Xiao brings out another map and talks it through with Cleve, who labels all the locations we’ve been to or been informed about west of the Monsoon Jungle. Much of what is out east here is irrelevant to Data Haven. The Monsoon Jungle, though, is right next door. The Stepdaughters consider that formally part of their territory, though as a conservation area, not as potential settlement ground. “With this new understanding of the craws, we might have to revisit that,” Xiao says, jotting down on his to-do list, Talk to the craws?
The lines for Data Haven get drawn around all the outlying wrecks Cleve is aware of from talking with Astrid about her expansion plans. It’s a lot of the hills running down from the ridgeline east of the Morgan domes. Xiao taps a spot Cleve identified on the western side of that ridge and says, “We don’t know how this war is going to fall out, but if you want to say that your cryopods’ location needs to be part of Data Haven, we will recognize that.”
“Great,” Cleve says. “Basically, if you recognize that we’re in charge of salvage areas—”
“West of the Monsoon Jungle,” Xiao cuts in.
“Yes, that’s fine,” Cleve agrees with a nod. “And we could even claim that Morgan’s in some of our territory because they’ve been salvaging.”
Xiao’s got no problem with that, but I’m growing uncomfortable with the direction I feel this might be headed. Data Haven cannot claim that anything to be salvaged is automatically their property. “Okay, but what we cannot do is start apportioning Morgan land at this meeting,” I say. Cleve acknowledges that since Morgan Industries doesn’t even know Data Haven exists, it certainly can’t recognize any Data Haven claims. Still, the council makes clear that they will back up whatever claims Data Haven has further west.
What I’m hung up on here is the danger of the Stepdaughters of Chiron showing up as conquerors. “Whatever the outcome of this war is, can we all agree that this is not about anyone taking over the western coastline? This shouldn’t be about you taking them over and folding them into the Stepdaughters of Chiron,” I say.
“Why not?” Cleve asks.
“Why not?” I echo, surprised to have to answer this. “Because there are already people living there. What the Morgan Industries Board has decided does not reflect the will of all the humans who live in those domes. Those humans have rights too.”
“Yeah, but the problem is the army coming,” Cleve says bluntly. “That’s basically a statement.” He pauses in thought for a moment and then allows, “But yeah, if we can free parts of the people, they’re welcome to do something different. If they want to be part of the Stepdaughters of Chiron, I’d say they can do that.”
“That’s a choice for the people there. I just want to distinguish between—” I raise one hand like the dish on a balance scale, “—liberating people who were under the oppression of Morgan—” I raise the other hand, “—and taking over Morgan land. Those are two very distinct things.”
Xiao looks back and forth between me and Cleve during this exchange and then interjects, “This is all a very interesting discussion of what the peace terms will be with Morgan, but that’s not what we need to decide right now.”
I tap the map. “I just want to make sure that whatever territory decision is made right here is separate from that,” I explain. Xiao and Cleve both assure me that what’s under discussion right now is the line between the Stepdaughters of Chiron and Data Haven, not the line between Data Haven and Morgan Industries. That’s enough for me to back down… for now.
“We are allies from this point forward, and we will support you in whatever your needs are,” Xiao sums up.
“Sounds good,” I tell him.
“Yeah, primarily we’re just trying not to get crushed while Morgan comes over here,” Cleve says, “so I think that’s what we need to sort out. But I’m glad to have the Stepdaughters of Chiron recognize these resources are ours. Because Morgan doesn’t. Morgan Industries is going to claim everything. They already are.”
With that all settled, there is a small ceremony with Deirdre signing the accord for the Stepdaughters of Chiron and Cleve doing so for Data Haven. There’s even a bottle of Earth champagne. Why anyone included it in their personal allowance aboard Unity, I have no idea. It’s not the kind of thing that lasts more than a decade back on Earth. After more than a hundred years, it is flat and lifeless. Still, it was being saved for an important occasion, and this one certainly qualifies. The Chiron-born drink theirs to be polite, though some fail to hide their distaste at the first sip and others mutter in confusion over why planetfallers would like it. Those from Earth, though valuing it for nostalgia’s sake, acknowledge that it doesn’t taste the same as they remember. Cleve, though—he drinks his like a soldier; it’s put in front of him, and he downs it, no comment.
And with a lot of handshaking, the agreement is set. Data Haven and the Stepdaughters of Chiron are allies.