All That Glitters Ch. 28
Negotiations. A new friend? Training and Pets.
Negotiations begin with the Piscium A Society at the Emperor's Fleet Shem. An Insectoid begins to earn the trust of humanity. An empath continues her training.
© bigtddybr February 2021. This story 'All That Glitters - Ch 28' cannot be transferred to any other site besides Literotica.com without the prior authorizations in writing from the author and bigtddybr must be credited for this work.
Due of the number of abbreviations, ship listings, and lists of characters, in this story, I include a glossary that is now in a stand-alone chapter called 'All That Glitters: Notes'. Any and all information that you want or need to know about the series is included in Notes. It will be updated frequently simply by re-issuing the chapter to Literotica.
There is little attempt to explain the back story, so it is necessary to read previous chapters to fully understand where we are. I'm told it makes a nice read.
As before, I claim sole responsibility for the story line. This story is a fantasy, with no basis in reality. Any similarity that you may perceive to current events, people, or situations real or imaginary is completely unintended. Look no further than the story line for its intent and purpose.
A big shout out to SaddleRider for all the help she has provided in editing. With her guidance, I'm making fewer and fewer errors, but she still finds them. If you find any errors still left in this chapter, they are mine.
Please rate and comment. But keep your comments respectful. If you rant and rave or are disrespectful in your commentary, it will be deleted.
'Nuff said...enjoy.
PV Marie Saitent, Piscium A Society Home World, Twelve Light Years from the Piscium System
The Marie Saitent winked into existence high above the planet much to the surprise of Mind-Hur and the Speaker.
"Why are we here, Raymond?" Mind-Hur asked.
"You need to provide a report, first to your Emperor, then to your people, before we return to the Fleet Shem," Raymond replied.
"One of my rank does not make a report to the Emperor, Raymond," Mind-Hur told Raymond, a look of pure shock on her face.
"I think he will make an exception today," Raymond replied with a smile.
A moment later, the Emperor appeared on the 3D monitor in the ships conference room. Mind-Hur and the Speaker immediately fell to the ground and prostrated themselves giving the traditional greeting to the Emperor that all the People had been taught since they first entered formal school.
"Greetings to the Emperor Se-Lam Roe, his Empress Na-Maj Se-lam Raie, and his Command Council," the pair intoned.
"Greetings Emperor Se-Lam Roe," Raymond gave a short bow to the Emperor. "It is a pleasure to finally greet you via this comms link."
"What is this," an angry Emperor demanded.
"This pair was selected from the Fleet Shem to travel about the Terran Union to see for themselves if the Union is as extensive as we claim," Raymond told him. "We have just returned after a very long day in which they visited several of our worlds, though we only landed on two of them."
"Why?" the Emperor demanded.
"Why did we only visit two?" Raymond asked. "It would have taken far too long to land on all eighteen planets, Emperor."
"No!" the Emperor shouted. "Why did you make this trip?"
"Ah, well that was kind of spur of the moment, Emperor," Raymond explained. "Your Jurte Pair did not believe the images of the planets of the Union that we showed them, so we told them we would take a guest on board and travel the Union.
"However, your Jurte Pair wanted to send a warrior onto this ship, perhaps so that the warrior could capture it. We did not want that to happen. We told them that we would allow Mind-Hur Lind-Tae aboard to confirm our flight through Union space. The Jurte Pair then insisted on the addition of the Speaker, who we suspected of being an ex member of the Warrior Class.
"We made sure that we were always in the company of warriors of our own, in case this Ro started something," Raymond finished.
The Emperor looked hard at Raymond, then down at the people prostrating themselves before his eyes.
"Report!" he snapped.
Mind-Hur immediately stood and spoke, head bowed in deference.
"My Emperor, we travelled from the Fleet Shem to The Home Star and boarded their mining station there, which they call Liramor-23," she stuttered to the Emperor.
Raymond split the screen and showed images of what Mind-Hur was saying.
"We were shown a large area that they intend to use as an embassy for our people, and any other people that they find in space," she told the Emperor giving a specific look while emphasising the word 'other', knowing the Emperor would catch on to the significance.
"We then travelled to the home world of the business that owns Liramor-23, a distance of eighty-six solar cycles from The Home Star, My Emperor, where we spoke with he representative of the people of that planet, their President Marcel Lapierre. It took us two jumps to travel to this world, My Emperor."
