Chương 135: Part 116: Summit

Nestra paced the penthouse of the Capricorn, Threshold's most exclusive venue whose upper floors were reserved for the most affluent of post-Incursion's elite. A post-modern zen design hid a fully integrated smart system for safety and comfort. It was hubris hiding terminal paranoia framed in greed: an amusing representation of Threshold's essence yet the understated wealth upset Nestra. Even the flawlessly welcoming service failed to quell a feeling of inadequacy and restlessness.

The expensive Blue Mountain coffee smelled wrong. The incense irritated her nerves, if not her nose. Every perfectly placed grain of sand on the patio's stone garden provoked her with its lack of, lack of… she wasn't sure. It was weird. What was even weirder was watching a room full of coven ladies typing on reinforced tablets.

Nestra wasn't entirely sure exposing them to the internet was a good idea, as a half an hour visit in any comment section made total extinction desirable, but so far things were working out fine. Surprisingly. Grook had requisitioned the TV for reruns of last month's MMA tournament — the one with augs. She loved the creative use of implants.

"This male has a detachable leg!" she exclaimed, excavating her way through two kilograms of sweetened popcorn.

"Excited for tonight's match?"

"Yeff!"

"Nezhra!" Sorai called. Jumping in alarm, Nestra rushed to the mantis lady's side.

"There is a petition made by Threshold citizens who volunteer to copulate with us. In our true form!"

"Ah. Oh dear." Nestra shouldn't even be surprised. Just disappointed.

"It has tens of thousands of signatures! Oh, Blinky has 17 potential volunteers, girls and boys." The jellyfish bobbed closer to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Gross.

"I have over a thousand. Oh, but they really should not joke about this! I will use my official account to inform them that due to my species' physiognomy, there is a significant risk I would decapitate my partner during orgasm. That will surely deter them." Nestra barely had the time to facepalm before Sorai's pad rang with notifications.

"The number of volunteers doubled…" Sorai said despondently. Kaiju sighting? There are kaiju sightings off the coast. Blinky suddenly bobbed with excitement. Her own pad was manipulated via algae-based construct as far as Nestra understood, because Blinky's skin was also highly corrosive. No kaiju left in my home world. They were hunted down long before, and now the ambient mana is too stable to force the necessary mutations. That is why I love newly linked planets. Ooooh, can I go kill a kaiju? Please?

Nestra's eyes hurt from the light show. Moon Dancer waved the giant jellyfish off.

"You may. Don't take too long."

"Waaaaaait!" Nestra interrupted. The room looked at her.

"No neurotoxins," Nestra argued.

"You'll waste the meat." Oh, good reminder. I shall use fast-dissipating toxins so the flesh remains safe for consumption by juveniles.

"Ok, well, I'll take it." Blinky warped through the wall before flying off in the direction of the ocean. Nestra wondered what people would think.

"We still need to acquire corpses," Karamahel said, looking up from what looked like some sort of military romance drama set in ancient China. The armor sets looked cool if impractical.

"Hmm they're working on it but the PR person said it's better if we don't reveal that specific piece of information immediately. They'll give us a, hmm, a target," Nestra said.

"They will ask us to do their dirty work?" Sorai asked.

"No no. I mean. We can go anywhere so I just asked for the most repulsive band of assholes on the planet and we'll… pay them a visit."

"I like that idea," Karamahel said.

"Let's set a limit to third ascension might, and make it a contest."

"That will have to wait until after the meeting," Moon Dancer reminded them. A confidential summit was set to take place in the Beacon's basement within the next hour, which was ironic and also why Nestra was getting extra nervous, probably. Threshold had signed a white peace the day before while conceding the return of Cross and the tolerance of an American 'scientific mission' in the Bridge World.

The face-saving measures allowed both sides to claim victory: the Americans had access, and Threshold maintained control. In reality, Nestra expected that Threshold would squeeze all its partners for resources in return for passage. Everything had to be manually carried through the portal anyway, or at least they would while Riel got his startup going so he could sell space bags. Anyway, that would be under Threshold's control as well. Threshold not only held the gate, they could choose who got through at any time.

This gave her city a lot of bargaining power which would only increase the more humans spread through the bridge network. But that was a matter for future Nestra.

