A notice of armistice was received one year before the alignment. The alignment was a big event for all races whose home planets lay within it sphere of fallout. It only happened every five hundred years but the results of change to peoples and races could be catastrophic. This war with the Flaelt was a result of the last alignment. Before the alignment the history books tell of a peaceful merchant race but fallout from the alignment was a change to their physiology and their temperament and behaviour.
Within one generation following the alignment they became predatory, indiscriminately killing off any stranger, anyone from another race and acquiring their planets. My people the Railod also went through a change, it wasn’t as big a change as the Flaelt as we already had predatory qualities, and it was more a tempering of those qualities. According to the history books we are not quite as predatory as we had been but we are still very possessive of our dominion.
The notice of armistice came from another race, the Coreop, they were a hidden race of assassins and magic wielders. They often changed the course of the war when they took out key players. Commander General Hasregasa Lionchin handed me the communication pad. I read over the notice.
“Can we trust this source” I asked
“It is through the correct channels and it is signed by the Coltrapp, Eion Tarsis, it would take a brave fool to forge his signature” he replied.
“What is our response?”
“The Kšathra-Pāvan have agreed and you are named as our Diplomat to lead our party at the armistice and to represent and protect our interests in these talks.”
“So father, my wasted study has become of some value” I laughed.
“Get your insolent ass out of here, look after our peoples needs but also look to your own safety in that nest of vipers you are stepping into.”
He handed me the data pad with my orders.
Two days later I and a party of four support people of varying skill sets disembarked onto the space station at Coreoptil. We were met by a person clothed in an encompassing cloak, hiding all physical characteristics, topped by a pale androgynous face with tightly scraped back midnight dark hair, eyes a amber colour with copper highlights that seemed to change moment by moment. Hands palm to palm over heart and head bowed.
“Honoured Envoy, I am Litona Jantil your attendant during these talks. We have a shuttle ready to take you to your accommodation. Anything you need do not hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you Tix Jantil, we look forward to familiarising and refreshing ourselves before the talks start tomorrow” I replied.
Once on the surface we were whisked off to a palatial guesthouse on the grounds of the official residence. Litona Jantil ushered us into the guesthouse.
“You have full kitchen facilities and staff allocated to meet your needs and keep the residence for you. Tonight will be a dinner and an opportunity for you to meet the other emissaries. I will return at 2200 hours to show the way to dinner. By your leave I will go now” Once again bowing hands over heart.
“You have our leave, thank you”
As the door closed Tirralt, my second snorted. “So very polite, I wonder I they ask permission before thrusting a dagger into your heart.”
I moved my hand in a slashing motion to cut him off and switched on a sound damper.
“No talking here unless the damper is on. Gainus, Martenel do a sweep for any spy devises, Tirralt , Leondgi check out the servants, the layout and other ways out.” I ordered.
I did not have good feelings about this meeting and the allocation of a high placed assassin as out attendant. I remember Litona Jantil, I had seen those amber/copper eyes once before. On Olalation, when Governor Winthalt was later found dead, throat slashed. I would prefer not to emulate the unlamented Winthalt, no matter how well deserved his death was. I entered the main suite and took out my credentials.
Gainus, Martenel, Tirralt and Leondgi returned.
“All clear, just the usual cameras and listening devices” reported Gainus
“We have ten servants all very fit and active looking, I would say that’s two allocated to each of us” declared Tirralt.
“The Flaelt are over to the Northwest, Trissean between us and Blakkan to the east. We have a fairly clear line to the boundary wall and looks like it has a force field attached” Leondgi recounted.
“Stay alert, keep quiet and we will see if we can get out of this with some gains” I responded. “Expect treachery but stay polite and smile.”
At exactly 2200 Litona Jantil returned. A servant ushered her into the lounge as we were having a drink. “Tix Jantil do we have time for you to join us for a drink” I invited.
“Thank you for your gracious invitation Honoured Envoy but we are expected at the great hall in the time it will take to walk the distance”
I rose from my seat and bowed. “After you Tix Jantil”
We entered the official residence through a side door and went directly to the great hall. All participants of these talks entered the great hall simultaneously through multiple doors set around the room. There were many people mixing and mingling and as we entered a servant came up with a tray of drinks. Taking a glass I raised it and nodded towards Litona Jantil. “Very well timed” I murmured. After a short period on mingling we moved into the dining hall.
