Chapter 188: I have to do it!

"Will you go to negotiate? Are they crazy?" Jackson exclaimed. Jocelyne expected that reaction from her guard, but still she couldn't help but sigh in exhaustion. She had really had enough of screaming and scolding for that day. When the meeting was over, her father took her to his study and gave her a really bad time. Markus Jersey had never been so proud of her daughter before, but that hadn't stopped him from unloading on her an endless series of reproaches at the speed of 8 per second until the girl was almost deaf. Her mother had reacted even worse. As soon as she discovered that her daughter had dared to intervene without permission at the meeting, speak so brazenly to the heads of the families and even agreed to be the ambassador who would go to confer with a monstrous group of talking dinosaurs, she had raging like a bull. Jocelyne had very noticeable slap marks on her face and she was pretty sure that her mother would keep beating her until she passed out if her father didn't intervene. Jocelyne knew that her parents' was more worry than anger, so she had let them vent. In a way, she too could recognize that her behavior had been reckless to say the least and that her actions would have serious consequences in the future. If peace with the dinosaurs was also achieved, the other householders would beware of the young scion of the Jersey family, and she doubted she would allow her to live a quiet life. However, she couldn't shut up. Achieving peace with the dinosaurs was too important, not only because it was a national but also a global emergency. With her future so at stake, she couldn't let the adults make foolish decisions, even if it meant complications for her. During the meeting, the rational part of her mind had advised her to stay in her room and ignore it, but in the end her body had moved on its own and she had gone behind the door of the guest room to eavesdrop. And when she heard what they were saying, she panicked. She could see how dangerous the situation could get, and she was tempted to rush back to her room and book a flight to the other side of the planet. However, that voice in her head that she had been hearing for quite some time was back again. 'Stop hiding', it had repeated to her. And since she had been the right choice to listen to it last time, she had decided to take the risk, had plucked up the courage and entered without even knocking. She didn't know where she'd gotten the strength to remain expressionless and calm the whole time, or to speak so blatantly to the most powerful men in the nation. The whole thing almost seemed like a dream to her looking back on it. In any case, she didn't regret her choice at all. "Please, Jackson, avoid lecturing me" she just told to her guard. "By now the decision has been made, complaining about it is useless" "Maybe, but I want to emphasize that yours was a bad move" the man replied. "It was an excellent move, instead. Given the way the conversation was progressing, if I had been silent those fools would have dragged us into an even more bloody war than it has already been" Jocelyne said. "In this way, instead, we will be able to guarantee peace and economic regrowth. Furthermore, the fact that I will be the ambassador will work to our advantage. My role will give me great weight in the rest of the world, which with the help of Ian, Mitch and Alan will allow me to re-establish your father's name and get him to speak to the NMWA" Jocelyne had thought of it almost immediately after being appointed ambassador. In that dangerous game, the most important pawn was Robert Oz. He had discovered the mutation long before it happened and had been able to accurately predict his development. Consequently, it was imperative that he speak before the NMWA, so that all governments were informed on how best to act. With the political power of her role as an ambassador, her father's economic connections, and the support of prominent members of the scientific community such as Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm and Mitch Morgan, Jocelyne would be able to restore Robert Oz's reputation and ensure for the world to listen to him. Jackson still hadn't spoken to his father after Abe was captured by the dinosaurs; he hadn't had the courage to confront him. What could he have told him? That he had been right from the start and he, his son, hadn't trusted him? He didn't know which face he could have presented himself in front of him, so he postponed the moment of confrontation. Robert Oz evidently understood his state of mind and in fact he hadn't tried to force him into a father-son conversation, leaving him his own space. Despite his turbulent feelings, Jackson could say one thing for sure: he was happy that his father wasn't crazy, and that he was right from the start. So the prospect of Robert Oz's name appearing again among members of the scientific community and that he would receive the recognition he deserved warmed his heart, even as he tried hard not to show it. "The problem remains that you will have to go to enemy territory" "These 'enemies' aspire to peace. It will be a negotiation like many others, without any risk" "And the heads of families? You are now an obstacle for them. Such an intelligent fourteen-year-old person would be in danger even if he were a male, let alone a woman" "I have measures to ensure my safety and you know them well. The head of the families will be a problem in the future, but we will tackle it when the time comes" "And..." "Oz, can you please shut up!?" Jackson froze when he heard Jocelyne's half-muffled scream. He hadn't expected her to be able to make such a sound. "I know it's risky, okay? I don't need everyone to tell me how irresponsible doing this is! But I have to!" Jocelyne exclaimed furiously. "The world is literally on the brink of disaster! It's too late to build a wall or do anything else! The dinosaurs are ready to tear us apart! Our only chance to avoid an unprecedented catastrophe that will probably wipe out at least half of life on this planet is reaching an agreement, so we have to do it! I HAVE TO DO IT!" Jackson took advantage of the moment Jocelyne stopped to catch her breath to ask, "Do you have to?" The girl seemed to realize she'd said something wrong, because her eyes widened slightly, though she then ignored it. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that achieving peace is paramount, and right now I seem to be the only one in the whole world with any brains, so I'm going to go over there and try to fix this thing, or at least make some money." time. The decision is made, so leave me alone! Now please shut up, I need to sleep" Jocelyne threw herself on the bed while she was still dressed. "Turn off the light and lock the door, please. And he warns all the others from me, explaining it in detail, including the part in which I emphasize that the decision has now been taken and complaining about it is useless" Jackson was a little annoyed by the girl's behavior, but he ignored it and obeyed her. As he was about to leave, however, Jocelyne's voice called him back: "Oh, Jackson, I don't know if you have realized it, but in doubt I tell you: even if I am an ambassador I won't to Cartago with an escort. Since I need trustworthy people, you will be the boss of my security team. So rejoice, with a little luck you will be able to meet Abe" Jackson's heart leapt at that prospect. ******** Ian, Alan, Mitch, and all the others did not take very well the prospect of Jocelyne going into enemy territory. Although all of them were in favor of peace, no one was eager to think that a fourteen-year-old was bargaining. When Jocelyne woke up hours later and called them, Ian uttered very unkind words towards the Odaria government and the heads of the families who ran it, while Mitch peppered his rant with several questions to make sure whether or not she had suffered brain damage. The only one to compliment Jocelyne was Robert, who was proud of her courage and he agreed that the dinosaurs did not represent a danger since they sought peace. After that brief conversation Jocelyne had made some arrangements with her companions; she was sure that when the ambassador's name became known to the world, any communication from her would be intercepted, so she had to act ahead of time. Over the next few days, Jackson recruited ten of his best men to form the escort who would accompany Jocelyne to the enemy camp. In reality, the escort was more a formality than a real means of offense: after all, what hopes did ten men have against dinosaurs who had wiped out an entire army with almost no casualties? The escort served as a message, it was a way of saying 'we don't fear you', so that the dinosaurs did not think they were in a position of absolute superiority. Despite this, Markus Jersey and his wife had made sure that the chosen men were equipped with every weapon and defense available. Incredibly, the people had received quite well the idea that Jocelyne was the ambassador; for the majority of the human population, the cause of the conflict was the actions of the old governors and their stupid choices, so many were happy that one of the new generation would lead the negotiations. Young people in particular were enthusiastic about it. Governments reacted with more negativity: clearly, they weren't very convinced of the choice of sending a young girl not yet in the adult age to negotiate a peace that would have repercussions on the whole world. But Odaria's government was dominated by skilled propagandists who easily managed to paint Jocelyne as the right person for the role. Even if the governments and the NMWA were not very convinced, the decision had now been made and they had to accept it. After all, it was they who gave Odaria carte blanche in choosing the ambassador, they could not now oppose it; if they had done so, Odaria would not have hesitated to portray them as oppressors and many nations would have begun to doubt the effectiveness of the NMWA, risking breaking it from the inside. At the moment, as they faced a new intelligent species, the governments of Eden had to stick together. If internal strife had emerged, the dinosaurs could have defeated them more easily. It was therefore imperative to avoid any reason for internal conflict. To Jocelyne's surprise, when it became known that she was her ambassador, her email folder was bombarded with requests to join the delegation team, all from journalists. Apparently, both newspapers and television and even the Internet itself (many youtubers and bloggers volunteered for the task!) Were eager to document what would be the first real point of contact between humans and dinosaurs. Jocelyne was not stupid and had found a way to make it pay off. She knew that propaganda was important, so having journalists to document everything would have a strong impact on the cause and would have facilitated the coexistence of the two peoples. However, she also knew that she couldn't bring everyone, as the delegation team still had to be small. So she had decided to make a profit and had created a sort of auction: the three agencies that would have offered the most could have sent a journalist to join the embassy. In this way she would have earned a nice nest egg, which is not indifferent given the tough times ahead. The auction was still in progress and by now only the most powerful agencies remained in the field, which could count on enormous capital and the support of great gentlemen. Currently, the figures offered were in the millions. While all of this was happening around her, Jocelyne kept herself informed of how things were going in the scientific world. Obviously, the discovery of intelligent dinosaurs had driven scientists all over the planet crazy; very few were able to give an explanation. Ian, Mitch and Alan had used the opportunity to unearth Robert Oz's studies. Although the situation had practically confirmed his hypothesis, however, many scientists still harbored doubts about his theories, especially those concerning the Mother Cell. Therefore, despite the support of three of the most respected scientists in the world, therefore, the name of Robert Oz was still shrouded in suspicion. And with this, the scientific community was divided between those who approved his ideas and those who rejected them and sought other answers. According to Alan and Mitch, biologists around the world were relentlessly trying to assess how dinosaur behavior patterns and the size of their brains could evolve to similar levels. Many species seemed to have completely changed their behavior, and the scientists also had a strong suspicion that their leader, Sobek, was a mutated creature since he didn't appear in any records. To facilitate the study, the scientific community had provisionally baptized the animal 'Spinosaurus imperator'. In addition to worrying about the scientific community, Jocelyne was also preparing for when she met the NMWA envoy. Technically, the envoy would only have supervised the events, while the negotiation would have been up to her, but it was still important to establish a good relationship with whoever the NMWA would send. When she finally arrived in Odaria, she Jocelyne welcomed the envoy into her home personally. As soon as she learned that the plane carrying him had landed, she had prepared a small reception and waited for it. When the envoy arrived, however, she was surprised. She had expected the NMWA to send a man, perhaps with a gray beard and a lot of experience on her shoulders, instead it was a young woman with long blond hair who introduced herself to her. Despite her surprise, she Jocelyne did not forget her good manners: "I welcome you to my home. I'm Jocelyne Jersey, nice to meet you" he greeted, extending his hand. "Chloe Tousignant" she replied, shaking her hand. "The pleasure of meeting you is all mine"