by Ezra E Manes
It was a touching welcome, and Carlos regretted for a few moments the decision to impose a six-day quarantine period for the team. The applause continued as they climbed the slope toward the embassy buildings.
As they reached the top of the low knoll on which the embassy buildings sat, Carlos thought again of the first time he had walked on the planet Hope. On impulse, he walked into an area containing low shrubs and flowers at the edge of the knoll and stood looking out over the compound grounds to the crowds gathered nearby.
He knelt in the soil between some flowers, and the Zilan crowd became quiet. He dug his fingers deep into the loose soil as he had done as a boy on Hope and lifted two fistfuls of dirt. He looked at the sky, almost expecting to see clouds passing in front of the local sun as had happened that first day long ago on Hope.
As he rose with the soil still trickling through his fingers, the cheers and applause from the assembled Zilans renewed and grew to a crescendo that swamped what they had heard when leaving the shuttlecraft. The crowd was clearly pleased with his expression of interest in the soil of their planet, the stuff of life here as elsewhere in the universe.
The team followed Carlos’s lead in waving to the people. This elicited yet another round of loud cheers from the large crowd. The team kept waving and smiling for several minutes, for they knew there were camera devices in use by those gathered nearby. They followed Carlos’s lead as he turned and headed for the large central building.
The embassy facilities were very comfortable and to their liking. The layout was more functional than elegant, with spacious rooms decorated with pleasing mixes and highlights of color and lighting. The private quarters were particularly inviting and comfortable, with large bathrooms containing both showers and deep bathtubs. It was clear from the placement of one large bed in each of six private bedrooms that the Zilans understood the couples’ cohabiting relationships. In comparison to the cramped spaceship, the facility was a palace.
That evening the couples gathered on the western veranda of the facility to watch the sunset. Various insects and night birds began calling as dusk fell, which was reminiscent of scenes of Earth at nightfall they had viewed so many times. It was also representative of what they had personally observed on the planet Hope.
Then Licia called out excitedly. “Do you hear that loud birdcall?”
All discussion halted, and they listened to a chuck-wall-willow birdcall from the nearby park. The “chuck” call burst forth, followed by a whistled “wall willow.” They all knew birds had long fascinated Licia and waited for her to explain what had excited her.
“Early in my teenage years, I discovered and became enchanted by the calls of the whippoorwill and chuck-will’s-widow, which are related nocturnal nightjar birds on Earth. They begin their nightly harmony in the springtime. This call, this ‘chuck-wall-willow,’ is very close to the ‘chuck-will’s-widow’ call of Earth’s bird. It sent shivers up and down my spine to hear the call in this distant place.”
They listened as another “chuck wall” answered the first from the far corner of the park. The dusk deepened and sounds emitted by nocturnal insects and other creatures grew in volume from the vegetation around the embassy compound and in the nearby park. This place had a growing sense of similarity to what they knew of Earth, and it was not just the people of Zilia.
This similarity is almost too close to have happened by parallel, independent evolution, Carlos mused. Mix into that the similarity of life on Hope, and you have a real mystery. He didn’t say anything to the others about this growing feeling as he continued holding Gloria close and watching dusk turn into nightfall. But he remained mildly troubled by the thought.
The next morning Carlos checked out communication with Eve via his neural interface. It worked great as long as he was near one of their personal communications devices, or when the New Horizon was in line of sight of Carlos’s location. Away from the devices, reception was hit-and-miss. He doubted he would have much need to use this mode of communication, but it made him feel more secure having it available.
They soon discovered their concerns about potential side effects of adjusting to the new environment were mostly without merit. The water tested pure, and the team partook of the fruit and bread-like food provided for their convenience. Other than some mild nausea and diarrhea, there were no significant problems. By the end of week, everyone was acclimated and looking forward to the first meeting with the Zilans.
The team had hardly grown accustomed to sleeping in their new beds when the meeting day arrived. They greeted Counselor Largena and select members of her staff at the entrance to the main embassy building. Appropriately, it was a First Day of the week.
Wow! She was more beautiful in person than in video communications. Carlos had difficulty retaining his composure. He stared at her with open admiration as she walked on into the spacious hall followed by her staff.
“Ambassador Sepeda, we welcome you and your team to our world,” Counselor Largena stated formally. She bowed her head slightly in the traditional Zilan greeting. “You have arrived at a very appropriate time, for this is the first month of our new year and heralds the beginning of a period of birth, revival, and growth on Zilia. May our relationship grow and prosper likewise.”
Carlos responded by bowing his head similarly, as did the rest of his team. He was curious about her use of the title ambassador for him instead of commander. Still, he was indeed Earth’s ambassador to Zilia, and he was now on the planet.
“We are very happy to be here, Counselor Largena,” he replied fluently in the Zilan language. “We appreciate the great effort and resources your people have applied in preparing this excellent embassy for our comfort.”
She was the tallest in the group except for the man sporting a mustache, who was Starke Pelanah. Still, she was only a centimeter or two taller than Carlos. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she approached, walking as if she had boundless energy.
