One of the Officers escorted the last group of leaders from Folkar into the room where we were waiting. I went forward to greet them. One of the older men stopped as he saw me. "Surely you are not the Captain..."
The Officer sent an unimpressed look at him for his rude exclamation of disbelief. I leveled a stern look at the visiting leader. "I am the Captain of the Starsong."
He shook his head, not in disagreement, but in refusal to accept that fact. "There is no way that someone so young was made a Captain."
And right on cue, here was our troublemaker... My voice was icy calm as I replied, "Anyone on board will tell you that I am the Captain. Do you have a problem with my age?"
He promptly turned around and began to walk out. "I refuse to even entertain the idea of considering an official political document that was overseen by someone who is the age of my granddaughter."
The airlock door in front of him slammed down with unusual speed, which was a sign to the Officer and me that Starsong himself was not about to let this man simply walk out. These people didn't have the faintest clue about who was really in charge and probably thought that one of us had done it.
Starsong quietly gave me some tips, and I decided to use my charm to club this man upside the head to knock some sense into him. Cynthia had previously proven that blackmail was still common and most effective. I was willing to stoop to that level if need be.
I walked towards him with an unimpressed expression. "Tomas Finch. You were elected by the people two and half years ago. The next election is coming up in a year and a half, but I am very sure if the people were aware of some of your past actions, that you will not last in office that long."
He rounded on me, furious that I was forcing him to remain in this room. "You have no right to hold me hostage here. My time in office has seen the poverty level drop and the average income rise."
I came to a stop in front of him. "I am aware of that. I am also aware that your assistants created most of those plans for you. For that matter, I am also quite aware of what you did to cause the poverty level to drop. Does the Cleansing Project ring any bells?"
My voice had been quiet and deadly soft as I spoke the last sentence, too quiet for the others to hear. All color drained from his face as I mentioned the undercover event that none of the other leaders were aware of. He had hired some off-world people to quietly round up and forcefully take any homeless people they could find to a different star system before dumping them once more into the streets there.
He simply stared at me, completely dumbfounded as to how I could have possibly uncovered that rather incriminating piece of knowledge. I could also see the hints of fear in his eyes as to what my discovery was going to mean. Considering some of the other leaders from Folkar were watching us, they were undoubtedly going to be asking questions about his odd behavior when they got back to their planet.
I blandly gestured towards the table. "Please have a seat. The representatives came up with a beautiful proposal that will benefit both planets. Hear them out, and then you can ask any questions you may have."
He stared at me blankly for a few more moments before sullenly walking over to sit in one of the open seats. His world was very likely unraveling right before his eyes, and he knew full well the weight of the blackmail I was holding over his head. His cooperation meant I wouldn't say anything more on the matter, but if he caused problems, then I would likely spread the information far and wide.
The others were looking on in confusion. Most hadn't heard my quiet words and were stumped as to how I suddenly had this man's complete cooperation. They would have been watching his facial expression and were likely assuming that I had issued some sort of ultimatum or threat.
I walked towards the table, and the others all quickly took their seats. I addressed everyone, "Thank you all for coming. Both planets approached me to act as a mediator between your chosen representatives, and I am pleased to let you know that they have come up with a proposal." I nodded to the six representatives who were standing in front of the table and said, "If you could please explain the proposal?"
Technically, I had steered the negotiations, but giving credit to the representatives, as well as emphasizing that these were the people they had personally chosen, would make the leaders more willing to accept it without trying to change things.
I watched the six take turns speaking as if they were all good friends now. I kept my expression attentive, as if this was the first time I was hearing it. All of the leaders were closely listening to the various agreements, what each planet would be doing, and how it would help both planets.
It took a solid hour, as several leaders asked questions, debated, and made a few tweaks, but the agreement was eventually signed. I felt like sighing in relief now that the torturous marathon of being patient was over. The troublesome man hadn't said a single word and had signed his name without comment.
An Officer entered the room with a small cart full of numerous appetizers along with some fancy wines and liquor spirits. Apparently, someone had decided to hold a small party to celebrate the feat. 'I assume you were behind this?'
"Yes. Although the cook had already started before I expanded his list somewhat."
The alcohol being served was the really expensive stuff that these men had likely only had once or twice in their lifetime. I hadn't even been aware that we had stuff this fancy on the ship. The six representatives were already testing out some of the new appetizers that had appeared. If they were half as good as the earlier ones, then I knew the leaders would be impressed.
It was rather interesting to watch the two groups slowly mingle. I circulated through the small crowd as well, speaking with those who wanted to talk. Some had been reluctant to sign the agreement since it wasn't more beneficial to them than to the other planet, but they were wise enough to remain silent. All were enjoying the drink and food, including myself.
I sampled a different appetizer and found it to be as delicious as the rest had been. There was no way I was going to drink more than one glass of whatever distilled spirit I had taken. One taste told me that this smooth drink packed one hell of a punch, and I didn't want to end up with a splitting headache.
Normally, strong alcohol had a bite to it, but the really expensive stuff easily slid down the throat. I was doing a lot of nibbling in hopes of cushioning the alcohol. Why did they have to use such big glasses? There was a lot of liquid in there...
