“Arbitrium” by Anjali Sachdeva

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Story can be read on-line: https://www.tor.com/2022/05/25/arbitrium-anjali-sachdeva/

Rating: 3/5 Stars

An okay story about an attempt by a human ‘diplomat’ to communicate with a group of Arenavirus, done through an interface that translates human images into chemical signals the virus ‘understands’.

The communication was done to come to an understanding with the Arenavirus over an outbreak that humans want to contain. But the Arenavirus has other ideas, hinted at the chemicals emitted that translate into images of threats and possibilities, some involving the diplomat’s daughter: the reality of which is only revealed at the end.

The story reminds me of the short story version of Greg Bear’s “Blood Music”.

Story read from 2022/08/16 to 2022/08/16