With thanks to Olivia Loria, Maureen Peck and Jerry Accettura, beautiful dancers all!

It is a week (7 Lunar days) after the shocking announcement at the Galactic Government meeting that the Aquatics were withdrawing to form their own Government due to "abuse." Our Uralian elected Representatives Mrnpk and Jrčtr have been working diligently to discover WHAT IS GOING ON!

So far they (and the other Surface-species Representatives) have been investigating but have found NOTHING!

Surprisingly, we are not left with zero Aquatics in the Government: the fish-like Wrvsh did not join the Feyar secession. They don't seem to know what is going on, either - no idea what the "abuse" might be. In fact, they report being somewhat insulted that they were not included in the Aquatic's discussion of their plans.

Jrčtr has suggested to the Surface-species Representatives that the senior Wrvsh Representative become the new Principal. They are talking it over (nothing ever moves quickly in the Galactic Government.) I'm hoping it happens; I've always like the Wrvsh; I enjoy reading Wrvsh novels on the com, and a couple have been made into good vids. It just seems natural for an Aquatic to lead the Government. It's what we're used to.

On Luna, anti-alien sentiment is growing. In New DC, an anti-alien demonstration blocked the monthly transport delivery by the Gilgot. New Toronto (far from New DC, but still the closest City to them) accepted the delivery, and it has been ground transported to New DC safely through the tunnel connecting them, but the situation has been tense for several days. Interestingly, the demonstrators in New DC had no problem with the delivery being brought in through the tunnel; they WANTED the alien-origin, alien-made and alien-supplied items, just not to allow the alien Gilgot to deliver them.

I'm trying to figure that out...

Chicken nuggets always help me think...

So, I'm at the FastFood. And, happily, Lt. Forbes has come here for his lunch and joins me at my favorite table.

"Hello, Ambassador P!"

"Hello, Lieutenant. How are the criminals of Luna today?"

"Rotting in prison!" he asserts, cheerfully.

As far as I know, there are no prisons on Luna.

He is being humorous...

"The Gilgot delivery arrived here safely; no demonstrators in Luna City," I observe. Our Uralian Embassy is near the transport docks. We would have seen the demonstration if there had been any. In fact, we'd probably have been at the epicenter.

"So far," he responds, darkly.

"One of the children at your kids' school said "My dad says Aliens are dangerous" when I was doing a presentation there."

"Luna City is not immune."

"The Exo-Ambassadors are meeting this afternoon to try to figure this out. I just wish we had more information. Where did it start? Why? How common is it?"

Lt. Forbes chews thoughtfully. "I'm meeting after lunch with the Lunar Statistician. I'm hoping she can shed some light on this. Would you like to come?"

Of course, I would love to come! As a scientist, I believe in data, and always want more and more of it!

When we finish our meals, I tell my vehicle to follow the Lieutenant's skimmer to the Lunar Government building.

***

Dr. Lorie Russo rises to greet us from her desk in her office in the Information and Records Bureau. She is a dignified and elegant person with the BIGGEST com I have ever seen on her desk. (She later told me she prefers the big screen so she can see more of the information all at the same time.)

She shakes the Lieutenant's hand. She glances down at my claws and greets me with a nod. A smart woman!

"Hello, Lieutenant, Ambassador. How can I help you?"

I let the Lieutenant do the talking. It's HIS Government, after all. He can expect to be given information; I can only hope for voluntary cooperation.

"We are trying to find the origin and extent of the anti-aliens movement. I'm hoping you have up-to-date data on citizen opinions and attitudes."

"We have surveyors in every City... well, the Connected Cities anyway... They file reports daily and input the latest data weekly on Friday afternoons. I think we may have what you need."

She messes with her com, leans back, and sighs. She spins her com to face us so we can see a graph. "There is always a low, a VERY low level of background anti-alien sentiment. Lunars are generally not xenophobic. But there are always a few... It was a survival instinct during our early evolution." She looks at me, and I nod understandingly. I think all species have this tendency.

She leans forward, pointing at her com again. "There was a spike about a year and a half ago; then it normalized but began a slow increase and is now increasing exponentially." I'm looking at this upward sweep in the curve. Recent trends are alarming!

"A year and a half ago would have been the pandemic," she ponders.

She messes with her com again. "Yes. Initial spike largest in Luna City - the most cases of Yarlik Fever were observed there. Anti-alien sentiment quickly dropped back to normal in Luna City, but remained high in New Princeton."

"That makes sense; Yarlik Fever originated with a Kaladian wine delivery to New Princeton. They had the second largest number of cases, I think," Lt. Forbes suggests.

