All That Glitters Ch. 49

"Right, we will go around the room." There were only a couple of questions for Sylvie as most of the delegates were focused on the big event that day.

As soon as they finished the brief, the delegates began moving to the staging area to transfer to the Denders Shuttle Port.

Presidential Media Center, The Presidential Compound, Capital City, Terra, The Sol System

The media were out in full force at the Presidential Meet and Greet at the Presidential Media Center. Hanalei and Junelliya were walking along with the two children, who were going to all of the people in the center and saying hello in their native languages. The children would run from one personage to the next, greeting them as if it was their first time doing so.

The media were entranced. As a result, the children had a media entourage of over a dozen reporters following in their wake and the little imps had them wrapped around their little pinkies, much to the amusement of their parents who were keeping close tabs on them along with Clarrisiya and Violletiya.

As more human guests arrived, the children began to encounter people who they had no words to greet with. They imperiously demanded of these people to teach them how to say 'hello' and 'how are you' in their languages, clapping in delight when they were praised for getting the greetings correct.

They had just run into the Ambassador from New Russia, a planet some eighty-seven light years from Terra, who taught the children greetings in his language when the children spotted the Kumar-Pair with their children.

"God-ma!" Ikekia called out and ran up to the Kumaraie. *Good day Kumaraie and Kumaroe. It is good to see you,* the children said formally before giving hugs to their legs as the pair were holding their children.

The Kumar-Pair found an open space and placed the three children on a blanket on the ground. *Hello, Prakesh, Nal-Jarl, Sun-Jarl,* the children called out, sitting with their friends. They then began to tell them all about their exciting day in Pod-Drran.

"They are most amazing children," Pemipinae Melda-Hetta said to the Kumaraie as she came over to the little group.

"They most certainly are," the Kumaraie agreed. "I am most proud of my brood and my God-daughters."

"I have heard that you have taken the human children into your House?" Melda-Hetta asked.

"Yes. It is a human tradition that once had a religious significance. It is now a kind of bonding between houses similar to the trust given to a Dusar-Rai/Ro in which we Pod-Drran entrust our brood to a valued member of another house for their protection in times of peril," the Kumaraie explained.

"Your two houses have bonded that tightly, Kumaraie?" the Pemipinae asked, surprised.

"We have, Pemipinae. When my God-daughters reach the age of five, they will come to the palace and learn the ways of the Pod-Drran for a time. My children will in turn, go to the humans to learn the ways of humans for a time.

"It is hoped that they will learn what is necessary to move the Pod-Drran and human-kind forward in respect and mutual understanding. My God-daughters are learning to speak many languages, but we are currently emphasizing the Pod-Drran language in preparation for their time with us," the Kumaraie told her friend.

"I am amazed that the House of Piscium would enter into such an agreement or that you would allow the Prakesh to leave Pod-Saar," the Pemipinae stated.

"The Pod-Drran will advance within the Greater Community or we will perish, my friend. Those are the words of the Goddess. In order for us to achieve such, our broods must learn to take their place within and be able to guide our people to stand in our own place in the Greater Community.

"What I do, is but a step in the link of prophecy. While I fear for the lives of my brood, I fear more for the lives of my people. I would sacrifice much for my people, Pemipinae."

Melda-Hetta nodded in agreement. She too would do the same for her people.

The President and his daughter, Grace, were making the rounds of the floor, stopping to talk with the delegates they recognized. There were many ambassadors from Union Worlds, as well as the senior leaders of the Greater Community, their ministers, advisors, ambassadors, and now the new Consular staff.

As 10:00 hours approached, his Chief of Staff, Jason Cantor, gave him a signal, which the President returned. "Show time, Grace," the President informed his daughter as they came up on the Asoc and her delegation, who were speaking with the Maha-Rrin, the Kumar-Pair, and the Piscium family.

"Asoc, it is good to see you here," the President said with a slight inclination of his head. Grace gave a more formal curtsy to the Asoc and then the Asocan hand-signal from one lesser to one higher.

"Well done, Grace. I see that Ikekia and Zarrenia have been showing you new things," the Asoc said, bringing a smile to Grace.

