Fineprint

"No, thank you. I just came back to check my computer console."

"Oh? I could make you some smoked fish if you'd like that. It's early, you can't have eaten yet."

She was so insistent, almost giddy at the prospect of feeding him, and he would feel guilty if he denied her the opportunity.

"V-Very well," he replied.

She beamed and turned away to walk towards the kitchen. When she had disappeared behind the door, Dennis continued on towards his bedroom. He mounted the chair in front of the console and turned it on, hearing the cooling fans spin up as the machine booted and diagnostic data played across the glowing screens. When it had finished, a single flickering icon was displayed, a new message received. His heart caught in his chest as he selected the icon and clicked.

To:CarlisleDennisSR106478237

From:UNBorealisCommission

Subject:RE-Borealis Mission Update

-BREAK-

Have received message. Continue dialogue with Patriarch, will contact UNN on subject of political schisms, get opinion of Admiralty.

-BREAK-

Request for asylum denied by UN, require more data on status of protected group and political situation as it relates to Elysia before decision can be made. No precedent for providing asylum for alien population on Earth.

-MESSAGE ENDS-

Dennis leaned back in the chair, dumbstruck, his heart sinking in his chest.

So that was it then? Request denied. All of his plans and aspirations had been dashed overnight in the form of a fucking memo. It sounded as if they were more concerned about their military alliance with Elysia than helping the Polars, and the Patriarch seemed to enjoy having the Regents under his thumb. If they were to ask his opinion, he would certainly not be in favor of letting them leave. How could he break this news to Ursi? That her people would remain trapped here. That Dennis, in whom she had placed so much confidence and trust, had failed in the only task she had given him?

He stared vacantly at the monitor, the whir of the fans somehow distant, as if heard at the end of a long tunnel. What use was he if he couldn't accomplish this? His delusions of greater purpose now lost, Dennis hit the back key, returning to the home screen and mousing over to the shutdown command. As he began to rise out of the chair, he noticed that the new message icon was still flashing.

Curious, he selected it, and a second message was displayed. Who could have sent it?

To:CarlisleDennisSR106478237

From:RusFed

Subject:AsylumReq

-BREAK-

Heard from UN that Borealan population in need of transplant. Informed that UN denied request, regrettable.

-BREAK-

Russian Federation willing to enter negotiations with rep of asylum seekers. Suggest founding autonomous republic in Siberia. Kremlin excited at prospect, eager to set precedent.

-BREAK-

Await your reply.

-MESSAGE ENDS-

Dennis ran his fingers through his hair as his eyes lingered on the message, rereading it over and over to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, his elation threatening to explode from his body in the form of a victory cry. His previous low point all but forgotten, he leapt from his chair and fled the room, wanting to get back to Ursi's residence and tell her the good news as quickly as his feet would carry him. As he swung open the door to his room, Xhe lurched back, narrowly avoiding dropping the tray of fish that she was carrying.

"Ambassador! Where are you going?"

He turned to wave to her as he ran down the hall towards the entrance.

"Keep it warm Xhe, I'll be back soon!"

He hopped over the threshold and into the street, skidding on the melting ice as he turned in the direction of Ursi's house, and jogged off into the gloom.

***

Ursi opened the door to a sweating, panting Dennis. He pushed past her, leaning on a table that supported an elaborately carved, wooden bust of some long dead Borealan historical figure that decorated her foyer. She watched him curiously as he caught his breath.

"Ursi...we...I...."

"Slow down," she chided. "Breathe, then tell me what happened."

Dennis took a minute to compose himself, his joints aching with the impact of running under such high gravity. He turned to her, wiping cooling sweat from his brow.

"Ursi they accepted! A territory on Earth wants to take you in, they're willing to start negotiations immediately! They want you to found a republic in Siberia. It's perfect, hundreds of miles of uninhabited land. You'd have lakes, forests, mountains. We couldn't have asked for better!"

She didn't react immediately, she clutched her fuzzy hands to her chest and turned to look through the open door, up at the passing eclipse. The cool breeze ruffled her fur as she was silhouetted against the glow, her tall frame blocking the burgeoning starlight.

"Do you believe in fate, Dennis? An inexorable force that brings people together in order to accomplish great things?"

"This is almost enough to make me," he laughed. "The UN refused, I was about ready to go throw myself into the lake, but then I noticed a second message. One of the territories decided to take you in of their own accord. Sounds like they heard about your situation and didn't approve of the way that the UN handled it."

Ursi turned back around to face him, tears glistening in her reflective, blue eyes as she stood in the threshold.

"You've freed us, Dennis. You've freed me."

She lunged towards him, clutching him against her furry body and burying his head in her bosom. She held him for a long while, and as her downy fur tickled his face, he felt one or two fat droplets fall into his hair. Ursi recovered from the brief surge of emotion and wiped her eyes with the back of her fluffy hands, a new determination emanating from her confident posture. She was a monarch again, a leader and protector of her people, standing tall and proud as she considered the next course of action.

