“Are you ready?” Rev asked Tomiko.
She nodded and said, “Let’s do it.”
Rev gave Nissen a thumbs-up, and the pilot lifted the Charon out of the courtyard. Rev waited until the Charon was about seventy meters off the ground before he gave the signal to open the gate.
The rapid whoosh as it opened still unnerved him more than a bit, and now he had the added stress of what they were about to attempt.
Rev, Tomiko, Punch, Pika, TikTik, and eight more of the IBHU Marines stepped through the gate. The ground was slick from the rain that had stopped only twenty minutes before, and Rev concentrated on his footing. He didn’t want to face-plant in view of the Zfthu watching from the village.
The delegation slowly marched down the slope, passing the abandoned civilian camp. Rev felt naked. The rest of the Marines were in their PALs and armed with their IBHUs, but the decision had been made that Rev would be in his basic Marine utilities as he was to be the one speaking. He wasn’t completely unarmed. His trusty MF-30 was in his pocket, but in reality, that was more of a pacifier for his nerves than anything else. If he had to resort to that when he was being escorted by nine IBHU Marines, then things would have gone very wrong.
Hopefully, things would stay calm. Above their heads, the Charon crept along, keeping pace. That was a pretty good warning of what might happen should things break down.
“There’re a lot more of them there now,” Tomiko said as they marched.
The leading edge of the village was crowded with Zfthu, and more seemed to be pushing their way to the front.
“Not nearly as many as are down on the beach.”
Nissen had overflown the beach an hour ago, and Rev estimated that there were close to 13,000 on the island, most still on the beach, but possibly four thousand either in the village or wending their way up to it.
Rev brought the delegation to a halt fifty meters from the line of Zfthu. He was in the center of the line, with Tomiko at his right side. Pika was on his left, with Punch and Tiktik flanking them, and four IBHUs on either side of them. Nissen brought his Charon down to about forty meters, close enough that Rev could feel the deflected air brush against the back of his neck.
“Now we wait,” Rev said.
There were hundreds of the Zfthu crossbows visible, and Rev’s feeling of vulnerability grew. At this range, it would be more difficult to dodge a bolt, especially if many were fired at the same time. Punch, Tomiko, and the other Marines would be safe, but he, Tiktik, and Pika would be in danger.
They’d sure been noticed. There was motion within the packed Zfthu, but no one came forward. One minute turned to two, then to five, then to ten.
The waiting was hard, and Rev began to wonder if they’d even get to present their ultimatum. If he wanted to avoid bloodshed, then the Zfthu had to talk.
“Think we should have told Norton?” Tomiko asked.
Rev didn’t respond, but he had been wondering the same thing and had been second-guessing himself. He’d decided not to inform Lieutenant Commander Norton of what they were about to try. The new Navy commanding officer was not happy that the Marines were on the ground in the first place. If he knew they were about to attempt something like this, he’d probably demand that they return. At the least, he’d recall Nissen and the Charon.
Tomiko had thought that having the Galaxy Explorer’s lone ship-to-ground-capable gun would have been a valuable asset, and now, as time ground on, he was beginning to agree with her.
It was only a couple of minutes after that, though, that the first of the Zfthu emerged from the press of their compatriots to stand four or five meters in front of the rest of them. One, two, then three came. After a short pause, more appeared until there were thirteen of them, enough to match Rev’s delegation, and as a group, headed toward them.
Several kept glancing up at the Charon, but the rest had their eyes firmly locked onto Rev and the others. Or, more specifically, on Pika, which was a problem.
The ultimatum had to come from the aliens (human, Punch, and Tiktik). It couldn’t come from the Po. Rev didn’t even want Pika with them, but while their Uauii translators had started to develop a translation program between Standard and Zfthu, it was not nearly sophisticated enough yet to ensure accuracy, and for this to work, there couldn’t be any misunderstanding.
The Zfthu delegation came to a rough stop about five meters from Rev and the rest. They very clearly looked at Pika and spoke. Rev’s translator picked up, “Want interrogative.”
