“You cannot park the ship close to the building. It is forbidden,” Sinraloo interjected. Maseer held up a hand.
“There is no need to move your ship. I have been informed that water is on its way and will be here momentarily. There was a miscommunication with our support staff, which will be corrected.”
“Chaz, move the ship, please.” Rivka glared upward at the Pretarian, and he waved urgently at the others. Sinraloo crossed his arms and stamped a foot. Rhonali hurried away, going through a door leading into the building from the main reception area. She returned shortly carrying a tray with three small glasses half-filled with a murky liquid.
Rivka clenched her fists and started to shake with the fury that threatened to take over her being. She closed her eyes and tried to think.
The rules of arbitration. Pretarian law. Everyone lies. Pretarian law. Water was sacred and not to be wasted. Rules of arbitration.
She opened her eyes and took one of the offered glasses. “I thank you very much for sparing this much of your planet’s sacred resource for us mere visitors. We will move our ship close to supplement our needs. We require far more water than Pretarians.”
Rivka saluted with her glass and drank it slowly. It tasted like mud, but she powered through it. “Jay, once the ship moves, if you would be so kind as to bring a jug or three I would greatly appreciate it. Then we can start what we came here for.”
Jay wiped her brow. “It’s a little hot in here,” she stated, and started to laugh.
“Yeah, just a little.”
“Fuck,” Red exclaimed succinctly.
“There you are, sunshine. Are you okay? Do you need to go back to the ship to cool down?”
Red’s skin was flushed, and he looked angry. Actually, he looked a mess. “I’ve gotten heat exhaustion one too many times, and now when I start getting hot, my body shuts down. I’m sorry. How did I get in here?” Red looked at the impatient Pretarian delegation.
Jay pointed to Rivka. “She carried your big ass.”
“Fuck!” he reiterated. Rivka shook her head.
“Language,” she cautioned with a wink. “We’ll have a great deal more water shortly. When we get back, I’ll recommend that you get Pod-doc time. Can’t have me using your body as a shield again.” She motioned for him and Jay to take the two other glasses of water, and they drank, grimacing.
The ship landed, and Jay went to the door. She took a deep breath as if preparing to dive into a pool and ran out. She lumbered back shortly with a five-gallon jug of water. She also had a bag.
She put the jug on the floor, and from her bag she removed five glasses and set them on the tray. Using a small pump attached to the top of the jug, she half-filled the five glasses and offered them to the Pretarians. She filled the three glasses from before and shared them with the humans.
Rivka smiled broadly. “Well done.” She turned to the Pretarians. “Here is to a successful arbitration. May we leave with our dignity intact and an arrangement that is mutually beneficial.”
The Pretarians critically looked at the liquid in their glasses, and Maseer signaled to the others that it was okay. He drank his first, and the rest of his delegation followed.
“Thank you. That was very good. Maybe we can talk separately about bringing water to our planet.”
“Once the arbitration is complete, we will be more than happy to talk about that and other potential goods or processes for expanded trade with the Federation. Do you know that there are entire planets of nothing but water?”
Maseer didn’t respond in a way Rivka understood. She studied his body language, but couldn’t tell if his answer was yes or no.
The language outside the words would be critical to finding a resolution to the dispute with Keome. If the anger that Sinraloo had exhibited was representative of what the entire delegation felt, she didn’t have high hopes.
I won’t fail! she declared, steeling herself.
“The Keome are waiting in the negotiation chambers,” Rhonali stated.
“When did they arrive?” Rivka wondered.
“They’ve been there this whole time.”
That’s how it’s going to be, huh? “I think it best we not keep them waiting any longer. Red?”
“I’m fine,” he assured her and stood up. Jay wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him. She searched for a place to hang on that wasn’t lumpy from the weapons concealed beneath his vest. He tensed as he leaned against her. He wasn’t one for such a public display of weakness.