"Very well, Ambassador. Let us begin these negotiations."

Dennis grinned and led her out into the street by the hand.

***

The next few days were a blur of activity. Ursi tasked Dennis with relaying her messages through the console, the negotiations with Russia were going smoothly, and she seemed satisfied with the answers that she received from them. Dennis had sent his resignation to the UN, stating simply that he had found new employment opportunities elsewhere. The paper pushers would have to send someone new to take his place, but that wasn't his problem anymore. It felt incredibly liberating to be able to just leave his job without his superiors being able to do anything about it, being that they were seventy-five light years away.

Xhe was able to smooth things over with the Patriarch, who while initially confused and angry that his prized ambassador was cutting his stay short, soon perked up when he was told that he would be getting a new one. It seemed as though he didn't care who staffed the embassy as long as he had his alien diplomat to parade in front of the Regents as proof of his influence and power. He was not especially happy when he heard the news that Ursi and her people were preparing to relocate to Earth, but being a small regional power with little influence, the loss of the Polar territory ultimately mattered little to him. He was assured that weapons and ships from Earth would continue to flow as long as Elysia honored its commitment to the Coalition, in other words as long as the Borealan troops kept fighting on the front.

"The Russians have a jump-capable ship a few days out," Dennis said as he turned in his seat to look at Ursi. She was peering over his shoulder, unable to read the English text on the screen. "It was surveying planets in a nearby system, looking for potential colony sites. They say they'll get in contact with it and have it divert to Borealis in order to take us to Earth, so that we can continue negotiations in person. They don't have the capacity to take many of your people back, but we could take a contingent of a couple of dozen and the supplies to feed them."

"Will I be able to tour the settlement site while I'm there?" Ursi asked.

"I would guess so, yeah. They're pretty excited about this, it's never been done before. Relocating an entire alien population to Earth. There may be some medical complications associated with the lower gravity, but I wouldn't worry about that. Humans have lived on Mars for generations, and we have a pretty good handle on preventative treatments."

"If you say it's safe, I'll trust you," Ursi replied as she placed a furry hand on his shoulder.

Xhe hovered nearby nervously, seemingly still intimidated by Ursi's presence.

"Ambassador, my Regent, the Patriarch has granted you permission to use his shuttle in order to meet the human ship in space when it arrives. We lack the facilities for planetfall."

"Good, thank you Xhe," Dennis replied. She nodded and left the room, seemingly pleased. She had been chipper lately. After he had asserted himself over her, she had fully accepted his leadership and his status as her superior. Whatever mental conflicts that had so tormented her were now banished, and she had fallen back into what for her was a natural and comfortable role.

Dennis recalled the moment that he had torn down the flier that had been posted on the cork board in the company break room, advertising the position of ambassador to Earth on an alien planet. It felt like an eternity ago now. How his eyes had lit up at the prospect of adventure and freedom from his boring office work. He didn't even feel like the same person now, as if those were someone else's memories that he was remembering. Who among his former colleagues would believe him today if he told them that he had hunted terrifying monsters in a tangled jungle, tamed wild aliens and romanced a beautiful Queen? He had even obtained the position he had dreamed of, a politician who mattered to the people he advocated for. Someone who did good in the world, someone who helped people, not just a suit filing motions and trying to climb the political ladder for his own gain.

"It won't take me long to select the passengers and supplies that I want to bring," Ursi commented, her arms crossed over her ample chest as she looked down at Dennis. "How about you? I don't suppose you brought much?"

"Just my clothes really, the console is UN property so I'll have to leave it here. It's a lot more expensive than it looks."

"I don't know if you really appreciate what you've done for me Dennis, what you've done for my people. I was right to put my hopes in you." She leaned down, her warm breath tickling his ear as Dennis began to blush. "I'll just have to show you my gratitude in person..." She tugged his ear with her teeth and Dennis shivered, sinking into his chair. Ursi turned to leave the room, her wide hips rolling attractively as she walked, then stopped at the door to look back over her shoulder at him. "Oh, and Dennis. I hope you're ready for a long, boring journey. We'll likely be confined to our quarters for much of the trip. I expect we'll have to find ways to entertain each other."

He swallowed hard as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Boring wasn't the way he would have described it. The prospect of being confined to a ship's quarters with Ursi and a dozen of her consorts set his heart fluttering in his chest. He remembered his mother's words as he had left for law school at age twenty, dragging a suitcase with a broken wheel as he waited for the bus that would take him to his campus.

Thank God you're not joining the Navy like your brother, Dennis. Cavorting around the Galaxy, putting yourself in danger. You're a sensible boy.

Nothing that he had done in the last week had been sensible. He suppressed a laugh as he rose from his seat, smelling Xhe's smoked fish wafting in from the kitchen.

THE END