Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Diplomacy

After having sacrificed some of my blood, I ferociously attacked the coffee again. I must replenish what I had lost, right?

The president continued after the medic had left the meeting room. "I am really grateful for all the information you just shared with us. If you don't mind, we have a little game that we call devil's advocate. Do you know it?"

"Yes, I do," I said, "you want to play that game?"

"Indeed I do. But again, it is only a game. My assumptions are only a game and I do not intend any disrespect. Do you understand?"

"Of course, please go ahead," I said, being a little worried about probably some not so hypothetical questions.

"Good, I am inclined to trust you, but there are many unknowns for us. We can't verify any of your claims. So...what if you were one of the bad aliens, ready to attack us?"

"Haha, I am an alien alright, but I am one of the good guys."

The president smiles, "yes, but that is not helping."

"Well, you can't blame a girl for trying." I said while grinning. "No, seriously, what can I possibly do to show you my goodwill? We landed here really carefully, trying not to provoke you. My guards are waiting for me in the shuttle, against their orders to protect me. I am unarmed, you took a sample of my blood, and I am not even talking about how the Roswell thing might have helped your nation to progress. Isn't that proof enough?"

"Well, it helps, but I need more. Even though this is only a game, could you still offer some proof? I can't ask the world to agree on something when even I have my doubts," he said. "So I need more." He now folds his hands while his arms are resting on the table, conveying a message of seriousness. 

It's up to me huh? "Alright then, my job is to be a bridge between your people and my people. My people monitor the region of space almost up to your front door and have never bothered you, except maybe for crashing in your Roswell once. We chose to contact your nation out of respect, because we failed to properly help you after you sent that emergency transmission. Even though your transmission might have been a one in a billion fluke. Your nation maintains many diplomatic contacts all around the globe, so you might consult with them about this matter. That is why I came here today. Now tell me, did I make a mistake? Are you even interested in protecting the planet against an attack?"

"I understand your reasoning, but I need more proof that things are going to happen as you say. Imagine that I ask the world for help, and nothing happens. Do you know what that would make me? A fool! Now give me something, I need your help here."

I stood up, "alright, let me be completely honest. All my cards are on the table. We want your friendship. And maybe, just maybe when you are ready, to join our Empire. Not as our subjects, but as our neighbors.
But you will not even get that far when you are wiped out within a month. Do you understand what that means? In your popular television shows you call this an Extinction Level Event. We are not talking about angry aliens who don't like your coffee. No, they're gonna wipe you off the face of the Earth!" I shouted, anger on my face.

Then the president shakes his head. "your intentions are not being discussed. And personally, I like your honesty, but I need something... more.. tangible. Without that, how do you expect me to convince the other nations to agree to this help request of yours?"

I sat down, taking in a deep breath, then drinking some more coffee. "I understand, Mr. President. But if you don't hurry up, you don't need to convince anybody anymore."

That is when the ambassador intervenes "may I suggest a short recess? We seem to be going around in circles in this little game of ours. I assume you won't blow up the mountain when you get home late?"

A small smile shows on my face, and I say softly "of course not. Our death ray is being polished today."

That earned me a smile on their faces.

Then it dawned on me. When in doubt, use metaphors, or well, you get my point. 
I drink my coffee, and eat a sandwich, "mmm delicious! and combined with the coffee, amazing! I might come and live here."

The ambassador says "don't you have coffee there?"

"No, but we have food dispensers. I am sure we could program that stuff into our machines, but I don't know how it works. Maybe we need a sample or something. You know, that would be one of the cool things if we became friends, you could share your coffee, and then you could taste our Seared Planar Serval."

Their eyes opened wide in astonishment, "your what?" the ambassador said.

"Ah nevermind, your planet will be destroyed, so you will never taste our fish recipes."
I then drink some coffee for the extra dramatic effect "mmmm.delicious. Do you have some cookies perhaps? This might be my last chance to taste them."

The ambassador smiles and orders some cookies for me.

The president is not amused, he shakes his head. Well, he better listen to me.

"Shall we continue?" the ambassador asks.  

The president and I nod.

"You still need more proof?" I asked, hope in my voice.

"Yes." 

And gone was my hope.

"What else do you want to know that could possibly prevent your imminent destruction?" I said, despair in my voice.

He then asks "if I were to ask you to disable a target on Earth, to prove that you can be trusted, would you?"

I stood up and hit the table with both my hands, startling them both "no, of course not. What is wrong with you people? We would never interfere with your politics. You can perfectly kill each other without us. Now tell me, you KNEW I would give that answer. How could that possibly convince you?"

Then the president answered my question "you are right, we are not progressing. But I must admit that you only seem to have noble intentions. But that wouldn't be enough to convince the other nations on Earth."

I sat down again, not amused, then continued "What we need here is a basic mutual trust. I even drank some coffee and ate a sandwich. Maybe you poisoned me? Maybe you want to dissect me? No, I trusted you, and you only reward me with doubts.
I can show you my ship. Would that convince you? No! I could show you records of the bad guys blowing up the USS Portland, would you believe me? Again no! We are prepared to defend your world, you only need to ask. Now tell me, for god's sake, what do I have to do to get through to you?"