"Indeed, Asoc. One can learn a lot of amazing things from those two," Grace acknowledged. "However, my father would like to start the 'parade', Asoc. We need to borrow the Piscium family and the Maha-Rrin luminaries from you."

"Very nice segue, Grace. You are becoming a consummate politician," her father murmured loud enough for the Asoc to hear, getting an Asocan smile from that luminary.

They moved to the stage area and walked up the ramp, which was flanked by security to prevent others from taking the stage. The President's band sounded out the Presidential Fanfare and silence took over the chamber.

"Good morning to all of you and welcome to the Presidential Media Center," the President began. "Today is an auspicious day. We will be introducing the staff of the Consulate at the Johal Compound, near to Denders Resort on the South-West Coast.

"The compound was formally owned by the late Ahmed Johal. He placed a clause in his will that the compound be bequeathed to the Church of Andanii with the stipulation that the temple be allowed access to the members of the church staying at Denders Resort. The late Wassim Andjuran, acting in his role as the Chief Cleric of the Church of Andanii, took control of the Johal Compound and used the stipulated clause to allow for the movement of those he needed to speak with in the criminal underworld.

"It was the decision of the IPPF and Navy Intelligence that the compound should go to someone who would keep the original intent of the temple availability, so it was given to Dame Hanalei Anar as part of her compensation.

"Lady Hanalei had no use for the building as she and her family did not reside on Terra and had no future intent to do so. Instead, she decided to change the purpose of the site to make use of the location on Terra for the Interspecies Community.

"We are grateful for Lady Hanalei and for the Piscium family for allowing this to happen. It gives us a secure location for meetings between the business concerns of the Union and those of the Greater Community. The Consulate will go a long way in helping meet the requirements of each of the races involved.

"I would ask Lady Hanalei to take the podium and say a few words," the President said.

"Thank-you, Mr. President," Hanalei acknowledged.

"Tank-you, Prez," said Zarrenia, who was in Hanalei's arms. The little girl extended her arms to the President, who bent his head for a kiss and a hug from Zarrenia. A loud 'aaaaawwwwww!' was heard from the watching media and dignitaries.

Grace playfully looked at Zarrenia and pouted, getting a giggle from the little girl. She extended her arms and gave Grace a hug and kiss too.

"Enough of that now, Zarrenia," Hanalei admonished. "I will not be able to speak if you keep hugging everyone." That got laughter from the crowd.

"OK," Zarrenia said, lifting her finger to her lips and saying "Sssss." Much to the amusement of those watching.

Hanalei began to speak. "Last year, I was in despair that I could not look after the Johal Compound. The place had many memories for me and most of those were not good due to the previous owner.

"Then my husband, Fayad, gave me an idea. It was a rather incredible idea but we ran it past the ambassadors who were at Denders and received a favourable response from them. That allowed me to commit funds to the rebuilding of the compound into what it now is.

"The compound's premise is simple; provide a secure environment to work and live for the members of the Greater Community, where they can work toward improving their business relationships between humans and the Greater Community.

"For the last year, my husband, Fayad, my mate, Junelliya, and I have been on a creative binge trying to deliver a healthy environment for those who will work there. That meant creating workspaces and living conditions for each of the respective races, including humans. We are happy to say that it looks like the member races are pleased with what we have designed.

"Many of the ideas that came from the construction of those spaces have been incorporated into Denders Resort, providing better apartments for the resort's guests from the Greater Community. The response from that has been more than favourable, the Greater Community guests love the new accommodations at the resort.

"Ahmed Johal was a businessperson who made his fortune importing Anuuran trade goods to Terra. He would be pleased to know that the compound will continue his work as its original purpose of trade will be continued through the efforts of the consulars of the Greater Community.

"And, in the process, we have managed to save the Little Temple to Andanii and keep the clause that Ahmed Johal left in his will to allow for the members of the Church of Andanii to make use of the temple while they are at Denders.

"The members of the church are not the only people welcome to the temple. It truly is a very beautiful little temple," Hanalei told the group.