Dr. Russo nods. "And there was a lot of embarrassment that the pandemic originated there."

"And the New Princeton citizens, presumably, blamed the pandemic on the Kaladians."

Dr. Russo shakes her head. "There was enough blame to go around. The Governor had to resign; the Ambassador took early retirement."

"But the Kaladians could not be held accountable..."

"They paid the Lunar Government reparations..." Dr. Russo corrects.

"It's still easier to ultimately blame the Kaladians than the Governor."

Dr. Russo nods. "Anti-alien sentiment is always an easy solution... Our brains are almost programmed to go there..."

She points to the com again, a multi-line time series. "Non-American Cities - New Nuuk, New Kyiv, New Petrograd show less anti-alien sentiment. Even New Toronto, although to a lesser degree. Possibly they feel a bit "alien" themselves, or possibly their cultures are not as xenophobic as American culture was."

Lt. Forbes has a sideways smile. "And American culture, on Earth, was supposed to be a "melting pot" composed of people from all different origins..." His wife is a historian, so he knows these things.

Dr. Russo cocks her head sideways. "Did it work?" she asks.

"Obviously not, or we wouldn't be on Luna."

She lifts her hands in a shrug.

I venture an observation. "New DC didn't have any deaths from NP1, from Yarlik Fever. Why are they demonstrating against alien transport deliveries?"

"Who knows?" the Lieutenant shrugs. "Maybe they're feeling guilty."

"Not to have died?" I ask.

Both humans nod. Humans can be so puzzling sometimes,

"May I have a copy of the graph?" I ask. "The Exo-Ambassadors are meeting later this afternoon to discuss this."

She messes with her com, and my com alerts me to an upload.

We thank her and go our separate ways, Lt. Forbes to Keep the Peace in Luna City, me to the unofficial Exo-Ambassadors meeting at our Embassy.

***

"The Kaladians!" snarls Ambassador Heresh, the crocodilian senior Gilgot Ambassador. He and all the other Ambassadors are studying the exponentially-increasing anti-alien sentiment graph. "More trouble with the Aquatics!"

I can see we exos are having our own problems with xenophobia. At least xeno-irritation.

The Exo-Ambassadors have gathered in the basement of our Embassy, with the exception of the Ratihinaconaxemuwezo. I am proud that we have (finally!) gotten appropriate, hopefully more comfortable, seating for everyone, whatever their size or shape.

My friend Yaeyeia, the rubber-plant-like Ambassador from the plant-planet Oeyiah has brought Woh, her (unappreciated) bush-like junior Ambassador and her Aide Kevin, but also is accompanied by another Lunar. She introduces him as, "Dr. Tan, a clinical psychologist, who knows all about human craziness."

The doctor hurriedly clarifies that humans exhibit a variety of mental traits, most of which would not actually merit the term "craziness."

We understand. Normal human behavior frequently looks "crazy" to us, but would not to a human.

"Can you explain this xenophobia we are observing?" asks the Delitrian Ambassador, always dignified.

Dr. Tan nods thoughtfully. "I understand you would need to be able to defend yourselves against this trend. Perhaps understanding its origins would be helpful." He pauses, then continues, "The origin of this trait is a feeling of entitlement. Some humans feel they are entitled to certain treatment, certain perks: respect, a job, the best homes, food, a superior education, just about everything in life should be superior for them than for others just because they are THEM. If they do not receive what they expect, and NOBODY receives EVERYTHING they expect, they become annoyed. As this disappointment continues, they feel a sense of injustice - things are not how they SHOULD be. It often ferments into resentment and, eventually, anger. They identify SOMEONE who is getting what they should be getting. They identify SOMEONE who is causing this unfair disruption. These are blamed for upsetting the natural, proper order of how things should be."

"And this disrupting group is viewed with hostility?" Ambassador Heresh asks.

"Frequently, yes."

"Is there any way to cure this?" the senior Polaran Ambassador asks.

"It depends upon the individual. Entitlement is a core feature of narcissism, a personality disorder, which is incurable. It is not considered strictly untreatable, but it is highly challenging, often requiring intensive, long-term psychotherapy. But entitlement can also just be a learned behavior, in which case it can be unlearned by making it an unhelpful behavior for the individual."

We all look at each other. "Can we assume that MOST humans are not narcissists?" I ask.

He thinks a bit. "Narcissistic Personality Disorder is fairly rare - about 1% of the population, but narcissistic traits are fairly common, possibly as much as 20% of the population."

"And narcissism traits would include...?"

