Colette, though, immediately caught on to the general’s suspicion. “You think they’re creating a false crisis.”
“I think it’s odd that we suddenly have not one but two alien species making an appearance. And what do you know, one of them, who happens to be desperate for our women, is claiming the other is dangerous. Let me guess, you’ll agree to help us against this threat if we give you what you want.”
“Whilst that is an excellent negotiation tactic for the unscrupulous, I’m afraid, in this particular case, we cannot provide the defense you need. The Krampusonian ship is mightier than ours.”
“Meaning what?” The general narrowed her gaze.
“Meaning we don’t have the weapons needed to render them impotent against your planet.”
“I find it hard to believe you came all the way down here just to tell us that.”
“There is a possibility we can fight back, but it would require some of the nuclear missiles that your military has access to.”
The general laughed. “You want us to give you our nukes? You’re out of your fucking blue mind. No way are we handing over our best possible defense against you and whatever army you’re planning to use to invade.”
Jaspar’s frown deepened. “What army?”
“The one on its way.”
“There is none. Did Cade say otherwise?” Jaspar shook his head and muttered, “That idiot. I should have known better than to let him negotiate.”
“Your partner in crime claims you’re here to make a treaty and to ask permission to take women of Earth back to your planet.”
The statement by the general cleared Jaspar’s expression. “That is correct.”
“What happened? Did you panic when we took him prisoner and you couldn’t just teleport him away?”
Jaspar’s expression screamed of annoyance. “A Xamian warrior never panics, and why would I worry about Cade when he is perfectly capable of caring for his own wellbeing? As for my abrupt appearance, it seemed best to do this in person, as I thought a communique from an unknown source would be ignored and this situation is of utmost urgency.
“To which we only have your word.”
“Are you accusing me of lying?” Jaspar recoiled with affront.
“You and your friend expect us to simply trust every word that comes out of your mouth, but I didn’t become a general by believing everything I’m told. I require proof.”
“I can have my ship send our findings.”
“Which could be faked,” the general countered.
“You think I would fabricate this threat?” Jaspar sounded aghast.
“I think that we’ve heard your side of the story, and we should give an equal chance to the other.”
“Did you not hear what he said?” Colette interjected. “Those other aliens are coming to destroy us.”
“Are they? We only have his claim they are.”
“What’s your plan, then?” Colette snapped. “Wait for them to invade and, when it’s too late, say oops, sorry, should have listened to you?”
“We won’t let it get to that point. Soon as this meeting is over, I’ll be working with NASA to craft a message, which they will then project on several frequencies into space. One assumes this secondary set of aliens have the ability to receive and reply.”
Jaspar shook his head. “You’re wasting your time. The Krampusonians do not negotiate.”
“Maybe not with you. Guess we’ll see if and when they reply.” The general leaned back in her chair. “This meeting is over.”
“Should you change your mind or simply desire more information, then you can contact my ship with this device.”
Jaspar put a round smooth disk on her desk. He might as well have given the general a bomb the way a watching soldier dove on top, using his body as a shield.
