Ambassador Rauja POV
It was exhausting to go through the motions of pleading with the Cosmic Council, begging for their intercession on the Saphnos’ behalf—all while the Ploax carried out the systematic slaughter of our people. Our government, which had already been a minarchy, was now little but the shell of a military and diplomatic apparatus. I interacted with the Council on our behalf, and found myself turned down time and again. We had all but given up hope of anyone helping us, as despair hung over us like a blade.
Instead of diverting resources to rescue our citizenry, or the few that were left, the Council were fixated on hunting down a Saphno that was desperate enough to abduct his sister and hide out with primals. The skeleton of our government had taken it upon ourselves to review every detail, since Craun’s case was thrown at us with each passing moment. It was a point of shame for what our people had been reduced to, and the thought of living with beasts for months filled me with a horrified disgust.
And with that said, I had to admit…that his crazy scheme to manipulate the primals to do his bidding seemed to have worked.
“This is our only chance to get any armed forces to fight on our behalf,” I concluded my speech to Saphno governance board members. “I don’t think the morals of arming the primals should matter, when the cost is our lives. This was Craun’s greatest con: manipulating these humans into doing his bidding. Somehow, it worked. We must pick up where he left off.”
Administrator Pelpau reeled with disbelief at my words. “Madam Rauja, this can’t be a serious suggestion. You want us to arm animals who are just smart enough to use our weapons, but have outbursts of uncontrolled violence?”
“The humans will give us bodies to throw at the Ploax. A savage ally is better than none at all, and the Council intends to do nothing. If we can replicate Craun’s feat of controlling them, and point them at the Ploax, it would buy us time to save the Saphnos. Arming the primals is a means to use them.”
“The Council attacked the beasts once, because contacting them is expressly forbidden! Anyone sent to them—especially after they were provoked—is bound to be slaughtered. It could turn our own allies against us.”
“Perhaps, Administrator, but do you care what the Council thinks any longer? They’re permitting our deaths. The Saphnos need to act alone, before there’s none of us left. We should try to contact them, under the radar, and see if our words can shape their…unminded whims at all.”
“I must restate, Ambassador Rauja, that any Saphno diplomat sent to them is a sacrifice; it was true before, but in their present ire, now more than ever. Manipulation implies the ability to predict their behavior, and we all know that’s impossible where primals are concerned.”
I steeled my nerves, struggling to find the will to volunteer for such a loathsome mission. “T-that’s…why I offer myself as our ambassador to humanity. It can’t be any less fruitful of a conversation than the ones I’ve had with the Council, even should they kill me. I’ll do what’s necessary to instill feelings of friendship.”
“That’s quite brave of you, albeit rather foolish. You want to hand over our technology and pretend to be their…friends?”
“My desperation speaks for itself, that I’d prefer to have a primal’s blood shed to stem the tide than any of ours. The creatures don’t know what a real friendship is. If Craun played them, how hard can it be for a seasoned diplomat?”
Pelpau examined the files one last time, lingering on a single note. “The records indicate that the humans wished to speak to us, and were prepared to accept Saphno refugees on their second planet from the sun. I suppose you have one thing working for you, though I doubt its veracity.”
“I don’t know how doable it’ll be to barter for such an offer, but if it’s possible, we must take it. Right now, that would be the only promise of refuge we have.” I couldn’t understand how Craun had convinced the animals to facilitate such a goal, but the seeds were there. We had to stoop to whatever means were necessary to survive. “Do I have your blessing to send an official message, acknowledging their Project Iris? That is our sole hope that they’ll still speak.”
“The fact that beasts are more helpful than the Council stings, but we’re not in a position to refuse the slimmest possibility of aid. A useful animal, I suppose, is worth more than useless people. Your request is approved, Rauja, but be discreet in making contact. Take care that the Council doesn’t catch you in the act.”
“Of course,” I swallowed, knowing that my presence would drive the humans to lash out. They were only a high-intelligence level away from the ferals, so I realized that my chances of making direct contact with an agitated primal race and walking away were…near zero. This was a suicide mission. “This is all I can try to save our people. I…lay down my life and my sensibilities willingly. F-farewell.”
As I departed from the meeting room to commandeer a ship to Earth, I was well aware it wasn’t a guarantee that the primals wouldn’t shoot at anything extraterrestrial on sight. With that said, I couldn’t let myself forget that they had made a rage-induced stand to keep Craun on their world; beasts were the sole party unwilling to turn a Saphno over to save their own skin. There was no way I’d return from the humans’ planet alive, of course, but perhaps I could convince them to capture me—to capture us, and hold on for dear life to their stolen packmates.
Are diplomatic skills going to be at all useful with a species for which reason goes out the window, and where they’re not in control of their own actions? There’s only one way to find out, but I don’t know how Craun got these animals trained. I must go at once, before I rethink my qualifications…
I discarded the idea of engaging in any more planning; this wasn’t like a Council meeting, where a perfectly-plotted pitch might sway their thinking. The rules of diplomacy, as I knew them, didn’t apply to the humans. This was a matter of establishing contact with them and seeing how they responded to me. I would have to adapt my strategy to whatever might direct their rage away from us, so that meant I shouldn’t offer the humans the weapons until after I calmed them. If it was possible to calm them…
I needed to jump to the Sol system, now, before my heart gave out. The fear of flying up to a primal’s territory was about on par with warping the ship into a black hole. My hands and jaw trembled with terror, as I input the coordinates and stealthily slipped above Earth’s atmosphere. The channels the Council used to speak with the beasts were well-documented, at least, so I had the communications request ready. There were several seconds of silence, before the primals pinged back an acknowledgment…and asked me to hold.
