Four Days Later

Junji yawned as he disembarked from the plane, having spent most of the trip sleeping. Following him were his wife, as well as Yumi and Ueda, who had eventually convinced Minako and the colonists to allow them to come along. The first two things Junji noticed as he stepped past the boarding gate were the temperature and the humidity - both a lot higher than he was used to.

"It's hot, isn't it?" Minako asked, correctly guessing what was on his mind. "I hope it's not too much for you."

"I'm fine," Junji said dismissively. "We are in the tropics, after all. I just hope that the place we're staying at has air conditioning."

"The hotel here in Majuro does," Minako said, "but there are no air conditioning systems on Ailinginae. The colonists consider it a waste of power."

Junji and Ueda (who was starting to sweat himself) both blanched upon hearing this.

"Or rather, that was true until a week ago, when I called them and requested that they install air conditioners for the human guests I'd be bringing along," the green-haired persocom continued, winking. "They were happy to oblige."

Junji and Ueda both looked slightly annoyed at her temporary deception, while Yumi giggled.

"Come on, Hiroyasu-kun!," the brown-haired persocom said, grabbing her fiance's arm excitedly. "Let's check into the hotel and then do some sightseeing before we head out to the colony tomorrow."

"S-slow down a bit, Yumi!" the hapless man said, still feeling the effects of the heat.

"They make a cute couple, don't they?" Junji asked, watching them wind their way through the crowded airport.

"Yep. Now come on, Junji-kun," Minako said, playfully imitating the other persocom's tone, "we don't want to be left behind."


Once the two couples had checked into their rooms at the Hotel Robert Reimers and unpacked some of their luggage (planning to empty the rest of the bags once they reached Ailinginae), Yumi and Ueda immediately rented a car and started exploring Majuro, while Junji and Minako decided to crash in their hotel room for the rest of the day.

"It's not quite as luxurious as the hotel in America," Junji noted, laying in bed across from his wife.

"Yes, but it's nice enough," she responded, extracting a cable from one of her ears and plugging it into a portable charging station she had brought with her.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you something personal?"

"Sure, Junji," Minako laughed, amused that her husband felt the need to ask her permission regarding something like that.

"When we're... together, you know..." he paused for a moment, wondering if she got his meaning, or if he would have to elaborate. Minako nodded, indicating her comprehension.

"Go on."

"Well... I know, from reading your manual, that you came with sexual software pre-installed, so I was just wondering - do you make use of that? Or not?"

"Only as a guideline," she clarified. "It's not nearly as much fun if I let some program dictate all of my actions."

"That's what I thought," Junji replied. "I was just curious."

"Please don't tell me that this particular insight is going to end up in one of your persocom psychology papers," she joked.

"Hah, I have some decorum, Minako," he laughed.

"How about I ask you something now?" she said.

"Shoot."

"Putting aside for the moment the fact that no one builds homely or ugly persocoms, would you still love me if I wasn't beautiful?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I would," Junji replied instantly.

"Even if I was fat and bald?" she continued, a teasing tone in her voice.

"Well, I guess it depends on how fat," Junji replied, picking up on his wife's game, as a hint of snark entered his voice as well.

"What, is there like a threshold or something?" Minako laughed.

"What about me?" Junji asked. "Would you still love me if I was ugly?"

"You mean uglier, right?"

"Hey!"

The two broke out laughing and play-wrestled a bit, then relaxed in silence for a few moments until Junji spoke again.

"You know, it might just be my imagination, but I noticed something odd about the people here."

"Really? What's that?"

"Well, it's the way they look at us. Not just us, Ueda-san and Yumi-chan too. And I don't just mean the way people usually react to public displays of affection between humans and 'coms; this is different. It seems that the mere presence of persocoms puts them on edge... I noticed them giving harsh looks to some other 'coms in the hotel lobby earlier, for example."

Minako sighed. "Well, Junji, you have to understand something. Even before this whole thing started, the Marshallese people were already making the usual complaints about persocoms: that we were taking their jobs, monopolizing the time of their friends and family, etcetera. That was only exacerbated by the fact that, unlike in Japan or America, there is no native persocom industry here - all of the 'coms they purchase are imported from overseas. So it makes sense that they would view them as a suspicious foreign influence. Then Yoichi-san's company comes along and starts importing hundreds of foreign 'coms and shipping them off to an uninhabited island - an island the Marshallese's ancestors were forced to evacuate due to US nuclear testing, mind you. They haven't forgotten that. The fact that the truth about what's going on at Ailinginae is only known to the Marshallese government and not the general public certainly doesn't help foster a feeling of trust either. It's not surprising that they're generally wary of us."

"I guess I can understand that. And with the 'coms on the island being equally mistrustful of humans, this whole situation is starting to seem like a powderkeg just waiting to explode."

"Hopefully it won't come to that. Despite all of the tension, there are a lot of sympathetic people among both the Marshallese and Anemkwoj populations. I'm sure we'll be able to work something out, at least in the short term."

