Diuturnity's Dawn (16 page)

The AAnn diplomat explained. “As the thranx have esstablished ssmall hivess in your Amazon and Congo Bassinss, and are conssidering another in your Ssepik River region, my government hass requessted that we be allowed to consstruct a tesst community in either the center of your Ssahara Desert or an alternate region called the Ssonoran.”

“That’s exciting news.” Sertoa led the way into one of the complex’s sealed structures. The air inside was slightly warmer than without, for which Preed was inordinately grateful. “I hope it comes to pass.”

“You do?” Preed kept his tone subdued.

“Why, of course. I’ve always admired the accomplishments of the AAnn. At least, what we know of them. No one looks forward to closer relations between our two peoples more than I.”

Breakthrough. Though his scale-covered snout and face were far less flexible than those of any human, they were still capable of movement. Lest the humans be studying the expressions of the AAnn as intensely as his kind were scrutinizing theirs, Preed struggled to hide the quiet exultation he felt at the human’s response. This diplomat was not only friendly toward his kind: If his words could be believed, he was positively enthusiastic.

There were a number of ways of checking.

“If you are interessted, I might perhapss be able to arrange a reciprocal vissit to the Imperial capital at Blassussar, or at leasst to one of the principal Imperial worldss.”

Sertoa’s expression brightened. “That would be wonderful! I’d enjoy that very much.”

Confirmation of a quickly formed opinion, however casual, was always welcome. Here, on the thranx homeworld, was a sympathetic if not openly biased human diplomat. This was in itself enough to justify the discomfort of his trip, and he had only just arrived.

“I have a surprise for you.” A grin, an expression that Preed recalled indicated a combination of personal satisfaction and amusement, dominated the human’s face. “I think you’ll like it.”

They entered a substantial edifice where Preed was startled to encounter humans in various states of undress. If anything their naked bodies were, while of scientific interest, more disconcerting than their clothed forms. Leading the way deeper into the complex, Sertoa guided his guest to a windowless chamber. The pair of humans there hurried their dressing when they discerned the nature of the alien visitor.

“If you would kindly disrobe, sir. I know that your people do not suffer from any nudity phobias.” As he ventured the suggestion, Sertoa had already begun the process of removing his own clothing.

“That iss true, but I am not ssure thiss iss in accordance with proper diplomatic procedure, my friend.” The AAnn eyed the human uncertainly.

“Trust me, Baron Preed.” By this time the human diplomat was nearly naked.

We must all make sacrifices for the Empire, Preed told himself. He began to remove his decorative official garments.

When both were unclad, Sertoa led his guest to a smaller chamber. Preed did his best to avoid gawking at the jiggling, pulpy body of his host. Sertoa opened a door and stepped inside. Preed followed, only to find himself in—if not the fabled nirvanic sands of Ss’ra’oun, at least a place where he could feel comfortable. The small chamber was suffused, bathed, washed in perfectly dry heat. It was almost, but not quite, a slice of home.

“Tanning room.” Sertoa sat down on a convenient bench. “To make sure we get our proper bimonthly dose of the right kind of sunlight. I thought you’d be more comfortable conversing here than anywhere else in the settlement.”

Embracing the arid, humidityless heat, Preed almost unbent. “I am more grateful than I can ssay. Ssuch courtessy doess you proud, Jorge Ssertoa.”

The human shrugged off the compliment. “Just doing my job.” At his touch, a concealed wall alcove disgorged a thin-walled metal container containing a mix of both liquid and frozen water. Preed eyed it askance, hoping he would not be asked to partake of the frigid concoction. When he found out he could request uniced, room-temperature water, he relaxed once more.

“Now then.” Sertoa smiled at his reptilian guest. “If you’re reasonably at ease, what would you like to talk about? What exactly is the purpose of your visit here? Why aren’t you at the AAnn diplomatic mission in Daret?”

By shifting his tail to one side, Preed found he could repose quite comfortably on the bench fashioned of native wooden slats. “There are a number of issuess involving the relationsship between your people and the thranx that intimately affect my kind. Given the natural biological ssimilaritiess between AAnn and human, my ssuperiorss felt that thiss outposst of yourss might be an appropriate place to broach them. Truly. Of coursse, we are alsso curiouss to ssee how you have progressed and what you have accomplisshed here. Though but recently arrived, I am already much impressed.”

