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\chapter{Codrin Bălan\#Castor — 2346}}
\markboth{Codrin Bălan\#Castor — 2346}{}

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\emph{Convergence T-minus 1 day, 2 hours, 2 minutes}
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\noindent ``To begin with an example concept, I have noticed that your common language is very irregular and relies heavily on a small vocabulary and nominal compounding,'' Why Ask Questions said. ``As we classify our languages into families based on several factors, including compounding, can each of the races expand on various features of their languages?''

``You speak on general terms?'' Iska asked.

She nodded. ``I am curious if you have noticed consistencies between the languages of the various races as they have been incorporated during the convergences.''

The secondracer brushed their paws over their whiskers, a gesture that seemed somewhere between grooming and a thoughtful habit. ``I will speak to old \emph{Nanon} as it is spoken in primarily secondrace sims. You have guessed that it relies heavily on compounding. We say `old', but the language remains similar to its modern form as it was during the first convergence. That which we used to call old \emph{Nanon} was, \emph{lu}\ldots synthetic language, you may call it. Inflectional. There were eight grammatical cases and three grammatical genders--''

``Apologies for interrupting,'' Codrin said. ``But do those genders map to the prefixes we used when addressing ourselves? \emph{Uchles}, \emph{achles}, and so on?''

Iska nodded. What had begun as a curiously outsized and clumsy gesture had settled into something more akin to how True Name and Dear might nod. ``\emph{Anem,} yes, recorder Codrin Bălan. They were, \emph{lu}\ldots you might say animate, inanimate, and conceptual. In later evolutions of the language, they began to define levels of respect, and then mark roles in society as they fell out of use in cases other than referring to individuals.''

Codrin nodded, made note of this, and flipped to the next page as the discussion continued.

Ey was finding the linguistics portion of the discussion particularly fascinating. Although many of the scientific topics incorporated history, this was the most easily digestible for em. Both Why Ask Questions and Sarah had studied up on the topic intensely during the days and weeks leading up to the meetings.

It would be interesting to compare notes with Codrin\#Artemis, and ey was looking forward to the merger down the line. Ey wasn't sure yet whether this was accompanied by a desire for the talks to be over, for there was also the fact that ey missed home greatly.

Ah well. Until then, ey dedicated as much of eir attention as ey could manage to keeping up on eir job as recorder. Each of the races continued in turn, describing various features and aspects of the language or languages of theirs which had made the transition through the convergences.

Each, that is, except the firstracers, who did their best to express the features of their mode of communication, apologizing for being unable to describe the languages that had existed during their biological period.

``Thank you,'' Why Ask Questions said. ``I have a few questions on the use of metaphor and analo--''

Most of those around the table jumped as a second instance of True Name appeared at the end of the table beside the fountain, bowed, and said, ``My apologies for interrupting. \#Castor, please merge immediately.''

After the second skunk quit, True Name \#Castor frowned. The frown deepened, then transmuted to one that bordered on panic.

``Leader True Name, please explain,'' Turun Ka said.

She stood, composed herself, and bowed toward the Artemisian delegates. ``My apologies. That was a second instance of myself bearing news. She quit and merged back with me so that I may have her memories. It was the fastest way to receive news. I would like to call a halt to the current topic and make an announcement.''

The firstracer tilted its head up in assent. Codrin scanned the rest of the delegates and found a look of concern on Iska's face, one recognizable from discussions on forking. Stolon appeared nonplussed, and Artante intensely focused.

``There has been an incident aboard Artemis with the delegation regarding one of our representatives.''

Why Ask Questions sat bolt upright.

\emph{Could they have discovered the subterfuge?} Codrin thought. Ey frowned and scooted eir chair back from the table a fraction of an inch, prepared to bolt.

``I will explain in full and then accept questions,'' the skunk was saying. ``As I have mentioned, and perhaps you may have heard from your counterparts on Artemis via relayed messages, my entire clade struggles with the concept of time skew. It recalls a portion of our lives that is\ldots indescribable. Needless to say, that became too much for Why Ask Question's counterpart, and she lost control in grand fashion and quit in the middle of proceedings.''

``That should not have been possible,'' Iska muttered. ``Apologies. Please continue, leader True Name.''

The skunk hesitated, frowning. ``We will discuss that aspect after this, perhaps. The reason that I wish to address this before we have a conversation is that, in the process of our party transferring to Artemis, Why Ask Question's counterpart was replaced with a separate fork of mine named Why Ask Questions When The Answers Will Not Help. She is another up-tree instance of myself, which I believed to be acceptable, but we have discussed the topic of individuation, and as both representative Why Ask Questions and Answers Will Not Help were forked from me 222 years ago, they have long since become separate individuals.

