Rafkin, Teculpa, Heereen. All around me. And humans, somewhere, their responsibility all on my shoulders. We all knew that we were on the edge of a global conflict, something never seen before. I wasn't sure about how we could reach that point. Somehow, I think, a global war was waiting for us for a very long time and the Heereen crisis was just the sparkle that was going to wake it up. Loranna Artell taught me you can't stop the war, you can just delay it until the people who want to fight are too old for it. But races like Teculpa and Rafkin were still way too young.

"We can all have what we want" I said "There's no need to fight"

"We want informations about Teculpa Origin" Heereen had a severe problem about short-term problems management.

"You must allow Sot'Quan to go back to the know space and find help"

The Rafkin hissed like a bunch of adders but I looked at them showing them my hate. Yes, I wanted to save them. But I also wanted them out of that story. I wanted them away from me. I wanted them to return to the other colony ships, still bleeding, humiliated.

"Sot'Quan mustn't join the siege. This is our mission"

"They will not"

"How can we trust them?"

"The Queen Charlotte will follow them, monitoring their route, helping them to go back and ensuring they will not go forward. If they try anything you'll know"

Captain Valtair was few steps behind me. She still didn't like the Sot'Quan, but she felt the need to be part of the discussion, probably because she feared I was going to propose something like that. Without discussing with her, I was thinking she would blow up, hearing my idea. I was very surprise when she supported it. "A ship like the Sot'Quan can do only long-range, slow drifts. If they set the right course in front of you and drift, they'll need a lot of time to turn back to the Arata System. And I'll see it"

The tentacles of the Heereen were moving faster. Probably an exo-biologist, many years from now, will explain what that means. On that day, I had no idea. I just went on talking. "In the meantime you'll give tactical information to Yutan, from Teculpa-Ryon, about the siege"

"Tactical information is sensitive data... Why?"

"Because Prefect Hiraku, Yutan's commander, will be happy to start a fight with the Teculpa-Tau and they're your only hope to retail against your enemies. I think you don't want to stay in the Arata System forever"

"Will they?"

" When a Teculpa clan is not your ally, is your enemy. Teculpa-Ryon will bring war to the Tau and to the Origin" There was no need to have confirmations from Yutan, on my left. What I was planning was exactly what he wanted, and we both knew it.

I don't think Heereen warfare was like ours. They were squids, floating in something like water and they possessed time technology. It was probably impossibile for them to join a war with Teculpa on their side, but I didn't need that. If Heereen's mothership was stuck on the planet, the two Teculpa clans would be free to fight each other with no interference, something very... traditional in the galaxy I know.

"Diplomat Callus, you're trying to arrange a solution for all of us, but  all you're saying is not answering OUR demand. We URGENTLY need data on Teculpa-Origin and the past. We need the information we came to this region to collect. We can't make ANY agreement while our primary request is not satisfied"

The long-term devotion of Heereen to their primary mission was obviously the toughest obstacle to a good resolution of the situation. Unless, I had a solution for that too.

"That's what the last part of my plan is about" I said.

Tentacles moving faster and faster. "Talk"

"Bring me with you in the Arata System"