Sobek sat down again in the center of the square, and the delegation did the same in front of him. "I would say it's time to start"

"I agree" Jocelyne replied. "Let's make the terms clear. We humans want to have the people imprisoned here back"

Sobek narrowed his eyes: "I understand that. We are willing to return every single prisoner unharmed, but we want something in return"

"Naturally. What do you want?"

"First of all, we want the guarantee that you will never again come to destroy our territory"

"Understandable"

"I want to be very clear. By 'our territory' we don't just mean this land. We will not pretend to get back the places already colonized by you, except this one, but you will never have to touch any other place. In this and the other two continents still virgin"

Jocelyne bit her lip. That was certainly not an inexpensive request! Basically the dinosaurs were asking him to keep his hands off not only Maakanar, but Latissa and Saramir as well!

It was an abnormal amount of emerged land. Even if there were no humans living there, the nations had been planning to expand in those places for some time to steal their resources. If the dinosaurs had cut humans off the three continents they would have lost a lot. "Don't you think you are asking too much?"

Sobek shook his head vigorously. "Not at all. You will lose absolutely nothing, apart from this city. We know your species doesn't inhabit those places. They are instead inhabited by members of our species, therefore they belong to us by right". He let out a snort: "When you have reconciled with nature, then we will reevaluate this prohibition. Until then, however, we will not allow you to set foot on our territory, as it would mean running the risk of you destroying it. You have already given us proof of how you treat the environment"

"I can understand that you are afraid, but we can't just build walls between us" Jocelyne said. "By raising barriers, we will only increase tensions. If we really want to coexist, then we must strive to live side by side"

History taught that the only real way to avoid wars was to have the walls that divided peoples be demolished. The moment peoples mixed and shared their customs, their customs, and even their problems, then the reasons for waging war became much less. Religious, cultural, geographical walls and so on, on the contrary, gave only a momentary respite, but over time they would only aggravate relations between peoples.

However, Sobek was not about to throw in the towel: "What you say is absolutely true, Miss Jersey, but I am not an idealist who thinks that coexistence can be achieved within a day. To be able to live in peace side by side, it will take years of commitment on the part of both our peoples, perhaps even decades. I am the first to agree that building walls will lead us nowhere, and in fact I do not intend to do it: you humans can easily come here when you wish, obviously identifying yourself first. However, we will not allow you to settle in our lands until we are certain that you will not start destroying them as soon as we let our guard down. Tell me, would you perhaps have a famous serial killer established in your home, even if he assures you that he won't harm you?"

"I suppose not"

"So don't ask us to open the doors to you without due precautions. You humans are certainly not known for being understanding and generous with other life forms. As I have already said, when you are reconciled with nature we will revise our prohibition; until then, however, don't expect us to let you build your factories here"

Jocelyne nodded imperceptibly at Sobek's words; she knew that the spinosaurus had every reason to make such decisions and she shared them. After all, if humans had been allowed to settle on the three virgin continents, they would have begun to consume its resources without constraint until the exasperated dinosaurs decided to attack them again and re-explode hostilities. Even if Sobek was open to peace, it would have been wrong to extend this ideology to all of his subjects; if humans started destroying the forest, the dinosaurs living near their factory would have been brought to the razor's edge and likely ended up doing justice for themselves. Unfortunately, a trifle was enough to start a war. It was the rule: if the soldiers of one nation committed acts of ferocity against the citizens of another, conflict would break out even if that nation had never ordered such behavior.

Logically, Sobek's choice was the safest. Limiting contact between humans and dinosaurs, at least for the moment, was better than forcing them to live together without any restrictions. In the long run, this decision could have been very fruitful. Unfortunately, however, in the short term, humans would have lost the resources of the three virgin continents on which they had long set their eyes. It meant having to give up on a project that had been going on for years.

Suddenly Chloe spoke: "Lord Sobek, I understand your decision, but could you at least reconsider it in part? You must know that we humans need some resources present on these continents. Couldn't you give us at least a small part of them?"

