Torrent Hafnym entered the capitol hall at the head of the executives, hardly aware of the spectators standing for their entrance. He stepped onto the dais, then rather than walking around to reach the other side of the table he extended his corona slightly to propel himself over it as stately as possible. While levitating might impress the kids, it didn't have the stately appearance of a solemn walk. No doubt the trick would work on the planet below, where no one had talents. Or did they? Tyler Marius had been missing for almost a week now. The man had either died or betrayed them. Or died while trying to betray them.

Useless. Why did so many of the people around him have to be useless? Hafnym waited for the rest of the delegation to arrange themselves to either side of him, then sat. The other executives followed, then the audience took their seats as well. He nodded to the notekeeper, who started the recording system.

"This session of the executive committee is now open, Chief Executive Torrent Hafnym presiding." He deftly released a subtle cocktail of memes: anticipation, curiosity, confidence, with just a dash of happiness. Hafnym wanted anyone listening to him to have the impression they were hearing the solutions to every problem. His touch should be deft enough that no one could identify what he did. Those with the skill to spot his manipulations would be gaming the audience in a similar fashion.

"Our first order of business for this public session is discussing the fleet expansion. Executive Nara Kerrin?" Hafnym began transitioning his meme-casting to boredom, disappointment, and frustration.

The woman executive stood to make her report. "Thank you, Chief Executive. To put it directly, the expansion is behind schedule. The quality of products from Earth Two are adequate for our needs, as is their ability to rapidly deliver our orders. Our primary deficit is transportation into orbit. Earth Two's space presence is more mature than ours was at the arrival of the Chekowan, but their capacity can't come close to what we need. To achieve our goals before the Chekowan arrive, we need more kinetic talent dedicated to lifting materials into space."

"Then our goals are too aggressive!" Executive Merrick Bert interjected himself into the report, as expected. "We can't burn out our kinetics on a task like this! What will we do if we need to fight?"

Hafnym ratcheted up the frustration, adding in a touch of anger that he would increase over time.

Executive Wentrell Gaius joined the argument. "Your two positions aren't mutually exclusive. We can make some of the locals into kinetics to lift our deliveries for us."

"Absolutely not," Nara Kerrin said.

"Never," Merrick Bert said.

Hafnym spoke between beats so that his words could be heard by all, pumping a bit of amusement into his meme-casting. "That worked out well for the Chekowan." Dark laughter came from the audience. It never hurt to remind them that he was one of the five saviors when he was making a political point.

Wentrell Gaius smacked the table. "We don't have to let any local talents board our vessels. Take a small number of people, expose them exclusively to animas, then put agents in their minds when they attune."

"That's illegal," Merrick Bert said.

"To do to an Angmari, yes," Wentrell Gaius said, "but these are a foreign people, no matter how similar their language is to ours."

Nara Kerrin had never sat down and now she folded her arms over her chest. "It's illegal by decree of the Navigator. If we discard its rules for the sake of expedience, the Angelship might not move when we ask it to. Who wants to get stuck in this solar system when the Chekowan arrive? No one. We need more kinetics, Angmari kinetics, assigned to this."

"You ask a lot," Merrick Bert said. "How many people will burn out their talents on this project?"

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Hafnym sat back in his seat and managed the emotions of the audience while the argument raged. None of the suggested solutions could be allowed to win support today. This planet had everything they needed to refit their fleet, in terms of technological and human resources, but they didn't have the time to build new vessels. The fleet's expansion would have to wait for another planet, one where they had the luxury of time. Whatever they built in orbit would be turned over to the locals when they left, along with minimal training on the talents. Earth Two would be a landmine for the pursuing Chekowan.

The meeting never progressed to any of the other items on the agenda. After everyone had argued themselves out and they had gone over their allotted time, Hafnym called for the meeting to be reconvened in three days. Everyone agreed and they stood for their procession. As Hafnym led the pack towards the door, having once more hopped the table in as dignified a fashion as possible, a splotchy-skinned female fell into step beside him. He forced a smile onto his lips. "I am surprised to see you here, Cassandane."

"No doubt you are also disappointed. You've made quite an effort to keep me busy with shuttle runs."

"I'm not sure if your vaunted Aoleyen intellect was able to follow the discussion, but there is considerable concern that we are burning out our kinetics. Every shuttle you lift is one that no one has to do at the cost of hastening their talent's decline."

"Every paragon needs to do their part? Is that your argument?"

"It just makes sense, Cassandane. If you will excuse . . . ."

"So when will you be taking a turn on shuttle duty?"

Hafnym put on a patient smile. "Dear Cassandane, I am incredibly busy with my work. I'm the Chief Executive, if you recall."

"I will do ten runs for every one of yours. Surely you are not so busy you can never make a trip."

He put a hand on her shoulder, smiling at the tension he felt there. She did not like being touched. "You are a member of our military force. Your role is to follow orders. It's an easy job. Just do it."

"I'm considering resigning from my position," she said.

Hafnym pulled his hand back. "That won't be allowed."

"You seem to forget, Hafnym, I'm not just a random upstart Aoleyen. I'm a savior the same as you. If you can't afford to name Tyler Marius a traitor, then you can't afford to prosecute me either." She held his eyes until he looked away.

"What is it you want?"

Cassandane lifted her chin. "Reduce my shuttle time."

"That isn't my call, I'm a politician and not an imperator."

"Your influence is what set my current schedule. You can undo it."

"Why would you think . . . ."

"Don't treat me like I'm stupid, Hafnym. Your fingers are all over this. I didn't fight when you shut down my promotion to captain because I had no leverage then. Things are different now."

Hafnym clenched his hands into fists. "What do you intend to do with your free time?"

"I want to hunt down Tyler Marius."

He laughed. "Do you think we are going to give you permission to run around planetside?"

"Why wouldn't I be granted permission? It might be inappropriate for a captain, but I'm a centurion who can still fight on the front lines. We both know you would prefer me down there during my free time rather than meddling in your affairs up here."

Hafnym sighed. "Zellar Wilson has already been tasked with finding Tyler Marius and dealing with him . . . discreetly."

He hadn't been watching his forward progress as they walked, relying on his corona sense to navigate the press of bodies on the street, but now he looked up at the sheen of metallic skin. Not good. "Hello, Navigator."

It did not wear clothes. Not that it necessarily should, given its lack of genitals. Navigator wasn't human, it just roughly approximated one. Hafnym had never decided if the thing even counted as being alive. Its silver skin glistened, making it looks like a statue that sometimes moved. Though if it didn't currently have a reason to move, it would not. It wouldn't even breathe unless it needed to use its voice.

"You have brought immigrants onto the Angelship." Its voice managed to be perfectly mundane and androgynous.

"Yes, Navigator, we have."

"They have not been attuned."

"Not yet, Navigator."

It stared at him with the expressionless face that always made him fidget. "You have not begun attuning the inhabitants of the planet."

"Not yet, Navigator."

"This is unacceptable."

"We will get to it before we leave this solar system. I promise."

Navigator stepped closer to him. "Your right to flight command is permanently revoked, Torrent Hafnym. Flight command privileges are temporarily on hold for all others."

Hafnym moved away from the now immobile Navigator. It would remain where it was until it determined it should be elsewhere. Cassandane moved to follow him and he held out a hand to stop her. "No more. I will talk to your commander about the possibility of reducing your shuttle time. Don't even think of staying planetside. That's not going to be allowed."

"Are you sure you want me up here?"

"Cassandane," he said, "no one ever wants an Aoleyen anywhere. I'm no different that way. Now goodbye."