“This is called a tree.” The Ambassador spoke, pressing another button on the table’s screen, which caused more images of this unknown thing to appear. “Let me ask all of you a simple question: for how long have you known how to work with iron?”
The interpreter’s ear twitched, glancing at Nila as she spoke before turning to the Matriarch. “< That is called… > ‘Tree’.” He huffed and gestured toward the screen before continuing. “< She has asked how long our kin has known the art of molding iron. >”
The twins and Telth all glance at each other, searching for an answer, before their eyes finally land on the Matriarch. Meanwhile, she closed hers, humming as she thought.
“< I… do not know. >” She replies briefly, with Skavit turning to the human and shaking his head.
“Well, we assume your kind has been stuck in this Iron Age for at least eight hundred years, and there’s a reason for that.” Nila continued, taking a single paper among many that she laid on the side of her section of the table. “One thing that has enabled my people’s rapid development is a very special material we have yet to find anywhere else in the universe. And it’s called Wood.”
Skavit’s eyes widened, the revelation striking something deep in his mind as he curiously listened, waiting for her to continue, until finally realizing that he was supposed to be translating.
“< Our kind has been held back for hundreds of years. >” He quickly blurts out, glancing between the human and the Royals in his excitement. “< Hymans developed quickly because they had a material that is only found in their realm. > wood.” Skavit let out while fumbling the pronunciation of “wood” at the end. The human had to hold back a giggle, but she’d be quick to recompose herself.
The two white assistants shifted on their seats, ears twitching excitedly with curiosity. Zirath and Telth, however, kept their composure.
“Wood is a very special thing, you see. It grows from the ground as a tree, like some of the large herbs in your forests, but it’s almost rock solid and very sturdy.” Nila explains that as the images on the wall change, showing metal beasts cutting down those so-called trees, others of men using it to fuel a fire, and a few in some sort of construction. “Again, it’s what allowed humanity to advance so quickly; we used it as fuel for fire, building materials, to make tools, and many, many things.” She adds, making a brief pause.
The Royals seemed curious, but Skavit was absolutely livid as all that info sank into his mind. A material as hard as a rock that grew up like a plant! How was that even possible?!
“Wood < is grown from a > tree, < a material that grows like a crop! >” The rodent explains, chirping and almost trampling over his own words in the process. “< It’s used as fuel to burn, to construct, and craft. >”
It took a couple of seconds for the Royals to let that sink in, but once it did, the atmosphere swiftly changed. The twins were almost jumping in their seats, writing notes while the Matriarch seemed skeptical, yet undeniably curious. She’d take a glance at Telth, who seemed to have the same opinion regarding that with the way his whiskers twitched.
“< Is such a thing real? How can something that burns so easily be used to build? >” Telth asks after taking another glance at Zirtha, his right ear twitching with a chunk of it missing and scarred.
The interpreter quickly turned to the human, these questions resounding in his mind with curiosity. “They asked how something that catches fire can be a material to craft and make homes. They don’t believe in it.”
The ambassador smirks, looking back at the rodents. “How can you not believe it? Your kind has been using something made of wood. I reckon the Marines just handed those over without explaining much, right?” She asks, taking a paper from the many in a pile on her side of the table before hanging it up in the air and gesturing towards it.
Skavit’s eyes briefly widened in surprise, caught off-guard since even he used it himself fairly recently.
“Paper < is made of wood. >” The brown rodent bluntly replied. It was truly a miracle material since for hundreds of years his kind scribbled over rocks with paint or chiseled words on them. They also used animal skin, but it wasn’t as reliable as the good old stone.
The two assistants would stare down at their notepads, amazed, and the one beside Zirtha even took a moment to reach down for a page and feel its texture against the pads of her fingers. The Royals seemed convinced, excited even, but the Matriarch remained composed and silent, merely waiting.
“And this is just the first part of our development plan, a simple thing to assist in our efforts that will benefit both sides,” Nila goes on, brushing off the importance of wood as she shifts to the next subject. The images changed with another button press, concrete monoliths and structures of metal took over the screen, incomprehensible buildings with unknown purposes… Well, at least Skavit could tell that one of them seemed to be related to dams since there was water leaking from it. “We’ll upscale things, push your kind into a modern era, and be almost ready to rise towards the stars. Your kind will never have to worry about food or water to drink.”
