Diplomacy

Kessler’s division into zones is also political – the Working Group responsible for a particular length of the ship also represents the interests of all its workers and inhabitants. Council meetings aboard Kessler are much louder affairs than the stately symposia; duty, identity and territory are deeply intertwined, and tempers flare when professional boundaries are seen to be crossed. By and large, however, the zones – and the Working Groups in charge of them, and the ship above them all – fundamentally need each other too much for disputes to spiral out of control.

Whenever a symposium is conducted, Kessler elects a Chancellor from among the Masters. This role combines that of a figurehead, a spokesperson, and a scapegoat: during their tenure, it is the Chancellor’s honour to represent Kessler to the Alliance and to mediate any disagreements that arise between researchers.