Tony Solari settled back in his chair and squinted at Cytheria's presentation.

His vision was imperfect, and he had to squint to read the text, but he paid close attention.

Gaia Solin's strategy unnerved him. A twenty-five percent increase in router licensing, that was the kind of radical insanity he expected to hear out of Sunyin Aura's mouth. Matter of fact, when he turned to Aura's side of the table, a smugness lit her complexion and expression — as if she refrained from grinning.

Looked like she liked the presentation.

He couldn't believe Cytheria would dare to propose numbers like that the day the sun rose early. Tony had yet to recover from his shock. He hadn't needed to leave for work until minutes to prima anyway — he could link to the conference room from his condo, so he had remained in bed, blinds drawn, snoozing and smelling pancakes frying in the kitchen, listening to his wife, Cordelia, singing while she cooked. Her voice belted loud in the morning quiet, melodic and crystal clear over the sizzle of the pan. Linking allowed Tony more time with his family than any corporate man in history.

Completely unaware of the premature sunrise, Tony had showered, dressed for his meeting, and come into the kitchen to see his adopted niece and nephew, Carali and Anton, gulping down a syrupy breakfast and chasing it with orange juice, sitting on bar stools in a pool of radiant solar illumination.

The world outside, through the kitchen window, had been flooded with light. "How did it get to be that time?" he said, kissing them each on the cheek. "Off to school."

"We're not late," said Carali. "The sun rose early."

"Right," said Tony, turning to kiss his wife and preparing to sprint to is meeting. "That's a good one. Very creative."

Cordelia smiled fondly at Carali and said, "Go on, baby. I'll clean up, just this once. You better get going."

Brother and sister exchanged glances, but they weren't arguing if it meant they didn't have to clear their places at the table. A second later they had fled out the front door. Tony had gazed after them. Maybe he would buy the family a consumer link, to get them to school safely. And on time.

"Candra Satiri called while you snoozed," Cordelia had told him. "Said she had some important news she would like to deliver in person. Will you be getting home late tonight, Antonio?"

"No," Tony had answered. "I'll deal with it over the phone. I wouldn't miss your dinner for the world."

"You sure?" Cordelia had asked. "At least one of the chefs at those fancy, expensive restaurants downtown has to have something on my cooking."

"Not a single one." That's when he had looked down at his wrist watch. "What's this nonsense? Did those jokers tamper with my watch?"

And his wife had assured him it was not a joke; the sun had crested the horizon well before dilucinum. It wasn't even first light yet, Solari time — but it was light out.

Tony had had a good fifteen minutes to get to Portia's meeting at his leisure.

An incredible phenomenon. Tony couldn't wait to get out of this scheduled meeting and barge in on the emergency response department to get some answers, see what was the matter.

Now he listened to Liao Cytheria's numbers and figures, her reasoned arguments and her projections. As Cytheria wrapped up her expansion proposal and flipped slides, she moved on to her concessions — security features to gain the votes of the safety obsessed, reductive Marian faction.

She said, "I expect that Exequi Nero will have prepared a number of safety regulations that her faction will expect to put in place in exchange for any expansion whatsoever. Here are a number of our suggestions to improve magical safety."

The slide flicked to a list of bullet points.

"Higher licensing required for all Constellation development positions," she read, the first bullet point, and then she expanded: "We're willing to concede that only the most highly educated and trained professionals should be allowed to direct lab work and to manage departments. Even lab assistants should be required to undergo more rigorous training."

Tony tried not to shake his head, and held himself back from interrupting. Magical jobs training had nothing to do with magic router expansion among the public; it was a bargaining chip, unrelated to the issue they were bargaining over.

Next, she read, "Increased registration in research oriented graduate programs," and that was along the lines of the first point, still a digression from router licensing. She went on to explain how if more certification requirements were necessary, more places in research schools needed to open up to take the demand for such training.

Fine. Tony was all for more magical training. Maybe he'd go back to school himself.

She argued that the more Soliari had advanced knowledge of magic's workings, the fewer magical accidents would occur. She had charts, projecting behind her, and numbers, and statistics.

Her next provisions were more to the point. "More regulation of what's possible with a given router; recent research has made it clear that it's entirely possible to limit what magical capabilities a particular magic router has access to. We can require more specific licensing for individual amenities. A base package for a base set of abilities. Harmless ones, like lighting, heating, simple telekinesis, would require only a magic school education. A more advanced license would be required for link teleportation. A separate license for firearms. More advanced licenses for more dangerous abilities."

