Debatable Negotiations...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Here's a little bit more of the third installment in the Petri Dish Chronicles! As always, the disclaimer is that this is a draft and, as such, it's unedited and likely full of errors and is subject to revision, revamping, and being completely scrapped and rewritten. But, with that in mind, I'm reasonably satisfied with the basics of it, at least at the moment, or I wouldn't have bothered posting it. Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from the third Petri Dish book:
Daji waved away her question. “I do not know all the details. What I do know is that this entity and the Arcanum have conspired together to advance some mischief that will somehow be to the detriment of us all, but they now require your assistance to continue with this scheme. Thus, your, Chessie’s, and my own presence are required at a facility the Arcanum have prepared, where we will undoubtedly be told only what they wish us to know.”

Petri shook her head. “You two, maybe. But they can’t hide their true intentions from me. I doubt it would even occur to them to try. What about Sadaka?”

“They did not mention the child.”

“They didn’t really have any interaction with her before,” pointed out Chessie. “Me they noticed when you almost killed a few of them, and Daji tried to attack them, but the kid stayed pretty quiet and kept her head down while we were there. Maybe they forgot about her.”

Petri considered her friend’s words, but the explanation didn’t add up. "No. They know about her. They know every mind, no matter how young or old, that comes anywhere within their sphere of influence. But they know I don't consider her an adult. I think this is their way of trying to be reasonable.”

Daji snorted.

Petri raised her eyebrows. “From their perspective. They don't consider any of you people, so to make any concessions at all is their way of saying they are open to accommodating my wishes as long as they achieve their goal. Whatever that is.”