Chapter 108. Negotiations failed, lizard hills rampant
When they met, Cindy held out her hand. He learned about the human handshake. Ollie also responded to this greeting.
"Welcome," Cindy said. "My name is Narekmeng. I have been appointed as the negotiator for our talks." He introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you," Ollie replied, trying to hide his nervousness with a smile. "I am Captain Olly Lion of the Lexington. My officers and I," he made an extended gesture toward his counterparts, "thank you for the invitation and look forward to meeting."
Narekmen nodded friendly to the Starfleet officer. Then he made a gesture of invitation. "Then I will now take you to the conference room we have prepared. We have a lot to discuss, so we should try to use our time efficiently."
Ollie agreed to this arrangement. They followed Cindy and were taken to the conference room. No words were spoken during the entire process. It seemed like neither Cindy nor their guests knew what to do with each other. It was highly unusual for representatives of the Federation to stand in front of a group of five completely different species, yet representing one nation, which confused and fascinated them. They were eager to learn about the other three species.
The room that Cindy leads her guests into is similar to the room in Cindy's council. Of course, none of the four visitors knew this. The only difference is that the table has six sides instead of just five. One representative from each Sindy species attended the meeting. The sixth side is reserved for federal representatives. This allows the talks to be conducted in an equal and fair manner between representatives. Narekmen was appointed as Cindy's spokesperson, primarily because the humanoid Cindy was most similar to humans and thus established an easier basis of trust.
Starfleet officials were surprised by all this. Partly because of Cindy’s diversity. It's surprising enough to know and hear about this. But now seeing all the species in person, it's a completely different feeling. What surprised them most was a huge glass wall connected to a table side. Behind the wall is a space filled with clear water, with two creatures swimming inside. They have a head and two humanoid-like arms. But this is where their similarities to terrestrial creatures end. They have no legs, but instead have two short fins on the back of the body. The entire body is streamlined, gradually narrowing toward the back, and ending in a strong tail fin, like a giant eel. Their skin is scaly like fish, but the color is not eye-catching. It's a simple tan with a hint of beige. However, watching these creatures and watching them maintain their position in the water with rare and tiny movements of their fins is simply mesmerizing. Ollie had to control himself and not stare at these creatures. He definitely didn't want to appear rude.
Narekmen directed the guests to sit down, and then the other Cindy sat down as well. Only Narekmen himself stood temporarily. Then, he introduced the representatives of each Sindy in turn.
"This is Lizard Hill, from the Creeper." The person being introduced nodded slightly, and the aggression and resistance exuding from him was almost palpable. The small eyes moved suspiciously on the crawler's face. He wore a leather uniform that clung to his muscular body. Ollie fears he may be the most dangerous.
The captain cannot understand the insectoid Cindy's name. It's too long and too difficult to pronounce. And he had a feeling that despite a lot of practice, Narekmen was still having difficulty. This creature is extremely difficult to estimate. It looks like a giant ant with elements reminiscent of a mantis. The head is mainly composed of two large compound eyes, located on the left and right sides of the head. It has some impressive mouthparts that make people afraid to get too close. The two antennae above the head are slightly bent forward. The creature said something, and the clicking sound it made was anything but pleasant. The computer translation read: "We look forward to hearing what you have to say."
Ollie tilted his head slightly. "To each other," he said simply.
Since the insectoid Cindy made no response, Narekmen continued his introduction. Even Narekmen himself couldn't pronounce the name of the representative of Aqua Cindy correctly. He explained that the name of Aqua Cindy was composed of the computer-translated song. Ollie was fascinated. An image of something like the song of a whale came to his mind. However, Aqua Cindy did not express her desire to speak, nor did she confirm or deny Olly Lion's idea.
"Finally there's East Birch, from Plant Cindy," he introduced the tree people he'd seen outside before. The resemblance to the apes was obvious, and Ollie couldn't help but wonder if this man's favorite food was bananas too.
"It is our honor to welcome you here," Donghua said calmly and carefully. He comes across as indifferent.
"Thank you very much," Ollie replied kindly, but with some reservations. “We’re honored to be here.”
These words seemed to make Plant Cindy Donghua very happy, and he nodded friendly.
"They are Captain Olly, Lieutenant Atlan, Dr. Hackstein and Lieutenant Bartholomew," Narekmen introduced the other Cindy to their guests.