The rather potent drinks were having a much more noticeable effect on the others and several were already slightly drunk. Talk and laughter were coming more readily and it was progressively getting louder as more of the alcoholic drinks disappeared. It was a very good thing that their shuttles had auto-pilot; otherwise, they wouldn't have been fit to fly at this point.
It seemed to take far too long for the appetizers to disappear and the impromptu party to settle down. I decided to end things while everyone could still stand and addressed the crowd, "Congratulations to both Folkar and Jarco for this ground-breaking negotiation! I look forward to seeing how well it is implemented the next time I pass through this area. I know that others on your planet are eager to hear the outcome. Please allow me to escort you to your shuttles."
It was a subtle reminder that I would be back if they decided to ignore the agreement. I guided the somewhat staggering group to the Cargo Bays that held their shuttles. Some people were steady on their feet, but they were a minority. It surprised me that they had gotten so drunk at an event like this. Admittedly, most of my experience with alcohol had been earned the hard way...
The people crowded into the shuttles they had come in on, and once they were all inside, the Cargo Bay Overseer sealed the doors leading to those rooms. He opened up the exterior loading bay doors to allow the shuttles to exit the loading bays.
The auto-pilot took the shuttles outside so we could close the outside doors and re-pressurize the rooms to make them safe for humans once more. The Cargo Bay Overseer finished that task and headed down the corridor now that his duties were done.
The Officer who had been ferrying the food waited patiently nearby. He inquired, "Do you need anything else?"
I sighed in relief now that we no longer had to play the generous host. "Thank you for offering, but no. I do appreciate all of your assistance though."
"I think you had the more interesting position. You couldn't have paid me enough to sit through all that."
No one else was around, so I made a bit of a face. "That is definitely not on the list of things I want to do again. By the way, where on earth did you find those drinks? I have had some pretty strong drinks in my time at university, but the glass I picked up had to have at least a sixty percent alcohol content."
He smirked faintly. "The cook let me raid the stash that is reserved for the Bridge crew. We intentionally picked out the ones that were at least seventy percent."
I shook my head in faint disbelief. "No wonder it affected them so fast."
He tilted his head slightly before carefully remarking, "If I may venture the comment, I don't think they were the only ones who were affected."
"Oh, no worries there, I can definitely tell that I had a glass. I plan to pass through the dining hall, thank the cook if he is still there, and then grab something from the side table to take to my quarters." I had finished my glass slowly, so the effects had been delayed, but I was starting to feel them.
He smiled sympathetically. "Have a good evening then."
My whole day had disappeared while babysitting the negotiating group... "You too."
He walked with me as far as the elevator before heading a different way. I made a quick stop on level five, but the extremely helpful cooking Overseer had finished his shift and was elsewhere on the ship. I grabbed a sandwich and a bowl of diced fruit from the side table before heading to level two.
It was just after the normal time for the evening meal so very few people were still present, but I had no desire for my crew to see their Captain slightly intoxicated. That had not been a small glass, and with that high of an alcohol content, it was going to hit at some point.
"I don't like how it is starting to slur your thoughts. I didn't realize just how much alcohol affected the human mind. Your thoughts are not following the same routes they normally do."
I entered my room and stretched out on the couch in my sitting room as I started unwrapping the sandwich. I replied, "The scary part is that some people like this loose feeling. Sometimes I don't mind it, but normally I don't like how I am not in full control. Imagine how those other people are feeling right about now."
I took a bite of the sandwich as I thought back to the couple of times I had gotten really drunk. It had only taken two such occasions before I chose my partying groups much more carefully. Some idiots didn't stop until they couldn't stand up, and some idiots hadn't known their limits yet. I had fallen into the second category a few times...
"I am quite glad that you don't have any desire to repeat those occasions. I can see the events you are remembering, and I do not see how anyone could consider that fun, nor why they would ever want to repeat it."
I shrugged before taking a big drink of water. "Young and foolish. Most learned, although some didn't. Mind using the speakers? Your voice is starting to echo in a rather unpleasant fashion in my head."
He obliged, and his voice came from somewhere overhead. "I noticed that. A rather unanticipated side-effect due to how alcohol messes with the brain's signals."
His voice was quieter than normal, which I appreciated since normal volume was also beginning to sound louder than it should. There was no way I was stepping foot outside of my quarters until the morning for anything short of an emergency. On occasion, I didn't mind the slight relaxing feeling that a small amount of alcohol provided, but this round had completely skipped that step as it fast-tracked towards the side-effects that I wasn't so fond of.
"Next time they serve such high test stuff, mind giving me a warning? I have a feeling that this food and water aren't going to completely prevent a hangover..."
"Yes, I will. I did not expect it to affect you so much."
I yawned before replying, "I seem to recall trying distilled beverages a few times with similar results. Had it been some sort of beer or wine, then it wouldn't have had quite such a noticeable effect on me."
He didn't respond, although he did start playing some soft instrumental music in the background as I finished my delayed meal. I relaxed on the couch and eventually dozed off.