“Skavit! What are you doing?” Nila cluelessly asked while pulling her arm away from his grasp, nervously turning her attention to the Grand Matriarch. “U-uhm, apologies for this, but- wait, she doesn’t know English, right? C’mon, Skavit, apologize! Do your job!” She ordered him, nudging the rodent’s side with a nudge of her elbow while the doors closed.

  Meanwhile, Skavit stood completely still and remained quiet, still considering the easy and quick option to get out of this situation: his own gun.

  The Grand Matriarch blinked, standing still and processing the scene as her daughters, two white rodents with ruby eyes, stepped closer and also froze at the sight of the male standing at the table. The two wore simpler robes, but with the same color scheme, while holding a small notepad and a pen in hand. They also had clear fluffy tips at the top of their ears, a sign of their young age.

  The silence would drag on for a couple of seconds, the human glancing between Skavit and Matriarch until finally giving the male vermin another nudge. “Skavit?... What is happening?” Her voice echoed through the silent room.

  Meanwhile, him? The interpreter figured he didn’t get to choose the easy way out, this matter was in the Grand Matriarch’s hands. He’d lower an ear and raise another, its muscles tense as he asked for permission to speak. The twin assistants glanced at the Matriarch, the royal remaining silent for a moment before slowly closing her eyes and nodding.

  With the green light, he immediately collapsed to his knees and began. “” He blurts out, words quickly flowing through his lips as he squeaks, the male curling forward into himself, ears standing flat against his head while he waits for her words.

  Silence would take over again, all the while Nila just stared at Skavit, caught off-guard and now excessively worried. The Matriarch thought for a moment, her eyes slowly opening.

  “” She asks, the question hanging in the air for a couple more seconds, with no one daring to answer it. The Matriarch never wasted words; her direct mention of his Clan immediately sent a shiver down his spine. She’d glance around in silence before her eyes once again landed on Skavit. “”

  The brown vermin wouldn’t waste a single second of this opportunity.

  “” He explained himself, his body trembling. “”

  Once again, silence would linger in the room while the human woman decided it was better to just let whatever was happening play out while she planned out her emergency plan.

  The Grand Matriarch would once again hum, looking at Skavit’s pathetic figure before slowly nodding.

  “” words of understanding left her lips, calming the brown vermin’s nerves. “” she chirps, glancing at her daughters, tail nudging against the right one before she quickly moved back towards the door.

  She’d open it, glancing outside. “

  ” The younger female squeaked, gesturing.

  Meanwhile, Zirtha continued. “” She chirped, slowly turning to face Telth.

  Skavit quickly got up, turning to the human while his whiskers constantly twitched with just how nervous he was. “We’ll talk later, now tell the Warriors to let the Patriarch in, or else a war will happen.” He huffed in desperation, shaking her.

  Nila, somewhat understanding the seriousness of the situation, reaches for the piece over her left ear, glancing between the brown rodent and the Matriarch. “Let him in.”

  With that, the door opened wide, the younger female stepping back and giving some room before a larger rodent with black fur and a chunk of his right ear and part of his tail missing stepped in. Telth was on the taller end of his species, and he was almost a whole foot taller than Skavit, and he towered over Zirtha. Those ruby-red eyes immediately landed on the interpreter, an imposing and cold gaze that analyzed every aspect of him. Then, they turned away, dismissing Skavit, as he was not worth the Patriarch’s time.

  Telth wore a ceremonial tunic with simple armor that had some practicality to it, giving both style and protection in case of an emergency. The red fabric of his tunic reached his knees, with a solid piece of metal acting as a chest plate, covering his front and back. Alongside that, a sword hung to his hip, the hilt made of bones, while the blade was of the highest quality Rebirthed Iron.

  “

  ” The Matriarch’s whispers echoed while Skavit nervously climbed down the table and onto a seat in order to hide from Telth. The interpreter let out a small sigh, finally leaning back in his seat, sliding his tail through the gap between it and the backrest before the furless appendage coiled around the seat’s swivel.

  A couple more chirps and squeaks later, the group of vermin approached the table. Telth and the white twins helped the Grand Matriarch hop onto the seat across from the diplomat. The Patriarch took the seat to her left. Finally, the assistants took the seats by their flanks, writing on their notepads.

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  An awkward silence would linger for a moment, with Nila letting out a small cough as she shifted in her seat, taking a last glance at Skavit before speaking up. “Ahem, apologies for this incident. I’ll take matters to not let it happen again.” She states, keeping it intentionally vague before taking another glance at her interpreter and giving him a nod.

  “” Skavit chirped, gesturing towards the Ambassador, with him filling in the blanks.

  The Matriarch slowly nods, her whiskers briefly twitching. Meanwhile, Telth remained still, his eyes almost unblinking, not taking them away from the interpreter for a single second.