Pika made a show of turning to face Rev. “They wish to know why you are here.”
Rev took one step forward and stared at the Zfthu who’d spoken.
Slow Loris had recommended that Rev be as blunt as possible. No beating around the bush. No talking around the subject. Rev wasn’t the most diplomatic person in the galaxy, but even to him, this seemed a risky course of action. But he didn’t know the Zfthu, and he had to trust the Po in how to handle the discussion.
Still, he couldn’t just threaten them with his first sentence.
“I regret that you forced us to kill so many of your people.”
He waited until Pika did the translation, listening to his Uauii translator trying to do its thing. That actually became a distraction, and he reached up to turn it off.
As soon as Pika finished, several of the Zfthu looked up at the Charon again, and Rev knew then that having Nissen there was the right move. If the Zfthu understood force, the Charon was a huge reminder of the force humanity possessed.
“You have arrived to eliminate us. We had to act first,” the Zfthu said, as translated by Pika.
“We had no intention of attacking you. We only came to learn about you and the Po. It was our plan to move on.”
“The Po did not summon you?”
Rev wasn’t sure what tack he should take. He decided on, “No one summons humanity. We act as we will.”
That got a reaction, and they started talking among themselves.
“They are discussing whether they can believe you. They are bringing in religious references. Do you want me to translate?” Pika asked.
“No, not unless there is something specific that I should know.”
Rev waited, hoping his impatience wasn’t obvious. The longer it took, though, the more concerned he was getting. All it would take would be for a nervous Zfthu to loose a bolt at him, then one of his Marines returning fire.
He knew things were on a knife’s edge.
At last, the Zfthu turned back, and the one asked, “You say you are not here to eliminate us. Then why are you here?”
“We arrived here in hopes of finding new friends. We have many such friends across the galaxy, and forging relationships has helped everyone.”
He wasn’t going to mention the wars.
“So, when we discovered your planet, we were pleased, and we came in peace to learn about you. However, you broke the peace when you attacked us. We are sorry that it came to that, and we had to eliminate those who were attempting to do us harm.”
Rev stopped to let Pika translate, chiding himself for saying too much at once. He wanted to make sure nothing was missed.
The Zfthu listened to Pika, and when their speaker was about to respond, Rev raised a hand, palm outward, and cut it off with, “We made friends with the Po. We wanted to make friends with you, but you attacked us. This is not how civilized people treat their guests.”
Time for the carrot.
“But we understand that inexperience with others can lead to mistakes. So, we will not necessarily exact revenge. We would still rather have peace. So we are willing to forget about what happened and let you live your lives as you will.”
He let Pika translate, then went on.
“But we don’t trust you now. You need to prove your peaceful intentions. And to do that, you must leave the island for the mainland.”
As soon as Pika translated that, the Zfthu suddenly became animated and started hooting louder.
“I guess they didn’t like that,” Tomiko whispered.
Behind them, the gathered Zfthu must have heard them because they became agitated as well, with more than a few waving weapons in the air.
It took a minute or two before they were addressed again.
“This is our home. Why should we leave it?”
Rev stared down the Zfthu and said, “Those are our terms.”
“And if we don’t?”
Time for the stick.
“If you refuse, we will kill every one of you. Not only you here in the village but those down on the beach as well. Then we will scour the mainland and track down every village, every hut, and eliminate you from the planet. In only that way can we be sure that the peace will be kept.”
That was his planned response, the one he’d gone over with Bunny, Slow Loris, and Tomiko. But he couldn’t resist one last add-on.
“After all, we are a peaceful people, and that is our priority.”
Pika hesitated.
“Just say it, exactly as I did.”
Rev gave him a few moments, then passed, “Now, Lieutenant.”
“Roger.”
Nissen brought the Charon down a hundred feet in elevation and rotated the nose gun.
The timing couldn’t have been better. Half of the Zfthu started to react to the ultimatum when the landing craft gave muscle to the threat that mere words could never do.
