3.47.

  Nirhalis swallowed nervously as the fast-messenger ship dropped out of the hyperatomic plane well outside of sol system and began broadcasting the message that he’d recorded over the very simple, but admittedly effective, radio wave protocol that the primitives used.

  “Greetings, Earthlings. This ship is unarmed and possesses only defensive shields. It has been sent by the Rosantean Emperor, Nierlha Thanasis the Pragmatic, in order to negotiate terms of peace between the Rosantean Empire and the People of Earth. We are prepared to offer substantial concessions and reparations for the war and misunderstandings between our peoples. There are no warriors on this ship, only a single diplomat empowered to make significant decisions and engage in negotiations on behalf of the empire. We await your response.”

  And then he waited for a response. The ship continued to broadcast the message, but he was light-hours away from the inhabited planet. He’d have to be patient. So he sat and meditated, going over the meeting he’d had with the emperor.

  He’d never actually met Nierlha in the flesh, but he’d interacted extensively with one of his older siblings. He was more than a little angry with Nierlha for the ruthlessness he displayed in claiming the throne. At the same time, Nierlha’s justification wasn’t wrong.

  Thatress had run the empire into the ground, lit the ship on fire, and then watched as it blew itself up.

  None of the other siblings were fit for rule. Most of them could barely read, let alone engage in interstellar politics. Nierlha had ensured that their passing was painless and swift, but had it truly been necessary? Could he not have convinced them to step aside and allow their talented younger brother to correct the course of the empire?

  Nirhalis sighed. Well, regardless of his personal feelings, he had a duty to perform on behalf of the empire. These primitives were the key to its salvation. If they agreed to peace with Rosantea, then the Yonohoans would have no choice but to stand down as well.

  He knew it. Nierlha knew it. They disagreed about many things, but not about this. By his mother’s sacred womb, he would succeed in the negotiations with the enemy and bring about peace.

  Regardless of how expensive it might become.

  He swallowed. There were literally no limits on what he was allowed to offer Earth in reparations. He could bankrupt future generations and still his word would be binding. He hoped that the people of Earth would be reasonable, but he knew it was better to live in debt than die in a gilded hall.

  He meditated for several hours before a fleet of escorts warped into place around him. Leading them was a Toormonda. It did not establish a connection with him, but continued to communicate via radio. His system promptly translated the words into Rosantean and played them for Nirlhalis.

  “Your ship and its passengers have been granted temporary diplomatic status as we evaluate your claims and offers. You will proceed at sub-light speed with your escort towards the eighth planet from the star. You are under strict scrutiny and any attempts to power up anything beyond the shields and drives which you are currently running will be met with deadly force.”

  Nirhalis swallowed. “Confirmed. I am Ambassador Nirhalis. I am the only occupant of this vessel. May I please request your name?”

  “I am Admiral Anthony Anders,” the Toormonda responded. “Honestly, you have a lot of balls showing up here. There are people who heard your broadcast on Earth that are demanding we shoot your ship down with prejudice.”

  Nirhalis felt his balls clench up. “I hope that’s not the course of action you intend to take.”

  “No. If the Empire wants to establish an official diplomatic channel, we’ll establish a diplomatic channel,” Anders assured him. “However, don’t expect your own embassy, like we’ve given the Acklatic or the Triumverant. In fact … how comfortable is your ship? Because honestly, it would probably be best for everyone if you remain aboard it and appear on Earth only via hologram.”

  “I am prepared to accept such a condition if it allows me to open a dialogue,” Nirhalis agreed.

  “Good. We’ll get on with the technical handshake when we get closer to Neptune,” Anders said. “For now, let’s just confirm some details. Is the empire prepared to admit that it started this war under false pretense?”

  “Yes,” Nirhalis said. “We are prepared to make an official statement declaring that Captain Yoko of the Enforcer vessel which attacked Earth did so while operating under false pretenses in order to establish casus belli. His motivations for this action were to force Earth to surrender to Rosantea so that the Empire might annex it. He was operating under the unofficial modus operandi of the previous emperor, who has been executed for his crimes.”