“I’m listening. Go on.” Sertoa took a long swig of his water and Preed cringed internally as he heard cubes of frozen water actually clink against the human’s teeth.

“My government feelss sstrongly that you are devoting far too many ressourcess to developing relationss with these bugss, when ssimilarr overturess between alike ssentientss ssuch as humankind and AAnn could be of infinitely greater benefit to both.”

Sertoa nodded, an easy gesture to recognize and interpret. “First let me say that I couldn’t agree with you more. I think trying to develop anything beyond standard diplomatic relations between humans and thranx, given the obvious profound differences between our respective species, is a waste of time and money. And I think the neglect of relations between your people and mine has been shameful. The thranx, of course, feel otherwise.”

“That iss undersstandable.” Preed started to gesture, then remembered to dip his head in the simple human nod. “As you may know, from the time of firsst contact, relationss between my people and the thranx have been . . . awkward. No amount of perssuassion and imploring on the part of my government hass ssucceeded in altering their beliefss.” Luxuriating in the dry heat that saturated the chamber, he leaned forward. Not too far, aware that proximity to sharp, curved AAnn teeth had been known to unsettle an unwary human.

“Thiss need not affect in any way developing relationss between our resspective sspeciess. It iss good to have come all thiss way and know that we have at leasst one friend and ssympathizer among thosse of your kind empowered to make the decissions affecting thosse relationss.”

Leaning back against the wall, his eyes half closed against the overhead tanning lights, Sertoa replied quietly. “There are others. Some feel even more strongly about this matter than I.”

Preed considered. It was silent in the chamber for several moments before he made the decision to take a step that as recently as yesterday he had not believed would be possible. “How sstrongly, my friend?”

The human turned toward him. “More strongly than I am at liberty to say.”

“That iss mosst encouraging. Truly. Perhapss before I depart I might be able to meet ssome of thesse like thinkerss?”

“Perhaps,” Sertoa replied noncommittally. While willing to be obliging, Preed noted, the human remained cautious. “Meanwhile, I consider this a promising vein for further discussion, which I hope we may enlarge upon during the rest of your visit.” He waved a hand, and Preed marveled at the sheer slackness of the gesture. “When we happen to find ourselves in appropriate surroundings, of course.”

“Truly,” Preed agreed. “Allow me, if you will, to detail ssome of the sspecific ssuggestionss I am authorized to make, and to elaborate upon how they might be implemented to our mutual advantage.”

“I would enjoy hearing them.” Smiling encouragingly, Sertoa turned fully toward his reptilian guest, admiring the play of the tanning lights on the AAnn’s gleaming, iridescent scales.

When in the course of the next morning’s casual conversation an acquaintance happened to mention that Jorge Sertoa had spent the entire previous morning and well on into the afternoon in the company of a visiting, high-ranking AAnn envoy, Fanielle Anjou began a frantic search of the compound for the pair. She was more than a little exhausted and out of breath when she was eventually directed to the diplomatic compound’s gymnasium and health complex. At first thought, it seemed an unlikely venue in which to pursue diplomacy between differing species. It did have the virtue of comparative privacy, however. That in itself conjured unwelcome possibilities she tried but was unable to put out of her mind.

She thought about mentioning it to Toroni, but without anything more to go on than suspicions of suspicions, she could hardly go barging into his office with eyebrows raised and arms flailing. She would have to bring something more to such a confrontational meeting than a personal dislike of the reptilian bipeds.

It was midafternoon when she found herself peeling off her clothes as she strode determinedly through the changing room. A few users she knew spoke to her. She returned their hellos and greetings as amiably as she could, even though her mind was elsewhere.

It was almost worth forcing the encounter just to see the look on Sertoa’s face when, as naked as anyone else in that end of the complex, she pushed her way into the otherwise deserted tanning room to confront him and the AAnn envoy. Ignoring her open-mouthed colleague, she directed her attention to the alien, whose shimmering, leathery scales served to frame an otherwise interesting if unremarkable anatomy.

