Emissary of Peace

Emissary of Peace is a science fiction novel about an ambassador, named T'Lars. He is also a scientist and a computer geek. The central government of the Varangian Confederacy sends him on an important mission, which is, in actuality, three missions in one. The mission lasts many months, since it involves travel for many thousands of light years to distant parts of the galaxy. He is assigned to travel with Commander L'Qwan, who commands the Confederate Star Ship L'Thor, and Subcommander T'Larissa, who is second in command. The L'Thor is named after the hero of an ancient interstellar battle from many centuries ago. The first assignment is to investigate a mysterious rogue space ship, which entered the galaxy through a wormhole. During the course of the investigation, they get help from allies, called the Tivoli Republic. The Tivoli are intelligent cats, that assist the ambassador, by towing the rogue ship to the Tivoli-Varangian border. The investigation results in the uncovering of ancient mysteries, involving the origins of the Varangians. Historical facts are uncovered from archives found on that ship. These archives were left on that rogue ship by a people distantly related to the ancestors of the Varangians. This assignment results in having some ancient mysteries solved. At the same time, new mysteries emerge. They are about to proceed with the second assignment of the mission, when, unexpectedly, advanced beings transport them to the Andromeda Galaxy. This results in deviations from the original mission plan. In the process, they learn about the fate of ancient allies of the Varangian ancestors, and how they ended up in the Andromeda Galaxy. These ancient allies are the Iripini, who were victims of a viral biological attack. They were an ill-fated people, who died off. The L'Thor was investigating the remains and artifacts of their civilization. During the course of the investigation, they encounter two alien species, and Ambassador T'Lars ends up brokering a peace between those alien species. The result is good, where the former Iripini planet ends up in good hands of the two alien species, who agree to a joint and shared control of the planet. After the advanced beings transport the L'Thor back to the Milky Way Galaxy, they end up closer to Earth, where they are able to proceed with their assignment. They visit Earth as part of an assigned scientific team. On Earth, the year is 2042 AD. Without interfering in any of the political affairs of Earth at the time, as instructed, they collect voluminous amounts of botanical, zoological, geological, cultural, and historical information. This assignment brings them to many countries on most continents around the world. They come into contact with many cultures around the world and even make several friends. They explore tropical rain forests, deserts, and other habitats. They learn about Earth's history. They also learn that the humans and Varangians share some genetic material, which opens up another mystery. The last assignment of this mission is to negotiate a peace treaty with another superpower in the galaxy, the Federation of Incorporated Planets. This part of the assignment is always problematic, because of the nature of how the Federation is run. It is run like a corporation! He succeeds at drawing up the peace treaty, because of the _convenient_ nature of the trade agreements, linked to the stipulations of the treaty. Beyond that the Federation's central government seems to display a strong disinterest. In the end, all aspects of the mission result in overall success, but as some ancient mysteries are solved, other mysteries, and potential ancient threats, remain. Not all problems can be solved so easily! Various themes are expressed, involving issues of war and peace, environmental issues, philosophy, history, and political affairs. Various civilizations are introduced with a wide spectrum of levels of advancement. Behind it all, Ambas