Talus by S. H. Jucha

Author:S. H. Jucha [Jucha, S. H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Hannon Books, Inc.
Published: 2020-06-29T21:00:00+00:00

21: Envoys

Commander Quizra bent his head and shoulders to slip through the outer doorway to enter the envoys’ hall. He walked carefully. Toral’s gravity was twelve percent higher than his home word, and his slender frame struggled against the added pull.

The envoys’ hall was in chaos. Member clusters had lost all sense of decorum. They were yelling at one another, shouting to be heard over the din.

The sisters employed their full capabilities to keep the members aware of what was being said.

Quizra stood still and quietly watched the melee. He’d envisioned joining a group of the races’ senior members and intelligently discussing their demands of the Talusians. Instead, he was disgusted by the wasted energy and opportunity to cooperate.

Out of the corner of Quizra’s eye, he caught sight of a figure, who watched him. When he returned the individual’s stare, he was approached.

“Commander Quizra, I’m Miriamette, an advisor to President Sargut.”

“A SADE?” inquired Quizra, when he heard his tongue spoken.

“We’re a unique type of SADE, called the Sisterhood or sisters,” Miriamette replied. “Except for a single human, only sisters exist with the Toralians.”

“How long has this stupidity existed?” Quizra asked, pointing a long digit at the shouting groups.

“Only recently,” Miriamette replied. “After the events with the Syslerian battleship, many envoys vowed to work amicably, but a vocal minority has resisted, and that’s led to this.”

“What’s your role?” Quizra asked.

“I’m an observer for the president,” Miriamette replied. “Every other sister who is here is busy translating for an envoy cluster. The members of a cluster can converse in one another’s languages.”

Quizra was a senior commander. He’d lived a long life and would soon retire. It was likely that this assignment to Toral would have been his final task. Throughout his career, he frequently dealt with young officers and insubordinate crews. In time, he’d managed to improve the lot of them. Unfortunately, time was against him to help the envoys.

Nodding to Miriamette, Quizra walked to the nearest group. He laid a hand on the shoulder of an envoy. Owlish eyes blinked at him, and the commander quietly indicated the seat nearest the envoy.

The envoy regarded the Podarla commander uniform and acquiesced. He tapped another member of his cluster and indicated the commander.

Slowly, Quizra managed to seat one cluster. Then he moved to another. He never said a word. He merely tapped shoulders and pointed at seats.

With Quizra less than a quarter of the way through the hall, the noisy envoys grew quiet as they watched others sit and follow the commander with their eyes.

Finally, the entire hall of envoys was silent, and Quizra walked to the front. His eyes roamed over the hall, and he picked out the troublemakers. To him, their postures easily identified them.

“Commander Zoza sailed his wedge toward Toral,” Quizra began. “He didn’t heed Admiral Thompson’s warning to retreat, and he paid a heavy price. He lost five hundred eighty-five crew members and a lead ship. The Omnians have a weapon that we haven’t encountered before now. They don’t need to attack our battleships with their fleet of tri-hulls.

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