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Madison Scott-Clary
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<h1 id="codrin-balan-2346">Codrin Bălan — 2346</h1>
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<h1 id="codrin-balan-2346">Codrin Bălan — 2346</h1>
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<p>Late spring was for picnics. This was, ey was assured, a universal fact. Once the rains had calmed down and before the oppressive heat began to drift lazily in, this was the time for those who are in love to drag a thick blanket out onto the prairie, park next to one of Codrin’s cairns, and share sandwiches and fizzy drinks. This was the time for parking in the sun, laying back on the blanket, heads together and feet radiating outwards, sharing in small silences and comfortable conversation.</p>
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<p>Late spring was for picnics. This was, ey was assured, a universal fact.</p>
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<p>Once the rains had calmed down and before the oppressive heat began to drift lazily in, this was the time for those who are in love to drag a thick blanket out onto the prairie, park next to one of Codrin’s cairns, and share sandwiches and fizzy drinks. This was the time for parking in the sun, laying back on the blanket, heads together and feet radiating outwards, sharing in small silences and comfortable conversation.</p>
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<p><em>“There is no reason that aliens should interrupt this,”</em> Dear had stated plainly and then dragged its partner off to the kitchen to make sandwiches and bottle up gins and tonic to bring out to the prairie.</p>
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<p><em>“There is no reason that aliens should interrupt this,”</em> Dear had stated plainly and then dragged its partner off to the kitchen to make sandwiches and bottle up gins and tonic to bring out to the prairie.</p>
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<p>All the same, this picnic was more muted than usual, and when they settled onto their backs, Dear’s ears tickling the tops of their heads, the conversation felt careful, as though all words should veer carefully around the topic that was on, it seems, everyone’s minds.</p>
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<p>All the same, this picnic was more muted than usual, and when they settled onto their backs, Dear’s ears tickling the tops of their heads, the conversation felt careful, as though all words should veer around the topic that was on, it seems, everyone’s minds.</p>
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<p>A bit less than three weeks after first contact, and the entire LV seemed to be talking about nothing else. Dear had even postponed the opening to its new show. News from Tycho was that, from day one, the Odists had been working on and shaping the news.</p>
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<p>A bit less than three weeks after first contact, and the entire LV seemed to be talking about nothing else. Dear had even postponed the opening to its new show. News from Tycho was that, from day one, the Odists had been working on and shaping the news.</p>
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<p>Codrin suspected that this had come when it did solely due to the transmission delay from L<sub>5</sub>, and, given the news that Ioan had relayed, ey did not doubt that this tight control was for good reason — or at least what True Name considered good reason.</p>
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<p>Codrin suspected that this had come when it did solely due to the transmission delay from L<sub>5</sub>, and, given the news that Ioan had relayed, ey did not doubt that this tight control was for good reason — or at least what True Name considered good reason.</p>
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<p>Ey had kept that note to emself.</p>
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<p>Ey had kept that note to emself.</p>
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<p>Its partner laughed. “I thought not. Besides, can you imagine a synthesis of the three of us? A historian chef that forks like mad.”</p>
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<p>Its partner laughed. “I thought not. Besides, can you imagine a synthesis of the three of us? A historian chef that forks like mad.”</p>
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<p>They all laughed.</p>
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<p>They all laughed.</p>
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<p>“I don’t know how much of a historian I am anymore,” ey said. “But doubtless they would keep my love for books.”</p>
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<p>“I don’t know how much of a historian I am anymore,” ey said. “But doubtless they would keep my love for books.”</p>
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<p>Dear tilted its head. <em>“Are you not? You have taken on historiographical projects in the years since the History, have you not?”</em></p>
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<p>Dear tilted its head. <em>“Are you not? You have taken on historiographical projects in the years since the</em> History, <em>have you not?”</em></p>
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<p>Ey shrugged. “I have incomplete thoughts on that.”</p>
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<p>Ey shrugged. “I have incomplete thoughts on that.”</p>
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<p>The fox nodded. <em>“I will not push, but I am eager to hear them at some point.”</em></p>
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<p>The fox nodded. <em>“I will not push, but I am eager to hear them at some point.”</em></p>
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<p>Ey nodded. “Of course, Dear.”</p>
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<p>Ey nodded. “Of course, Dear.”</p>
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<p>Their other partner yawned, then laughed. “You know, if sunlight had weight, I would use it as a blanket. It’s such a good feeling.”</p>
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<p>Their other partner yawned, then let out a contented sigh. “You know, if sunlight had weight, I would use it as a blanket. It’s such a good feeling.”</p>
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<p>“‘If sunlight had weight’?” Codrin laughed. “That sounds like a line of poetry.”</p>
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<p>“‘If sunlight had weight’?” Codrin laughed. “That sounds like a line of poetry.”</p>
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<p>They threw a pebble at em. “I need at least the feeling of a blanket over me if I’m going to sleep.”</p>
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<p>They threw a pebble at em. “I need at least the feeling of a blanket over me if I’m going to sleep.”</p>
