All That Glitters Ch. 47

Shoma-Tern gave a nod and introduced her office staff in turn.

"Now, let us meet the Ambassadors of the Greater Community." Fiona introduced Shoma-Tern to each of the ambassadors. She carefully watched how the new ambassador conducted herself while she met the more bizarre members of the Greater Community and was pleased to note that she handled herself fairly well, however, she saved the best for last.

"Shoma-Tern, this is Ambassador Mayute of the Toolend delegation," Fiona introduced the dignitary, watching for any reactions from the new ambassador. There was a hesitancy, not unexpected, otherwise she did well.

"Well met, Ambassador. I look forward to learning more about you and your people," Mayute said, giving an intricate weave of two of his tentacles while speaking.

"Is this motion a greeting?" Shoma-Tern asked.

"It is," Mayute admitted. "It is the greeting that Toolend give to equals," he explained.

"Thank-you Ambassador. I too am looking forward to learning about your people, especially since the information on your species indicates that you are telepathic?"

"That is correct. The Toolend are natural telepaths who are capable of reading the minds of all other species that we have come in contact with. There have been cases of documented telepaths among the other races. However, they are usually only capable of reading the minds of their own species. We are different. It is why we wear this symbol," Mayute raised the tentacle with the green band around it with the symbol for the Order of Telepaths on it.

"It means that those who wear the band follow the laws in regards to how we use our powers in the presence of other species. It is your guarantee that Toolend will not look into your minds without permission," Mayute explained.

"That is good to know. I have to admit that I was worried on this issue," Shoma-Tern replied.

"The tenants of the Order are public knowledge. Once you have received your personal comp, you will be able to access all of this information," Mayute said.

"And with that, it is time for me to turn you over to Dianne so that she can get you situated, Ambassador," Fiona interrupted before the two could continue their conversation.

She turned and led the way out of the reception area. "It pleases me that you were able to handle yourself so well when introduced to the members of the Greater Community, Ambassador. Not all do as well."

"I have been reading the literature that the Pod-Drran had provided on the Greater Community since I have been given notice by the Pemipinae that I would be receiving this task," Shoma-Tern admitted. "Not that actually meeting them was easy."

Fiona smiled. "Yes, I do remember meeting the member races for the first time not all that long ago. It was...an interesting experience."

That got a bark of a laugh from Shoma-Tern. They came to the central core with its many elevators. "I will leave you here, as I must return to my office, Ambassador. However, I would like you to know that my door is always open to you, as it is to the other Ambassadors. Once you have received your comp, Dianne will give you my contact info. "Good day, Ambassador." Fiona gave her a short bow and slipped into one elevator while Dianne took them into another.

"We will first go to my office, where we will complete some necessary paperwork. I will then take you to your quarters. You and your staff are on the same level," she informed them, her comp working double time to act as a translator in both directions.

They came into HR and Dianne introduced them to the worker who would manage any issues that her staff had. "While I will deal directly with you, Ambassador, your staff will be taken care of by others in my office."

She had them all sit and gave them papers that had been translated into Maha-Lei, much to the surprise of the group. They filled out the papers and then received their comps.

"These are 'Business level' comps. Not the very high end, but they have enough security for your needs. The comps have been set for your Embassy. All four of you will have immediate access to the Embassy. No one else has access to the Embassy except in an emergency.

"While your Embassy is still unofficial, the members of the Interspecies Embassies will respect its integrity. Now, I have other tasks that I must attend to, so I will have Maria Fontenette show you around and show you your quarters. Good day, Ambassador," Dianne gave a bow to Shoma-Tern and turned into her office.

"If you would follow me, please," Maria said. She first brought them down to the bank. This is La Première Banque du Liramor which is our principal bank here on Liramor-23. It uses a secure banking net within the ICS system to conduct banking. Once a bank is confirmed for the banking system, it can be accessed from anywhere in the Greater Community. This branch of the bank is currently used by all members of the Interspecies Embassy and is also used by the member species to conduct business with the Union. This branch of the bank is used to working in considerable sums of money.

"You will need to open your accounts. I believe that the Kumaraie has ordered that a deposit be set to your account, Ambassador, for doing business with the Pod-Drran and the Greater Community. What the particulars are for this you will need to discuss with Ambassador Nar-Tre," Maria finished.