All but two of the Zfthu took a step back. Not the speaker, though. It was evidently made of sterner stuff. It stared at Rev, who wished he could read into those dull eyes.
“I’m waiting for your answer. Will you choose prosperity or death?”
“You will kill all of our people? We are many, and we may not be such an easy target.”
Rev laughed and hoped the Zfthu understood it.
“We killed many of you and didn’t lose a single warrior. So, yes, we will kill all who are necessary for peace.”
“And if we agree, you will not attempt to kill any more of us?”
“We will not. We would rather have peace and friendship than revenge.”
The Zfthu conferred with the others before it returned to Rev.
“I can speak for our village but not for the gorra,” the Zfthu said.
Pika hadn’t translated “gorra,” but Rev took that to mean a larger group, possibly including the larger numbers of Zfthu on the beach.
“Will you give us until tomorrow at this time before you commence hostilities?”
Rev tried to hide his eagerness. This was a huge development. His ultimatum was not being rejected outright. Heck, Rev would be willing to give them a week. A month. But he waited as if he were contemplating the request.
He didn’t wait as long as he wanted to—he didn’t want the Zfthu to change its mind.
“I agree. But, there will be no more Zfthu coming to the village. If there are, then I will take that as a refusal, and I will take action.”
The Zfthu seemed to be either agitated or worried, and Pika translated, “But the katagorra will need to come here. You cannot kill them.”
“What does that mean, Pika? Explain.”
“The katagorra will make the decision as to your ultimatum. They will need to be here and state their agreement, or it won’t have legal standing.”
“How many Zfthu are we talking about?”
“The katagorra is five. And they will travel with their nanagorra.”
Rev shook his head. He didn’t want all the details now, not at this stage of the proceedings.
“How many of them in total?”
“No more than fifteen, at a max.”
“Tell them twenty of them may approach the village under safe conduct.”
Pika translated for Rev, and the agitation faded. The head Zfthu said something, and almost as one, they turned and headed back to the village. That was it. No parting statements. No other acknowledgment.
“Well?” he asked Pika. “What do you think?”
“Now they will discuss this and decide on what they want to do. We will find out tomorrow.”
“I guess that’s it for now,” Rev told the rest. “Let’s get back to the castle and wait this out.
The delegation trooped back up the hill, with Nissen and the Charon escorting them.
* * *
“You know them better than we do. What do you think?” Rev asked Pika.
The two were at Rev’s spot in the battlement with Tomiko, Punch, and Tiktik. The Kanter was sitting on the ledge, watching for movement from the beach.
“I cannot offer you an accurate guess. The Zfthu can be unpredictable, and they have shown a strong desire to eliminate us.”
“But they have also shown an ability to cooperate when it has been to their best interests,” Punch said. “They lived here alongside you in peace for seventeen years when you offered them supplies.”
“Rev didn’t offer them anything except not to kill them,” Tomiko scoffed.
“Maybe a carrot could have been a little more appealing,” Rev said.
“No. We had to be there in strength. It wasn’t a negotiation. It was an ultimatum,” Tomiko said.
“What would you have done differently?” Rev asked Punch.
“Before, I would have suggested a softer approach. But from their reception, you might have been right.”
“We don’t know that yet. We haven’t heard their response.”
“They’ll agree,” Tomiko said. “They have to.”
Except is that true?
Rev had told Bunny that they would defend them in the event of an attack. He would keep that word, but what happened after that? They weren’t going to stay here forever. If the Zfthu simply waited them out until they were gone, then their pure numbers would overrun and crush the Po.
The Po’s situation was dire, no matter how you looked at it, and Rev was at a loss as to how to address it. Or even if they should. His responsibility was to the members of the expedition, and beyond that, to humanity as a whole. He wasn’t the Po’s guardian.
“There is movement,” Titik said.
