124 124. Olive Branch

Axela's request hung in the air, the atmosphere turning heavy and the room was silent as a telephonic discussion was ongoing between the two godly beings present for this demand from the synthetic life form was only for them to accept or refuse.

'My love, do you agree to this proposition? It's your body and ultimately your choice, it's not me who has killed this Queen and the one from before. It will be unwarranted of me to decide without your counsel.', Liam sent through his empathetic link to his mate.

'We do not trust this Coalition. Axela's honesty and willingness can be all but fictional, her lack of Psionic presence makes it impossible for me to know, and if her words are true from her perspective then it assures none that it is the true reality of the matters for her masters. But with our current position, we must give a chance to prove what is true and what is lies, yet I do not accept.', Eywa responded softly, her long tail tightening its hold on his leg.

Her past experiences stuck and made her choice steer to cautious paranoia. Or it was Liam's influence, to begin with, she never was pleased with strangers soiling her body. It wasn't xenophobia, she was above such things and didn't have a problem with alien creatures, her mate the proof but she was very cautious now as she understood that her life could be threatened if she was naive.

'That is true.', he agreed, waiting for her to continue as he felt metaphorical 'but' coming.

'However a chance must be given and for this, the route of minimal risk needs to be taken. Instead of Pandora they shall steer to Naratxep, if they are a threat then the wounds resulting from this choice would be non-bothersome and the damage mended swiftly.', she thought with finality, and her mate nodded in understanding, it was fair, it was an olive branch she was even considering doing it on this moon and not in the confine of a spaceship.

Letting the diplomatic meeting happen on Pandora in and of itself posed little threat but the chance that it could even be one made it caution was of utmost importance for the both of them. Liam could understand their technology and was doing so but he worked on hard data, educated guesses, and obscene processing power, he did not possess some magical and innate understanding of all technology in existence.

He was godly only compared to humans; he didn't possess divinities and authority over aspects of the universe.

'Of course, as per your desire, love. The proposition of Pandora was likely just to see how we would react.', and so the telepathic decision ended for the short few seconds it lasted.

"You can enter Alpha Centauri, but beware my children shall watch and escort you, attacking them will be taken as a refusal of diplomacy. As for the meeting, my mate and I agreed to see you in person but that is not going to be on Pandora, it shall happen on Naratxep, further details will be sent. Until then farewell High Diplomat Axela.", Liam stated, his tone not harsh yet one that told there was no room for arguing.

"Au revoir, All-Father, may our next meeting be on better terms and equally for the ones after.", the hologram of Axela responded with relief as she bobbed slightly in the air and the call ended.

"I suppose the plans for humanity can be postponed for the time being, I will send the necessary documents and schedule another meeting. Keep what happened within the confines of those walls until further notice. Have a nice afternoon.", the All-Father exclaimed a second before an Enforcer warped in and vanished the next instant with the Avatar of the All-Mother in a flash of blue light, teleported to only he knew where

"So… This just happened.", Max let out flippantly, one hand moving to massage his nose bridge, his mind having some problem believing what just happened. His coming back from the dead now felt almost banal in comparison.

"Yes it just did…", Norm and Jake said at the same time, not feeling much different on the matter than their friend. Today was very rich in world-shattering news, and that would be the understatement of the century. And they were extremely calm about it all.

"The conquest of humanity and an alien alliance, what next? Another univ-No, stop Grace you don't want to know… I need fresh air, one of those new healthy cigs, and a three-hour nap. I'm too old for this shit.", Grace audibly groaned before walking out, clearly done with everything. None were brave enough to stop her, not that any but Jake could have, and he was quite here himself.

The only ones in any functional state were Katerin and Edmund, the former was unfolding a holotablet from her pocket and began scribbling on it at a speed far above what one would consider feasible with purely organic limbs. Her work in the future looks immense, she might even go and ask to be put some cybernetic in her head. It was too much for one person.

As for the latter, the ninety-year-old man looking no older than thirty after having been one of the first to accept to be 'respawned', without dying precedent to that, was mumbling to himself, the Specimen Implant jutting from his chest glowing free in excitement.

