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"It's loud, that's all I know." Ka grimaced. "I mean, it's extremely loud. But at least you can tell when it's coming. The air starts to tingle. Brace yourself when it does." Siou sported a nervous smile. "You know a lot about the aliens, don't you? I mean, you must be used to all of this by now, eh?" Siou was obviously anxious. She couldn't stop fidgeting. Her voice was quavering, and her brave face had been faltering since yesterday's briefing. Ka had sympathy for her, but knew that Siou was in for a big disappointment. "Well, I travelled a lot with them, so you'd think I'd have learned quite a bit. They tried pretty hard to explain their world to me, but I didn't understand anything. It was like being in primaries all over again. Bizarre place, though. Cold and not very pleasant, and very big. Mostly empty. There're not as many of them as us, they have a lot more space." "You said at the briefing that they smelled really terrible." Ka shook her head. This was going to be hard. "No, no, the smell was the ether or something like that, they tried to explain it to me. I don't know what the aliens smell like. They won't actually be here, just the idea of the aliens. Or something. You'll see. Weren't you paying any attention yesterday?" "Well, you do tend to drone on when you get going. The Director was getting impatient, too. I heard most of what you were saying." Well, no one had actually asked Ka whether she wanted to run the briefing. If they didn't like her first speech, they could have picked someone else. "What's..." WHOOOOOOOOOP. hello Ka stood motionless, giving every outward appearance of calm self-assurance, but she was shaking inside. There was simply no getting used to this. Siou was curled up on the ground, cowering. So much for six months of special training. sorry, did i startle you? this is the appointed time. Ka kicked Siou, and then, when that didn't work, hauled her up like a sack of rocks. When she was standing, Siou managed a half-grin and started mumbling.
"Not to me, Siou, to the alien." Ka said, pointing. Siou looked faint. The words tumbled out of her in a torrential stream. "Uh, yes. Um. Ah. I am the duly appointed record-keeper of the Membership, functioning as sole Noted and Official Record-Keeper for these treaty negotiations, and I, ah, hereby declare that all further communication will be dutifully remembered for future reference and... hey", she paused, "you look just like us. Is this a trick?" no. i cannot show you what we look like. you could not see us. besides , it is against regulations. "Oh." there would be paperwork. Siou stared at the alien. It looked normal. In fact, it looked disturbingly normal. Almost too normal. If normalness was first distilled and then concentrated, this would be it. He could be the proverbial man next door. The voice gave it away, but it spoke well enough. It had no trace of an accent. He. Or it. Whatever. i am sorry that we must hurry, but there is very little time. this mode of communication is extremely difficult for us. it would be easier to bring you to the pre-arranged meeting place. Always negotiate on your own turf. "No, the Membership decided that the negotiations must take place on our territory." i see. we understand. but please know that this is not at all easy for us. i trust you bring a decision from the membership? the second order has not changed its position. "I've been briefed concerning what we can and can't concede, and anything that falls outside my authority has to go back to the Membership for consideration. Within that scope, I have full authority to negotiate the treaty." good. we may proceed, then, without delay. according to the terms and provisions of the second order general mandate, the council of the second order hereby requests permanent military supervision of your world, until such time that your people are adequately prepared to defend themselves or we are unable to provide sufficient means to continue to do so. Silence ensued. It lasted for several moments. The Aliens were direct, it had to be said. "That's it, then? No population and migration rights? No economic demands? Mineral Acquisition Guarantees? What about the transportation hub that you mentioned?" we do not require your resources to construct it. it will also be far enough from your world so as not to disturb your people in any way whatsoever. Ka was confused. She had participated in dozens of treaty negotiations. No one asked only for simple defense rights. Ever. Ka prided herself on being able to extract the maximum number of concessions from tribes the Membership colonized, which is why she had been chosen for this job by the Membership. The Membership really wanted that transportation hub, anyway. They were willing to give up quite a bit for it. This wasn't fair. Ka was at a loss. "Ah, yes, I see. Right. Are you sure there isn't anything else you need, like territorial transfers or trading posts? Perhaps exclusive trading rights?" The alien smiled. no, we have no need for such things. they would not benefit us in any tangible way. if it would make the membership more comfortable, we would be willing to accept offers of any nature. but we have no wish to colonize your world or to take advantage of you. Siou became visibly disturbed. She kept records of several treaties. No superior power was ever this generous. At least not honest ones. And certainly never the Membership. Ka's highly trained reflexes rected instantly. "No, the Membership has no wish to bargain over property unless the Second Order is willing to allow a permanent representative designated by the Membership onto the transportation hub." yes, but as was previously explained, this would be impossible. the hub will be located at a great distance from your world, in order to insure the safety of your people. under no circumstances can we allow you to be present at the hub. our request remains unchanged. The stench was becoming overpowering. It was a quiet odour, one that took a long time to notice but once you