"Absolutely no. I'm sorry, but I know humans well enough to know that they always start with asking for a 'small part', and then ask more and more until they take everything away from you" Sobek replied. "You are unable to contain your craving, and I do not intend to be duped. If I make concessions now, I already know that in the immediate future you will start making requests to grant you more land and resources. When you have reconciled with nature, and therefore you will no longer be so greedy as to destroy it, then I will be able to let you settle in our territory, because I will know that you will not poison the air with your fumes or devastate the earth with your machines; that can be defined as coexistence and can be carried on in a peaceful way. Now allowing yourself to live on the three continents would be tantamount to postponing the problem. If I don't give you a reason to change, you will never change; so until you change, forget to expand"

Sobek's eyes glinted menacingly, and Chloe swallowed feeling she had better shut up; but she couldn't. As a correspondent for the Commission, her duty was to protect the interests of humanity. "Lord Sobek, you have asked for this negotiation because you want peace. If you refuse to allow us the opportunity to colonize at least some of your territories, then it will be war!"

A roar shook the air with exorbitant power, so loud that the windows exploded and the walls of the houses shook. Jocelyne put her hands to her ears fearing that her eardrums would tear at any moment, and so did all the other humans. For a moment Jocelyne closed her eyes waiting for the pain that would come as soon as her eardrums were torn, but incredibly she realized that the sound wave was directed upwards and not towards her; surprised she looked up at her and she saw that the source of that awful sound was Sobek himself, who had raised his head and roared to the sky. When he was done, the spinosaurus looked down at them and his pupils glowed with a sinister light; an aura of danger seemed to form around him, and the instincts of all humans flared up screaming at them to escape. As though animated by a single mind, the other dinosaurs also suddenly became hostile, some even began to growl and show their teeth, but despite the evident tension on their bodies, no one made any move without the permission of their pack leader.

"Maybe the situation isn't quite clear to you" Sobek snarled, and for the first time Jocelyne heard no hint of calm in her voice; her tone had become hard and firm, as if she were chewing on a stone. "We dinosaurs want to avoid war because we know it will not benefit anyone. Regardless of who wins or who loses, many die in the war, it is impossible to avoid this factor. And I, unlike many of your kind, care about every member of my people, and that is why I intend to try to avoid a conflict so that no one has to die. But don't think we are afraid to face you!". With each word, Sobek's voice rose at least five decibels. "Every dinosaur and pterosaur in heaven and on earth is part of my pack. My army is large enough to defeat all armies of you humans, and we are armed and well prepared to do so. One word from me and you will see such a large number of dinosaurs gather in front of you that you won't be able to see the end on the horizon, and you will see the sky filled with so many pterosaurs that they obscure the sun! We could tear dozens of nations to pieces just tomorrow evening!"

Obviously Sobek was largely bluffing: he still didn't have control over all the dinosaurs on the planet. However, he would soon have it and that was enough. Sobek would certainly not give in on any request: if the humans thought they could intimidate him they could stay cool! "We don't want war, but don't think we won't fight unless it is necessary! Many of my subjects want nothing more than to sink their fangs into your flesh, and only my good will is keeping them at bay! And you now expect me to deliberately endanger my subordinates, by granting you lands that I already know you will not respect the borders, putting my people at risk? Do you think I will trust you to settle down next to our families after you enslaved and killed millions of us? Stay in your place! Do you need resources? Your problems, you had to think about it before draining them without restraint in your lands! Do you want to wage war on us? Go ahead, but don't expect to be able to win, because I assure you that not even the great ocean will be able to contain all the blood we will shed! Let's make the situation very clear: it is YOUR survival, not ours, that is at risk now, and it is YOUR best interest, not ours, to avoid war!"

Sobek ended that speech with a snarl, then squared the humans with fiery eyes. Not a single muscle moved on his face. An intense offensive energy permeated his body, as if it were releasing boiling steam.

