Review Night on Union Station by E. M. Foner

Author:E. M. Foner [Foner, E. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-01-30T05:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Kelly paused in the corridor and nervously smoothed her dress before entering the Drazen embassy. The mandatory review meetings with the other tunnel network species didn’t have to be scheduled in any particular order, and after consultation with Libby, Donna had arranged for the EarthCent ambassador to start with friends who would go easy on her. Although Kelly knew that the Stryx were unlikely to give any great weight to the opinions of the advanced species, she couldn’t help feeling a little nervous about having to go out of her way to solicit criticism.

“The ambassador just finished a holo-conference and he’s waiting for you,” the Drazen receptionist informed Kelly. “You know the way to his office.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The embassies maintained by the aliens all made the EarthCent embassy seem like a storage closet in comparison, but that was because the advanced species rented space using their own budgets. The door to Bork’s office was open, and Kelly entered the familiar space with its décor of battle axes and medieval-style weaponry.

“Ambassador,” Bork greeted her, rising rapidly to his feet and coming around the desk. “Can I get you anything? A drink?”

“I better not, thank you,” Kelly replied. “You’re my first meeting of the day.”

“I understand,” Bork replied cheerfully, bypassing the hidden bar and returning to his seat, since Drazen etiquette didn’t allow for drinking alone. “I hope you aren’t nervous. Keep in mind that none of us on Union Station have participated in a species review, so you know as much about it as we do.”

“That’s what makes me nervous,” Kelly replied with a forced laugh. “From what I understand, I’m supposed to ask you to tell me honestly what bothers you about humanity.”

“Really?” Bork tilted his head, shut one eye, and scratched behind an ear with his tentacle. “But I have the highest regard for your people, and I consider you a close friend.”

“I didn’t mean that you’re supposed to complain about me, Bork,” Kelly said, though she couldn’t help but feel warmed by the alien ambassador’s words. “Libby wouldn’t go into detail about what the point of these encounters is supposed to be, but I tried to prepare by asking actors employed by EarthCent Intelligence to pose a number of questions about topics we think might be bothering you.”

“That sounds very interesting. What did you learn?”

“Nothing,” Kelly admitted. “Well, the Frunge aren’t crazy about our deck lighting, but I guess that’s normal for them. I just had the feeling that the actors were all holding back from telling me what was really on their minds.”

“Well, most of your food is pretty bland,” the Drazen ambassador offered. “Does that help?”

“Now you’re doing it too,” Kelly accused him. “Come on. I’m sure there are things about humans driving you nuts that can’t be fixed with hot sauce. How can we improve if you don’t tell us?”

“What if I ask what you don’t like about Drazens, and you say that tentacles or second thumbs are offensive? Getting along with other species is just like getting along with other people.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.