Ptrelto's ears stood straight out from her head and she carried her trunk in a ridged line. Anger and betrayal warred as her dominant concern as Greta approached the planet's leader. At least her son had taken a moment to brief her and then show her the postures and expressions she should look for.

Greta winced and bowed as she came to a stop within reach of her trunk. She hoped it wasn't her last move. Zodera informed her, a lowered head and an exposed neck were a way to express her guilt and apology in the same gesture. She hoped it would work.

"My humble apologies, Ptrelto. There are reasons for my misbehavior, not the least of which is survival of my home planet Earth. I broke you rules about the invasion, and I have freed Qwalto from his retirement."

"My trust in you has been severely damaged." She followed her brief statement with a sound which sent shivers down Greta's back. The frequency of the bass rumble made her legs quiver and she dropped to her knees. The muscles in her legs felt like jelly.

"We do not believe in violence for our offenders. Confinement generally does what needs be. But...." She paused and Greta attempted to stand to face her once more. Another intense low frequency burst dropped her almost flat on her nose. Only her quick reflexive move to bring her hands under her chest prevented a nasty bruise to her chin. The natural range of sounds the Engari were able to produce astounded her.

"You will be allowed to rise in a moment Captain. Because my son has forced me to understand this was necessary. And because you took the time to understand the proper posture for apology. Only those who understand the offense will also take the time to learn the proper way to make clear they are sorry."

Greta remained silent. There really wasn't anything more she could say. Ptrelto was correct. She peered out from under her eyelashes to see all the other leaders including Qwaiter arranged behind the impressive snow white head of their government.

She knew she was turning red with embarrassment at her undignified position and realized it symbolized her loss of status. During her trip through their archives, her reading and several videos, she concluded her time flat on the ground would reflect just how much of her status she lost.

The count she kept in her head told her it was only a half a minute, but it felt like an eternity before the rumbling under her slowed and it eased into silence.

There was no dignified way to recover from prone, so she chose a strength move, pushing up with her arms. Hoping her legs would respond correctly and not cause her any further dismay. She brought herself to a crouch and slowly straightened. Her thighs felt like she just finished a marathon. Tomorrow would be hell.

Smoothing her skirt back into place, Greta said a silent thanks to the designers of her uniform as it shed the red dust and its luminous qualities reflected the blue of the brilliant white lighting of the impromptu spaceport. She adjusted her amulet and brushed the dust of her hands.

"May I have a private word with you, Ptrelto?"

"No. Anything we have to discuss will include all of my associates."

Another shiver ran up her spine. Regaining her previous easy communication with this council was not going to be a walk in the proverbial park. She pushed her luck anyway.

"I would like to suggest Freddie as our ambassador for the Federation, along with my father, Admiral Rainer Larsen. He is the commanding officer of the Yaeger. She is not our mothership, but the flagship of the Federation Defensive Navy."

Ptrelto held up a hand to stop Greta's speech. She tapped her the spot on her ear where her translator was embedded.

"Qwalto informs me I should listen to you and your team. The Admiral, is he your father?"

"Yes, ma'am," Greta responded.

"You have settled your differences?"

It shouldn't have surprised her that Ptrelto knew the story already. If she could penetrate their computer security, it likely the crystals were able to ferret out much of her personal history as well. Quid pro quo. The old Latin phrase said it all.

"We have come to an understanding, ma'am." She fell back onto her military training, addressing the leader as she might a superior officer.

"Captain, we vowed we would have some sort of better defense than our weather to save us from a future issue with a hostile first contact. However, and I will admit this now for all our leaders since the unfortunate incident, we were mistaken to suppress the memories."

Ptrelto paused and a querulous voice from some distance away interrupted her. The speaker had nearly her height but everything about them was a wrinkled spider web. The skin of their face revealed the skeletal structure beneath as if it had been stripped to the bone but the sands of a sonic storm.

Was this the xenophobe Bdagero?

"You will tell these invaders to leave immediately!"

"Bdagero, you are here without permission."

Greta congratulated herself on her guess. The troublemaker was not an unexpected problem. She wondered how the esteemed leader of Engari would handle this breach of protocol.

"I should have you removed from office," he threatened. "I am the oldest of us, and thus I have more right to keep our planet pure. Look what happened the last time we allowed an infestation from space."

Ptrelto's trunk went up and a deafening trumpet blast had Greta slapping her hands over her ears.

A group of five armor clad military soldiers spewed from the secured door Greta knew led to the inner hangar and the main control room. Qwalto's squads were returning in numbers she never expected.

Ptrelto's trunk pointed directly at the source of the miserable whining and said, "Take him to the hospital in Benal. Have him examined for his mental acuity and assigned to the appropriate care. His paranoia is understandable, but Captain Greta Larsen has done nothing to harm us other than warn us of another possible incursion of the Lazaurian threat. We cannot in good conscience allow another planet to suffer the same fate we almost did."

"You don't have the authority to do this!" Bdagero protested.

All nine members of the council turned as one to face him and spoke together.

"We do. Take him away."

Bdagero's weak bugles and continued threats disappeared inside the building as the detail surrounded him and without touching him encouraged him to walk with them.

Greta suppressed a smirk and noticed her young friends were not far behind the security team. Zodera, Zbera, and Ptredor were now dressed in the same red uniform Mbreto wore, with no shoulder adornments. She assumed lowest rank for them but noted Ptrelto's narrowed eyes when she spotted her son.

"I see there are some new recruits joining Qwalto's forces. I suspect there are other younger ones who will wish the same. I will be making a further announcement later in the day. As of this moment, I would like to speak to your father Captain Larsen."

Greta let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding and nodded.

"I can arrange it. I would also like to bring Freddie to the same meeting, but he is busy guiding our mothership into your landing field. She is less than a quarter of the size of the Yaeger. The Scilari will be sending a vessel as well. She is still at least three days away from here."

"Your father first Greta, the rest will fall into place once I speak with him. Qwalto will join us inside."

Turning to the rest of the council members she said, "You know your assignments when we have a planetary emergency. This qualifies. Make sure the threat is communicated clearly with no room for embellishment or fear mongering. Our planet is safe at the moment and I will seek reassurances that it remains so."

Their nods and a fierce stiffening of their ears spoke volumes as more than one trunk extended in anger. Greta could only wonder if it was because of her, or their mishandled burying of the invasion. Apparently, there were many who kept the memory alive and stayed ready for the possibility of another space borne attack.

"Ma'am, if you will tell me where to meet you, I will bring my father and his team of strategic defense advisors to meet with you and Qwalto."

"Stop with the ma'am, my friend. I was over it, but although you weren't aware of it, I had to act appropriately to reassure my citizens. This encounter has been filmed to help with a proper dispersal of correct news. No one would respect me if I hadn't humiliated you before them all."

Her entire body appeared to ripple as she extended her trunk and touched Greta's shoulder with a gentle prod toward the Yaeger.

"Go, get the Admiral. I will retreat into the base and watch your ship land. What is his name?"

"I see you differ from us, in that our ships are always referred to as feminine. I will remember this and let it be known to all who arrive here. It is a minor point which can be turned into contentious, time wasting debate," Greta explained.

Ptrelto rolled her eyes. "I have no doubt. Make it so. I will do the same with Qwalto."

Her quiet giggle lightened Greta's heart. Maybe they had a chance at sorting this out and mounting a defense for Earth.