Night-Watchman State part 2

 

「The Stones hold the Sphene Continent, and Trireme holds the Sheelite Continent. In practical terms, those are the two great powers. Which makes the Pyrochlore Continent, you might say, a conflict zone meant to keep places from ‘falling to stone’—their version of the old fear of falling to communism.」

Transferees often borrowed language from Earth’s old East-West Cold War, calling it not falling to communism but falling to stone.

The very fact that it was spoken of as a fall showed how deeply it was feared.

The Hemitheoi’s doctrine of perfect equality called communism and socialism to mind.

「Our side’s the freer one, though!」

「Hestia’s sanctuary really did a number on me. More than that, though—why did I have to sit there listening to the Hemitheoi report every last thing to me…?」

The Hemitheoi’s behavior had not only become a source of irritation toward Hermes on their side, but of irritation from Hermes toward the