The brown rodent’s eyes stared in wonder at the human, before glancing back towards the pictures over the screen on the wall. The stars… something that he’s been longing for since the Angels came down from the skies.
“< The Hymans want to help us have our kind ready to fly above the skies. No more thirst and hunger. >” He translated, his tail now swaying from side to side while his pointy ears stood high on end, but no longer with stress or tension.
The twins were excited. Telth? Didn’t quite seem to have much of a grumpy face anymore, but the Matriarch…
“< But what is the cost of all of this? >” She asked, her voice immediately making the room go silent, the other three Royals taking a moment to think about it.
Skavit’s guts sank; that was indeed quite a good question.
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Reluctantly, he turned to the human.
“What is the price my kind shall pay for this?” The interpreter asked, looking at the human.
Nila’s smile briefly faltered, her eyes momentarily closing as she considered her next words. “Your world is very valuable.” She let out, in a more serious tone that made Skavit’s guts curl, before a smirk appeared on her face. “But it’s not the only reason we are here. Besides, it is not up to you to make that decision, Matriarch.”
The interpreter stood there, stuck in a trance for a few seconds before he got ready to speak. Then, Nila raised a finger, telling him to wait.
“When we stumbled upon your kind, we merely wished to… observe,” Nila spoke, closing her eyes for a moment while leaning forward, forearms resting against the table. “We wished to learn and watch over your kind and protect you from beyond, but… Our enemies aren’t the kind to respect such an approach.”
Finally, the human woman glanced at Skavit, giving a quick nod for him, letting the rodent do his job.
“< The Hymans wanted to watch from the skies, protect us. >” He translated, squeaks and chirps echoing while his ears dropped a little. “< Their enemies don’t… respect that? >”
“They are slavers, brutal conquerors who won’t distinguish a warrior from a common person.” The ambassador added that dreadful tone coming back to her words while the smirk faded. “Our enemies would rather just kill most of your kind and enslave the rest before taking the planet for themselves.”
“< T-Their enemies are savages who don’t respect the honor of a warrior. >” Skavit squeaked reluctantly, faltering in his words before taking a deep breath to recompose. “< They’ll kill and force us to work, conquer not only our realm, but all of our kind. >”
The Matriarch, despite the speech, remained composed, whiskers idly twitching as she kept her hands over her lap. The Patriarch kept himself mostly composed too, only shifting uncomfortably in his seat with the topic, while the twins’s excitement was completely gone.
“But how would we protect and preserve your… fascinating kind?” The ambassador questioned, leaning back against the seat as her right foot gently pushed against the floor to make the seat slowly sway from side to side. “We do not wish such a fate upon your kind; the only solution is to take a more direct approach…”
The human gets quiet for a moment, allowing the before letting out a small sigh, resting her elbow against the arm of her chair, before letting her cheek rest against her knuckles.
“Of course, this will be quite expensive, so we might as well make it worth the investment.” The brunette bluntly adds, once again shifting on her seat and straightening up. “We’ll unify the Clans under one banner before having this new nation join the UNE. It’s quite a long-term investment, but we’re willing to try it.”
Skavit is at a loss for words for a moment, his ears lifting way up high in their excitement. His whiskers would twitch at a rapid rate, heart beating hard against his chest. This was it: the prophecy and stories he’d heard since he was a youngling. The humans truly were the Angelic warriors promised hundreds of years ago.
“< Th-They wish to unite the Clans!! >” he blared while quickly turning to the Royals, all eyes going wide at his words, even the Matriarch herself. “< They want to unite the clans under one banner and have us join theirs!!! >”
The true weight of his words slowly sank in; the Royals would glance at each other until finally squeaks and chirps would gradually grow louder. Then, everything would go silent as Zirtha slowly raised her hand, stopping things from going out of control.
She’d softly hum, her tail taking on a slow sway while her whiskers twitched. “< Such a priceless offering… >” the Matriarch chirped, staring into the distance in deep thought. “< But who shall rule the Clans? >.”