Then the ambassador says "perhaps we need a compromise?"

"What do you propose?" I said, with obvious frustration in my voice.

Then he continued "how about we add an escape clause to your proposal? Our planet would agree to collectively send a request for help, but if any of your actions would deem to be dishonorable, we could nullify that request. In any case, this would satisfy our needs.
Our planet could be doomed either way, you or the other aliens might attack us, or nothing will happen. We just don't know. And we know we are unable to defend against your attack, I remember that shield thing around your shuttle we saw earlier."

"Mr President, do you agree with that compromise?" I said, a bit hopeful.

"Well, the ambassador here has a point. It might seem trivial, but it might just do the trick.
Now let me be honest with you, Ayanna, it is the least I can do for you to reward your patience so far."

That put a smile on my face.

"We will proceed with the ambassador's proposal. We also have some camera footage of the incident on board our vessel, which seems to support your claims. And of course your performance here was recorded as well."

I looked at the cameras in the corner for a second, smiled and then waited for him to continue.

"We will present this evidence to the world and hope for the best." The president said

"Alright, then let me contact my Admiral for a minute. To see if they agree with an escape clause," I said, waiting for their reply.

"Ho ho, wait a second. We first need to check this with our people and then the UN," the president said in a hurry.

"I know, but this is only a legal matter. To see if I can add that clause or not. Nothing will happen without your consent, I promise."  I said.

"Ehh, Ayanna, might we perhaps follow your communications?" David asked.

"More proof?" 

"No, just plain old human curiosity," he said.

 

 

Well I can't blame him, I like gadgets myself. I nodded to them, then pushed a button on my watch. "Ayanna Vohali for comm.officer Taegen Pasalor."

I waited a few seconds, then got an answer "Hi Ayanna, are you well?"

"Yes, Taegen, I am well. Can I...."

But Taegen interrupted me "Are you on your way back? I look forward to seeing you again."

My face heats up like the center of a nuclear detonation and I put my face in my hands, I don't want to see their expressions. 

"Taegen....."

"Yes, Ayanna?"

"I am in a conference right now. People can hear you."

"Did I make an incorrect statement? I merely wanted to say that I miss you."

Okay, that is when my head hit the table, I don't care about the headache at the moment.

"Taegen....."

"Yes, Ayanna?"

"Just tell me, these comm.devices...can they be used as a view screen for conferences?" I asked.

"Of course. But you will have to place it in front of you. It will scan the room for compatible devices, if none is found, it will project an image, but that will significantly consume energy in the comm.device."

"And how do I configure that?" I asked.

"Just press the red call button and ask the computer. It is pretty easy."

"Alright, thank you Taegen"

"Anytime, Ayanna"

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"Ayanna out" I said.

 

 

I carefully checked the expressions of my meeting partners. "You didn't hear that," I demanded.

"Hear what?" the present asked while the ambassador was whistling innocently.

"Good answer. Now, let me get this thing to work. It is new to me, so give me a second," I said.

The device is now on the table and somehow I managed to get a view screen projected into the air. Surprise, surprise, there are no compatible devices here. 

"Ayanna Vohali, liaison-officer, for Admiral Ikeshia Jocaryn" I said.

Only a second later the Admiral accepted the call. She immediately noticed that I was in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by "aliens," so she switched to "diplomacy mode" at once.

"Hello Ayanna, how can I help you?"

"Greetings Admiral, I am sorry to disturb you. I am currently visiting the representative of one nation on Earth. We have made progress in sending a request for help against the imminent Groknac attack on that planet. However....they want to add an escape clause."

I then had to explain everything to the Admiral, the president nodding here and there, trying to back me up.

The result was surprising. 

The Admiral said "we agree to their escape-clause, but in order to make this work, we want a liaison-officer stationed on Earth for a short while, who can coordinate our efforts to save Earth, and who can hopefully promote mutual friendship between us."

"If I may speak," the president says. 

The Admiral nods.

"We agree to your condition to station a liaison-officer here, but we only accept her," the president was pointing at me.

I looked surprised at him and at the Admiral. But the Admiral only shows her poker face.

The admiral says "we agree, but we expect that you protect her. We will contact her regularly and hold you personally responsible if anything disrespectful should happen to her."

Okay...not going to ask about that...but why me?

The president adds "we agree. I will discuss the matter with our government and the leaders of our other nations."

The Admiral then replies "Alright, you have seven of your days to comply. If you should fail to respond with a majority decision, we will extract her from your world and leave you at once. You will have to fight off the attack yourself. 
If however you do agree, we will add defenses around Earth, protect your planet to the best of our abilities and will initiate the first steps to a long term mutual beneficiary friendship. 
If you need details about a partnership, or application to become a member of our Empire, please discuss that with Ayanna. And just for your information, our presence above your world is only a presence of friends. If you, at any time, ask us to leave, that is what we shall do.

And Ayanna.... we will have a meeting soon, as of now, you are stationed on Earth, keep me up to date. Return to your ship, collect your equipment and return to Earth in the morning."

