The Martial Unity

Before Rui negotiated with the laminar integuments, it would be better if he understood more deeply what kind of lifeform he was dealing with. And indeed, as a Martial Transcendent, there were hardly any more who could come to understand the laminar integuments better than he did.

The Divine Doctor was one of those people. Having studied the manifold tree for many years, he undoubtedly understood the nature of their biochemistry and biophysics more than Rui did.

The Divine Doctor took off his spectacles, folding them and tucking them into the sleeve of the shirt beneath his lab coat, before falling into thought. “The most important thing when dealing with lifeforms of this nature is to understand how their radically different means of life affect their thought process.”

He turned towards Rui with a knowing expression. “I’m sure that you have recognized this when dealing with the laminar integuments, but their consciousness is photonic in nature. That has many implications for their personality and temperament.”

Rui nodded. He had managed to decode much of their photonic consciousness by correlating with their actions. However, despite that, his translations of their message had hit a hard limit.

He was only able to translate parts of their communication into intelligible words. This meant that the fluidity and perhaps even accuracy of communication were limited. This was of great importance and significance to keep in mind when negotiating with the laminar integuments about their mutual interests and their little stand-off.

A single miscommunication could lead to interstellar war.

A war that he wasn’t entirely certain they could win, even if he personally emerged victorious in every individual battle he fought. That was why he had taken the effort to visit the best expert on the laminar integuments that existed.

“The key is to understand the nature of their thought process,” the Divine Doctor continued with a serious tone of voice. “In the human brain, a signal travels from Neuron A to Neuron B. In the photonic laminar mind, however, a thought-pulse of light occupies the entire body at the speed of light. This has many implications for how this would affect their psychology. But perhaps the most relevant to you would be…”

He directed a knowing gaze at Rui. “…to recognize how they view hidden information.”

Rui understood what he meant. “They are most likely accustomed to absolute trust when they interact with each other due to the complete transparency.”

The Divine Doctor nodded. “That means that the absence of information to them is as dangerous as a black hole. The less forthcoming you are, the more they will perceive you as a threat. Within Gaian Civilization, the concept of hiding your intentions and your objectives to deny other parties any leverage over you will likely be dangerous to apply to the laminar civilization. I would recommend being as transparent, clear, and forthcoming with your messaging as possible when negotiating a deal with them.”

Rui thought back to the tentative agreement he had made with the laminar integument about the laminar civilizations shifting sides to their side when dealing with the invading nebular tide.

The laminar integument had lived up to its words even though it was just a momentary verbal agreement in the middle of a battle. That added up with what the Divine Doctor told him about their expectations of transparency and their evasion of opaque parties.

“Well, I am translucent,” Rui muttered, gazing at his body. “I wonder if that will help.”

“It may make them feel more comfortable communicating with you,” the Divine Doctor offered. “If you can somehow mimic their style of thought, it would be perfect.”

Rui shook his head. “That’s too much, even for me. I can communicate with them through light signals, however. And that did help me maintain rough communication.”

“That’s better than nothing.”

“So, be transparent, got it. Anything else?”

“Don’t lie,” the Divine Doctor remarked. “To the laminar integuments, deceit is unthinkable. While human beings have grown up to evolve deceit, for them, deceit is utterly impossible and most likely something that they are instinctively repulsed by. If you demonstrate deceit, they will most likely become extremely hostile. Neither of these is good piece of advice if you were negotiating with other humans, perhaps, but they are the best pieces of advice that I can offer you when it comes to negotiating with the laminar integuments.”

Rui nodded. “I will keep that in mind. That’s good advice. I hadn’t considered that they might consider lying to be some sort of ultimate sin.”

Thankfully, he hadn’t lied when talking to the laminar integument during their battle. Although he had indeed hidden the truth about the Transcendent Realm. The fact that the laminar integument still honored its word perhaps meant that it was more willing to tolerate alien species.

After all, it was clearly capable of diplomacy. Which meant that they most likely recognized the fact that alien civilizations were unlikely to follow the same model of consciousness as they themselves were able to. Thus, they would have no choice but to recognize that alien civilizations would not have the same taboos as themselves.

Still, it was better for Rui not to push this line. He wanted a good relationship with the laminar integuments. And in order for that to happen, it was best to be completely sincere and transparent regarding his goals and intentions and not engage in deceit. He nodded at the Divine Doctor, having gained clarity on the matter. “I appreciate the insights.”

“It is I who should be grateful to you,” the Divine Doctor remarked with a rare smile. “You have cured Gaia of her illness. Indeed, I was right to put my trust in you all those years ago in the Mellow Manifold. You lived up to your end of the deal.”

“You did help me understand where I came from, in return,” Rui smiled at the man knowingly. “And you have helped the Kandrian Empire with your services. I’d say we’re even. It must feel good that your mission is finally over.”