Two #3
He leaned slightly to stay with the shuttle’s center of gravity as it banked and approached the old station. He could faintly hear the pilots speaking to whoever was guiding them in. Through the front view screen he saw the dark hole that marked the entrance to the hangar.
The shuttle leveled out as they made their approach and everyone inside fell quiet. A shimmer went up and over the view screen as they passed the force field. He scanned the deck for threats. His cybernetic hand clenched and flexed repeatedly as his eyes darted around the space.
He knew the threat was there. He just couldn’t see it yet.
A metallic ting announced their landing. Almost immediately, the ramp opened behind him. He’d positioned himself there on purpose. He would be the first in line for any direct attack, and the first to get a clear view of the space.
The currently empty space. Renjik expected at least a small welcoming party. Had the Scozid shown up at all? His boots echoed on the ramp, the sound becoming shallower as he stepped onto the deck. He could hear the delegation moving around the shuttle’s cabin behind him.
At least the space was uncluttered and relatively clean. There was a walkway near the ceiling that would be a good vantage point for a sniper, but they wouldn’t be well concealed with the grated floor. A loading machine sat idle at one end, and a small door was opposite.
He grunted as one of the delegates pushed past him.
“Well, where are they?”
Renjik couldn’t remember the female’s name, but she had been similarly blunt during the entire journey.
The rest of the delegation filed out, murmuring as they clustered near the end of the ramp.
Willow remained seated. Renjik wondered if she intended to leave the shuttle at all. Frankly, he’d prefer she didn’t.
After several minutes, the door at the opposite end of the hangar opened and ten Scozid filed out in a line.
The first wore a sash of some sort with gold embellishments.
It clearly stated that this one was in charge.
Renjik dismissed it and scanned the rest. None had visible weapons, but that didn’t mean they weren’t armed.
The third from the back caught his eye. It held itself differently. Its movements fluid, exposing the grace of a fighter. Curious. Scozid usually relied on firepower rather than prowess to win a fight.
Willow appeared at his elbow. “Quite the gathering, huh?”
“Quite.”
She took a hesitant step forward. Then a deep breath later, she walked confidently to the middle of the space between their party and ours.
The lead Scozid raised as high as he could on the tips of his tentacles which made locomotion difficult and ungainly. It was awkward to watch it make its way to where Willow stood patiently waiting. The rest of the delegation shifted around him.
They didn’t seem likely to leave the shadow of the shuttle anytime soon, and he didn’t like being so far from Willow. Before he knew what he was doing, he crossed the space to stand slightly behind her and to the side.
She was reciting a series of words in a cadence that was strange to his ears. Some words were spoken in rapid succession, others with long pauses between. When she finished, she tilted her head in acknowledgment. The Scozid bobbed its body once and then spoke with the same weird cadence.
The exchange continued for several minutes. The words sounded harmless, but Willow’d taught him the cadence wasn’t. The central conversation came to a halt as both groups spread out to eye each other with suspicion.
Willow looked up and down the line of both parties, rubbed the back of her neck while rolling it to one side, and then spoke again.
“We are here to negotiate peace between our two governments.” She put her hand to her chest. “I am Willow, and these are my fellow delegates from the Denchui Alliance.”
The Qirsi delegate snorted. He swore one of the Scozid spit. Not a great beginning.
The Scozid leader snapped and clacked and Renjik’s translator did its job.
“I am Eegen. I represent the Scozid.”
No mention of the nine others. Clearly in Eegen’s mind, they didn’t matter.
The Lilqear delegate stepped forward and drew the draft peace treaty from a bag. “Shall we go over the changes to terms we have made?”
Willow’s muscles locked, but she didn’t move. Eegen cut their eyes to the delegate, then down to the stack of paper, then back to Willow.
“If you are ready, Eegen.” She didn’t back down, didn’t soften her tone, but Willow cleanly threw the ball into their court.
Eegen lowered himself so he rested on his bottommost two suckers instead of one. He lifted one tentacle and waved it toward the door they’d entered through. “We’ve prepared a space for us to sit.”
The other Scozid moved in that direction. The delegates began to follow. Willow didn’t twitch a muscle. She called after the retreating Scozid. “That won’t be necessary. We are comfortable discussing the treaty here.”
Every other figure in the room turned to stare at her. Eegen’s eyes narrowed. Renjik scanned the other Scozid, and they’d all taken an alert stance. All of them shifted to readiness at once.
Like fighters whose opening move was blocked. Something happened. Willow saw it.
Renjik saw the reaction.