starting to understand the Senator’s lack of confidence in the fellow.
Chapter 5
To say Ambassador Nocker didn’t look a day over two hundred would be a polite lie, Brett decided. There was something creepy about the way he moved, without the normal pauses in the natural rhythm of movement, and with brief hesitations where none should be. His assistant, Ames, seemed normal enough, and didn’t appear to find anything uncomfortable about the proximity. All four of them wore suits and ties, an ancient fashion of formal dress which created a touchstone between cultures evolved separately for thousands of years since leaving Old Earth. Only the waiter who helped Nocker seat himself was dressed Oceanian style. His suit was blue and white, and had curves instead of lines and corners.
Brett and Williams stood until their hosts seated themselves. The four of them sat on a balcony, which offered a view of both the city of Landfall and the white sandy beach adjacent to it. The noise of the sea was audible when the conversation paused. A thin screen enclosed them, although there were no insects visible.
From a distance, only the height of the buildings pointed to a technological civilization. Their coloration contrived to blend in with the sea and sand and sky. Much of the traffic in the streets consisted of pedestrians – the transportation network lay underground. Brett had never seen an advanced city with a more rural appearance.
Oceanians did well by their guests. The four of them had the balcony to themselves. There was certainly something alluring about the planet, despite what dwelt at its heart. Ambassador Nocker ordered red wine. His younger companion ordered the juice of an unfamiliar berry whose name Brett didn’t quite catch. Williams had coffee. Brett asked for a beer, since nobody else had ordered food. It was too early for dinner, but it seemed a shame to reserve this spot just to sit around and talk.
The man across the table from him spoke. “Ambassador Williams and Major Johnson, it is a pleasure to meet you. I’m Cory Ames. Allow me to introduce you to my boss, Ambassador Nocker. Given the immediacy of our mutual … problems, and the time lost by the replacement of your predecessors, I’m sure we can quickly develop a working relationship.”
Brett thought ‘quickly’ sounded promising, but there wasn’t too much time to be spent on relationship developing. Cory was a little overenthusiastic, but likable anyway. The young man was of average height, only slightly overweight but with a build that spoke of soft living – physically anyhow. He had wavy brown hair, an expressive face, and a ready smile.
Brett swallowed beer out of a frosted mug. The underlying nutty flavor was new to him. He wasn’t sure what to call it next time he wanted some, but this didn’t seem the moment to ask.
The silence stretched, long enough for Brett to wonder if he was the one expected to respond. Then Ambassador Williams replied, “I’m happy we could arrange this informal meeting, and I have strong hopes it will be more productive than the larger and more formal ones between our two governments earlier. Perhaps we can start with those immigrants to Oceania who now wish to return home? And I very much hope success there will lead to a broad reduction of tensions. The very foundation of the Federalist system is a belief in the possibility of mutual cooperation between very different cultures.”
Nobody laughed out loud, so apparently this display of windbaggery wasn’t extraordinary for a diplomat. Could the problem be as simple as that?
A white beard concealed most of Nocker’s face. What lay hidden beneath? Although they had been told the overmind neither controlled nor wished to control the government of Oceania, it certainly had hidden desires and capabilities. If they were negotiating with an inhuman entity masked by a human government, it was unlikely to be dismantled without military action.
When Nocker
Chapter 5
To say Ambassador Nocker didn’t look a day over two hundred would be a polite lie, Brett decided. There was something creepy about the way he moved, without the normal pauses in the natural rhythm of movement, and with brief hesitations where none should be. His assistant, Ames, seemed normal enough, and didn’t appear to find anything uncomfortable about the proximity. All four of them wore suits and ties, an ancient fashion of formal dress which created a touchstone between cultures evolved separately for thousands of years since leaving Old Earth. Only the waiter who helped Nocker seat himself was dressed Oceanian style. His suit was blue and white, and had curves instead of lines and corners.
Brett and Williams stood until their hosts seated themselves. The four of them sat on a balcony, which offered a view of both the city of Landfall and the white sandy beach adjacent to it. The noise of the sea was audible when the conversation paused. A thin screen enclosed them, although there were no insects visible.
From a distance, only the height of the buildings pointed to a technological civilization. Their coloration contrived to blend in with the sea and sand and sky. Much of the traffic in the streets consisted of pedestrians – the transportation network lay underground. Brett had never seen an advanced city with a more rural appearance.
Oceanians did well by their guests. The four of them had the balcony to themselves. There was certainly something alluring about the planet, despite what dwelt at its heart. Ambassador Nocker ordered red wine. His younger companion ordered the juice of an unfamiliar berry whose name Brett didn’t quite catch. Williams had coffee. Brett asked for a beer, since nobody else had ordered food. It was too early for dinner, but it seemed a shame to reserve this spot just to sit around and talk.
The man across the table from him spoke. “Ambassador Williams and Major Johnson, it is a pleasure to meet you. I’m Cory Ames. Allow me to introduce you to my boss, Ambassador Nocker. Given the immediacy of our mutual … problems, and the time lost by the replacement of your predecessors, I’m sure we can quickly develop a working relationship.”
Brett thought ‘quickly’ sounded promising, but there wasn’t too much time to be spent on relationship developing. Cory was a little overenthusiastic, but likable anyway. The young man was of average height, only slightly overweight but with a build that spoke of soft living – physically anyhow. He had wavy brown hair, an expressive face, and a ready smile.
Brett swallowed beer out of a frosted mug. The underlying nutty flavor was new to him. He wasn’t sure what to call it next time he wanted some, but this didn’t seem the moment to ask.
The silence stretched, long enough for Brett to wonder if he was the one expected to respond. Then Ambassador Williams replied, “I’m happy we could arrange this informal meeting, and I have strong hopes it will be more productive than the larger and more formal ones between our two governments earlier. Perhaps we can start with those immigrants to Oceania who now wish to return home? And I very much hope success there will lead to a broad reduction of tensions. The very foundation of the Federalist system is a belief in the possibility of mutual cooperation between very different cultures.”
Nobody laughed out loud, so apparently this display of windbaggery wasn’t extraordinary for a diplomat. Could the problem be as simple as that?
A white beard concealed most of Nocker’s face. What lay hidden beneath? Although they had been told the overmind neither controlled nor wished to control the government of Oceania, it certainly had hidden desires and capabilities. If they were negotiating with an inhuman entity masked by a human government, it was unlikely to be dismantled without military action.
When Nocker
Similar Books
