TS6 - Chapter 12

Kat struggled to keep a smile off of her face as Dorrik scowled right next to her.  To their left stood five hover tanks, four combat models supporting a more lightly armed command control and electronic warfare vehicle.  All of them floated a half pace off the ground, their primary engines warmed and ready.  On the other side, a squad of twenty five 3445 mercenaries in APEX suits stood guard, a quartet of combat engineers operating a massive shield generator that was projecting a slightly glowing hemisphere over Kat and Dorrik.

In front of them stood a large concrete field surrounded by military bunkers and hangers.  Roof mounted radar and anti aircraft cannons twisted on turrets, tracking a streak of light that descended through the sky toward the two of them.  A quick look over Kat’s shoulder revealed the steady neon glow of Chiwaukee, clearly visible even as the sun began to rise.

“He’s late,” Dorrik growled, crest stiff.  “Never trust a stallesp to be on time.  If you’re waiting on them, they’ll be late.  If you don’t want to see them, they will show up weeks early.”

“At least half of my visitors were on time,” Kat replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as Dorrik groaned.

“None of that,” he said, crest twitching with irritation.  “I don’t know about any visitors other than the formal stallesp envoy.  Other than the handful of holdouts from their original invasion project and myself, there are no aliens on Earth at the moment.”

“Not even if the aliens are cute little fish?” Kat asked, trying and failing to keep her face blank.  “Cute little psychic fish?”

Dorrik whipped his head around, eyes wide.

“He didn’t!”  The lokkel gasped only for the crackle of a radio transmission to interrupt.

“Mole one is set to touch down in thirty seconds.  No deviations from course or power profile.  Their weapons are powered down and only their aerodynamic shields are currently active.”

“Crap,” Kat said, clicking her tongue unhappily.

“Crap?”  Dorrik asked, still staring at her.  “What about this is excrement worthy?  More than that, what has that fuzzy idiot done?”

“We sent the stallesp a fairly exhaustive list of things they could not do while approaching the landing pad,” Kat replied, glancing up at the descending ball of light.  “I had hoped that they would ignore something so that we would have a chance to claim that they were threatening my person and break out the big coil guns, but apparently they’ve called my bluff.  I guess we’ll have to actually talk to their envoy after all.”

“You were going to shoot down their envoy?”  Dorrik questioned, his crest practically vibrating.  “Why do I feel like Kaleek is already a bad influence on you?  The next thing I know, you’ll stop using knives and switch to a big hammer.  Then I’ll be stuck climbing the tower with two people who only know how to scream and hit opponents as hard as possible without regard for their weaknesses or abilities.”

Above them the ball of light grew closer, revealing a dark grey cylinder that glowed with the ominous purple of modern anti gravity technology.

“Hey now,” Kat responded, putting a hand on her chest as if affronted.  “We’re a planet full of barbarians, so sometimes we do barbarian things.  After all, we’re basically children.  No one should be surprised if we overreact a little bit.  Sometimes things like these just happen.”

“Please tell me there was something more to your plan,” Dorrik begged.  “Some sort of secret conspiracy or explanation that you’ll present to the consensus if they come to you looking for a response?”

Kat grinned back at him, shrugging.

“Oops, we mistook you for one of the agents that you said you removed from our planet but are still there.  After the latest attempt on my life, we take stallesp deviating from their flight plans very seriously.”

“That-” Dorrik began, a frown bunching the scales around his muzzle and eyes.  “Honestly, that might work.  The Consensus as a whole basically refuses to move, and Clan Ahn would likely cover for you.  It would likely anger the stallesp to the border of open hostility, but I don’t exactly expect them to be friendly with Earth regardless.”

“The envoy is only here to wriggle out of a fine anyway,” Kat replied.  “They’ve done enough to our planet, that taking anything but a hard line would simply show that we’re pushovers.  If humanity is going to get any respect whatsoever in the galactic community, we need to show a little backbone.”

“I never really understood that phrase,” Dorrik said, nodding once to Kat before turning his attention back to the stallesp spaceship as it landed, “some of the galaxy’s most fearsome warriors are invertebrates.  Especially when you begin to count species with exoskeletons rather than dedicated spines.  Of course, even if you’re only discussing races that superficially resemble your molluscs or jellyfish, I can name at least two dozen off the top of my head with a strong reputation for honor and violence.  At least two were actually exiled from the Consensus for repeatedly invading their neighbors.  I think there is actually a treatise on-”

“The envoy is here,” Kat said lightly, inclining her head toward the spaceship. “Unless you want to lecture him on space bug warriors, it’s time to put your game face on.”

“And what,” Dorrik replied, “Miss Kat is my game face?  I could try to lapse into the state of concentration I adopt when using my swords or a Psi ability, but that might be seen as an attempted attack on the envoy.”