"It's so abominable that the Federation only sent an ordinary captain here," the lizard hill crawling Cindy immediately exploded. "Not only does the Federation lack respect, it seeks to insult and humiliate us."
Narekmeng glared at his colleague angrily. This is truly a classic creeper. They can never be satisfied. To them, guest treatment is worthless. "Shut up," he said in a hushed voice. "They are our guests."
"Guests, we didn't invite them," Liziqiu retorted.
"In your invitation, there is no clear indication of who should attend," Captain Ollishi interjected. There's no way he's going to back down here.
Narekmen seemed speechless by this comment. Because this person's words clearly imply that they think the Creepers are arrogant. Lizard Hill seemed to think the same thing, because he looked around triumphantly. "I told you so," he couldn't help but say.
An awkward silence filled the room. Narekmen still couldn't speak. And the creeper didn't need to say anything more. Everyone else was embarrassed. Even Captain Olli's entourage bowed their heads in shame. Although they do not completely agree with their superiors' words, as officers, they will not contradict them in public.
"I think we should all calm down and sit down now," Dong Hua from the plant race interjected. His people are the least aggressive of the Cindy, always striving for balance. He was not offended by the Confederate delegation. To him, it was just something that might come up in an initial meeting.
"We agree," Aqua Cindy's words came over the speakers. What's fascinating is that what he just emitted was singing. His voice is very similar to the song of Earth's whales. Everyone has heard those recordings of long-extinct marine mammals. It was a creepy sound.
Narekmen also seemed to have found his voice. For he turned to Captain Olli and pointed to the chairs prepared for humans. "Please take a seat," he said.
Ollie nodded slightly and sat down.
Others followed suit. Cindy also sat back in their seats. Among them, Cindy in insect form did not have an ordinary chair. His body is not flexible enough, so he has a special seat that is specifically adapted to his body shape. Cindy, the water tribe, still maintained his posture. Because their race doesn't use seats. In the water it is not necessary.
"Once again, I welcome you on behalf of all the Cindy," Narekmen said, turning to the captain and his companions. "We are delighted that you have accepted our invitation and hope this will begin a new era between us."
Ollie nodded friendly, but with some reservations. He is not here to start a new era, but to examine Cindy and understand the real motivation behind this sudden willingness to negotiate. Confederate diplomats would show up only when he thought the time was right.
“On behalf of all citizens of the Federation, I thank you for your invitation,” Ollie said kindly, and then continued in clear terms: “We are also willing to start a new era with you. But you must understand our caution and reservations. One hundred years ago, when our races first met, you launched an attack on the Earth, killing seven million people and planning to destroy the Earth. During their second encounter seven months ago, you again planned to destroy the Earth. .Your race is not a particularly pleasant one for us to associate with."
"We've heard things about you aren't always good," Lizard shouted back.
"We should get back to the point," Narekmen intervened, lest the two sides attack each other again and make everything more complicated. "You're right, Captain," he admitted. "Our first contact was not very smooth. Therefore, it is even more important to change the status quo. We need to understand each other better and avoid tragic events like a hundred years ago. Build a common future." Narek Mengyan In between, it seems that all the enthusiasm is invested. He firmly believes that a shared future can be achieved. And Ollie could even imagine that he might actually believe this. He seems to have more resonance with humans than with other Sindy races. They seem so alien to each other that it is difficult to imagine a common homeland that could accommodate all five races.
"We'll see if you mean what you say, and what they mean in the end," Ori Lion emphasized, eyeing the Sindi present. After all, they have to prove themselves to him, not the other way around. He simply saw this clearly.
Narekmen stared at his guest with tightly closed eyes. These were strong words from the captain. Words of power. A power that the Federation clearly wanted to demonstrate. This was the first time he had doubts. Doubt these conversations are a good idea. Whether it is possible to achieve the goal without letting the Sindi sell themselves cheaply. He was thinking that maybe crawling Cindy might be right in her refusal.
Therefore, the progress of the conversation became difficult. Ollie appeared uncompromising and seemed intent on blocking the conversation. He maintained a strong stance and refused to give any concessions to the Sindi people. He doesn't have the power to do that either. But he gave the Sindi the impression that the Federation was not interested in good faith negotiations. In order to prevent the conversation from completely stalling, Narekmen even found him privately for a private meeting and tried to persuade him. But Ollie didn't relent. On the contrary, the more the Sindi spoke, the more he felt they were trying to impose something on the Federation. This extremely strange race is clearly not interested in sincere negotiations. They have different purposes. But what exactly it is, he doesn't know yet. These conversations were indeed strange. Because almost only Narekmen was speaking. This plant Cindy would add a line or two now and then, but otherwise he'd be stroking his beard in cool silence, which was maddening. The crawling Cindy expressed her distaste at every possible opportunity. As for the insect and the aquatic tribe, they remained silent and just listened. Or maybe they weren't listening, that wasn't clear. But wouldn't a race that was truly interested in getting closer to the Federation act differently? Wouldn’t all representatives actively participate in the conversation? Wouldn't they try to please the Federation?
