spaceport had been built for meetings such as ours, it wasn't far to the meeting room. T he captain's long strides took us there in minutes, but as it turned out, we weren't the first to arrive. When we walked in, three tall, reptilian beings were already seated. The one who had seated himself at the head of the table got up and seemed to glide smoothly over to us.
" You must be Captain Morsse. I have heard of you, of course." The slitted eyes narrowed and he slithered forward, extending an arm tipped with a set of three green razor-sharp claws. I shuddered inwardly. Thank god I didn't have to shake it.
" Angorak," the captain's voice was confident as he strode forward. He didn't flinch but took the clawed hand with his own and shook it firmly.
"And who iss thiss?" hissed the reptilian, looking at me.
I tried not to shrink back.
"This is my son, Simmons," the captain answered.
"Your sson?" The reptile drew back, blinking, and the slits in its yellow eyes seemed to widen in surprise. He peered at the captain, then down at me, then back at the captain. Finally, rapid hissing noises came from his mouth, and I got the distinct feeling that he was laughing.
" Sss, sss, sss, Captain Morsse," he hissed. "Did you mate with a Bakian elf to produce this runt? Sss, sss, sss."
The c aptain's face remained impassive but his jaw clenched.
I felt my face start to burn but took my cue from the captain, squaring my shoulders and clenching my fists.
Just then, the main door opened and the Lisellian prince and his envoy arrived. They were tall, slim beings with long, golden-blond hair that flowed down their backs. Their robes sparkled as if made of gems, winking in the light with their movements. The prince's garment appeared as if were made of thousands of diamonds and his compatriots' sparkled like emeralds.
Their demeanors were peaceful, yet somehow still powerful and alert . The prince's gaze was as sharp as the captain's and held warmth and intelligence. He smiled widely as they shook hands firmly over the table, the captain returning his smile.
When everyone was seated, t he presentations began in earnest. The Lisellian prince presented his plans to have the captain help them export rare herbs and medicinal plants from their planet to outside planets and bring back precious metals, which were not easily acquired on their planet due to their depth. His deal was fair, beneficial to all, and would profit all three races.
The Bakians took notes throughout the presentation so that they could translate the deal into English for us to understand. Once they started to present, however, I was shocked to realize that the terms of the deal that they presented in English were completely different from the terms the Lisellian prince had presented.
I had schooled my face to be impassive under the captain's order, but several times it was hard for me to conceal my surprise. When they were finished, I calculated the numbers in my head quickly. What should have been a deal split three ways relatively equally was now being presented where the Lisellians would make 33%, the Bakians would make 57%, and the captain would make about 10%.
When the presentations were finished, each party retired to separate adjoining rooms to decide on the deal amongst themselves. Once seated around the smaller table, the captain turned to me. "Were the Bakians correct in the terms of the deal?"
I almost laughed at that, but his face was so stern that I knew it was no laughing matter.
"No, sir." I shook my head.
"Which part was a lie?"
"All of it, sir." I replied.
"Damn." He sat back in his chair. "How much can you remember? I need to know the true terms."
"All of it, sir."
His eyebrows flew up. "Really?"
"Yes, sir. I have a very good memory for words, sir. It's how I remember languages so well."
The captain didn't even have to think about it. "Start talking," he ordered.
I spoke for fifteen minutes, relating the terms of the original deal. When I
" You must be Captain Morsse. I have heard of you, of course." The slitted eyes narrowed and he slithered forward, extending an arm tipped with a set of three green razor-sharp claws. I shuddered inwardly. Thank god I didn't have to shake it.
" Angorak," the captain's voice was confident as he strode forward. He didn't flinch but took the clawed hand with his own and shook it firmly.
"And who iss thiss?" hissed the reptilian, looking at me.
I tried not to shrink back.
"This is my son, Simmons," the captain answered.
"Your sson?" The reptile drew back, blinking, and the slits in its yellow eyes seemed to widen in surprise. He peered at the captain, then down at me, then back at the captain. Finally, rapid hissing noises came from his mouth, and I got the distinct feeling that he was laughing.
" Sss, sss, sss, Captain Morsse," he hissed. "Did you mate with a Bakian elf to produce this runt? Sss, sss, sss."
The c aptain's face remained impassive but his jaw clenched.
I felt my face start to burn but took my cue from the captain, squaring my shoulders and clenching my fists.
Just then, the main door opened and the Lisellian prince and his envoy arrived. They were tall, slim beings with long, golden-blond hair that flowed down their backs. Their robes sparkled as if made of gems, winking in the light with their movements. The prince's garment appeared as if were made of thousands of diamonds and his compatriots' sparkled like emeralds.
Their demeanors were peaceful, yet somehow still powerful and alert . The prince's gaze was as sharp as the captain's and held warmth and intelligence. He smiled widely as they shook hands firmly over the table, the captain returning his smile.
When everyone was seated, t he presentations began in earnest. The Lisellian prince presented his plans to have the captain help them export rare herbs and medicinal plants from their planet to outside planets and bring back precious metals, which were not easily acquired on their planet due to their depth. His deal was fair, beneficial to all, and would profit all three races.
The Bakians took notes throughout the presentation so that they could translate the deal into English for us to understand. Once they started to present, however, I was shocked to realize that the terms of the deal that they presented in English were completely different from the terms the Lisellian prince had presented.
I had schooled my face to be impassive under the captain's order, but several times it was hard for me to conceal my surprise. When they were finished, I calculated the numbers in my head quickly. What should have been a deal split three ways relatively equally was now being presented where the Lisellians would make 33%, the Bakians would make 57%, and the captain would make about 10%.
When the presentations were finished, each party retired to separate adjoining rooms to decide on the deal amongst themselves. Once seated around the smaller table, the captain turned to me. "Were the Bakians correct in the terms of the deal?"
I almost laughed at that, but his face was so stern that I knew it was no laughing matter.
"No, sir." I shook my head.
"Which part was a lie?"
"All of it, sir." I replied.
"Damn." He sat back in his chair. "How much can you remember? I need to know the true terms."
"All of it, sir."
His eyebrows flew up. "Really?"
"Yes, sir. I have a very good memory for words, sir. It's how I remember languages so well."
The captain didn't even have to think about it. "Start talking," he ordered.
I spoke for fifteen minutes, relating the terms of the original deal. When I
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