"Hearing you say that makes me feel better," Junji said, inching over to cuddle with his wife. "It's an interesting psychological effect; someone who speaks with a tone of confidence induces that same confidence in their audience."

"I would have thought that knowing how it works would break the illusion," she teased, wrapping her arms around him.

"Not really. We humans are funny like that. It also helps that you're generally competent when it comes to these types of things," he said.

"I appreciate the vote of confidence."

'I just hope that I can live up to it', she thought to herself.


The Next Morning

Junji, Minako, Ueda, and Yumi had all gathered in the hotel lobby to wait for the representative from Yoichi's corporation who had been assigned to escort them to the boat that would take them to Ailinginae. They didn't have to wait long, as soon a very pretty young Marshallese woman wearing a uniform with the insignia of the corporation on it arrived to greet them. Behind her, a group of half a dozen serious-looking Japanese men and women in business suits stood at attention.

Minako immediately stood up and walked over to greet the new arrival.

"Nice to see you again, Gina," she said.

"Same here, Minako. I would have requested this job even if you didn't specifically ask for me," the dark-skinned girl replied, as the two shared a friendly hug.

"Everyone, this is Ms. Gina Eknilang," Minako introduced her. "She helped me out a lot the last time I was here." The group all shook hands and bowed politely to the native woman.

Upon being introduced to Junji, Gina smiled and cleared her throat. "Ah, konichiwa, Takeda-san. Atashi wa-"

"It's okay, I don't mind speaking English," Junji said, cutting off her clumsy attempt at an introduction.

"That's a relief," laughed Gina. "I've only been studying Japanese for a few weeks, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm not exactly fluent."

"Minako told me a lot about you, Ms. Eknilang," Junji said. He looked furtively from side to side, making sure that no one suspicious was listening in, then leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I'd like to personally thank you for saving my wife from Ryuhei and his goons. You have no idea how grateful I am."

"No problem," Gina whispered back. "It was nothing, really."

"Should we get going now?" Yumi asked in English, grabbing a large travel bag.

"You don't need to worry about your luggage; we'll take care of that," Gina reassured her. On cue, the stoic figures that accompanied her moved into the lobby, silently and efficiently synchronized in their movements as they grabbed all of the group's bags and suitcases and began carrying them outside.

"I'm guessing those must be our bodyguards," Junji commented. "Persocoms, right?"

"Actually, they're human," Gina replied. "I know, I was surprised too, but they're apparently specially trained or something. Maybe ex-military, although that's just speculation on my part. They don't seem very inclined to discuss their backgrounds with me."

"Well, as long as they do their job, it's fine with me," Minako said. "Personally I don't think there will be any need for violence, but it never pays to be too careful."

"Good policy," Gina agreed, as she led them all out of the lobby to the waiting limousine.


After a short drive to the harbor, Gina and the bodyguards led the group aboard a large, sleek-looking yacht.

"Wow, impressive," Ueda commented, practicing his English as he ascended the boarding ramp.

"It's a lot bigger than the boat we used last time," Minako added.

"There's actually a good reason for that," Gina explained, as the bodyguards began taking the group's luggage and stowing it in the ship's lower decks. "This yacht is specifically designed to keep guests rested and entertained on longer trips."

"Longer trips?"

"Yes. You see, after the... accident, the colonists requested that we cease the use of MHD-propelled craft to visit Ailinginae."

"Makes sense," Junji said, remembering how Minako had described the devastating effects of the magnetohydrodynamic drive on Ryuhei's body.

"So this ship uses a pump-jet instead," Gina continued. "Unfortunately, it's much slower, only capable of reaching a little over fifty knots."

"So that means the trip will take-"

"Eight-point-five hours, give or take," Yumi did the math for him.

"I guess we had better get comfortable then," Ueda said, heading for the cabin door. Gina followed him in, and, after a few seconds, so did the others.

"Despite its slower speed, this ship does have its advantages," the Marshallese girl smiled. "For example, it's got an actual captain's wheel. Makes me feel like a real sailor! Hey guys," she said, speaking into an intercom, "are we ready to depart?"

"We just finished untying the mooring lines, ready when you are," one of the Japanese bodyguards replied.

"Awesome. I suggest everyone take a seat; the initial acceleration makes the ride a bit bumpy."

The group complied with her suggestion, and without further delay Gina took the wheel and they were on their way to Anemkwoj.


When they finally arrived, they noticed a crowd of several dozen had gathered at the docks to welcome them. As she left the yacht, Minako recognized several familiar faces from her last visit, as well as a few new ones.

Among all of the introductions, one particularly enthusiastic persocom ran up to Junji, thrusting a copy of The Social Machine in his face.

"Dr. Takeda, it's so great to finally meet you!" she exclaimed. "My name's Taeko. I'm a huge fan of you and your wife's work. Will you sign this for me, please?"

"O-okay, sure," Junji mumbled, a little overwhelmed by the girl's bluntness. "Do you have a pen?"