"Yes Admiral." And I salute.  Who am I to disagree with an Admiral?

Then the image disappears. I check the red light on my watch, luckily it is off, so the link is terminated.

The president took a deep breath, "your Admiral seems quite experienced in these matters."

Her eyes are everywhere, I am not replying to that, so I only shrugged.

Then the president says "I must say, I do feel better already. I feel that we are taken seriously. Anyway, you shall have your answer within 6 days. Don't ask me how, as I have absolutely no idea how to convince everyone."

I could only nod.

The president then asked to explain the benefits of membership to the Empire. I just happened to review a training course, so I was able to answer the main topics pretty well. 

"Ayanna, if you don't mind, we will call it a day. We will arrange for your accommodations in our Area51."

I must have looked surprised.

"You know that term?"

"Yes, the place where you keep the aliens and stuff." I said with a serious expression.

"Hahaha, no, but it will when you move in there! haha," David said.

We all had a good laugh, because well, technically I will be an alien there.

"One more thing", the president said, "it is possible that you need to appear before a meeting of the UN. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof afterall."

I agreed to that and said that I would be returning in the morning, this time without all the helicopter escort fuss. Just a drop off. Luckily they agreed.

Just before we were heading back to the elevator, the results of my bloodwork came back. All nice and clean. Both of them looked relieved, so they must have had some worries afterall. 

I said my goodbyes to the president and David escorted me back to the shuttle after handing me some cookies for the road. Just before we arrived at the shuttle, David asked me how I knew the exact name of the USS Portland. I can hardly tell him that I was a Navy officer in my past life, so I simply told him that we were monitoring the communications at the time.
I don't think he fully bought my reply, but that is his problem, he can't prove anything.

We then said our goodbyes and I joined my team in the shuttle, who were apparently minutes from asking the SO for rescue instructions. I know that it was already past 2100 hours, but still..a rescue? 
They weren't able to answer me when I asked "why didn't you just contact me?" 

I guess they just felt useless, being cooped up in a shuttlecraft all afternoon, but that is what you can expect on a first contact mission. I thanked them for standing by all the time, and invited them to join me for dinner in the mess hall, but they all had other plans already. Well, I can't order them to join me, now can I?

After a late night dinner, I sent a short text message to the Admiral, assuming that she was off duty already. Imagine my surprise that the next 30 minutes were spent reviewing today's events and preparing me for the next part of my mission. The Admiral commended me on my first mission, resulting in a successful, but more importantly, peaceful first contact. She was more than surprised to learn that some of our people had crash landed on Earth a long time ago, and that I had negotiated for their bodies to return home. The Admiral asked me to wait with this matter until the Groknac issue had passed. My happy feelings were blasted away into oblivion by her next remark...that today was only the easy part, and that I should prepare for some long stressful meetings. 

After this encouraging speech, I went to bed. Oh goddess, what was I beat. 
I almost fell asleep as my eyes shot open..."Taegen!" 

He needs to get some equipment ready for me, to take with me to Earth. It was already after 2230 hours when I sent a text message to him. I really don't want to disturb him now. 

But....BEEP. Guess who?

I answered the call, audio only, as I was already in my pajamas.

"Ayanna?"

"Hi Taegen, sorry for my late message, I didn't want to bother you tonight."

"I had hoped to see you tonight, but you wrote that you will return to the planet tomorrow?"

"Yes, those are my orders. I will leave in the morning at 0600. But..Taegen...I didn't forget about....us....but...that will have to wait."

"I understand, when will you return?" he asked, sounding really disappointed.

"I won't be back for a few days. It all depends on how well things will progress down there. I have no idea. I'd rather be up here."

"Me too." I could hear him grinning.

Man, this guy keeps pushing me. I better confirm our date, or he is going to call me, embarrassing me in front of everyone. Better get it over with, we either match or we don't. But I don't like him being so pushy.

"Taegen, can you get the equipment for me?"

"I don't have to. It is standard equipment for planet missions, just grab a bag when you are in the shuttle bay. They have identical equipment in them. The special forces have their own equipment though. But I don't think you are planning a war, are you?" he was definitely snickering.

"Thank you Taegen, thank you for all your help. I would gladly invite you, but I have to go there alone."

"I will miss you too, Ayanna. Just let me know when you will be back."

Just when did I tell him that I missed him? "How about a date when I get back here? Assuming I don't have other orders of course."

"I am looking forward to that. And..Ayanna..stay safe."

Lucky for him he couldn't see I rolled my eyes. This guy is a walking cliché. Have mercy on me! I am already dead tired, I can't take this anymore. 

"Sleep well Taegen,"  I said in a very warm, teasing voice. Now it is my turn to tease him.

That is when I heard a glass or something fall on the other end, only followed by "You too!"
Then the connection ended.

What was that about? I don't understand him at all. You know what, I am glad when our date is over, we are not compatible. I don't even know if I CAN be compatible........ aaah!  Why is this so difficult? I just want to go slow. He is nice though, but too damn pushy. Why can't he............

At that moment I fell asleep...not dreaming about Taegen at all.