Deep Space Wandering Fleet-Chapter 227 - Interstellar Diplomatic Negotiations
Chapter 227: Chapter 227 Interstellar Diplomatic Negotiations
Chapter 227: Chapter 227 Interstellar Diplomatic Negotiations
Amid various discussions, whether the other side wanted to lull humanity into a sense of false security or genuinely wished to surrender—especially after serious deliberation by various military experts—everyone finally reached a conclusion…
If the other side wanted peace negotiations, then let there be peace negotiations!
“Yes, even if the other side is looking for an excuse to buy time, doesn’t humanity also need to buy time?”
“As it stands, we simply have no powerful capability to strike back at the adversary; we can only passively take hits. So, it seems not bad to continue feigning compliance… After all, the production of the various weapons currently planned is absolutely not going to stop.”
Quickly, the entire team drew up a “Non-Aggression Treaty,” which included “mutual respect, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, peaceful coexistence,” and so on. They transmitted it via electromagnetic waves.
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Everyone was acutely aware that without a third-party witness, this agreement could have no real effect and could be torn up at any time. The most effective relationship between civilizations is based on interest, not a hodgepodge of things like morals, promises, personal qualities, etc.
Anxious and tense waiting began. On the third day that followed, the communications department once again received a reply from the other party. They broadly agreed to the non-aggression terms put forth, but raised opinions on some details, such as moving away from this satellite to relocate to a more distant planet, and so on.
What a ridiculous interstellar joke; of course, humanity could never accept such demands!
Relocating to a new planet, moving a base, the back-and-forth would extend the timeline of industrial development for several years! Who knows, in those few years, the other side might be able to build a whole pile of interstellar weapons!
Time was exactly what people lacked the most; how could they possibly agree to such terms?
For such a non-substantial treaty that could be torn up at any moment, Zhang Yuan really had no interest in quibbling over it. He busied himself day and night around major laboratories, urging on the research progress of space weaponry.
What brought a sense of security was that, thanks to round-the-clock emergency manufacturing, the first small electromagnetic gun was finally produced!
Although labeled as “small,” the electromagnetic gun itself had a mass of at least 6 tons, with its long spiral accelerator resembling a snail shell.
After testing, it could accelerate a bullet the size of a soybean to a speed of 150 kilometers per second within 3 seconds!
This speed was a thousand times that of traditional gunpowder bullets and had a certain probability of intercepting super missiles in space. Of course, because the material technology was not up to par, shooting a bullet required a long cool-down period, but this electromagnetic gun still provided a sliver of a sense of security.
On the other hand, Captain Zhao and others were enthusiastically brainstorming over various clauses, negotiating with great zeal.
According to them, even if these provisions had no binding force, the negotiating process could probe the other side’s thought patterns, ideologies, and logical approaches, among other things…
After all, the other party was an alien civilization, not an antagonistic nation on Earth. If a war really broke out, it would be a fight to the death. No amount of caution and carefulness could be considered excessive.
On the tenth day, the entire “Non-Aggression and Friendship Treaty” had in fact reached a consensus. It included the other side allowing humans to temporarily reside above this satellite; in exchange, humans needed to withdraw the spy satellites beyond the atmosphere; both sides needed to maintain communication, and personnel exchanges had to be notified mutually, and so on.
“Acting as if it’s the real deal…”
Zhang Yuan looked at these clauses, snorted dismissively, and sneered at them.
Humans retrieving their own artificial satellites can be said to be a necessary concession, as even the most amiable civilizations couldn’t possibly allow surveillance tools from other civilizations to fly around above the atmosphere of their planet.
At the same time, after reaching a consensus, the other party sent another invitation, inviting high-level human representatives to their planet to discuss deeper cooperation, such as technological and cultural exchanges, and so forth.
“Dear friends of human civilization, our civilization, in the long span of 200,000 years, has encountered two powerful interstellar civilizations.”
“We deeply understand that the benefits of communication between civilizations far outweigh the confrontations between them…”
“Based on our observations, the scientific level and technological standard of your civilization are not too far removed from ours. So why not sit down calmly, and talk about how we can cooperate on a deeper level… More exchange will promote friendship between us, rather than the current state of tension.”
“Relying solely on one’s own development is hard to reach the true pinnacle. Each civilization has its own limitations in thinking; it’s impossible to completely comprehend the profound and complex nature of the universe.”
The most troubling thing now was the invitation, which left Captain Zhao and others quite indecisive. After such a long period of tentative dealings, it appeared that the other party really intended to cooperate…
“Captain, dispatching a diplomatic team for an interstellar inspection, I believe, is quite necessary…” an excited member of the Foreign Affairs said, “When nations contend, they do not kill the envoys. After these days of negotiation, I think the logical thinking of the other side is not too different from ours, they should understand this principle too.”
Zhang Yuan also furrowed his brow and said, “You’re right; as long as we are strong enough in the rear, our diplomats up front are actually the safest. Killing a diplomat is the most foolish act, one that, apart from igniting relentless hatred, offers no other benefits…”
“If the other party really wants peace, we don’t need to fight to the death either.”
After two hours of discussion, everyone came to a unanimous agreement.
There’s no reason to start with high-level face-to-face negotiations, right? Maintain remote communication first, enhance mutual understanding; many things can be resolved through remote dialogue, then consider face-to-face negotiations.
And then… it’s not necessary for humans to go down first; we could invite them to come up!
Zhang Yuan’s mood slightly lightened, gaining a bit of time temporarily was also good. Anyway, this charade must continue until either side tears up the agreement or a real peace negotiation succeeds.
As soon as he returned to his office, he hurriedly made a satellite call, “Old Ye, how’s the shuttle repair going? We might really need it soon. These days have really been an eye-opener; we might not really go to war.”
“Ah? Almost done… Really dispatching a diplomat?” As the chief engineer of the Earth’s heavy industry base, Ye Kaifu had been busy with one thing or another, practically to the point of exhaustion.
But what could be done, if not him, then who?
Zhang Yuan said, “The result of the negotiations is out; on the surface, we still need to maintain peace. We will retrieve those artificial satellites above the atmosphere, reducing surveillance of them.”
“Of course, that’s just for show; necessary long-distance monitoring will not be reduced.”
“Understood,” Ye Kaifu nodded gravely, “But retrieving the satellites intact is a bit difficult; with our retrieval capabilities, some damage is likely…”
“That’s okay,” Zhang Yuan waved his hand, “Damaging some is better than not retrieving them at all, right? Just get ready, and we’ll start by getting those satellites back.”
