Chapter 25: Diplomatic liaison
Daniel was just going back to his quarters to spend a bit more time reading the books Varielle had recommended - a grammar textbook, a simple history, a dictionary - when he was accosted by a tiny woman dressed like Varielle but who looked older and full of whipcord, Admiral Sadderve and a podgy Twi'lek he didn't know in what was obviously civilian dress. "Could we have a word, Doctor Jackson?" The short woman asked.
"Certainly. I was just going to spend some time reading…"
She glanced at the datacards. "Varielle picked a good place to start you off, I see. She's got sense. There's a conference room this way…"
"Alright."
"This is Edan Fu'ulknara," the admiral introduced him. "And Jedi Master Elmira Yeren. We've been talking about what to do about your people - the Tauri? Is that how you pronounce it?"
"Yes, it is." He wondered what else to say.
"Quite frankly, Doctor," Admiral Sadderve said, "we're not looking for alliances. I've been in communication with my superiors back home and there's a lot of political…"
"Nonsense?" Yeren suggested. "Crap?"
"Hush. Political decisions to be made, but I doubt we will go for a policy of isolation either. For one thing, all it takes is one survey ship finding one of our outposts and we're in trouble."
"I'd agree," Daniel said sincerely. "My government would most likely be amenable to some kind of trade agreement…"
"We'd like to start with information," Fu'ulknara said. "You know far more about the Rings than we do."
"You mean the Stargates."
"Is that your name for them?"
"It's what the Ancients called them. They made the Stargates."
"I don't suppose we could talk to them."
"No. They… moved on."
"Moved on how?"
"They ceased being…" He hunted for a word. What was 'corporeal' in this strange Basic, as they called it? It was anything but basic. "I'm not sure what the word in your language is. We would say they ascended to a higher plane of existence, or died."
"Dying isn't a higher plane of existence," Sadderve said. "Dead is dead."
"Oh! No, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. Some of them died. Some of them ascended. A few of them are still around, but they don't really concern themselves with our affairs."
" 'Our' meaning…" Yeren hinted.
"People in general. We're too young for them to really notice us. Too immature."
She gave a harsh crack of laughter. "Oh, I can't wait to tell that to the Council."
"It won't go down well," Fu'ulknara said.
"They could use a little humbling," she said.
"What we would really like to know," Sadderve said, "is if you'd be willing to serve as a diplomatic liaison until we've got more people trained in your language. Right now we've got all of two people who can speak both languages - you and Varielle. If the two of you work together in meetings to translate and mediate, it will be fairer than if just one of you does."
"I could do that. I've done that sort of thing before. But I can't control what decisions are made."
"Neither can Varielle," Yeren pointed out. "But I get the feeling that both of you have a lot of respect from people, if not true authority."
"Now, Doctor Jackson, what do you think your people would be most interested in learning?" Fu'ulknara settled down to some serious talking.
Daniel was just going back to his quarters to spend a bit more time reading the books Varielle had recommended - a grammar textbook, a simple history, a dictionary - when he was accosted by a tiny woman dressed like Varielle but who looked older and full of whipcord, Admiral Sadderve and a podgy Twi'lek he didn't know in what was obviously civilian dress. "Could we have a word, Doctor Jackson?" The short woman asked.
"Certainly. I was just going to spend some time reading…"
She glanced at the datacards. "Varielle picked a good place to start you off, I see. She's got sense. There's a conference room this way…"
"Alright."
"This is Edan Fu'ulknara," the admiral introduced him. "And Jedi Master Elmira Yeren. We've been talking about what to do about your people - the Tauri? Is that how you pronounce it?"
"Yes, it is." He wondered what else to say.
"Quite frankly, Doctor," Admiral Sadderve said, "we're not looking for alliances. I've been in communication with my superiors back home and there's a lot of political…"
"Nonsense?" Yeren suggested. "Crap?"
"Hush. Political decisions to be made, but I doubt we will go for a policy of isolation either. For one thing, all it takes is one survey ship finding one of our outposts and we're in trouble."
"I'd agree," Daniel said sincerely. "My government would most likely be amenable to some kind of trade agreement…"
"We'd like to start with information," Fu'ulknara said. "You know far more about the Rings than we do."
"You mean the Stargates."
"Is that your name for them?"
"It's what the Ancients called them. They made the Stargates."
"I don't suppose we could talk to them."
"No. They… moved on."
"Moved on how?"
"They ceased being…" He hunted for a word. What was 'corporeal' in this strange Basic, as they called it? It was anything but basic. "I'm not sure what the word in your language is. We would say they ascended to a higher plane of existence, or died."
"Dying isn't a higher plane of existence," Sadderve said. "Dead is dead."
"Oh! No, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. Some of them died. Some of them ascended. A few of them are still around, but they don't really concern themselves with our affairs."
" 'Our' meaning…" Yeren hinted.
"People in general. We're too young for them to really notice us. Too immature."
She gave a harsh crack of laughter. "Oh, I can't wait to tell that to the Council."
"It won't go down well," Fu'ulknara said.
"They could use a little humbling," she said.
"What we would really like to know," Sadderve said, "is if you'd be willing to serve as a diplomatic liaison until we've got more people trained in your language. Right now we've got all of two people who can speak both languages - you and Varielle. If the two of you work together in meetings to translate and mediate, it will be fairer than if just one of you does."
"I could do that. I've done that sort of thing before. But I can't control what decisions are made."
"Neither can Varielle," Yeren pointed out. "But I get the feeling that both of you have a lot of respect from people, if not true authority."
"Now, Doctor Jackson, what do you think your people would be most interested in learning?" Fu'ulknara settled down to some serious talking.