Chương 51: Negotiation II
Verlin had continued communicating with Zyl'thar and the other xylorings for the next couple of hours and learned their form of communication fairly quickly. In fact it had taken him about five minutes to get the language down, although there were some things he still couldn't understand as he didn't have the alternative word in the languages he understood. But most of the time was spent on learning to read the radiowaves.
Xylorings couldn't see radio waves so it took quite a bit longer to get it down. The process of interpreting the subtle modulations and frequencies into interpreted words was challeging giving the speed radiowaves travel, especially at such short distances, but his efforts were rewarded as he was starting to get the gist of it. But producing radiowaves itself proved a bit more challenging.
As the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon, casting a soft glow over the mothership, a Verlin-bot entered the holding area where Verlin and the Xylorings were. Verlin turned his attention to the bot.
"Verlin," Desna's voice came through the bot, " We have some Visitors."
Verlin wasn't suprised he had been expecting an arrival for some time now, " Is it the enhanced humans?" Verlin queried
"No. It's the humans." Desna replied.
Verlin eyebrows raised slightly, he had expected the enhanced humans to arrive before the humans but regardless he had still expected their arrival, " Which Federation?"
"All of them."
Verlin's eyebrows rose further in surprise. He used his X-ray vision to peer through the hull of the ship and saw the quite large entourage waiting outside.
"This is... unexpected," Verlin muttered, more to himself than to Desna or the Xylorings.
He spoke through the translator, " Zyl'thar, you'll have to excuse me for the moment. There are some matters I have to attend to. I would allow you to roam around but the environment outside the chamber isn't very suitable for your biology."
"We will wait here, Verlin. Thank you for your consideration." Zyl'thar responded, but this time Verlin didn't need the translator to understand.
Verlin nodded and turned to leave the holding area with the Verlin-bot following behind him. He made his way through the corridors of the mothership and out the exit of the mothership.
The newly created doors slid open with a soft hum, revealing the snowy terrain and the human convoy in the far distance, it seemed Desna had stopped them from coming any closer to the mothership, as they were several kilometers from the entrance of the mothership.
Verlin hovered above the ground, accelerating quickly across the snowy landscape. In a moment he stood suspended in the air in front of the human convoy. The delegates, despite their preparation, couldn't help but gasp at his sudden appearance.
Verlin scanned through the convoy, and the amount of people were unexpected. He roughly counted just under two hundred humans and a few enhanced humans mixed in with them. He also spotted a few familiar faces from the West Federation.
He hovered in the air, waiting patiently until one of the entourage stepped forward. Verlin observed the individual closely. Like many inhabitants of this Earth, she had a tall stature. She wore a thick, insulated winter jacket and pants designed for the harsh Arctic cold. Despite the cumbersome attire and challenging terrain, her movements, though slightly awkward, exuded a poised and determined demeanor. But he could tell from the effort she put in her movement, she was an ordinary human.
After reaching a respectful distance from where Verlin hovered, she spoke up, her voice clear and composed, "Greetings, my name is Elara Gold. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I take it you are the leader of your species that reside on Earth."
"Greetings, Elara Gold. I am Verlin. You may have mistaken, I am the only member of my species that has stepped foot on the planet." Verlin responded.
Elara had a confused look on her face, before Verlin clarified, " Those look alikes you saw where robots that were remotely controlled by a friend of mine."
Understanding dawned on Elara's face. "I see. Well, I am here as a representative of the humans of Earth."
"Representing all of humanity? That's alot of power for one person don't you think?" Verlin remarked.
Elara gave a slight smile. "It is a significant responsibility and I'm honored to uphold. Besides, that alot coming from a being like you."
Verlin raised an eyebrow in interest, " Oh, so you've heard about me."
"When the Federations came together for a meeting. The West Federation had told us quite a bit about you. From when you landed to the Phobos incident."
Verlin's curiosity was piqued. "You have more intel than I anticipated. So what is it that warranted you visiting this wasteland this early."
Elara paused to gather her thoughts before responding. "We came here for a few reasons. Our primary objective was to learn more about the invasion that occurred a few days ago and to determine if there is any ongoing threat to humanity."
Verlin's expression remained neutral. "If that's your concern, rest assured that the threat has been effectively neutralized."
" Could you please elaborate. " Elara asked, her voice calm but tinged with a hint of caution.
Seeing the slighly irritated expression on Verlin's face, Elara continued, " Please, Mr.Verlin, you have to understand. There was a war that was fought right above our heads. An invasion took place and even though the threat had been neutralized we were left in the dark about its details and the full scale of the threat."
Verlin considered Elara's words for a moment, his expression softening slightly as he recognized the validity of her concerns. He nodded, acknowledging her point.
He descended slowly until he was just above eye level of Elara. This gesture seemed to put the human convoy more at ease, as several of them visibly relaxed.
"The invasion was from a species known as the Coratians," Verlin began. "They control a significant portion of this region of the galaxy, and their main targets were me and the enhanced humans of Earth."
He continued, "Before you start pointing fingers, let me clarify something. The Coratians discovered Earth two decades before I arrived. They would have already conquered it if not for numerous factors, which I won't detail at the moment."
