He smiled. “I can talk as fast as an A-C now. But your translation chip should ensure I don’t need to translate for you.” Realized he was right—I’d understood all the nasty stuff being shouted earlier, after all.
“Okay, awesome, and no need for that speed level unless we need to get them to stop rioting. None who I need to get through to can hear at that speed.”
“Understood. I can also project as if I were holding a microphone.”
“It’s always nice when bad things work out and end up good, isn’t it?” Well, no time like the present. Turned and faced the bedlam. Took a deep breath and channeled Jeff and Mom both. “ENOUGH!”
CHAPTER 64
MY BELLOWING wasn’t up to Jeff’s standards, but I held my own. Butler had an impressive bellow, too. He was translating not only my words but my tone and volume level. The room started to quiet. “I meant it,” I bellowed again. “Sit down, all of you, and SHUT UP!”
One of the many men wearing a kufiyah stayed up and shook his fist at me, as Butler repeated what I’d said in a variety of languages. Or at least I assumed he did. Just as Butler had said, the universal translator was working on all the foreign languages in the room. For me and presumably everyone else from Centaurion Division who had them, at any rate.
Looked at the small screen in front of me, which now had a shot of the Heads of State room on it. They were acting no more mature and statesmanlike than the people in here. “That goes for you in the Burj Khalifa, too!”
Checked to see where the camera was that was feeding from this room into the other. Spotted Tim, waving at me, near to what sure looked like a camera set up in the far back. All my team was back there with him, as well, some protecting the camera. Okay, I was playing to the cheap seats. Noted a couple of floating camera drones as well. Wasn’t sure if they’d always been in here or if the A-Cs doing my AV work had brought them. Decided not to care. If they were weapons, there were enough people who could shoot accurately in the room, myself among them.
Time to get the quieting to go down to silence. “You will all quiet down and stop this ridiculous posturing and all the other crap, and you’ll do it now.”
“Why should we listen to you, woman?” someone who was probably representing one of the many Islamic factions shouted. Of course, there were plenty who were here clearly representing the Judeo-Christian viewpoints, and they looked no more likely to do what I said and as if they agreed with this man’s question. In fact, most of them were nodding in support of this man’s question. A common enemy tended to make you join forces.
The Queen Regent Speech wasn’t going to work in here, though I noted the Heads of State room was quieting far more quickly. Many of them had been in the room when I’d arrived in Bahrain, so that might have been why. Or else the Secret Service had gotten fed up and pulled their Big American Guns out and mentioned that a weapons malfunction wasn’t impossible.
Looked at the people in the room. Really looked at them. And realized that I was going to have to tell the truth, because we didn’t have time for any kind of diplomacy.
“You all disgust me.”
Interesting. This got a lot of shocked looks. Especially once Butler finished running through all the languages in the room. An android translator made a lot of sense—no wonder George Lucas had used one.
“Look at yourselves. I mean, really look. You’re the people who lead the hearts and minds of the majority of the world. And you can’t even be in a room together for more than fifteen minutes without acting like the worst examples of humanity we have.” Paused to let Butler catch up again.
Pointed to the screens behind me when he was done. “Do you see those ships? Do you? They see us, they see you. And let me tell you something—they aren’t coming to Earth for any reasons you’ve told yourselves. Least of all because of who you say God is or isn’t.”
“Have received images of what all the aliens seeking asylum look like,” a voice I recognized said in my ear while I did my next translation pause. Serene was running the show. “Faradawn ship also says that they have images of the Aicirtap and what they’ve done. Will wait for your cue for when to display.”
“In fact,” I continued, “the only religious leader in this room who’s never led with hatred at any time isn’t a human. He’s an alien.” Well, half-alien, but that wasn’t important now. Gower was an A-C in mind, thought, and action far more than he was a human.
“And his people came here to help us. And, because they were here, others came to help us, too. But before you all start feeling warm and fuzzy, or ready to shove all the aliens off the planet, let me remind you that this isn’t Star Trek. No one, none of the new aliens currently on Earth or heading toward us with intent to land and stretch their legs, tentacles, or whatever, are coming because we’re evolved or civilized. None of them are coming because we’re compassionate or kind. They’re not coming because we’re scientifically advanced enough to equal them. Because we are none of those things, the people I’m addressing in this room in particular.”
This was earning me a lot of nasty looks. Whatever.
“No, I came here to appeal to all of you. To ask you to put aside the ridiculous fights you perpetrate among all your flocks. The fights over skin color, country of origin, who someone loves, what gender gets to be important or not, and, most of all, what each one of you calls God and God’s laws. I came to ask you to stop, for one whole damn day, to stop being the petty, manipulative, mean-spirited, nasty pieces of work humans are. I wanted you to be something better. But you can’t, can you?”
“Have made contact with Z’porrah ship,” Serene said in my ear. “They are asking for clemency, just as the others are. Jeff has agreed. Their ship will be landing with the Vata ships guarding it. They’re referring to Jeff as the King Regent. Every race has referred to him that way.”
Butler was done, so I continued. “But you know what? That’s alright. Because it doesn’t matter now. The aliens are coming and we are not going to stop them. We are going to let them in. And nothing you do will stop that. For a variety of reasons. But here’s the main one.