18: Repairing a Broken Truce

To give real service you must add
something which cannot be bought
or measured with money, and that is
sincerity and integrity.

Douglas Adams

“We can’t afford to wait for Zita.” He turned to the assigned communications officer. “Open a channel to the Zssizliq.”

“They’re online, sir.”

“This is Al Collins of Earth, representing the Tandorian Empire. We’re prepared to talk.”

“Go ahead,” came the nearly instantaneous reply. It seemed they’d be waiting for the message as anxiously as the Tandorians. Despite the brief two-word response, Al recognized the voice immediately.

“We’d like to resume our earlier scheduled negotiations, and discuss the immediate issue of a prisoner release.”

“This is Rollsqmarsh of Trklplenty. Why were you not available before?” he asked accusingly.

“I was indisposed, held under house arrest,” Al answered, glaring at Brskll. “It seems I kept insisting on honoring my word, apparently a foreign concept here.”

“It’s one which we respect. If one cannot trust the word of one’s foe, then there is little point in petty exchanges of pleasantries. We are glad to have you back. A being’s value is only as good as their integrity.”

“Thank you,” Al said, turning to regard Admiral Brskll and his staff, who wouldn’t meet his gaze, “it’s a sentiment I wish more here understood.”

“Just so you’re warned, we have no desire to communicate with any Tandorian. Their words are akin to poison gas, spewing forth with no direction, devoid of any meaning, and corroding everything it touches.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t. However, there are plenty of decent Tandorians who have been afraid to speak up until recently. Their voices are now becoming stronger, as they once again see the strength of their own convictions. Though how soon they’ll be trusted to speak for their people is anyone’s guess.”

“The weak don’t trust those strong enough to speak for themselves, wishing only the echo of their own petty whimpers.”

“Look, we can discuss philosophical ethics as long as you want,” Al urged, “but there are lives at stake, so let’s move this along.”

“Ah, someone not afraid to speak to truth. Go on.”

“I’m open to continue the negotiations, but as you know, I can’t promise anything until I hear back from the appropriate authorities back on Tandor. So let’s sideline that topic for the moment and concentrate on the prisoner exchange.”

“A sensible solution, but given what they intended, you can’t expect us to hand over such a delicate bartering chip without recompense.”

“Again, I can make promises until I’m blue in the face, but until I get authorization, it means little, so let’s talk turkey.” There was a lengthy pause.

“You want us to ... eat our prisoners?”

“No, no. Sorry, it was a bad translation on my part. I was attempting to translate a common Earth expression. It merely means, let’s talk honestly over a good meal about who gets the best choices of meat.”

“We rarely consume the carcasses of deceased animals, except in dire circumstances, though we understand the sentiment. It seems a ... barbaric and a largely inefficient custom, once we’ve mastered creating more efficient alternatives.”

“True, but we still appreciate what we once hunted.”

“But we must learn to give up what we no longer can chase. Only then, does one discover the finer things available with a little work. Refusing to adapt condemns us to failure.”

“What guarantees can I offer which don’t rely on a lengthy confirmation?” Al asked.

Rollsqmarsh hesitated. “Who was responsible for this action?”

Al turned, silently considering the base commander. He couldn’t meet Al’s gaze and didn’t respond.

“As you said, lives are depending on our resolving this,” Rollsqmarsh reminded him, noting the delay.

Brskll stepped forward. “I am Admiral Brskll. I ordered the operation.”

“I’m opening a visual channel. I need to see his sincerity. Only a narcissist can lie with his eyes.”

A large display of Rollsqmarsh appeared on the wall opposite them. Though Brskll didn’t look pleased, he squared his shoulders, tried to fluff his deflated plumage, and stepped into the field of vision.

“You admit you intended to slaughter us under the cover of an honest negotiation? Surely you realize how much it would damage future relations, merely to achieve a questionable temporary advantage?”

Brskll swallowed with some difficulty before answering. “I do. The advantages appeared to ... offset the potential costs.”

“You realize I’m only a petty official, much as your human spokesman, and this is but a tiny segment of Zssizliq space. What you might have won matters little, given the distrust your actions would have cost.”

“I ... understand that now,” he offered, a bit late to sound meaningful.

“If he offers his own life in exchange for the lives of his men, we’ll allow their release, excluding your ability to try this again.”

“And how can we guarantee that?”

“Wait, are you negotiating my life?” Brskll demanded, his voice cracking.

“We still plan to destroy your ships, and not just those we now hold.”

“There is no way we can transport so many back to Tandor without suitable vessels, nor feed that number without ships to carry food. That’s an unreasonable demand. Surely the starships you already have are enough of a deterrent.”

