Victory Conditions Read Free Page A

vid to the Moscoe Confederation Defense Department, who are now analyzing it further. We will keep you informed.”
    Stella tabbed back to the spreadsheet she’d been working on. Cascadia felt a lot less safe than it had a few minutes ago; she had been so sure that nothing would happen here until Ky reappeared, and then Ky would take care of it—or someone would—and she could go on leading Vatta Enterprises and Vatta Transport. And there was nothing she could do, really, except make sure that new onboard ansibles came off the production line as fast as possible. One production line might not be enough; she might as well work on costing a proposal.
    Ten minutes later, her implant scheduler reminded her that her ward Toby would be back soon from school; foreign crisis or no foreign crisis, she could not put off any longer a serious talk about a purely personal matter.
    She waited until Toby had engulfed his usual after-school snack before broaching the topic she knew would upset him.
    “Toby, I need to speak to you about your friendship with Zori.”
    “Why?” From his expression he suspected the reason.
    “Her family isn’t happy with it, for one thing. If you were both older, that wouldn’t matter…well, it wouldn’t matter on Slotter Key; I’m not sure what the courtship rituals are on such a courteous place as this. But you’re not older, and her family has a right to influence her choices.”
    “She likes me.” Toby’s face settled into a stubborn expression. Zori was his first girlfriend, and he had fallen as hard as a boy his age could fall.
    “Yes, so I gather from her mother. But their concern is twofold: we are not an old Cascadian famly, and we are the wrong religion.”
    “We can’t help it that we just got here,” Toby said. “It’s not like we’re criminals or anything.”
    “No. But—” Stella sighed. This was a part of the caution common to prominent families that she had not understood herself, at Toby’s age, and her own stubbornness had caused no end of trouble. “They’re just being careful of her, Toby. They think—right or wrong doesn’t matter—that she will be happier with someone of her own kind—someone whose family they know.”
    “She doesn’t care about those boys,” Toby said. “She cares about me.”
    “That may be, but it doesn’t change the fact that her family would prefer she not care about you that much.”
    “We’re not doing anything,” Toby said, flushing in a way that suggested they probably were, though Stella hoped not as much as she herself had. “All we did was—kind of—you know—I mean, I touched her hair.”
    Stella knew, to the marrow of her bones, what Toby was feeling, and also what magnitude of trouble that could cause.
    “They’re her parents. You don’t want to get her in trouble—”
    “No, of course not. But they—”
    “Are her parents,” Stella repeated. “Look, I’ve had two long talks with her mother. Explained—” Stella caught herself. Telling Toby she’d told Zori’s mother that the two were in no danger, that it was their first attraction, that they’d get out of it faster if the parents stayed calm, would only make Toby determined to prove how serious they were and how permanent their affection. “I explained that we were a respectable, even prominent family on Slotter Key, that you were a responsible young man. They’re not accusing you or her of anything…wrong. They agree that you’re intelligent and well mannered. But they’re adamant that she quit visiting here unless I guarantee adult supervision. And even then, not more than twice a week.”
    “Here? But it’s our office! It’s—it’s a public place. It doesn’t even have a bed!” Though not because he hadn’t asked for one, so he could stay overnight working on his projects. Stella forbore to remind him of that.
    “Toby, this isn’t about you, specifically. It’s their culture, their family, their daughter.”
    He had hardened his