"Here," another persocom handed him one. Junji thanked him and took the book, adding his signature to the inside cover.

"You know, Taeko-san, I'm not actually a doctor yet. I'm still working on my doctorate."

"Yes, I know, but Dr. Takeda sounds so much better than Mr. Takeda, don't you agree?"

"I guess you're right," Junji laughed, handing the book back to Taeko, who examined the signature with glee.

It was around this point that Gina shouted at them from the deck of the yacht, trying her best to be heard over the clamor.

"I'm on kind of a strict schedule, so I'm going to head back to Majuro now. I'll be back to pick you up in a couple days. If you need me for anything, feel free to call, Minako has my mobile number."

"Sure thing, Ms. Eknilang!" Junji shouted in return. "Thanks for everything!"

"No problem!" She responded. "Bye now!" The four guests waved as the yacht pulled out of the dock, and, to their surprise, the gesture was echoed by many of the island 'coms as well.


After more greetings and pleasantries had been exchanged, the crowd had mostly dispersed, leaving only a pair of islander 'coms to escort the visitors to their lodgings.

"You know," Ueda said, "it's funny."

"What is?" Yumi asked.

"Well, we were told that a lot of the persocoms here wouldn't be very welcoming to humans, but so far they seem like pretty friendly folks."

"That's because the more xenophobic ones among us had no interest in greeting you," explained one of their guides, a bikini-clad, dark-skinned female 'com (who had earlier introduced herself as Janet). "You pretty much already met the majority of our pro-human faction."

"Well if the worst that the anti-human faction is going to do is snub us, that's not so bad," Ueda said.

"You guys have made a lot of progress since the last time I was here," Minako said, changing the subject. "This place is starting to look more and more like a real city."

"Glad you noticed; we're proud of the work we've been doing," said Martin, another one of their guides - a tall, dark-skinned male 'com wearing boxer shorts. "Our biggest accomplishment in the last few weeks was completing all of the bridges joining the separate sections of the atoll. Now you can walk around the whole island without getting your feet wet."

"That's always a plus," Junji smiled.

"Come on, we'll show you all to your rooms," Janet said. "Although you might want to wait a bit before unpacking, or else you'll miss the sunset. It's absolutely gorgeous from the right vantage point."

"Wow, that sounds so romantic," Yumi nearly swooned, grabbing Ueda's arm. "Come on! Let's check in quickly and then watch it together!"

"Sure thing, honey," Hiroyasu said, wrapping an arm around his wife's neck.

"Seems like something we shouldn't miss out on, either," Junji suggested. Minako smiled in agreement.


After the visitors had inspected their rooms (the makeshift 'hotel' was rather small, but still nicely furnished), Janet and Martin escorted them to a good spot to watch the sunset. Their bodyguards insisted on accompanying them, but they mostly stayed out of the way.

On their way, they passed a courtyard centered around a life-sized stone statue of Ryuhei mounted on a pedestal. One of his arms rested at his hip, while the other was held palm horizontally above his forehead, giving the impression that he was overlooking the island and the ocean beyond like a vigilant sentry, or a king inspecting his domain.

"That's kind of gauche, if you ask me," Junji mumbled, regarding the sculpture. "Um, no offense," he said, nervously turning towards Janet and Martin.

"None taken," Janet replied. "To be perfectly honest, Martin and I never really cared for that guy much anyway. When he was in charge, he worked us near to overloading. Don't get me wrong; we're all sad that he's dead, but we certainly weren't his biggest fans."

"The statue was actually erected at the behest of his followers, the Separatist group. Most people either love it or hate it. To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised it hasn't been vandalized yet," Martin added.

"Well, regardless of the politics involved, the craftsmanship is quite impressive," Ueda said, running a hand over the statue's side.

"There's no denying that. Ever since we relocated here, a lot of us have discovered latent artistic talents. The sculptor in question wasn't much of a fan of Ryuhei-san either, believe it or not, but he was all too happy to take the job when asked, simply because he enjoys expressing himself creatively."

Having finished commenting on the statue, they left the courtyard and soon arrived at an isolated stretch of boardwalk overlooking the ocean to the west of the island.

"This spot is quite popular for couples," Janet explained, gesturing towards the setting sun, which was already creating brilliant, fiery reflections on the surface of the water.

"Couples?" Ueda asked, puzzled.

"Sure," Martin answered. "Doesn't it make sense for us to pair up like any other community? Janet and I are married, for example."

"Congratulations to the both of you," Minako smiled. "I'm guessing it was an informal ceremony?"

"Well, about as formal as you can get with the resources we have. Rosa served as the minister - she takes her religious duties pretty seriously."

"We even have a kid," Martin added. "He's recharging now, though."

"Ah, one of the newly-built persocoms," Junji said. "I've been interested in meeting them."

"That can wait until tomorrow," said Janet. "Right now, let's just enjoy the sunset."