"The city we saw from space and from the planet has sixty-five million people according to these people, that is as large as the Empire's own capital, My Emperor.
"This world is a peaceful one, My Emperor, with many large cities.
"The people of this species believe in peace, My Emperor, but not at any price. They believe in freedom and do not acknowledge the right to retain Kirlen. They told us that their people would fight to be free or die in the attempt should they be made Kirlen, which they refer to as a 'slave', My Emperor.
"I do not know if I believe them, My Emperor, but they were adamant about their belief in freedom. In orbit over this planet were twenty warships my Emperor.
"At that planet, we were shown an orbital station where they build ships. They told us they could build one of their naval vessel in 240 of their days, My Emperor.
"Outside of the station, they had twenty cages where they could build or repair ships. Plus, they have the ability to build smaller ships on the station itself. Some of these smaller ships are very well armed, My Emperor.
"Raymond has told us that each planet has many hundreds of naval ships and contributes to the Union Navy, which has many thousands of ships. If they can build a ship in 240 days then I have no doubt about these numbers, My Emperor.
"This was one ship building station. Even if they used only ten of the twenty cages we saw to build new warships, that is still thirteen ships per solar rotation for ten cages. We take four solar rotations to build a ship as large, My Emperor. That is a significant difference and that is only one station, My Emperor.
"I have no doubt that each of these planets has such a ship building station, My Emperor. That is a combined output of 537 ships per our solar rotation for forty-eight planets, IF, they only have one ship building station per planet, My Emperor.
"Each of those ships would be armed with the weapons that they recently demonstrated to us. How many cities do we have, My Emperor. How many ships would they need to destroy us, My Emperor.
"We only visited eighteen planets, but each held at least one orbiting station, once had six, My Emperor.
"We only saw eighteen planets and if that is all they have in their Union, that would still translate into 201 ships being built per solar rotation, My Emperor.
"We visited a Planet Hanover, My Emperor, home to their Forty-Second Sector Navy Headquarters. I counted sixty naval ships in orbit around this planet, My Emperor. Many other ships would be out doing what exercises navies everywhere do, My Emperor. How many ships would you keep in orbit, My Emperor?
"We then travelled back to Liramor-23, My Emperor, where we were interviewed by a 'professional' news reporter. We have professional news readers but we do not have people dedicated to collecting news in this manner, they do. I include a copy of this interview with this report, My Emperor," Mind-Hur said, getting a nod from Raymond.
"These people are many and very prosperous, My Emperor. The lights of their cities illuminate the dark side of all of their planets. Raymond gave us the numbers of inhabitants for each planet we visited. Even one of their smaller planets has many times the people than we do, My Emperor.
"If you include travelling here to make this report, My Emperor, we travelled 538.8 solar cycles in the space of one planetary cycle. The Fleet Shem is still five solar cycles from The Home Star. These people do not have to wait for us to arrive there to engage us, My Emperor.
"It is not my place to tell you what to do, My Emperor, but I beg you to think of the people and enter into these negotiations with peace in mind, My Emperor," Mind-Hur finished.
"What have you to say, Speaker," a visibly angry Emperor asked.
"Only that she speaks the truth as we witnessed it, My Emperor," the Speaker reported.
A snarling Emperor shut the comms link without waiting for the traditional ending to an audience with the Emperor.
Raymond just smiled and sent the interview, translated, to the local news studio. He wondered how the people would accept it...
**********
"How safe do you think you will be?" Raymond suddenly asked of the Speaker, as the Marie Saitent began to move up out of the gravity well.
"I will be safe, however, Mind-Hur will not be," the Speaker replied.
Mind-Hur looked at the Ro then suddenly paled. She knew the Ro was correct. The Ro was a Speaker, none dared to harm a Speaker, not even the Emperor. He was safe, she was not.
"We can return you to the Koh-Tan," Raymond said to the Speaker. "However, I think Mind-Hur should come with us. She will not be safe in the Fleet Shem when orders from the Emperor demand that she be silenced."
The Speaker nodded once, agreeing with Raymond.
"There is a term we call Shar-Terg. It means to surrender yourself to another family for protection," the Speaker said.
