Rescue Mission to the Stars
Page 12
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Across from them, Ambassador Jules Kennedy and his entourage were walking across to the large hall where they were finally about to talk, for up until now the intermediaries had only discussed what they should talk about. Inside the hall, the Mazeren diplomats were waiting for them, and so their meeting began.
“Greetings Ambassador Kennedy, I am Chancellor Krieg, and on behalf of the Mazeren people I welcome you to our sector of space.”
The alien was tall with the look of a person from the Mediterranean. He had black hair and brown eyes. His features were those of a cultured man, and his voice had a pleasant tone to it, if not exactly friendly.
“Thank you Sir, I am honoured to be chosen by the people of Earth to make first contact with you and your people, for you are the first ever alien race that we have had the good fortune to meet in the vastness of space.” Kennedy said with his best diplomatic smile upon his pale face. Now Kennedy opened up the talks for real.
“The first thing that I would like to discuss with you Chancellor, is the establishment of embassies, representing both of our two great worlds on each of our home planets, and through these we can learn more about each other and grow ever closer. Once we have learnt to trust one another, then hopefully we can also set up a trading network that will bind our two races firmly together.” Kennedy declared.
“First, Ambassador we will have to come to trust one another on this small and dusty planet, before embassies can be exchanged. We have met another alien people and we found them to be inferior to our own, and certainly we couldn`t allow them to visit our home world without the strictest supervision. They would bring their own customs and ideas to Mazere, and might even corrupt some of our citizens and bring them down to their level. That we could not tolerate, for we have risen to a height of civilisation that we never thought possible.” Krieg said almost in exaltation and then he looked directly into Kennedy`s eyes and held them for ten seconds, his own were cold and superior.
Kennedy`s were worried after the opening statements, that the Mazerens were as bad as he had privately feared, and that the series of meetings on this barren planet might not go well. Something in Krieg`s manner had also told him that what he had just said was not exactly true, it had seemed to Kennedy to have been embroidered. But Kennedy didn`t have time to explore his thoughts for Krieg continued on with his attack, for this was how Kennedy saw Krieg`s superior manner.
“Tell me Ambassador, is your planet united or is it still a collection of small states that do not trust one another.” Krieg asked with the relish of one on top.
Kennedy knew that Chancellor Krieg already knew the answer to this question, for his agents on Earth would have told him everything that there was to know about Earth, and so he had to answer truthfully, whether he wanted to or not.
“We are still a planet of many separate states, but in the last fifty years we have begun to coalesce into larger groups which are even now talking to one another, something undreamt of just ten years ago. When the people of Earth are told that we have met an intelligent and friendly alien race in the depths of space they will unite at an even greater speed, soon we will be one race, the human race, and then we will move forward, and the new friends that we meet in space will go forward with us.” Kennedy said and he in turn looked Krieg in the eyes, but his were smiling at his host while Krieg`s seemed unimpressed by what had been said.
“I too wish that all that you hope for will come true, but at the moment it is not so, is it Ambassador? I wouldn`t be surprised to find that the nations within the newly formed groups don`t even trust one another, it is a joining of necessity, and the friction between the groups could easily become explosive. I have seen it before amongst the other alien race that we have met, they too had hopes, but as yet they are unfulfilled.”
Krieg didn`t add that the explosive mixture that kept the other race in fragments had been supplied by his people, as they would also do to the people of Earth. For there was only room in this part of the galaxy for one dominant race, and that race was the Mazerens.
“Chancellor you say that your people have encountered another alien race, could you tell us something of them?” Kennedy enquired eager to get something out of this first meeting.
“Before I can tell you about the Phlox, Ambassador, our two planets must first get to know one another a little better. Only then will we be able to share such information with you.”
The meeting went on for some time but each time it was brought back to the fractured state of the nations of Earth. The meeting broke up late in the night with Kennedy returning to his suite of rooms feeling despondent, and trying desperately to think of a different strategy, one that would batter the intransigence of the Mazerens and allow a breakthrough that would satisfy his masters on Earth. First though he needed something for his headache, one thing that was given to him by Chancellor Krieg.