were aware of it, it occupied all of your senses. It was, Siou felt with every olfactory nerve in her brain, deeply unpleasant. "This military supervision, what would it entail?" we would place a defensive monitor on your world, for your own protection only, and train you to maintain it. it will require very little maintenance or care, but must be re-aligned for optimum efficiency every ten to twelve generations. Just one year ago, when contact was first established, the Membership would have been ecstatic over such a generous offer. The intervening time had bred so much excitement about the Aliens and their vast stores of knowledge, though, that the Membership would demand that Ka convince the Aliens to become a permanent presence of some kind. Ka herself knew that the Aliens were scrupulously honest. And powerful. If they said they couldn't do something, it meant that it was in all likelihood impossible. She had seen what they were capable of. Despite the massive concessions she was prepared to offer, she knew that she was going to get nothing more. She elected not to waste their time. "Very well. But we must know why the Second Order is willing to be so generous. The Membership will be highly suspicious if you ask for nothing in return, as they will not understand your motivations." that would require some time to explain. we have already explained everything to you. why do you require that we do so a second time? Siou was visibly less nervous. It was hard to be terrified of this Alien. Though the stench was another matter. That truly was horrific. "The Membership must officially record all negotiations. It makes for less confusion when... disputes arise", she said. yes, well, i will explain very briefly. ours is a divided people. once, we colonized every world that we found. it solved none of our problems, and left us with great moral quandaries and ethical contradictions. our people fractured along lines of opinion and remain divided. Ka was uncomfortable. Thankfully, the Membership had not seen fit to forward the Aliens a history of their own world. we had eliminated much of great value. to halt such practices, the second order was reformed. its sole function currently is to guard susceptible worlds from colonization by others of our own kind. we have not always been successful. there have been many victims. Ka and Siou looked at each other, and had the same realization. "I see. It would then be possible to negotiate treaties with others of your kind, then, for... ah, much closer relations? I trust you would not begrudge us this opportunity?" The Membership would like this. Trade. Knowledge. Access to other worlds. Resources. Ka could hear a promotion in the offing. no. we must insist that you do not negotiate with anyone but the second order. other orders can be both deceitful and extremely brutal in their methods. we can provide the membership with positive proof of this, if the membership desires. you will come to agree that our protection is both necessary and will best serve your people's interests. "But why does the Second Order do this?" we were particularly efficient colonists before reformation. even our own kind was not safe from exploitation and abuse. we are directly responsible for much of our people's savage history. "This is your pennance, then? Protecting us assuages your guilt?" no, not precisely. the second order wishes only to protect worlds from the unfortunate history that has befallen many others. please note that we were not the ...only imperialists. Ka wondered for a moment just how much the Aliens actually knew about the Membership. She looked at Siou, lowered her head in resignation, and sighed. All that knowledge. Unimaginable wealth. Limitless trade opportunities. please hurry. very little time remains. "I have been authorized by the Membership to ratify this agreement in accordance with all legal norms and precedents. The Treaty between the Membership and the Second Order is as follows. The Membership is to allow the Second Order to establish a defensive structure on our world, solely for the defense of our people. In exchange, ..." Well, then, this was the problem. The Membership had nothing to offer. At all. All treaties had to be reciprocal, even if only token fashion. Ka felt uneasy. She had never been on the weaker side of the negotiating table, and while this treaty was essentially good for the Membership, all of the credit had to go the Aliens. But there was nothing to do about it. "In exchange, the Membership offers to maintain it according to Second Order instructions." the second order ratifies the treaty. The Negotiator job description did not include enduring this awful, retching stink. She normally revelled in the give and take of conflicting demands and political manoevering. She loved her work. Despite the enforced ease of this negotiation, the meeting had to end soon, for her own sanity. Siou was trying desperately and unsuccessfully not to breathe and was casting her pained expressions. The Alien started to lose its colour. The attractive purple shading on its lower chamber was disappearing. Its central lobes showed intense concentration, but the Alien was obviously fighting a losing battle. And the more the Alien became amorphous, the more overpowering the stench grew. Very soon there was nothing but a brown puffy mass with four stunted tentacles, fading in and out of reality. if you re-align the defensive structure as instructed, you should never have need to contact us. if you are contacted by the second order, it will most likely be due to ... unfortunate news. the second order can only guarantee your security for a limited time. afterwards, you will be forced to defend yourselves from the rest of humanity. you will receive as much time to prepare as we can provide. Ka motioned with one of her feelers to the Alien, making the universal gesture of agreement and peace. And held her scent probes closed. "Then I trust", she said, "that you won't be offended if I say I hope we don't hear from you again for a very, very long time." |