"Grandiosity, a need for admiration, a lack of empathy, often manifesting as entitlement, manipulation, and arrogance. It is, at its core, the result of profound self-doubt and insecurity."

"Can this result in violence?"

"Exploitation and even violence are extreme manifestations. Propping up their delusions of grandeur takes a lot of work, and that’s where the dysfunctional attitudes and behaviors arise."

"Then, how can we deal with it?"

"People with narcissistic personality disorder are extremely resistant to changing their behavior, even when it’s the source of their problems. Their tendency is to turn the blame on to others. Hence the xenophobia. And they are extremely sensitive and react badly to even the slightest criticisms which they view as personal attacks. It's why discrimination and bigotry last for centuries, even when it is actually detrimental to a society."

We look at each other. Understanding is helpful, but if there is no cure, and if it normally lasts for centuries? It is beginning to look hopeless that we can do anything to moderate the situation.

***

Mrnpk has a note on my com: the Qrad have responded to the recent invitation to join the Galactic Government, and they want to join!!

Everyone is stunned. It seems they are not isolationist after all. They have a long-standing dispute with the Feyar. If the Feyar are no longer running things, or even a member of the Government, the Qrad want to be a part of it!

So we have eight Surface-species in the Government and two Aquatics: the Qrad and the Wrvsh. We are assuming the post-biologic Setow are still members, even though no one has heard from them.

11 members from 27 sapient species. The Galactic Government no longer seems to be very representative.

Mrnpk also has another update: Jrčtr has convinced the Government to vote to appoint the senior Wrvsh representative to be the new Principal. The Wrvsh consider that to be good vengeance for the Feyar not including them in the Aquatic Secession.

I guess we'll count that as a victory.

We still have no clue as to what the Aquatics find "abusive." Are they all, possibly, narcissists?

The Wrvsh certainly seem a bit touchy about how they have been treated by their fellow Aquatics. And the Qrad definitely have a touchy spot about the Feyar.

Are the Ratihinaconaxemuwezo, who attend no Ambassadorial meetings for fear of being offended and declaring war on another species, maybe narcissists, too?

How can we not have known this about these species we deal with every day?

***

Because Clmntr and Lnbršr are still on Lia5 visiting her sick daughter, I am alone in the Embassy, except for Wan and Juan (during business hours) and Kitty (during off-hours.) I have started having dinner with various friends to keep from feeling lonely.

While we SHOULD be sampling the various "nicer" restaurants in the Parkside area of Luna City, somehow my friends seem to prefer the FastFood. Their outdoor seating seems to encourage open discussion of irritating topics that might be inappropriate to a more elegant venue.

I am dining with my Gilgot Ambassador-Guardian. I am eating chicken nuggets (what else?), but she is ravening on fried shrimp. "I just feel like chomping on some Aquatics," she explains.

I guess I feel similarly. I should have ordered shrimp, too.

"There's no use worrying about the Aquatics until we know more," she says.

I agree. "But, the Lunars may be untreatable," I sigh. What a quagmire!

"No - this is just a new thing. If they were REALLY narcissists, they would ALWAYS have hated aliens."

"Maybe they hated someone else before us..." I suggest.

"That is possible... but who? Lunars are unusually open and welcoming..."

"The Unconnected Cities?"

She thinks about that for a while. "Possibly. But, if narcissists hate those who they feel are stealing things from them that they are entitled to, well, the Unconnected Cities aren't stealing anything from the Connected Cities."

I agree. "And since they are Unconnected, they can't have hurt their sensitivities."

"Probably. Even the Ratihinaconaxemuwezo have to feel personally insulted, even though it takes NOTHING for them to feel that way..."

I nod. "I've been thinking about the Ratihinaconaxemuwezo. And the Aquatics - even the ones still in the Government. They're pretty sensitive..."

She agrees. "Could there be an epidemic of narcissism in the Galaxy?"

What a good question! I wish the Setow were more accessible!

Well... I may not have the Setow, but I may have... a statistician?

***

I am in Dr. Russo's office again. I have compiled the most up-to-date data on Galactic opinions and attitudes on my com. Of course, these data have not been gathered by a single group, all with similar training, requirements, and goals, like the Lunar data. I've merely compiled them from the Galactic Government database, and they are all voluntarily self-reported by each member species. And there is no Qrad data - they are too new in their membership to have posted anything. And, of course, there is no Setow or Akher data - post-biological species just don't generate data. But I am hoping there might be enough usable information that Dr. Russo can use to find SOMETHING that shows what the Aquatics find "abusive."

