Diplomatic Issue - by Flintox

"Will you just please listen?"

"I will not have an outsider dictate terms to me! Who do you think you are to come here and
make demands?! You and your [Translation blocked] federation are not even worth the
[Translation blocked] under my boot you [Translation blocked] [Translation blocked] who
[Translation blocked]--"

Dervin sighed, fogging up the glass on his helmet. Even after several days of talking,
relations between him and the planet's ruler had not improved at all. In fact things were more
hostile than ever. It wasn't like he could blame them, any civilization would react badly if
another species showed up to tell them that their civilization had to be moved.

The whole situation had started a week ago when a mining corporation had been given
grants to harvest meteors in this sector of space. Pretty routine stuff, all the guidelines were
followed and all measures to stay within the federations code of conduct were taken. It was
as clean and by the book as could be, but even so it wasn't immune to accidents. The
accident in question was very trivial in any other situation. A stray rock had impacted a
mining ship and caused a minor fuel leak.

While fuel leaks were more of an issue for the ship in question rather than the environment
on account of space being massive and the chances of the leak causing any sort of damage
was negligible at best--especially in the case of the liquid crystal based fuel that was used by
nearly every ship in this sector--in this case it couldn't have been in a worse place.

Within range of the spread of the leaked fuel was a planet with a population of nearly 12
billion. Early post FTL, very isolationist government. There wasn't much info about them
beyond that and their appearance, looking like tiny hairless apes with skin colors that varied
between various shades of color, and the name of the planet, creatively named Earth...or
Dirt, the translator couldn't quite nail down which one it was. Dervin liked Dirt better because
it started with a D like his own name.

A single ship leaking in the vicinity wouldn't have been much of an issue in any other case.
The liquid crystal fuel, while toxic, would dissipate in the vacuum of space and by the time
that it reached any other planet it would have been diluted to harmless levels. The problem
was that the planet Dirt was quite small. In fact, the entire planet was just about the size of a
marble to the mouse which was astounding considering that his species wasn't even large
compared to the galactic average.

Due to the small size of Dirt, the rapidly spreading cloud of crystal fuel was enough to utterly
devastate the atmosphere of the planet. The federation research report estimated that the
planet had about 5 days before the cloud of fuel entered the atmosphere and rendered the
entire planet uninhabitable. That had been 4 days and 23 hours ago.

Dervin had been sent as an ambassador to explain the situation to the tiny population and
try to organize either an evacuation of the planet or simply relocate the planet to a different
location. The big problem was that the population wasn't very keen on moving or being
moved. In fact they had been nothing but hostile. While on one hand Dervin understood how
they were feeling, having a gigantic alien show up and say they had to leave their homes
because of things they had no control over had to be daunting. On the other hand he'd just
Diplomatic Issue - by Flintox

spent the better part of a week arguing with them, pleading with these tiny aliens to allow
him keep them from dying.

The mouse sighed, staring at the tiny marble in front of him as he floated in space, listening
to the leader of the world--some sort of supreme Kaiser or something--go on and on about
how foul and deceitful his federation was and how this whole thing was likely a conspiracy to
harvest the population. Even now in the literal final hour before the cloud of fuel was
estimated to arrive, their leadership was more interested in keeping anything remotely alien
to their world away. While getting so close to a tiny planet would have been a violation in any
other scenario, the planet was less than an hour from destruction. Time was of the essence
and Dervin was ready in position to extract the planet in its entirety as soon as he got
permission.

"...[Translation blocked] disgusting alien [Translation blocked]!" The supreme kaiser finished,
winded after an impressively long string of insults.

"Just--just listen!" Dervin said, raising his tone more than he intended. "Your world is in
danger! If you don't get help you and your whole civilization is doomed! I have the
technology to transport you safely but I can't do that without permission. Just--please, let us
help you and your people."

A scoff sounded through the communicator. "A likely story! You foul aliens just want to
harvest us for our technology and organs and resources!"

The mouse shook his head, an action that the tiny world leader below had no way to even
fathom but it wasn't like Dervin was very well versed in talking to government figures so
small they could fit their capital country through the eye of a needle. "We don't want your
tech or your organs! You're being irrational!"

"I am being the leader of a world you dislike [Translation blocked] [Translation blocked]! How
[Translation blocked] dare you speak to me like I am some primitive [Translation blocked]
wretch!? You and your federatio-"

"Will you just stop!" Dervin growled. "Your entire planet is gonna be dead in less than fifty
minutes–you moron! I can save you all I just need you to say yes and not let your whole
population get killed you maniac!" He glared at the tiny planet through his visor as his anger
faded. The mouse softened immediately, realizing he'd lost his temper and probably just
scared a bunch of tiny people who really didn't deserve it. "Sorry-I got a bit heate-"

A click in his communicator signaled that the comms had been cut. Dervin watched as a
small flickering light appeared on the planet's surface, rising up from the gray spots that
amounted to Dirts capitol city. the tiny glowing light raced from the planet's surface and
towards his visor. It crashed against the glass, exploding in a small flash like a single from a
firework that faded just as quickly, leaving a small gray stain on the mouse's visor. A nuclear
missile, too small to cause anything but a scratch on his suit visor.