They opened their accounts and were pleasantly surprised to find several thousand credits already deposited in them. Shoma-Tern discovered several million Credits in an account she had control over, set aside for business with the Maha-Rrin.

Shoma-Tre had brought gold and gems for trade. The bank was able to convert the gold but they were told they needed to see the gem specialist to trade the stones.

Maria next brought them to the Acry Jewellery on the concourse to convert the gems they had brought with them and then showed them the Pod-Nalii, which had items from Pod-Saar for sale.

"I thought that you might be interested in this shop as it has items here that would be compatible with your physiology," Maria said, getting a nod of understanding from Shoma-Tern.

"Caye-Ur, this is Ambassador Shoma-Tern of the Maha-Rrin and her staff. Caye-Ur is the owner of Pod-Nalii and is responsible for the House of Ur Trading Company," she introduced them.

"Welcome to Liramor-23, cousins. I hope that you will come to enjoy living here," Caye said, giving them a bow. "If you need any information on where to buy the most interesting things, I can help you. I know where to find everything," Caye smiled.

Lent-Ur came into the shop. "Hello, who have we here?" he asked, giving the Ambassador a smile.

"Lent-Ur, this is Shoma-Tern the new Ambassador for the Maha-Rrin," Caye replied.

"A, that is a pity, then. I am here to relieve you for your lunch. That means I will have to stay while you and these others run away from me," he said a little flirtatiously with the Ambassador. That got a laugh from the Ambassador, who admired the new male. He looked good...

"Lunch, shall we head down to the Food Court?" Caye asked.

"You each have a food voucher for lunch; however, you are on your own for other meals after that. All members of the Embassies are permitted to eat in the cafeteria but the food there may not be to your liking," Maria admitted.

Caye took them down to the Food Court where they were enticed by the wonderful smells. Caye showed them the food that she liked best.

"Your comps can function as a medical scanner to test food stuff to ensure it will not kill you," Caye explained, showing them how to do a basic scan of their bodies and then set the scan to Pod-Drran physiology.

"It can be made more precise by using the information obtained from a purpose built medical device," Caye informed them.

Caye ordered several plates of differing food and they carried them all to some tables where they all shared from the plates.

"The comp can tell you if something is dangerous, however, it cannot tell you if something is bad tasting. That is something you will have to assess for yourselves," Caye laughed.

They started eating and it turned out that Caye's selections were very good.

"Hello, Caye, who have we here?" someone asked in Standard.

The Maha-Rrin turned to the new voice and were shocked to see the Chlaerge riding the shoulders of two females, each holding a Gella. The Gella smiled at the Maha-Rrin and one of them spoke in Pod-Drran.

"No, Ikekia, these are the new people, the Maha-Rrin," Caye told the child. "Hanalei, Junelliya, may I introduce you to the new Maha-Rrin Ambassador, Shoma-Tern, and her staff.

"Shoma-Tern, this is Hanalei Anar, Phrat-Mahi of the House of Piscium, her Gella, Ikekia Fatima Tema Poda-Rai-Dosri," Caye introduced the two.

"This is Junelliya Atohan Herlan, Second Mate of the House of Piscium, her Gella, Zarrenia Henadi Poda-Rai-Latti, and the Chlaerge, Juneya, Hanaya, and Fayea," the Cats responding with a call as each was named, stunning the Maha-Rrin.

"Don't mind the Chlaerge, they always get excited when they meet someone who could be a potential friend," the Atohan said, noting their discomfort at being in the presence of the Cats.

"Yeah! New friends!" said the Gella that had been introduced as Ikekia. The other reached over and touched the other and the Maha-Rrin noted a glow pass between the two. Ikekia looked at her sister and laughed as if to a private joke, setting the Chlaerge off, who just loved when little children laughed and giggled.

"I think we should take up another table as we seem to be intimidating your friends, Caye-Ur," Hanalei stated.

"Nonsense, Hanalei," Caye countered. "They have to get used to the Chlaerge sooner or later as they will be encountering them at odd times on the station, like right now."

"Juneya, would you like to greet Shoma?" Junelliya asked of her Cat.

Shoma looked up into the eyes of the Chlaerge, sitting on the Atohan's shoulder. The small creature was constantly twisting and tilting its little head in all directions.