"Yes, we call that asylum," Raymond told the Speaker. "If one of your people, in our presence, asked for asylum, we would have to consider it. I think that Mind-Hur would be a good candidate for asylum as she would fear for her life on the Koh-Tan.
"Of course, such a request must be made formally by another to me," Raymond finished.
"The Tae would have to ask for Shar-Terg, asylum?" the Speaker asked.
"Or another person could ask on the Tae's behalf, Speaker," Raymond said, giving the Speaker a significant look. "She would be granted asylum based on the fact that it was our action that brought her into this situation, by bringing her here to the home world, where she would be required to provide her report to the Emperor."
"Yes, that would be correct. You did do this, and are responsible," the Speaker agreed.
"Very well. Raymond of the Terran Union, our mutual colleague is in grave danger through no action of her own. She will need protection from the forces that are now probably aligned against her.
"Since it was your actions that have placed her in this position, will you act responsibly and accept Shar-Terg for this Tae?" the Speaker asked formally.
"We will, if that is what Mind-Hur Lin-Tae desires," Raymond responded just as formally.
"Do you have family in the fleet, Mind-Hur? Someone who the Emperor might punish if you do not return to the fleet?" Raymond asked her.
"No. I have no one at the fleet," Mind-Hur replied, sadly. "I once had a Ton in mind as bond pair but he was taken in bond by another. There is no one at the fleet for me at this time."
"That is probably better for you, Mind-Hur," Raymond told her. "We need not rescue someone else from this folly."
"Do you wish, Mind-Hur, to come with us for your protection?" Raymond asked.
"I think it would be better for me that I did, at least in the short term, Raymond of the Terran Union," Mind-Hur acknowledged, a tear falling from her eye.
"Then, on behalf of the Terran Union, I Raymond Clark will provide asylum to your Mind-Hur Lind-Tae," Raymond formally stated, with a small bow.
"No longer Lind-Tae, Raymond Clark," Mind-Hur replied. "By relinquishing my position and seeking the Shar-Terg with you, my role as a Tae is now over."
"Only if you wish it to be, Mind-Hur," Raymond said with a smile. "We have our own Tae."
"Raymond, you said something the other day that caught my interest," Mind-Hur spoke after a brief but strained silence. "You said that 'We are capable of faster than light speed in this ship but traversing the great distances of space at light speed would be tediously long. FTL drive shortens that somewhat'. Does that mean you are capable of going faster than light without the FTL drive, Raymond?"
"Lt. La Borgne, what is our current speed?" Raymond asked, knowing that the Lt. was listening in on the open mike.
"Sir, we are currently at .65C," La Borgne replied.
"Bring her up to .95C, please Lt. We will watch the activity," Raymond responded, opening the monitor to view the bridge.
Lt. Joséphine La Borgne smiled and ordered the pilot to advance to .95C calling out at every .5C increase. The little ship jumped in speed, the pilot calling out speed changes until they arrived at .95C.
"Captain, I am now showing .95C, we still have twenty-three percent power reserves," he told Lt. La Borgne (Captain was a rank in the navy but it was also the position of command for a ship, thus a navy Lieutenant could be a ship's 'Captain').
"Thank-you Pilot. Mr. Clark, you have been listening in I'm sure?" Joséphine said.
"We have, Joséphine," Raymond replied. "Mind-Hur, would you like to give the command to 'advance to the stops'," Raymond suggested.
"Advance to the stops, Raymond?" Mind-Hur asked confused.
"Advancing to 100% percent, Captain," the Pilot responded immediately. The ship lurched slightly as the extra boost was put into the engines as she slid through light speed.
"Captain, I am showing 1.02C," the Pilot said after a moment.
"Now showing 1.05C, Ma'am," the Pilot reported a couple of minutes later. "Still accelerating, Captain."
"Hold it at 1.09, Pilot," the Captain replied.
"Mind-Hur, we are now exceeding light speed and accelerating to 1.09C," La Borgne reported as the little group in the VIP conference room watched the bridge on the 3D monitor.
"Congratulations, Mind-Hur, Speaker. You are the first of your kind to exceed light speed," Raymond said. A smile formed on both Mind-Hur's and the Speaker's faces. The first of their kind to exceed light!
"Captain, prepare to jump to Liramor-23. We need an escort to return the Speaker the Fleet Shem," Raymond instructed, receiving an aye, sir, from La Borgne, the Navigator, and the Pilot.
