Lost In Translation by Edward Willett Read Free Book Online

and he heard himself scream, “Never!”
    Kitillikk whipped around to face him. “Silence!” she hissed, but as though his voice had been a catalyst, the entire assembled city now roared its defiance. The two squads of Commonwealth soldiers fingered their beamers uneasily, glancing around the field. Lakkassikk’s Hunters gripped their weapons in a way that wasn’t quite threatening, but could easily become so. But the military commander made a sharp gesture in their direction, and Kitillikk turned and raked the crowd with her red gaze, and the shouting died away.
    The reptilian spoke again. “This matter is not open for discussion,” the S’sinn translated, his voice cold and haughty. “Trade has been disrupted. Innocent ships have been destroyed. Commonwealth Central forecasts serious economic consequences to at least three homeworlds within the next Central year. This places the Human-S’sinn War within the guidelines for military intervention. Commonwealth Central is so intervening. At this moment, the same decree is being issued on the S’sinn homeworld—” more shouts, which went ignored “—at the human forward command center, and at the human homeworld. Terms of the cease-fire are as follows: all hostilities are to cease immediately. Violations of the truce will be met with complete destruction of the attacking force. Continued violations will result in a blockade of the offending race’s homeworld.
    â€œRecognizing that the original dispute arose over this planet, the Commonwealth decrees that this military base be immediately downsized to comply with specific limits contained in more detail in the formal Truce documents. Noting that this planet has only one major continent, divided by mountains, the Commonwealth decrees that the S’sinn shall restrict their activities to the southernmost portion of this continent—and that the humans will be granted the right to colonize the northernmost portion, site of their original landing.”
    The roar of anger from the crowd this time didn’t need Jarrikk to start it. He stared at Lakkassikk and Kitillikk. When would they put a stop to this charade? These demands were ridiculous. The Commonwealth couldn’t be serious . . .
    But there was nothing frivolous about the huge ship hanging in the air above them, or the soldiers on the landing field.
    The reptilian wasn’t finished yet. “Finally,” the S’sinn translated, “the humans are to be granted full membership in the Commonwealth as soon as Translators can be found and trained from among them. In the interim, they are considered associate members, with full trading rights but no seats in the Commonwealth Assembly of Peers.
    â€œThis concludes my initial statement. Full details of these decrees have already been downloaded to the planetary data bank. Flight Leader, Wing Leader, if you will come aboard my lander, I can answer any questions you have more fully.”
    Jarrikk held his breath. Now, he thought. Now Kitillikk would answer this ridiculous reptilian. Let those murdering creatures, those humans, back on Kikks’ sarr after what they had done, after Hunters had died to drive them off? Trade with humans, with the enemy, after the destruction of Thik’rissik Station and the slaughter on Unindarr?
    The history Kitillikk had made him study came back to him. Once before the Commonwealth had decreed the end to a S’sinn war, the war with the Orrisians that had lasted only a few homeworld days before the Orrisians called for help, the war, just a hundred homeworld years ago, that had brought the S’sinn into the Commonwealth. The memory still rankled. It could not be allowed to happen again.
    But, somehow, it was happening again. Leaving behind Ukkarr, Jarrikk, and the Hunters, Lakkassikk and Kitillikk followed the reptilian and the two Translators into the central ship; and as time passed and nothing