Consequence

At dawn on Zenox-08, a crystal of frozen carbon dioxide detached from the shadowed side of a black leaf. It fell 1.6 meters, struck pale soil, and became gas without passing through the inconvenience of being liquid.

At Saint Orra, Assessor Orlo’s unattended slate added 0.004 credits of interest to Kaiven’s account. The amount was too small to display and too legitimate to forgive.

On the garden world Isen, Sola Mer cut a red fruit into five equal pieces for four children. She ate none of them. Each child privately concluded that the largest piece had been received by someone else.

Inside Kaiven, Pou placed his cup in the galley with Blondie’s bolt still resting at the bottom. Eer050 aligned the evacuation calculations to the exact center of the navigation well and corrected a deviation of 0.4 millimeters. His mind requested two more checks. He marked the first VERIFIED and left the request unanswered. Xoxz removed one boot and placed it beneath the table so the pressure in his body would settle and Kaiven would know he intended to return.

Blondie checked the shelter around the cradles, found no new gaps, and pressed a folded blue-stained cloth deeper beneath her breastplate. Moxy tested the seed-sized transmitter under her sleeve. Its light blinked once against her wrist and went dark. Ena fastened Isa’s harness, loosened it by the width of one finger, and fastened it again.

Across the nursery complex, five white transports completed their descent calculations. Ordinary lives continued everywhere their weapons could not yet reach.