Chloe seriously feared she had made a giant mistake. Arousing the anger of the opposing party was always a mistake in the negotiations, but perhaps in that case the mistake was even greater. She did not know if the spinosaurus was telling the truth or was bluffing, but until she could confirm it she would have to reason with the assumption that the first hypothesis was the right one. And sadly Sobek's behavior seemed to confirm this theory: Chloe had thought, like many other human politicians, that the dinosaurs would be inclined to debate and modify their demands to keep the peace, but it seemed that this was not their intent at all: they wanted one thing and they would get it, whether humanity agreed or not.

Suddenly Jocelyne spoke: "Lord Sobek, allow me to apologize on behalf of my colleague. Please don't take her words as our will. I am the ambassador of humans, not her, and I have not authorized her to speak. Please take her offense as a personal thought of her, and do not take it into account for the continuation of the negotiation"

Sobek narrowed his eyes, but then seemed to calm down; he lowered his head again and the tension on his body subsided. However, the same could not be said of the surrounding environment: the other dinosaurs were still quite angry and stared at the human delegation with anger. Fortunately, it was Sobek who decided for everyone: "Okay, I'll pretend nothing has happened. But please pay attention to your words from now on" he replied with a snort.

Jocelyne nodded. For the moment she had avoided the disaster, but if the tension in the air persisted it would have been impossible to conduct an efficient negotiation. She had to find a way to calm the dinosaurs. "You have other requests, I presume"

"Only one, actually. You want your people back, but we also want ours back" Sobek said. "You have been holding our people prisoner from immemorial time, and we cannot tolerate it any longer. Here's the deal: one human life for one hundred dinosaur lives"

Humans, especially Chloe, froze at those words. One human for every hundred dinosaurs? It was crazy! Marsala had almost a million inhabitants; to free all humans they would have had to deliver nearly one hundred million dinosaurs! It would have been a disaster for the world economy!

On Earth, the number of animals raised by humans each year reached 70 billion, excluding fish. However, these were mainly sheep, goats, cattle and poultry. On Eden, where humans could rely on far greater food sources, mostly dinosaurs were found on farms. On Eden about 60% of the meat was produced by sauropods, 20% by medium and small dinosaurs, 10% by reptile-mammals and only the remaining 10% by common mammals. Which meant that around 80% of the meat on Eden was produced by dinosaurs. And since on average even medium-sized dinosaurs like ceratopsidae weighed at least twelve times a common cow, not to mention sauropods that could weigh a hundred times as much, a much smaller population was needed to produce the same amount of meat. Ultimately, 'only' thirty million dinosaurs were bred on Eden, which in any case guaranteed a quantity of meat far superior to that produced on Earth. The reason humans didn't raise more was that a single dinosaur consumed the same amount of food as entire herds combined, so it wasn't convenient to raise too many.

This of course only if you looked at the livestock section. If you widened the circle to dinosaurs bred for other purposes, such as those kept in zoos or circuses, then the number rose slightly, but it was still extremely far from a hundred million!

However, Jocelyne hadn't raised an eyebrow. Being the daughter of a wealthy tycoon was useful at times, because she immediately understood Sobek's intent. It was a technique often used in bargaining: starting from a deliberately exaggerated price and only then lowering it, in order to give the opponent the illusion of a profit, when instead the price that would eventually be agreed would have been exactly the one expected at the start. Surely Sobek already knew that humans didn't have a hundred million dinosaurs, but he aimed to scare them with an absurd request and then give them a false relief by lowering it a lot, when in fact he would get exactly what he wanted.

It was a very effective bargaining technique and Jocelyne was surprised that Sobek knew it, but deep down, she reflected, it was so simple that many could have invented it, assuming they had any brains. She was about to speak so that she could start bargaining, but Chloe teased her again: "You can't ask for this! We don't have that many dinosaurs! And even if we had them, bringing them to you means starving us to death!"

