The Radiant War

Chapter 33b

     “This is what they stole from us!” he snarled, glaring at the Radiant that was lowering itself in through the hole in the ceiling. “They say we walked on the moon! Who knows what we might have accomplished if they hadn't... Hadn't done what they did!”

     “The Radiant says that your civilisation was doomed to destroy itself,” said Daniel. “They were consuming non renewable resources at an ever increasing rate. Polluting the planet with the waste products of their industries. Building ever more powerful weapons; weapons of such violence that all life in the world was threatened. Either by war or social collapse, their civilisation would certainly have ended by now.”

     “They don't know that! They're lying to justify their crimes!”

     “It says they have no reason to lie. It also says that you should be grateful for their intervention, that you are only alive because of it.”

     “It says what?” His hand flew to the pistol at his belt, but the Brigadier’s hand lashed out to grasp his wrist and hold it tight. “We're only here to talk,” he said in a soft voice. “Just talk.”

     “The Radiants estimate that there are several thousand Hetin folk still living among normal humans,” Daniel continued. “If they had not intervened, though, the Hetin folk would undoubtedly be completely extinct by now. You owe your continued existence to their...”

     “That's a lie!”

     “Mister Shanks,” said the Brigadier, “I have warned you before. If you cannot control yourself, I shall have to ask you to leave.”

     “You don't know what it’s like! To see all this...” He waved his hand around at the artefacts surrounding them. “To see all this evidence of what we once were...”

     “It was clearly a mistake to come here,” said Daniel. “If we'd had more advance warning, another venue could have been found...”

     “No, this will be fine,” said the Brigadier. “Mister Shanks, although his anger is quite justified and understandable, will hold himself in restraint. Isn't that right, Mister Shanks?”

     He gave the scientist a warning glare until the other man nodded reluctantly. He took his hand away from his pistol, but continued to glare at the Radiant as if he could kill it by willpower alone. The Brigadier looked around at the assembled diplomats, who had all seated themselves in the chairs provided and were arranging papers on the desks in front of them; desks of all different sizes and designs as if their hosts had had to search around at short notice for any item of furniture that might serve the function.

     Another adoptee, a young woman with long hair tied back in a ponytail, was moving from desk to desk, placing a pitcher of water and a small glass on each one. “Food will be served at around midday,” she said with a bright smile, but the Brigadier frowned. Did they think their fury would be averted with a few sandwiches and glasses of wine? He was relieved to see similar frowns on the faces of the diplomats, though. These are all professional negotiators, he reminded himself. They know their jobs. I must trust them to do it.

     Since the only negotiating any of the delegates had ever done had been with other humans, they decided to proceed as if the Radiants were merely another human nation. The diplomats took turns to introduce themselves, therefore, naming themselves and the country they represented, and then they waited for the Radiant to do the same. After a few moments had gone by without the creature replying, though, the Brigadier, who had decided to play the part of neutral invigilator, cleared his throat softly. “Traditionally, this is where your master introduces himself,” he said to Daniel.