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@ForsytheWeyss smiled. He liked this kind of practicality. No tedious hows and whys, just get down straight to business. “Very well, Captain. We both have things we need to do, after all. I won't lie, our contact is mostly in an attempt to prevent a war. Some of us -” he shot a withering glance at the Inquisitor, who scowled in return “- would rather see your kind wiped out. I, personally, would like to avoid any unnecessary conflict. Besides, I'm certain there is much we can offer each other - technology may be scarce, but you'll be surprised what our kind can do, if they put their minds to it. Speaking of which, what is it exactly that you want, and what are you prepared to offer?”
No-one on the council was surprised at Weyss’ direct handling of the situation. This was how he usually worked - what do you want, and what are you offering. It was rare for him to say much more than those two lines.
At the mention of war, Astra did a step back and her guards raised their arms and stood in front of her, two menacingly red glowing barrels deploying form each of their wrist pods. It was a nigh-instinctive reaction by the Faira. When it become apparent the threat wasn’t there they relaxed, but despite Astra’s dismissing gesture, the guards refused to sheath their weapons despite lowering them.
The Captain shot the same person Weyss looked at a deathly blue glare. “They would try, they would fail, and then your world would fall. Perhaps we should exclude these elements from the negotiations, Patriarch. Obviously their tactical and strategic sense does not go too far beyond their zealous animosity if they did not stop you from inviting a warship to your orbit if they intended hostilities. They have little to contribute then.” Astra said to Weyss, not able not to shoot back.
“I will overlook this fact because we want to cause no… incidents. I must also inform you of another thing. Our treaties prevent us from sharing military technology without your signing a mutual defense treaty - something I believe will come up later. However, everything else is on the table. We only really need your approval to travel freely through your system and scan for possible FTL routes, but we are open to other trade negotiations and if you wish, we can also introduce you to our allies.” Astra continued on a more friendly note, intent on completely ignoring the inquisitor for the duration of these talks unless her attitude improved.
Temair hissed uncomfortably as the stranger shot her a look. She was used to Weyss’ taunting by now, but coming from a heathen, it meant a world of difference. “I’ll have you know, Ma’am, that most of the Republic goes to Weyss through me. I will not be absent from negotiations as long as either my Republic or my religion is at risk.”
“Peace, Temair” the young man tried to placate the angry zealot “I will not have you stand down - however, I will ask you to acknowledge that these people are of a different culture and faith, and we shall respect that. This is not an attempt at conversion, this is simply business.”
The Patriarch was taking the supposed hostility surprisingly calmly. Everyone else froze when the Faira soldiers drew their weapons, but he simply shook his head and frowned. Some part of him knew that they would not open fire, but it was a rather insulting diplomatic gesture. Not allowing his offence to show, he pressed on.
“Getting back on topic - I must apologize, Captain - this is an interesting proposal. I have a feeling yours is a practical people, not given to romantic notions, and thus, our trade would be of limited value to you. On the other hand, a mutual defence treaty is something I am happy to discuss.”
At this point, the Marshal piped in “We are aware you may have more advanced weaponry and armour, but I must pride myself on the rigorous training that I put my men and women through. If you like, we can offer similar training to your own units and combine irresistible discipline with exceptional equipment to create a near unstoppable force. And I wouldn’t mind meeting your allies. I have a feeling we can learn a lot from each other.”
The Seneschal, Vigdis, smiled brightly “And I see no reason why we should prevent you travelling through our system, as long as we receive the same benefits from yourselves.”
All eyes turned to Gydja, who yawned tiredly and mumbled “I’ve got nothing to add. The trade might be nice, but I have my doubts you’d find the Republic a valuable partner.”
Innes, at this point, was about to burst. She really wanted to add something, but nothing came to mind. Once again, her positioning on this council had meant nought practically, something that was becoming more and more evident lately.
“What about me? What could I do?”
Weyss smiled at the girl. It was hard to believe that Innes was only a year younger than himself sometimes. They were like chalk and cheese - he was serious, she was jovial, he got straight to the point, she got sidetracked easily. Still, it was nice to see she at least wanted to do something, unlike some people he could name.
“Captain, if I may be so bold, could I discuss a matter with you - privately? You can keep the guards if you wish.”
Astra weighed the options she was given carefully. It was good to see that the hostile notion wasn’t a majority. Even her guards seemed to relax after a while, the weapons’ hum and glow dying down. One of the councillors - a military leader by the looks - made several proposals. They were nice gesture, although for the Faira both were out of the question. Still, if anything the smaller build of the Sinnsyk would be useful onboard their ships without a doubt. “I appreciate the offer, and the meeting should not be hard to facilitate - in fact, they have representatives on board our ship. If you are interested, perhaps I can arrange a tour later. I should warn you though - They are not like you and us. Theirs are mechanical people.”
