Arynthe's Story

Diplomacy

1 br.

After I explained the situation to Haik we got a hut on the outer ring near platform 3 to live in. It was nice and calm there. It took a while to adapt, for me, but especially for the children. It took about a superweek until I could feel sort of safe in the hut, but even before that, I pretended to feel safe. 

But no matter what our feelings were, the obvious question came after a while: Can we have a new home planet in this area? 
Haik said we couldn't.
To put some pressure on the negotiations I took Egeg's device and entered the code. Well, that worked. Within two weeks I got a visit from a very unhappy looking Haik. 

"Arynthe!" he shouted when I walked in. 
"Captain!" I replied, and pushed him out again. We walked through the door into the hall. "How can you shout like that with the kids around? You could've scared them!"
"I'm supposed to care about four Ashirians while the station is crowded with them?!" Haik ranted. "There are now over eight hundred of them and all of them say you called them. I want an explanation and I want it now!"

I looked at him. Would he understand? I guessed I could take the risk.

"Haik, it's very simple. Where we come from, there is no safety. Where I am now, it's peaceful and safe- you said so yourself when we arrived. Isn't it my duty as an Ashirian to protect the other Ashirians?" 
"Fair," Haik replied,"but meanwhile I'm sitting here with eight hundred agressive, paranoid and barely trustworthy Ashirians."
I didn't know if I should be happy that I was succeeding or angry because of the insults. I decided to keep it neutral. "Get them to the central square. I'll talk to them."

I waited on the edge of the water bassin until they came. And man, what a crowd. Of course, it wasn't much, considering there used to be millions of us, but still. Eight hundred Ashirians. I took a deep breath, stood up on the edge of the bassin and shouted: "CAN EVERYONE PLEASE BE QUIET FOR A MOMENT, SO I CAN SPEAK TO YOU?"

Exactly that second it all fell silent. Sixteen hundred green eyes stared at mine. 

"I called you here," I begun, "not because I found a planet, but to get us a planet. I found an area where the aliens don't want to kill us. Now it's our turn to show that we're not hostile people, but good people. I'm sure I can count on you..."

I paused for a moment, looking around at all the faces, to make sure the message came across. 

"... to behave as good people," I finished my sentence. "Be kind, have an open mind. I'm sure that if we show respect, they will also have respect to us." 
"And what good can we get from that?" A young man in the front called.
"I'm so glad you ask," I said with a smile. "As I said... I'm planning to get us a planet!"
The man looked at me unimpressed. "And how exactly will you do that?" 

I felt a presence behind me. I turned. 

"Ah, Haik. I really appreciate your timing," I laughed. "My dear Ashirian brothers and sisters, this man's name is Haik. He's the master of this station."
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"Talking to them, obviously," I said. 
"You're giving them false hope," Haik said. "I'm not even authorized to just give you guys a planet. What are you thinking?"
I couldn't resist smiling. "I'm thinking that you can just ask someone that is authorized. I think I put you under enough pressure to tell them it's urgent." 

There were little clouds of smoke coming out of Haik's nose. I had to be careful now. Torrayans can spew flames, and Haik obviously was about to. 

"Arynthe," he said slowly, with his teeth clenched together, "get these people off my station. I don't care where they go, as long as it's not here. I cannot handle this."

I let myself fall to my knees, and before I could stop myself, I shouted: "Xaoni, master Haik, Please! Do you even have any idea what we've all been through? Can't you see you're our only hope for a bearable future?" 
He clearly didn't expect that. 
"Just promise you'll try your best, okay? Please!" 
"Arynthe-"
"Is it too much to try?!" 

It must be late, I thought. I was losing my patience. I had to calm down a little before I'd mess this up. I'd only get one chance like this. 

Captain Haik stared down at me. He took a deep breath, and finally said: "I will try."
The crowd responded with a deafening cheering. Some people even burst into tears. I myself jumped up and embraced Haik. I was so happy. Finally a chance to live for all of us. 

When the crowd fell silent and Haik managed to break free from my arms, I looked at the crowd again. I saw hopeful glitters in all sixteen hundred eyes. 

"We should do something in return, shouldn't we?" I laughed. "Get into your ships and go explore the area. I'll call you when the location of our new home is known."

The group split up and spread quickly. I also jumped off the water bassin, so that Haik couldn't rant me again, and rushed away.