The Last Human Business

Chapter 8: Diplomacy and Lies

The roar of sub-orbital thrusters rattled the dust off the reinforced hangars of the Sky-Port. A ship—sleek, obsidian, and draped in the neon-blue banners of the Galactic Federation—hovered like a predatory hawk above the basalt spires of Caledonia.

"They aren't here for a tour, are they?" Kael gripped the railing of the hidden observation deck, his gaze fixed on the gargantuan vessel. "That's a Sovereign-class negotiator ship. It carries enough thermal charges to turn this entire city into a glass pond."

"They are here to reclaim their property," Ethan said, standing behind him. He had traded his tactical gear for a tattered robe that looked more ancient, more 'divine'. "In their eyes, I’m not a person. I’m a technological anomaly with an expiration date."

"Valerius sent a courier," Lyra said, stepping out from the shadows of the ventilation hub. Her eyes were red-rimmed from lack of sleep. "He’s calling for you, Ethan. The Federation Ambassador, Vax, has demanded to see 'The Asset' within the hour. If you don't show up, they initiate a planetary blockade."

"An asset," Ethan repeated, the word tasting like copper. "The Priest tried to kill us last night in the archives, and now he wants me to play puppet for the interstellar tax collectors?"

"He has no choice, and neither do we," Lyra argued, stepping closer. "If the Federation invades, the Archives are gone. The city burns. We can’t protect the truth if there’s no one left to hear it."

"She's right, Ethan," Kael grunted. "Go. Play the God one more time. I'll use the distraction to move the rest of my loyalists to the harbor. If this diplomacy turns into a slaughter, I want our escape ships ready."

Ethan nodded slowly, looking at his marble-pale hands. "Fine. But tell the Arch-Priest that for every minute I spend smiling for the cameras, I want a level-four clearance to the city's orbital satellite network."

The Throne Room was stifling, filled with the hum of localized gravity dampeners and the heavy scent of sacred oils. Arch-Priest Valerius stood at the center of the hall, looking aged and frantic, despite his silk-lined robes. Opposite him stood Ambassador Vax, a man whose skin was a shade of synthetic lavender, his eyes replaced by glowing sapphire optics that whirred as they focused on Ethan’s entrance.

"The Progenitor arrives!" Valerius exclaimed, his voice high-pitched and forced. "Behold, Ambassador Vax. The Living Legend. The Dawn of the Past."

"Remarkable," Vax murmured, his mechanical eyes clicking. "I’ve seen cryo-corpses before, Arch-Priest, but this one looks... dangerously functional. Master Sergeant 01-Delta, if the Federation's bio-signature logs are correct?"

Ethan stepped onto the dais, ignoring the kneeling priests. He stared directly into Vax’s sapphire eyes. "Identification confirmed. Although 'Master Sergeant' feels like a lifetime ago. To these people, I'm a Deva. To you, Ambassador, what am I? A diplomatic headache or a line item on a budget report?"

Vax let out a soft, digital chuckle. "Straight to the heart of the matter. I like that. Efficiency is a virtue we thought was lost in these outer-rim sectors."

"The Federation has no jurisdiction over a sovereign entity," Valerius snapped, trying to reclaim control of the room. "The Deva appeared on Caledonian soil. He is our heritage. Our soul."

"A soul that possesses the only functioning bio-key to the Omega-Class armories?" Vax turned his gaze back to Valerius. "Let us be honest, Arch-Priest. Caledonia is a rust-bucket powered by decaying fission. You’re one trade embargo away from a dark age. Handing over the 'Specimen' to the Federation's Department of Universal Heritage would settle your planet's debt for the next five centuries."

"I am standing right here," Ethan intervened, his voice a low vibration that seemed to make the room’s crystal chandeliers tremble. "You talk about me like a crate of spice."

"My apologies, Sergeant," Vax tilted his head, his tone dripping with patronizing honey. "But you must understand. You are a biological miracle. The technology within your cellular structure—your regenerative capabilities, your neural interface—it belongs to the galaxy, not a single religious sect."

"I belong to the truth," Ethan countered. "And the truth is, the Federation doesn't want to preserve me. You want to disassemble me. You want to see how the 'Masters of the Old Era' built soldiers who could fight for three days without sleep."

"A gross simplification," Vax countered, stepping closer. "We want stability. Your presence here disrupts the balance. The Black Nebula, the Syndicates—everyone is coming for Caledonia because of you. If you come with me, the danger leaves with you."

Valerius looked between them, his hands shaking. "The people would never allow it! If the Deva leaves, they will riot. They will tear this palace down!"

"Which is why we offer a compromise," Vax said, glancing at Ethan. "A Joint Study Initiative. The Sergeant remains here, under 'Universal Protection'. But he must allow a Federation team to conduct... extensive biological sampling. And in exchange, Caledonia receives a tech-uplift. New reactors. Stabilized shields."

"And if I refuse?" Ethan asked.

"Then the Federation marks Caledonia as an 'Unstable Territory occupied by a rogue biological weapon'," Vax’s eyes glowed a brighter, colder blue. "Standard protocol is orbital sanitization. We wouldn't want you falling into the hands of the Mafia, would we?"

"He stays," Valerius blurted out. "We accept the joint initiative! But I retain the right to all religious broadcasts. He must remain the face of the state."

"Agreed," Vax said. "For now."

