Children of Doro by M L Clark

Author:M L Clark
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2023-05-03T22:00:00+00:00

3. Evasive Mediations

All meetings for the dispute formally filed as Light-of-Salvation (Doro) v. River-at-Dusk (Doro) (DC388.01006), 943PSC took place in holo-space, where for the first time in a quarter-century Ceres and Jovil (the former representing Fenya’s interests, the latter still representing the Doron Council) were sharing at least the semblance of a room with Alastri. Also in attendance were the titular parties of the case, but through biological representatives: from the southern settlement, a cammus named Trifa, whose scales were almost translucent, and who bore the sinewy appearance of a brood selected more for dexterity than for straightforward physical strength; and from River-at-Dusk, a human named Shimshon: also slender, but draped in an excess of material fashionable for the settlement at the time, which created an exaggerated sense of heft.

Alastri was easily the smallest in stature of all five parties in attendance, and as always, she had elected not to manipulate her holo-projection to level the visual playing field. She preferred to leverage her diminutive size the same way Leonid always had his physical softness, and later his pains from age: by allowing herself to be perceived as a harmless presence to one side of the main proceedings, all the better from which to observe the rest. In this case, she did so while the rest of the session’s participants, upon entering the holo-space, began rounds of warm-up baiting remarks that quickly devolved into bad-faith efforts to force the mediation’s end entirely between themselves.

“Unbelievable,” said Ceres, at one juncture in this opening round of showmanship. “River-at-Dusk sees the potential of MTUs, but somehow the Citadel doesn’t? Come on. Why’s your lot always trying so hard to stop the rest of the region from growing? Oh, wait, let me guess: because Fenya’s doing something that your people haven’t even come close to matching yet—is that it? What, you want to be the next big shipping monopoly, too? No, I didn’t think so. Too messy. Too tough. Too many people getting all up in your precious sanctuary. But then why let envy win? Let it go already, and just let the rest of us have this. Listen, I’ve worked in the upper-orbit depot for decades. Decades! All sorts of positions there, too, so trust me: I’ve seen everything. I know how brutal it can get. But it doesn’t have to. Not anymore. That’s what’s so great about these MTUs. Just let us get this one ship through, and you’ll see. Just let us—let all of us—make history for the system. Why not make an actual difference for once?”

Watching Ceres direct all his attention toward Trifa, Alastri realized that he must not have remembered the 17-PSY assistant to whom he had once poured out his {furious} heart in a corridor a quarter-century prior. She, however, remembered him, and studied him closely now for signs of change, or their absence. Ceres retained an arresting presence, crisply presented in a smart-fitting Partnership uniform, and though the luminosity of his youth had been exchanged for a

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