Merger
© 2023 by Walter Reimer

Thumbnail art by  Ahro



A few shlani paused and glanced curiously as the Terran mare entered the arrival lounge on the Imperial side of the station. She was wearing a Kashlanin perfume, and the shlani relaxed as they realized who the mare was.

Meredith made sure to sit apart from the rest of those in the lounge area before glancing at the screen displaying incoming flights. The bulk of them were simply bearing the name berāth, or ‘ship,’ masking the fact that they were probably warships; the rest were civilian traffic with the Imperial prefix AJB to denote mercantile vessels.

There it was, the AJB 47343. The ship was less than two fractions out of the dock, and on final approach. Meredith settled back in her seat, opened her padd and started reading the latest productivity figures that Transcosm had supplied her. It was possible that the Director might ask her about the data.

And she didn’t have a shlan’s eidetic memory, nor was the mare’s brain equipped with a cybernetics suite. Knowing how the shlani felt about such things, Meredith hadn’t even thought of having any augmentations installed.

As she read, the horolog ticked down the time until the notice appeared that the ship had docked. The mare folded up her padd and tucked it into a pocket of her skirt as she got to her hooves. A few shlani were also on their feet, waiting to greet friends or coworkers.

Director m’Zhurok was the first kam to enter the lounge. The kam was slightly taller than average and very thin, making his shirt and trousers appear very baggy. He had a carryall over one shoulder and after looking around he approached Meredith.

“Zogat, m’Zhurok-tī,” the mare said in Kashlanin.

He smiled. “Zogat, Destkort-vī.”

“Welcome to the station,” Meredith said, twitching her tail. The strands had been braided into a long plait, and the twitch caused it to sway like a Kashlanin tail, indicating the direction she wished him to go. He smiled again at her manners and the two left the lounge, with the mare striding alongside him. “I have quarters arranged for you, and Xin-tī is already here. He is looking forward to meeting you.”

“Excellent. Thank you, Destkort-vī,” the kam said. “My journey here was rather tedious, and I would like to rest. Shall we all meet at midday tomorrow, station time?”

Meredith smiled. “As you wish, sir.”

“Tomorrow at midday?” Xin Renmin asked when she visited him later to let him know that m’Zhukor was present on Downtime. “It makes sense that he’d want to relax a while before we meet.”

“Yes, Xin-jih. How are you settling in?”

The bull grinned. “Very nicely. You picked my quarters well; I’ve enjoyed walking through the park.”

“I’m glad,” the mare said.


***


“Director m’Zhurok, Chief Operations Officer Xin,” Meredith said the next day. The kam with Imperial Chartering and the bull from Transcosm exchanged slight bows and took seats about a meter apart. Meredith stood nearby to act as translator if necessary.

“Director Shin,” the kam said, “I am pleased to meet you.”

“And I, you, Director m’Zhurok,” the bull said. He opened his padd and placed it on the table separating the two. He called up a document, selected its Kashlanin translation, and gestured at it. “As you see, the terms of the merger agreement are acceptable to Transcosm, and I and the other managing directors have approved it. Shareholders have also voted to agree.”

Meredith waited as the translator in the kam’s ear whispered to him, and she translated as he replied, “Our companies have enjoyed a profitable relationship, and this agreement will only continue and increase those profits. Imperial Chartering is pleased to accept Transcosm as part of its group.” M’Zhukor smiled. “Your friends will be our friends, and your rivals shall be ours.” He affixed his signature to the terms on the padd, and the writing faded as the document was transmitted to both Jihaka and God’s Armpit. “We feel that our first act shall be to expand Transcosm’s office here on this station,” the kam added.

Xin nodded. “Yes, we’ll need to expand to deal with the increased traffic. D’Estcourt-jih?”

The mare’s ears swiveled. “Yes, sir?”

The bull chuckled. “Your mate won’t be the only employee under your supervision.”

Meredith laughed. “I’m sure that’ll be a relief to him,” and she and the bull smiled as m’Zhukor heard the translation and began laughing.