"Going where I list, my own master total and absolute" (Part 2 - Diplomacy, Tourism, and Processing)

[meat_mooks]

The trip down was uneventful. The view was gorgeous when the viewing window shields were raised again when they were through the atmosphere, especially as they passed down to Megalopolis, the simply-named giant city that was this world's capital. To the Earthlings there, the continents of this world would look vastly familiar, but that didn't mean

Comments

[galilee_npcs]

"They'll be fine, of course," said Allin. "They're merely being processed. They're foreign clones, that means they have to be registered and assigned guardians to be able to travel through our society freely. Everything is being explained to them by my fellow Councilman as we speak, I assure you, and barring the one of them that's registered as having a genetic match among the sentients of your group, we'll even allow them freedom to choose who they want as their assigned guardian during their stay."

The look on Allin's face was as reassuring as anyone could make their expression look.

"There are private scanners everywhere, looking for unmarked clones, as well as law enforcement looking for free-wandering clones not attending to their assigned duties as part of our security measures in the face of the terrorist threats facing our society. The last thing we'd would be for your people to accidentally get marked as possible terrorists. Their registration is for their own safety."

"As for the rest, of course, we can work out a contract. We intend to. What we need from you is a way of eliminating key resistance leaders so that the movement falls apart. We need a way to infiltrate the resistance itself, to get close enough to their core leadership to discern which clones aren't body doubles. We also believe they're making another run for the Mother Brains, like John Savage before them, and we need your assistance in stopping them before they permanently damage the Memory Banks."

[level12headache]

Querl pressed his hands together and waited for the others to stop talking before speaking in a calm, even tone. "I assure you, Councilor, there are many of us who are willing to help you in this matter. I wish, however, that you had informed us earlier. You have placed us in a difficult situation. We appreciate your concerns for the safety of our crew, however I fear they will take this as a personal affront. Councilor Kang will no doubt be angry. He and the others will have to be appeased. Understand that any actions he may take will be a reaction to cultural differences- one that could have been avoided had you told us your intentions. Please do not take it as a sign that we as a whole do not wish to assist you. I trust that you will return our crewmates to us as soon as possible so we may ensure that no further misunderstandings occur so as to avoid any unpleasant consequences that may irreparably damage our relationship.

"As for the contract, it seems that we can come to an arrangement. I believe I can assist you with the Mother Brain and removing more of the stored memories, as well as stopping the resistance before they strike again."

[hi_there_aliens]

Of course this wasn't going to be a milk run. What was he thinking? Having an entire society hinged on the fact that it needed clone labor, and decided it knew what a person was and wasn't was pretty troubling. Cloning was already a tricky enough ethical issue back home, and they hadn't even gotten anywhere near as advanced as the Galileans. The part where people were created just to be tools and nothing more bothered him. Obviously some people and some clones had a problem with it too, which put a damper in that 'our clones are happy, our clones are safe, this is utopia' spiel Allin was so fond of. Clones weren't the happy workers that Allin implied. And now some of their own was missing.

Was this really was for their safety, as Allin claimed or was the diverted group being held as insurance? He didn't like the signs that pointed to yes on option two. Daniel let the others speak as he reviewed what just came up and the options. The fact was that they'd been diverted by the Galileans after landing, and even this big issue with the clones hadn't come up until now, when it should have, especially considering how rooted clones were in both the society and their dilemma. It was either an oversight, due to cultural differences, maybe they didn't think clone or clone labor were anything out of the ordinary, or the Galileans had done it very deliberately, possibly counting on the fact that group would be less than thrilled with the situation.

By the time the others had spoken, Daniel wanted to bury his head in his hands and groan.

Some of these people seemed to be doing fine on the diplomatic front. Querl especially. More than fine, they were feeling their way around carefully, not quite agreeing to anything. It was the others that Daniel wasn't so sure about. How did they qualify to negotiate at all in the first place? Did Kang just pick and chose at random? When what's his name, Zetta, spoke up, Daniel knew they were in trouble. This sounded like a man who seemed used to being obeyed and in fact, was practically making demands, not so much negotiating as telling them how it was going to be, like some fact of life. Zetta was handling this was the same precision as the military which, Daniel thought, was about as subtle as a missile going into a bunker.

"I think we need to hear the Councillor out more before we start thinking about contracts," Daniel said firmly. New information had just come up that he wasn't comfortable with himself. From the looks of it, neither were some of the others. He didn't think they were in any position to even think of contracts just yet. Maybe the Galileans had medical technology they needed, but there was such a thing as coming at too high a cost. They didn't have nearly enough information to make a decision. Daniel also didn't think they were going to get the full picture from the Councillor. They had to look around themselves, start asking the pressing questions.