“Just scowl and look menacing,” she responded, taking a step forward as a hatch built into the spaceship slid aside, revealing an interior filled with dull, pulsing orange light.

The stallesp envoy stepped into the opening, looking around the landing pad once before jumping down from the doorway.  A pace or so above the ground, there was a flash of purple light around his waist and the alien came to a stop, dropping gently to the pavement below.

He turned to face Kat as she approached, heavy golden jewelry covering the entirety of his stubby mole neck and upper chest.  His pink snout twitched once, sampling Earth’s air before he bobbed his head congenially.

“Mistress Katherine Debs I presume?” The voice coming from his translator was a deep, rich bass, more suited to a late night R&B entertainment stream host than a squinting mole thing that stood a handspan or so shorter than Kat.

“Yes,” Kat replied.  “I was never actually given your name, just that there would be an envoy to talk over the reparations owed to Earth and the future of our solar system once we enter the Galactic Consensus.”

The stallesp’s placid expression flashed a hint of annoyance when Kat mentioned reparations, but it returned to normal almost immediately as, once again, the mole bobbed its head respectfully toward her.

“Of course.  My name is Dringbek and I am a senior foreman amongst my people.  I would love to talk to you both about the actions of the rogue elements that appear to have interfered with your planet’s development as well as the role that our faction could play in your planet’s growth and development as it enters the galactic stage.”

He turned and eyed up Dorrik as the lokkel approached, his muzzle twisted into a menacing scowl.

“Ah,” Dringbek said.  “Clan Ahn’s representative.  Don’t worry.  I’ll be a good boy.  We plan to follow all of your traditions and rules.  You’ve been very good at making it cost ineffective to do otherwise.”

“Actually Dorrik is here as an impartial observer,” Kat replied.  “Clan Ahn’s representative will be arriving in the next week or so.  My understanding is that she will be here to negotiate similar developmental deals to the ones you will be proposing.”

The stallesp paused, looking Dorrik up and down a second time.  The end of his pink snout wrinkled as he sniffed deeply.

“Ah.”  Dringbek said, beady eyes squinting at the two of them  “An observer from Clan Ahn as well as a negotiator from Clan Ahn.  I’m sure this was quite the coup when you got the Consensus to approve it.”

“I was assigned well before the Consensus allowed envoys to be sent to Earth,” Dorrik replied stiffly.  “I originally arrived as part of the investigation into stallesp involvement on an interdicted world.  I have remained here to monitor the continued stallesp interference well after all agents have formally been recalled.  I will note, that there has been activity a recently as last month although we have been unable to locate the specific stallesp agent involved.”

Dringbek waved a clawed hand dismissively, the heavy golden jewelry around his neck glinting in the light of the rising sun.

“Nevertheless,” the stallesp concluded.  “An unfair battlefield is still a battlefield.  I am unwilling to give up on the economic potential of your world just because the traditionalists have managed to stack things in their favor.  I’m sure that I will be able to present one of your governments with an acceptable deal.”

Kat smiled back, but there was no depth to it.  So long as the envoy followed the rules, it would be a terrible idea to actually harm him in any way.  That meant long meetings where she was forced to entertain and pass on offers that she’d rather just ignore.

“Come,” she said, waving toward Dringbek as she turned and started walking toward the bunkers that lined the landing pad.  “Let’s get you checked into a hotel so we can set up an itinerary for the next couple of days.  We’ll let you sight see for a bit and then we can start talking in earnest once Clan Ahn’s representative arrives.”

“I don’t know that we need to wait that long,” Dringbek responded with a sly grin.  “Most of what we want wouldn’t be mutually exclusive with you coming to a deal with Clan Ahn.”

Dorrik snorted, but it didn’t slow the enterprising mole down.

“I’m not going to pretend that my people are friendly with any of the lokkel clans,” he continued, waiving a paw dismissively at Dorrik as the big lizard towered over him.  “The traditionalists are stuck in their ways, worshipping societal constructs that were laid down before most species managed to evolve skeletal and nervous systems.  We exist in a modern galaxy with modern galactic interests and problems.  If they want to smear themselves with body paint and worship the architects, I don’t really care so long as they leave the rest of us alone.”

“What the galaxy really needs is more markets for our premium and top of the line goods,” Dringbek said with a predatory glint in his eye.  “Of course, the people we’re selling to need jobs too.  After all, they need to have enough money to buy stallesp goods.  I’m sure we can work out some sort of deal where you sell us mineral rights and we agree to let your people do all of the mining as a favor.”

“That sounds like miserable and dangerous work,” Kat replied.  “Are you sure that what you’re talking about is a ‘favor,’ or are you just offloading menial labor on the primitives.”

