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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Fearadhach on 2024-06-17 05:46:17+00:00.

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Julia stood in the morning heat of the Council World and watched her new boss disembark from the landing shuttle. As the woman came down the ramp Julia took notice, again, of the woman’s posture, and ignored the ceremonial actions of the honor guard to study her new boss. I’ve known some tall women who go the opposite of others, and stand ramrod straight as if in defiance of those who would give them a hard time over it, or a challenge to any man who might try to court her. This one, though… there is nothing stiff nor over-bearing about her posture. She is completely at ease, even here being given a level of honors that she doesn’t seem to feel are necessary. Julia felt her smile widen a bit as a number of odd bits of the woman’s file came together. She is who she is, has chosen who and what she is, is comfortable with that choice, and makes no bones about it. The world can take her as she is, and can like it or not. She’s a force to be reckoned with, for sure. The question I have, though, is does she extend the same courtesy to everyone else that she seems to take for granted for herself?

A few more steps of watching the woman’s easy gait and soft-yet-authoritative look gave a bit of hope. I think she will, at that. After all, her file describes her as tough but fair, and that isn’t… oops, show time.

The new Ambassador had reached the end of the carpet and walked over to Uncle Kaz. She extended a hand and greeted him with a warm smile. Kaz took the hand, bowed over it, and gave the slightest feathered kiss to the back of it. The Ambassador’s smile widened and a little color showed on her cheeks. Excellent blush control. Enough color to appear appreciative of the gesture, but small enough to still… wait…

Kaz straightened and tried to draw his hand back, but Ambassador Soong held on, turned his hand, bent, and kissed the back of it. She rose with a slightly mischievous grin on her face, and made a point of noticing the slight blush on Uncle Kaz’s hands.

He returned the grin in kind as their hands dropped, and spoke. “Ambassador Katja Soong, the tales of your exploits are – it seems – somewhat understated… and the holos I found of you hardly do that smile justice. On behalf of the Council, the Sapients of the League, and those Assembled, I bid you welcome. I hope that your time here will be fruitful for your kind and all those here. On a more personal note, I will say that my wives and I have heard a little about you – aside from the inevitable brief – and look forward to working with you.”

Soong gave a small bow, from the neck up, and her smile widened. “Thank you, Prime Minister Kazlor Feldaran. I am honored, and do look forward, very much, to the time that we will be spending together. It is my understanding that you are now hosting the ‘cultural exchange days’ every week that the Human Embassy used to host?”

Kaz nodded. “Yes, of course. Does this mean that we can expect…”

Julia couldn’t quite tell what she’d done to interrupt, but Kaz didn’t seem to mind as she spoke. “Oh, yes, Prime Minister. I will certainly be there, and look forward to the chance to get some… exercise.” There came another flash of mischief. “As will, I am sure, many of the people in my Embassy.”

Kaz gave her a slight bow. “I look forward to it with great anticipation, my Lady.”

“As do I.”

With that Soong moved on to Aunt Golna, and exchanged a few pleasantries. Julia found herself admiring the woman’s ability to work a conversation. She made each person feel seen and heard, yet kept the appropriate distance for a first meeting. I may even learn something here, and I thought had been worried…

She’d allowed herself to be caught up in her observations and almost almost missed the fact that the new Ambassador now stood in front of her. They shook hands, exchanged wide smiles, and Julia let her new superior speak first, as protocol dictated.

The woman’s tone was genuine and slightly playful. “Well, if it isn’t the woman of the hour? You do realize that your exploits a few days ago are already being distilled into lessons for civics class?” Julia managed to keep her reaction to nothing more than a slight widening of her eyes, but the newcomer caught it and raised one side of her smile slightly. “Not to worry, though. There are those of us who are working to make sure your name and reputation are withheld, at least until such time as the events can be considered ‘history’ rather than ‘current events.’