Asta knew that kind of response was coming so she accepted it gracefully. Until the Faira actually saw the troops in action, they would probably refuse the offerings of a comparatively primitive fighting force. There was some hope from her allies, however, so she wasn’t entirely written off.
It seemed that majority of the council favored deeper relations between their peoples, which was good. Astra had to try really hard not to giggle at Innes’ behavior, but she could think of one thing. The Faira needed to either post an ambassador here, which would be uncomfortable for the poor soul AND they were short on hands as it was, or a Sinnsyk could come to the Hexus in the Machina system. The chancellor seemed eager to get away from here anyway. Fortunately the Patriarch provided a distraction. “Certainly.” she nodded, wondering whether the Patriarch requested this as a reaction to Innes, out of spite for the Inquisitor or something else. Nonetheless, she doubted she was in any real danger. She instructed the guards to wait on the spot and waited for the Patriarch to lead the way.
Weyss took them down a narrow corridor into a small room. It was reminiscent of the conference room aboard the Trigati if it had been made a few hundred years earlier. The chairs were wooden and the table in the middle was a kind of polished stone. Despite this, the chairs were comfortable enough to sit on and there were few distractions in the room.
“It is concerning Innes,” he sighed. He knew what he was about to ask went beyond the barriers of a normal relationship, and that it might be too much for the Captain to respond to, but it had to be done.
“The reason I’ve called you in here privately is because I wish to spare the girl any further embarrassment. As you’re probably aware, she isn’t… altogether with us. For years, we tried to place the exact symptoms and cause of this issue, with limited success.”
“Innes doesn’t form relationships the normal way. Her mind just doesn’t register anything beyond certain traits and qualities of a person. She usually doesn’t get attached to people - in fact, that’s one of her best qualities as a diplomat. It means that she is thinking clearly whilst the other parties are distracted”
“There have been exceptions, though. Myself, for example, who our local physician claims she sees as a brother. That in itself shouldn’t be a problem. The problem occurs that she doesn’t… well, her boundaries are very clear, shall we say. Until the day she dies, she considers me a friend and brother and nothing I can do or say will make her think any less of me.”
“What I’m trying to say is that you, my dear, have caught Innes’ emotions. You might have seen it yourself - maybe she picked up on a particular word you said or seemed oddly fascinated at a physical trait of yours. It is of no consequence as to the hows. She sees you as one of the few people worthy of emotional conduct, and it won’t change. Yes, she will still get angry or upset with you, but it will disappear rather quickly, since she has one primary emotion that she associates with you.”
“What you saw today wasn’t the normal Innes. If you were anyone else, she would have appeared at that meeting nude and wouldn’t have said a word. She is trying to impress you. I don’t know the exact details yet, but she wants your approval. Psychologically, she couldn’t handle it if she thought you were displeased with her.“
“So what I’m suggesting is this - I’d like you to take Innes with you. I have plenty of other diplomats willing to take her place. I’d like your people to study her in more depth - gods know we’ve tried, but progress is slow and unpromising. The benefits for your people is that you will have access to a live Sinnsyk specimen, twenty-four seven, who will do anything you ask her. Literally anything. She can also act as an ambassador from the Republic to yourselves. It also means I have a legitimate excuse to drop her from the council - I love the dear girl, but she’s not cut out for the world of politics. Her position as diplomat would be purely for her benefit. So, what do you say?”
Astra listened with a neutral face up to the word ‘specimen’. Truth to be told, the culture of these people would probably take more getting used to than actually converting to whatever the religion was. It was all so… feudal. Chancellor one day, specimen the other, with a single word from the person one notch above you. If Astra lived here, she probably would have already devised a prehistoric siege machines and laid waste to this regime. Unfortunately, the Admiral probably wouldn’t like that.
“I thought as much. I will take her as a liaison to your people and pretend I did not hear that horrible reason you gave before that.” she said, her nose covered in a few wrinkles as she frowned in disgust. “I will have you know that none of us would ever intentionally harm a living being. If she wishes, we’ll look into her sickness, if it is a sickness at all. From what i’ve seen, some of her ideas could stand to get implemented, Patriarch.” the Faira hinted at the issue.
“But since we’re already here, I had the text of the treaty translated for you for review, if you would like to see it before the council does. I’d direct you especially to clause 1.2. I did not see much of your technology and apparently you have some hidden surprises if you can make it to space, but I believe you still stand to gain a lot by signing. Of course at the moment your nation’s admission would be pending the decision of the RLC, and while I have no ill will towards her, the good chancellor probably shouldn’t be the one handling that.” the captain suggested. “Regardless of the signing of the treaty, for our own race I will put this on the table: We are short on resources and your system, according to our preliminary readings, is rich in some we need. I would ask for mining rights to your system. You would of course receive a share, which would jump-start you on shipbuilding so you could soon join us among the stars.”