Dringbek snorted once before breaking into a full belly laugh, the sound booming as it was projected through his translator.  He reached up to wipe a tear from one of his beady eyes while shaking his head.

“That is rich enough to retire on,” he said, still chuckling.  “No, the favor isn’t to the people actually mining the minerals.  Safety gear is expensive and with your technological base I doubt you’ll be able to manufacture any of the high end equipment that would be needed to keep the miners safe.  No, Mistress Debs.  The favor would be to you.  The contract would run through your corporation and would pay healthy dividends to you personally.  I doubt anyone you knew or care about would actually end up having to work in this system’s asteroid belts let alone in any of the moon crackers.”

“Of course,” the stallesp said, cocking his head to the side.  “If you wanted to send some of your political enemies out to the moon crackers, I’m sure we could arrange that.”

Kat glanced back at Dorrik.  The lokkel wasn’t saying anything, but his back was stiff as a board, crest standing on end as he walked beside her.  All four of his hands were silently clenched into fists, and she could almost feel the psi energy rolling off of him as he tried to restrain his emotions.

“Are moon crackers what they sound like?”  She asked, and he gave a curt nod.

“Messy industrial equipment,” Dorrik replied, his voice tight.  “They allow a race to access the minerals in the core of a moon or large asteroid, but the process scatters debris and mana residue everywhere.  It often takes decades to clean up after a cracked moon, and it isn’t advisable to use them anywhere near a colony due to the prevalence of birth defects and abnormal medical conditions.”

“And that’s why you don’t send anyone important to process the results of a moon cracking,” Dringbek said smoothly.  “I’ve seen reports, official and unofficial, on your world.  Earth isn’t united.  You have plenty of enemies here.  Whoever takes over your planet can just… send their rivals to work on the moon crackers.  You get rid of your domestic enemies and get a tidy profit, we get a much tidier profit, everyone but your rivals wins.”

Kat made a mental note to never introduce the stallesp to Belle.  It wasn’t that the two of them would work together against her, Belle had progressed too far for that to be a serious concern.  She just worried that both of them present in the same room would create some sort of singularity of ruthless capitalism that would consume everything around them.

“I notice that you said ‘whoever’ takes over your planet rather than ‘when you’ take over your planet,” Kat replied, raising an eyebrow.

Dringbek shrugged as he responded.

“There are multiple fires, so we have an iron in each of them.  I am sure you’re aware of Master Jackson?  He has already come to an arrangement with us.  Originally we were not going to extend an offer to you given some of your past… friction with members of our race, but as we see it the race between you and Master Jackson is quite close.  We would prefer to have an agreement with both of you in order to smooth the transition regardless of the outcome as soon as Earth joins the Consensus.  After all, we wouldn’t want any more friction.”

“By ‘friction’ are you referring to the multiple attempts to kill me and invade my planet?”  Kat asked.  A phalanx of guards in powered armor fell in around the three of them, boots clanging against the pavement as they led them toward one of the bunkers lining the landing pad.

“Of course,” Dringbek replied cheerfully.  “I’m glad that both of us understand each other perfectly.  A new system entering the Consensus has the potential to create a significant amount of profit.  I would prefer to focus on that.  Of course, if cooperation is impossible, we will be left seeking other means to generate a profit, and I suspect that all parties would prefer to avoid that sort of messiness.”

Ahead of them, the door slid to the side, revealing the armored interior of the bunker.  Kat glanced at the stallesp out of the corner of her eye.

“Did you just threaten my entire planet in the middle of a fortress while surrounded by my guards?”  She asked, drawing a chuckle from Dringbek.

“I am negotiating,” he replied, blinking at the light coming from the bunker, “and sometimes negotiations require taking a firm and unyielding posture.  It is distasteful, but keeping you uninformed of the scope of our interest could lead to a misunderstanding, and I would like to avoid any misunderstandings.”

At Kat’s side, Dorrik practically growled, drawing another chuckle from Dringbek.  She stepped aside, motioning toward the bunker.

“After you,” she said, keeping a pleasant smile on her face.  “We’ll let you get comfortable for a bit after your flight and reconvene for dinner.  We can talk more about your proposals then, but I’m not going to make any decisions until I have a chance to speak with Clan Ahn’s representative.”

“Naturally,” the stallesp replied, stepping past her.  The moment he thought he was out of sight, his cheerful expression dropped away, replaced by the inquisitive beady eyed stare of a predator.

Kat shook her head.  There was absolutely no way she could leave Belle alone with Dringbek.  It would be like mixing matter and antimatter, except she was pretty sure they were both evil and the only real difference was Belle’s height and lack of body fur.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
<-Previous<-

Index

->Next->