“You’d think so, but apparently it’s dangerous to trust Tandorians with anything capable of destruction.”

“That’s a valid concern, but hardly a reasonable assumption. Like you, we have our rotten fruits, but you can’t throw out the decent ones with the bad.”

“What do you propose instead?”

“We need our existing ships.”

Rollsqmarsh paused. “How many vessels still retain the ability to attack?”

Al turned back to Brskll, who hesitated.

“We require a number.”

“Less than ten.”

“You want us to release that many combat ships?” Rollsqmarsh demanded.

“We need a precise calculation,” Al warned. “I know you have the exact figures. After all, you certainly couldn’t staff every ship with the few people willing to betray what I initiated.”

“Fifteen, of various sizes and function,” Brskll admitted, mumbling the number.

“That many ships can still inflict substantial damage if we allowed them free reign.”

“How about this,” Al offered. “Since most of the remaining vessels are crewed by those who think as I do, we need to work out a compromise which allows us to advance our careers. That will ultimately strengthen our bargaining position, making compromises easier.”

“A valid point. With more reliable negotiators, we could enlarge our talks, reaching even more extensive advancements across widespread regions. Fine. We allow your vessels to operate, but we will monitor and escort any warships entering the region. You also inform us of any transport of weapons to or from the area.”

“That’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I’ll agree, once again qualified by the statement that it needs to be approved by the Tandorian authorities.”

“That’s fine, as long as they don’t bring any new warships into this region without alerting us. We’ll be monitoring them, and will attack any attempt to circumvent this initial agreement.”

“That’s acceptable to me. We agree not to launch any large scale invasions without notifying you first, though our existing ships are allowed to carry out their normal operations.”

“This is only a temporary position,” Rollsqmarsh offered. Once you demonstrate an ability to behave responsibly, we’ll loosen the restrictions. And once we see the effects of those new behaviors, we’ll restore your abilities to move about on your own accord.”

“That seems agreeable. With that, you’re conceding to the release of all your captives?”

“All the low-ranking officers. We’ll hold the high-ranking ones for a bit more, as we can guarantee their survival for an extended time. Once again, our keeping them is conditional on our seeing a change in attitudes. We realize we’re still at war, but we refuse to argue with those inherently untrustworthy.”

“What about those I was originally meant to negotiate for?”

“We’re hardly animals,” Rollsqmarsh protested. “We don’t carry captives into battle, knowing they’re likely to suffer if we’re fired upon. That would be barbaric. We’ll need to transport them here.”

“So, we have the following four terms. You release those you have. You continue holding the senior officials until we demonstrate we’ll negotiate responsibly. We promise to investigate those responsible for this deception. And finally, I come to a neutral ground for you to hand over the rest, including those we will hold for later trial?”

“Agreed.”

As the image of Rollsqmarsh disappeared, Admiral Brskll’s second, Captain Deyesu, called out. “Now that you’ve decided our collective future, kindly tell us what the hell you just agreed to? No one here could follow more than a few random words of your discussion.”

“Yeah, how is it that a foreigner, who didn’t know much about Tandor itself, managed to learn their language so quickly?” someone else asked.

“It’s odd,” Al reflected, “but once I started conversing, it was similar to how I plot faster-than-light courses. I imagine the various things I wish to say, and I anticipate how the Zssizliq will respond. Once I begin speaking and hear their responses, I refine my pronunciation and become accustomed to it, speeding up my delivery so it won’t sound like I’m hiding something. It’s the basic nature of our aids. You can’t allow them to dictate how we behave. Once we insist on a specific action, and commit to it, they adapt, making our choices easier to stick to.”

“Enough chit-chat,” Deyesu complained. “What are we stuck with? I’ve got to prepare an official report for my superiors—including the Emperor himself. My career rests on my ability to sell this to a skeptical audience!”

Al glanced up. He was outside Admiral Brskll’s office, not far from the Torrsin’s main command center. The older man, looking very worn and haggard, wanted to craft a farewell message for posterity, but Al noticed he wasn’t at his desk. Getting up, he approached.

“Where Brskll?” he asked Gary and Siss, whom he’d assigned to ensure Brskll didn’t attempt to flee. He assumed the admiral’s men would be reluctant to disobey a direct order from him. They turned, noticing his absence too. “I dunno,” Gary admitted. “He was just there. He certainly never passed us.”

“His aide came in a few moment’s ago,” Siss said, as they entered Brskll’s office.