Junelliya raised her hand up just over the table and instructed Shoma to raise her hand to just beside hers. As Shoma watched, the little creatures scampered down the Atohan's arm to stop on her hand. It sniffed Shoma's hand, then did a short hop from one hand to the other and swiftly ran up to Shoma's shoulder.

Shoma felt a tingle in the back of her mind and saw as the red eyes of the Chlaerge seemed to glow briefly. The beast then rubbed its head against her ear and made the oddest rumbling sound, which sent shiver up her spine.

"Juneya like," Zarrenia said, clapping her little hands.

Shoma realized that she had been tested and accepted by the Chlaerge. A brief feeling of surprise and elation rushed through her at the thought.

"Juneya, why don't you greet the other Maha-Rrin so that Hanaya and Fayea can greet Shoma," Junelliya suggested to the Cat. Juneya made a strange squeak that sounded almost happy to Shoma, as it then slithered through the slender quills that the Pod-Drran and Maha-Rrin had in place of hair. The animal seemed to take delight in burrowing through the quills.

"Juneya, that will be enough," Junelliya scolded the Cat as it swam through Shoma's hair. The Cat slipped out onto Shoma's other shoulder and scampered down her arm to the table, stopping in front of Nihls-Henal, where the greeting process was repeated.

Meanwhile, Hanaya and Fayea jumped into the air and landed on Shoma's shoulder, surprising the Maha-Rrin. Shoma once again felt the tickle in her mind before the Chlaerge rubbed their heads against her and rumbled in her ear. She had been accepted by all of the Chlaerge!

Not long after, the Chlaerge returned to the shoulders of the women and the members of the House of Piscium pulled up another table beside theirs and sat themselves down. The two females placed their Gella into chairs that brought them up to table level and then went to get food while the Gella chatted with Maria and Caye, in Pod-Drran and a language that her comp indicated was 'French'.

Caye noted her surprise. "The Gella have been learning all the languages of the Ambassadors here on Liramor-23. They are quickly becoming independent of the comps."

Shoma noted that the Gella had no comps of their own.

"They are still too young to have that kind of resource for themselves," Caye informed her, getting a nod of understanding from Shoma.

"How many languages do they speak now?" Shoma asked.

"None, actually," Junelliya said with a smile, having returned with food. "However, they are learning to speak in eleven Interspecies languages and six human languages. It is quite fun watching them play with their multiple language blocks."

"Blocks?" Zarrenia asked, hearing the word.

"Not until you have finished eating and get cleaned up," Hanalei told her. Zarrenia smiled and continued to eat. She was quite happy to eat first and play later.

"Zarrenia has just begun to eat more solid foods. Ikekia is a little ahead of her there but not by much."

Three females came and joined the family at their table. "Shoma, this is Violletiya, my bodyguard, Takebayashi Urano, our family Nanny, and Sylvia Kinlo, my PA," Hanalei introduced them all.

"Why do you need a bodyguard, Hanalei?" Shoma asked, curious, as she looked at the funny hair the female had. She wondered if the female might be of another species.

"We are quite well-off, Shoma," Hanalei explained. "That can make us a target when we are off Liramor-23. Having your own private vessel is a dead giveaway of the level of your affluence, and certain people take notice when such vessels arrive somewhere.

"Violletiya is from Hollander's World and is a strong empath, a person who can sense feelings. She uses this in her work to find those who would harm us," Hanalei advised her.

Shoma noted the symbol on the female's left breast, suddenly realizing that Junelliya wore the same symbol. She got a pensive look on her face.

"Yes, I too am an empath. One of the strongest there is," Junelliya explained.

"Is an empath different from a telepath?" Shoma asked.

"Yes, empaths sense and can share feelings, while telepaths can read and share thoughts," Junelliya replied. "However, both empaths and telepaths share a sense of duty to our fellow sentients and have worked out a set of laws for working among those who do not share their power.

"As a Maha-Rrin, you will be able to see the power flows of empaths and telepaths as distinct kinds of glowing auras around the individual. The colour and strength of the aura will tell you what kind of power is being employed and just how powerful is each of those wielding it." Junelliya demonstrated this by sending a powerful burst of empathy toward Violletiya, who returned it.

