Part 21: The Feast: a sequel to Thanksgiving

The Feast
a sequel to 'Thanksgiving'

The conference room was not atypical for many on Nares. One side was an uninterrupted sweep of glass on the side of an office tower in the city of Jenal, looking out over the glittering lights of Jenal at night and at the elegant rise of the Aspirant Financial Services tower directly across the street, many of whose windows shone out with the people still working there. The other walls were polished dark stone, gleaming with the reflections of the crystalline blisters of light fixtures along the wall and traced by hairline-thin lines of gold inlay set about bands of geometric relief sculpture on the walls rising from floor to ceiling, while the floor was a soft black nap of carpeting. The table that dominated the center of room was a polished glass-topped circle, with full-sized keyboards built into the top where the chairs surrounding it sat. The Narestans that filtered into the room were dressed formally- most with jackets and trousers in black or gray, although here and there a brilliant blue, or purple, or green marked somebody with more colorful tastes. Metal and brilliant stones flashed on intricate brooches, on rings, on earrings, or on bracelets, bright contrasts to the sober coloration about them. As they took their seats, each pulled out their own tablet computer, using lengths of optical cable to attach their own computer to the keyboard at the table, providing a more comfortable input method.

Finally, as the last chair filled, one of the Narestans about the table raised her voice and spoke. "Respected individuals of the Board of Directors of the Xenogovernmental Negotiations Consortium- this meeting is now in session to discuss the alien contacts that have been ongoing in the Yhe system. Continued work by consortium xenologists has allowed us to build up a vocabulary and begin more fruitful conversations with the aliens- who call themselves Alkari. Their government, the so-called 'New Orion Empire', has requested formal discussion with the Narestan government." A ripple of laughter spread through the conference room. "The good news is that they have made a statement that they welcome contact with our species and look forward to the opportunity for trade and friendly relations. Respected individuals, I believe it is safe to say that we should have few difficulties negotiating rights of passage back and forth between Narestan space and the New Orion Empire, and we should have no difficulty marketing our xenologic expertise and computer translation packages to interested firms."

The Directors of the Board began to review the briefings assembled by the xenologists, determining the promise and profit of a new alien civilisation.