The Chronicles of a Galactic Diplomat

Chapter Two - The Commission

Pictis - Capital of Sellissia, two weeks prior.

I meandered the endless courtyard gardens of Peaceable Palace, my bare toes gripping the cool stone path, and my breath-taking in the aroma of the recent rain that had washed over it. Engraved into this ancient path are the words that make up The List of Wisdom- principles that are the foundation behind all Sellissian life and politics. It is required that all from the Peaceable line, a people chosen centuries ago for their natural peacemaking skills, follow this path - literally and figuratively - each day. But, at this moment, I was studying something else when my cousin, Petal, approached me.

“Petal,” I said, my eyes still drinking in the text of a well-worn, human book. “Listen to what this earth man, William Wilburforce, said long ago:

"' To live our lives and miss that great purpose we were designed to accomplish is truly a sin. It is inconceivable that we could be bored in a world with so much wrong to tackle, so much ignorance to reach, and so much misery we could alleviate.’"

Petal smiled warmly as the words hit her. “He would have made a good Sellissian!”

“What is even better,” I said with a wistful sigh, "is that he made a good human."

It saddened me how quickly humans lived and died, especially the kind- hearted ones; however, I was fascinated by the way many had become immortalized through the written word.

“Your obsession with humans is amusing, to say the least!”, chuckled my cousin.

“It’s not an obsession...” began my playful confutation, “...It’s research!”

I closed the book with a satisfying “thwip!”

“Now, did you simply come here to tease me, or do you have something to tell me?”

“I’ve come to take you away to your father who is waiting for you in the Consultation Room,” she responded, with a grin that denoted a secret.

A giddy smile crept across my face. “Could it be that my father is finally giving me a commission..?”

“I have no sound facts..but it certainly seems that way! Now come! He’s waiting!”

Taking my hand, she led us from the garden and into the palace; within those mighty and circular walls dwells every living member of the Peaceable family who chooses to call it home.

The temperature cooled as we passed beneath an arched doorway and the slapping sound of our running feet echoed off ornate, alabaster columns. I smoothed my clothing and slowed my pace to a dignified stroll, as we neared the Consultation Room- a formal place for meetings and discussions and for those who come seeking guidance or legal assistance from a Peaceable. Wishing my cousin peace, I rounded the corner and the subdued conversation between my father and another reached my ears.

“Please, come in, Daughter.” requested my father in his gentle way. “I’d like you to meet Aura. She has a burden to share with us, some of which she has been telling me, and I think you should hear too.”

Standing across from me stood a Sellisian female not much older than I, and though she was young, her countenance, at this time, was devoid of any vibrant youthfulness. It looked as though she had not slept in some time and from the look of her eyes, it was obvious that she had just been crying.

“Sah~*hana” I greeted. “ Please, make yourself comfortable and tell us your story.”

She smiled gratefully, and once we had all folded ourselves up comfortably upon embroidered cushions, Aura reached across the low table and slid a holo-tablet across its slick surface. In another second, a splashy advertisement was projected- filling the room with images of tough but good-looking individuals of every origin cultivating beautiful gardens, building homes with hand tools, and embracing healthy offspring who clearly admired their providers.

“What is this?” I asked, the colors of the hologram flashing across my perplexed face.

“This,” replied Aura, with a shaking voice, “is the reason my mate, Oxa, is missing.”

My father turned off the device. “What you’ve just watched, Ingot, is something of a "Help Wanted" advertisement from Padoor.”

“Padoor?" was my dubious response. “Padoor is nothing but desert scrub, solar posts, and failing terra-farms... It will take them centuries to achieve the stable habitability depicted in these images.”

“That’s why they need US!” Aura interjected with a dreamy glimmer shining through her crushed countenance. “Strong, young colonists eager to share their skills and knowledge to create a New World - and they GIVE you the land! Whatever you can work is yours, and yours alone - a free world and a new start. This was Oxa’s and my dream. Aura looked down and blinked rapidly.

"He said he'd send for me as soon as he could..." she continued. “But now, it’s been 3 months without a word.” Tears began to well up in Aura’s large eyes and I couldn’t help but feel overcome with pity. I sent her a soothing pulsation of energy and asked: “May I ask how long he’s been away?”

“He left for the planet six months ago.” She returned, accepting a cloth from my father to dry her eyes.

“And during those first three months how often would he correspond?” I questioned further.

“Oh, every night!” Aura exclaimed. “At least, until three months ago... He said that he had become too busy setting up the ranch to call every day. He decided that raising Scrub Hogs would be our ticket to independence but it was a demanding business venture and he’d have to cut our calls to twice a week… He called me twice the first week as promised, but the next week he called only once. I tried calling him many times, but no one answered. Naturally, I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt- but I hoped for the best.

"I can understand that it takes an intensive amount of time to settle such a wild place...” I began, my throat tightening at the thought of carving out a life in that barren land. "... but do you personally believe that a lack of time is his reason for not communicating?”

Aura shook her head helplessly in response. “No... I don’t. I love Oxa, and we have never lied to each other. But I find his explanation hard to believe. In fact, I recently tried his communicator again out of desperation, and got a recording telling me that his intergalactic communication service (ICS) was disconnected. That's when I knew that I just had to come here and speak with a Peaceable. I have tried everything I could think of to reach him - I’d even go to the planet myself if I had the money for travel, but as l told your father earlier, all of our savings went with Oxa to Padoor.”

We promised Aura that we would do everything in our power to find what had become of her mate and that we would not rest easy until we had answers. After Aura left, my father turned to me:

"This isn't the only case.” He filled me in. "Advertisements from Padoor are cropping up on other planets; particularly in densely populated urban settings. They seem to target the vigorous young adult by painting the scene of “a new world”… Unfortunately, those who respond to this advertising become, well, lost."

I rested my chin in my hand and thought for a moment.

"This makes me uneasy."

"It makes us all uneasy." Returned father, gravely. "We, and others within the Galactic Senate, have reached out to the Padoorian President, but he denies any knowledge of suspicious activity taking place on his planet. He claims to be making every effort to find those who have gone missing, even sending out spies."

"What have his spies told him?"

"Nothing."

"Do you believe that?"

"I'm not sure. That's why I'm sending you."

I smiled. It was a commission!

My father caught my smile.

"Ingot-" he earnestly begged, "do not lose sight of the seriousness of this, and protect yourself! If you feel at any point that you're in danger, come home and we will find another way."

"Father, please! You said it yourself, I'm the most capable and mature eighty-five-year-old you know!" He shook his head. "If I had anyone else at my disposal who had half your knowledge of humanity- it would be them that I'd send! Padoor is such a rough place to send one's daughter!"

I could imagine what he must be feeling, as Sellissian parents are blessed with only one child.

My father looked at me again, and I could see his chest swell with pride.

"But I forget;" he said, " you are not simply my daughter - you are a Galactic Diplomat!"