Dr. Russo is excited - getting data for the entire Galaxy is, for her, "like Christmas!" And this is a whopping lot of data. From almost all of the sapient species.

She promises to give it her complete attention, when her other duties permit, and will get back to me if she finds anything.

I leave her murmuring happily, investigating her new trove.

***

The Exo-Ambassadors and the City Ambassadors are scheduled to attend a meeting at the Smedley Center.

But...

A large crowd of protesters is blocking the entrance. If a City Ambassador tries to enter, voices shout, "Scab!"

A have no idea what that means, unless they are threatening to injure the person trying to pass, and the wound might form a scab? Sounds unlikely.

The City Ambassador from New Princeton strides forward toward the protesters. "Friends!" he cries.

He is met by boos. Someone throws a FastFood cup at him.

He backs up, looking bewildered.

Ambassador Heresh belly-crawls forward.

The crowd cries, "Alien parasite!"

I cannot think of a creature less parasitical than Ambassador Heresh.

He hisses at them.

They gather a little closer together but do not flee.

The Luna City Administrative Law Enforcement arrives with a screech of skimmers. An officer with a loud speaker advises the protesters to disperse.

The protesters cry, "Pigs!"

Pigs?! They seem to be speaking the Lunar Standard language, but in a dialect I do not recognize.

Our meeting was to be another of those "Meet and Greet" soirées that we all find tedious. Although just getting together might, at this time, be an excellent idea.

I murmur, "Meet at the Uralian Embassy basement. Pass it on," to the Delitrian Ambassador next to me. He looks intrigued, and "passes it on" to the Xx next to him, Yaeyeia next to them, and the Polaran next to her. There is a bit of a glitch moving from the Exos to the City Ambassadors, but eventually the word gets to everyone.

We turn and leave.

The protesters cheer. They probably feel they have made a great victory.

Law Enforcement is probably just glad that no "important" person has been injured. They can now concentrate on the protesters.

***

We've never had such a large crowd in our Embassy. Juan and Wan have to bring the office perches and chairs and the kitchen perches down to the basement to have enough seating for everyone. The Lunars profess themselves "charmed" to be sitting on perches and say that they are actually quite comfortable.

I know they are lying. I say the same things when forced to sit on human chairs.

We order a wedding-crowd size order of edibles and potables from the FastFood. A couple of the City Ambassadors seem surprised at how tasty the food is. "I always thought it would be, I don't know, well, GREASY..."

Of course it's greasy. That's the whole point...

Kitty is hiding in my apartment. She finds crowds unnerving.

Even the Ambassador from New Princeton has come. We provide a moist towel so he can wipe the sticky soft drink out of his hair and off his clothes.

Lt. Forbes sends a note to my com reporting that the protesters have been dispersed. I don't inquire as to how exactly that dispersal was accomplished. It will probably be in the ComNews tomorrow.

Finally everyone settles down to business. We weren't SUPPOSED to discuss business this evening, but now, it is obvious that we need to.

And this is quite unusual. The Exo-Ambassadors and the City Ambassadors NEVER meet for business. Perhaps that has been part of what has led to this problem.

Ambassador Heresh, easily the most terrifying being in the room, leads the meeting.

The Delitrian Ambassador stands. Ambassador Heresh recognizes him to speak.

"I believe it is clear to everyone here that there is an anti-alien movement on Luna."

Everyone nods, even (hesitantly) the Ambassador from New Princeton. I myself am confident that the Delitrian, always the most dignified of the Exos, will be careful not to say anything against the movement or its leaders.

"As of the present time, the movement has interfered with trade, and just now, hindered our right, under Lunar Law, of freedom of assembly."

Without being recognized, the New Princeton Ambassador stands and shouts, "Lunars have the right to want their world to be free of alien domination and corruption. To this end, they can exercise their rights of freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly!"

The Delitrian waits politely, then continues, "The movement has also been concerning to exos on Luna, who are concerned for our safety. We are also concerned for the peaceful relations exos and Lunars have always enjoyed."

"Lunars are concerned for our OWN safety! We have the right to a pure, safe, alien-free home! Aliens do not belong here! Aliens should NOT be welcomed to our Cities!"

The Ambassador from New Nuuk rises and is recognized to speak. "Surely we are ALL aliens on Luna. Our "home" was Earth. We came here to find safety. We can only live here safely because of the water, air, food, and other goods the Gilgot bring, and because of the SafeGuard treatments to keep our air and water from seeping away into the universe."

Murmurs and scattered applause.

