King Siefer knew his son was growing tired of the political discussions, yet they had one more leader to negotiate with for the day. Tomorrow would bring several more, and he would spare the boy from those talks. He promised that Scyon could use a communicator to speak with Nexxa later, if he could handle one more conference. The boy eagerlyagreed.
Frightened by the sight of the Reptilarian on the screen, Scyon hid behind the king, peeking around his back. The leader of Reptilar had the skin of a lizard. It was the same tan color as the sand he sat upon. His huge eyes bulged from his head. He never blinked, due to the thin membrane that constantly protected hiseyes.
King Siefer began, "I suppose the news of the trouble on Earth has reached you as it has the other trading planets. May we discuss theissue?"
The Reptilarian spoke in a gravelly voice, "There is little to discuss. We are gathering our forces. We will lead other planets in our solar system to do battle with Earth for their misdeeds. Our colonies there are in jeopardy. We cannot allow the abuse of our kind to go unanswered. I am only speaking with you because one of your kind, Ohber, aided one of mine in the Cavanaugh lab. We owe you afavor.”
The king replied, "Thank you for the respect and the giving of your time. Your colonies on Earth are the very reason you should not attack. If the government senses danger to the planet from you, the colonies will pay a heavy price. Right now, they are thriving. They have even built hospitals to care for their own, with sand pits for the comfort of all. They have jobs that they enjoy and are teaching humans your ways. A war could ruin that andmore."
The Reptilarian exclaimed, "We see no other good resolution. When the first lab was dismantled, and we were promised it would not happen again, so we did not retaliate. Their government lied, and we cannot let it pass thistime."
"It was not a lie if they were unaware of the problem. Earth's leaders did not know there were more labs. They were assured that Reginald Cavanaugh had the only one in existence. Yes, it was foolish to not check for more, but all leaders make mistakes. You do not want to make one now. Before you manage to reach Earth and destroy it, they would send missiles to destroy Reptilar. Why destroy two planets when a better plan is inmotion?"
"What plan is in motion? Who isinvolved?"
"All of Earth's leaders joined in a meeting yesterday. A group of my citizens joined them. Together, they have set forth a plan to resolve the experiments, make integrated aliens into citizens with equal rights, and stop the riots that are tearing apart the planet." The king took a much-needed breath and continued, "It will take some time, but peace will return to the planet. If you attack, no planet will ever have peace. It is Earth that has set the example for all others. They alone have the power to control or destroy planets from far away with their weapons. Without them, the universe will be in a constant battle for supremacy. Give us time to fixthis."
"I cannot promise that we will not attack eventually,” the Reptilarian leader replied. "I will hold my army and those of our allies back for a time. Your world is that of warriors, so if you are not starting a battle and negotiating, then it must be the best way for now. I cannot keep the armies waiting forever. Your contingent and the government of Earth must make progress quickly. It is the best I cando."
King Siefer bowed and said, "It is an honor to have your agreement and faith in my people. Do you know where all of your citizens are? Earth is still searching its vast reaches for morelabs."
"We are all safe and accounted for. If there are more labs, they do not contain one of my people. I wish you good luck in your endeavors. I assume it is your son that I see behind you. Someday, he will be negotiating with my son. I wish him to know that he will be welcomed because of his father's straightforward way of speaking. I expect to hear more from yousoon."
Scyon was done for the day. The Reptilarian had taken the last of his energy. He told the king, "I do not wish to negotiate with his son. He is scary. You can talk to them, even when I amking."
The laughter Scyon's comment brought to King Siefer was a much-needed relief from the serious negotiations. He decided to reward the boy with a swim in the lovely green sea ofMilisaria.