The room was large and richly decorated, with expansive galactic maps and old-fashioned bookshelves filled with trophies, awards and the Tandorian equivalent of photographs. Not seeing him, they noticed the bathroom door was closed, so headed toward it.

“Please, can’t you give the man any privacy?” his aide said, rising from his seat in the corner and blocking them from pounding on the door. “He’s having a hard enough time. For all he’s done for the Empire, I think he deserves that much.”

“What did you tell him?” Al demanded.

The aide glanced down. “The Admiral sent a notice, informing both the Emperor and the Military Command on Tandora of the demand he sacrifice his life, hoping they’d intervene. He thought it would take time, but hoped they’d at least order a stay.”

“What did they do?” Al pressed, edging toward the door.

“The Emperor himself responded, sending a signed affidavit requiring him to go through with the exchange, trading himself for the hostages,” the aide confirmed. “The Admiral said he wanted some privacy to compose himself.”

“Prisoners of war,” Gary corrected him.

Al rushed forward, pounding on the door, trying to open it but finding it locked.

The unmistakable sound of a laser sounded from within the rest room, and they heard someone cry out in pain. Al motioned towards the door, stepping back. Gary reached for his firearm, but Siss grabbed the frame with her tentacled fingers and smashed it with her shoulder. It gave way.

Rushing inside, Brskll lay crumpled by the Tandorian toilet, the side of his head burned and blood pooling under his head, moaning but unmoving. A hand-held laser weapon lay beside him.

‘Xi,’ Al insisted. ‘Get in here now. It’s an emergency!‘

Al and Gary knelt beside him as Al lifted him, his head lolling to the side, blood running down his neck.

Seeing what had happened and realizing the implications, the aide turned and ran from the room. Thinking fast, Siss grabbed a nearby trophy and hurled it, striking his legs and causing him to pitch forward, crashing to the floor just as Xi entered.

“Can’t say I like the new welcome mat.”

“Brskll tried to commit suicide,” Siss informed her, pointing to the open restroom door.

“He’s burned, but there are no significant wounds,” Al advised, holding the admiral’s head up as Xi entered, pulling out her red ball. She waved it over Brskll’s head.

“No, he didn’t do any life-threatening damage. It looks like he hesitated at the last minute, yanking the laser away and burning his ear and searing one of his eyes. I’m trying to stem the blood loss, but he’s unlikely to lose enough to kill him, either way.”

“Don’t bother fixing the scar tissue,” Al suggested. “As you say, it won’t kill him, but will serve as a permanent reminder of his cowardice.”

“It’s not like the Zssizliq will let him live long, anyway,” Gary said.

“What did you do?” Captain Deyesu—now the acting Torrsin commander—demanded from the door, as Al tried to get him to respond.

Brskll’s eyes fluttered, and he moaned, which seemed to make Al angrier.

“What the hell were you trying to do? Not only did you send thousands to their death in a misguided attempt to betray a serious peace offer, you’re willing to sacrifice the rest to escape facing your crime. You’re a stinking coward of the worse sort!”

“I ... I thought they’d intervene,” he gasped. “They can’t ... hand me over to those ... disgusting bugs!”

“You’ve broken no Tandorian law, so they had no call to pardon you. If they did, it would be a slap in the face to the Zssizliq and result in a major escalation of the conflict you’re already losing. In the end, I suspect Emperor Sujub-eun Uesuam wants you to take the blame, so attention shifts from their involvement.”

“It’s not ... fair,” Brskll moaned. “Those vile creatures will do horrid things, eating me!”

“Stop being a baby,” Al insisted, forcing him to stand, even as Xi continued to work on him. “You’re a damn Admiral, act like a man and take some responsibility for your actions! You made the call, stand by your decision. No one is going to save you from your own folly.”

“There’s no need to insult the man,” Deyesu cautioned.

“There is when he won’t act on his own, and his actions imperil our one solution to this situation. Need I remind you, the Zssizliq could easily destroy every ship we possess, as well as the entire Torrsin station, before we could launch a single vessel.”

“There’s little left of the one eye, and the other is permanently damaged, as is the hearing in that ear,” Xi informed them. “He’ll look a frightful mess when we’re recorded handing him over.”

“There’s no indication the Zssizliq have ever eaten any opponent,” Al continued, turning his attention back to Brskll. “They aren’t even carnivores. They don’t like the taste of meat and won’t even consider it uncooked. You’ve been telling yourself lies for so long, you can’t fathom the truth.”

“They want to kill me!” he cried, beginning to blubber.

