Alliances?

[Michael Vellas]

As Aria concluded her proposal, Michael was at a loss. He sat, staring at the tiny woman over the piece she had handed him.

Eventually, he spoke, his voice slightly disbelieving. "You have to be the most insane Atharim I have met."


He summed up her proposal in a flat voice. "You come to me because you know it's too dangerous to kill us. You want an alliance, my co-operation. To create - or fake - a device that apparently has the power to control us. Then you want me to hand possibly myself and others over to your friends and convince them you have control over us?"


If he did not believe her intentions before, he did so now. Only someone desperate would try something like this. Or a madwoman. Whatever Aria was, she didn't seem to be that unhinged. Perhaps her power - Sentient? He had not heard it before - at the hands of the Atharim had driven her insane, and she had learned to cope with it.

"I should kill you now and dispose of even this little piece of information"
he said, waving the document in his hand. "But I won't."


The urge to rub his temples came back stronger than ever. "You really are going out on a limb, aren't you?"
The question was rhetorical. "Surely you don't expect me to agree? I may have some power over other people, but despite what you think, I am not a God. It would be a death sentence!"


He pursed his lips in thought. "It is a...poor plan. I would be risking lives for no reason. One wrong move and it could get everyone killed. And the premise itself? That is not trust, it is slavery!"
He shook his head. He did not even have the energy to muster any anger. "What happens if the plan goes well? This...Regus...would order us to either be captured and controlled or killed. While it may be a charade, it still amounts to the same thing, or worse. We would have to pretend to obey."


"This would not promote trust. Trust must be earned and given freely. I would bring armies down to eradicate even the name of Atharim before agreeing to...this..."


Michael paused for a moment, putting the plan out of his head. "The only reason I haven't killed you is so I can convince your friends to stop this madness."
Now of all times he needed to be diplomatic if there was any hope of reconciling even a fraction of the two sides. "I am willing to negotiate with you, but not...this. No, the Atharim must come to trust us without being forced. Either side. It will be a slow process, but I may have an idea."


He was putting himself in extreme danger if she agreed, but it was worth the risk. "I will agree to meet with your friends who aren't as...zealous... as the others. Perhaps talking to a God without being struck down by lightning might convince them we are not evil. I admit, it is not a promising plan, but you Atharim give me little to work with. I am willing to try."