As long as your inquisitor and her religion stays on Paardveid. Astra thought bitterly. If they weren’t so resource starved, she might have not bothered.
Weyss was not blind to the disdain of the Captain, but he paid it little heed. She didn’t understand their systems - how could she? - but it was all so natural for him. It was what he grew up with, what he was trained for.
“You must misunderstand me, Captain.” he smiled “Innes is not a disposable resource to me. She is no mere subject. I grew up with her, watched her become the young lady she is today. I must confess I have had a certain degree of emotional investment in that girl. Which is why I find it necessary for me to offer this. She may have a smile on her face, but she is tortured inside. Old memories keep resurfacing. Nightmares keep recurring. It would be unfair of me to watch who could be her only hope walk in here and not ask for help. And I must consider my Republic as well. Every day, the tension in the air seems to thicken. Theocrats and Republicans hardly seem to get along anymore and we’re hearing rumours of peasants gearing up for another civil war. People know that I have attachments to the Chancellor, so she would likely be the first target of any attempted kidnappers or assassins. No-one can hurt her if she’s with you. That is, of course, assuming you do actually care about her fate?”
“Do not let my florid language and robes put you off, Captain, you must remember I am still a boy. It takes a certain level of… experience to be able to put a good friend in the line of danger. Innes owes me nothing, and I owe her much. If I was older, wiser and perhaps a bit crueller, I would have her stay. As it stands, it would be selfish of me to do so. She’s too important to me to have her life risked, but she is too volatile to send into hiding. And remember, she will not care - I have a feeling that as long as she is with you, she will enjoy it. If you like, we could ask Innes what she makes of the situation..?” He left the question hanging in the air, not quite threatening, but not quite passive either. His face was unreadable.
But at the mention of the treaty, Weyss lightened up a little, realising that they were back on passive ground.
“It would help to see the treaty before all others, but that would be unfair - I have a Council and we must make these decisions together. They are hard people, I know, but they put up with me, so I must put up with them. I am keen to meet these RLC chaps.”
“I am opposed to the strip-mining of our neighbouring planets, especially our own. If my council approves, I will give you mining rights, but I must ask you to be careful not to disturb the planet's natural systems. Our own planet is homage to the things that get done in the dark - even the most inhospitable planets may have things of importance on them. You should know the drill - don’t leave litter, don’t hunt the animals, don’t spread yourselves out too much, etcetera, etcetera.”
Weyss wasn’t keen to have a foreign presence so close to home, especially one with so much power, but they could use the help. Right now, they were self-sufficient and nothing more. They couldn’t spare the time and resources to expand further - these people could help that. It was vital that they came across as worthy of help, else they might say hang it all and look elsewhere for allies, or worse. Theocrats were bad enough, he didn’t even want to know the kind of system this lot would set up
“Our race values life above all things, Patriarch. Barring injuries, one of us is yet to die of old age. To be honest, we do not believe our bodies even degrade in that way. So whenever one of us is lost, we forfeit an eternity. It might explain the reaction of my guards. I apologize for that, but it is their job. My point is, do not worry. If you feel the chancellor is in danger here, we will grant her asylum. Furthermore, my Admiral has already hinted to me that I will be sent back away from the frontlines, so I should be able to keep her company personally.” the Faira smiled.
“I will ask our allies to come of their own accord then, provided none of you wishes to travel with us to meet them. We would of course transport your delegation back home as well.” the captain offered.
It amused her that everyone thought of planets instantly where mining was concerned. “Then let me put your worries at ease, Patriarch - we recognize your claim to this system, it’s planets included. It is also much harder to transport large quantities of resources from the surface to the orbit. No, we are interested in asteroids and comets. The worlds are yours to explore and exploit.”
Well, it seemed like everything that needed to be discussed right now was said and talked over. “If there is nothing else, then by all means don’t let me keep you.” the captain nodded, ready to get away from the tiring pull of Paardveid’s gravity.
“No. I have nothing more to add.” Weyss shook his head “If all is good, I’ll have Innes pack her things and she can go with you today. You can call in your allies and, when the treaty is signed and discussed, we will send a copy of it back to the ship that the Chancellor contacted”
He rose from the table and bowed to the Captain before making his way back to the rest of the council. They seemed to be in heated discussion about something and before he took his place amongst them he gave the Faira guards an apologetic look as if to say ‘sorry you were stuck with this lot’
“Well, it seems we’ve reached an agreement. Innes, get your things - you’re going with the Faira”
There were somewhat stunned looks from the rest of the council. Innes, for her part, looked more surprised than shocked.
“You mean… I’m going back on the spaceship?” she asked bewilderedly.