"I should get ready for the meeting," Nestra said.

"The mayor told me we would secretly meet ambassadors from —""I know who we will be in attendance," Moon Dancer interrupted with a chastising tone.

"I already picked all the important details from your unawakened political wrangler's mind — with his authorization of course." Nestra froze.

"You what?"

"Nezhra, I am one of the most powerful entities of the many worlds, and my domain is the mind. I know all there is to know about your world's current state. I know what we aim to achieve. As far as diplomacy is concerned, I share more in terms of skill and experience with your leader than with a food-obsessed juvenile. Your support is no longer required." And before Nestra could grow crestfallen, Moon Dancer floated in front of her. A tiny hand patted Nestra's head which felt very strange for a variety of reasons.

"You have done very well, Nezhra. Your tireless work over the past cycle has borne fruit. Now I sternly order you to rest before we must move again. Meet your friends. Cherish the moment. Their lives will carry them on the wings of success away from you, or to their demise. Either way, your time together is precious, young one. Rely on me to prevent Agathon from turning your native planet into a safari buffet. Your host species is safe while we reach an accord."

"Uh. Thanks."

"Now check your visor for messages." Nestra did.

"Oh."

"Yes. Off you go now. Don't forget tonight's MMA fight."

"Alright alright."

Nestra hadn't gone to Stibbs' house in a while. It was a small two-story house in Thirteen, not far from the precinct where they used to work together. Nestra wasn't sure how convenient it was now that Stibbs was a drone consultant for Blue River, but her old friend hadn't moved. The house itself was the same kind of cookie cutter design Nestra had lived in before a certain uppity politician had set it on fire.

To her surprise, there were three people around the house: two corpo assholes, and one armed aug with an angry look standing guard opposite them. Nestra was immediately intercepted by a smarmy gleam with unawakened affinities. He stood in her way.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?" He asked her.

"Who the f—" Nestra suddenly remembered she was a diplomatic figure, and Kim had strictly ordered her to stop cussing. Bugger.

"Kindly get out of my way," she said, sidestepping the man, but his slightly apologetic assistant bowed to Nestra.

"Mr. Gung, this is Palladian-nim!" Yeah, who was this bozo who didn't know the great Nestra? She was absolutely world famous right now. Before he could recover, she was strode to the gate which the bald aug opened, offering her a nod. He gave such powerful cop vibes that Nestra returned it before her higher brain could trigger. She was through the door a second later. The house hadn't changed. It was the same weird mix of minimalist furniture, rock posters and electronic stuff stored in the most unlikely spots.

The curtains were drawn, blocking too much of the sun to be healthy. The room was also a little bit musky. Stibbs had been waiting near the door. She was a nervous mess, pale and tired under her copper hair. The diminutive pilot wrung her fingers before hesitantly jumping into Nestra's waiting hug, but Nestra herself was so stunned it took her a while to return it, and the contact only confirmed what she'd seen. Stibbs' belly was unambiguously heavy. It made the petit woman terribly triangular.

"You're preggo!" Nestra screamed to the uncaring ceiling.

"How could this happen!"

"Well," Stibbs replied, "when a stupid woman and an alien love each other very much…"

"Ah! Ah! My brother reproduced? Dark day for intelligent life!"

"Nestra, calm down please."

"But… I'm going to be sisters with my best friend! And an aunt!"

"Ok, you can be a little excited," Stibbs conceded.

"No but seriously… wait. I remember Seth saying something to this effect just as we left." She frowned. That asshole.

"I was late and… he thought maybe. But it's done now. We already agreed… we planned to expand the family, perhaps not so soon, but…

""Oh my god and he's gone for now…" Stibbs almost collapsed now. Her skin looked sagged and unhealthy. She looked a decade older than her age, and the sight carved a frozen canyon into Nestra's heart.

"Please tell me he'll return?"

"Absolutely, he should be here within a week or so. I know another coven's sister agreed to lead him here. Don't worry. Everything will be fine. I'll fucking drag him here myself if I have to!"

"Oh thank God." Nestra followed Stibbs into the living room where the beleaguered woman gulped down some red flower tea that smelled vaguely of berries. She did look better now that her nerves were starting to settle, though she remained a little pale. Nestra went to the fridge for a beer and found the last one at the bottom.

