Anachron

Negotiations

Only three of us went down to the planet's surface.  I would have liked to go alone, but I couldn't.  First and foremost, I didn't speak the Markadian language, so I would need a translator.  Second, someone had to pilot the shuttle that took us down.

The pilot would be staying behind with the shuttle.  Before we left him, I told him that I'd leave a short-range communication channel open.  If we were captured or killed, he was to take off immediately.  If it came down to it, my final instruction to him would be to wake the remaining subcaptain aboard the Anachron, and proceed to destroy the planet.

But before that, there was something I had to do.

We were lead by Markadian servants to a grand meeting room.  In there, we were met by an adult and a small boy.

The adult was the first to speak.  I didn't understand what he said until Leftenant Martin told me.

"He welcomes us and invites us to sit down."

I took a few steps forward and sat down.  As the adult took a seat of his own, he began to speak again.

"The adult is Tequar.  He is a diplomat and is honored to be selected by the Markadians to represent them."

"Please give our own introductions.  Names, from planet Earth, starship Anachron."

The two of them exchanged a few words in Markadian.

"Tequar apologizes for the boy's presence, but says he was too curious and insisted on coming.  This is..."

He gestured to the youth, but seemed to choke on his name.  After all that we'd been through in the past few hours, I didn't think something so simple would disturb him so.

"It's..."

"Spit it out."

"He's Rejjik."

"Are you serious?  This is Rejjik the Conqueror?"

"It seems so."

"Tell him there's no need to apologize.  The boy is welcome to attend the meeting."

He spoke to the diplomat in the Markadian language, but suddenly Tequar burst out laughing.  A moment later, so did the translator.  Young Rejjik did not laugh.

"What?  What's so funny?"

Martin stifled his laughter enough to answer.  "It was a slip of the tongue.  I said he was welcome to join us, but I accidentally called him 'Rejjik the Conqueror'.  I'm so used to it from, well, you know."

"So?  That's not funny."

"No, but Tequar didn't believe it.  He laughed and said, 'More like Rejjik the Bedwetter'"

"That explains why the boy didn't laugh."  I didn't find it so funny either.  Sometimes jokes just don't translate well.

Now Tequar had a question.  He spoke to us in his own Markadian language, of course, so I had to wait for the Leftenant to translate.

"Sir, he's asking about the mission.  He wants to know why we're here."

I had to pause for a moment and think about what I'd say.  Finally, I decided that the best thing I could do was to be honest with him.

"Tell him our mission was to destroy his planet, that we're taking a great risk just talking to him.  When we return to our ship, we could very well be imprisoned and punished for defying orders."

Tequar looked stunned as he heard the news.  He uttered only a couple words.

"But, why?"

Why what?  I had told him a few things, any of which could be in question.  Which was it?  I didn't have to ask, as Tequar continued.