For people who were fugitives from the most powerful man in the sector things could have been a great deal worse. Rene contemplated the strange turn of events that had lead them to this place as he felt Solae’s naked body stir beside him. The morning light was already streaming through the bedroom window to reveal their hastily shucked clothing where it had been tossed in their rush to disrobe. Rene supposed that given it was the only uniform he had he ought to have been more carefully but in the heat of passion, that had not seemed like much of a priority. The sunlight was reassuring beyond the normal promise of dawn. The Kalderi might enjoy the spectacle of a ball under the sea but in the back of their minds the humans had been conscious of the countless tons of water above them, suspended by alien technology that at any moment might fail and crush or drown them. It was inconsistent of course, humans regularly traveled the stars in metal boxes which separated them from a far more violent death than drowning with only a few millimeters of steel to protect them from explosive decompression, but no one had ever said humans were consistent. A soft chime sounded and Solae stirred against him.

“Mmm?” she asked musily, her eyes flickering open.

“Lithyll has arrived and is requesting your presence for breakfast,” Mia’s sultry voice informed them. There was a mild edge of irritation in the synthesized voice, as there often was whenever events conspired to interrupt time that Solae and her beau might spend alone.

“Right,” Rene responded, a trifle wearily. As a soldier he had no expectation of rest while there was a war on, but he did wish that Solae might be given some respite from the constant stress of diplomatic duties. She didn’t complain of course, but he knew that the burden the Empress had laid upon her was a heavy one. He lifted her chin to his and gave her a lingering kiss.

“What was that for?” he asked. Rene smiled down at her.

“It is morning, and we are together.”

Dressed in informal clothing from the wardrobe provided by Ten they joined Lithyll on an outdoor terrace that overlooked the ocean far below. Servant, unseen by the slumbering couple had laid cool tea and sliced fruit as well as other less identifiable foods. Rene was confident that, as well informed about humanity as they were, the Kalderi would not serve anything immediately lethal to humans. Kalderi cuisine seemed to have a definite bias towards fruit and vegetables and lacked meat as humans would think of it, though there were several pastes that might have been animal derived but might, just as easily, have been seaweed or legumes before processing. Overall Rene found it more palatable than much of what he had eaten since he had fallen from grace.  He did wish there was caffeine, as he and Solae had found activities other than sleep to occupy them long into the night, and even with his genetically enhanced metabolism he felt lethargic. Instead he sipped the tart fruit juice that had been provided while Lithyll briefed them on the upcoming interview.

“Andalyll will escort Totlya to speak with you,” Lithyll explained in her usual serene voice as she toyed with some candied seeds in a bowl of delicate porcelain.

“He speaks with the Voice of the Wronged,” the alien explained. Rene exchanged a glance with Solae before responding.

“Andalyll mentioned the voice of the wronged last night,” Rene observed, “but I’m not sure exactly what that means among your people.” Given Solae’s position as ambassador, it was more political for him to profess ignorance than her, though Rene had noticed that Solae seldom let such political calculation get in the way of obtaining the information she needed. Lithyll blinked both sets of eyelids for a moment before seeming to realise the problem.

“Ah, yes, when a member of the community is ‘Wronged’ it means he has been significantly wronged in a way that the normal process of consensus justice cannot provide a resolution,” she explained.

“Kalderi value consensus very much, far more so than humans who can persist indefinitely in states of disagreement. Unfortunately some situations do arise where the wrong is either so egregious, or so complicated that we cannot agree on how to address it but we all agree that a wrong has been done. In such a situation a Kalderi assumes the Voice of the Wronged until the complaint is resolved.”

Rene pondered that for a long moment though he couldn’t exactly find a human analogue for the situation. In human society it could be acknowledge that an injustice had been done to someone even if it wasn’t technically illegal, but beyond the support and sympathy of an immediate circle, there was no formalized community response.

“And what does the Voice of the Wronged allow a Kalderi to do?” he pressed.

“Primarily he or she is able to seek help and redress from outside the community, such an action is unpleasant for all concerned,” Lithyll explained.

“I see, and how often does this happen?” Rene asked, trying his best to wrap his mind around the alien concepts involved.

“Rarely,” Lithyll admitted, “few problems cannot be solved by the community, and those that do tend to involve outsiders.” Lithyll drooped her wings, which Rene had learned was a placating gesture, something along the lines of ‘I mean no offense’. 
“And what happens if we can’t solve the problem?” Rene asked, filling a slight premonition of danger as the words left his lips.

“Totlya will be free to seek justice from other outsiders,” Lithyll admitted. Rene pursed his lips.

“Such as the warships in orbit?” he asked, imagining what effect it might have if Kalderi warships entered human space to recover Totlya’s mate by force. Such an incursion could serve as a rallying point to bring the entire sector behind Duke Tan, or worse yet provoke a disastrous conflict between humanity and the Kalderi.

“Exactly, or he could travel to the Homeworlds and seek aid from there,” Lithyll agreed. It was easy enough to imagine the previous such appeal which had brought the Jeweled Armarda to deal with the upstart human interlopers.

“Well, I suppose we must be sure not to disappoint,” Rene observed dryly.