Dervin sighed. "Mission control? They just cut contact and fired weapons."

"...they didn't give permission?" A voice on the other end replied.

Diplomatic Issue - by Flintox

"No." Dervin said, dismayed.

There was a moment of silence from mission control. After a few seconds the contact on the
other side returned. "Understood. There Is nothing else we can do. Come back to the ship."

As he turned to move away, Dervin couldn't help but cast one last glance at the tiny planet. It
didn't seem fair to spend all this time talking to them only for the planet to end either way
because their leadership was so unhinged. He looked over to his ship then back to the
planet as a thought crossed his mind.

Reaching into a pocket on his space suit, the mouse pulled out what looked like two halves
of a glass ball. While it looked simple this device was the culmination of several hundred
species working in unison with the same goal in mind--make something that can transport a
tiny planet while ensuring it was as safe as could be. A scientific marvel.

Hurriedly, Dervin moved the two halves of the device towards the planet and carefully
clamped it around the tiny planet. In an instant the two halves seemed to melt together until
there was no sign of a seam in the slightest. On the planet's surface, the populace watched
the impossibly massive mouse move the object, a glass like wall filling the sky. With a click,
their world was sealed inside. A small blue light flashed on the underside of the device,
signaling that the process was finished. Dervin slowly moved the device, watching the planet
move within it as well, having been placed in artificial gravity within the device--preserved
within it.

He stowed Dirt away in his pocket as he floated back towards his ship, climbing back into the
ship in a hurry. The airlock hissed as he closed it and within seconds he could see a green
light, followed by a beep signaling it was safe to take his helmet off. Dervin walked into his
ship as he tossed his helmet off to the side, tapping his ear. "Mission control--I am back on
the ship."

"Right–head on out of there. Let's give them the privacy to--Let's not interfere with their
choices." The voice on the other end said, her voice cracking for a brief moment.

"Y-yeah." Dervin swallowed.

"T-try not to take it in on yourself." the voice sighed. "T-they made their choice."

"Right."

"Head back to the nearest base. I'll contact you again when we debrief. Call me if you need
to talk about this."

"I will." Dervin sighed. "Thank you."

The communication ended. Dervin made his way further into his ship before plucking the tiny
planet container out of his pocket and held it to his face. The planet watched in awe and
confusion and fear at the titan who had just plucked their planet out of space itself, now
scanning their world with eyes larger than their whole planet. On his wrist computer Dervin
could see an incoming call, coming from Dirt. He sighed and opened the channel.
Diplomatic Issue - by Flintox

"FOUL [Translation blocked] ALIEN [Translation blocked] YOU SHALL BURN AND SUFFER
A THOUSAND DEATHS FOR YOUR CRIMES! HOW DARE YOU-"

"Will you shut up for once?" Dervin said sternly. "Unless the next words out of your mouth
are 'thank you' I suggest you keep them to yourself."

"...YOU [Translation blocked] DARE!? YOU KIDNAP US AND THEN EXPECT THANKS!?"

"The federation might be ready to let you guys die for no reason...but I'm not." The mouse
smirked.

"SO THE FEDERATION SHOWS ITS TRUE FACE AT LAST! MONSTERS. INVADERS!
DISGUST-"

Dervin sighed. "Not the federation. Me, Dervin." He held the planet closer to his eyes. "Since
you don't seem to care enough to take care of your planet, I've decided to do it for you.
Consider yourself retired, supreme Kaiser."

""...Y-you cannot-"

Dervin tapped his wrist computer, using the planet's container to open up communications
with the entire planet. "Greetings everyone. Sorry for the abrupt interment in this habitat. I
simply couldn't sit and watch your stubborn idiot of a leader let your planet just die. This isn't
an ideal situation, I know--but rest assured that I'm going to keep you safe. For all intents
and purposes consider me your new planetary government. If your so-called supreme kaiser
says anything otherwise just keep in mind that I am literally holding your planet in the palm of
my hand." He flashed the planet a smile. "I'll spend the next few days using the habitat to
optimize your climate to maximize food access and health standards. Things will look scary
at first but bare with me-- I'm gonna do everything I can to make you guys comfy."

He switched back to the other channel, giving the planet in his hand a quick smirk knowing
that the tiny little despot on the other end was likely watching. "You were saying?"

"Y-you foul---reprehensible---alien monst--"

"Ah ah-" Dervin smirked. "Just call me Sir. That's formal enough."

Dervin cut the channel again, starting up a program to monitor internal communications so
he could stifle any attempt from the planet's old government to cause chaos. From the short
time he'd spent talking to them he'd quickly seen how their entire power structure was based
on might and authority, couldn't get much more authoritative than owning the planet.

If the federation found out about this he'd probably rot in jail for longer than his species lived
but it would be worth it. Within a month that planet was gonna be a utopia under his rule and
Dervin was eager to get to work at making it so. Maybe one day he could release the planet
back into space and let them be free–but for now he was excited to make sure this little
world would become the best it could be under his watch…