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She stood by the podium as her mom, the Global Minister of Syndiculous 5, gave a rousing speech about the benefits of the newly wrought peace agreement with Powlus Zetus, their nearest planetary neighbor.
To most of the beings in the audience, Kesser was merely their beloved leader’s daughter and sole family member. If asked, they would likely say her duties included nodding and smiling and nothing much else.
They didn’t know Kesser had written most of her mom’s speech or that she had given her input on the peace agreement they were celebrating, or that she was now silently rejoicing that with the increased prosperity of the planet due to the now-unobstructed intergalactic shipment lanes, her mom’s reelection was practically guaranteed.
And Kesser liked it that way. She didn’t have to be appreciated by everyone.
The speech ended. The audience cheered.
Her mom turned her head and met Kesser’s gaze.
That was the only acknowledgment she needed.
She smiled at her mom and nodded. The delivery of the speech had been perfect. The words had resounded with the crowd. It had been a success.
Her mom smiled back at her. Her shoulders lowered ever-so-slightly, and she returned her attention to her audience.
Beings waited to chatter with their leader.
Her mom walked through the crowd, touching fingertips and exchanging words. Guards hovered around her at a respectful distance.
Kesser followed them. She refused to have guards protecting her, much to her mom’s aggravation. A security detail would bring too much attention to her.
And she relished her freedom.
Beings called out to her.
She didn’t stop.
It was her mom’s moment. Kesser’s task was to redirect attention to her parent, where it deserved to be. Her mom had worked hard for the peace agreement. She warranted the applause.
Kesser entered the waiting land transport. The doors closed behind her.
Her mom patted the empty seat beside her.
Kesser claimed that space. “They loved the speech.”
“Fates. They should love the speech. You wrote it.” Pride warmed her mom’s voice. “And you’re right. It felt wrong not to honor the dead.”
“We didn’t have that option.” Originally, the speech had mentioned the fallen.
But then the manufacturing facility, their host, had not-so-casually mentioned they wanted the speech to be about the future, not the past. There was to be no talk of hardship or sacrifice.
Kesser and her mom had been forced to cut that part.
“It should have been an option.” Her mom put her arm around Kesser’s shoulders. “This peace agreement saved lifespans. That’s much more important than the improvement of trade between our planets.”
“There were very few deaths on our side.” Kesser understood why Syndiculs sought to put the long-running war behind them. It hadn’t impacted many of them directly.
The battles had been held first in space and then on Powlus Zetus. Their kind had fought their foes remotely using robots and other technology. They’d had the wealth to do that.
The Powluks hadn’t been as fortunate.
“It shouldn’t matter which side those deaths were on.” Her mom sighed. “We’re all beings. We all grieve.”
The two of them knew about loss. Kesser’s dad, the love of her mom’s life, had died in a ship malfunction when Kesser had four solar cycles.
They had viewed every death, Powluk or the rare Syndicul, as inflicting that level of pain, of trauma on other beings. That had pushed them to work tirelessly to arrange the peace agreement.