"Vary pwetty," Zarrenia repeated, nodding her head, getting more laughter from the floor.

"While the temple is open for use by the members of the church, it is also becoming a tourist draw in its own right. The temple was rebuilt by Captain Henadi Noor with her own money and with her own hands. She turned it from the non-descript temple it was, into the beautiful little temple that it now is.

"Ahmed Johal lived long enough to see the rebuilt temple and he was quite pleased with the end product, which is why he left it to the church in his will. We will not change the intent of his will, leaving the temple open to tourists and the members of the Church of Andanii.

"Tomorrow, the Johal Compound will become the Consulate for the Greater Community. You, the public, are all invited to see the grand opening of the new office spaces and even to see the new workspaces. We welcome all humanity to conduct business with the Greater Community through the new Consulate.

"Thank-you for your time," Hanalei said.

"Bye-bye," Zarrenia said, blowing kisses to the crowd, getting more laughter and a healthy applause.

The President gave Hanalei and Zarrenia a little bow of his head and stepped up to the podium.

"Last year, it was hinted that there was a sister species of the Pod-Drran, the Maha-Rrin. At the time, we had not made contact with them. This year, we did manage to make contact with them and invite them to be included in the Greater Community. That process is still ongoing; however, we have now included the Maha-Rrin unofficially at the Interspecies Embassy on Liramor-23.

"I would like to introduce the leader of the Maha-Rrin, the Pemipinae Melda-Hetta." The President led the applause to the Pemipinae who stepped up to the podium.

The Pemipinae had to talk slower to allow for the translator to catch up for her, but she was an old hand at talking to the public, just not such a diverse public!

"Thank-you for your wonderful welcome. Imagine your surprise to find out that not only are you not the only species in the universe, but that there are eleven more out there and that they have formed a loose coalition which they have now offered our people to join.

"The Union found itself in just this position not so long ago and now they are offering to us the same. To say the least, it is an incredible situation to find oneself in.

"Fortunately for the Maha-Rrin, we have our sister species, the Pod-Drran, to help us in our dilemma. They too had just joined the Greater Community and are now reaping the benefits of having done so.

"We, the Maha-Rrin, look to the Greater Community and see what you can offer us, what we could become. It is an unbelievable offer to have someone make to you and your kind.

"There is an old Terran idiom: 'never look a gift horse in the mouth'. It took me a while to understand this idiom. It means that if you inspect a gift too closely, you might see only those things that make it the poorer for you to accept. This is the case with the offer of the Greater Community. It is just too good to be true.

"Our sister species, the Pod-Drran, have benefited greatly from their acceptance of the Greater Community's offer, not the least of which is the medical recovery of missing limbs. This is something that we, on a world that is very highly active geologically, would find a boon. So many of our people having been gravely injured by our planet's tectonic activity.

"The offers that the Greater Community makes are just too tempting. It will take time for the Maha-Rrin to accept what the Greater Community is presenting, to not look too closely at this gift. I have no doubt that we will eventually accept your offer. That is why I have sent Ambassador Shoma-Tern to the Interspecies Embassy." Here the Pemipinae paused to introduce Shoma-tern and her team.

"This is the first step of many to the Maha-Rrin's acceptance of the Greater Community's offer. There will be challenges for us over the next few years, but I look forward to our Ambassador at the Interspecies Community being more than just an honorary post.

"I hope that you will extend to us your patience as we slowly make those steps to full acceptance by the Greater Community. That is why I and my group of senior ministers are here at this summit, and why we will be at the grand opening of the Johal Compound tomorrow.

"History will be made tomorrow at the Johal Compound and I will be happy to have been a part of that.

"Thank-you for your time."

The Pemipinae received a standing ovation for her speech. The President came forward to shake her hand, something that she had been told was a tradition among the humans. She and her entourage posed for images and followed the President down to the floor where the Kumar-Pair gave her linkess and the two Piscium children gave her hugs and kisses. It was remarkable how warm their hugs could make a person feel.

************

The day dragged on slowly as each of the delegations senior rulers were introduced and each of their consular staff presented to the media.