Something was different about her hair since he had last communicated with her. She had trimmed the flowing, dark-brown hair to shoulder length. She and the others wore light-gray tunics trimmed in dark blue, which appeared to be their formal attire for such occasions.
Carlos had known the Zilans were strikingly humanlike in their physiology, although somewhat larger in stature than the average human was. Now he could see nothing to differentiate them from the humans of Earth. He would not have known they were Zilans if he had encountered them in the general population at the Messier Colony. They were not just humanlike—they were human!
His studies had also revealed that the Zilans were strikingly similar within their population. He could see they clearly were, but he could also see distinctly different characteristics among them that signified strong individuality, particularly in the makeup and hairstyles of the women and the haircuts, occasional mustache, and unique head coverings of the men.
Counselor Largena next extended her hand to Carlos in the traditional Earth greeting and, to his pleasure, welcomed him again, this time in passable English. Carlos shook her hand and thanked her for being so accommodating. Her sincerity made him feel truly welcome.
While she was close, he caught a faint whiff of tantalizing perfume like none he had smelled before. It stood out because the women aboard the New Horizon did not used perfume because of the close quarters. For the first time he noticed her slightly enlarged brow ridge and nose, which in this setting added to her beauty.
She proceeded to greet each team member with a handshake and welcome, as did the staff that accompanied her. Carlos was impressed with the way each Zilan greeted him with a firm handshake while looking him straight in the eyes, and extended a welcome using English.
After the general introductions, Counselor Largena reverted to her native language. “We have people waiting outside who volunteered to provide general support for you here. It was a challenge selecting the members because we were overwhelmed with volunteers. This staff will maintain the embas
sy grounds and facilities, and provide and prepare food products to your liking. They will respect your privacy and will not enter the living quarters, personal offices, or meeting rooms without first obtaining approval to do so. I would like to invite in and introduce the person assigned responsibility for the embassy support staff.”
“Please do so, Counselor,” Carlos replied with sincere appreciation. He and the others had wondered how they were going to maintain the embassy while performing their diplomatic duties. They should have known the Zilans would provide everything needed for comfort.
Smara Trunia was clearly very pleased to have the opportunity to manage the support staff. She was middle-aged and trim, and had a no-nonsense air about her. After the introductions, she asked if she could proceed with getting her team started, and when Carlos responded positively, she excused herself.
They escorted Counselor Largena and her staff to the central meeting room. He was mildly surprised when the Zilans chose every other seat around the table, clearly an invitation for the Earth representatives to do likewise. There were ten Zilans present, including the counselor, the same number as present from his team. What an effective way to promote open interaction!
Carlos and Counselor Largena sat next to one another at the head of the table. They chatted briefly in the Zilan language before calling the meeting to order. This gave time for the Earth and Zilan counterparts around the table to become acquainted.
“Ambassador, it is very appropriate that your arrival occurred early in the final year of our seven-year religious cycle,” Counselor Largena said. The way she comfortably pronounced the words made her language sound musical. “This year will culminate in our celebration of the Holy Seven-Year Two-Moon Phase, and I am sure we will have more to be thankful for and to celebrate than ever before. We also herald the beginning of the next seven-year cycle as we conclude celebrations for the previous cycle. We look forward with high expectations to the coming year, which will surely see greatly expanded relations between our two civilizations.”
They had learned through monitoring activities that the two moons played heavily in Zilan society as religious symbols and heralds of major events. Zilan religious ceremonies made frequent reference to the annual full moon and new moon eclipse phases, and reverently so. These two eclipse phases, the Primary Two-Moon and Secondary Two-Moon Phases, occurred a half year apart and were also mentioned with reference to prophecies contained in the Book of Zil, the bible of the dominant Zilan religion. The team had landed on Zilia one lunar cycle after a Primary Two-Moon Phase.
The holiest of the Primary Two-Moon Phase eclipses occurred every seven years when the outer moon was closest to Zilia in its elliptical orbit around the planet. This “Holy” seven-year eclipse peaked at the time of the vernal equinox on the planet, the first day of spring.
“We have high expectations for the success of our new relationship as well,” Carlos said warmly. “And I must say, you have gone beyond anything we could have hoped for in preparing the embassy for our arrival. It certainly made us feel welcome. You have our heartfelt thanks.”
“Thank you,” she said, with obvious pleasure at this show of approval. “We were unsure how you would react to the arrangements. Your government provided general specifications but left to us the details of decorating and furnishing the facilities and landscaping the grounds.
“Please consider the embassy compound your territory, and rest assured that no one will intrude uninvited. We consider signing the treaty establishing the Earth Embassy a mere formality and can do so at your convenience.”
Carlos nodded his agreement.
“You probably noticed there is no security wall around the compound as your government’s specifications called for,” she said. “Putting up such a barrier would be an affront to our people, who would not think of intruding. However, if you would feel more comfortable with a wall, we will build it and do what we can to mitigate the negative public reaction. I can understand the need for walls from a sense of privacy and security, particularly if one has spent as much time as you have being protected from space by containment vessels.”