Elara's eyes widened at this revelation, a mixture of shock and disbelief evident on her face. The other delegates behind her exchanged worried glances, murmuring among themselves.
"Twenty years?" Elara asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "How is it possible that we never detected them?"
Verlin's expression remained impassive as he responded, "The Coratians are masters of stealth and subterfuge, able to evade even my eyes. Their technology far surpasses anything currently available on Earth. They've been observing your planet, studying your technological advancements, and tampering with them—all without detection."
After reviewing the records, Verlin realized that the Coratians were the ones who had provided the technological advancements to the Federations. Moreover, they were also responsible for crashing the airplane at him when he first arrived. Even the constant feelin of being watched, it was them behind all of it.
Elara's eyebrows furrowed as she processed this information. "You mentioned earlier they had been neutralized, am I right?"
Verlin nodded in response. "Yes, the immediate threat has been dealt with. And based on their track record, after a loss like that, they'd likely swerve around the solar system than risk another encounter with me."
"I see," Elara said, her tone softening. "On behalf of humanity, I want to thank you for your efforts in protecting Earth on numerous occasions." giving Verlin a deep bow.
"Don't be. I wasn't doing it for your sake." Verlin replied.
"Regardless, whether directly or Indirectly , the fact remains that your actions have greatly benefited humanity ." Elara responded as she straightened from her bow.
Verlin continued hovering and stared at her in silence for a few seconds before responding, " You're welcome."
He continued, "You said earlier that you were here for varous reasons. What are the others?"
"Right ," Elara began. ""Another reason for our visit is that the Federations have agreed we need to establish a more formal relationship with you. And organize communication for knowledge exchange and potentially future trades. " Elara explained.
Verlin nodded in understanding, " I understand the need to establish communication. But I honestly can't think of anything you could offer me that I couldn't create or obtain myself," Verlin stated matter-of-factly, his gaze fixed on Elara. "However, I'm curious about your perspective. What do you believe you could provide that would be of value to me?"
"Land. We'll give you Land. The entire arctic region and the resources it contains will be yours, as long as you are willing to share some of the knowlege from technology you obtained." Elara responded.
Elara stood awaiting Verlin's response, her mind racing. When they had briefed her about the alien she was meant to meet, she had been skeptical of their description. They told her Verlin looked nearly identical to a human, but she couldn't quite believe it until she saw him with her own eyes.
Now, as she gazed up at him, she marveled at how he appeared to be nothing more than a boy who had yet to reach adulthood. His youthful features belied the immense power and knowledge he clearly possessed. Despite his appearance, there was an unmistakable air of authority surrounding him, especially with the completely black armor that dawned his body, leaving only his head exposed.
Elara couldn't help but feel that Verlin's attitude was almost condescending, though she wasn't sure if it was intentional. It didn't show on his face – his expression remained impassive – but she could sense that he looked down on them. It wasn't just his literal position above them; she felt he looked down on them figuratively as well.
As she studied him more closely, Elara began to question whether this was truly his real appearance. He had a nose, yet she had not seen him take a single breath since their encounter began. He had eyelids, but they remained eerily still – not once had she seen him blink. It was as if he were merely mimicking human appearance, an uncanny simulation that was just slightly off.
A small smile played on Verlin's lips, giving the impression he had heard an amusing joke. His next words reinforced this notion: "Are you joking?"
Before Elara could respond, he continued, "Listen, Mrs. Gold. If I wanted land and resources, I would go to Venus or Mars where there are such in abundance. Considering the war the Federations partook in amongst each other, I don't believe you truly expect me to provide you with technology that will allow you to level entire cities."
Elara tried to explain "Mr.Verlin. The Federations have resolved to end the ongoing war and aim to work together in future endeavors."
Verlin shook his head, he knew that the only for humans to actually put their differences aside was when faced with something even bigger than themselves. Once they witness danger that can threaten their entire existense, thats when they can genuinely come together.
But merely working together won't be enough. Too many lives have been lost for it to end so simply. The so-called Great Unity they sought must be achieved, else everything that has happened—everything he allowed to happen—will have been for nothing.
Verlin spoke, "Tell this to your superiors, Elara Gold : If the entire human civilization and the four federations can unite under one flag within ten years, then and only then will I consider sharing some of my technology with you."
As Verlin's words hung in the air, Elara's face tightened with concern. She glanced back at the convoy, where the delegates were exchanging uneasy looks. Elara took a deep breath, her gaze returning to Verlin. " Understood, Mr.Verlin. I'll make sure the deliver the message back to the Federations. We greatly appreciate your time."
Verlin nodded and headed back to the mothership as Elara and her team made their way back to their convoy.
As flew back to the mothership, Verlin couldn't help but feel like he was babysitting; the situation wasn't much different from stopping children from fighting and then offering them a cookie if they successfully worked together.
He knew he had been harsh, but his impression of the humans wasn't the best. He doubted their ability to unite completely, but he was sure they would at least try. His plan was to leave soon and likely return in a few years. Whether they could achieve unity or not, only time would tell.
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