[Here is a side story, set just after Chapter 43 of The Maker’s Ark, my current serial in progress. The start is here, and links to my other work here. The next update is planned for the week of April 16th.]

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” said Ambassador Wilson. "This requires no travel or formality; just conversation on a subject I find fascinating and an opportunity to witness something memorable from a safe distance. The diplomatic details are already taken care of and were not my problem for once.“

He and Sam were watching a placid Caribbean beach scene on the big screen in the off-duty lounge of the HQ ship of the EDU. Sam was glad for his company. He would have insights into whatever was about to happen.

"All right,” said Sam. "Then have some popcorn and fill me in. DASI said this would be an illustration of geopolitics that I might find educational as the human spokesperson for the Universal Proxy Partnership. I’ve been in over my head with that from the beginning.“

He sipped his tea. "Less so than many others in positions of power. I think you’ve done quite well so far. You don’t have any illusions that most people think like you, and you have a firm grasp of the vast gulfs of misunderstanding possible between otherwise reasonable parties.”

Wilson gestured at the screen. "What is your perspective on why that Cook fellow is on the island?“

"Money,” said Sam. "He arranged for a drone strike on Black Swan, in an attempt to intimidate people away from meeting her in person. The EDU authorized targeted sanctions, so Black Swan made it selectively difficult for him to conduct business and transfer money remotely, among other things. A lot of his liquid assets ended up stuck there, even though that wasn’t what he had intended, because that’s where many of his banks and shell companies are based. The transfers in worked, but the transfers out didn’t, so he flew in to try to correct that. Now his plane is having electronics problems.“

"Indeed,” said Wilson. "But that amounts to saying he’s there because Black Swan wants him to be. Any guesses why?“

"System administration was my original specialty, so I don’t have much of a clue beyond ‘politics’.”

Wilson finished chewing his popcorn before continuing. "That, along with some quirks of international law and old compromises–and a bit of geography.“

Sam studied the building visible at the edge the beach. It looked like a luxurious vacation home, of the sort rented by the rich to relax close to their money.

"I am pretty sure it has something to do with it not being US territory,” she said. "I know the Cayman Islands are popular as a tax haven and off-shore banking spot. You think Black Swan is about to send them a message?“

Wilson took another sip of tea. "That possibility has no doubt been worrying Mr. Cook since his plane troubles started. And worrying the local authorities as well. If the Cayman Islands become perceived as a dangerous place to keep money, their economy will suffer greatly. Which means the diplomatic reaction to what is actually about to happen will be muted.”

“But what–wait.” Sam had noticed something odd in the water.

“DASI?” she said.

“Yes?” replied DASI.

“Can you zoom in on those things in the water, offshore and to the left of center?”

The image shifted and enlarged, becoming grainier in the process. The two objects were round and about the size of large coconuts, floating about six feet apart They were difficult to make out clearly because of the glare from reflected sunlight.

They twitched suddenly, in unison, then were still again, except for the gentle bobbing of the waves. Sam’s heart lurched.

“Oh. Hell.” She looked over at Wilson, then back to the screen. "Those are eyes, aren’t they?“

"Yes,” he said. "I rather think they are.“

"They… aren’t moving,” said Sam. “They’re just watching.”

“For the moment. We seem to be a bit early,” said Wilson, "While we wait, can I ask how much you know about the Deep Kingdoms?“

"More than most people, but not really all that much. I picked up a bit while working on Sealord’s deep com links. He needs special vid displays because his eyes see differently, even when he’s shifted into his land form.”

“Ah,” said Wilson. "I thought Doc built those.“

"He did some earlier ones, but then one broke while he was busy with a crisis, so I took over maintenance and updates for a while. Sealord seemed to like them. He’s not nearly as creepy in person as the media portrays him–you just have to think of him as a squid with a temporary human body, instead of a human with a squid head.”

“Quite so. I can attest to Sealord’s proficiency at diplomacy; his negotiation skills and facility with human language do give him a great deal of influence, but he is more like a speaker for a very loose tribal coalition than a monarch. That shows in how he shaped the Tokyo Compromise. Are you familiar with the history behind it?”

Sam frowned. "I know it’s an agreement that’s held for a long time, between the Deep Kingdoms and several human countries, but primarily Japan. It’s the reason giant sea monsters regularly attack Tokyo, but rarely bother other cities. It’s kind of unfair to Japan, because it was originally an attempt to settle a dispute about the harm large-scale fishing was causing in the Deep Kingdoms, and China is doing much more of that now. But customs have grown up around it that mostly keep anyone from getting killed, and everyone is afraid things would get worse if they try to change it now.“

"An excellent summary. That is the essential motivation for maintaining many otherwise flawed international agreements, by the way; preventing incidents from escalating, a subject dear to my heart. In any case, the Tokyo Compromise was never intended to be a long-term solution; it was a stopgap arranged by Sealord and the Volunteer to address the Deep Kingdoms’ grievances and stop the majority of the coastal attacks pending a formal treaty. Sealord insisted on a mechanism for informal expressions of displeasure, because he was concerned that commercial fishing interests would block any permanent settlement. And he was right; it’s been more than fifty years, and no treaty was ever signed.”

