Stars and Scars

Iona Reyes left Earth to translate a treaty. The Accord translated her back — as a diplomatic courtesy to three alien officers on a failing outer-ring station. Khorav won't speak her language and won't touch her, which is worse. Suri hears every thought she tries to hide and bleeds for it. Tek rebuilds her translator every time she breaks it, just to hear her argue. Then she finds a syntax error in the treaty that shouldn't exist — a countdown buried in the grammar. The ring is scheduled to die, and the only three people who can save it were ordered to keep her quiet. Iona doesn't stay quiet. She drafts a counter-charter, broadcasts it in seven living languages, and claims a gravity well no one assigned her. Ring survival was never in the contract.