"Wait till you see it."
"See what?"
"What a Terran will do to someone." - Unknown, Second Precursor War
Violet
doublechecked his vest before answering the door.
Outside stood a gold mantid, one of the diplomats from Mantid Prime.
He noted with curiosity that she was alone.
"May I come in?" she asked.
Violet
nodded, moving back. "Please do, Madame Diplomat."
"No reason for formality. This visit is off the record," she said, daintily moving inside.
Violet
had to admit, she had excellent coloring, good proportions, excellent symmetry and moved with an unconscious grace.
"Please, please, have a seat,"
Violet
said, moving over to his sitting room. He tapped the table, banishing the holograms he had been perusing.
"Thank you," the gold said. She climbed up on the couch and settled in, reaching up to comb her antenna for a moment. "I am
Speaks in the Wilderness
, as you probably know."
Violet
nodded. "Yes. I have read your precis and am impressed with your recent accomplishments."
Speaks
combed her antenna again. "Thank you. That is most kind," she looked around. "Can you activate the privacy shielding, please?"
Frowning,
Violet
activated the systems, feeling the tingling on the ends of his antenna.
Speaks
sat still for a moment then nodded. She looked around the room and then at
Violet
. "I hear you were allowed a glimpse into the Terran Afterlife System."
Violet
signified assent. "It is almost impossible to explain. It was... unlike anything I have ever experienced. The emotions, the physical sensations, the excitement and anticipation all around me. The people living a life beyond their mortal shells."
Speaks
said nothing, just listened.
Violet
looked up at the ceiling. "And knowing that it's there, free, open for everyone. Not a gilded cage, as those who dwell within it have accepted that their allotted time among the, well, living, has expired. It's another adventure, another journey," he shuddered. "I could see, just in the limited time I spent there, why the vast majority choose not to return."
Violet
looked at
Speaks
, signifying amusement. "Surely, you did not come here to ask me questions about the Afterlife."
Speaks
signified the negative. "Tomorrow we will meet with the diplomats representing TerraSol and the Solarian Stellar System," she leaned forward. "How much do you
really
understand about Terrans?"
Violet
signified pleasure. "I have researched their political stance before the Terran Xenocide Event and The Bagging, as many of the leaders who were alive those tens of thousands of years ago are alive now due to the time dilation effect of The Bag. I have examined the dizzying contradictions of their home system politics. I have examined their diplomatic history."
Speaks
just nodded slowly, the emoji for patient listening appearing for a second between her antenna. "Did you research their wars?"
Violet
signified assent. "Mostly, the diplomatic processes at the end of the war. When they were imprisoned, the Second Precursor War had just begun and Terra had stated that they would be engaging in Total War against the Lanaktallan Council."
Speaks
nodded.
"I believe I understand how the Terrans approach diplomacy,"
Violet
said. He signified being pleased. "They prefer to negotiate from a position of strength and will attempt to steer diplomacy so that they are acting from a position of perceived strength, much like the majority of species."
Speaks
shook her head, an emoji of negative appearing between her antenna. "That is an oversimplification. You need to understand one simple thing, in any negotiation with a Terran, they are
always
at a position of strength."
"How so?"
Speaks
looked up at the ceiling. "They always have what they call 'the nuclear option' and, unlike many species, a will, perhaps even a strong urge, to use it," she looked at
Violet
. "Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because they are from forty-thousand years ago they are weak or will be deferential to the Confederacy," she looked around and leaned forward slightly. "What you have seen, what you know, and the truth are two different things."
Violet
frowned. "How so?"
She pointed at the 2.5D wallscreen. "May I?"
Violet
flashed an emoji of confusion. "Of couse."
"Have you heard of context-specific public service displays?"
Speaks
asked.
Violet
nodded. "Of course. It is based on what is going on, where a being is located, their employment. It usually is automated, perhaps tailored for whoever stares at it long enough or the majority of beings in the direct vicinity, as well as corporate and government metrics."
Speaks
gave a wan expression of agreement. "For other species, yes."
She dug in her bag and pulled out two pair of spectacles designed for the Mantid head and compound eyes. "Put these on," she said.
Violet
took the spectacles and clumsily put them on as
Speaks
flicked through the channels, finally settling on an that was coming to an end. The was for Mantid carapace polish.
"From infancy onwards a Terran lives in augmented reality,"
Speaks
said. "An infant has a datalink implanted that will grow and expand and upgrade as the child grows. The datalink is connected to a retinal link, which allows the datalink to display data directly to the cornea lens of the Terran's biological lens system within their eyes. Additionally, Terrans use a direct link to their visual cortex as well as their optic nerve. They also have linkages to their throat as well as their audio cortex and other methods of listening and speaking."
Violet
just nodded.
"What you are seeing and hearing and what the Terrans are seeing and hearing are two different things," she said. She pointed at the screen and restarted the . It was for a resort in the Hamburger Kingdom, within the Mojave Deathlands, complete with vacation packages where a Mantid could participate in Road Wars and other exciting amusements.
