Missing Peace: Chapter 2
Beach City, Delmarva:
It had been three days since Steven and White Diamond's announcement had been broadcast to the whole of planet Earth. After confirming with the governor of Delmarva that the message was genuine, and that for some reason, the state was actually intending to host the proposed conference, James Dalton sat nervously awaiting what would happen next.
He was sat in a fold-out chair at a long conference table. As he felt the sand shift under his feet, he thought to himself "I knew they were hosting this conference in Beach City, but I didn't expect it to actually be on the beach."
The whole affair was bizarre. It looked as though it had been organised in part by a diplomat and in part by a child (though, given who sent the invitations, perhaps that shouldn't have been surprising). The visitors' name plaques were written in Marker pen, and a barbecue had been set off to the side, and was being operated by a middle-aged man in a tattered shirt and jean shorts. If this were anything else, the dignitaries would almost certainly have raised a stink, but none of them seemed eager to risk angering the alien being who had invited them there.
Dalton ran his hand through his hair absentmindedly. It was black, with grey fading in at the edges. Given how these last few days had been, he very much doubted there'd be any black left by the end of his presidency.
As he looked around the table, he was reminded again of just how many countries were in attendance. There were some missing of course (a few countries weren't really on speaking terms with the US after all), but every major power bloc was represented. Presumably, no one wanted to be left out of what could be mankind's first meaningful negotiation with an alien race.
Other than the visiting leaders and their translators, the event was fairly sparsely populated. Dalton's advisers has urged him to bring a lot more security than he had, but he had reminded them that their hosts were not only giants, but apparently had the technology to hack every computer system on the planet, and that it was therefore highly unlikely that any amount of security would make a difference if things went South. Many of the other leaders had evidently had similar conversations with their staff.
At the end of the table (or more accurately, on top of some shipping containers near the end of the table) sat three enormous alien women. The largest Dalton had recognised the moment he saw her as the 'White Diamond' from the transmission. To her left sat Blue Diamond, slightly smaller than White; her face forming an awkward smile. To White's right sat Yellow Diamond, clad in what resembled some sort of armour, with her face set in a poorly disguised dismissive expression. Dalton did his best to overlook their size, which was even more imposing in person than on a screen, and tried to focus on trying to get a feel for them.
Between the outfit and the surly attitude, Yellow struck him immediately as a military type. "That's ok" he thought "I can read people like that".
Blue was harder to pin down. Her expressions seemed gentle, and she was dressed in a sort of strange hooded gown. She didn't at all give off the demeanour of a planetary ruler, but Dalton reminded himself not to underestimate her.
Then there was White. Yellow and Blue were consulting with her frequently enough to show that she was clearly the most senior, and yet she looked nervously around herself like a child on their first day at school. Dalton grew concerned. Was everything about this conference on the up and up?
Then, as if to answer his question, White looked down near her feet, and the anxiety fell away from her face. It took Dalton a moment to notice that she had looked not at an empty space, but at the child from the transmission. 'Steven Universe' as he had introduced himself, sat at the end of the table, just in front of the Diamonds. He was so much smaller than them that Dalton simply hadn't noticed him until now. Dalton's confusion only intensified at the sight. Were they having the child do the negotiating for them?!
The sound of a microphone feeding back cut through the chatter. As all eyes turned to the head of the table, Steven spoke:
"Hello everyone, thank you so much for coming. I know I speak for all of us here in Beach City, and the Gem home world, when I say we're glad to have you here." For a teenager, the boy clearly had a knack for giving speeches. Steven continued: "Now, I'll hand you over to White. She'll give you the full story."
White shifted awkwardly on her makeshift seat, and then began her introductory statement. Earth and Homeworld were about to be officially introduced…