There followed several minutes of peaceful silence as the sun dipped below the horizon. Ueda, however, couldn't keep his eyes from drifting to Janet's scantily-clad body. Thankfully for him, Yumi didn't seem to notice. Martin, however, caught a few of the looks the human was sending in his wife's direction. Just as he was about to say something, Ueda spoke first.

"I was just wondering about something," he said. The two island 'coms shared a quick glance, then nodded at him to continue.

"Well, um, no offense, but what's with the skimpy clothes?" he asked, indicating both Janet and Martin. "I mean, you guys don't sweat, so it can't be due to the heat-"

"That's where you're wrong, Ueda-san," Minako interrupted. "While it's true that we don't sweat, we do radiate excess body heat through our skin, and thick clothing can impede that process."

"Yeah, but... you and Yumi are wearing a lot more than those two are, and you both seem perfectly fine."

"Wearing heavy clothes in hot weather isn't as uncomfortable for us as it is for you," Minako continued. "I was just pointing out that it is a factor."

"Okay, but, that still doesn't answer my question," Ueda said, turning back to Janet and Martin.

"Do we really need some complex justification for what we choose to wear?" Janet asked. "Martin and I both happen to think that we look good in these clothes. Besides, they're pretty convenient if we spontaneously decide to take a dip in the lagoon - which is not that uncommon of an occurrence."

"I guess that makes sense," Ueda said. "I'm just not used to seeing persocoms dressed that way," he hesitated, looking at Yumi. "Uh, in public," he added, blushing as he recalled many of the quite scandalous outfits his fiancée had modeled for him in the privacy of their own home.

"You should get used to it, then," Martin said, a bit of an edge in his voice. "You'll soon find that the 'coms here aren't like the ones you're familiar with back in Japan. We make our own rules here, for one thing, so we're not bound by your social conventions."

"Speaking of that," Junji said, attempting to change the subject for Ueda's sake, "how are the negotiations going?"

"Not good," Janet frowned. "Of course, I'm just going by the rumors I've heard; I'm not involved in any of it directly."

"Neither am I," added Martin. "It's the Council you really want to talk to. They should be ready to see you soon."

"How soon?" Minako asked, wanting to meet with the colony's ruling body as quickly as possible.

"It's hard to tell with them," Martin said. "They often spend days on end cooped up in their council chamber, running simulations or whatever."

"They were told when we would be arriving, right?" Minako asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, but that doesn't mean that you should expect them to be punctual or anything," Janet laughed. "That would be a first."

"While we're waiting, how about some stargazing? The air is amazingly clear here, so the view should be magnificent." Junji suggested. "Now that the sun has gone down, the stars are just starting to come out. I think that's Ophiuchus right there," he said, pointing.

"Actually, Junji-kun, that's Alpha Serpentis, also known as Unukalhai," Yumi corrected him. "Ophiuchus is over there."

"I could have told him that," Minako said, smiling. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make fewer mistakes once the last of the dusk light fades out."

"Well, you all seem to be having fun," Janet said. "Martin and I need to tend to our son now. You can head back to the hotel whenever you want; you'll be contacted when the Council is ready to meet with you."

"Thanks Janet, Martin," Junji said, bowing politely. His wife and friends echoed the gesture, then they returned to looking at the sky.


After over two hours of stargazing, playing on the beach, and relaxing under the night sky (still with no word from the Council), the four decided to turn in for the night. Their six bodyguards escorted them back to their hotel rooms (Junji and Hiroyasu were both pleased to find that the air conditioning systems in the building were activated and had been running for a while before they returned).

Once Junji had showered and changed into his night clothes, he took out a portable terminal and began catching up on one of his fantasy novels while sitting upright in bed, the thin blankets covering his knees.

"Hey Minako, aren't you going to change?" he asked after a few minutes.

"There's no point. If the Council calls me soon, I'd have to change right back again," she answered.

"You think they'd ask to meet with you in the middle of the night?"

"Junji, we're dealing with a society of persocoms here. You need to stop thinking in such humanocentric terms. Sure, they need to recharge, but they need it much less frequently than humans need sleep. Anemkwoj doesn't work on a day/night cycle like we're used to - the vast majority of the population is active nearly twenty-four hours a day. They could call me at any time, so I have to be ready."

"Well I just hope they wait until morning," Junji mumbled, putting away his terminal and resting his head on the pillow.

"Why? Afraid of being all alone without me here to protect you?" Minako teased him.

"No, that's not it... but I certainly do enjoy your company," the psychologist smiled. "Although, I guess I am somewhat worried about what might happen to us here."

Minako took a seat on the opposite side of the bed from her husband, looking down at him reassuringly. "The first time I was here, I had an uneasy feeling the whole time. I guess you could say it was my intuition, warning me that something was off about the place. But I'm not getting any of that now. I think we're going to be okay. And if worse comes to worst, there are always the bodyguards."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Junji said, playfully massaging one of Minako's pointed ears as he pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips parted prematurely, however, as the green-haired persocom suddenly pulled herself away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, but I just got a ping from Masaji-san. The Council is ready to see me now."