He sipped his tea. "But the Tokyo Compromise did not cover pollution. If an oil spill seriously affects an ocean food web, the Deep Kingdoms can and have successfully demanded compensation in international courts. The offenders usually operate either oil tankers or offshore drilling rigs, and are anxious to avoid any retaliation.“

Wilson waved his free hand at the screen. "Which brings us to Mr. Cook. He and his brother own a number of petrochemical concerns that are notorious for oil spills, often ones that reach the Gulf of Mexico. But they have used dubious pretexts for ignoring international court rulings. The Deep Kingdoms don’t have prisons for land dwellers and fines haven’t been effective, so the Cook brothers are among the handful of humans that have been formally sentenced to death there.”

Another sip of tea. "Here is an interesting fact about Grand Cayman. It’s right on the edge of the Cayman Trench, which is the deepest part of the Caribbean. And part of the Deep Kingdoms. The seafloor a few miles south of Grand Cayman slopes downward quite steeply; in some places, it’s almost like dropping off a cliff.“

He smiled. "Or swimming up one, if you happen to be going the other direction.”

Sam stared at the huge eyes, which had just blinked again. "Is that thing really going to–“

"Watch.”

*****

There was no warning; one moment Sam was about to ask another question, and in the next the view had shifted and she was watching a large crocodile stride ashore in apparent slow motion. It was wearing some kind of harness–was that a backpack?–and small creatures that looked like humanoid frogs scuttled beside it. But why was it moving so slowly?

Oh.

It wasn’t slow. It was huge. The lack of a scale reference had fooled her. It was moving faster than a human could run, and the frog creatures–which were almost as big as humans–were falling behind.

“DASI. Can we get audio?”

“Privacy block,” replied DASI. "There are locals inside that are not covered by the privacy removal sanction. But I can summarize: An alarm has sounded and there is a mixture of unjustified bravado and pointless arguments about the lack of heavier weapons among the guards. Ineffectual gunfire has begun from one upper window.“

The mammoth crocodilian reached the house, and the great snout swung left and right, smashing open the entire seaward wall.

"Bravado and argument have ceased,” said DASI. "Screaming has begun.“

The crocodile was now halfway inside the house–Sam doubted that its entire body would fit–and the frog creatures had caught up and were beginning to enter.

"There are numerous injuries, but no fatalities. Gunfire has ceased. Sobbing and prayers have begun. Screaming continues.”

“That’s enough, DASI,” said Sam. "We get the idea.“ She frowned. "No fatalities? That’s surprising.”

Wilson smiled. "Not if you understand the purpose. They are being quite careful, in order to–Ah, here we go.“

The crocodile had reemerged from the wreckage of the house, apparently uninjured, and began plodding back towards the sea at a more leisurely pace. The frog creatures flanked it on both sides. There was no visible change except…

"That’s a cage!” said Sam, waving at what she’d thought was a backpack. It had a window, and a human figure was pounding on it from the inside.

“Indeed,” said Wilson.

“What are they going to do with him? You said the Deep Kingdoms don’t have prisons.”

“They don’t. They’ll transport him to the edge of Deep Kingdoms territory, and then probably eat him. That is the traditional method.”

“Then why go to all that trouble? Why not just eat him in the house?”

Sam watched as the crocodile and its assistants reached the water and disappeared back the way they had come. The last glimpse of the cage showed the human still flailing at the window.

“Because if they killed him there, it would be assassination and arguably an act of war. A line would be crossed. This way it is an abduction of a non-citizen criminal who was an obvious flight risk, after refusal of a formal extradition request. A representative for the Deep Kingdoms did file a request this morning, which was turned down. So there is quite a bit of precedent.”

“That’s kind of disturbing.”

“Yes. It does, however, show respect for established practice.” Wilson set down his cup and met her eyes. "I’m sure the Cayman Islands will file a diplomatic protest. But they definitely won’t start a war. I imagine you can appreciate the distinction, these days.“

Sam thought about her own status as a potential assassination target. "Yeah. I can.”

Wilson smiled sympathetically. "Welcome to international politics. Tea?“

"I… Yes, thank you,” she said.

The sunlight glinted as brightly as ever on the water, as the waves began to smooth the disturbed sand.