Rev and the others stepped up to the ledge. Even with his augmented vision, he could barely see what looked to be a small party leaving the beachhead. Rev didn’t know if the Kanters had augmented vision, but if not, their eyesight was impressive.
“That was pretty quick,” Tomiko said. “I wonder what it means.”
“From a study of human psychology, that would be indicative of an easy decision, leaning toward turning down the ultimatum,” Punch said.
That was Rev’s gut feeling, but he didn’t say anything.
“But they are not humans, so there is no way for us to foretell what their decision might be,” his battle buddy added.
They stood there in silence as the Zfthu party approached until, finally, Rev said, “Let’s go on down. I want to be in position before they get here.”
They trooped down the stairs and into the courtyard.
As they passed the Charon, Lieutenant Nissen stopped Rev and asked, “If they say no, do we do a little preemptive strike on the village?”
After years in the military, it still seemed a little odd for an officer to be looking to Rev for orders, but the reality was that this was Rev’s call, rank notwithstanding.
“No. I don’t want it to be us who starts the fight.”
“They already started it, Rev,” Tomiko said.
Which was true, of course. But to Rev’s way of thinking, his giving the Zfthu an ultimatum essentially zeroed out the clock. They had an undeclared truce, and Rev wasn’t going to break that.
“If they attack us, lay into them. Otherwise, follow us until we’re back inside and then land.”
“You’re the boss,” Nissen said.
“What’s your fuel situation?”
“I’ve got a good eight hours before I need to head back to the ship.”
“Stand by, then. I’ll call you when I want you to make an appearance.”
Rev stopped Kelly, who was leading the Marines, and went over the key points in their plan. If the negotiating team returned unharmed, all well and good. But if the team was attacked, the QRF would react to help recover them.
And then it was time. There wasn’t much else that had to be done at the moment, so the same thirteen headed out, but instead of moving to where Rev had given his ultimatum, they stopped outside the gate. The Zfthu from the beach still had about a klick to go to reach them.
If anything, there were more Zfthu crowding the edge of the village, but they seemed quiet and constrained.
The calm before the storm?
“Rest easy,” Rev told his security.
In their PALs, they could lock out and relax. Rev didn’t have that capability, and his lower back took this opportunity to start aching. He wondered if he shouldn’t have waited a little longer before leaving the castle.
He tried to surreptitiously stretch his back just a bit. He didn’t need it to go into spasms. Not now. But between his injury, the rot, and probably age, he was having more and more reminders that he wasn’t the young Marine Corps recruit he’d once been.
Rev tried to will the Zfthu party to hurry, but it seemed as if they were crawling toward them. And as they finally reached the area, they bypassed Rev and the rest and disappeared into the village. Rev’s back was screaming before they appeared roughly forty-five minutes later and marched to where Rev had addressed either them or the village leadership.
“That’s it, Lieutenant. Let’s get it done,” Rev passed.
A moment later, the whine of the Charon’s engines reached over the castle walls, and then the landing craft appeared and took position over the negotiating team.
“Keep abreast of me,” he told the others as he stepped off.
The party calmly walked down the slope and took the same position in front of the Zfthu as before, with Rev in the middle and the IBHU Marines on the flank. And, as before, the Zfthu kept glancing up at the Charon’s imposing presence above them.
“What have you decided?” Rev asked.
“We do not wish to have a conflict with your people,” one of the Zfthu said through Pika’s translation.
Rev wasn’t sure if the Zfthu was the same as the one who’d spoken earlier.
“Then you need to comply with my ultimatum. You will cease aggression against the Po, and you will leave this island. We won’t have a problem then.”
“Our people have lived here for generations.”
Rev had seventeen years on his brain, but he realized there could have been a lot of history between the two races for a long time before that. And Pika didn’t object to the statement.
It didn’t matter if they’d been occupying the village for a thousand years, though.
“You have forfeited your rights to this island by breaking your truce and attacking us.”
The truce was between the Zfthu and Po, not Zfthu and humans, but Rev wasn’t going to let any technicalities get in the way.