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<p>“Going to take a nap? We’ve got a blanket right here.”</p>
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<p>“Going to take a nap? We’ve got a blanket right here.”</p>
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<p><em>“Of course, my dear. Why do you think we are so close to each other? Even after all that business in the early days, we are still close.”</em> It grinned. <em>“Please do not tell him this, but I have always been a little in love with him since then. Our tastes in partners differ, so none of the clade have never acted on it, just as Michelle never acted on it.”</em></p>
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<p><em>“Of course, my dear. Why do you think we are so close to each other? Even after all that business in the early days, we are still close.”</em> It grinned. <em>“Please do not tell him this, but I have always been a little in love with him since then. Our tastes in partners differ, so none of the clade have never acted on it, just as Michelle never acted on it.”</em></p>
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<p>Ey nodded, thinking back to the conversation they had shared so long ago, back when ey was newly Codrin. <em>Trauma, if trauma this is, forges bonds,</em> it had said.</p>
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<p>Ey nodded, thinking back to the conversation they had shared so long ago, back when ey was newly Codrin. <em>Trauma, if trauma this is, forges bonds,</em> it had said.</p>
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<p>“Not keen on more trauma, then?”</p>
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<p>“Not keen on more trauma, then?”</p>
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<p>It shoved at em playfully. <em>“You are a brat. I was just about to say that.”</em></p>
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<p>It shoved em playfully. <em>“You are a brat. I was just about to say that.”</em></p>
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<p>Ey laughed.</p>
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<p>Ey laughed.</p>
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<p><em>“I will not go, though,”</em> the fox repeated. <em>“I will await your stories, but I will not go.”</em></p>
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<p><em>“I will not go, though,”</em> the fox repeated. <em>“I will await your stories, but I will not go.”</em></p>
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<p>“I’ll bring back some good ones, then.”</p>
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<p>“I’ll bring back some good ones, then.”</p>
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<p><em>“But, my dear, do be watchful. There will be two Odists on that mission, and they will share in some of my trepidation.”</em> It took eir hand in its paw and gave the back of it an affectionate lick. The gesture seemed to be one designed to minimize the anxiety in the statement, but eirs or Dears, ey could not tell. <em>“They share that same trauma. Be watchful and remember what I said: even True Name has emotions, even she will be affected.”</em></p>
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<p><em>“But, my dear, do be watchful. There will be two Odists on that mission, and they will share in some of my trepidation.”</em> It took eir hand in its paw and gave the back of it an affectionate lick. The gesture seemed to be one designed to minimize the anxiety in the statement, but eirs or Dears, ey could not tell. <em>“They share that same trauma. Be watchful and remember what I said: even True Name has emotions, even she will be affected.”</em></p>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-10-30</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-12-19</p>
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<p>The sight of the dissemination of the news of Artemis was beautiful in much the same way that a ballet was. This was, he supposed, largely due to the well-coordinated dance of both messages flying back and forth and countless Odists and Jonases moving back in forth in the largest of the conference rooms he’d seen yet.</p>
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<p>The sight of the dissemination of the news of Artemis was beautiful in much the same way that a ballet was. This was, he supposed, largely due to the well-coordinated dance of both messages flying back and forth and countless Odists and Jonases moving back in forth in the largest of the conference rooms he’d seen yet.</p>
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<p>He knew that there were sims where one could fly. Flying, after all, fit well within the realm of something that any number of people could consensually imagine together. They held a perennial appeal to a certain type of person, of which he was not one. A fear of heights combined with a certain neurotic work ethic led him to stay away from those sims in general. If it was fun and not also productive, he felt little need to engage. It may have been unhealthy, it may not have been, but he had never stuck around anyone long enough to hear either way.</p>
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<p>He knew that there were sims where one could fly. Flying, after all, fit well within the realm of something that any number of people could consensually imagine together. They held a perennial appeal to a certain type of person, of which he was not one. A fear of heights combined with a certain neurotic work ethic led him to stay away from those sims in general. If it was fun and not also productive, he felt little need to engage. It may have been unhealthy, it may not have been, but he had never stuck around anyone long enough to hear either way.</p>
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<p>Now, however, he could see the utility.</p>
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<p>Now, however, he could see the utility.</p>
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<p>A whiteboard had sprouted up from the floor, beginning at waist height for the Odists and extending by now a storey and a half up. Panels on it showed the news feeds and commentaries piped in through the perisystem architecture, that foam of conceptual computer-stuff that tied all of the sim together and allowed cross-sim communications.</p>
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<p>A whiteboard had sprouted up from the floor, beginning at waist height for the Odists and extending up by now a storey and a half. Panels on it showed the news feeds and commentaries piped in through the perisystem architecture, that foam of conceptual computer-stuff that tied all of the sims together and allowed cross-sim communications.</p>
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<p>Even now, as more news flowed into the board, it would pop up from the bottom and the whiteboard would inch ever higher.</p>