“Fanielle . . .” More than a little nonplussed, the unabashedly uncomfortable Sertoa struggled to keep his eyes on her face. Though she paid little attention to him, his efforts to appear resolutely uninterested amused her. She was far more interested in the AAnn. Seated on one of the long wooden benches, his tail switching from floor to wall, the envoy regarded her with curiosity. That his slitted eyes roved freely over her nude form unsettled her not a bit. Being utterly nonhuman, there was nothing in his gaze to affect her.

Bypassing Sertoa, she approached the alien and extended a hand. Not as her colleague had done, but with fingers upraised, crooked at both joints and parted, nails pointing forward. The AAnn did not rise, but gracefully met her gesture with his left hand. Their fingers interlocked, her soft ones separating his tough, leathery digits. She felt the strength of the highly evolved carnivore held in reserve. Then he released his grip. The not-unpleasant sensation reminded her of letting go of the strap of a particularly well made leather handbag. As he leaned back against the molded wall, she introduced herself. Nearby, Sertoa was stammering something as he tried to regain control of the situation. AAnn and female ignored him. For a brief moment, he was unsure which of the two was the more alien.

“I am Fanielle Anjou, second assistant undersecretary for thranx affairs on Hivehom.”

Slitted, reptilian eyes met her own. Neither pair fell; neither pair wavered. “I am Baron Preed NNXV, sspecial envoy at large for his Imperial Majessty Hezenezzk V. I greet you as an equal, and wissh you all the natural warmth that doess not exisst in thiss place.” One clawed hand gestured second-degree irony. “Except in thiss peculiar but mosst welcome inner chamber. While my quarterss are ssatissfactory, if the facilitiess would allow it, I would gladly sspend the remainder of my sstay right here.” Before Anjou could respond, he added, “Does not thiss sstrong light burn your pale, unprotected sskin?”

“If one spends much time in here, yes, it does,” she admitted.

Double eyelids blinked. “But you come in here to do thiss voluntarily.”

“I already told you; it’s necessary for our health,” an increasingly impatient Sertoa reminded his guest.

“Most remarkable.” The AAnn’s gaze traveled unapologetically up and down Anjou’s nude form. Not only did it not trouble her, she found it instructive to reciprocate the action. “I was enjoying a usseful chat with your good friend and colleague here concerning the lamentable sstate of human-AAnn relationss, and how it would be agreeable if more attention could be devoted to improving the nasscent relationsship that pressently exisstss between our two peopless. But it sseemss that certain of your associatess feel ssuch time iss better sspent attempting to win over the affection of thesse reeking, sswarming bugss.”

“The government of Earth and its colonies manages the development of all interspecies relationships with equal care and attention. I’m sorry if the AAnn feel neglected.” Off to one side, Sertoa was looking unhappy.

Preed’s jaws parted, showing very sharp theropod-like teeth. “It iss not that we feel neglected. Intersstellar, intersspeciess conssanguinity cannot be fasshioned overnight. It iss merely that ssome of uss feel your people are devoting overmuch in the way of diplomatic energiess to attempting to create ssome kind of association with thesse hard-sshelled creaturess that goess beyond the ussual diplomatic formalitiess. As you musst know, the Empire hass had ssome ssmall differencess with the bugss in the passt. Therefore, it iss only natural that we would pay sspecial attention to anything that would ssuggesst the bugss are attempting to misslead another, powerful sspeciess ssuch as yoursselves as to the true nature of our hisstorical relations.”

“I can assure you that is not the case.” Perspiration was beginning to pour in tiny rivulets down her body: her cheeks, her shoulders and breasts, down her belly and thighs and back. She ignored the damp stickiness. “My government respects all sentients, and treats equally with all. As to any quarrels you and the thranx may have had in the past, that is none of our business and does not affect our relations with them or with you.”

Preed’s hands wove patterns in the superheated air, indicating contentment and—something else she could not interpret. “It iss alwayss reassuring to hear ssuch words, particularly from ssomeone sso clearly verssed in the realitiess of intersstellar diplomacy as yoursself, Ms. Anjou. While I have time left here, I would look forward to converssing with you at greater length on ssuch interessting matterss.”

“So would I.” She blinked sweat from one eye. “Unfortunately, I have to travel to Daret tomorrow.”

Sertoa frowned. “I don’t recall your being scheduled for a visit to the capital this week.”