SciFi Thriller
Chapter Ten — Part Three The Time It Takes to Die
A Timely Alliance
After getting a shot of the station identification plaque for her report, Anna connected to the station’s vid-record system. Ecart stepped up to the table and invited the visitors to be seated, and he took a seat across from them. Colby claimed Ecart’s lap as he sat down.
The two men Anna had noticed when they arrived in the Common Room, seated themselves to either side of Ecart. On the collars of the former civilians, she noted the pips elevating them to captains. Both men shuffled through items in their sleek attachés.
A hologram of Winston from the torso up appeared in the center of the table. Colby, watching from Ecart’s lap, jumped onto the table and reached out a paw toward the hologram. When his paw passed through the back of Winston’s image, the cat walked through the hologram, to the amusement of the visitors.
Ecart snapped his fingers imperiously and commanded, “Come” at Colby. The cat turned his head and looked at him. Then Colby firmly sat down in Winston’s hologram projection, and slow blinked his eyes at Ecart. Then he laid down in the projection purring loudly. Anna almost laughed at the look of consternation on Ecart’s face. Somewhere behind her, she heard Eric’s stifled snort.
Standing and reaching across the table to reclaim the cat, Ecart introduced Winston as “the plenipotentiary for the Prime minister and The United Sol Council” and introduced the two men as protocol officers for the Adjutant General of the Ministry of Defense, Captains Lauden Trotter and Addis Bastani.
Winston introduced himself formally, “I am the diplomatic and administerial intelligence unit designated ‘WI8TON.’ You may refer to me as ‘Winston.’” The hologram then gestured to the taller officer just settling in a seat, “To facilitate these proceedings, Mx Trotter will act as your peoples’ USC advocate liaison. He is fully informed and prepared to elucidate with your delegation any points of misconstruction in the translations between Dlyran and Sol Standard.” Similarly gesturing to the other officer, Winston continued, “Mr. Bastani is the legal adjutant representing the USC to facilitate and ensure compliance with the laws of Sol Union in concordance with the Republics of Dlyr.”
Captain Trotter tapped something on the datapad in front of him and all the datapads before the visitors lit up. “I’ve linked the document across all our datapads so that any changes will be universal. As you study the text, please highlight any errors or inconsistencies. These highlights will appear on all our displays in real time.”
Their Serene Eminence nodded regally and gestured to one of the visitors to their right, “Magister Vol Tünkek is serving as advocate prime and, we hope, is well versed in your written language. He will act as advocate liaison for your peoples.” They added with a slight nod directly to Winston, “I have the honor to serve as plenipotentiary on behalf of the Venerable Premier and The Dlyran Council of Magisters.” Indicating the visitor to their left, they introduced, “Magister Sülar Korvedehk serves as adjutant prime for the Federated Republics of Dlyr.”
“On behalf of Sol Union,” Winston responded, “We welcome Dlyr and affirm our amity and mutual accord with this alliance.” On everyone’s screen, the preamble to the Articles of Alliance displayed, and Winston read as they followed along:
“The United Sol Council for the Sol Union and The Dlyran Council of Magisters for the Federated Republics of Dlyr, having this day concluded a Treaty of friendship and peaceful harmony for the mutual advantage of commerce and strategic alliance in the names of their free Citizens, deem it just and equitable to establish the means of strengthening bonds and rendering them useful to the safety and tranquility of the two parties for the defense and rights of the free citizens of the Dlyr and Sol Union. The respective Plenipotentiaries, empowered to implement and direct the clauses & conditions proper to fulfill the intentions, have after the most wise deliberation resolved our peoples on the perdurable bonds of alliance with the following Articles of Alliance.”
Anna debated including the preamble in her report. In the end, she chose to display the text over the footage of the introductions at the table. She expected more back and forth over the articles. However, there were only a few exchanges over the finer points of translations between the two languages.
With the agreement finalized, Ecart and his officers with Their Serene Eminence and their officers arranged themselves with Anna in the arch of the doorway, under the station sign affixed on the lintel above the egress into the antechamber to the station administrative office.
Chapter Eleven is in progress
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