At the end of the day, the President pronounced himself very happy with the proceedings. He'd even had the opportunity to speak with Guinevere and her mother about something that had been said, the lack of social experiences. That had led to a proposal that had pleased both Guinevere and his own daughter, Grace and the leaders of the Greater Community.

He also had time to confirm with the senior delegates that their presence at Grace's upcoming graduation ceremony was welcome. The delegates were looking forward to that, especially the younger members of the ruling families.

Denders Amusement Park, Denders Resort, Terra, The Sol System

The Piscium family were at the Denders Amusement Park. The children had ridden most of the children's rides and now the family was slowly walking into the open doors of a pod on the large Ferris wheel. As the pod came to the end of the platform, the attendant slid the door shut.

The pod had bench seats around the outside edge, just back from the plasteel glass surfaces. As they rose up, the children screamed in pleasure at seeing the entire world in front of them. They excitedly ran back and forth looking out from one part of the pod to the other until their mothers had them come sit with them as they rode up over the top of the ride.

The whole experience lasted fifteen minutes, and the family stepped off the ride onto the platform at the bottom. The children were very pleased, but now very tired.

It was time for bed. It had been a very long day and the family would have a busy day tomorrow.

Day Seven of the Second Denders Summit, Denders Resort, Terra, The Sol System

The Piscium family had gone directly to the Johal Compound from breakfast, not participating in the morning brief. They were making sure that all was in readiness for the big event.

Fayad and Junelliya, with the children helping, were setting things up in the little temple. The children were placing incense into little cups and handing them to their parents to place at specific locations around the temple, up where the children could not reach.

A 08:30, their extended families began arriving from the resort, the children excitedly greeting them, especially their younger cousin, Maahjabeen Norha so named for the birthmark on her forehead, born to Fatima Anar, Hanalei's younger sister and her husband Waris Norha. The seven-month-old was teething and not very happy that day.

The family helped finish the preparations for the rededication as more people came to the temple. The Pisciums were surprised at the number of church members that were at Denders and arriving at the temple for the ceremony. They soon discovered that the direct flights to Anuura were now being conducted with the new Sprawl II Class Fast Ships, giving more room for passengers.

Cynthia Stewart was in a corner out of the way but able to see everything as she began to record the event just before 09:00 hours.

Fayad's father, Naadir Ouihya, was now a senior elder of the church. He would conduct the re-dedication. He looked around at the beautiful little temple and smiled.

He began the chant of enlightenment gifted to the people by the Prophet Andanii. The members returned the refrain.

Fayad and Hanalei, as the owners of the compound, lit a small candle that they used to light all of the incense in the temple. Each time they lit one, the members would call out the refrain. They came back to stand in front of the people beside Naadir.

"In the name of the Prophet Andanii, I dedicate this temple to the Church of Andanii and claim it for the use of the members of the church," Naadir proclaimed.

Fayad picked up his Courdra and began playing the same song that he had played here once before, so long ago. The notes hung in the air leaving a feeling of contentment with those who heard it. He played for several minutes. He then changed the song and those of the church sang along with the new piece, pleased now to be a more active part of the ceremony. The one hundred and fifty strong voices sang along with Fayad's Courdra, the children singing from their mother's arms.

At the end of the song, the members cheered, the ceremony now completed and the little temple once again dedicated to the Prophet.

Cynthia Stewart came forward and asked of Fayad, Hanalei, and Junelliya, several questions about the ceremony for the benefit of the watchers of her program. People began to leave the temple to allow others to enter and view it. One of the first to enter it was the Asoc.

"This little temple is stunning, even for Asocan eyes, Fayad," she stated.

"You will need to thank Henadi Noor for that, Asoc," Hanalei replied for her husband.

"Is that luminary about?" the Asoc asked.

"I am, Asoc," Henadi replied for herself, coming up to the group.

Henadi was dressed in her temple gown and not in uniform. Her father, Omair Noor, greeted Fayad's father and congratulated the Pisciums on keeping the temple in such good repair as Henadi bowed to the Asoc.