The ad came to an end and
Speaks
rewinded it. "That's what everyone else sees."
"The resort?"
Violet
asked.
Speaks
nodded. "Yes. Now, let's see how a Terran child sees it," she tapped her glasses, then pointed the wand at
Violet
's spectacles.
The shifted.
Speaks
hit play.
The showed two young children playing together, complete with music. At the end, in big block letters, which
Violet
identified as the Impact Font, there was just a simple statement.
"PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS LAST A LIFETIME"
Speaks
rewinded the and tapped her wand again. This time the showed adolescent Terrans doing activities together. Labels appeared. "SECONDARY SCHOOL BONDS" and "COLLEGE EXPLORATION" and "FIRST JOB" and ending with young adult Terrans standing in the forefront, some in military uniforms, some in laborer clothing, others in supervisor uniforms.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from NovelFire. Please report it.
"TOGETHER AGAINST A MALEVOLENT UNIVERSE"
"While interesting, I fail to see..."
Violet
started.
"Not yet,"
Speaks
said. She tapped the wand.
The screen showed two naked Terrans embracing.
"Sex," a breathy female Terran voice said. "Intense. Pleasurable. Exciting. Intimate."
The Terrans began mashing their faces together as their hands roamed over their bodies.
"The universe's gift to us," the female said.
Violet
drew back as they began orally copulating the moving to full on sexual intercourse.
The woman's voice was still breathless and excited, but it held a hint of steel.
"Procreation. The universe's proof we shall endure," the voice said.
There was a zoom in, showing the inside of the Terran.
Violet
felt disgust as it showed fluid moving. There was a flash and a small curled up inside the Terran woman.
"Your unspoken duty as a human. Your eternal duty to those who came before and that you will ensure come afterwards."
The two separated.
"Have you had sex today?" the voice asked. "If you are not partnered, visit your nearest breeding clinic."
The screen went black except for a tiny sleeping infant.
"Do your ultimate duty. To Sol. To Terra. To each other. To yourself."
The commercial ended.
Violet
just stared. "Forced breeding?"
Speaks
took off the spectacles and moved over to take the spectacles off of
Violet
's face.
"Not exactly," she said. She changed the image. It was a list of names, with decorative stars next to their names. "These are Terran females who have given live birth to at least ten children. Bronze stars for single children, silver stars for each five children, gold stars for each twenty."
Violet
blinked.
"These females are considered heroes," she held up a bladearm. "Don't start talking about cloning, artificial wombs, fertility drugs, in-vitro fertilization," she shook her head. "The only thing these females had was a sexual partner and five minutes."
"But there are only three point two billion humans listed on Terra, eight point six Terrans within the entire system,"
Violet
protested.
Speaks
nodded, flashing the emoji to indicate it was a solemn nod. "Yes," she paused. "That is the number they are willing to reveal," she tapped the table with one bladearm slowly and thoughtfully. "I advise you, today, tonight, before the diplomatic meeting, to look up recent history for the Terrans."
Violet
nodded as
Speaks
got up and started moving toward the door. She paused, the tip of her bladearm hovering above the door switch.
"I advise you to look up not only the First and Second Terran-Mantid Wars, but the more recent conflicts. Not historical documents. Re-enactments, docudramas, or media based on the events," she ducked her head and shadows seemed to wrap around her. "I'd look at the Mithril Nebula Conflict if you want more recent information," she looked away and
Violet
could suddenly smell scorched metal. "And Clownface."
"If you dare," She opened the door and was gone.
Violet
leaned back on the couch and nibbled at the tip of his bladearm.
After a moment he called in
Defends The Weak
to his chambers, activating the table's holo-emitter and tabbing through to HoloStream.
0-0-0-0-0
The hour long docudrama
Eight Thousand Years of Guns, Blood, & Glory in Sixty Minutes!!
came to an end.
The room smelled of fear, apprehension, stress, and horror.
Violet
looked at
Defends
, knowing his antenna were trembling.
"I am afraid,"
Violet
admitted.
Defends
just nodded.
0-0-0-0-0
The diplomats representing the major species of the Confederacy of Aligned Systems filed into the room,
Violet
bringing up the rear with his three assistants. Each representative took a seat, activating their privacy screens so that they could communicate with
Violet
but otherwise would not disturb the negotiations that, currently, they were only observers to.
Violet
sat down, fussily arranging his dataslates and hardcopy notes.
The far door opened and only three Terrans entered. One in a military uniform, one with gray skin, jet black eyes and carefully arranged hair, and a wide mouth, the last in an official looking black suit. They sat down and the one in the military uniform turned to the suited one and nodded.
Violet
looked over the data. One was High Admiral of the Golden Warsteel Kiume Rippentear, commander of all military forces in the Solarian System. The other was Barrister Becky Bakasura, a Terran lawyer.
Violet
was surprised to discover that the lawyer was a female. The gray skin, the slim androgynous body shape, the cold dead eyes, all made
Violet
at first assume that B. Bakasura was male. He reminded himself to limit his assumptions. The last, the suited one, was the Honorable J. Cuetzpallea, representing the government of the Solarian System.