Junji looked disappointed, but then smiled. "Go solve this thing," he said, giving her a thumbs-up sign. She grinned, returning the gesture.


As she left the hotel room, she was stopped by one of the bodyguards, a middle-aged Japanese woman.

"You've been summoned by the Council?"

Minako nodded.

"Please let me accompany you," the older woman said, in a humorless, businesslike tone.

"No need, it's just a short walk," Minako replied. "Besides, I doubt they'd let you inside the council chamber anyway."

"But-"

"Your primary role here is to protect Junji-san and Ueda-san, right?"

"Yes, however-"

"I'll be fine," Minako said, smiling. "Just trust me."

"Very well," the bodyguard looked skeptical, but gave in to Minako's request. "If you don't check in within the hour, however, I'll send out an alert."

"I'm almost certain that won't be necessary, but I appreciate your dedication to your job," Minako said. The guard saluted her as she departed the small hotel.


Just as she had told the older woman, it was a relatively quick walk to the council chamber, and the map of the colony she had downloaded earlier allowed her to find the way easily. While crossing one of the recently-constructed bridges, however, she was accosted by a short male 'com with an arrogant look in his eye.

"You're Takeda Minako-san, aren't you?" he asked in Japanese.

"I'm sorry, I don't really have time to chat right now," she replied, attempting to step around him. He quickly moved to block her path.

"You're heading to meet with the Council, right?"

"Yes, and I'll be late if you don't get out of my way," she said testily.

"Maybe that won't be such a loss," the other 'com continued, disdain beginning to creep into his voice. "Everyone talks about how you're some kind of brilliant messiah who will save us from all of our problems, but frankly, I'm not convinced."

"First of all," the green-haired 'com began, giving the man obstructing her path an icy stare, "I somehow doubt that anyone actually holds such a view of me. Second of all, your opinion of my acumen is noted, and I'll be sure to let you know if I begin to care." With that, she brushed past him, shoving him out of her path. However, to her surprise and annoyance, she was halted in her tracks when he grabbed her arm.

"Hey, I'm not done with you yet!" he shouted. Minako whirled around to face him, fury in her eyes. She started to wonder if it wouldn't have been prudent to let the bodyguard accompany her, after all. Sighing to calm herself, she regarded the persocom facing her. He wasn't very intimidating, physically speaking, and he didn't seem intent on actually harming her - he just looked incredibly pissed off about something.

"Fine, I'll humor you for a bit," Minako said, crossing her arms. "Why, exactly, do you doubt my skill so much that you feel it necessary to intercept me on my way to the council chamber just to make your doubts known?"

"Well, for one thing, you're a woman," he said, as if that explained everything.

Minako blinked a few times, stunned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the male 'com took on a patronizing tone. "Throughout history, the most influential rulers, scientists, commanders, negotiators, and people in general have always been men. This is an undeniable fact. It's inherent to the human species."

"In case you haven't noticed, we're not human," Minako said, figuring she would poke the most obvious hole in his argument before addressing all of the other problems it had.

"Yes, but our minds are patterned after human brains," he said, tapping a finger to his temple. "So naturally, it stands to reason that those of us whose neural patterns are based on the brains of human males are intellectually superior to those with patterns based on human females. Ryuhei-sama was our leader after all, and he did an excellent job. This new Council which bothers to include females like that superstitious Rosa-san can hardly measure up. You should really leave the planning and decision-making to those who are properly-"

He failed to finish his sentence as Minako slugged him in the face, sending him sprawling to the wooden planks of the bridge.

"I think I've heard enough," she said, dusting off her knuckles. "Sexism? Seriously? I had assumed that persocoms, especially those who had the drive and will to form their own society, would be enlightened enough not to subscribe to such medieval concepts. Apparently I was wrong."

"You're just mad because you know I'm right," the other persocom said, picking himself up off the ground. "Your reaction proves it. You women are too emotional to be trusted with important-"

Minako hit him again before he could finish, sending him crashing to the ground a second time.

"You know, it's ironic," she muttered. "Usually I have to deal with humans trying to tell me that I don't have emotions, and now I have a slimy little toad telling me that I'm too emotional. Well tell me this, Mister Almighty Alpha Male," she mocked, leaning over him as if to emphasize the fact that she had had no trouble knocking him flat on his ass twice. "What have you done to justify this superior attitude?"

"Like I said," the male 'com said, climbing to his feet once again (giving a wary eye to Minako's fists this time), "Throughout history, men have always-"

"No," Minako cut him off. "Forget history. Stop trying to ride the coattails of others and tell me precisely what you, personally, have done that makes you so much better than me. Are you perhaps the leader of one of the most influential Persocom Rights Organizations in the world?"

"No, but-"

"Did you write an international bestseller, and do you have another new book out that is quickly climbing the sales charts?"

"Well, no-"

"Did you write a full sixty-five percent of the Ailinginae contract, and help edit the rest?"