“Before, the peace was kept by the trade we do with the Po. If we are not here, then how can this continue?”
That was the moment that Rev knew he’d won. The Zfthu had mentioned the villages and generations as a bargaining chip. With many of the dead Zfthu still littering the area, and the Charon looming over them, they realized that a fight with the humans would be devastating, even if they prevailed in the end. And evidently, they thought that was a cost too high to pay.
Rev could bargain, too. He didn’t know if the Po really needed the trade, but the humans weren’t going to be there forever. And if he could remind the Zfthu of the benefits of what the Po could offer them, then perhaps that could help to keep the peace after the humans were gone.
Rev was fine with throwing the Zfthu a bone, but he didn’t want to seem too eager. He needed the Zfthu to believe that he held all the cards. He stood there for two long minutes, and from the way the Zfthu were shifting their weight from one foot to the other, and by how more of them kept looking at the Charon, he knew they were nervous. Hopefully, they were second-guessing their counter, that they had gone too far.
Finally, Rev said, “I can accept an enclave down on the beach, where you may conduct trade. You will be limited to daylight hours, and no more than twenty of you may be on the island at a time.”
“To conduct trade would require more than twenty.”
There was no mention of the villages. That was already off the table.
“Twenty. No more.”
It looked like the Zfthu was going to object, but another one reached out and tapped it on the shoulder. They huddled their heads together. Rev could hear the discussion, but Pika didn’t translate. Maybe the two Zfthu were too quiet for her. Rev was tempted to reach up and turn on his Uauii translator, but he thought that would be too obvious, and he held back.
After a minute or so, the head negotiator said, “We accept your conditions.”
Just like that. No more arguing. No counter-proposals. Nothing.
The cease-fire with the Centaurs had taken months. The ending negotiations of the war with the MDS had taken three weeks, and they’d been handily defeated in battle. In the space of two hours from the time Rev had issued the ultimatum, the Zfthu had capitulated. It didn’t seem possible.
“So you understand, that means if you don’t adhere to leaving this island, or if one human or Po is harmed by any of your people, this agreement is broken, and we’ll come down on you as we deem appropriate.”
Before Pika could translate, Rev realized that “come down” might lose something in the translation, so he added, “We’ll treat you as an enemy and kill you.”
Better be absolutely sure they understand.
The Zfthu didn’t flinch, and the leader said, “Yes, we understand, and we will cease our efforts to eliminate the Po for as long as this agreement is in place.”
That sure sounded like a wishy-washy statement to Rev.
He asked Pika, “Do you believe them?”
“For the moment, yes. They do adhere to their own interpretation of honor.”
“‘For the moment?’ So, you don’t think it will last?”
“As long as you’re here to enforce the treaty, then yes.”
“So, they’ll behave as long as the Sword of Charon is hanging over their necks?”
“That is a succinct way of putting it, yes,” Pika said.
“And when we leave?”
“I believe that they will find a loophole, I believe you call it, that will allow them to abrogate the agreement while maintaining honor.”
Rev turned to Tomiko, who’d been listening in.
“It’s better than nothing,” she said.
“Should I push for something more permanent?”
“You heard Pika. They’ll find a loophole. This at least buys us some time to figure out something else.”
Rev wanted total victory. An assurance that the Po were safe. But Tomiko was right. At the moment, the Zfthus were mobilizing for a full-out assault, and if they’d agreed simply to wait out the Marines, well, that was time they could use to figure out something else.
“What do we have to do to make this official? We humans shake hands,” he told Pika.
“Just say you accept the terms.”
He turned to face the Zfthu but stopped. High in the sky and far off was a figure that looked suspiciously like a Sia. It hovered, almost out of sight for a moment, and then as if it realized Rev had spotted it, the figure disappeared.
What the hell does that mean?
“Rev?” Tomiko asked. “You have to say it.”
He shook his head, then said, “I accept the terms of this agreement.”
And now, they just had to find a way to make it stick after they were gone.