Rivka walked to the door Rhonali had gone through earlier. “Shall we?”
Maseer led the way and Jay and Red forced their way forward to walk behind Rivka. The Pretarians shuffled their feet. Rivka now recognized it as their way of showing dismay.
When they reached the doorway, which was secured by two armed Pretarian guards, Rivka touched Maseer’s arm to hold him back. His emotions rushed against her before disappearing as she stepped aside. He wasn’t angry like Sinraloo. He was disappointed, and carrying a bone-deep sadness that he didn’t share. His persona was gruff and hard. The sadness weighed on him.
He looked at the spot on his arm that Rivka had touched.
This is going to be more difficult than I thought. “Maseer, I know that your people are angry with the Keome. I’m sure they are angry with you too, for whatever the reason. But I am asking if you would look at this through fresh eyes. See it as I see it. Let reason guide you in the way that is best for your people.”
He pointed to the door. “See for yourself before asking me to see as you do.”
She contemplated his words for a moment before nodding and motioning toward the door.
“I’ll wait out here with my two newest friends,” Red told Rivka, freeing himself from Jay’s grip to lean against the wall. It was cooler in this area, at least tolerable considering there was a jug of water to drink.
“Where’s the bathroom?” Rivka asked as she looked at the jug of water.
Maseer pointed to a door behind Red. “And there’s one in the conference room too, but we won’t use that once the Keome have. I hope you understand.”
“I don’t, Maseer. I don’t understand at all, but that’s what we’re here for. I think it’s time.”
Maseer took a deep breath and opened the door, jumping back immediately. Rivka looked inside. Five Keome jumped up from their seats at the table and started to yell. One rushed toward the door, waving his multiple arms. Rivka stepped in his way, but he kept coming. She braced herself and struck with all the strength her enhanced body could muster.
Her forward punch hit the Keome mid-stride, throwing him back into the two who followed. They caught him, and that stopped the momentum of the three.
“STOP!” she roared. She straightened her jacket and began anew in a more controlled tone. “I am Magistrate Rivka Anoa. I’m here to arbitrate your dispute. Physically attacking a Magistrate is a crime in the Federation, for which I can mete out punishment. Is that what you want? To be embarrassed in front of the Pretarians? You will conduct yourselves as official representatives of your respective planets, not iron-age barbarians.”
“Why did you make us wait? We should have been allowed to greet the Magistrate outside in the fresh air and not in this ice cave,” the only Keome who was still seated asked.
“Read the law. It’s the host’s responsibility, not yours. You have no say in this.” Maseer stretched himself taller to loom over the Keome.
The representative finally stood. He was nearly as tall as Maseer, but the four arms made him appear more imposing. As he turned, the eyes on the back of his head came into focus. Rivka found the four eyes far more disconcerting than the extra limbs. For reasons only evolution knew, the Keome had developed differently from the ancestor they shared in common with the Pretarians.
“We have an equal say, as parties to this negotiation and treaty.”
“As of right now, we start fresh. Anyone who brings up something from the past that had no resoluti
on will be docked against the final arbitration. Is that understood? Please introduce me to your delegation so we can get started.”
“I am Yus, Primary for Keome. My second is Miento. Suarpok provides spiritual counsel, and Ome and Yutta are the Commoner representatives.”
“Yutta, I trust I didn’t hurt you too badly. Control yourself, and I will forget about your assault and battery. Please, everyone, take your seats. I’ll need a second chair for Jay, and have a chair delivered for my bodyguard in the corridor.”
The lone female Keome bowed and slid her chair toward the end of the table. She stood behind the others of her delegation.
“Thank you, Ome. That is very kind.” Rivka looked at the chair, whose seat was even with her belly button. Jay made eyes at her before climbing into the chair, where her legs dangled a long way from the floor. Rivka climbed into her chair and fought the sensation of feeling like a little kid.