"Since you can't drink them anymore. You're… six months in?"

"Almost seven. I figured it out pretty quickly. My parents were unimpressed, to say the least, but they didn't disown me or anything."

"Do they… know?"

"Yeah. They didn't believe me at first, you know? Thought I had been scammed by an asshole."

"Well, technically…"

"Don't," Stibbs warned.

"Not in the mood."

"Sorry."

"I'm just nervous. So. Yeah. They believed me, and I don't think they know how they're supposed to react, and they're not sure either — it's a mess! Sorry, I'm rambling. I told them… very little. Just that Serethion was an alien and that we were not planning for it so early… but he made me co-owner of the Sunflour and it's doing well so I got a lot of cash and that really helped paint the situation in a way where I'm not a thirty years-old brain-dead slag." Stibbs rubbed her eyes.

Nestra spotted delivery boxes stacked on the far wall, now filled with drone parts. One of them was for a rather expensive crib. Stibbs was preparing. And it was very hard on her, especially alone and uncertain. Nestra searched for some comforting words during what was clearly a deep fear of having been abandoned, but then she realized there was something more urgent.

"Who are the goons outside? Not your cop buddy. The other two."

"Yeah I'm sorry I asked you for help but it relates to that. Duncan is here to keep them from getting ideas, and I got drones in the air just in case. There's another asshole at the back pretending to be a fucking lamp post. Riel…"

"I can't kill or maim them," Nestra apologized.

"Not until the diplomatic mission is over." Stibbs looked at Nestra for a good five seconds.

"I really missed you, Nes. You're a good friend."

"Thanks." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"And no. I was hoping you could do something with your contacts in the government. Sorry for asking you. I know you don't like that. And as for why they're here, errr. So hmm, I went to get ultrasounds. For the kids. See if they're well-formed and everything." Nestra's mind blanked.

"Kids?"

"Yes."

"Plural?"

"Yes."

"Twins?" Nestra bellowed. She heard Duncan laugh from outside the window. Stibbs passed a tired hand over her eyes.

"For the love of Riel Nestra I understand that I'm dumping revelation after revelation, but…"

"Sorry. Focusing."

"Ok. So. There is more…" Nestra closed her eyes. Breathe.

"Ok so, hmm, I went to get ultrasounds and there was an anomaly." Nestra frowned. This was supposed to be impossible.

"Not anything, you know, Aszhii related. I think. No horns, no unusual mana. It's just…" Stibbs rubbed her eyes.

"So when Serethion and I engaged in… intercourse, he, uh, sometimes would take on his heavenly form. It's his true, I mean, his original body. Also they tend to be thinner down there and I prefer it that way. So. Hmm. I was using spermicide-based contraception and it happens that heavenly swimmers are, hmm, not as receptive to that treatment. We didn't think of that because who would, right? That it would work." Nestra's mind clicked like a mousetrap on a careless finger.

"Oh. My." She managed to cut off her sentence by chugging the entire beer can, lifting one finger to inform Stibbs she wasn't done yet.

"Your kids are heavenly-human halfies."

"Yes." Nestra's mind rolled. It shouldn't be possible.

"It's ridiculous. We don't even share the same home planet. How can we get matching gametes with the right number of chromosome pairings? I—""I FUCKING KNOW!" Stibbs screamed. Nestra gave her a moment.

"Sorry for screaming. I know it's a lot to take in. So yes, it is very unexpected, and I'm a bit upset. The problem is that the hospital detected anomalies in the bone structure, development stage, and other elements that attracted the attention of the staff. I was obviously trying to get out of here but some fucking cunt must have leaked the info because I got researchers from a BaiHua branch trying to convince me to use their services. They've tried to bully me into one of their 'special research programs'.

Like hell. But I can't do anything because they're just… standing there. Other hospitals have suddenly realized that they don't have room for me and I… I don't… If Blue River hadn't had my back, I think, I think they might have tried something. I just — I'm so tired of being scared." Stibbs started to cry. Nestra had to hug her good friend while refraining her urge to just step out there and paste the fuckers in a thin layer of red paint leading from here to BaiHua's HQ. It would be so easy.