During the dinner I watched the loud Blakkan, the quietly restrained Trissean, and the secretive and impassive Coreoptians. I was most surprised watching the Flaelt, they almost seemed to be a contradiction to the aggressive, predators that have kept the war going with their rampage for domination. I could see in them the merchants that the history book told of, personable, engaging and confident. What I didn’t see was the predator. Did the alignment changes wear off after five hundred years? Would the new alignment bring those less than worthy qualities to the fore? Curiouser and curiouser.
The next morning Litona Jantil came to take us to the meeting room. In the centre was a polygon shaped table to seat thirty five, seven seats allocated to each envoy. That allowed for each parties five delegates and two Coreoptians at each table seated on the end creating a two person barrier between each of the negotiating groups. I noted this allowed for fifteen Coreoptians in the room. I also believed that they were all of the assassin caste and all close to their potential targets.
Coltrapp, Eion Tarsis opened the session. “Alignment will occur in twenty months and to some degree we will all be affected. This war that has been sapping the strength of all our peoples needs to come to an end. We are here to reach an agreement. The request for this meeting came from our Trissean neighbours. Elder Spirun would you elucidate why you requested this armistice.”
The Eder of the Trisseans looked around the table catching the eye of every person there. “The changes that occur during the alignment are not a natural occurrence. We have been studying the histories and the changes that have occurred after each alignment. Each of our races has been affected within the records we have studied and the changes that have occurred have changed each race from its original characteristics to a more negative aspect. It has then taken almost the full five hundred years to come back into some semblance of balance. We all continue to carry those physiological and psychological changes at a cellular level. This alignment will be the first time any of our races will go through the change a second time. Our calculations are that the change will build upon the previous changes taking us further into the darkness. We need to stop attacking each other and start the search for the entity behind the alignment.”
Silence greeted the end of his words as we digested this new view on our worlds. The silence was broken by the bluster of the Blakkan Envoy.
“Ridiculous” he shouted. “You say we are puppets to someone or something else, I say your mind is full of dust like the books you have your nose in. We are our own people; no-one controls the Blakkan.”
“Pantur Nassen, I understand your disbelief. I too felt disbelief when Elder Spirian approached us with this theory. We, as the aggressors over this last five hundred year have had to take responsibility for our actions. We remember over two thousand years of history, we once journeyed amongst all our races and we saw changes. Then the changes came to us and we found ourselves as the aggressor. With all our knowledge we were not able to withstand the change and it has almost lead to our downfall” responded Magister Ewyim from the Flaelt table.
Before Pantur Nassen could again respond with bluster I spoke.
“Elder Spirian, you say your people have studied the last two and a half thousand years of our five races going through the changes and you indicate a negative ongoing downward spiral. Are there any histories of our races before this period? Do you hold information on the Forerunners?”
It was as if I had thrown a bomb into the room as people started talking over one another. I looked up to see the Coltrapp studying me. After the debate had gone on for several hours The Coltrapp took control and ended the meeting for the day.
“Go back to your residences and think on your knowledge, your history and what has been said today and what we need to do to make changes that benefit us occur.”
For two more days debate ranged how to end this current war, what needed to change how to move on from this place and how to find out what was behind the alignment. On day three the Coltrapp once again took control. He cut through all the bluster, arguments and confusion of words with an incisive thrust.
“We will send a group outside of our universe to find the cause behind the alignment, we cannot from the inside see it but from the outside we may be able to find it and overcome it. We have twenty months to attempt to change our history, if we continue the path we are on it promises to be a bloody path and destruction and darkness. I too have studied the histories and I too believe that darkness will come. We have a cease fire agreement. Now we need volunteers to travel outside of our Universe. Nesregasa Lionchin, would you take command of a expedition.”
All eyes in the room turned towards me.
“With the agreement of the Kšathra-Pāvan I will” I responded.
Armistice achieved and a future of unimaginable proportions opened before me.