Chapter Fourteen
Rivka instantly hated the room arrangement. The Pretarians were directly across from the Keome, allowing the two sides to glare at each other, while she was at the end of the table with only her shoulders and up visible. It was like a kid sitting at the adults’ table during Thanksgiving. She leaned back in her chair.
“We need a different venue. A round table that will seat twelve, please.” She turned to Maseer.
“My apologies, Magistrate,” he started, “but we do not have such a table. I am not trying to stall the negotiations.” Rivka smiled at his defensiveness. She’d made him take more care in his attempt to manipulate her and the arbitration.
Jay shrugged. “Then we will all stand,” she declared. “Help me turn this table on its side and move it against the wall.”
The members of both delegations slid their chairs away from the table as Rivka stood and signaled which way to turn it. Maseer held out a hand to stop the efforts, but it was too late. The Keome were more than enthusiastic in dumping the Pretarian table on its side. They pushed it at the Pretarians, who jumped from its path.
“Enough!” Rivka yelled to get everyone’s attention. “Here’s the new arrangement.” She walked from body to body and pointed where she wanted them to stand. She positioned two chairs between the ends of the arcs. Both groups now faced her more than each other.
Jay nodded in approval, staying to the left and half a step behind Rivka.
“Isn’t this better?” Rivka asked, not waiting for an answer. “This is how we will be arranged for the remainder of the arbitration. Let me go over the ground rules. You will not bring up anything from the past that can’t be resolved in the present. You will not call names. You will not resort to violence of any sort. And most importantly, you will listen when I speak.”
She didn’t bother to get an affirmation of the ground rules because the full rules were in the Federation’s Law of Arbitration, to which both planets were signatories. She was being concise. She didn’t want to beat them over the head with the rules; she wanted the rules to provide a framework within which the parties could negotiate in good faith.
Rivka opened her datapad. There were forty-seven contended points out of a grand total of forty-eight.
“Let’s start with the single point not in contention,” she began with a smile. Her smile disappeared as she read the sentence. “The planets that are bound by this treaty are called Pretaria and Keome.”
“The fact that you could agree on that point, although it may seem ridiculous, is a start. From that foundation, a house shall be built. Moving to point two.”
She looked up before continuing. Both groups stood still as statues. She glanced at Jay, whose eyes darted around the room as she looked for patterns from the aliens’ body movements, but they were giving nothing away. She shook her head just enough to let Rivka know she hadn’t found anything.
Rivka started to read. “The party of the first part shall receive the first Federation shipment, from which the following shipments shall alternate on a schedule aligned with Ingranalla’s Tide, highest which, thereunto...” Rivka stopped. “This could be the absolute worst sentence I’ve ever read in my entire life.”
“We are the party of the first part,” Maseer informed her.
“You cannot be. Keome is the party of the first part, since the tide rose upon the arrival of the first ship, which has already been graciously unloaded and been refilled with fine Keome products.” Yus swept his four arms as he bowed.
“No,” Maseer shot back in a much louder voice.
“Stop,” Rivka ordered, walking between the two. They continued to glare at each other over her head, and she held up her arms to get their attention. “Time for a break. I will return to my ship with Jay and Red to contemplate the next steps. We shall return in thirty minutes.”
Rivka smiled and waved before walking out. A chair had been delivered, but it sat empty. She crooked a finger at a surprised Red, who had been leaning against the wall. He followed the Magistrate and Jayita to the ship, and once inside they closed the door.
Hamlet yowled for attention and Jay scooped him up on her way to stand in front of the air vent.
Red poured himself a protein shake and drank it down, chasing it with a glass of water.
Rivka went to the bridge to sit alone in the captain’s chair. She closed her eyes and reviewed everything that had happened since they’d stepped off the ship.
Everyone lies. The thought kept coming back to her. All parties dealing with the law lied until it was to their disadvantage. Reward the truth and remove the incentive to lie.