She was so furious, it was all she could do to prevent the room from freezing over. But Nestra refrained. Also Stibbs needed a solution, not another problem.

"I'll be right back." Nestra strode out of the house. She approached the camping gleam and his assistant near terminal velocity. The man very obviously started a body cam when he saw her approach. He gave her his best sales smile. Nestra stopped right in front of them. Not smashing her fist against his solar plexus was one of the most difficult decisions she ever made and surely a sign of great maturity.

"Is there something you would like to tell us?" He asked.

"I would like to remind you that we're operating within the confines of the law and that this is public space."

"Harassment isn't legal," Nestra felt obligated to say.

"If you have any reason to believe a crime is being committed, feel free to press charges. BaiHua Incorporated will respond within two business days as we take every legal matter very seriously." Nestra took her visor to take a picture of the very smug man, causing no reaction whatsoever. This was just insurance anyway.

"I'm sure you're very confident in BaiHua's legal department. Give me a moment and I'll make our position clear. As funny as it would be to watch the father turn you inside out, I think I can spare my friend a few weeks of suffering." Nestra whipped out her secure Mask phone and dialed the first number. It took three rings to pick up, which was very unusual.

"Nestra im in the middle of negotiations with an S-class. This better be urgent." Ragnarok spoke at B-class speed now that she didn't need to slow down as much with Nestra.

"So you know my brother who was dating a baseline? From the spicier branch of my family."

"… yes?"

"She's with child. Right now there are BaiHua vultures circling her house because the fetuses are a bit unique. She's being harassed. When the father returns, if he—""I remember his face-off with Shinran; you do not need to elaborate."

"Think you could design her as a VIP or—""No need. Patriarch Bai is in the next room. Call me again if this isn't resolved within the next two fucking minutes." Ragnarok hung up though Nestra heard quite a few interesting Swedish words during the process. The other gleam smiled tilting his head in a way that asked: so?

"It kind of pisses me off that you could do that with all impunity for so long," Nestra remarked, more for herself than because she wanted to intimidate the guy.

"I am not your enemy, Miss Palladian. We at BaiHua value life and its protection above everything."

"Above consent as well, apparently."

"We only want what's best for her and her children," the man insisted.

"Mrs. Stibbons' decision endangers her. I am sure that if we all consider all options with a calm heart, the only rational choice becomes obvious. Sometimes, young mothers need the calming influence of good friends when facing new challenges. I'm sure that if you consider the health of your friend, you will see that we offer her the best chances of a positive outcome."

"I see that you should have respected her wishes the first time she expressed them," Nestra hissed. The man shrugged, but then his visor rang. He picked up.

"Yes? Hello sir, I—. Yes. Sir? Yes, sir, immediately. I understand. Yes." The call ended. Nestra tilted her head to the side. The man didn't meet her eyes while he left.

"Sorry," his companion whispered.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," she replied, and it was her turn to lower her gaze in shame. Nestra wasn't done though.

"By the way, the picture I took? I'll give it to the father if he ever asks for it." Nestra grinned at the turning man.

"If you consider all your options with a calm heart, I'm sure the only rational choice will become obvious. Have a nice trip." He didn't reply. Nestra allowed herself a breath of relief only after they'd disappeared around the street corner. Right. At least they would be gone now. She shook her head as she returned to the house. This was her using her stupid network to solve problems, but what would have happened to someone at even a manager level? Against the might of BaiHua? They were fucked.

Even now as Threshold's elites spoke to her coven alongside envoys of every major alliance on the planet, their servants still contributed to making the city a cutthroat hive of greed and special interests. Could the situation ever improve? She wasn't sure, but she was willing to give it a try.

"Thanks for that. Now I can finally offski. You're ok for a rat squad bastard," Duncan greeted.

"Anything to help my buddy against the public shitter's bowl scraping that guy was."

"Damn right."

"I'll drink your beer though."

"You're welcome to it. I'm going home, mate. Cheers for that." Stibbs offered another hug as soon as Nestra was through the door. The way her lithe frame shook, the contrast between bony shoulders and the weirdly hard bump made Nestra feel strangely protective. For a while, Stibbs didn't let go. Nestra usually wasn't that much of a fan of extended physical contact unless she was actively killing the other person, but this was Stibbs. So it was ok.

