Tebrel tries to avoid glancing at Dalvor while translating this for the other two, who both simultaneously try to avoid glancing at Dalvor as soon as they understand it.

"Until about a season ago, public consensus among ruikni held that non-ruikni sapients were fundamentally unclean and needed to be exterminated on sight. They were making inroads on Suranse. Then I persuaded them to find a new consensus," says Dalvor.

Tebrel translates, somewhat awkwardly.

"...killing people doesn't make them any cleaner," the blue's yellow aide ventures. "It kind of does the opposite."

"Interesting argument. I'm glad you never had to try it on an invading army," says Dalvor. (Tebrel looks so awkward.)

"It's also necessary for the reds to exist so they can handle unclean tasks for us," says the blue. "But I suppose that part wouldn't apply to other species."

"Now," says Dalvor, "who wants to explain to me in more detail about the poisoned food?"

It transpires that the poisoned food was handled by reds, whereas previously that would never have happened.

Dalvor sighs. Tebrel and Miuka seem to find the sigh subtly disquieting.

"Suppose that we arranged for you to get your food from the ruikni, who I assure you have exquisitely thorough and effective hygiene practices," says Dalvor. "Would that solve the underlying problem well enough for you to stop invading your neighbour?"

"Do they eat similar things? Being aliens?"

"Human and ruikni diets are surprisingly intercompatible. We'd have to have the specialists look into it, of course."

"There are some sympathizers on the Voa side - they've been giving their own people the same food - but it really is mostly about Tapai food security, so that would certainly be enough reason to seriously consider withdrawing."

"And withdrawing would remove most of the complications getting in the way of technological exchange," says Dalvor. "Sikyal, can you get it figured out?"

"Yes, absolutely!" says Sikyal.

"Thank you!"

"I'm glad to help!" says Sikyal earnestly.

"Yes," says Dalvor. "It's good when things work out this nicely."

Sikyal is happy to discuss the logistics of figuring out how the ruikni can sustainably feed the Tapai.

Sikyal is referred to some people who do that sort of thing.

Regrettably they have only one translator along, so Miuka will have to save their xenosociological questions for later, this being clearly the higher priority. There will be more available on the next visit.

That is okay. The anthropology types can prepare a report?

Miuka will be delighted to read their report, and will happily prepare one that discusses human and ruikni culture!

Hurray!

And once Sikyal has concluded their conversation with the logistics people, the delegation can go back to their shuttle and leave, promising to return in a few days with better translation and answers to questions about food compatibility.

(Dalvor leaves behind a closed portal to his Sphere, because you never know when a thing like that might come in handy.)

The Tapai do not notice the portal.

Good for the Tapai.

Sikyal has the food thing covered. Dalvor focuses on the rest. He explains that he doesn't want to offer to distribute the wing contagion until after the war stops, because introducing it beforehand would tend to give the Tapai an unfair advantage and he doesn't want to do that. He suggests that there should be a formal agenda for aid, trade, and interstellar diplomatic agreements. He calls a meeting with the Ceirene governing council. The Ceirene governing council is a bit put out that he went off and made first contact without them, but accepts his subtle hints that he was heading off a probable ruikni catastrophe.

The Ceirene governing council is alarmed to hear about the plight of the red caste. Some of them want to demand that the people of Kadrixi-4 abolish their caste system before receiving interstellar aid. Dalvor points out that they're not likely to do that. He suggests instead that there be a general freedom-of-movement agreement allowing anyone from any society to emigrate to any foreign polity willing to take them in. If Ceir wants to help the reds, Ceir can host red refugees. Ceir says they'll think about it.

Miuka and two dozen other relevant specialists work together on compiling an extensive report describing the differences and similarities between human and ruikni societies.

Ruikni have much lower crime rates, probably thanks to an underlying psychological difference! Humans have much higher cultural diversity, for related reasons! Neither of them has castes! Ruikni are very very serious about hygiene and safety! Humans have much worse technology (although they're catching up fast) but much better-developed magic; there's a theory that contact with humans is the only reason why ruikni picked up any magic at all, which ruikni theorists find unsettling for reasons of lingering xenophobia, but the fact that there doesn't seem to be any magic on Kadrixi-4 supports the idea pretty strongly! For an in-depth explanation of magic, see Appendix 1! For a condensed history of the human-ruikni war, see Appendix 2!

Here is an explanation and comparison of the ruikni post-transition government, the Ceirene governing council, and the Aluvai hereditary monarchy! It mentions that King Dalvor is a little over five thousand years old by his local calendar, approximately twelve hundred and fifty by Kadrixi-4 reckoning, and references another appendix which summarizes biological differences like lifespan. Humans live about a hundred Suranse years, each of which is about one Kadrixi-4 season. Ruikni live about a hundred and thirty Old Homeworld years, each of which is also about one Kadrixi-4 season. Members of either species who carry the wing contagion and successfully get their wings (see Appendix 1) will remain healthy adults indefinitely, although they are still susceptible to accident, violence, and sufficiently serious illness.

Appendix 2 explains that the ruikni found Tseiza-3 tens of thousands of years ago, drove the humans into hiding in a network of Spheres (see Appendix 1), and then carefully explored the maze of Spheres through the remaining portals until they finally found their way in to Suranse, where by that point the humans had forgotten they ever lived on a spherical planet. (See Appendix 4 for an explanation of Suranse cosmology.) They continued their efforts to exterminate humanity for another hundred and fifty years, until King Dalvor suddenly acquired an immensely powerful magical ally and terrified the ruikni into near-total civilizational collapse, whereupon the Cult of the Destroyer on Ityen-6 took over in accordance with their private prophecies and established reasonable diplomatic relationships all round.

Equipped with this report, a representative from Ceir, Sikyal's handpicked logistics team, four competent translators including Tebrel, and a more concrete diplomatic agenda, Rain in Starlight returns to Kadrixi-4.

The Tapai are delighted to see them again, of course. They have prepared their own report, with more in-depth explanations of the castes, some items about the history of Tapa and what makes it The Greatest Nation On The Planet, and some tentative suspicions about what they could export in exchange for the nice clean food.

They are, uh, curious about the powerful magical ally?

Sikyal and their logistics team are excited about Tapa's proposed exports! They definitely think they can make this work.

Dalvor explains that his powerful magical ally is very shy and spends most of her time in her Sphere since the end of the war. No one should have to worry about her unless they launch an interstellar invasion.

Well, nobody here is going to launch an interstellar invasion, but they would still be a little more comfortable with more information.

"Information such as what?"