"Vax," Ethan said, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper. "Step onto the balcony with me. Away from the priests. I think it’s time for some honest talk between men of the stars."

Valerius looked nervous, but a sharp look from Vax silenced him. The two moved toward the obsidian terrace, the city’s industrial roar masking their words.

"You're very clever, Sergeant," Vax whispered, his lavender skin shimmering in the gray light. "But don't think for a second I don't know why you really surrendered in that site."

"I surrendered because I wanted to see who was left to lead," Ethan said, looking out at the smog. "And all I found were cowards in robes and bureaucrats in suits. You don't want the tech-uplift for Caledonia. You want the Omega-Key I’ve supposedly got stored in my cortex."

"Suppose I do?" Vax leaned against the railing. "Life is short for my kind, Ethan. We’ve hit a biological wall. We’ve mechanized so much of our souls that we've lost the ability to evolve. But you... your people had it. That bridge between flesh and infinite power. Give me a pure sample of your bone marrow—without Valerius’s scientists meddling—and I’ll make sure your ship is fully fueled and your records erased. You could disappear. Start a new life on the Fringe."

Ethan laughed, a short, bitter bark. "A new life as what? A hunted animal? If I give you my DNA, the Federation will clone a billion versions of me. They won't need me anymore. I'd be dead before my ship cleared the atmosphere."

"You don't have many options, Sergeant. Valerius is selling you in pieces. I'm offering you a clean cut."

Ethan looked down at the Great Plaza, where the crowd was beginning to gather again, chanting for their 'Deva'.

"I'll make you a deal, Ambassador," Ethan said, his eyes turning to cold steel. "You want the world to see you as the benevolent peacekeepers? Then you will announce a 'Universal Covenant' on live broadcast. You will publicly recognize me as a Sovereign Guardian of Caledonia, not a prisoner. You will grant me a temporary diplomatic ship to travel the system for 'relic hunting'—under your escort, of course."

"And what do I get in return?"

"You get a map. The coordinates of Pod-02 in the Black Desert. It's empty now—we've checked—but the data logs in the cooling systems are intact. It has enough genetic sequencing data to keep your labs busy for a decade. More than you’d get by cutting me open."

Vax narrowed his sapphire eyes. "You’re offering a fossil in exchange for your leash to be lengthened?"

"I’m offering you a prize you can show your superiors while I do the work you’re too afraid to do: hunting the Null heretics. They are the ones who truly threaten your stability, Vax. They have the weapons of my time, and unlike me, they want to use them."

Vax was silent for a long moment, the whirring of his eyes the only sound. "The Covenant must look genuine. You have to play the protector."

"Watch me," Ethan said.

They stepped back into the throne room. Valerius was pacing, sweating through his silks.

"Ambassador? Have you come to an agreement?"

Vax looked at Valerius with undisguised contempt. "Arch-Priest, the Sergeant and I have found a path that serves the 'Holy' and the 'Universal' equally. Master Sergeant Ethan has volunteered to serve as a Diplomatic Emissary to ensure the security of the Caledonian system. In return, the Federation recognizes him as a free, sovereign protector."

Valerius gasped. "Free? Sovereign? But—"

"But he stays here for the ceremonies, of course," Ethan cut in, looking at the Arch-Priest with a warning glare. "And Ambassador Vax has graciously agreed to supply the city with a shipment of high-yield plasma cells to stabilize our lower-sector filters."

Valerius's eyes lit up with greed at the mention of the cells. "Yes... yes, that would satisfy the elders."

Ethan walked to the center of the hall, his voice projecting through the spire’s internal speakers. "Prepare the broadcast. I have a message for the people of Caledonia and the spies of the Black Nebula."

"Are you sure about this?" Lyra whispered, having snuck back into the gallery during the talk. "Giving them the coordinates to the second pod? It was Sarah's!"

"The second pod is a trap, Lyra," Ethan whispered back as the broadcast droids floated into position. "I rigged the primary vent to incinerate the data if anyone tries to bypass the lock with a Federation override. It buys us three days while they try to scrape the ashes for a code."

"And Vax?"

"Vax is a snake," Ethan said, staring into the lens of the primary droid. "But even snakes have a purpose when there are rats in the walls."

The light on the droid turned red. The image of the 'Deva' was suddenly broadcast across the city, to the smuggler-ships in the ring-belts, and to the deep-space monitors of the Federation.

"Citizens of Caledonia," Ethan began, his face a mask of serene power. "Lies have been the currency of your past. Diplomacy is the currency of your present. But strength... strength is the only currency that will save our future. I stand with you, as your Guardian. No king, no mafia, and no federation will dictate the soul of this world again."

As the crowd in the plaza below let out a deafening roar, Vax leaned toward Valerius.

"He's good," Vax muttered. "Too good. You realize he just unified your people under his name, not yours?"

Valerius watched the screens, the realization finally hitting his panicked brain. "I... I just wanted a miracle."

"You got a general, Arch-Priest," Ethan thought as the cameras zoomed in. "And the first rule of diplomacy in my time? Always let the enemy believe they've won the first hand, just before you burn the table down."

Deep in the crowd, the man with the Null symbol looked up at the monitors. He didn't cheer. He simply reached into his pocket and crushed a transmitter, signaling the shadow-war that was no longer avoidable.

The diplomat had left. The lies had been spoken. Now, only the fire remained.