The Maha-Rrin instantly noted the differences in power levels between the two and that Junelliya's glow colour was significantly different than Violletiya. The two Gella sensed the flow of power and touched each other, the Maha-Rrin noting a much reduced flow around them. The two females smiled at the Maha-Rrin as they noted them watching the children.

"The children will be powerful members of the Council of Empaths when they are older. For now, they are still learning their abilities," Junelliya finished.

"All the members of the Council of Empaths on this station are responsible for ensuring that the children do not wrongly use their powers until they are able to understand when and where they are permitted to use it. It is a daunting task," Violletiya informed them.

"Junelliya, you also wear the same symbol that Mayute wore when we met him earlier," Shoma stated.

"Erht. The Toolend have no fixed gender and prefer to use the term erht in place of him or her, he or she," Junelliya explained. "Yes, as powerful an empath as I am, I have also been able to develop some skills as a telepath. My symbol is slightly modified as I am still a student being taught by the Toolend. But, having reached a certain level in my abilities, I must abide by the rules of the Order of Telepaths. The symbol I wear indicates that I understand and abide by these rules and advises others that I am, indeed, a telepath, even if I am still developing my skills."

Shoma nodded solemnly to Junelliya. The Atohan was turning out to be a rather formidable person.

PV The Valour II, The Piscium System

Fiona was once again sitting in the Owner's Chair next to the Captain's Chair, on the bridge of her new ship. They were doing crew familiarization of the gun system, only this time the crew being familiarized were Asocans.

The Asocans that would crew the Asoc's Imperial Yacht had been identified and had been placed in the additional quarters now on the Valour II. There were ten of them plus an officer who might be the captain of the future ship.

As with the human crew, Fiona was ensuring that the Asocan bridge crew knew how to use the guns. They were currently hunting down rocks ejected by Liramor-23 and using the 50mm Rail Guns to blast them to bits, much to the delight of both halves of the crew.

It had been five days since she had come into possession of the Valour II. She had integrated the crew from those who had been identified as competent by Raymond. Capt. Moore and the human crew had taken the time to run the Asocans through all systems on the little ship. As a reward for how well they had done, Fiona had decided that a gun training day was in order.

She had started with her aide-de-camp, Capt.(N) Émilia Pétillante, then worked her human bridge crew through the weapons console. The Asocans had come next. They had just finished the last of the Asocan bridge crew and she was calling for people elsewhere in the ship to come forward and learn how to fire the guns.

She could see that the experience was forging a bond between the two crews as they worked together to identify, track, target, and finally fire on 'enemy' rocks. She gave Capt. Moore a significant look, getting a smile back.

"Five days, I think that is some kind of record," Abigail told her boss.

Fiona nodded her head. She hadn't expected the Asocans to learn the ship so quickly, but then again, Raymond was just as much a stickler for cross-training as Fiona was, and he had the Asocans for just over a month of training on his much larger ship.

"Parrin, how does this ship compare to The Wanderer?" Fiona asked of her Asocan officer.

"Less things to remember and deal with, Admiral," Parrin returned with a smile. "That makes it more fun."

That got a smile from both Fiona and Abigail.

Johal Compound, South-West Coast of North America, Terra, The Sol System

Trevor Winston looked around the new buildings that he had just finished constructing as the prime contractor. Hanalei Anar had hired him to rebuild the small compound into something amazing.

He watched as the hired cleaning staff went through the rooms, swiftly conducting their assigned tasks. After they finished, Navy Intelligence had arranged for Comms Specialists to check the rooms for electronic devices left behind. Their sweep meant that the compound would then be closed and only certain people would have access to the buildings until the Consulars arrived during the upcoming Denders Summit.

Only those who would be working at the compound would be permitted on the premises after the Comms people were finished. He heard a sound and turned to find Juanita Invierno, of the Union Diplomatic Corps standing there with a smile on her face.

"Coming to check out your rooms?" Trevor asked.

"Checking out the entire building, actually," Juanita replied. "This is like a dream come true for me. I shouldn't be the UDC rep here," she informed Trevor.

"And I shouldn't be the new manager," Trevor admitted. "I can't say that I am displeased as that gave me the opportunity to meet and be with Sylvie."