“The wall will not be necessary,” Carlos said diplomatically. The security wall was certainly inappropriate considering the damaging insult it would represent, and besides, it would not stop anyone who really wanted to enter the compound. By her independent decision, she had avoided a major gaffe at the outset of their mission. She had viewed the situation from the team’s perspective and balanced their needs with the public’s sensitivity.
“You can also be assured there will be no electronic monitoring of meetings or activities here without your prior approval,” she continued. “We do appreciate your agreeing to active remote monitoring of this meeting for benefit of our superiors.”
Carlos smiled at her succinct reminder about the monitoring and said, “The monitoring will save us the effort of generating lengthy reports.”
They continued to chat for several minutes before beginning the general meeting. Carlos thoroughly enjoyed interfacing with this woman and was reluctant to turn to other business. She stirred something warm and deep within him, and something uncomfortable considering his love for Gloria.
Damn, what’s going on here? Carlos mused, abruptly setting back in his chair and looking around at the others. They were all engaged in similar conversations, and Gloria was pointedly avoiding looking his way. Was she taking offense at his growing enthusiasm in interfacing with Counselor Largena?
“Counselor, perhaps we should begin our group meeting,” Carlos said, perhaps a little more formally than their ongoing conversation warranted.
Counselor Largena looked at him oddly for a moment, and then smiled and nodded her agreement.
The general meeting was open and friendly, though still somewhat formal as the occasion and video monitoring dictated. They agreed on a schedule of events for the following week, including meetings by Carlos with the Zilan supreme leader and several other dignitaries. Meetings to review and discuss the scientific observations of the local solar system recorded as the New Horizon approached Zilia would start the next day. Carlos offered to continue monitoring solar activity from the New Horizon, with the information provided frequently to those on the surface. This offer was readily accepted.
Counselor Largena provided the team with multipurpose “smart” identification cards, which would also serve as currency for any products or services required by them while in public. The Zilan government would cover all expenses during their extended stay, and Counselor Largena laughingly stated they would extract payment in way of technology in the future. She then explained that the card system merely kept track of items and services utilized to support planning for future needs. The cards also served to minimize abuses of privileges available to everyone.
She also indicated the team could move about freely in public without fear of being pressed to interface with those encountered. She apologized in advance for the stares and questions from the young, curious minds they would encounter. The primary mode of transportation in the city was by public-transit system, walking, or riding occupant-powered devices in various configurations, including Earth-like bicycles.
Carlos thought it odd that none of the Zilans had brought briefcases or other material with them to the meeting. He was a little uneasy about this, particularly since it was customary on Zilia to exchange token gifts upon first meeting others and on special occasions. His team had prepared and arranged gifts on a side table.
It was also odd that no Zilan took notes for later reference, but it was inappropriate to ask about this; the answer would come in due time. They were likely relying on the video recording to provide information for later follow-up, but he got the sense this was unnecessary.
As the formal meeting concluded, Counselor Largena approached Carlos, placed her hand on his arm, and stated quietly for his ears only, “Carlos, I trust you and I, and our immediate team members, will quickly get to a first-name basis in our
day-to-day interface, as is our custom. This formality we maintained today will only hinder our progress as we go forward.”
Carlos smiled and said quietly, “I agree. It will make our relationship more open and relaxed.”
He had become more impressed with Counselor Largena during the meeting and was looking forward to having a good working relationship develop between them.
“I must ask you,” she said, looking close at his face, “what prompted you to offer the Nature Blessing when first stepping onto our soil?”
This question puzzled him for a moment, and then he recalled the Zilan crowd’s reaction when he had knelt in the dirt among the flowers. “If you are referring to my kneeling to touch your soil, I did that on impulse, as I did the very first time I set foot on a planet. I was born and brought up in a space station, and it was very moving for me to set foot on a planet again.”
She squeezed his arm gently before releasing it. “Your expression of reverence for the elements of nature made you instantly welcome in the hearts of all Zilans.”
“I see you are aware of our tradition of exchanging gifts at special occasions,” she added with a smile. She stepped back and glanced over at the table holding the gifts. “I will have our gifts brought in now.”
She motioned to an aide to bring in their gifts. The items were unwrapped, as were the Earth team gifts, and they appeared to be practical gifts of modest value. Lesson one—don’t have gifts prominently displayed until it is time to offer them and wrapping is unnecessary.
The first item presented by Counselor Largena was a thick, bound book, which she handled with great respect as she approached Carlos. “This is the Zilan Book of Zil, which contains our religious history, doctrine, and prophecies. This is our first gift to representatives from Earth because it is the most treasured and respected book on Zilia.”
Carlos took the book from her outstretched hands and held it respectfully as he nodded his head and offered thanks for the revered gift. Her staff placed the remaining gifts on the meeting table, briefly explaining each item to the team. Most were small appliances and compact recorder/playback devices that would make living and working on Zilia more comfortable and efficient. They provided several additional books to the team, most in electronic format, including a Zilan dictionary and operating instructions for the networked Zilerip communications system, accessible through terminals installed at the embassy.
