"Heereen is very happy to meet human people. Heereen consider Rafkin people friends. Heereen consider human people friends. We are explorers. We are scientists. We are very far away from home but it's good. Our mission is to explore. We hope to meet you soon. Let the rain fall to the ground."

I wasn't listening to the voice of a true heereen. I was listening to something that Cassandra made, out of the sounds the heereen sent to us. I listened to the original recording too and it was just a noisy buzz, mixed with an high whistle. 

Someway, I should accept it and thanks all the people for the huge work to fill the gap between our races, but truth was I was very frustrated. Half of what I needed from that answer was lost in translation. 

"They used very simple words" I said.

"Their dictionary is still growing" answered Jeremhia "They can do better than this, but I think they didn't want to risk too much. We spent many days speaking about misunderstandings, they are fascinated by the concept"

"They always understand each other? Like... telepaths?" Every alien diplomatic course states that a telepathic race is the worst case scenario for a first contact.

"Nothing like that. They said their language is... very accurate."

We were in one of the meeting rooms of the ship. There was me (in high uniform again), Jeremhia and Cassandra. Jeremhia brought with him two Rafkin scientists but they just sat  behind him keeping their eyes lowered, as rafkins always do when they're with people from other races and they're not confortable with them. 

The room was made for meetings of a lot of rafkins and that was good because it meant it was large enough for us humans.

"They used exactly the words we wanted to hear and this means they said nothing at all"

"Well, we can say they're clever" said Cassandra.

"...and very cautious, indeed"

Too nervous to think about it more, I changed argument... to something perhaps worse. "News from the Teculpa?"

We were on a Rafkin ship so communications with the Teculpa were a Rafkin responsibility. Jeremhia looked down at his hands, unconfortable like his two friends "No family want to be officially involved, but they gave us a statement for the heereen"

"A statement?"

"They wants heereen to know borders of the Teculpa empire. They ask the Heereen to stay out of them in any case"

I shouldn't, but I banged the fist on the table, the Rafkins jump while Cassandra gave me a strange look.

"THEY WANT US TO BE THEIR DOORKEEPER?"

Silence felt on the room and I started feeling embarassed about that. I said sorry, but after that I knew I had to take a decision. "We will not talk about the Teculpa with the Heereen unless they ask for it"

I thought that that could be a nice way to end the meeting but Cassandra asked to talk once more. "There's another insteresting thing about the message I think we could talk about"

"What?"

"The last phrases. It sounds idiomatic to me, but it's not from Human or Rafkin culture. Is it something they usually say?"

It was a good question and I was a bit ashamed I didn't notice that, but in that moment I was exhausted "We should... think about that and do another meeting. I hope we have the time for that before the real contact"