“You are to return with Captain Astra to further study the Faira way of life and to maintain a diplomatic conduit between the Republic and the foreigners. So yes, you are going back on the Faira craft”
There was a moment of silence as the full weight of the Patriarch’s words descended on all present. Everyone except Innes knew what the Patriarch meant and it was taking them a moment to muster up the right feelings. Then Temair unexpectedly drew the girl in for a hug and kissed her forehead.
“Be a good girl while you’re away, okay Innes?” the Inquisitor managed to choke out.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say you’ll be missed.” Vigdis added, not looking at them.
“And learn how to fight while you’re gone” the Marshal chuckled
“I don’t like doing this” Weyss said, taking a sudden interest in a piece of the floor “but sometimes what’s important comes before what you want.” It was painfully clear that he wasn’t just talking about diplomacy here, but Innes didn’t seem to mind. She just smiled, showing her little sharp teeth, and waved it off.
“So how long am I away for, boss?” she asked “A week? A month?”
“No, Innes” Weyss stared at the floor as though his life depended on it. “You’ll be away until I have called you back explicitly. This is too important, and too temperamental, for me to set dates and times.”
He felt bad for lying. Deceit was not in his nature. But this was a chance to get Innes out of the line of fire, as well as give her some much-needed physical and mental support. Her growth had been stunted because they didn’t have the capabilities to deal with whatever problem she had. The Faira might fix that.
“So what you’re saying is, I’m going away with Astra until you want me back?” Innes didn’t stop smiling
“I’ll want you back the second you leave, my dear. You’re going away until I decide that the time is right for you to return.”
Innes’ face went faux-serious and she did a mock salute “I won’t fail you boss.”
She scampered away to grab a few things, though most of her stuff was in the spaceship she came in. She came back with a little bag and suddenly it dawned on Weyss how little Innes actually had. She might not be a very material girl, but did she really have so few things that meant something to her?
“Wait, am I going to have to wear one of those monkey-suits again or is what I’m wearing fine?” She directed the question at the Captain
“You won’t need much of anything. I will have to build you a scaled down version of one of our suits. Our ships are relatively safe in a fight, but a subspace turbulence can still rattle it. That and i’ll be able to put shielding on it to allow you to move around without a headache.” the Faira stated matter-of-factly. Of course, she was above all else worried about the Sinnsyk promenading around naked - the admiral would throw her out the airlock. Or both of them.
“The Faira and Innes will be departing shortly. We still have duties to attend to. If you wish to see our guests off, stay, but this council is technically dismissed.”
Gydja didn’t even hesitate. She got up and left without further word, earning her glares from all others. Everyone else stayed, however.
“Hey guys, don’t be upset!” the ex-Chancellor gave them all a haunting grin “I’ll be back! And I’ll write to you as often as possible!”
“That might be sooner than you think. We’ll have to keep ferrying back and forth for food that you can eat alone. I imagine it wouldn’t be too much trouble for you to visit monthly or every quarter. I imagine you would also like to deliver your reports in person.” Astra hinded. If what Weyss said was true, than Innes had the same attachment to him. she was no medic, but she could guess keeping her away from him for too long wouldn’t be healthy for the little woman at all.
“Well, I believe that would be all. Unless you request otherwise, our ships should be done scanning your system and gone within few hours. Expect a RLC ship to pay you a visit in close future. As for us, we’ll leave a communication terminal here.” Astra said and nodded to her guards to unload the suitcase sized machine from the shuttle, “It has a built in power unit so you can move it wherever you want to and it will last a few years. You can use it to contact us or the chancellor.” she finished explaining.
“It has been an interesting visit, thank you for the invitation, Patriarch. I hope we’ll find a way to coexist peacefully.” she ended and nodded the council a farewell. “Shall we?” Astra asked, offering Innes a hand to help her up to the shuttle.
Innes took the hand and stepped up. She gave her co-councillors a little jaunty wave before she disappeared out of sight. By the time any of them could wave back, she wouldn’t have seen it.
“It has been an honor, Captain.” The Patriarch bowed. There was no need for long farewells. What had happened here was business. Just business.
The rest of the council followed Weyss’ lead, bowing a saying their thanks. It was hard for Temair not to shoot a cynical response at the leaving visitors, but she managed to hold her tongue long enough for them to get out of earshot. “Bloody heathens. Konja knows what they’ll do to her. Why did you let her go, Weyss?”
He shrugged “Safest option. It was either let her stay here, where she is at constant risk, or give her to the superior race with their fancy technology and advanced medicines.”
“If you say so…”
Weyss sat down - he had been standing the whole time, something he only now realised - and massaged the side of his head for a few minutes. When he recovered, he stretched his arms, stood up and walked away without a word.
