The Ambassador
“Any volunteers?”
There was a deep silence in the ranks, a complete lack of sound from any of the members of the meeting. They had all known that it might come to this, though the majority held that the Visier would simply appoint someone. If none of them chose to speak up, that would almost certainly be his next course.
It wasn't that any of them were afraid – J'tel certainly wasn't – but none of them wanted the “honor” the Visier had the pleasure of handing out. The humans had proven to be an interesting species with a wide array of interesting behavioral issues, but that didn't mean J'tel or any of the others wanted to volunteer for what amounted to exile from the homeworld for at least three cycles.
Ambassador positions were usually reserved for planets that were more advanced and for those with whom J'tel and the other members of the ruling class had strong and beneficial relationships. Typically, an exchange of ambassadors was conducted in order to increase cultural knowledge and further solidify ties. The humans, however, were a special case.
They had arrived in the system only six quads ago, flying clunky ships that could barely make it over the light threshold. Those same poorly designed ships were also outfitted so heavily with weapons that even one could take out an entire fleet sent by J'tel's people – so long as the human flying it could get the thing pointed in the right direction. The humans had no idea they outgunned most of the intelligent races in the sector, and it was best if they continued to have no idea, since the little that had been learned about them so far suggested a race that was at best belligerent when things didn't go their way and at worst spitefully violent.
A “special ambassador” position had been created to deal with the humans after the first meeting, when it became apparent they were interested in talking but would quickly get impatient if they did not get what they wanted. Translation technology supplied by J'tel's world made understanding simple, but even in the first few awkward moments of conversation, it was obvious that humankind wanted more than just a quick acknowledgment of their existence. In a way, J'tel felt honored – his was the first race that the humans had ever discovered, and they were justifiably excited. After some initial discussions, the human fleet had left to report the good news to its leadership, with promises that they would be back soon.
J'tel and the others had been all smiles and warm welcomes, but once the short, fleshy beings had waddled their clunky ships away, there was a collective sigh of relief.
The Visier made sure that relief didn't last long.
His argument was that they needed a trustworthy presence on the homeworld of the humans to help keep them in line. A member of the senior council – those reserved for only the more prominent ambassadorships – would be chosen, and it would be their job to report anything and everything of significance that they learned. A human would also be sent in return, and the hope there was to educate the base creature in how the galaxy truly worked, to give them some perspective on the rest of the universe.
The Visier's logic made sense, but J'tel had no interest in being a spy.
“H'krar!” The Visier said, pointing at the older female next to J'tel. “No one has spoken, so you will go.”
She shook her head. “I am with young. Under the law, I will not go.”
The Visier frowned. She was right – the law specifically stated that one could not be sent off-planet when young were being grown – the comforts of the homeworld were essential for the development of healthy children. He knew what was coming.
“J'tel.” The Visier looked at him and smiled. “You are far from the oldest among us, but one of the most clever. You will go to the humans, and you will ensure that they do not do anything rash.”
He held his tongue. He had no recourse, no way out of the appointment, save for resigning his seat. His class could do that if they so chose, but it would leave him with no recourse, no way for further advancement. J'tel hoped to stand in the Visier's shoes someday, and that meant doing what the older being asked, even though the idea disgusted him.
Not trusting himself to speak, J'tel bowed his head. He would go.
***
“Welcome to Earth, partner!” A bright-faced human greeted him as he stepped off the transport. The creatures didn't have proper orbital docking facilities, and so his pilot had been forced to brave the atmosphere and land on solid ground. Although the ship had no problem with the descent, space to ground movement made J'tel's stomach turn, and made an already foul mood worse.
“Thank you.” He replied stiffly. There were other words he was supposed to say, but couldn't bring himself to talk about friendship or mutual respect. “Take me to my office.” That should have been a question, or at least come with a polite modifier at the end, but the more he saw of the too-green planet, the more his hopelessness rose as the transport ship powered up and flew away stripped him of anything but the basic ability to function.
The human's smile didn't slip. “Of course, partner. Step on inside.”
There was a four-wheeled ground vehicle nearby, black and crude-looking. It was a wonder the humans had made it into space at all, and he had no idea how he was going to pass the time now that he was here.
J'tel settled himself in the vehicle, and the human slid inside and sat across from him, the friendly expression on his face melting away.
“We know you're a spy, freak, but there's no way you're getting the dirt on us.” The warm voice was no a scratchy drawl, and the human rapped sharply on the window in front of him. J'tel could feel the vehicle start to move. “You'll be the one giving secrets to us.”
J'tel sighed. He was not surprised.
- D
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