"Thank you for your concern for our crew. But this does make us uneasy," understatement of the year award to Dr. Jackson right there. "We don't know how you view clones who aren't uh, born here and don't fit into your worker criteria. Or what happens to the person you say is a genetic match." Daniel couldn't bring himself to say 'created', as if from a tube. It seemed wrong, turned them into an object instead of a person. He hadn't even known they were clones until right now. And honestly, he didn't think it mattered how they came into this world anyway. They were about as far from what the Councillor insisted a clone was as could be. Not people made just to serve, not mindless automatons. They were just people. And that was freedom for a clone, huh? Letting them choose their chaperone. "I don't think we can settle on anything until we have them back."

Daniel wanted to tell Allin that they weren't mercenaries for hire or assassins, but that wasn't entirely diplomatic. The archaeologist chanced a glance at Dick, silently asking permission. "It might be a good idea to put the negotiations on a brief recess until then. Personally, I'd like a chance to visit one of the processing centers or the Mother Brains and speak with the staff. I'd love to learn more about your society firsthand."

[wantstobebatman]

Doc pressed himself back into his chair, jaw and fists clenched firmly, all but staring daggers across the room at Allin. He would have sincerely liked to ask where the hell these people got off manufacturing sentient beings just to put them to work as slave labor, what made them think that this crew would be willing to assist them in squashing the dissenters of said caste, but he supposed that that wouldn't be particularly diplomatic.

He also didn't particularly trust himself not to launch himself across the table at Allin if he didn't get a satisfactory answer, and he knew no answer that he was given could meet those criteria in the first place.

Sucking in a breath he crossed his arms, his tone unequivocably displeased but as polite and calm as he could manage all the same as he spoke.

"I agree with Doctor Jackson. I think we're going to need some time to confer among ourselves and get a first-hand look at how things are run here before we can agree on a course of action."

[futureisclear]

Ildraniath nodded slowly, fingertips pressed together as she listened to the exchange. Interesting. And somewhat troubling, but mostly interesting. What most irked her was the presumption of these people in removing a group of crewmembers for the sake of their idiotic laws. Not that she particularly cared about the clones, of course, but in theory the members of Stacy's crew were her allies and she didn't like the idea that potentially useful people might end up wasted or misused because of primitive culture.

When she finally spoke up, her tone was rather icy. "I believe we will still be able to assist you, but as mentioned, this may become difficult, if you've decided to treat members of our crew as if they're members of your society. Your law or not, they are guests and potential allies - spiriting them away to be processed is not in the interests of making those potential allies feel welcome."

She leaned back in her chair, considering for a moment.

"That said, I think we will be able to help you. Of course, the terms may have to end up changing to reflect this rather unfortunate oversight. But... once again, that is something we will have to discuss among ourselves."

[galilee_npcs]

"Very well," Allin said, looking slightly perturbed and maybe a little surprised. "We can have a recess in negotiations for now, to allow you to meet up with the rest of your crew. I'm sure once you realize they're fine, we'll be able to pick up again."

He looked to Lex. "As I said, one of the clones was a genetic match--the hybrid, I believe, and as such, his guardian is automatically his closest genetic match. The member of your party named Superboy? He'll be assigned to you, Mr. Luthor. Otherwise, your clone--" There was the slightest pause "--crew members can be assigned to anyone they see fit among your party. It is highly advised that they don't travel alone. As I said, it's best for their own safety."

"We've arranged for accommodations for your crew--and security--in one of our most magnificent hotels, and all your other groups will be teleported there. Shall we reconvene in the morning?"

[imperious_lex]

"...I see." It was impossible to tell what Lex was feeling about that. He figured that most people knew by now that Kon was Kal's clone, but now it was out that he was a Lex Luthor's clone as well. That wasn't a piece of information he wanted public, particularly since this crew was far too full of simpletons to comprehend that he wasn't the Lex who was responsible for Kon in the slightest (really, if people weren't so damned obsessed with thinking he has an obsession that he does not have, life would be so much easier on all of them), that was going to make this balancing act very, very delicate from here on out.

But, if anything, Lex did love a challenge.

"Yes, I believe its best to continue this in the morning. However," Lex added, placing his hand on Allin's shoulder, "I would hate for things to end on such sour note because of a simple cultural misunderstanding. Perhaps, as a sign of good faith, you provide us with copies of all of the data you received during our initial scans, as well as the results of all the test you ran on the samples you collected from us, in addition to assurances that the samples will be destroyed if we so wish once all testing has been completed." And Lex, having held negotiations with world leaders before, know just how to hit the right tone of voice such that they knew his suggestion was not a suggestion. "Furthermore, since you'll be providing us with as much information about this dissident group and their recent attacks as is reasonable... if you could also provide us with a copy of all laws and ordinances, as well as access to one of your legal aids to answer any questions we may have, that would go a long in preventing any future misunderstandings during our stay here."

[goddamnwingman]

Strength of will alone kept Dick from facepalming at that. Great. Now Kon had Lex as his 'Guardian'. Whatever the hell that meant on this planet. At least Lex knew he'd be watched after what happened on the ship, whether he'd actually had anything to do with it or not.