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  “I see. Well, that’s a good start,” Anders admitted. “I am not authorized to make any official policy or diplomatic promises, but I can tell you flat out that if you want peace, you have a lot of apologizing and explaining to do.”

  “Yes. I am aware. I am prepared to ‘kiss as much ass’ as it takes,” Nirhalis assured him.

  “We’ll see,” Anders said. “The people of Earth are really, really angry. I’m not certain they’ll agree to peace even if you offer them half of your empire. After all, the way things are going, the Yonohoans might just give us the wreckage once the war is over anyway.”

  Nirhalis swallowed nervously. “I am hopeful that we can come to an agreement that keeps all of the worlds of the Empire intact. We are prepared to offer territory to the people of Earth, if that is what they are looking for.”

  “Is that so? Well, we’ll see. The UN is calling an assembly to consider whether or not we send you packing, Ambassador.”

  “I understand. I am prepared to wait however long it takes. I do wish to inform you that all Rosantean ships have been instructed not to fire upon any vessel registered to Earth. We wish for a ceasefire. We will only act in self-defense.”

  “Understood. I will relay that information to my chain of command,” Anders responded.

  “We would ask you if there is any chance that you can get in contact with the Tumbaruna Toko and request that they cease their guerrilla activities while peace talks are ongoing,” Nirhalis said.

  “I’m afraid I don’t think I can help you there, Ambassador. You’ll have to talk to the Yonohoans about that. We have no control over the Toko at all.”

  Nirhalis sighed. “Understood. I shall relay this back to my chain of command so that they understand as well.”

  ~~~~~~

  They sat in the conference room, most of them, while Anders spoke. Not all of them were physically present, many were attending via hologram, including Admiral Anders, who was physically passing through the Oort Cloud at the moment as he escorted the ambassadorial ship to Neptune at sublight speeds.

  “So, effectively, they’re begging for their lives,” he concluded. “He’s not coming right out and saying it, but it’s pretty clear that he’s willing to offer just about anything to get us to call off the war. He’s offered us ships, money, weapons, technology, and vast amounts of territory, including habitable planets. I think he’d offer me his own mother if he thought it would help.”

  “If he would, then he is truly desperate indeed. Rosanteans literally worship their mothers,” Eolai said, his holographic form placing ribbons in his hair to display the severity of the situation. “But I believe the admiral is correct. The Rosanteans are posed to ‘lose big time’ if they do not end the war soon. I will point out, however, that nothing that they have offered is anything which Earth would not receive should you simply ignore the offer and allow your allies to finish what the Tumbaruna Toko began.”

  “What course do you recommend, Eolai?” President Walker asked.

  “My judgment on the matter is clouded by the fact that they have fired upon planet Totola, which is the planet where my children live,” Eolai said. “But since you have asked, I would ignore the offer of peace. You are winning this war, Madam President. If the Triumverant enter the fight soon, which I have received reports that they are considering, and the Acklatic confirm their stance of neutrality regardless of the outcome, then the fleet of the Yonohoah will join with its Triumverant allies and blast the Rosantean worlds into the ‘stone age.’”

  “And how many lives would that cost?” Walker inquired.

  “Billions,” Eolai admitted. “But it would set a precedent which could potentially save billions of lives as well.”

  The room was silent as they considered the implications of the decisions that were being made in that very room.

  “I believe that we owe it to our people and the innocent civilians of the Rosantea to at least explore the possibility of peace,” Walker said after a moment. “Ask the Rosantean Ambassador to send us an initial offer for their proposed reparations. Inform them that the United States is putting forward a proposal for a ceasefire between Earth and the Rosantean Empire pending peace talks. If they don’t shoot at us, we won’t shoot at them.”

  “Also inform them that the Yonohoans are not bound by the UN and any of their resolutions,” Eolai said. “Yonohoah has declared war with Rosantea, and while we may explore the possibility of peace should our allies determine that it is possible, our march to war proceeds.”

  Anders nodded. “I’ll pass the word along.”

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