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As soon as they arrived, the leader of the delegation, Speaker Ytri/ol, went straight to his seat. “This chair is uncomfortable,” he said in a voice that sounded strained.

Okay, this is bad, Esperanza thought. Over subspace, Ytri/ol had had a powerful, commanding voice. His eyes had been wide, his tone enthusiastic. Now he was squinting-and so were the rest of the delegates.

The president didn’t miss a beat, despite the breach of protocol. She sat down so she and the speaker were on an equal plane. “Honored Speaker, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face. I’m President Nan Bacco. Welcome to Earth.”

“Yes, of course,” Ytri/ol said dismissively. “Why are there so many people here?”

“It’s a state dinner,” the president said slowly, “which in our culture generally means a big crowd. I’m sorry, Honored Speaker, but I was told you approved the- “

“Yes, I did, but I didn’t realize it would be so tightly concentrated.” He sat up straighter, though he was still hunched over. It put him at eye level with the president. “You are trying to intimidate us!”

“That is not our intention at all, Honored Speaker. We’re simply all glad to have you with us. We’re hoping for a prosperous relationship with the Trinn- “

“Lies!” That was another of the delegates. “You are trying to exploit us!”

Oh, this is getting very out of hand, Esperanza thought.

Colton stepped in. “Nothing could be further from the truth. As I told you on the Venture during the reception- “

Another delegate rose from the table. “That was where it happened! You poisoned us!”

Esperanza noticed the guards starting to move slowly toward the table, as well as the fact that there was unrest at the other tables.

“That’s ridiculous.” Colton laughed, but it was a shrill one. “We have been nothing but friendly.”

The guards weren’t the only ones advancing; the stewards were bringing the appetizer, which was supposed to come while everyone got settled. Trinni/ek tradition held that one always drank frimk/ek at the start of any meal, before any other business was conducted-including a toast. The president was going to give the address after the frimk/ek was through.

The delegate who accused them of lying turned to Ytri/ol. “Honored Speaker, we cannot countenance this-this- “

He doesn’t look very good, Esperanza thought just as the delegate collapsed onto the floor.

Even as the guards now ran to the table, the standing delegate said, “We must quit this place at once, Honored Speaker, before they violate us further!”

“Do not touch him!” another delegate screamed at the guard who wanted to check on the delegate who’d collapsed.

Ever the voice of calm reason in a crisis, the president said, “Please, Honored Speaker, let our medical people take a look at- “

Now Ytri/ol rose from his chair. “No! I will not allow my people to be dissected by your physicians! We are not laboratory samples!”

“Honored Speaker, we have no intention of- “

“Take her!” Ytri/ol barked at the other standing delegate while pointing at the one who’d collapsed. “We will return to our ship immediately! If anyone stands in our way, they will learn what it means to cross the Trinni/ek.”

“If that’s what you want,” the president, now also standing, said, “then the guards will escort you to the transporter bay, and you can be on your way. But I beg you to reconsider. After all our planning, we can’t let this opportunity for both our worlds- “

“Be silent, woman, or we will beat you to death where you stand! Trinni/ek! Depart!”

With that, the speaker led the delegates-one being carried over the shoulder of another-out of the room. Esperanza activated her comm unit and called Sxottlan. “Escort them to the transporter, but stay at a discreet distance-don’t talk to them, don’t touch them, and tell Kirti to do whatever they say.”

“Understood.”

Moments later, they were gone, and the outraged buzz in the room started to build.

“I gotta say,” the president said quietly to the remaining people at the table, “that wasn’t really how I wanted