And he was doing his best to keep as open a mind as he could on that. Though his glance to Lex may not have been the most friendly, he could at least hide behind the fact that NONE of this was exactly making him a friendly guy.

Still. He had to give Lex credit for what he was asking for. It was definitely going to be needed. "I think we could all use that information," he said, doing his best to keep his tone polite. He'd already gone as far as he could toward losing his temper. "And I agree that a couple of our people should get a...better understanding of your culture." Dr. Jackson had a good point. "In fact, Dr. Jackson is uniquely qualified for such a task. Perhaps Dr. McNinja would like to accompany him."

He'd snag them both before they went anywhere. Especially McNinja. He wanted to know more about those facilities. "Until then, yes. A chance to regroup and consider would be much appreciated."

Had to stay polite. Had to stay calm. They were stuck until Stacy returned, after all.

[seasindorei]

"It seems reasonable enough to me. We are on their planet, and we are to be expected to follow their laws, are we not? In any case, it's settled. I look forward to further negotiations." He bowed his head slightly and tucked his hands behind his back. Certainly nothing to get in a tizzy about. A few days of inconvenience, albeit humiliating, and then they could leave and the put the whole thing behind them.

Then again, the people aboard the the ship didn't seem to enjoy rational, cool-headed thinking when they could get outraged over something instead, it seemed. He glanced over the rest of the negotiating team.

"I'm certain we have much to discuss."

[i_am_the_bafo]

"With those laws and stuff, it'd be good to know where exactly you want us to stand. Deputized police? Military? Something special?" the book said. "While we're looking over 'em we can figure out if that role is enough, if we might need more power in one area or not as much as you've given in another."

The latter wasn't damn likely, but hey, bargaining chips are bargaining chips.

"By the way, just how sold on our intervention is your populace?"

[galilee_npcs]

"All of that can be provided," Allin said to Lex, and his expression seemed open. Seemed. "We'll send a courier to your hotel with all the requested information."

"As far as our population is concerned, your intervention is welcome."

"Before we take a recess, do you have anymore requests or questions?"

[ooc: Go in posting order and skip Allin's next turn. If your character wouldn't, have them say no or just be silent.]

[level12headache]

Querl turned to this others. Of course he always had more requests and questions but he felt that now was not the time.

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel turned to look at Luthor for several seconds, blue eyes wide and unblinking. The archaeologist looked remarkably like an owl behind the over sized glasses as he sized the man up again. Daniel had taken note of him earlier. Something made him stand out then even before he said a word.It wasn't just his appearance, it went beyond that. There was something about him. It probably had everything to do with the feeling of charisma and sheer authority that he seemed to naturally radiate. It was the way he carried himself and the way he looked at people. Seemed to live and breathe it. Something about him screamed power.

Luthor was a smooth talker, he'd give him that. One of the best Daniel had ever seen. It wasn't outwardly threatening. Actually, Luthor had been perfectly pleasant about it. Amiable. Perfectly diplomatic. Not even remotely as confrontational as Dick or Zetta. Daniel found something about him disconcerting all the same. Maybe it was in how perfect and effortless his maneuvering was. How in control he was, and just how in control he seemed to be of Allin.

It was almost frightening how easily Luthor maneuvered the Councillor. Daniel's mouth pressed into a thin line. Luthor didn't just soothe away the initial tension, he included Allin as if he wasn't a separate party, just with a simple hand clap, turning him into a friend who'd just made a simple mistake and could be forgiven... then Luthor applied a subtle bit of pressure in the same breath, by 'suggesting' that the Councillor hand over data, make amends in apology, without offering a single thing in return. Just the lure of a promise that it would be enough to make the rest of them forget the matter. Daniel could read between the lines well enough to know none of this was a suggestion at all. Luthor backed the Councillor further into a corner. And he had somehow managed to place Allin firmly in a position to practically service them, to owe them too. Maybe even with a smile. Lex manipulated Allin as if he didn't have to think twice about dominating the man. Allin might not even realize it was happening. If you didn't know what to look for, it'd be easy to miss.

Daniel finally blinked, licked his lips, but said nothing to undermine Luthor just yet. As much as the display unsettled him, Luthor was right. They did need this information if they were to move around this society without anymore mishaps.

Sure, they were expected to follow the laws, but when the Galileans were trying to get something out of Stacy's crew, it was also expected that the Galileans show respect for their ways as well. Diplomacy wasn't a one-way street. Anyway it looked like today's negotiations were over for now, and better yet, Dick might be giving him approval to poke around. The archaeologist rose. He wanted to speak with the others and review before he went into more questions. "Thank you for your time, Councillor."

[wantstobebatman]

Doc nodded sharply, taking Daniel's lead to push back his chair and head for the door before he completely lost his temper.