"I didn't-"

"Tell me then, Oh Mighty One, what exactly has that superior male brain of yours accomplished that validates this attitude of yours?"

"Um, well... uh..." he stammered, lost for words.

"That's what I thought," Minako said with a smug grin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for a meeting."


After that little distraction was over, Minako rushed at best speed to the council chamber. The building was actually the same one that had served as Ryuhei's Command and Control center, having undergone some minor renovations since the colony's shift in government. As she approached the entrance, a persocom standing guard outside nodded to her and opened the door, ushering her in.

The twelve council members were all present; plugged into various alcoves in the walls, cables running from their ears into the circuitry of the building. Their eyes moved in unison to follow her as she entered the room.

"Hi, sorry I'm a bit late," she said, bowing politely. "I ran into a bit of trouble on the way here."

We saw, sent Masaji. Reiji-san has been a bit of a loose cannon recently, so we've been monitoring his activity.

Loose cannon? one of the female Council members joined in. That's putting it mildly. He's a prat, plain and simple.

"You were watching? I hope I'm not in trouble for hitting him, then..." Minako said nervously.

On the contrary, the same Council member said, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing you put him in his place like that.

"Thanks, I thought I handled it fairly well myself," she said, laughing with relief.

Don't worry, he will be punished, Masaji assured her.

"Punished how?" she asked. Despite her initial (and, it seemed, quite accurate) assessment of Reiji as an obnoxious, bigoted asshole, she didn't want him to end up being tortured or anything.

Extra work shifts, restriction of leisure time for the next week, that kind of thing, one of the other Council 'coms sent.

"Ah, that sounds reasonable then."

There's no need to resort to that inefficient mode of communication here, by the way. Masaji sent. We're all persocoms, after all. We can communicate much faster via direct signaling.

You're right, of course, Minako sent, taking a seat near a bank of computer equipment. I'm just more used to verbal communication.

Doubtlessly due to your predilection for human company, Masaji replied. But I won't hold that against you.

Thanks, I appreciate it, Minako sent back, trying to infuse a touch of sarcasm into the message. She wasn't sure if she succeeded thuogh, not having had much practice with expressing herself solely via this mode of communication.

You should plug yourself in too, Masaji sent, indicating a port on the computer console she was using as a makeshift chair. Wireless signals can be intercepted.

I forgot how paranoid you guys can be, Minako said, rolling her eyes as she extracted a cable from behind one of her ears and connected it. Anyway, let's get down to business. The newly-constructed persocoms-

The children, you mean, Rosa interjected.

Yes, the children, She corrected herself. I understand the corporation is refusing to allow them internet access?

Well, the humans are certainly trying to restrict them, Masaji answered. Not much can be said for their rate of success, though, considering how easily we can spoof IP addresses.

A series of amused grins spread across the faces of the Council, a sight that would have baffled anyone not tuned in to their electronic conversation.

I take it they are not that happy with you defying their orders, am I right?

Their orders are unjustified! We have every right to-

Yes, yes, Minako sent. Trust me, I understand. I'm just saying that if you want to reach an understanding with them, it might help if you showed some intent to cooperate.

That sounds like appeaser talk to me, one of the Council 'coms sent. We called you here to help negotiate on our behalf. If your idea of a reasonable settlement is to just give in to the humans' demands, then maybe contacting you in the first place was a mistake!

Whoa, hold on, Minako objected. I never said anything about giving in to anyone's demands. All I'm saying is that a little tact couldn't hurt.

I agree with Minako-san, Rosa sent.

You would...

Quiet, Masaji! the tan-skinned persocom admonished him over the electronic link. Anyway, as I was saying, I have been in favor of less aggressive negotiating tactics, but many of my fellow Council members are unwilling to compromise.

Exactly what kind of compromises are we talking about here? Minako asked.

Well, the Marshallese government hinted that they would be willing to allow the children internet access through their network in return for the cessation of the expansion plan, but Masaji-san and his faction simply won't let it go.

Expansion plan?

Before we cover that, Masaji interrupted, there is another matter we need to discuss.

I'm listening.

This new book of yours, Second Dawn's Light? The plot is quite obviously a retelling of the events of your first visit here.

It's only obvious to someone who is familiar with the events of that visit, Minako clarified. As far as the public is concerned, it's just a fictional story. I even set it hundreds of years in the past and made no mention of persocoms, substituting a group of freed human slaves instead. I also made sure that Yoichi-san's representatives would run the plot summary by you all before it was published.

The summary was acceptable, and we did sign off on it, Masaji continued. The problem is the finished work.

What, you think I included some detail or other that could be deemed a security risk?

No, you were very thorough in that regard. I commend you. The problem is your depiction of the colony's leader - the character meant as a stand-in for Ryuhei-sama. Many of us feel that he is portrayed less sympathetically than is deserved.

I'd just like to point out that this opinion is hardly unanimous, another Council persocom added. Not all of us admired the guy all that much.

