued to quickly move her head all around the assembly, seeming to be looking for a predator before she resumed speaking.
“When the Oonak Phage burned across our worlds and began to kill us, Republic healers were the first ones to come and help us, and their ships were the first ones that volunteered to cross the quarantine zone to bring us food and medical supplies, knowing they would not be able to leave once they went into orbit or landed.
This, we have always remembered every time we glimpse a human.
Of the over 200,000 healers and volunteers who came to help us, 8,598 passed into the Great Beyond when the Phage took them. 23,812 became infected and lived, but they now suffer from lifelong debilitation as a result of the Oonak Phage.
This, we have always remembered every time we glimpse a human.
Because of what they did, tens of millions of us survived when they would have died. Their bravery and willingness to serve others in times of need and at the risk of their own lives and well-being showed us who our true friends are.
This, we have always remembered every time we glimpse a human.”
She stopped darting her eyes around the assembly and focused them at the Republic delegation, shaking her head at them before she locked eyes with Ray and continued.
“We peer at the humans here, and we listen with our ears as others speak of them. We close our ears when some speak ill of them, for we know it is lies, and we will not listen. We open our ears when some speak well of them, for we know it is truth, and we will listen.
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We know who the humans are, and we know what they have done, not just for us, but for others in their time of need. When the Eleani sent their plea into the stars for salvation, it was the humans who came. When the Jaleeni needed someone to save them, it was the humans who came.
This we remember now, as we have always remembered, when we glimpse the humans here. Because of what they have done for others in the time that has already passed, we know what they will do in the time yet to come.
We vote yes to submit to Republic military control of our forces.”
The ambassador shook her head at the Ma’lit exosuit again before going back on all fours and sprinting across the stage, taking the stairs this time. Ignoring the varied polite applause of the other delegates, she darted to her seat in the last row with the other Iri-Sha delegates, who graciously positioned themselves in the last row so as to not block the view of others.
The speakers of the Ma’lit suit activated. “The Ma’lit Domain thanks Ambassador Roo-Nahk and the Non-Aligned Powers for their thoughts on our proposal. Ambassador Kir-lar of the Kilthek Dominion will address the assembly next.”
From all around them, Ray heard murmuring from the other delegates as they began to crane their necks and look around, greatly surprised by the participation of the little-known Kilthek Dominion. Ambassador Kir-lar had finally arrived during the reception hour, and the other delegates had thought the absence of a Kilthek delegation meant they were not participating.
They did not see it as unusual considering the troubled history between them and the Republic, and it was only recently that the Kilthek Dominion had been able to reach the core regions with their traders and diplomats due to their isolated location on the fringe.
A large door slid into its wall recess on the side of the forum, and everybody turned and silently stared at the Kilthek delegation as they entered the forum and began to stalk towards the stage.
There were three of them, and President Lopez tapped on Ray’s arm before leaning close to his ear and whispering. “Ambassador Kir-Lar is the one holding the scepter in her right wingtip; that is the scepter of Emperor Lik-Sar and signifies she is speaking for him.”
He silently nodded to signify he heard and understood as he tracked Ambassador Kir-Lar with his eyes. She reached the edge of the stage and handed the scepter to the Kilthek delegate next to her before unfolding her large wings, causing the other delegates to gasp and murmur at the sight of the five-meter wingspan.
With one powerful downstroke of her wings that displaced the air enough to be felt by Ray from even fifteen meters away, she easily propelled herself up into the air and onto the stage, alighting on it gracefully.
Extending one of her wings, she reached back down and took the scepter from the delegate who was holding it up for her and stalked towards the lectern before extending her wings again and bowing lowly to the Ma’lit exosuit.
The Ma’lit returned the gesture, and they both held it for what seemed like a really long time before Ambassador Kir-Lar lifted herself back up. She bobbed her head low in acquiescence one last time before stepping behind the lectern and holding the scepter out with a half-folded wing for all to see as she began to speak in perfect, unaccented Republic standard.
“I speak for Emperor Lik-Sar, for I hold the Scepter of Kil. Let all see it and know the truth of what I show. My words are not mine, but the emperor’s. Let all hear me and know the truth of what I say.
