"No?"

No. I have accumulated comparatively vast amounts of informal social and political capital on my planet but I am one of four, there are so very few of us, comparatively, all independent and pulling in our own directions...

I could work with Amentans to start a terraforming project on one of the potentials we identified in those first days without any issues. I could probably prioritize planets astronomers think might be habitable for the two ships that are exploring, depending on what Amenta wants promised about it. I could, with quite a lot of political capital expenditure, secure you an island of a thousand square miles on Newhome to do with what you wish, including cleaning and developing it - but the year's far too short, and it's not a fight with my kin that I want to have for all that I think ordinary Draak interacting with Amentans will be good for things.

"A planet of our own would be dramatically better than an island on an unseasonable planet with its own occupants, especially while we still don't have Amentan-controlled transit."

Quite.

I could buy Ice Scale and hire crew, and then rent it to one or several Amentan countries as a hauler for a terraforming initiative, if that might be a good idea. My ship isn't ideal for cargo hauling. There is a planet with a thin nitrogen atmosphere, slightly long year and enough geoactivity for geothermal power. No surface water but many ice asteroids in the system. I haven't caught up to what your terraforming conference concluded but perhaps I should talk to some greens and see if that might be a route to getting a habitable planet. Are people refining deuterium and helium-3 yet?

"Whenever you hint something might be the next step to planets, people are jumping on it. Maybe not as many as if their investors knew how long it would take to pay off, but they're jumping."

Well, I will sell off some of my gold for quick cash and buy some, if anyone has managed to actually make any.

I'm disappointed in myself and my conduct today.

"I'm trying to think if there's a book I should be recommending but I'm not sure exactly what skillset you'd want here."

Some sort of psychological-focus historical political analysis? It was largely a failure to model what my proposal would sound like to you, I think. And rushing, somewhat. I can't exactly attend a blue school.

"Wire's auditing classes but he's... smaller. We could get you a distance learning setup like they use for students in quarantine. But in the books department maybe you'd like The Language of Implication - it's not historical analysis but has some historical examples."

I'll read it. I'm not sure I can justify auditing blue classes as a time expenditure and a - mental resource expenditure. And the image it would present to other Draak.

I think I need to fetch Bloom back for Baravi, whether or not she's managed to acquire a full roster of students, and have a nice relaxing vacation holed up in my lab for a month, and come back to things with a clear head.

"I'll send you a copy of the book and see you later, then."

Not-Katmem wakes up in the middle of the night, stares out the window for a while, then heads down towards his blue caretakers' front door and reaches up as far as he can, trying to open it.

There's a grey standing guard outside the door but she doesn't notice right away.

He's being careful not to scratch things, but he does tap on the door some while using his tail to stabilize himself on two limbs, trying to boost himself high enough to grab the doorknob.

She peeks in the window. Hey. You want to go out?

Eep!

He falls on his back, then gets upright again and retreats under one of the console tables holding potted plants.

Who are you???

- I'm Estin Mae. I'm security your - parents? - hired and I'm supposed to let you out if you want.

...He just stands under the little table for a while, shifting slightly, thinking.

They didn't want to freak you out introducing you to everybody at once since you might've not run into some of us for weeks.

Strangers are scary.

I want to look at the stars.

She opens the door.

He walks past, hesitant and watchful, and tries to find a spot in the garden with a particularly good view of sky.

The grey shuts the door behind him and watches him go.

There's a reasonably good view of the stars from this bench.

He tries climbing things if they look like they'll get a better view. Maybe even the outside of the house?

The house is not very climbable but there are places he can get purchase if he doesn't mind scratching it up.