The delegation of former warriors and enemies looked very much like what they were. They did not trust each other and thought the trip to Earth was a waste of time.
Each had five wives walking behind them dressed in the colors of the clan of which they were members. The males were no longer allowed to wear clan colors but the treaty did not include their women so they now signified their allegiance.
They came to Earth because they had not arrived at an agreement on who should lead their planet. The Federation required that to join them the entire planet needed to be unified and theirs was not. They came to Earth to speak to the only Mur they knew would be impartial, the only male member of his clan, eGr.
When the clans first saw the problem of electing a planetary leader loom they had asked eGr. He had turned them down.
All the clans had breathed a sigh of relief when he did so at that time but for the next five years they had searched for a solution and had not come up with one. Their planet remained fragmented and so was the recovery effort on their war torn planet.
They knew their bickering was hurting their chances to be admitted to the Federation so they asked eGr a second time.
He had declined to come back as Leader a second time so the four clan leaders were forced to take the trip to Earth and try again in person.
It took a long while for them to get permission to travel off their planet but it was granted. Mur had never set foot on another planet until then. That planet was Earth.
Their meeting was to take place on the deck of a restaurant in Felicity and the Chieftains almost ruined their chances when none at the restaurant paid any attention to them and none of the women stood.
Old habits are hard to ignore but they had been instructed on the mores of Earth and knew they would be ignored, but it had never happened until that day.
The Federation had made sure they understood that tolerance of others was the tenet of the Federation and any arrogance they displayed could set them back for many years so they swallowed their pride and waited to be guided to their table.
They did see five alien races scattered through the restaurant enjoying themselves and laughing. They could hear Kindred sing but could not see them. Eventually they were spotted, the Kindred were sitting around a bar in the water.
The Chieftains just managed not to shudder.
The Lord of the Land came to them and led them to a round table on the corner of the deck. Lord Jim had chosen a spot close enough to the edge to make them a bit nervous about the water but far enough away to be able to function.
He said, "I regret there will be a short delay, two of the beasts have challenged each other and eGr has gone over to end it. He will calm both down and load the older one on a transport and be taken to a zoo in Clara. The younger challenger will become the prime male of the herd.
It should be over soon in fact I see him with the older one now."
The Chieftains were astounded to see an enormous beast follow eGr to a dock and both get on a barge. They saw eGr talk to the beast and caress its side.
"That is Pete, a giraffe. He and eGr have been friends for years, this is a sad day for both.
Oh, your first wives are bringing us something to eat. This is called paella and was made by eBs, eGr's wife."
The Chieftains had not noticed their wives had not been behind them until then. They had not noticed the Sprite and her camera either. She had a camera trained on them as soon as they exited the ship.
They barely noticed when their wives left again when the aroma of the food reached their very beings. All were very disappointed when they found their plates were suddenly empty. They had eaten their meal a fast as they could.
Two pitchers of beer were brought to their table but drinking was postponed when the barge with eGr and the giraffe sailed by. eGr bowed to them and the Chieftains stood and bowed to him.
They had to admit that he had more courage than they did, the beast and the water were more than they could have handled individually much less together.
"They are going to the mainland and Pete will be transported to Clara from there. eGr will join us when Pete is on his way. Have you been to Clara yet?" Lord Jim asked as he poured a mug of beer for each guest.
The Chieftains were stunned that the Lord of the land would serve them, that was what wives were for. They again noticed their wives were not around.
Eventually one of them answered that Clara was not on their agenda.
"Really? I though our Queen had a seminar for you about how to set up a government. Our set up would suit your planet well. She is expecting you."
He had trapped them, they now felt they had to pay their respects to the Queen.
A few moments of silence later one asked, "Where are our wives?'
"In the banquet room, Azulians are singing for them as they eat paella. If you wish I could ask eBs to teach them how to make it."
He got an enthusiastic yes to that from all four.
eGr joined them as the Chieftains finished their second beer. They stood and bowed to him. Lord Jim saw no reservations about him from the chieftains. What he saw was their admiration.
What followed were desperate attempts to convince him to accept the Leaders post of their planet, which eGr declined.