I am Envoy Kir-Lar of the Kilthek Dominion, and I am honored to be here and to have been chosen to carry the words and intent of our emperor. Many of you do not know us, just as we do not know many of you. This we hope to change, thanks to the ones who we used to see as enemies but now see as friends and allies.
We do not see things as others do. We do not trust others easily, and we view things in terms of strength. If we can take from others, we will, because they are not strong enough to stop us. This is our way because we learned this from the time of our beginning, when the many predators of our world would steal our eggs and kill our mates.
We killed them all, but we still remember the lessons of our forebearers. If we do not take from others, they will take from us. Our region did not have any others like us when we first flew into space, and we claimed what belonged to us as we expanded.”
She had been looking straight ahead at the back wall of the forum the entire time she had been speaking and not making eye contact with the delegates, and the ambassador suddenly zeroed in on the Republic delegation with her eyes.
Ray felt his heart rate quicken at the unnerving gaze of those large, emotionless orbs drilling into his own, and for the first time in his life, he knew what a prey animal must feel like when it realizes it had been spotted by a predator as she resumed speaking.
“Such as it was for many cycles until we came across another that flew into space, just as we did. They did not attack us, so we thought they were weak and we could take from them, because if they were not weak, then they would have tried to take from us first.
We tested them and sent ships into their nesting grounds, and they would send ships to block our intrusions, but they would not attack. They sent us signals and tried to speak with us, but we ignored them.
We already knew enough to know they were afraid of us, and they were not worthy of speaking with as equals. We decided to take from them, and we sent a single Fil’dat dreadnought to claim the nesting world we wanted in their space closest to ours.
We easily destroyed the few pitiful ships around the nesting world we wanted. Their weak weapons could not reach us as we destroyed them from afar, and we thought it now belonged to us. The result of that first battle confirmed what we believed: that they were weak and we could take what we wanted.
We were surprised when dozens of other ships came. Do they not know their weapons could not hurt us before we destroyed them? Or did they not care? This is what we thought to ourselves as the ships came right for us to do battle.
This time, they did not try to fight us from afar like before. This time, they closed with our dreadnought, many of them being destroyed before they even reached us. Still, they came, and now they swarmed our ship like the angry Hir’tak insects do when we steal the regurgitated fructose they make in their hives.
Their weapons and small ships were no match for our dreadnought, but they are sturdy and fast, and more kept coming. Soon we had many stings to our hull, and our energy reserves were being depleted as our weapons tried to swat them away.
So, we left, and we would come back with more dreadnoughts. Before we reached our space, our ship was attacked by even more ships that were waiting for us. Our dreadnought fought well, but soon it fell beneath the many, just as we do when the Hir’tak stings one of us too many times.
We were angry, and the ones who killed us and destroyed our ship had incurred a blood debt that must be paid for our honor to be satiated. The nest mates of the fallen warriors petitioned the emperor for vengeance, and he promised them retribution, as a good emperor does.
And so, we sent many ships to test them, smaller ships but still powerful with better weapons, and they would respond, always swarming us, always dying in large numbers as our weapons reached further than theirs. We tired of losing ships to them in this manner and decided it was time to send more dreadnoughts.”
The ambassador reached for a small device hanging off her harness with her left wingtip, the delicate fingers unclasping it from the harness and setting it on the lectern. She tapped on it, and a large holo screen shimmered into view that displayed four separate video feeds from the perspective of the Kilthek dreadnoughts being listed on the screen.
Dozens of points of light emerged from the blackness of deep space that resolved into the ships of the Republic Navy, and they closed rapidly with the Kilthek dreadnoughts from all sides, like a school of minnows attacking a pod of whales.
The incredibly powerful particle accelerators of the dreadnoughts began firing, and they watched as the still distant Republic ships had their bows torn open to space, the beams drilling into the now exposed interiors of the mortally wounded ships.
The targeted ships disappeared in flashes of nuclear fury as the cores lost containment, but the others grimly pressed on. Executing wild evasive maneuvers as their engines were redlined well past their rated maximum, they continued to charge at the dreadnoughts as their numbers rapidly dwindled.
The ambassador paused the videos and began to speak again, her voice now much quieter and seeming almost reverent as she narrated the events of that fateful day from the Kilthek perspective.