An image blinked onto the screen, of a female human seated with peers at a table, whose mannerisms seemed…meek and tired. “A Saphno? Oh! Welcome to Earth. I’m afraid we can’t offer direct shelter at this time, after what happened with Craun Chelton, but we hope this visit means he wasn’t the only of your people to consider an alliance. The Cosmic Council was keen on…killing us for taking refugees, and won’t see us as people.”
“I…see.” I gaped at the primal for several seconds, hearing such calm, polished words. She sounds as defeated as I do, after seeking the Council’s assistance without success. “The S-Saphno government heard about your Project Iris. You wanted to send us a message? I’m Ambassador Rauja Tinor. Uh, you are…?”
The human’s expression warmed, almost as if she hadn’t expected a prompt for her name. “Marcia Livingston, Alien Liaison for the United Nations. Let me express that humanity very much would like to engage in discussions with you, but that we’re afraid of potential repercussions for…us being contacted.”
“Don’t w-worry, we’ll keep our conversations from the Council’s eyes! I can scrub any mentions of Saphnos or this visit from their monitoring, so they’ll be none the wiser.” The primals still wanted to speak to us. What is it…they wish to discuss? “I c-can go, if you don’t want the risk. We’re just grateful to you for helping Craun!”
Marcia bobbed her head emphatically. “We were glad to help. I wish things hadn’t ended the way they did. We tried to negotiate with the Council, and our sole condition was to be allowed to speak to you, since Craun was a Saphno citizen. Humanity hasn’t stopped working on Project Iris; we want to support your right to exist. We’re your friends, if you’d…accept us.”
That was easy. Too easy. “Absolutely! That’s why I came here. In fact, we…thought you’d might want us to share our technology, so we can be true partners. You should be able to defend yourself from the Council, and you could…perhaps stand up to the Ploax as well? We could use that support for our right to exist…”
The primal liaison blinked in shock, but hastily hid it. “I like the sound of that very much. Please, Ambassador Rauja, if you’d be so kind, allow us to welcome you with a full diplomatic visit to Earth. We would love to hammer out a formal alliance. We want nothing more than to be recognized as people, and to have that support from the Saphnos would be monumental for us.”
“I…understand.” I can pretend that they’re people, if that’s what it takes for them to be entirely on our side. A small sacrifice to gain their cooperation: what they are doesn’t matter, at this point. Neither does whatever poor conditions I’d face on the surface. I have to meet with them. “The Saphno government heard your kind, generous offer, and saw how you protected our refugee! We’ll return the aid wholeheartedly. I would be…h-honored to meet in person.”
Marcia arched an eyebrow. “Ambassador Rauja, I hope you’re not uncomfortable with this proposition. We don’t want you to be in fear of us. Humanity is aware that the Council considers primals to be…dangerous. While this isn’t true, we don’t feel that a productive friendship can be had with that mindset. We’d like an honest chance, without preconceived notions clouding your judgment.”
I balked, as the human skirted close to calling me out. “I’m sorry. I…don’t know how to behave around primals. I meant no offense; please, don’t let my nerves stop our…peoples from connecting. It’s the will of my government to make this work.”
“Perhaps this is a steep request, but humanity would like you to behave around us like you would any other people. We’re aware this might take time. We hope to prove, in time, that we’re a far cry from nonsapient, bestial animals.”
“This, ah, first contact is nothing like I’d expect from the average animal.” I mean that with pure, unfettered honesty. I don’t know why they’re being exceedingly polite and eager. “You’re proving, um, much already. Please, let me know when and where you wish for me to land.”
“We have special lodgings prepared for silicon lifeforms. It was always our hope to host you here on Earth one day, so your visit is a pleasant surprise. Here are the landing site coordinates. Permit us four hours’ time to arrange security and direct the public?”
“I’m happy to oblige. Thank you for t-the hospitable welcome, after everything. I’m sure you’re…”
Marcia sighed. “Angry?”
“We shouldn’t focus on that. Forgive me.”
“No, I think we need to address the elephant in the room, but we can save that discussion for our in-person meetings. I doubt it’s a misunderstanding we can solve in a single conversation. For now, just know that we appreciate this visit more than you can imagine. We absolutely never had to be ‘angry.’ Being friends was always an option.”
You’re primals; of course you had to be angry, sooner or later. Going down there, it’s a matter of time. “That’s a r-relief to hear you express! I look forward to seeing you at the designated time, dearest human.”
“Likewise, Saphno ambassador. I am going to get on the line with the Head of Extraterrestrial Security and ensure that all is in order here. Your safety is paramount to us, Rauja, and I look forward to gaining your trust. We’ll see you shortly.”
The primal liaison disconnected from the call with a final, friendly expression. I was flabbergasted by how perceptive and well-spoken the beast had been, in spite of the rage addling her mind. It hadn’t taken any manipulation at all for the humans to welcome me and pledge their services. Why would they want to befriend the Saphnos, unless Craun had sold them some grand promises? As charitable as Marcia might’ve seemed on the surface level, there was zero chance I could feel comfortable in an animal’s den.
Whatever feelings my visit to Earth would cultivate, I knew safety would never be one of them.
A/N - 46! A new character—Ambassador Rauja, whose pleas have fallen on deaf ears with the Council, turns to the primals that Craun is “using” with the expectation that we’ll be savages. Instead, humanity welcomes her and offers special lodgings, which leaves Rauja skeptical of how rage-addled creatures would even want to befriend her people. What do you make of Rauja and the larger Saphno government so far, as well as their struggle to get anything from the Council? How do you expect her visit to Earth to go, especially with the Council’s prohibitions now looming over them with an iron fist?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!