“They want no such thing. Instead, they want you to stand trial for the war crime you conducted, and since Tandor can’t, or won’t, try you for it, they will.” Al motioned to Siss. “Get his statement. If he’s unable to read, I at least want something to be read for him.”

As she rushed off, Al forced him to stand on his own, and dragged him out of the bathroom into his office while he screamed and resisted. His staff stood aghast, watching the humiliating display, but did nothing to either help or interfere.

“There’s nothing here but doodles,” Siss said. “He wrote multiple versions of the same sentence, but never completed the one single thought.”

“See,” Al shouted, showcasing the man previously commanding both Torrsin and the Tandorian forces in the region. “This is the loathsome man you’ve all been protecting and assisting all these years. He’s gladly willing to sacrifice everyone rather than face up to his own crimes.”

When he had Brskll standing in front of his people, he held him in place. “Slap some cuffs on him. If he won’t walk, we’ll drag him all the way to the shuttle.”

Siss did, while Gary and Captain Deyesu looked on, not protesting Al’s dictating how a superior officer was treated. Xi continued monitoring the Admiral, but did little more, letting the blood congeal on its own.

When Al prodded him, the former Torrsin commander protested, attempting to backtrack. “See,” Al said, speaking to those observing. “Emperor Uesuam ordered him to surrender himself to the Zssizliq, and he refuses, even though it will cost everyone their lives. These are the men you serve under. Consider that the next time they give you an insane order which counters common sense.”

Seeing Al struggling, Siss bent, picked Brskll up and physically carried him down the hall, bleeding on the floor as he babbled like a petulant infant.

It was a struggle getting Brskll out of the airlock. They finally had to bash his fingers, forcing him to release the airlock sill to drag him out of the shuttle. They’d long ago disabled his ability to speak during his spacewalk.

The scene was in stark contrast to before they left the ship. There, he admitted to making the wrong choices and asking all Tandorians to forgive him, nodding in acceptance as Emperor Uesuam’s dictate was read aloud. Asked if he wanted to say anything during the transmission to Tandor—witnessed by hundreds of millions—he again shook his head. His nonsensical statement was recited—casting his mental capacity while directing those actions into doubt. As he was led out, he mumbled, barely audibly, about bugs eating him.

Now, however, floating towards the Zssizliq command ship, he thrashed about, causing him to rotate in odd directions. Yet his forward momentum kept him heading for the waiting hands of two burly Zssizliq warriors.

When he neared, they grabbed him, dragging him in by his legs. He tried to rip the arms off his form-fitting suit, but it was much too resistant, even if he wasn’t exhausted from bawling for so long.

When Al reached the alien’s airlock, another warrior motioned him in. Turning, he signaled his people still in the shuttle.

‘Seems they want to say hello.‘

‘Say howdy for us, ‘ Siss said. ‘And please, apologize for the Admiral’s terrible behavior. I don’t want them to associate his actions with any of us.’

‘Don’t worry, I think they know we’re unlike the rest of Tandorians. Now we just have to demonstrate how many of us are willing to stand up for ourselves before they decide whether to trust Tandorians in the future. I’ll see you in a bit.’

Al motioned Xi, Betty and Myi inside—they’d wanted to make a statement, showing Brskll being dragged out by a bunch of women, including Chich’k, who followed them inside.

As the airlock closed and it was safe to remove their helmets, the newcomers glanced around.

“Careful of the floors,” Al cautioned. “They seem to appreciate the greasy mess. I suspect it helps keep them hydrated.”

“Vial take Etta for,” Chich’k announced. “Delight be she’ll for it.”

Brskll had finally quit resisting, now he merely quivered, hunched over as if expecting to be lashed or something. The Zssizliq warriors grabbed him, force marching him forward as Rollsqmarsh and two others stepped out.

“Is wonderful seeing you again, and on our own home ground.”

“Alas, I wish we didn’t have such poor representations from the Tandorians to greet you.”

“Nonsense, we don’t expect criminals to act much better. Your associates, though, are an entirely different matter.”

Al turned, introducing everyone. “These are my wives, Betty, Xi and our new addition, Myi. The shorter one, Chich’k, is the new wife of another of our human compatriots, Ivan and Kaci.”

“Pleased to meet you. Believe me, after the help you’ve given us, you’ll all always be welcomed anywhere I travel.” Rollsqmarsh turned back to Al. “Because of our actions, I’ve been promoted to an Ambassador at large, meaning I’m free to travel independently, under the auspices of the prime Zssizliq queen.” He turned to Al’s spouses. “Unlike you, we don’t need sex partners, although we have non-sexual companions. I understand this is very different from your ‘marriages’.”