update from sparkleup
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Madison Scott-Clary
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<p>“You appear-seem displeased or uncomfortable,” Turun Ko said, head pointing down the table toward Why Ask Questions. “Can you explain if able or comfortable?”</p>
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<p>She looked over to True Name, who gave a small nod of acknowledgement.</p>
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<p>“Some of us here on the System do not feel comfortable with unbounded time,” she said. “We will discuss more as the meeting continues.”</p>
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<p>“<em>Aet,</em>” it said. <em>Okay.</em></p>
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<p>“<em>Aët,</em>” it said. <em>Okay.</em></p>
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<p>After a moment’s silence, the skunk continued. “Per our agreement, this meeting here on Castor will be focused on knowledge-share surrounding the topics of linguistics and science, with particular attention astronomy and spaceflight, while those aboard Artemis will focus on society, politics, and psychology. I would like to open with a round of free questioning, if you are amenable, in order to find a few examples for which directions to take the meeting in moving forward. Do you agree?”</p>
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<p>“Yes,” Turun Ka said. “One question per delegate should be an appropriate way to begin. I invite you to begin, leader True Name.”</p>
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<p>The response was quick in coming. “We have divided civilizations up into a range of classes depending on their energy usage: planet scale, planetary system scale, and galaxy scale. At what stage were each of your races, and, if you have ran across any additional races, at what scale did they work?”</p>
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<p>“Thank you, representative Iska.”</p>
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<p>“I will ask the final question,” they said. “You say that we will have the ability to fork. Is there not risk of divergence?”</p>
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<p>True Name answered, “There is. Why Ask Questions is a fork from me, and I am in turn a fork from the root instance, Michelle Hadje. We have individuated in the last two hundred twenty years.”</p>
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<p>That unnerved, anxious expression returned to the secondracer’s face, but they bowed their head all the same. “<em>Aet.</em> Thank you.”</p>
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<p>That unnerved, anxious expression returned to the secondracer’s face, but they bowed their head all the same. “<em>Aët.</em> Thank you.”</p>
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<p>Standing, True Name bowed deeply once more. “Thank you once again for joining us. Let us retire to our rest areas to compare notes and strategize, then reconvene in one hour’s time to begin in earnest.”</p>
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<p>Both delegations stood and returned their acknowledging gestures, whatever they might be, and each walked toward their respective rest areas.</p>
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<p>Codrin let True Name and Why Ask Questions pass em, catching Sarah’s eye to walk slower. Once the Odists were several paces ahead, heads together and talking quietly, ey asked, “What do you make of it?”</p>
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<p>“I don’t know about that either, as representative. I hope I get to ask more. Though, well…” Sarah glanced over to where True Name and Why Ask Questions had sat at a table, still talking earnestly. “I don’t know what’s more confusing. The emissaries or the Odists.” <!-- More action to justify this remark? --></p>
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<footer>
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<p>Page generated on 2022-01-11</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2022-01-12</p>
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<p>The skunk wilted, her ears splaying to the sides. “Of course, leader Turun Ka.”</p>
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<p>“Are you amenable to increasing the skew in the unison room? This will allow you to take all the time you need.”</p>
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<p>She nodded. “Yes, that would be fine. It is uncomfortable, but I can sleep through the discomfort.”</p>
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<p>“<em>Aet</em>,” it said. “We shall return here in half an hour. The other participants shall meet in the central courtyard.”</p>
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<p>“<em>Aët</em>,” it said. “We shall return here in half an hour. The other participants shall meet in the central courtyard.”</p>
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<p>“I will join shortly,” Iska said. “I must contact a technician, first.”</p>
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<p>They did not wait, but seemed to disappear as they shifted up to a fast enough time to travel faster than ey could perceive.</p>
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<p>Codrin nodded to the other emissaries. “Go ahead. I’ll help True Name to her room, then join up with you in a bit.”</p>