Tony glanced at Portia Nero. Her eyes gleamed, like those of a rat in the dark. That was exactly the kind of thing Portia dreamed of.

And Tony had no idea why Cytheria would offer it to her.

A sweeping change from the universal access currently available to router owners. To customers who paid for complete access to all of magic's capabilities.

That was enough. "Nope," Tony interrupted her.   "I'm sorry, I can't let you go forward with such a proposal under President Gaia Solin's name," but he wasn't the only one who started to speak out of turn. Sunyin Aura started to speak at the same time, and so did Exequi Solace from the other end of the table.

Their words muddled together, weaving a tapestry one over the other and on top of Tony's words, so that he only heard, "Barbaric step backward" from Suntin Aura and then, "death to universal access," and from Exequi Solace, "only for the top tier of experimental development—"

Tony quieted down to let one of them speak, a duel that took a few more seconds of interrupting one another to establish who it would be.

Sunyin Aura was saying, "Unacceptable, under no circumstances can there be—" and old Solace tried to say, "I would only back ... I would be open to—" before Sunyin Aura trampled over him, the clear victor, addressing the whole table. "Constellation owes its responsibility to the people, to the wellbeing of all Soliara, and we can't allow any amount of fear mongering to persuade us to sacrifice the tenet of universal equality inherent in the responsibility of this company."

She glanced from person to person around the table, voice fired with outrage. "Constellation offers magical access to the people, and it should safeguard that access according to the benefit of the safety and prosperity of the people — and for no other reason. Not for profit, not for the sake of division, not for expanding the gap between the haves and the have nots. The more certification you require for a job working with magic — whether at this company or in manufacturing, agriculture, construction, the arts — the fewer people will have the tools necessary to strive for the same opportunities given those who have the time and money to invest in degree after degree. It's appalling that you would suggest more barriers to entry in working class markets, Exequi Liao, and I'm disappointed that Gaia Solin would make such an offer in exchange for increased router sales.

"If you limit what each router sold allows a licensed magician to use it for, requiring higher and higher certifications, you'll bankrupt the working class; it would be a huge barrier to business growth."

That made Tony thoughtful. According to his current understanding of the magic school system — which he had not attended — the basic degree offered a license in all basic magical uses: magic for lighting, heating, moving, linking, and more. Magicians already had to go to school to learn how to use new advancements like links, since they were invented only two years earlier.

It's not like any router owner could just open a link without the education on how to do so. Skills training was already required, inherent in the skill level necessary to open a link.

Tony began to suspect what was going on here. Sunyin Aura's speech got him thinking, and he realized what Cytheria was offering Portia was largely irrelavent. It would merely formalize certification that was already optional. It's not like magicians who didn't have the appropriate training could accidentally open a link.

Did Portia know that?

Sunyin Aura pleaded with real sounding sincerity, though. What Cytheria proposed was already inherent in the nature of magic use. Yet could it be a vice in which to snap Portia up?

Anything Aura wanted, Portia would want to oppose.

It seemed possible that Aura and Cytheria had teamed up to trap Marius's envoy in an enticing, yet meaningless, deal.

Portia's eyes were glowing, though, and no less so after Sunyin Aura's outburst. She put her hands together in front of her, leaning forward over the conference table.

"Additional licensing for tiered router usage. Exequi Aura, certainly you understand that the intention behind these measures is only to protect Soliara from magic run rampant. It's not about dividing the empire into a class of magic wielders and an underclass. It's about providing safety and prosperity for all. If you look at the stats on deatgs due to magic, magic related homicide, and accidents resulting in serious injury, it's clear it will be necessary to decrease the number of routers sold to the public — even the licensed public — by ten percent this year."

Tony exhaled accidentally in an incredulous puff out his mouth. Such an obvious high ball offer. Then it was almost as if he then spoke accidentally. "A decrease in expansion? That's preposterous." It just came right out.

Portia wasn't quite finished, yet. "More lab coats toying with forces beyond their understanding will increase the likelihood we are all to being blown to bits. But if you argue for expanding in that capacity, I am willing to consider conversations about safely implementing such an idea; in exchange, it will be absolutely necessary to reduce the number of routers sold. To balance the equation."

