Chapter 21: The Meaning of Green

Shae, newly cleared to fly and in early pregnancy, endures the long trip to Port Massy with Hami Tumashon. Terun Bin greets them and outlines meetings. Shae checks in with her anxious husband, Woon, and reflects on fear, faith, and motherhood before attending a staff dinner to affirm her support.

The next day at No Peak’s expanded Port Massy office, Shae meets Rigly Hollin and partners from WBH Focus. They present research showing Espenian fears linking jade to crime and war, and propose reframing jade around admired Kekonese values—discipline, duty, honor, and protection—using imagery of veterans, doctors, and Academy students.

Hami questions the difficulty of marketing a restricted, non-consumer product, while Hollin’s team argues for a societal brand campaign to soften prejudice and build public support. Shae, weighing cultural significance against Espenian realities, decides to pursue the initiative and tasks Hami and Terun with integrating it into Espenian operations.

Shifting to Resville, Terun reports delays and sabotage plaguing Mountain-backed businesses, including the Sands of Illusion casino. He notes Juen Nu has secretly shipped jade to Jon Remi, who now requests 500,000 thalirs for weapons and bribes, to be funneled via No Peak shell companies.

Balancing image-building with clandestine action, Shae authorizes moving the money “quickly and quietly,” accepting the contradictions of fighting proxy wars abroad to protect No Peak’s interests.