Jocelyne glared at the woman with her gaze, motioning him to shut up, but Chloe evidently didn't realize that Sobek was not at all aiming to have him deliver a hundred million dinosaurs. Unfortunately, her words did nothing but ignite the fury in Sobek's eyes: "I seemed to have asked you to pay attention to what you were saying"

"This is a negotiation, not an extortion! We have the right to have our say!" Chloe protested. "And you can't make us such a request!"

"Chloe..." Jocelyne murmured, remaining unheard.

Sobek snorted. "Sure I can. You are the ones in a disadvantaged position, which allows me to make requests as I please and like"

"Haven't you heard it? This is not extortion! We have not declared unconditional surrender, you cannot make us onerous requests! Put it on your head, big beast!" Jackson exclaimed out of the blue, surprising everyone. If Jocelyne could have hit him in the head, she instead she just buried her face in the palm of her hand. It was true that sometimes love took away common sense, but just at that moment it had to happen!?

The other dinosaurs growled furiously; Jackson's words seemed to have shaken them even more than Chloe's. Jackson had insulted the pack leader! This was inadmissible! "How dare you, gnat, talk like that!?" Carnopo finally roared, coming forward furiously. "Haven't you declared unconditional surrender? Well, let's fix it now! Pack leader, please allow me to confront this insect that dares to insult you!"

"ENOUGH!"

The scream rang through the whole square, blocking everyone, but it was not Sobek who shouted. It had been Jocelyne, who had grown weary of the situation and stood up, staring at the spinosaurus in her eyes without an ounce of fear. "Lord Sobek, it is clear that this is not going to go anywhere. We cannot conduct a negotiation if there is so much tension in the air, so it is time to dispel it. Your subjects explained to me how you resolve disputes in yout herd"

Sobek was surprised. Jocelyne, from the calm and relaxed girl she was, had suddenly turned into an authoritative and determined woman. In her eyes he could see no reluctance, anger or terror, only a flat calm, as if she already knew how to play the game. But it was her request that shocked him the most. "You mean..."

"Exactly! Either discuss it in front of a third party or fight. And your army commander has already thrown the gauntlet to my security chief!" Jocelyne answered. "Jackson accepts the battle. Allow your subject to fight. Let them be the ones to resolve their differences!"

"Wait, what!?" Jackson exclaimed seriously frightened, and he wasn't the only one: everyone was looking at the young ambassador as if she had gone mad. Fighting a carnotaur? It was safer to jump off a ravine...

Sobek was the most confused of all, but his mind was already working to understand Jocelyne's intent. He certainly did not give her the impression of one of her who would have thrown away human lives as if they were garbage. What game was she playing? "Do you know the rules of the duel you ask for?"

"Of course. Two opponents and no weapons, except those that they manage to craft with strength and ingenuity during the fight. No outside help and no restrictions. The winner has the right to life and death over the loser" Jocelyne replied without the slightest hint of concern in her voice.

"It's right. I see that you are sure" Sobek looked at the carnotaur: "Carnopo?"

The carnotaur roared: "I certainly don't back down in the face of a challenge! I accept!"

"Good. Do you have preferences on the place of the fight and the time?" Sobek asked.

"In two hours, just outside the walls" Jocelyne replied.

"So be it then. You can retire to prepare" Sobek concluded. Jocelyne nodded and motioned for the others to leave. Jackson followed her with trembling legs, and her others looked at her too as if suddenly the fairytale princess had turned into her evil queen. They probably thought Jocelyne was aiming to send Jackson to death in order to calm the dinosaurs.

When they were far enough away Jocelyne finally stopped. Obviously it wasn't four seconds later that Chloe was immediately on her: "Miss Jersey, are you crazy? Make Jackson fight against that..."

