We reconvened. Axiothea came up to announce the results of the numbers. Psyche was given five votes, the Lucian cities six each, Athenia and Sokratea twelve each, the City of Amazons fifteen, and the Original City twenty-five. “If all of Kallisti voted together, that would be sixty-nine, to Lucia’s forty-eight,” she said. Everyone laughed at the thought of all of Kallisti voting together.

“If the envoys from a city are divided, can the votes be split?” Aurelius asked.

“Certainly,” I ruled. “The envoys can divide the city’s votes as they choose.”

“And who are the envoys who will vote for the Remnant?”

“The Foreign Negotiations Committee, with Pytheas representing Simmea,” I said. “But no doubt they will listen to opinions.”

The Chamber was less packed now. Some people were lingering over lunch, and others had realized that this would go on a long time and be boring. However, as soon as we started properly it began to move rapidly and became fascinating.

“The issue of the Lucians,” I said. I’d been thinking how to address this. “First Pytheas will explain succinctly what happened on the voyage, and then Aristomache will explain what they were doing and what they want. Questions afterward. I’ll open up the debate to the whole room and we’ll have plenty of time for everyone. But let’s hear this quietly first.” I had caught both of them on my way to lunch and asked them to be ready.

Everyone in the room probably knew what Pytheas told them, but there were still some surprised gasps as he went through it. Then Aristomache came up and described the Lucian mission. “We have reading, plumbing, pottery, iron working, medicine, Yayzu, and Plato,” she said “How can we sit safely on an island while there are people out there who have none of these things? Join us, and help us spread civilization.”

Many agreed with her message, though some of us wanted to leave Jesus out of the lists of benefits. Kallikles spoke in support of Aristomache: “I was really shaken by what I saw on Naxos,” he said, describing the ignorance and poverty of the village he had visited. “People shouldn’t be living like that when we can help them. The Lucians like Adrastos prove it can be done. We should be doing it.”

Others, especially the Athenians, were horrified at the very notion. “Athene put us here where the volcano would wipe out every trace of what we do. We can’t go running around the Mediterranean interfering with everything! Who knows what harm it might do!”