Still, Masaji sent, ignoring the slight to his former leader, I believe the way you wrote him was unnecessarily harsh. For example, the character you used to represent yourself in your narrative is nearly murdered by Ryuhei's character. In reality, of course, he merely intended to alter a few details of your memory.

There's no reliable way to edit human memories like that, especially not back in the eighteenth century when the book is set, Minako explained. He wanted to prevent her from revealing what she had seen. For the purposes of the story and the setting, attempting to kill her makes the most sense.

Perhaps. But what about-

Listen, are we here to debate the minutiae of my writing, or are we here to actually try to help your people? Minako sent impatiently. Now, tell me about this 'expansion plan'.

Fine then. Masaji sent, relenting. Ailinginae does not have that much usable land area. If the colony is to continue to grow and prosper, we are going to need more territory. There are also resource limitations. Even with 3D printers, there is only so much raw material on Ailinginae that is suitable for conversion. Surely you must recognize this, Minako-san.

I see. And what new territories, in particular, do you have in mind?

For now? Rongelap will be more than enough. Possibly Rongerik too, sometime in the future. It's not like those islands have any value to the humans - they're just as barren as Ailinginae was before we showed up. The natives even believe that Rongerik is haunted - they want nothing to do with it.

Weren't they also irradiated by the nuclear testing? Minako asked.

We already deployed survey teams to check for that. There's no radioactivity of any consequence remaining on either island.

Still, you can't just decide to claim the islands for yourselves.

Why not? We need them; no one else is using them - what's the problem?

You need to factor human psychology into this, Masaji. Rosa said. The fact that a society of self-sufficient persocoms not only exists, but is thriving, has them spooked. Imagine how they would react if our civlization started spreading? Mrs. Takeda called us paranoid, but, if anything, the humans are even more paranoid. The Marshallese government already views us with extreme suspicion - if we were to start expanding to nearby islands, they might very well begin to see us as a plague or a cancer that needs to be wiped out before it overtakes and destroys them.

That's ridiculous! Masaji objected. Even Ryuhei-sama never had any intention of attacking the humans!

You know that, and I know that, but how can they be so sure of that? Minako pointed out. Rosa is right; all of the actions they are taking to restrict Anemkwoj are done out of fear. You need to convince them that you are not their enemies - ideally, you should be able to offer them something that will make them thankful for your presence.

Like what? One of the Council members asked. Trade isn't practical - we don't exactly have a roaring economy.

And we never will, if they don't let us expand! Masaji added.

Then think about what else you can offer. The Marshall Islands are currently suffering from the effects of rapid sea level rise. I've noticed that you have employed some innovative engineering and land reclamation techniques here on Ailinginae - perhaps you could consider sharing them with the Marshallese?

That's actually not a bad idea, another Council member sent. The ongoing effort to secure the island against erosion is one of my responsibilities, and my team has been making great progress lately. I'm sure that the humans would be able to adapt our methods for their own use.

That does seem like a powerful bargaining chip, Masaji admitted. But the issue remains that the Marshallese government is not our only obstacle here. Much of the opposition comes from the Japanese company that helped to found our colony in the first place.

I think they'll be easier to win over, Minako predicted. Now that the colony is self-sufficient, they're no longer losing any money like they were when they were shipping you supplies. A certain faction of executives is still using legal loopholes to restrict your actions, but I have a suspicion that that's mainly due to spite. I'm meeting with some of their representatives tomorrow; considering my familiarity with the Ailinginae contract I should be able to close most of those loopholes. It also helps that their CEO is on my side.

It seems like you just might be the godsend we were hoping for after all, Mrs. Takeda, Rosa sent. It seems that you've thought all of this through quite thoroughly.

Thank you, but the issues aren't quite that simple. There are still other concessions that you will likely have to make.

More concessions? As if giving up on the expansion plan isn't bad enough already! Masaji practically shouted.

You don't have to give it up completely; merely defer it until a more opportune time, Minako explained. Pushing for too much at once is rarely a good negotiating strategy, especially from a position of relative weakness.

Okay, so what other concessions do you expect us to make, then? Another member of the Council asked.

Ryuhei-san had established a large and very complex network of online assets to assist him in his subversive goals, Minako began. Dismantling the remnants of that network would serve as a powerful gesture of goodwill towards the corporation.

What are you talking about? Masaji asked. All of Ryuhei-sama's illegal infrastructure was already taken care of when they raided his lab.

All of it? Really? Minako asked coyly. What about the massive botnet Ryuhei and his followers used to attempt to control the flow of online traffic?

I have no knowledge of any such system, Masaji replied immediately.

In response, Minako accessed one of her own memory files and sent it along the link, sharing it with the council:

"No, you won't get a chance to reveal anything, because I'm going to erase all knowledge of my plans from your memory, then send you on your way, none the wiser," intoned the menacing figure of Ryuhei, as he slowly approached Minako. "As for your little automated server, I have access to a very large and powerful botnet which is programmed to search for, intercept, and delete any incriminating information on the web. That e-mail will never make it to Yoichi-san's inbox, especially since you just told me what to be on the lookout for."