Ultimately, the negotiations ended inconclusively. The next meeting was not even scheduled. The Sindis bade farewell to their guests rather coldly, maintaining only the friendliness required by etiquette. But this does not affect Orly Lion. He completed his mission and took a closer look at the Sindi. They have no real interest in building relationships. They must have some intentions. And the Federation must be careful. He would write this when submitting a report to his superiors, confident that his subordinates would agree with him.
"This is absolutely abominable. It's utterly embarrassing," shouted the angry Cindy Hill Crawler. "These arrogant Federation guys don't even take us seriously. The representatives they sent are barely worth mentioning. They only sent an ordinary captain to deal with us, which is unacceptable." He didn't even control it. His anger.
"We shouldn't read too much into it," Narekmen responded calmly.
"Are you going to accept this humiliation like this?" Crawling Cindy Lizard Hill continued to say angrily. "Are you willing to continue to be treated as a third-rate force? Don't you understand that doing so is an insult to all Sindi people?" He threw these words at Narekmen angrily.
"We don't know their habits and we shouldn't jump to conclusions," the man under attack defended his position, although he was not satisfied with the course of the conversation. But he basically couldn't agree with an angry crawling Cindy.
"Then you are a traitor to our nation. I cannot tolerate this happening."
"If I look back at recent events, I would like to know who betrayed our nation," Narekmen replied menacingly.
The discussion had now turned into an argument, allowing even onlookers outside the door to hear their words. Reasonable debate is no longer possible. They had been bickering ever since the Federation representatives left the room. And the aggression clearly comes from Creeping Cindy. From their point of view, these conversations are completely meaningless. They felt insulted by federal representatives. They were expecting at least Starfleet's highest ranking admiral, if not a senior politician to have such a conversation. But sending an ordinary captain was intolerable to them. They emphasized this many times during conversations and in front of guests.
"Creeping Cindy will insist that you be removed from office," Lizard snarled, ignoring Narekmon's words. "They are completely unfit to have this conversation. They have conceded too much to humanity without regard for who we are as a race. They are incompetent."
Faced with these accusations, Narekmen took a deep breath, frowned, and stared at Liziqiu angrily. But before he could respond, Aqua Cindy, who was swimming behind the embedded glass in the wall, expressed her opinion.
"Our discussions today are temporarily suspended and we will gather again tomorrow until our emotions have calmed down," the computer translated the song of Aquatic Cindy Moray Eel.
"I agree with this suggestion," Plant Cindy Donghua said hurriedly, not giving the two quarreling people a chance to say anything. He also hopes the move will end the controversy. After all, there would be no meaningful results from continuing.
Narekmen sighed. As much as he wanted to get the subject off his mind, he also recognized that nothing would come of it today. "It's been a long day," he nodded in agreement. "Let's continue the discussion tomorrow."
Lizard scoffed in anger. The hesitation of these mammals always irritated him. They never do things thoroughly. Always interrupting everything, retreating, discussing. No wonder they are so fragile. The crawling cindy is the most powerful cindy species. Natural selection ensures that only the strongest crawling Cindy survive. This eliminates the sick and weak in advance. Only in this way can we grow into a strong society, one that is superior to all other species.
His pride therefore led him to refuse to agree to the suggestion of an extension. Rather than agree, he preferred to remain silent. That way the responsibility would at least fall on someone else instead of himself.
Insect Cindy also remained silent. Therefore, the proposal to postpone was supported by the majority. Before they separated, the moray began to sing again.
"I want to give all participants a question to think about. We can discuss it tomorrow," the computer translated Shuizu's song. "We should not demand too much from humans and should respect their traditions and customs. But we do not need to give in. We have every right to ask them to respect our customs and send more important negotiating partners with more decision-making power."
Lizard laughed loudly. "I've said it before..."
"We'll see you tomorrow." Aqua Moray eel interrupted. Then turn around and swim away.