"All subjects and discussions pertinent to the Afterlife System are off the table. Any attempts to engage that subject will result in our immediate withdrawal from the negotiations," the suited one, Mx. Cuetzpallea stated.
Violet
noted how some of the Confederate diplomats shifted slightly, a subconscious display of annoyance, and pinged them to let them know that they were to remain silent as the opening discussions took place.
"Understood,"
Violet
stated. He nodded and signified satisfaction by flashing a smiling emoji between his antenna. "At this time, the Confederacy is more interested in bringing the Unified Solarian System back into the fold after such a long absence."
Admiral Rippentear snorted. "A bit late for that," he said.
"How so?"
Violet
asked.
Admiral Rippentear stared at
Violet
for a long moment. "The Unified Solarian System ceased to exist the minute that the Lanaktallan Great Fleet made their crash translation against the wall."
Violet
blinked and checked his notes. "I was not informed of a change of government by the Confederate Diplomatic Corps. Was this change in government registered?"
B. Bakasura smiled, showing sharp interlocked triangular teeth. "We are not in the habit of asking for permission for internal matters." She kept smiling as thick black fluid leaked from between her teeth, cocking her head slightly and staring with those cold dead eyes.
"We severed diplomatic ties before we could inform the Terran Confederacy of Aligned Systems of our change of status. With the Terran Confederacy apparently defunct and replaced by the Confederacy of Aligned Systems, we felt no need to bring up a purely internal matter," Mx. Cuetzpallea stated.
"Very well. I would prefer to update my database. What is the current name and type of government currently representing the Solarian System?"
Violet
asked.
He was suddenly aware of the gleam in all three Terran's eyes. A sharp, predatory gleam of amusement. The same kind of amusement that a predator got in their eyes when the prey was backed into a corner.
"If you wish," Admiral Rippentear stated. "A martial law tyranny some might call fascist with limited sections of the Right of Consent overridden for the good of the state while individual nation states of the planets of the Sol System contribute to the defense of the human race and Earth itself."
B. Bakasura smiled again, showing black fluid stained interlocked triangular teeth.
A
lot
of teeth.
Mx. Cuetzpallea's smile was a thin, narrow lipped thing of cold pleasure.
"The Solarian Iron Dominion." the Admiral finished.
The privacy shield in front of the Pubvian diplomat winked out and the Pubvian pressed the button to bring attention to him with his middle arm.
"I must withdraw and consult my government immediately," the Pubvian said. Without waiting for an answer they stood up and began moving toward the door.
The Rigel Diplomat turned off their screen. "I too must consult with my government," she said.
The smiles got more intense. The admiral tilted his head slightly, as if he was looking past his brow ridge.
The Treana'ad turned off his screen. "Oh, hell naw, Imma gonna consult with the Matrons in this here thang." he said, getting up and moving away.
The Mantid Prime diplomat stood up. "Before I withdraw to speak to my government, I have only one question," she said.
Violet
felt off balance as the whole diplomatic mission seemed to fall apart.
The lawyer's smile got wider.
"Does the civilian government still control the military?" the gold asked.
There was silence for a moment.
"There is no civilian government," Mx Cuetzpallea stated. Her smile showed that she had a bright crimson coating on her grinding and chewing teeth. "There is only Zuul."
The gold mantid dropped her datapad as she rushed out.
0-0-0-0-0
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
I don't get it. Why did all of your diplomats withdraw? Why are your diplomatic vessels moving out past the resonance zone with priority access to outbound jumps?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS
What's going on? I don't get it.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TERRASOL
You will.
Oh, you will...
/////////
HAMAROOSAN PINCHING FESTIVAL
We still want access to our people in the Afterlife System.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TERRASOL
And I told you...
Come and take them.
/////////
LANAKTALLAN GALLOPING DIGITAL FIELDS OF GREAT THOUGHT BY A GREAT PEOPLE
Just drop it.
Sheesh.
What's wrong? Why does it seem like things have gone wrong?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TERRASOL
Because...
HAT WEARING AUNTIE
ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
RIGEL
WHY? JUST... WHY?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TERRASOL
Because we didn't know what we'd be coming back to.
A galactic spur overran by the PAWM? By the Atrekna? By the Council?
What, if anything, would be left.
So we went on Full Warfare Protocols.
/////////
PUBVIAN DOMINION
Just tell me that you aren't taking belligerent status with the Confederacy.
Please.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TERRASOL
Not at this time.
We reserve the right to reclassify the Confederacy at a later date if new information or events change our opinion and beliefs. We will also reclassify members according to their preferred stated status.
////////
PUBVIAN DOMINION
At least there's that.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
I don't get it.
They're on our side.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
HAT WEARING AUNTIE
Are you, Terra? Are you really?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TERRASOL
You know I am.
If you're on my side.
We have exactly ONE stellar system. Our cradle. The LARP and Martial Order worlds don't count.
We have The Cradle of Life.
That's it.
So...
/////////
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
We're either with you...
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TERRASOL
Or against me.