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<p>Even now, as more news flowed into the board, it would pop up from the bottom and the whiteboard would inch ever higher.</p>
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<p>And standing before it, whether or not they were standing on the ground or however many feet above it, Odists and Jonases worked, tagging each of the feeds with arcane symbols, drawing lines from one to the other, conversing in small knots, popping into existence and quitting as needed.</p>
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<p>And standing before it, whether or not they were standing on the ground or however many meters above it, Odists and Jonases worked, tagging each of the feeds with arcane symbols, drawing lines from one to the other, conversing in small knots, popping into existence and quitting as needed.</p>
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<p>This involved none of the graceful floating that ey had seen before on eir excursions to sims whose owners allowed such. They were not drifting about on the breeze, they were simply standing on something that was not there. If they needed to move to another level, they would simply walk as though on a ramp or step up as though on a ladder. It was productive movement at its very core, and it immediately appealed to him.</p>
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<p>This involved none of the graceful floating that ey had seen before on eir excursions to sims whose owners allowed such. They were not drifting about on the breeze, they were simply standing on something that was not there. If they needed to move to another level, they would simply walk as though on a ramp or step up as though on a ladder. It was productive movement at its very core, and it immediately appealed to him.</p>
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<p>“What am I watching?” he asked Answers Will Not Help beside him.</p>
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<p>“What am I watching?” he asked Answers Will Not Help beside him.</p>
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<p>She nodded toward the board and the quiet, purposeful bustle of activity before it. “We have released the news about the Artemisians out into the news feeds. You are watching the observation and shaping process.”</p>
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<p>She nodded toward the board and the quiet, purposeful bustle of activity before it. “We have released the news about the Artemisians out into the news feeds. You are watching the observation and shaping process.”</p>
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<p>Despite the heat burning in his cheeks, Answers Will Not Help’s suggestion helped a good deal, and he was able to complete the rest of the journey quickly enough, though by now, the top of the board was easily two storeys up.</p>
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<p>Despite the heat burning in his cheeks, Answers Will Not Help’s suggestion helped a good deal, and he was able to complete the rest of the journey quickly enough, though by now, the top of the board was easily two storeys up.</p>
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<p>“Took you long enough, nerd.” She elbowed him in the side, grinning.</p>
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<p>“Took you long enough, nerd.” She elbowed him in the side, grinning.</p>
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<p>“Is that just my name now?”</p>
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<p>“Is that just my name now?”</p>
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<p>“Might as fucking well be.” She walked over to one one of the panels of news feed. This was labeled <em>Science</em> beneath, and seemed to head up a column of related material. “Might as well start here.”</p>
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<p>“Might as fucking well be.” She walked over to one one of the panels of news feed. This was labeled <em>Science</em> beneath, and seemed to head up a column of related material. “Let us just start here.”</p>
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<p>Studiously avoiding looking down, he read the contents of the panel.</p>
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<p>Studiously avoiding looking down, he read the contents of the panel.</p>
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<blockquote>
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<p>On systime 227+52 2328, the Dreamer Module on Castor received a structured message from an external source, alerting scientists and perisystem technicians to an external source. The message, which follows at the end of the post, suggested that entity or entities at the other end of the signal understood the instructions for utilizing the Ansible receiver, provided course information, and asked for consent to upload. Consent was granted two minutes, thirteen seconds later by a member of the astronomical community. Further messages have been exchanged, and talks are underway for an exchange of emissaries.</p>
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<p>On systime 227+52 2328, the Dreamer Module on Castor received a structured message from an external source, alerting scientists and perisystem technicians to a fast-moving artificial construct. The message, which follows at the end of the post, suggested that entity or entities at the other end of the signal understood the instructions for utilizing the Ansible receiver, provided trajectory information, and asked for consent to upload. Consent was granted two minutes, thirteen seconds later by a member of the astronomical community. Further messages have been exchanged, and talks are underway for an exchange of emissaries.</p>
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<p><em>A member of the astronomical community</em> was a much better way to describe him that he suspected the Odists might otherwise.</p>
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<p><em>A member of the astronomical community</em> was a much better way to describe him that he suspected the Odists might otherwise.</p>
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<p>The message was published by none other than Sovanna Soun.</p>
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<p>The message was published by none other than Sovanna Soun.</p>
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<p>He declined to mention this. The last thing he wanted was another poke in the side.</p>
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<p>He declined to mention this. The last thing he wanted was another poke in the side.</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-10-29</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-12-19</p>
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