"They know of Psionic… Of course… Why wouldn't they? How vast is their knowledge? What was that ancient creature the sphere spoke of?", and so on, it was to say none were truly in any state to do anything more than calm down and digest the information bombs that were thrown at them in the last quarter of an hour

They were only humans, after all, well barring Jake and Grace but that changed little.

Million of kilometers away in command of the spherical spaceship of the Coalition, a pure white sphere with a blue light in its middle rose from a wall of equally pure white. The surface shifted back like a memory foam mattress to its original flat surface.

"=Sister Xhanctela, how was the discussion with the future members? What is your verdict?=", a masculine voice of pure statics echoed from another sphere with only different features, the light being soft green instead of blue.

The blue light on the first sphere shifted to face the second one then said in this same speech no human would understand without implants but this time it was distinctly feminine, "=Your confidence in my capabilities is flattering and appreciated but nothing is certain, Brother Ktgerfaj. They are powerful and distrustful of our motives. We must tread carefully to not antagonize them, we cannot permit this to happen. They might be one of the only ones capable of fighting them.="

"=Still, they appear reasonable and open to potential diplomatic relationships. I have garnered their authorization to enter their space and we shall hold a more official and in-person meeting on one of their moons.=", she twinkled her light moving to the center of the large room, and from her body, an arc of blue particles flew. On the outside, the thruster lit up pushing the spaceship into Alpha Centauri.

She immediately noted the thousand of winged creatures that she recognized with the new word as 'wyverns' and also a thousand more that were shaped like 'panthers' the former gliding in the void with winds propulsor while the later warped on top of those 'wyverns' and teleported said 'wyverns' to rearrange the pattern that was being drawn. This revealed to her the designated route she had been given to follow.

Without much mental debate she obliged, the scans giving her data on those creatures that were fascinating, to say the least, it vaguely reminded her in some way of the 'element' composed of only one exotic neutron that makes it possible to harness dark energy. But she couldn't glimpse further than that, the rest was warded off and she had the faint feeling it wouldn't be wise to try and probe any deeper.

The simple aspect of near-instantaneous and precise uses of personal wormhole travel at such a large scale was terrific even if those 'panthers' could be stopped from accessing certain heavily secured compartments of the diplomatic vessel such as the wormhole drive, and could somewhat be predicted where they would appear a few microseconds in advance.

She could only hope she was making the right choice by jumping into the jaws of this potential predator. The possibility of them being another aggressive civilization was evident but risk must be taken.

"=But we lack substantial information, our data mentioning them being an alliance of two distinct sapient species 'Human' and 'Na'vi' is correct. But in addition to confirming their excellent proficiency in the uses of libelous statements with the languages sent I cannot affirm any further information as nothing more than hypotheses.=", she flashed, and the equivalent of a frown formed on the other Senomorph by a minuscule change in lighting.

"=Indeed they are rather creative creatures with the uses of their derogatory terms for all under-existence. Enough to make even the most experienced of Hanar's vital to degrade.=", the 'male' Senomorph bobbed in the air in mirth at the image, "=But please do tell Sister Xhanctela, I'm interested in what your opinion may be.="

"=If you desire, Brother Ktgerfaje. Their hierarchical structure seems centered around two figures that each possess many titles from what I have been given and what we gather on the planet 'human' anointed as 'Earth'. These central figures are the 'All-Father' to whom I had been conversing and the 'All-Mother' that we knew even less about but supposedly with equal authority.=", so began a debate between the two Senomorphs on the leaders of their potential new ally.

Though it was a rather short one in terms of time, their synthetic bodies let them perceive reality at a speed organic life could barely hope to have. Both were comparable in process to quantum computers if overall lesser. And it could be increased further by external computing power.

Four days later.

Upon the yellow plain of Naratxep, a mound stood out, its shape angular and the nature around it be it the bright yellow grasses akin to gold leaves, or strange bushes of varying size yet all golden in color. All of this untamed vegetation suddenly came to a halt, changing to metallic material adorned with black roots pulsing a faint blue light.

On top of this mound was a large metal disk with only distinctive features: blue will-o-wisp-like particles floating harmlessly and a small altar containing a red lozenge gleaming under the artificial sunlight of the fake cloudless blue sky.