PV Marie Saitent, The Fleet Shem, Interstellar Space
The Marie Saitent winked into existence along with NS Claridge not far from the Koh-Tan Se-Lam Roe ot Shem.
"Koh-Tan, this is Raymond Clark requesting permission to return to your vessel your observer," Raymond said over the comms link.
"Raymond Clark, you are permitted to land in the docking bay to return our people," came the reply.
"Very good, we are sending Mind-Hur Tae's and the Speaker's electronic reports to you as we approach, you will find it quite extensive," Raymond responded.
The little ship slipped into the open bay and landing on its struts temporarily as the Speaker left the vessel. They then lifted and moved swiftly out of the bay.
"Raymond Clark, this is Kur-Han Kai-Ro. You have only returned one of our people," the Jurte said not long after over comms.
"Mind-Hur has requested Shar-Terg, Kur-Han. Unfortunately, I brought Mind-Hur to your home world to give her report directly to the Emperor. The Emperor was less than pleased and we feared for her life. She has requested and been granted Shar-Terg from us.
"We had no choice, as we were the ones who placed her in this position," Raymond told them.
Sha-Ret looked at her Ro and nodded her head. They both knew how angry the Emperor was at having to discover he was not the supreme being in the universe. That he would order that Mind-Hur be silenced was not lost on them.
"We are not pleased with this, Raymond Clark," Sha-Ret spoke for the record. "You would be wise to not show yourself for some time near the home world or this fleet."
"Very well, Sha-Ret," Raymond responded. "We will monitor the situation through our comms probe. When you are ready for us to return, we will do so. Comms between the Fleet and the home world will continue, for now."
The Jurte Pair breathed a sigh of relief. Loosing the comms link now would have been a disaster.
Construction Bay 23, Liramor-23, Piscium System, 106 Light Years from Terra
Junelliea sat quietly trying to tune herself towards the Insectoid, as she had two days before. It was difficult though. She could not sense it like she had that night. She was starting to get frustrated when one of the scientists who had been at the Congress came over with tea.
"High, Junelliea. I'm Dr. Linsey Stanet, a computer nerd," she said with a smile. "I was in your first Congress and it was utterly fascinating," Linsey literally gushed.
Junelliea was perplexed. She really hadn't done anything that different. Yes, she had reached out and deliberately touched someone, where before she had done so more by accident. She couldn't understand why this woman was so entranced.
"You should have seen the colour balances that came about during your Congress, it was truly fascinating!" Linsey told her.
"Colour balances?" Junelliea inquired.
"Oh! That's right, you haven't been shown, have you? Come with me." Linsey took her over to a large field computer that they stored all their information on. She opened a link and showed Junelliea on the monitor what she had seen the other night.
"See here, how your colour pattern is different from those of the others?" Linsey said. "You pattern is much more active, while theirs is sort of laid back."
Junelliea saw what she meant immediately. She could see the differences between her and the other members of the Congress, especially how much more active her colour patters were. Linsey showed her how thing changed through the night until she came to the end of the evening's exercises.
"This is when you did the relaxation exercises," Linsey explained and Junelliea saw the bloom that formed. That's when it hit her! She wasn't relaxed at all! She was so tense, trying to force her empathy to rise to the challenge.
"Linsey, could you aim the camera at me for a moment and let me see myself on the monitor?" Junelliea asked.
Linsey did as she was asked and Junelliea sat on the floor in the same relaxed pose that she had the other evening. She smiled and remembered the feeling of intimacy, calm and peace that she had that night. It didn't take long before her colours began to shift.
Junelliea closed her eyes and sought the calm of her center. She found it swiftly and felt her power surge through her body. Gently, she extended that power into the room. She found the other humans readily, then she came up against the strangeness of the Insectoid. It was different but for all the differences she could still read the underlying pattern, fear, this time fear of the unknown rather than fear of death, though that was still a lingering concern.
Curiosity, the strange creatures were trying to communicate with him. Yes! Him! Junelliea realised.
There was also scientific curiosity, almost at the same level as the human scientists in the room. That brought a smile to Junelliea.
Hunger. Yes, he was hungry. There was little they could do about that for now, until the Valiant returned. That should be today if everything went well.
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