The speech didn't unnerve Cytheria. "The equation is balanced, Exequi Nero." The slide behind her changed, echoing the words Cytheria spoke now. "Studies commissioned by the Solari Public Safety Research Board, an independent body, have provided estimates on the number of magic related incidents, following a simulation based on different regulatory impacts, with historical data from real world regulation over the past three decades at Constellation. It found the ideal equation to provide increased safety as well as increased magical advancement and development to improve the Solari quality of life and convenience. Their estimates for accidents with decreased magic school admissions, decreased higher research degrees, and decreased router sales showed little impact on the number of magic related deaths or serious injuries, while dampening the economy and slowing research and development significantly.

"The best model to increase profits to the company and prosperity in the empire of Soliara was the result of a 25% increase in router licensing, a 70% increase in admissions to advanced research degrees — which reduces the number of workplace accidents and improves the safety features of all Constellation products."

Portia was sputtering. Probably at the mention of a 70% increase in research programs admissions. "You said decreasing magic school admissions and decreasing router sales showed 'little impact' on magic related deaths and injuries. Just how little? And does that number include homicide figures?"

Cytheria tamped her papers together, for the first time showing frustration. "The model is only an estimate, but it put all harm figures at an eight percent reduction." She raised a hand and added, "That's based on the effect of current regulation. A radical change may cause a drastic reduction in harm as the population of Soliara approaches much higher levels of magical literacy."

"Eight percent," said Portia. "Eight percent is enormous! Hundreds of people die every year from magic related causes, from homicide assisted by magical weapons, to links closing unexpectedly and causing deadly injuries, to experimental accidents like the 10/4 explosion in Constellation's Ithaca satellite, which resulted in fourteen casualties! An eight percent reduction means dozens of people — every year — will keep their lives!"

She turned her head to address Tony's side of the table, the hard Solin faction, and said, "Our every effort is directed toward the meaningless, tragic loss of human life for which this company is solely responsible. Remember that tonight, when you cast a vote for a woman whose representative callously dismisses the impact of saving dozens of Soliari from becoming a sad statistic. For the sake of increased profits and not 'dampening the economy,' Gaia Solin wants to increase the danger."

"That's not so," said Cytheria Demarco. The slide behind her change again. Portia Nero's mouth gaped, only for a second before she jammed it shut.

Cytheria read aloud the words on the slide behind her. "While the previous equation demonstrated the best way to maximize profitability and prosperity in the empire, with a small change in expected magic related deaths and injuries, the independent study came up with a miraculous finding. The ultimate ratio of prosperity to security was the result of a 40% increase in router licensing, a 70% increase in admissions to basic magical education, and a 90% increase in admissions to advanced research degrees — which overwhelmingly reduces the number of workplace accidents and improves the safety features of all Constellation products." With those words, Gaia Solin's middle path died a gasping and sudden death. "Past a certain magical literacy threshold, we expect a tipping point effect where the risk of magical related accidents go down to negligible numbers."

"That's, that's," Portia sputtered from her seat, "completely unfounded, not based on historical anything — there's no evidence that such a tipping point exists, and I'm not convinced the study can be considered independent, making assertions like that. Current numbers and projections based on historical statistics show that there have been more accidents year after year, period, as the president's agenda expands magic use and the number of magic users."

Cytheria rebounded, "But the increase in accidents is already small compared to the rate of magical expansion, Exequi Nero."

"This is so ridiculous," said Portia, unable to control herself. "Increasing education, increasing research and development, increased experimentation with magic — it all leads to disaster. If Constellation expands for the sake of profit and for the sake of giving magic more impact on our lives, expanding what magic can be used for and what it can accomplish, at some point we're going to cross a line, and millions of Solari will suffer. Accidents happen. Look at the sky outside and tell me we should be increasing who has access to magic and not decreasing how many people can mess around with forces of nature, beyond nature."

She stopped, as if having finally run out of ideas, having finally run out of anything to say. The silence extended.

From next to Tony, the gruff voice of Ignatius Varian spoke up, for the first time all morning. "Those are excellent points," he said, "and we should appreciate that Justin Marius has the wellbeing of all of Soliara in mind. Exequis Cytheria and Aura, I think you should consider carefully the risks in subscribing to this tipping point theory. If you're wrong, there will be an increase in magic related accidents and deaths."

Oh brother.

Ignatius Varian went on, "I believe it is Exequi Nero's turn to present her proposal and its background research to this board. We should hear both sides."

It seemed the sparring was not yet at an end.