“We don’t want to fight anyone!” FM said. “We’re here on a mission of peace. Our people have also been oppressed by the Superiority, and—”
A chortling sound came from the kitsen. Stars, were they laughing?
“You call it oppression?” Goro said. “When you leveled the great city of Defies the Void with Mighty Heart and Endless Perseverance, that was oppression! When you burned the forest of Rain Falls from Clear Skies, that was oppression! When you—”
“That’s enough,” Kauri said. “They get the point.”
“When it happened to you,” Goro added with a menacing growl, “it was justice.”
“Our people weren’t even involved in the last human war,” I said. “We were a traveling fleet of ships. It was only when the war was over that we were captured and contained by the Superiority. Also, that was a century ago, and—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Goro said. “All humans are the same.” He pointed at Kauri. “You returned from Starsight spouting ideals of democracy and claiming we could make decisions together without our esteemed One Who Was Not King! But then you skirt the will of the senate, and seek to ally yourself with the enemies of the Den of Everlasting—”
“You’re right!” Kauri shouted. “You’re right. We should have had a vote about it first. But you have marched your clan in here and challenged the humans to a fight without bringing your grievance before the senate, even though your clan’s representatives agreed that they would abide by senate decisions.”
Goro looked somewhat disgruntled at this point. “This is correct. But the invaders must be stopped immediately, so there is no time for—”
“We’re not invading!” FM reminded them.
“Right,” Kauri said. “There is still time to consult the senate and see if they are willing to hear the human offer of peace, or if they would prefer that your clan be permitted to prove them in trial by combat.”
Kauri seemed to find this as ridiculous as I did, so maybe it wasn’t a kitsen thing so much as a Goro thing. Kauri’s ship, after all, had only an average number of destructors.
“I didn’t agree to any trial,” I said. “By combat or otherwise.”
“Hush,” FM said. “She said they’re going to vote on it. We could at least wait to see how the vote turns out.”
Given the disaster that had resulted from the DDF trying to work with our own assembly, I wasn’t eager to meet with another group of politicians. But we were looking for alliances, so we’d have to work within the kitsen governmental framework at any rate.
“Fine,” I said.
“Very well,” Goro said. “First we will prepare a feast, and all may partake. Then, after the vote of the senate, we will see who is right.”
“A feast?” FM said to the kitsen at my feet. “That’s good, right? Unless they mean to poison us—”
Goro’s disk shot to the side, and he glared at FM. “Never would my clan participate in something so dishonorable!” he shouted. “Before you die, you will be staring down the glinting metal of my champion’s blade!”
“Um,” FM said. Even she was starting to look unnerved.
With that final outburst, Goro and his people marched back to their ship, their power armor leaving rows of tiny footprints in the sand. Kauri hunched a bit, clutching her hands together like she was trying very hard not to tell Goro exactly what she thought of him.
“The feast is not a good thing,” Cuna said. “Their tradition is to dine first with those they wish to fight to the death. Over the meal, each will try to determine the weakness of the other. They consider it…honorable.”
I didn’t like the implications of that. “We’re not going to fight them—”
“Hopefully you won’t have to,” Kauri said. She flew her platform over while Goro and his people piled into their miniature battleship. “I think the senate will see reason.”
“I’d like to see Cobb,” I said. “And Gran-Gran. The humans you found.”
“I can arrange that,” Kauri said. “If you will follow the Swims Upstream, we will take you to see your people.”
“Thank you,” I said. Hana raised her fist to us, and Kauri and her people traveled across the sands again to their ship.
“That was surreal,” FM said.
I nodded. “Not the welcome I expected to receive.”