"Things are going to change," Stibbs said.

"The boys, they'll be gleams. And also… Aszhii, I guess."

"Yeah."

"And they'll have pointy ears and strange features and they might be bullied at school…"

"I think people might think it's wired, actually. Not to mention, they'll have plenty of loving adults around them. And a cool and goofy dad. You know how children love to say my dad can beat your dad? Well, Seth can beat the dads; all of the dads. Oh, and you know I actually went to his home world to rescue him from our common genitor? It's a long story. And anyway, he has a sister! She was estranged but I forced a reconciliation."

"How?" Stibbs asked, distracted though still sniffing a little.

"First I rescued her from her exile palace by having my coven buddy drop a ceiling on one of the guards, then we just asked her to help him and she said yes provided we help her repair her reputation."

"How does one even repair a reputation?"

"By taking down their rival in the most spectacular fashion, of course. It's a heavenly thing, don't worry about it. I might have smashed a flower vase in her nose to make a point though. Those space elf courtiers can be pushy. I'm sure she'd love to meet her nephews!"

"You could… even bring her here?"

"Sure, though I don't know how soon that'll be; those political animals are so busy. But yeah, sure I have the POWER!" Stibbs chuckled.

"Tell me about this rescue thing?" So Nestra did with minimal embellishment of her own role. Stibbs drank all of this like desert sand taking water, so desperate she was for any news about her exiled paramour. That guy had a lot to answer for, or did he? Nestra supposed it was a duty versus love thing maybe. He got the benefit of the doubt. After Nestra was done talking for a while, Stibbs looked exhausted, but the tension that had made her shoulders so taut was finally gone.

"You're right, there will be people looking after them. Even after I'm gone."

"Don't say that," Nestra asked.

"Not while their lives have not yet started. All of us can live long enough, and none of us will live forever."

"Planning for the after isn't a bad thing, but you're right. I should focus on the short term."

"Like a college education?"

"Ha. Alright. Thanks, Nestra. You're a good friend."

"Always."

"Now go. I feel myself crashing. I know you're just going to stand there worriedly. Go, I want to sleep. I feel like I can now."

"Food first." Stibbs opened then closed her mouth.

"You're right. I'm probably not gaining enough weight. Not that I'm sure since I lost the previous checkup. Ugh. This is a mess."

"Don't worry you're in good hands. I'm going to ask my doctor if he can find someone. He's no obstetrician himself, but I'm sure he knows people. They'll move fast now that they know who the father is."

"Wish it hadn't taken that."

"Same," Nestra lamented.

"I can't fix the world but I can do that much at least."

"Can you be my maid of honor for the wedding?" Nestra stood back.

"Sure! Wow, did he already declare?"

"No but… we discussed it and he promised, when he comes back…"

"Ok. Ok. We'll have to do it fast."

"I'll contact you after he returns, don't worry. Ok, I promise I'll eat a balanced meal. Go now, you busy thing you. I'll see you later!" Nestra found herself banished. Walking back to her bike came with a side of vertigo. It was happening. The world was changing fast, some of it for the better. Aszhii openly present on Earth, a public Bridge World, all important events with far-reaching consequences. It was weird being part of history and seeing the people she loved affected.

The only thought that soothed her was that she had more control over her destiny than most people. Her anxiety would have been crippling otherwise. Stibbs was going to be ok. Just to make sure, Nestra called Dr. Mazingwe.

"Ah, Nestra. You are finally ready to schedule your next appointment?"

"Yes, after I talk about my friend Siobhan Stibbons." Nestra explained the situation. The good doctor assured her he would discuss the matter with Ragnarok and make sure Stibbs would get all the support military hospitals could offer. Nestra was honestly surprised they had obstetrics departments, but obviously soldiers had children as well and Nestra was just being stupid. The thought of pointy-eared nephews made her frown.

"You can tell me more upon your return. I am currently being hosted by your coven sisters."

"What?" Nestra asked.

"A few of us Thresholders are invited while the admins hammer out the details of what comes next. Do join us."