“You also managed to get the Embassy turned out in good time, and good form, despite the constant string of trials you have had to deal with the last few days.” Julia felt… rapport. The woman is a master at building rapport! Every move, every tone… Her respect for her new boss raised, and she felt herself warming to the woman, like it or not.

Soong leaned in to deliver soft, but earnest, words. “You have impressed me, Julia. Not the hardest thing in the universe to do, but not easy to do by proxy. I am truly looking forward to the chance to work with you, and feel like there are things we will be able to teach one another; and plan to delight in finding out what.”

Julia couldn’t help the broad grin on her face as she spoke in the same quiet voice. “The feeling is mutual, Ambassador. I think I already have a list, somewhere in the back of my mind, of some of the tricks I’ve just seen that I want to learn.”

A soft giggle came from the Ambassador as she winked and moved on. Then Julia found herself facing her semi-underling, the new Third Ambassador who was going to take the position she’d originally signed up for. He was a little shorter than her, so about average height for a Human male, with olive skin, dark hair, and a small smile which seemed to hint at some sort of private joke he wanted to share. The odd smile set her at ease as the man, who she guessed to be several years her senior, extended his hand and waited to allow her to speak first.

“Ambassador Kessler, I look forward to working with you. I have only been able to read the brief on your treatise about ethical negotiation, but it was enough to make me mark the whole thing for my reading list.”

The man’s smile widened a little, and his first words surprised her. A noticeable accent! And German? How unusual.  “Why thank you, but you shouldn’t trouble yourself overly much. The brief, I think, conveys all of the salient points quite sufficiently. The document itself is steeped in Academic balderdash.”

She favored him with a small laugh. “Oh, I doubt it is as bad as all that. Still, I would love to discuss the topic with you.”

“Nothing would please me more, madam! I await your earliest convenience.”

With that the Ambassador gave a small bow and moved on, but she caught a gleam in his eye. Ha! Not the only one able to build rapport! Wait, what am I… no, I am not in competition with this woman. She is the boss, and I want it that way.

She made the appropriate pleasantries with the handful of new ranking personnel who came through the line. When the last one finished and she felt her eyebrows draw down. Where is Jake? Senior IT director is hardly a position that gets a lot of honors, generally, but it still makes him part of the executive staff. Why…

Then she spotted the new First Ambassador, and moved to play escort. As she fell in step beside Soong, the woman motioned to Kaz. “Prime Minister Feldarin, I know it is not a long walk from here to my Embassy, but would you do me the honor of escorting me, and then witnessing the little ceremony as I officially take up my new duties?”

Julia admired how the Ambassador included her Aunts in the invitation with nothing more than a well-timed glance.

Uncle, of course, gave one of his best, and toothiest, grins as he held his arm out to the Ambassador. She delicately placed her arm in the crook of his elbow, and the party set off. Julia felt a bit of relief, as all eyes turned from her as she waited for her new spot in the line to come up. She took advantage of those few moments to look around and try to find Jake, but he was not in the line, and otherwise seemed no where to be found. How could I miss such a large figure?

The trip to the Embassy was quiet, but upbeat. Everyone seemed content to hold any conversation to short whispers. As they neared the famed doors of the Embassy she broke ranks and moved to the front of the line, since she had a few duties still to perform.

They reached the doors and two guards opened them wide. She walked next to the Soong as they entered what was technically still ‘her’ Embassy. As they walked in the Hymn of the Confederation began to play, quietly… instrumental only.

She let it play as everyone took their places: Herself and the new First Ambassador in front of the reception table, on which lay a few ceremonial items, with everyone else gathered around by rank.

The doors closed and the music cut off at an appropriate point. Julia picked up the large binder, with its Confederation Seal, which contained a certified copy of the Confederation’s Charter, and tried not to think too hard about the fact that she was about to administer the oath to her boss.

The ceremony itself proceeded quickly, and she’d never felt ceremonial words settle on her as deeply as when Ambassador Soong declared that she ‘stood relieved.’ S…

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