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<p><em>All that may be, but what do I do with it?</em> ey thought. <em>And how the hell am I going to keep what I heard hidden and buried?</em></p>
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<p>Page generated on 2022-01-11</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2022-01-12</p>
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<p>“<em>Nu…nukupot…kopotla…</em>” he stammered, hunting through the language he’d been trying to mainline over the last three days.</p>
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<p>“<em>Iha! Ka, ka, nukupotla,</em> not-knowing?”</p>
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<p>“Something like that. I don’t know what’s going on, and don’t have much to contribute. Not much knowledge to give, I mean, when we’re talking about social stuff.”</p>
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<p>“Rrr, <em>ka,</em> I also.”</p>
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<p>The thirdracer made what looked to be a frustrated gesture with one of their hands and then shifted to drape languidly over the edge of the windowsill, hands hanging nearly down to the ground and feet kicking lazily behind them in the alcove. It was a nearly childlike move that Codrin found incredibly endearing. Something more…well, not human, but perhaps personable in this otherwise impersonal conference.</p>
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<p>“I went into academia because– sorry, into studying as one of the only things I do in my life because that seemed to be the only way I could just do what it was that I wanted,” Tycho. “No commitments, no distractions. Just the stars and math.”</p>
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<p>“Rrr, <em>ka,</em> I also.” The thirdracer made what looked to be a frustrated gesture with one of their hands and then shifted to drape languidly over the edge of the windowsill, hands hanging nearly down to the ground and feet kicking lazily behind them in the alcove. It was a nearly childlike move that Codrin found incredibly endearing. Something more…well, not human, but perhaps personable in this otherwise impersonal conference.</p>
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<p>“I went into academia because– sorry, into studying as one of the only things I do in my life because that seemed to be the only way I could just do what it was that I wanted,” Tycho said. “No commitments, no distractions. Just the stars and math.”</p>
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<p>Stolon stretched out long enough to grab a curly-edged leaf from one of the short bushes, picking at it between dull claws. “I also, <em>ka.</em> I am not…combination? Child? I am from before embedding. Before before, I also study. I study stars and inside planets. I also in over my head. I am knowing how convergence works, so I am here, but still I dream of stars.”</p>
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<p>“I was on my way into academia as well,” Codrin said, filing the thirdracer’s use of ‘child’ and ‘combination’ away for later. “But I guess my chosen interests align a bit more with politics than astronomy.”</p>
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<p>“<em>Anem, anem.</em>“</p>
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<p>“Stressful,” Sarah said. “I really don’t know what to make of earlier.”</p>
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<p>Turun Ko looked to Sarah.</p>
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<p>“Stressful,” she said. “I really don’t know what to make of earlier.”</p>
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<p>“I am, <em>lu</em>…sorry that your friend exits,” Stolon said, and Artante nodded in agreement. “I do not know how, Iska looks into this.”</p>
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<p>Turun Ko bowed its head. “We wish to speak-discuss with you the events-proceedings from earlier.”</p>
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<p>“To begin with,” Artante said, picking up the conversation. “Do you have any questions that we can answer? This may inform the discussion.”</p>
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<p>When Sarah did not speak, ey asked, “I don’t imagine there’s much you’ll be able to answer so soon in the talks, but leader Turun Ka mentioned that deception had been wargamed. Is this the type of thing that’s expected at a convergence?”</p>
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<p>When Sarah and Tycho did not speak, ey asked, “I don’t imagine there’s much you’ll be able to answer so soon in the talks, but leader Turun Ka mentioned that deception had been wargamed. Is this the type of thing that’s expected at a convergence?”</p>
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<p>“Yes, recorder Codrin Bălan. The possibility-probability that a new race-culture-species practices-engages-in deception is one item on a checklist of one beginning and two endings.”</p>
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<p>“Beginning? Endings?” Ey shook eir head. “Well, stepping back, what do you mean by checklist?”</p>
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<p>“Convergences are processes. Processes may be smooth-easy or rough-difficult. It is our goal-aim to ensure smoothness-ease, as I think-suspect must be that of leader True Name.”</p>
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<p>This was the most that Turun Ko had said at once over the last three days and, despite its statuesque nature, ey was keen on drawing more out of one so aligned with eir own goals. “So you have a list of items and possibilities that might happen during a convergence, then, and we’re making our way down the list?”</p>