"Uh. Ok." Nestra hung up, then sat on her bike thinking about the future. The combination of the public petition to bang Blinky and Stibbs' whole ordeal came with an uncomfortable realization.

"What's with people and fucking aliens anyway?"

Nestra returned to the penthouse to find not just Dawn Spear sitting at a table with Karamahel, but also her human family engaged in various work with visors and even old-fashioned laptops. Moon Dancer was conducting a tea ceremony alongside Riel. The sight was encouraging, but their presence was not. She changed to her true form before talking and felt immediately less nervous about the future.

"You're all back? Did the negotiations break down?"

"Quite the contrary," Moon Dancer replied.

"We have reached a tentative accord." Nestra paused.

"What? Already?"

"Decisions can be taken quickly when there is no need to grandstand, and if you consider many of the participants are B-class or above. Mayor Kim's willingness to engage in telepathy made up for his baseline speed."

"With all due respect to our host," Riel commented, "it was dangerous to bring a master, uh, what was the word? Telepath. A master telepath in a room with many ambassadors. Because of the implications."

"What? You think Moon Dancer would conquer you?" Nestra scoffed.

"This isn't our way. And besides, she's S-class. She hardly needs to be subtle. No one here can stop her." Riel conceded the point.

"You must be careful in the future," he still insisted. Nestra rolled her eyes. Riel was human. He didn't get it, but he was also Riel so she wouldn't tease him about being careful around aliens. Moon Dancer interrupted the argument before it could begin with several small cups of piping hot infusion — fae stuff, not one of Blinky's toxins this time.

"To elaborate, we have found common ground in the domain of information." Tea cups floated through the air. Nestra grabbed her own for a calming sip, finding the drink strangely refreshing. It was probably the subtle ice mana in the leaves.

"Your internet is a fascinating technology with incredible applications in the domain of research."

"And binge watching," Karamahel muttered, entranced by a video where a woman in an elaborate hanfu busied herself spitting blood.

"We do have a great many individuals engaged in one field of research or another back in the abyss. I believe that sharing hundreds of years of magical theory with humans will allow a great number of breakthroughs. Or at least ideas so unfathomably stupid they might lead to moments of clarity trying to explain why it wouldn't work. There is also, of course, the idea of a world openly welcoming of us, where we would not have to hide who we are.

Now, and although we have a provisional treaty, the human diplomats must bring our proposals back to their masters for approval. In the meantime, we will have to work towards building a public image in order to make our presence more… palatable. I must admit, I appreciate the pragmatic human approach to negotiations. None of their envoys demonstrated an aggravating ego."

"Uhu?" Nestra said, eyeing the needle-teethed S-class.

"Although I do miss some aspects of fae politics. The duels. Having relatives offered for ritual feasting…" Moon Dancer's eyes glazed over. She licked her lips.

"We don't do that here," Nestra reminded her.

"But of course. Off you go now. I will let you know when your presence becomes necessary again." Moon Dancer returned to a super-fast whispering conversation with Riel. They drank from their cup. After three seconds of observation, Riel's visor rang. He opened a rift through the room, grabbed a datasheet from a waiting intern and signed something before returning it. Space magic was so convenient. Nestra then turned her attention to the good doctor, even now leaning next to Karamahel.

The grim space elf's hand was firmly clasping his.

"Uh?" And she was eating…

"The maple syrup and sweet potato donut? Even I never got to try it," Nestra gasped in outrage. Her eyes narrowed. Karamahel gave her strong ace vibes, yet she was holding hands with the doctor? So soon?

"Not all relationships must be carnal," Karamahel whispered in Aszhii, then louder: "By the way, we were delighted to meet Helena. It happened shortly after the end of the meeting."

"Oh and I wasn't there to do the introductions!"

"And yet we ancient fourth-ascensions managed to socialize just as well. What a world-shattering epiphany."

"Ok, ok, My presence is not absolutely necessary. I got it. So, uh, no worries right?" Moon Dancer inserted herself in the discussion.

"Although some of our most pitiless sisters would harm her for the sake of curiosity, we have no reasons to begrudge humans access to void mana. Rather, the process that allowed her to be born has me very curious: could it be replicated? At this stage, we do not understand how this 'in vitro fecundation' works while it should not. We will need more examples."