  With that, Skavit reaches out with his tail to her side, gently nudging her, a signal for the human to continue.

  “But setting this issue aside, I’m Nila. It is an honor to meet you here, Matriarch.” She smiles while leaning forward and pressing a couple of things on the screen on the table, with the assistants curiously leaning in to see what she’s doing. “My purpose here today is to present your kingdom with a plan of cooperation for the future of your kind.”

  “” The interpreter quickly spoke as the human finished, taking constant glances between her and Nila.

  “” Zirtha replied with a cordial nod after a few seconds of silence.

  “The Matriarch greets you as well. Her highness name is Zirtha, and she wants you to continue.” Skavit turned to the Ambassador, ears high on end.

  Nila’s smile widens slightly with her pressing one more button, and suddenly, the screen to the western side of the meeting room lights up, turning it almost completely blue with a white insignia of a globe with ornaments in the middle, alongside the words “United Nations of Earth”. All heads turn to face it, even Skavit, in curiosity before turning his attention back to the human.

  “Currently, we have five ships in orbit, each with its own purpose.” She presses another button over the digital screen, and the wall once again changes; the blue flag gets covered with images of gigantic metallic constructs. “First, the UNS Cygnus from the Carrier class known as Invicta. It is the main operating base of the Marines you’ve met so far.”

  “” Skavit squeaks out the moment he’s given a brief window to translate.

  Meanwhile, the other rodents stare at the screen, a mix of expressions on their faces. The twins have a curious look in their eyes, the Matriarch keeps herself composed, while Telth’s eyes abruptly widen at the sight before he recomposes himself.

  “Then, we have the UNS Paris, where the UNE base of operations is. Here we’ll deal with civil matters, and that is where most of our Colonial Bureau officers and Marshalls are,” Nila explains while pressing another button. The metallic hull of the UNS Paris expands to cover more of the screen, with a bulky design and shape.

  “” The interpreter translates, taking considerable creative freedom with his speech to convey the message.

  Telth blinks, turning to the Grand Matriarch in silence before she gives a quick nod, giving him the green light to speak. “” he asks, curiously, but with a small tinge of worry in his tone.

  Skavit clicks his tongue, giving a couple of taps with his tail against Nila’s side, asking for a quick pause as he tries to remember the classes he took about Human Hierarchy.

  “” He chirps, directing his answer to the Matriarch. “.”

  The rodents nod in understanding while pens scratch across paper. Meanwhile, Telth’s whiskers furrowed, the warrior uncomfortably shifting on his seat.

  With that explained, Skavit turns to Nila, quickly nodding to signal for her to continue with her presentation.

  “Mmmhm, and alongside that one, the UNS Paris, we have a smaller support ship, the UNS Invicta. The crew from this ship will be responsible for research about your kind.” She continues, with another image over the wall screen appearing, this time with both the previous ship and a smaller one appearing.

  The brown rodent chirped, pointing at the screen. “” He explained while gently nudging the Ambassador’s side.

  “Finally, we have the UNV Nautilus. This ship is owned by a private company with which we’ve made a contract to assist with the projects and general construction on your planet.” Nila finishes, the last image appearing of another colossal vessel, this time with a clear green and yellow insignia on its side.

  “” Skavit begins before his words faded away, thinking of a good comparison to make for such a concept until finally, an idea strikes his mind. “”

  This time, even the Matriarch appears surprised, her ears shifting slightly upwards, yet remaining flat against the sides of her head. Her daughters, in the meantime, are taking notes with fervor while Telth remains silent, but it’s clear he’s taken aback by this revelation.

  “” The Grand Matriarch asks, allowing her curiosity to take over for once and briefly breaking her composure.

  Skavit looks at Nila, who pauses her presentation to let all this information sink in. Once again, he taps her side before speaking. “They are asking how common people have access to ships.”

  “Oh!” Nila let out, looking back at them as she clasped her hands together. “Well! Technically, anyone can have a space-faring vessel, but it’s very restricted. It’s a long and complicated process to ensure only the most competent have the legal permission to pilot one. It’s also extremely expensive to acquire one.”

  “” The interpreter summarizes before adding. “”

  This explanation seems to be enough for the royalty, with Zirtha doing a couple of nods while her tail slowly sways behind her seat, through the gap between it and the backrest.

  Skavit turned to Nila again after the explanations, his ears lowering a bit, not pointing upward anymore. The rodent seems to have calmed his nerves, fully focused on the task at hand. “They’re ready for the next section.”

  The brunette smiles and presses a few more buttons, changing the screen to display pictures of brown poles with leaves. Something odd that resembled the large herbs seen in the very few forests left on his continent. Alongside the image, the words “Industrial Development and Biological Introduction” hover above it.