"A coup could install a younger one, if there are suitable."

"I could mention the merits of expanding a search to people ineligible for a senate race. Is installing a blue the most reassuring end-state of a coup?"

"I think people who were ready to try something radically different have probably already left. We could install an alien, perhaps."

"That seems likely to be worse. We notoriously don't care about kinds of pollution transmission that don't follow from germ theory and it seems particularly important Amentan governments be credible on that."

"Yes. A blue would be least disruptive."

"I think 'least disruptive' is an important goal. What would be a good way to bring a good candidate blue to the attention of people who are interested in installing them?"

"I can be emailed. Or I suppose you could teleport in, apparently."

Nod. "Thank you for inviting me over."

"You're welcome."

Vanda Nossëo expands its search for Calador blues.

There's young idealistic Calador blues! Some of them are not openly fantasizing about escaping on their blogs!

Miscellaneous functionaries read through their published works.

Sondayo Insho gets an email from an alien address.

Interested in talking with you about Calado's future. Would it be convenient to meet sometime?

     - Macillë Menel, international affairs, Vanda Nossëo

What does "talking about Calado's future" mean here?

We're interested in meeting people who have ideas about what productive relations between Calado and the rest of the universe might look like, if the political will ever came about to put those people in power.

I just graduated and don't have many demands on my time during mornings/early afternoons.

Lunch tomorrow?

I'll be in the jungle house.

Do you have recommendations about who could inconspicuously visit you there?

Not a frost giant.

She goes herself. She is an Elf. Silver-haired and in clothes that could mostly pass for Amentan.

A little old purple man lets her in and shows her to the parlor, where Sondayo is.

"Hi."

"Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me."

"No problem. What's going on?"

"We've been trying, without much success, to figure out how to collaborate with the government on policy for a stable and peaceful Calado that doesn't have to use force to keep people around. We're interested in figuring out whether there's anybody with whom we could successfully collaborate on that."

"And, what, you want me to lean on great-grandpa?"