The hatred. Sinraloo was as angry as Yutta. She’d seen the flashes when she punched him, but their contact had been too brief. She needed to get Maseer alone. Maybe Yus, too. That was her right as the Magistrate. She’d insist on that after a rewrite of the next nine points.
“Knock them down just like bowling pins,” she mused aloud. “Point two. The next shipment comes to Pretaria. How hard is that? If they’re going to argue over who’s first, then no one is first, and all that matters is who’s next. If the Keome are lying about having already received a transport, then they will lose that point, because the party of the first part will no longer be in the treaty. Would you boneheads focus on what’s important! Chaz, can you confirm whether a Federation transport has made a delivery to this system?”
“Six transports have passed through this system,” the EI replied.
“I’ll be damned. Show me the arriving and departing manifests.”
“There is no difference between the two. The ships did not transfer any products to either planet although all six ships stopped at both planets.”
“You think they would have shared that little fact.” Rivka bit her lip as she thought about her next move.
“Rivka?” Red called from the entrance to the bridge.
She rotated one-hundred and eighty degrees because the captain’s chair could do that.
“It’s been twenty-five minutes.”
“Time to go back. Thanks, Red, and I have to say, you look a hell of a lot better.”
“I hate the heat.”
“And dogs and cats. Fresh wound?”
Red jerked his hand out of sight. “I handed a glass of juice to Jay while she was holding that hellspawned vermin.”
“Kitty!” Rivka smiled. She punched Red in the shoulder as she passed and waved to Jay, who was still holding a purring Hamlet. She put him down in the chair, getting scratched for her effort before joining the Magistrate as the hatch opened to the boiling heat.
They hurried inside and toward the conference room. Before they reached it, they found Sinraloo waiting. He wanted to talk with the Magistrate alone.
Rivka leaned against the counter with her arms loosely crossed. The Pretarian’s hostility permeated the air, adding to the stifling heat of the small room. Rivka could feel the nanocytes drawing energy to dissipate the heat. She breathed slowly and stayed still to let them do their jobs.
A courtesy she wished Sinraloo would grant her.
After his diatribe and wild arm-waving, he finally paused for breath.
“Are you done?” Rivka asked, straightening herself to leave.
“I haven’t even started. The Keome transgressions are numerous, and must be understood if you are to conduct these negotiations in good faith!”
“Stop,” she ordered, and held out her hand. He must have been unfamiliar with the gesture since he continued without pause. She tried to get past him, but he barred her way. “Let me by.”
He put his back to the door and started a new monologue.
“By order of the Magistrate, you will open that door.” She balanced on the balls of her feet and raised her fists. Sinraloo finally stopped talking, but didn’t move. “I hold you in violation of Section Thirteen of Federation Code, Chapter Nine, Paragraph Six. Kidnapping.”
The Pretarian’s expression didn’t change. She started to spin, blurring with the speed as she jumped. Her roundhouse kick connected with Sinraloo’s jaw, and he started to fall. She hit the floor and followed through with a heel strike from her left hand as his face passed hers. Once he was on the floor, she straddled him and drove her fist toward his nose, stopping before it hit. She grabbed his head in both hands and absorbed his muddled thoughts.
He was too stunned for any of it to be of use. She picked him up, finding the alien much lighter than she would have thought for one of his size and threw him into the wall across the room.
She opened the door and stepped out. Red had his shotgun out and was ready to kick the door in. She looked over her shoulder. “Justice is served, you piece of shit.”
Rivka stormed down the hallway until she reached the room set aside for the arbitration. She ripped open the door to find only the Keome delegation.
“Where are the... Never mind. Yus, can I talk to you alone, please?”
He started to walk toward the door, but Yutta stopped him. “How can we know she can be trusted with your safety, Primary Yus?”
“Because she’s a Magistrate. The entire planet’s safety is in her hands, so I will be safe with her. Why are you so worried?”
Judge, Jury, & Executioner Boxed Set Page 12