“We came back with four Fil’dat dreadnoughts, and we knew that would be enough for only one had destroyed over fifty of their ships before. Surely, we thought to ourselves, they did not have many more and did not wish to die in such numbers again.
Our dreadnoughts returned to the nesting world to take once more what was rightfully ours and to fulfill the vow of the emperor to claim retribution for the blood debt the Republic owed us. We did not expect them to try to stop us again, but they did.”
She stopped speaking and tapped on the device, unpausing the video recordings from the time index she had stopped them at. The recordings resumed, and this time she did not speak as dozens of Republic ships continued to beeline directly for the dreadnoughts.
The four Kilthek ships were furiously firing, the invisible destruction pouring out of their turrets only seen when they smashed into their targets and the armor plating began boiling under the subatomic onslaught being inflicted upon it before the beams broke through and pierced through the outer and inner hulls.
Great rents appeared in the hulls of the dying ships as hundreds of bodies were expelled along with the internal atmospheres of the stricken vessels, but still they kept running the gauntlet despite the carnage being inflicted upon them, and now they were firing their own weapons.
On one of the screens, four damaged Republic heavy cruisers grew rapidly in size as they surged directly for the dreadnought, trailing flash-frozen fluids, gases, and bodies behind them like a bloody comet's tail. The four half-destroyed Republic heavy cruisers continued to fill the screen until there were sudden flashes of light and the video feed cut out.
The screen next to it showed the same sequence of events, except for it displaying three heavy destroyers and five frigates ramming into the second dreadnought, one after another, slamming into the dreadnought at incredible velocities before the video feed finally cut out as well.
Now there were only two dreadnought video feeds still showing, and there were still over twenty heavily damaged Republic ships locked on ramming courses with them. The remaining two video feeds flared with the unique brilliance of a transition flash right before the Republic ships reached them, and the holo screen went dark.
The ambassador tapped on the device and deactivated it, the black holo screen fading away as she resumed speaking in a hushed tone filled with solemn respect and awe.
“Two of our dreadnoughts were destroyed by the ones we wanted to take from and thought were weak. They showed us the error of our assumptions, and we did not wish to fight such an adversary again until we were strong enough to destroy them fully.
For the next forty-four cycles, we would periodically test them and send smaller ships to violate their territory, and they would confront us and make us retreat. We would depart with our scans and plan our next violation as we continued to probe for weaknesses.
We noticed an alarming increase in their technology levels during this time, and our willingness to engage in a war with them faltered as a result. Our people remembered the blood debt owed to them, and they clamored for retribution even as the government wished not to when we saw the new ships and weapons of our adversaries.
We had expanded as much as we could in the other directions by this time, but there were not enough resources and viable trade routes to sustain and grow our economy in the territory we had, and our adversaries were blocking our access to other markets.
Feeling like we had no choice, we invaded again three cycles ago and blockaded the world they call New Australia in the hopes of bluffing them into giving us concessions, or starting a war with our now much more powerful fleet and finally defeating them.
We sent 200 of our most powerful warships, including fourteen Fil’dat dreadnoughts for the blockade, and they sent 1,230 ships to confront us. 1,230 warships we had never seen before, some almost as large as our dreadnoughts. They are dead, we said to ourselves when those ships arrived and surrounded ours before the transmission was jammed and we lost contact.
We were greatly surprised when we received a Kilthek transmission from our fleet commander four solar hours later, telling us they still lived and that the Republic wanted to talk instead of making war.
So, we truly talked for the first time, and the Republic, our adversary for so long, graciously granted us at first two, and then a third trade corridor through their territory to allow us to trade with the others on the far side. Because of this, our economy stabilized, and the Kilthek Dominion has continued to grow and prosper thanks to the Republic.”
The ambassador stopped speaking and turned her large, yellow eyes directly to President Lopez, bobbing her head three times in rapid succession before continuing.
“We do not forget this, and we are ashamed of the blood debt we incurred and the unjustified belligerence we held in our hearts against them for so long. When Empress Lopez invited Emperor Lik-Sar to come to their cradle world, we readily agreed and hoped to strengthen the new peace between us and increase our joint economic ventures.