“They’re asking who will lead the Clans,” Skavit quickly asked, turning to the human and not wasting a single second, making the woman lean back a bit on her seat from his enthusiasm.
“It’ll be a slow process,” Nila began, letting out a small sigh as she recomposed herself. “We’ll contact the other Royal Clans. My kind will manage and oversee an alliance between them. After that’s established, the idea is to make a council. Your kind will vote amongst yourselves under our supervision who will lead.”
Skavit nodded and pivoted to the Matriarch, translating the message with little interpretation being needed. She’d slowly nod, her ears twitching against the sides of her head.
Now it was clear as day, Zirtha was that excited at the prospect of helping bring an end to this age of death and wars. In truth, who wouldn’t? Skavit felt like he could explode into a million pieces, like one of those grenades he practiced with. It was a miracle.
The Grand Matriarch remained silent, her hands grasping each other tightly over her lap to keep herself more composed. “< We accept your offer. >” The words flowed sweetly out of her mouth.
“She accepts it!” Skavit told the human, his excitement unmeasurable, small chirps echoing out, the sound being so high-pitched that the Ambassador wasn’t even able to hear, while the other rodents clearly noticed it. They didn’t judge, especially the twins, since they were also letting out those high-pitched chirps.
“Great,” Nila spoke, turning her attention to the Matriarch, leaning against the table. “I’ll end this meeting here for now, both to give you some proper time to think and to make this deal. I’ll need a couple more people present for the details of it. My job here today was to make you and your people more aware of our intentions.”
The interpreter gets to work, taking a small breath to recompose himself before explaining the situation to the Matriarch. Their bodies would visibly show less excitement, disappointed that the decision wouldn’t be immediate. But regardless, they seemed satisfied enough.
“< It was a blessing to meet you, Monarch Mila. >” The Matriarch squeaks, giving her a cordial bow before getting out of her seat. The other rodents quickly followed behind, heading towards the door, whispers already echoing. “
The human smiled, letting out a soft sigh. Then, her hazel eyes widened abruptly. “Oh! Wait! I have a question.” She spoke, leaning forward in her seat.
All heads turned to Nila, with Skavit tilting his head to the side at her, waiting. She’d cough, straightening her posture before continuing.
“You’re already aware of this, but tomorrow we’ll contact your… neighbors.” The Ambassador carefully picked her words, knowing the sensitive nature of the topic. “I know it’s hard to let go of grievances, but we’d like you to set them aside for now.”
Skavit blinked, staring at her for a few seconds before turning to the Grand Matriarch. “ < She’s asking us to forget about the Yeth Clan. >”
“< Ah… the Yeth Clan… we hold nothing against them. >” Zirtha softly hums, glancing at Telth. “< Their new matriarch may be young, but she is wise. In a time when her Clan wished for war, she chose peace after her mother’s death. >”
Skavit nodded and looked back at the Ambassador, summarizing what the Grand Matriarch said with soft whispers. Nila simply nodded before gesturing towards the door.
With that, the rodents quickly opened the door, their hisses and chirps echoing until it finally closed behind them. Skavit would stand there, going through an emotional roller-coaster of his own until finally he felt a small tap on his shoulder.
“Okay, now, what the hell was that at the end of this meeting?” Nila asked, furrowing her brows as she stared down at the brown rodent with some concern.
The interpreter blinked, at this point completely forgetting about that embarrassing situation at the start of all of this. He’d let out a small sigh, using his tail to push against the floor and spin his chair to face her.
“Did the Marines not tell? Things like these are dealt with by females.” He bluntly explained, annoyed and with a tinge of anger, regarding the ambassador. Meanwhile, the human blinked, genuinely confused. “Please, next time, accept the second interpreter. May I leave?”
“Oh! Right! I’m sorry for that, Skavit. My most sincere apologies. And yes, you may… leave.” The Ambassador replied, turning away from him and grabbing some papers, suddenly really busy as she looked over them while clearly looking embarrassed.
Finally, Skavit hops off his seat and walks towards the door, knocking and waiting for it to open before finally stepping out. Now that things were calmer, he could think and… he simply couldn’t wait for the future.