"SILENCE!" Jocelyne roared, and for a moment her eyes seemed to explode in a whirlwind of flames. "Now let's clarify a couple of concepts: I AM the ambassador, so I SPEAK during the negotiations! Whatever you have to say or any objection you have, you must tell ME before the dinosaurs! With your nefarious behavior you have only made the situation worse! YOU!" Jocelyne's accusing finger was pointed at Chloe, so quickly that it almost seemed a curse, and no one could blame the woman who walked several paces away. "You will also be the envoy of the NMWA, but here you aren't the one who make the decisions! You can't talk to the leader of the dinosaurs like that! He had already warned you once and I can say he was pretty explicit! What part of 'pay attention to your words' is not clear to you?"

Chloe had never seen the girl so angry, and she didn't know she could be. Up until that moment Jocelyne had been a calm and reasonable fourteen-year-old, but she suddenly seemed to have turned into a saber-toothed tiger. "I just wanted to let him know it was an unreasonable request..." she tried to justify herself.

"IDIOT! Of course it was an unreasonable request! Precisely for this lord Sobek did it! He wanted to bargain! He would never have asked us for a hundred million dinosaurs! He knew very well that we haven't them! All he wanted us to do was to politely explain to him that we couldn't fulfill that request, and at that point he would start lowering the price! I was going to do it until you had the brilliant idea of speaking for me without even consulting me! Instead, it's your fault that tensions have increased even more!"

Chloe's eyes widened, evidently realizing only then that she had made a giant mistake. Suddenly many pieces fell into place, and she realized that what Jocelyne was saying was true, and that she had inadvertently made it worse.

The fourteen-year-old points her eyes on Jackson. "AND YOU! Really brilliant to yell at their pack leader, right? You literally publicly insulted the highest authority of the dinosaurs! Haven't you noticed that dinosaurs have a pyramid society? For them, insulting the pack leader is the worst offense! You practically spat in the face of the enemy leader! What did you think you were getting?"

Jackson cringed under Jocelyne's furious gaze. "I'm... I'm sorry... I thought..."

"You thought, you thought! This is exactly the point! You all THOUGHT you were doing something good, instead you just messed everything up! Maybe I haven't made myself clear: any thought you have, ANY, must first be communicated to me!" Jocelyne roared with eyes of fire. "I am the ambassador and I have to speak on behalf of humans, and apparently here I am the only one with a minimum of common sense! Let me be clear: the next time someone, ANYONE, speaks on my behalf, I take him to the desert and I let him be eaten alive by the troodons! I won't put the whole world at risk because you are unable to keep your mouth shut! Here we aren't in a democracy, if we say one word wrong we can not only say goodbye to the people locked up here, but also to at least half of the world since the dinosaurs don't seem unprepared for a full-scale war! So, from now on, SHUT UP!"

No one in the group dared to say a word; Jocelyne was a girl of just fourteen, not very tall and apparently rather weak, but at that moment she seemed to be releasing unstoppable strength. Even the security soldiers seemed unable to hold her gaze, and they were men with at least twenty pounds of muscle on each arm.

In the end it was Chloe who broke the ice again: "So... as for Jackson..."

"He has caused this mess and he will get us out of it, no complains. I also care about him, but if we don't lower the tensions, peace will be impossible, so the duel is welcome. Regardless of who wins or who loses, the dinosaurs will let off steam" Jocelyne replied annoyed.

"So... will I fight?" Jackson asked swallowing, not at all aspiring to fight a carnotaur with his bare hands.

"Yes, Jackson, you will fight. If that's not right for you, you should have thought about it before you speak out" Jocelyne said without batting an eye. "Now go get ready. When we left the square you had two hours to prepare. Now it's less"

Jackson probably meant something to the contrary, but Jocelyne's murderous look made him desist and he walked away dejected, probably thinking more about what to write in the will than how to deal with the carnotaur. Chloe looked at Jocelyne worriedly, hoping she had some strange plan in mind, but she didn't say a single word and just stared at the sky with calculating eyes.