``The reasons for this deception are complicated, relating to the origins of both of the forks' creation.'' She clasped her paws on front of herself and bowed. ``Please accept my apologies on this matter.''

There was silence around the table for a few seconds, and then both parties set up separate cones of silence.

True Name sat back down and faced the rest of the delegates on her side of the table. ``Apologies are due to you three as well for being kept in the dark. We had our reasons, for doing so, which I will explain during our next break.''

Codrin nodded. ``I'd appreciate a more solid explanation, but I guess I should also say that our instances on Artemis had guessed this, as well. Codrin\#Artemis's theory was that, as Why Ask Question's role was to manage sentiment sys-side and Answers Will Not Help's was to manage phys-side.''

The skunk sat back, blinked rapidly, then laughed. ``Well, then.''

``The best laid schemes o' skunks an' Jonases,'' Why Ask Questions said, giggling. ``Gang aft agley.''

``Well, that aside, I am unsure what to do with the remainder of the news from my position here on Castor,'' True Name said. ``Mx.~Bălan will remember some of what we struggled with from eir meeting with Michelle. My counterpart has been holding her ground against it as best as possible but I suppose it was not the case with Answers Will Not Help. With them being on Artemis, her instance here on Castor will not receive a merge.''

``And now we will have to see just how fucked we are,'' Why Ask Questions said. ``I do not imagine that they will be all that pleased with us.''

``Was this an attempt to control the situation? The convergence?'' Sarah asked.

True Name smiled wryly. ``Your \emph{History} was a very sensational book, Mx.~Bălan, was it not? Please remember, Ms.~Genet, that it is only ever our goal to guide and protect. We did what we felt was necessary to ensure the continuity and stability of the System.''

She nodded, but didn't look convinced.

``The Artemisians are coming back,'' Tycho noted. ``Should we?''

The skunk shrugged, nodded, and dropped the cone of silence.

``Thank you for your honesty in this matter, leader True Name,'' Turun Ka said. ``We have a few questions to ask you before making our statement in turn.''

She perked up at that, nodding. ``By all means.''

``The first question: you spoke of the reasons for the origins of these two individuals. What were their origins?''

``The System—the original one you observed at the L5 point which we call Lagrange—seceded from the political systems on Earth 221 years ago. My root instance, Michelle Hadje, was on the Council of Eight at that time. Due to the difficulties that I mentioned before, she created ten forks to pick up various interests, and then retired. I was the fork which wound up primarily in the political arena, and along with another clade not present here, I aided in the campaign for secession.''

Why Ask Questions picked up from there, so smoothly that Codrin suspected that this scenario had been wargamed as thoroughly as any. ``There were many aspects to that political referendum, both sys-side—that is, on the embedded side—and phys-side. True Name spread the work required for those aspects out over instances of her own. Answers Will Not Help and I were forked at the same time, both to encourage a positive attitude towards secession.''

``Why Ask Questions focused on this task on the System, while Answers Will Not Help focused on sentiment phys-side through the usual text channels,'' True Name said. ``As each already had a specialization relating to two sides of a political event, we made the decision to do so here as well.''

When it was clear that there wouldn't be any further explanation from the Odists, Turun Ka said, ``Thank you. Second question: what was it that you hoped to gain from this strategy?''

``My goal in this case is the same as my goal during Secession and Launch—the effort that led to this vehicle—which is to maintain the stability and continuity of our existence. I do not wish to govern or control, but I do have at my disposal a set of tools to help in my aims.''

There was a silent conversation between the Artemisians during which Codrin finished up the notes ey'd been taking on the discussion. True Name was being surprisingly honest about the whole endeavor. Ey was sure there were some aspects that she was withholding, but the initial announcement and answers that she'd provided thus far contained no outright lies that ey could tell.

\emph{Perhaps this too is a way of shaping their responses? Or maybe she just can't register them well enough to tell how best to lie,} ey thought, then sighed. \emph{And maybe I'm just being too cynical.}

The silent conversation among the other delegates wrapped up, and Turun Ka spoke once more. ``Thank you once again for your honesty. This event is one part of the confirmation we have required, and the talks will now move on to the next stage, after a one hour common time break.''

The skunk looked taken aback, nearly speechless. ``Confirmation\ldots? Can you explain--''

``Now is not the time for this discussion, leader True Name,'' Artante said, voice gentle but insistent enough to silence her. ``We will have that discussion when the convergence progresses to the appropriate stage. For now, we offer condolences for the loss of that instance of representative Answers Will Not Help.''

And with that, the Artemisian delegation stood, bowed, and returned to their rest area.

``Well, I will be damned,'' True Name said, then laughed.

``What just happened?'' Sarah asked.

Why Ask Questions was laughing as well. She shrugged and grinned to the psychologist. ``Fuck if I know. Come on. The least we can do is make some guesses over the next hour. I need a drink.''