Then this disk flashed a bright blue light and the sound of air being forcefully displaced echoed, as soon the light came it disappeared revealing two figures, one of a muscular human male with translucent blue skin and the other of an athletic female Na'vi with a far too long tail.

No words were exchanged between them as both began to violate the Fundamental Law of Gravity by floating up in the air and moving at great speed to a lake of the purest water in the middle of the plain, a small island was in the middle and from it grow a Tree of Voices.

One that appeared older than its actual age for it wasn't let to grow in a natural environment. The tree's natural ability to spontaneously adapt to its environment or die trying was still key here but the specially made fertilizers and conditions such as temperature and light received were far more important.

It wasn't the ancient and massive Tree of Voices of the Hallelujah Mountains, but it was impressive nonetheless. Though it wasn't there to be precise and served as a Psionic beacon to all other similar trees of this moon and Pandora, creating the connection between everything. They were modified in some aspects to counterbalance the absence of an existing root network.

In the end, it just was experimental and progress could and would be made in due time.

<We will give them a chance, as you have said and it shall be in person. This sapling is young fragment of greater whole but do.>, Eywa said touching with the utmost care the unblemished white bark of the tree, <It will not represent the essence of my being but it suffice. They are required to know further than minimum until proven otherwise.>

<Yes and I found this too risky but that is your choice.>, Liam said worriedly, this could get her hurt, one of the rare things that would make him genuinely furious. He would have preferred she selected an area without one of such trees.

<We will not be endangered, love. Losing a Tree of Voices through fire is painful but no different than tearing tuft hair off. Sizeably nothing more, and this one little value as it lacks clan assigned to it, its death if comes unremarkable me. But harm befell me I know you here shield could always erected on time.>, she confronted his worry with a rested smile as she nuzzled his flowing hair of ethereal light.

They stood still in this position for some time enjoying the moment until the Homo Deus sighed and informed his mate that their visitors were arriving, their vessel hidden by the force field. Though it was more out of habit, Eywa could not see the spaceship instead she could feel the Psionic presence of certain creatures within it.

And there was the equivalent of five average Na'vi clans within, relatively little considering it had at the very least hundreds of thousands of times the volume of the habitable space of human ISV Venture Star.

This spaceship should be able to house millions and yet there was very little biological life, but it was a good sign, they appeared to be nervous, rightfully so but overall content and excited with their situation. Its potential uses as a space city aside, it had stopped moving and was putting itself into the orbit of the moon

In under five minutes, it was accomplished, a door slid open on the underside of the spherical vessel and another vessel of similar appearance moved outside; however, compared to the first it was only a hundred and twenty-seven hundred meters in diameter (~417ft).

The smaller version flew toward the moon only to stop meters before impacting the World Barrier then it advanced again passing through it like it was liquid water. It recalibrated itself to the gravity and local parameters then passed from a state of complete stillness to supersonic speed leaving sonic booms behind as it moved through the scalding sulfuric air of the moon until another force field came into view.

It similarly passed through this shield of hard light but not after reaching a standstill. Once inside it suddenly flew downwards stopping a dozen meters above the plain of golden grass. Right under it a hole formed and a sphere with a blue line on its surface hovered down.

The Senomorph was soon followed by a humanoid creature clad in dark robes jumping down after. It was the size of an average human female, and if not for the deep blue skin and hard recurved tentacle-like structures around it-her head she might have appeared like one if one that had aged perfectly with only blemish and very few wrinkles.

However, before she was going to impact and likely die on the moist but firm soil as gravity intended her body glowed a smoky purple with pure white and her fall slowed down until her boot gracefully reached the ground and all her momentum had died out.

"Are you prepared, Matriarch Thessalia?", the white sphere asked in perfect English hovering closer.

"Only the future would tell, I'm afraid High Diplomat. Would it be possible to stop using my title? You have known me from a time anterior to my Maiden years.", the blue-skinned alien answered back as well in English but with an exotic accent, her voice not perturbed in the least by her breathing mask of geometrically shaped glass-like material and thin white metallic branch.

*

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