"Perhaps we shouldn't hurry to get those."

"I understand your concerns, Nezhra. As for your sister, she appears to be doing well now that the kero nuts have fed her body and core. We have delivered more so that she may recover fully. You need not worry about those covens that wanted to conduct, ah, invasive tests." Nestra hadn't worried before, but now she certainly did.

"This friendship with your void shark companions beggars belief because even we didn't consider it a possibility! We will be watching her progress with much attention."

"Oh, alright, good. Actually I'll talk to them now." Moon Dancer returned to her tea and discussion. Nestra found her father busy working on admin stuff, though he gave her a warm nod. He'd been invited to the negotiation as a courtesy, and now House Palladian would reap some benefits.

"How are things with your friend, larger daughter?" her mom asked.

"Errr. She's fine now," Nestra said, not sure if she should announce anything herself. Grook looked up from TV but unfortunately, she couldn't follow the conversation just yet as she hadn't obtained a human shape. Come to think of it, how did Karamahel communicate with Doctor Mazingwe? Maybe the A-class had a trick. Ulysses was also there so Nestra decided she had to assert dominance while Helena demolished the complimentary fruit basket.

"Hey hey, how does it feel to be talking to a celebrity?" Nestra asked with her fists on her hips.

"Actually," Ulysses deadpanned, "Did you know that Helena was just accepted into the UT special program?" Nestra almost fell on her ass.

"The University of Threshold? Riel!"

"Stop that," a voice said from her back.

"Oops, sorry, but seriously? How did you manage it? I didn't know my little sister was so smart!"

"Well I was cramming for the biology exam and that got me thinking, then for the science fair, I wrote a paper on basic taming theory," Helena said, blushing delicately.

"I mean, it doesn't exist, per se. Yet. And it wasn't, like, a real paper. I surmised that, I think it's possible to create bonds with reasonably intelligent sentient species that share a mana affinity with the user, a sort of 'sympathetic resonance'. We actually see traces of it in the way some gleams manage to get their pets to cooperate with complex tasks, but our cats and dogs are still too weak. The Bridge World and the Lizard world have plenty of less-hostile monsters we could try this on.

Even Earth has a decent native monster population that grew past portal-borne aggression. I even proposed a measuring tool based on Claire's technology to check for candidates."

"Yes, my technology," Claire gloated from the wine bar.

"The way her company measures mana balance in a core uses a special refractory crystal that — but I could rant about that for hours. I'm so excited! Just imagine the possibilities."

"Wow… My little sister is a genius."

"I actually graduated from UT as well, you know?" Ulysses remarked while checking his fingernails.

"Our family can pride itself upon its academic achievements. Well. Most of us can…" Nestra felt the barb lodge itself deep in her chest. Her eyes traveled over the room. Ulysses had a master degree in guild management, an obvious choice for the heir apparent. Helena was going to the special program which was basically the VIP treatment for brainy gleams. Dad had a doctorate in Acoustics. Mom was a registered nurse with an advanced specialization in disaster management. Claire?

"Sorry Nes, honorary degree from the University of Zurich. In Advanced Bioengineering." Ulysses reached up to pat her shoulder.

"I'm sure the police academy was a very nice place, sister."

"Shut up."

"They had you run around with helmets on, right?"

"Ughhh."

"You're being mean, Ulysses," Helena said as she heroically jumped to the defense of her sister.

"Being mean to cops is a citizen's duty," Claire replied, and it was hard to tell if this was a joke or not.

"By the way, Nes, are you ok?" Nestra realized she'd been fidgeting. The earlier tension and restlessness was returning. Stibbs' distraction had helped though they'd added a new layer of complexity to her current existence. Now that she was back in the suite, nervousness wouldn't let go of her.

"I don't know, I, I guess I'm just worried about everything." The three first gens exchanged a few glances. After less than half a second, her dad shut his laptop down with his usual delicate touch. He rose from his seat.

"I'll do it, if no one objects." The two women shook their heads. Her dad approached, massive muscular form always a bit incongruous in his business suit. He still had to reach up to clasp her shoulder with a firm hand.

"Let's have a talk."