Chapter Three: Negotiations
Da'an made good with her apology to Hubble, and luckily, he was in no mood to rub it in. Balvak asked Lili not to sit in at the negotiations, and she complied even though she wanted to be there. The Jaridians landed in an old airport, where Liam, Renee, Hubble, and Da'an were waiting. Lili had to remain in the shuttle while they quickly escorted the Jaridians inside the old tower where the negotiations would be held.
Liam nudged Da'an to shake hands with Balvak. Da'an reluctantly did so. "I…apologize for my behavior earlier."
"Actually, I think things went pretty well," Balvak said. "I did not even expect a response."
"Shall we?" Da'an asked motioning towards the chairs.
"Thank you for allowing us here," Balvak told Hubble.
"Yes, well I realize your time is short, so let's start immediately," Hubble said. Everyone quickly sat. Liam placed a sensor outside the door to warn them of any intruders, and then he shut the blinds.
"All right. Let's get down to business," Renee said. "What are your demands?"
"Any forces you can spare to help us end the revolution that is bringing our planet to ruin," Vorjak said glaring at Da'an.
Da'an shot a smirk in his direction. "What accommodations are you willing to provide?"
"You will stay in the Citadel with the Jaridian high council and its staff," Balvak said.
"Is that enough room?" Liam asked.
"The Citadel is the size of a major city," the third Jaridian said.
"I am sorry. I did not get your name," Da'an said to him.
"I apologize. My name is Geris. I am Balvak's brother and fellow co-commander of the peace movement," Geris said.
"How do you do?" Da'an asked unenthusiastically.
"Very well, I thank you," Geris played along.
"Moving on," Hubble interrupted, "how do you plan to utilize our soldiers?"
"Defense of the Citadel, and…special operations," Vorjak said.
"Such as…?" Da'an demanded.
"Our military is down to its bare essentials. We have a special mission to capture the leaders of the resistance," Vorjak explained bitterly. "However, we lack the forces necessary to proceed with this operation. If we can capture the leaders, the fighters will be confused enough for us to mow them down."
"Our intelligence officers have obtained readouts of what we believe to be their headquarters," Balvak said. "We would use your humans to assist with ground support, and Taelons you could spare would make excellent pilots and physicians, I hear."
"Do you honestly believe that Jaridian soldiers would approve of treatment from a Taelon healer?" Da'an asked.
Liam pulled Da'an towards him and whispered sharply, "Why are you acting like such a hard-ass?"
"My people have enough problems with simply going to Jaridia. I will not put them in any situation that could cause tensions to rise with the soldiers," Da'an said, "and unlike you, Major, I am not quite ready to trust these people yet. I am protecting the interests of my people as I always have and always will."
"You're incorrigible," Liam muttered.
Da'an jerked free putting an end to the argument and faced Balvak. "You did not answer my question."
"The Jaridians will do whatever we tell them to," Balvak assured, "and if there are any problems, my officers will be there to handle them."
"In your favor or ours?" Da'an asked.
Renee smirked. She's good.
"In whichever is the victim," Balvak said.
"Will these people be serving under a Jaridian officer?" Da'an asked.
"Yes, but our officers will also be there to ensure all cooperation between the soldiers and the Taelons and humans," Geris assured. "We will do everything in our power to accommodate the arrivals."
"What about food, drinks, and personal facilities?" Renee asked. "Are they human and Taelon accessible?"
"You are allowed to bring whatever supplies you deem necessary," Geris answered. "We have storage facilities that can handle any perishable items. And as for utilities, they are not much different from humanity's"
"And immunizations?" Da'an asked. "Humans are very susceptible to disease."
"The doctors will take care of all of that," Balvak said. "You have my word as an officer that all necessities will be taken care of."
The humans all looked at each other and nodded in agreement that the terms were amenable.
"Well, if everything is taken care of—"
"Excuse me," Da'an said sharply interrupting Hubble. "If no one is going to ask this, I will."
The three Jaridians braced themselves.
"Exactly how long do you plan to keep us involved in your war?" Da'an asked.
The Jaridians all stared at each other. They had anticipated a question like this.
"What do you mean?" Vorjak asked back.
"If your mission fails, will we be expected to stay longer?" Da'an asked.
Vorjak took a deep breath preparing for a very offensive response, but Balvak stopped him. "The obligation lasts as long as the mission," he said.
"Good," Da'an said with a smile. She turned to Hubble. "You may now say whatever it is you were going to say."
Hubble rolled his eyes. "Well, if that's absolutely everything," he said in an irritated tone, "let's draw up the paperwork and end these negotiations."
"It's a pleasure doing business with you," Renee said with Da'an's same sly smile.