Valentines in an Apocalypse: A System Apocalypse short story (The System Apocalypse Short Stories) by Tao Wong

Author:Tao Wong [Wong, Tao]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Starlit Publishing
Published: 2020-07-30T05:00:00+00:00

***

Janet slumped, staring into space. That last message had been a pain to deal with. Most people thought her job was simple. Buy a language pack from the Shop, you’re good to go. All that information, downloaded directly into your brain. A new language, without the study. No problem.

Except, you never knew who made that pack if you didn’t check. You didn’t know what biases they had. Nor did most language packs contain information on the full range of social and cultural cues, not unless they were of the highest quality. For day to day conversations, the average language pack was functional. But not diplomatic correspondence, where making a mistake on one word, on one assumption or missing an allusion could stall a negotiation for weeks, even months. Maybe forever.

The worst kinds of messages were from the Movanna and Truinnar. The damn elves, white and dark, were so full of themselves that they felt the need to write messages with layers of meaning. And if you missed it, well, you missed it. Even something as simple as the word ‘dance’ could have numerous cultural meanings behind it.

Janet quickly made a note for Teddy, a slight small smile crossing her face as she considered his reaction. He’d get so excited, learning something new about the two societies that she’d been negotiating with. That silly man.

After a moment, the smile disappeared she remembered his tirade. Wasn’t as if she didn’t know to expect the rant but… well. A woman could hope. But not a lot. Turning back to her files, she sent the quick message off to Teddy with a flick of her fingers, already forgetting about it.

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