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<p>This was the most that Turun Ko had said at once over the last few days and, despite its statuesque nature, ey was keen on drawing more out of one so aligned with eir own goals. “So you have a list of items and possibilities that might happen during a convergence and we’re making our way down the list?”</p>
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<p>“<em>Anem.</em>“</p>
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<p>“And the beginning was first contact?”</p>
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<p>“<em>Anem.</em>“</p>
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<p>A smile tugged at the corner of Artante’s mouth, leading to a sense of relief within em. Ey suspected that em asking that very question might have been an item on their list.</p>
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<p>“<em>Unot.</em> The endings share equality-correctness.”</p>
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<p>“Will the decision be mutual?” Sarah asked.</p>
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<p>“<em>Ka,</em> representative Sarah Genet. The decision-ending must be mutual-shared before the Ansible-transmission-mechanisms will be unlocked-ungated-opened on both Castor and Artemis, <em>Ka?</em>“</p>
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<p>“<em>Ka,</em> representative Sarah Genet. The decision-ending must be mutual-shared before the Ansible-transmission-mechanisms will be unlocked-ungated-opened on both Castor and Artemis, <em>anem?</em>“</p>
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<p>“I suppose so,” Codrin said. “If one side, as a whole, did not want to join, they wouldn’t turn on their Ansible for general use.”</p>
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<p>Artante nodded. “And the other, seeing that, might feel enough unease that the decision would become mutual, even if it had not started that way.”</p>
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<p>“Are we on the path towards becoming fifthrace, then?” ey asked.</p>
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<p>“<em>Nu.</em> We cannot.”</p>
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<p>“There’s some different shades of meaning to that word, recorder Turun Ko,” Sarah said thoughtfully. “‘Cannot’ can mean that you aren’t able to, or that you are unwilling to. Can you expand on that? Are you able to, I mean?”</p>
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<p>“We cannot,” it repeated, and Codrin once more caught that ghost of a smile on Artante’s face.</p>
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<p>“Either could be true, but that’s not the correct conversation to have right now,” ey hazarded.</p>
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<p>“Either could be true, but that’s not the correct conversation to have right now,” ey guessed.</p>
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<p>At this Artante laughed. “You learn quickly, recorder Codrin Bălan.”</p>
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<p>Ey smiled, shrugged. “It’s my job to pay attention, I guess.”</p>
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<p>“<em>Anem,</em> recorder Codrin Bălan We find patterns and say ‘yes yes’ or ‘no no’ and do next thing. You hear, “this is not time to have that conversation.” We say because we use checklist.”</p>
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<p>Ey smiled, shrugged. “It’s my job to pay attention.”</p>
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<p>Stolon bobbed their head. “<em>Anem,</em> recorder Codrin Bălan. We find patterns and say ‘yes yes’ or ‘no no’ and do next thing. You hear, “this is not time to have that conversation.” We say because we use checklist.”</p>
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<p>“You can just call me Codrin, by the way.”</p>
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<p>“And you can just call me Sarah.”</p>
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<p>“Tycho.”</p>
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<p>“<em>Ka, ka,</em> can call Stolon also.”</p>
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<p>“<em>Aet.</em> Thank you Codrin. We will continue to use full names during the talks, but you may call me Artante outside of them.”</p>
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<p>“<em>Aët.</em> Thank you Codrin. We will continue to use full names during the talks, but you may call me Artante outside of them.”</p>
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<p>“I will remain-always-be Turun Ko.”</p>
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<p>There was another moment’s silence as Codrin and Sarah processed and the Artemisians waited.</p>
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<p>There was so much to take in here, but on further examination, it all made quite a bit of sense. The Artemisians had prepared for this event as thoroughly as had the Odists and Jonases. Of course there would be things that would happen — or at least could be reasonably expected to happen — throughout the convergence. The Artemisians had a head start in that they had history to lean on: they’d been through at least three convergences prior to this one.</p>
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