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Reya charged throught the door to Julian’s office with a vindictive disregard for its existence rooted in her belief that any barrier was a personal affront.
“Julian, we’ve got an emergency. Dr S—“
“I’m reading. And I’m sure it can wait.”
“No it can’t. Listen—“
“Yes it can. We’ve got huge spare resources after that trade with the Frazlagii for Marx Brothers’ movies, and we’re currently orbiting an isolated star that the N’gyot assured us both uninhabited and never visited.”
“Actually, thats---“
“So I’m taking some moments to do some reading.”
“Oh god, you’re not off on another history trip are you?”
“Yes. And I’m going to use this to help educate you in the fine art of wordcraft and diplomacy.”
“Julian, you know me – in a situation requiring gentle diplomacy, I’ll head-butt the diplomats and pick up the pieces later.”
“I know. But fortunately for us the N’gyot considered the head-butt as something between a formal greeting and foreplay. But I don’t want to rely on that sort of serendipity in future. And you might not have to spend a week standing up.”
“If you don’t listen to me now, we won’t have a future. You need to—“
“So, I’d just like to read something written in the early twenty-first century.”
“Julian, I’m really not kidding. We—“
Julian stared at Reya. No-one else could have achieved what Julian managed with that stare (though helped by years of respect): Reya fell silent.
“Thank you. Now, pay attention.
“When in the course of technological advancement one people is disenfranchised, it becomes necessary for them to request and assume the moral authority to regain and reinstate that which they have lost. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they declare the causes which impel these requests.
“We hold this truth to be self-evident, that all humans are created equal, and from that equality spring unalienable rights. Chief among these rights is the right to choose derivation of fair recompense from the fruits of labour. And that the manner, form or representation of the fruits of the labour shall not affect this right.
“There, what do you think?”
“It sounds familiar, but we—“
“Reya, Reya, you need to think about these words. They formed part of a debate that created the world we inhabit, and their story shows the power of words and diplomancy, of compromise and conciliation, of value and trade. They are your past, but they are also your future.”
“Great. But call Dr Silver right n—“
<To be continued. If we can afford the lawyers to agree terms for use of copyrights, royalty payments and profit sharing with RB Productions.>
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