Where is she from, what can she do, what is the nature of her alliance?

"She's from another world, she can do most anything she likes, and I can convince her to help me with things if they're as important as ending interstellar wars but she otherwise strongly prefers not to be bothered."

Does anyone else get to try convincing her of things or is he the only one with access?

"She spends all her time in her Sphere with all its portals closed. When I want her attention I try to open one of the preexisting portals between her Sphere and mine, and if she feels like talking to me she'll let it open. There are a few other people with the same setup, but she is not open to conversation with arbitrary petitioners."

Hmmmmm. Well, anyway, about those trade arrangements. Also their linguists want to learn the alien languages.

Dalvor listens to the discussion of trade arrangements without saying much. The Ceirene representative does likewise. Sikyal is friendly and helpful and efficient.

The ruikni linguists are happy to provide materials with which to learn the alien languages, and offer some quick lessons! There is one main ruikni language, plus a lot of dead ones and some holdouts that have maintained bilingual populations since ruikni civilization was unified on Old Homeworld tens of thousands of years ago. There is one main human language, which comes in two groups of dialects with more intra-group than inter-group variation which are nevertheless known locally as two separate languages, Ceirene and Aluvai. Yes it's a bit silly. The humans also have some holdouts but they're less widely studied because their speaking populations have been reluctant to meet with ruikni linguists for very understandable reasons.

Perhaps they will talk to these green linguists, who would be delighted to serve as go-betweens for that sort of thing!

The ruikni linguists think that sounds like a great idea and should be one of the first items on the agenda when they establish regular travel between Kadrixi-4 and other locations!

"What are the obstacles to regular travel?"

"The Interstellar Hygiene and Safety Commission needs to understand your species' hygiene and safety requirements and revise its standards accordingly before our ships can be certified to carry you, and their representatives won't be ready to visit your planet for another several days at least," a linguist explains. "The only other method of interstellar travel is through Sphere portals, which are private to individual Sphere owners."

"We can have a writeup ready of how we contain reds and the things they handle but exact details vary from place to place."

"That's all right! The Commission will appreciate as much information as you can provide!"

"We appreciate their willingness to help interface on this!"

"Of course! The Interstellar Hygiene and Safety Commission does one of the most important jobs in the universe; they're very serious about their work!"

And when they show up they can have a detailed report about how the reds and their interface oranges interact, and about shoe covers and gloves and soap and the return of valuables from bodies and motion detecting trash cans and disinfectant and how doctors and nurses whose patients die decontaminate and the sequestering of cemeteries.

And in return the Commission representatives explain extant ruikni hygiene and safety practices, and how those practices have been adapted for humans because humans don't have a near-unbreakable taboo about following proper hygiene and safety practices as mandated by the appropriate authorities, and some preliminary thoughts about how they will incorporate this new information into their procedures and standards.

Extant ruikni hygiene and safety practices are not founded on the same premises as those of Kadrixi-4, but goodness are they ever thorough. Thorough and well-researched. And effective! They have supporting statistics!

This allows the natives of Kadrixi-4 (they call it other things, but different things per language) to feel very secure in the cleanliness of their new friends! They appreciate that.

Trade agreements regarding food go through. The first shipment arrives. No one in Tapa will have to go hungry this week, at least not if they handle distribution well internally.

Dalvor would like to know where the Tapai stand on the subject of that war now.

Withdrawing is a little delicate but they're in ceasefire and pulling back bit by bit.

Good, good. He would like to give everyone on this planet the opportunity to catch the wing contagion and he is not going to do that until none of them are at war.

The Tapai stop jamming the Voa's communications when the withdrawal is complete. Then Voa would like to know what's up please.

Sikyal is offplanet at the moment but Dalvor can arrange a diplomatic visit to explain matters in person if they like.

Certainly. Their capital is over here.

And now Dalvor is also over there! He's been learning the local languages but he takes a good translator along anyway.

Curious people look at him on his way to the governance complex. Governor Avalor would like to meet with him.