New Princeton is speaking again: "Lunars do not NEED anything from aliens! We may have needed help when we first arrived, and we thank the Gilgot and the Uralians for that! And we paid for it with our AI technology! But we no longer need anything from aliens! We can be self-sufficient if we just learn to stand on our own feet! But aliens need our commerce and our AI - it is THEY who cannot live without US!"

Yaeyeia leans her speaker towards me and whispers, "When does New Princeton need its next SafeGuard treatment?"

"Next year," I murmur back.

"Good luck to them figuring out how to replicate that in a year."

The Delitrian stands again to be recognized. "We would be willing to stay clear of Luna, if that is what Luna wants."

The City Ambassadors erupt in, "No! No!" But New Princeton seems to be considering the option.

"The citizens of New Princeton would be willing to make this agreement."

The City Ambassadors converge on him.

The room fills with din.

The Exos retreat to the (quieter) main office upstairs on the ground floor. Yaeyeia's Aide Kevin brings the leftover sodas with him. We are grateful.

To pass the time, we folk dance. Kitty comes to join us. She doesn't dance, but she enjoys watching us from the safety of my desk.

Two hours pass.

The sodas are empty.

We are doing all the dances about dead people that we can think of - there are actually a lot of them...

We are all considering taking a post on a friendlier planet, like maybe Ratihinaconaxemuwezo.

The elevator is called downstairs. We wait expectantly. When it returns, the New Kyiv Ambassador steps out. She looks tired and flustered.

"We have come to an agreement," she announces. "Please come."

We come.

Downstairs our colleagues look like refugees from a warzone. The Luna City Ambassador, looking like he wants to crush stones with his bare hands, is apparently the designated speaker.

"We have come to an agreement," he announces. He looks around, carefully avoiding the (otherwise empty) part of the room surrounding the New Princeton Ambassador. "As of now, this evening, no new transport deliveries will be accepted by New Princeton. No other City will accept delivery for them. No other City will transport alien-origin goods to New Princeton. Only pure Luna Manufactured or Produced items or materials will be transported via tunnels or surface or space transport to New Princeton."

"We need to invest in the smugglers guild," murmurs Yaeyeia to me.

I nod, but Uralian diplomats are forbidden to profit personally from our positions. Investing in smuggling would not be permitted.

"This agreement will be effective immediately and will last until New Princeton withdraws from the agreement."

Ambassador Heresh asks for a clarification. "What about the Gilgot transport presently transporting goods to New Princeton, scheduled for arrival in 12 days?"

The New Princeton Ambassador is crying "No, no!" and making negatory movements with his hands.

The Luna City Ambassador (actually the entire room) ignores him. "Deliver them to Luna City dock. We'll find some market for them, I'm sure."

He sighs and waves his hands. "I'm done! Good night, everybody."

New Chicago goes to offer a hand to New Princeton. It is rejected. Everyone else is firmly ignoring that part of the room. City and Exo-Ambassadors drift into the elevator.

My Ambassador-Guardian wiggles "Night-night!" Yaeyeia rustles her leaves at me. The Xx spell out: "Omigosh!"

I think that sums up the evening fairly well...

I tell Wan and Juan not to come in to work until after lunch tomorrow and wave goodnight to them.

I am left alone with Kitty. And, of course, the Gilgots guarding our front door, garage door and roof. I am glad we have them, given the present tense situation.

I make a careful hunt to ensure that New Princeton isn't still lurking somewhere. If he had been, I'm not sure I could have guaranteed my good manners. But, of course, he would not lurk in an ALIEN place.

I rub Kitty's ears. She wants to play ball, but I am too tired. I bat it to her once but ignore where she rolls it to.

I am a disappointing Kitty mommy.

I wonder how the New Princetonians expecting their (evil, unnecessary) alien goods will feel about not receiving them in 12 days.

I wonder if ALL New Princetonians feel like the Ambassador. I suspect not. Maybe not even a majority. It is the ones with the loudest voices that set policy. Everyone else must adjust to the consequences.

I wonder what percentage of other Lunar inhabitants agree with the Ambassador? People might not like who provides their goods, but they probably don't want to lower their standard of living, do without things they have grown accustomed to...

Dr. Russo could probably tell me.

I wonder if maybe this IS the solution: isolation for New Princeton, isolation for the Aquatics.

We've spent so many years developing connections and relationships with others.

But maybe not everybody WANTS to be connected. Maybe some PREFER isolation.

But next year, New Princeton is going to start leaking their air and water. They'll notice it, eventually.

Even New Haifa lets in the SafeGuard technicians.

Can New Princeton live without aliens?

We'll see...