Instead, Empress Lopez told Emperor Lik-Sar of a new enemy, an enemy that kills for their twisted religion and the sick Masters who demand the extermination of all others. We are angry to hear this, and we agreed to stand with our new friends and allies against all others.
We have their measure; we have seen how they fight to protect what is theirs. But we have also seen the evidence of how they fought to protect others when the Insectoids came to take what was not theirs.
Just as much as they were willing to sacrifice for themselves, they also sacrificed for others. We see this, and we think, as they did for others, they would do for us. So, we shall do the same for them, for they have proven they are worthy of such consideration from us.
Those who come to take from the Republic will have to take from us as well, and the Kilthek Dominion will stand wing to wing with the Republic of Humanity until we are no more, or the enemy is no more.
The Kilthek Dominion votes yes to accept Republic military control of our forces. The emperor has spoken, and by this scepter in my hand, this vow has been sanctified in the eyes of the Creator who made the Egg and in the presence of all who hear what I say now."
Raising the scepter high above her head, the ambassador's eyes seemed to lose focus as she stared into the distance, and her voice changed considerably, like she had been suddenly possessed and was now being used as a conduit.
'Heed me now; these being the words of Emperor Lik-Sar of the Kilthek Dominion: Let those who choose to fight with us know they are now eternal friends of the Kilthek Dominion, and let those who choose not to fight with us know they are now an adversary of the Kilthek Dominion, forevermore.’
Once the words had been uttered, her eyes focused again, and she resumed looking at the delegates as she spoke in her normal voice.
"I have nothing more to say on this matter.”
Bobbing her head three more times in rapid succession towards President Lopez, the ambassador waited for Lopez to return the gesture before turning towards the Ma’lit exosuit and bowing lowly, which it returned.
The proper protocols having been observed, Ambassador Kir-lar stalked back to the edge of the stage from where she had landed on it and extended her wingtip with the scepter to the Kilthek delegate still waiting there, who took it reverently from her and hugged it to his chest.
This time, she lightly hopped off and beat her wings once to soften her landing before the Kilthek delegation stalked to the back of the forum and lined themselves against the rear wall since they do not sit in seats.
As one, they all folded the middle joints of their legs inwards and settled down onto the floor, their sides touching each other as they huddled closely together. Once they had indicated their willingness to remain, the Ma’lit elder activated its suit speakers.
“The Ma’lit Domain thanks the Kilthek Dominion for attending this important assembly and sharing the words and thoughts of Emperor Lik-Sar. We shall reconvene tomorrow at first light, and I bid you all a night of serene repose.”
Having been dismissed by the honored elder overseeing the talks, the forum came alive with the rustling sounds of many people getting out of their seats as the delegates began to get ready to depart the forum.
Looking at President Lopez, he wondered what her plans were for the rest of the evening now that they had been dismissed. “Do you have any plans for the next couple of hours, Madame President?” She looked at him and shook her head before replying. “You, Ambassador?”
“I was thinking of asking Hreth’nir to finish telling me how they finally managed to defeat the Balrikans after everyone else had died and the Federation had fallen. Would you like to join me and find out for yourself?”
“Absolutely, maybe what they did to win could be done again, or maybe the mistake they made needs to not be made again, because they are back after all this time.” She replied as she rose out of her seat. Following her lead, he got up as well and looked around for Hreth’nir.
“I see him; he’s over there with the Farian delegation.” He said as he tilted his head in the direction of where he spotted them. She looked over and then turned back to face him. “Let’s go save him from the Farians; I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.” She said with a look of barely concealed disgust.
“Oh, I’m sure he will, Madame President.” He agreed. She entwined her arm with his, and they began to walk over to where Hreth’nir was standing with the Farian delegates, his suited hands moving a lot more than usual for the normally reserved Ma’lit.
Hreth’nir looks pissed, he thought to himself as they made their way through the small clusters of delegates that were lingering throughout the forum and whispering to each other with their blurred lips.
Dealing with all these people and getting the talks together was the most exhausting thing he had ever done, and he could not wait for it to be over already.
It seemed like most of the powers would agree to the framework of the alliance, but talking and doing were two radically different things, and they were quickly running out of their most precious commodity.
Time.