"Sarah Zettel - Playing God" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zettel Sarah)

flowed across the bottom of the screen.

On the screen above the stage, the trio of Humans beamed like proud parents.

Each of the Sisters-Chosen-to-Lead picked up a treaty board. Their jackets shimmered in the
stark light as they walked around the signing table. The boards were symbols, Lynn knew. The real
treaties would be tightly bound stacks of paper sealed into courier cases at the sides of aides and
secretaries standing in the wings. These were just placards that said everyone had agreed to what was in
those books.

The Sisters held the placards out to the Queens-of-All. With stiff, jerky motions, each of the
three Queens took a copy of the treaty and bowed low over it, kissing the freshly dried ink.

Lynn sneaked a look at Praeis. She had gravitated silently toward her daughters, and now the
three of them stood with their arms around one another. Lynn wondered what she could possibly be
feeling. Praeis had been a general for those Queens, a Task-Mother, in t'Therian, and now she watched
them receive treaties from their fiercest enemies.

The Sisters handed two more copies over to the Presidents of the Chosa ty Porath, and three to
the Speakers for the Fil. Each of them took the placard and did nothing but stare at it, almost like they
couldn't believe what was in their hands.

Behind the delegates of the major powers stood those who spoke for smaller nation-families, or
Great Families, as the t'Therians called them. They were a broken rainbow of colors. Their skin was
everything from the t'Therians bluish grey to the Getesaph's greyish pink. Their clothing ranged from
jeweled purple to unbroken, midnight black. They received no treaties. Probably, they had been ordered
by their stronger neighbors to obey, and these grouped here had said they would. Each had presumably
decided they had lost enough people to the plagues already.

The copies of the treaty boards distributed, the two Getesaph Sisters turned to the shifting
audience.

"The Confederation is in place and will be enforced by all members. The delegates who have
included their names and pledges on the treaty of agreement are all empowered to deal with the Humans.
We here together will save these lands and islands that hold us all. Save them from this plague, save them
from the poisons and pollutions that threaten to overwhelm them."

A few more ragged cheers rang around the gallery, overlaid by calls of "Do it!" "Save the
daughters!" "Find immunity!" in different languages.

"So," breathed Praeis, visibly tightening her arms around her daughters. "The plague has
accomplished for us what nothing else could"

At that moment, the door burst open. Four Dedelphi, all the t'Therian blue-grey, two with
daughters clinging to their backs and squealing with delight, charged in and surrounded Praeis, Resaime,
and Theiareth. The Dedelphi pounded one another's backs and clasped hands and babbled on top of one
another until Lynn couldn't follow what was going on, but evidently they were happy about the treaties.

"You must speak, Mother Praeis." One of the t'Thenans grabbed Praeis's hand and hauled her
toward the door.