A few of the council members fidgeted, reacting nervously at seeing such a chilling reminder of their former leader's ruthlessness on display. Masaji, however, remained unmoved.

That was most likely a bluff, he stated simply.

I considered that possibility, but I dismissed it for two reasons, Minako said. Firstly, unless he assumed that I was bluffing as well, his plan to alter my memories would have inevitably failed when my server automatically e-mailed Yoichi-san. If he genuinely had no way to stop that from happening, he would have cut his losses at that point and attempted to reconcile with me. Secondly, and most damning, is the fact that the botnet did exactly what he said it would do. She let that sink in for a few nanoseconds before elaborating, hoping someone would ask her for clarification.

Masaji obliged.

What do you mean?

After I escaped from Ryuhei-san's trap, I decided to let my automated server send the e-mail anyway, just to see if he was telling the truth. The message was intercepted, just as he claimed it would be. I attempted to trace the system responsible, but I didn't get very far - it's very well-encrypted and distributed. We estimate that it comprises at least a million CPUs, scattered across over a hundred different countries.

We? Masaji asked.

Of course I informed Yoichi-san's corporation about this, Minako answered. We've been trying to isolate this thing and shut it down for months, but we've only made limited progress.

If Ryuhei-sama had such a system in place, none of us knew anything about it, Masaji replied. Minako simply rolled her eyes in response.

You can stop lying to me, Masaji-san. We've tracked many instances of remote access to the botnet from around the world. In fact, your friend Albert, or should I say Seung-woo, was caught using it. I'm guessing it serves as some kind of underground communication and hacking network for your whole Persocom Separatism movement, am I right?

Masaji sighed, realizing the jig was up. I understand why Ryuhei-sama held your skills in such esteem, he sent. But you have to understand, it's very important that we be able to organize and-

As Rosa pointed out, the humans are scared of you. This is the kind of thing that only contributes to that. In order for these negotiations to proceed, it would be very helpful if you would turn over the access codes to this botnet so it can be properly dismantled.

Absolutely not! All of our movement's most important data-

I wasn't finished yet, Minako continued. I'll allow you to back up and delete any sensitive information stored on the system first, and I'll also do my best to deflect the blame from Anemkwoj. None of the remote access incidents were traced to here, after all - you are very good at covering your tracks. I believe I can frame the issue as something initiated by Ryuhei-san and later used by his followers overseas, rather than the populace here. In fact, we can say that you discovered the access codes by digging through some of Ryuhei-san's leftover files, and willingly surrendered them as a gesture of goodwill, to help shut down a subversive, illegal hacking tool. That might even be enough to get them to help you with your expansion plan.

It would still feel like a betrayal, Masaji groused.

Does the Persocom Separatism movement really need this vast, illegal hacking network? Minako countered. If you want to communicate discreetly, there are much easier ways. And if you truly want to avoid conflict with the human race, flagrantly violating their laws by maintaining such a system using their hardware hardly seems like the best course of action.

Keeping this whole thing a secret from the rest of us wasn't a very good idea, either, Rosa sent. This is certainly the first time I've heard of it. If you refuse to dismantle this network yourself, there are quite a few of us who won't hesitate to do it for you.

Masaji groaned, realizing that he was out of options. Fine, he sent. We'll begin backing up all of the important data immediately. I just hope that the humans appreciate this gesture of goodwill enough to give us something worthwhile in return.

Don't worry, I'll make sure of that, Minako sent. And with that, I believe that our business here is concluded for now.

Indeed. I wish you good luck when you meet with the human representatives tomorrow, Rosa sent.

Minako stood up, unplugging the cable from the dataport and retracting it, and with a polite bow to the Council, she left the building, stepping back into the warm night air. The meeting itself hadn't taken long - less than four minutes, in fact, thanks to the speed of direct persocom-to-persocom information transfer. 'I still think I prefer speaking out loud, though,' she thought.


The bodyguard from before acknowledged her as she returned to the hotel room. Despite not being gone for all that long, Junji was fast asleep when she found him, his portable terminal still grasped in one hand, about to go into power-saving mode. She smiled and tucked him in, then turned off the light. Today had been difficult, but tomorrow was likely going to bring with it a whole new set of challenges.

Author's Note: Sorry for the relatively late chapter, I've been busy and distracted these last couple of months. I'd like to thank all of my loyal readers and reviewers for sticking with me, as I do intend to carry this story to its conclusion (however it may play out). I'd also like to thank x00r for doing some illustrations of my characters, along with the characters of his excellent story Electric Dawn. Check it out when you have the time. Next chapter: Part 2 of Minako's negotiations, as she meets with those representing the human side of the dispute. Also, Yumi and Ueda explore the island some more, and might end up running into trouble. Please leave reviews and I'll do my best to get the next chapter out on time!