Chapter 57: The Prince of Hell

In the Demiurge’s hangar, Imperial troops and Kharn Sagara’s forces receive a massive Cielcin ship. A lift disgorges dozens of masked, sword-bearing guards and herald Oalicomn, who announces Prince Aranata Otiolo. The prince arrives with a chained, mutilated human translator, whose condition horrifies the Imperials and underscores Cielcin cruelty.

Raine Smythe greets Aranata and signals willingness to negotiate, gesturing to the prostrate Cielcin captives including Tanaran. When Aranata moves to approach them, Imperial lances bar his path, and Bassander Lin restores calm. At Aranata’s command, Tanaran confesses failure on Tamnikano. Sagara inserts himself, referencing his “gift” of human slaves; Aranata approves, further inflaming tensions.

The translator renders dialogue flawlessly, making restraint vital. Smythe proposes peace as equals and hostages; Aranata rejects equality and bristles at perceived threats. Crossflane’s scorn prompts Aranata to strike the translator; Tor Varro tries to help but is blocked by Nobuta, revealed as Aranata’s child. The display of brutality and the presence of a Cielcin child deepen moral conflict among the humans.

Aranata demands a private audience with his baetan. Hadrian, speaking Cielcin, prematurely agrees as a gesture of good faith, drawing ire from Smythe and Lin. Aranata tests Hadrian’s honor and asks what the humans truly want. Hadrian admits he seeks to see the Cielcin clearly and make peace.

The exchange collapses on a crucial linguistic and cultural fault: in Cielcin, the word for peace signifies submission. This revelation exposes a fundamental mismatch of expectations and threatens the viability of any agreement.