The following day, there was a feeling of anticipation as to what the President would say. Almost on cue, the viewscreen came to life. As before, the President was sitting in her throne-like chair, with her aides at her side.
‘Good morning, Admiral. It would appear that General Gott and some of his supporters were planning a coup against me, and the bases were his means of hiding the weapons from us. We are in the process of identifying those involved and they will be summarily dealt with. General Gott will be the first of many to pay the ultimate price for their treachery. Thank you for bringing the matter to my attention. Whatever Gott’s intentions, I agree with your earlier assertion that an inter-reality war would be catastrophic to us, both financially and in terms of our population. We lack the resources to conduct such a war in any case. Unfortunately, until we have rooted out all of the traitors, I cannot guarantee your safety, either on Azio or on Zamenhof. However, my chief Advisor, Gregory Hinde here will be happy to come to your ship, along with a small selection of his team, with a view to exploring ways in which we can cooperate with your government. Is this acceptable to you?’
‘Yes, Madame President. How soon can he be with us? Rather than undertake such a meeting on board this ship, I suggest that we relocate to our reality and onto our space station there. Your delegation can be our guests there and will be benefit from seeing this planet as it is in our reality. Would this be acceptable?’
‘I can’t think of any reason why not. I’m sure your space station would be far more comfortable than your ship. My only concern would be that, should Gregory need to consult me, this wouldn’t be possible.’
‘We have adapted your technology for moving between realities to also allow us to communicate between realities. As yet, the technique we use is relatively crude and doesn’t permit full two-way dialogue but it is at least a viable means of communication. As far as we can tell, you don’t have the technology.’
‘That is correct, Admiral, we have no such capability. In that case, Gregory and his team will be able to join you in approximately four hours. We will contact you when he leaves, so that you can be ready to accept them on board.’
‘Thank you, Madame President. We look forward to meeting him in person. Scorah out.’
‘Commodore. When our guests arrive, please ensure they’re unarmed. I don’t want any attempts at taking over the ship.’