Chapter 16Mac ushered Kaire into his office and closed the door panel, making certain to engage the rarely used security lock. Council members and other colleagues were accustomed to seeing his door at least partially open; they usually spoke into the audio-box and without waiting for a response, entered the office. Accessibility was important to Mac, a way to demonstrate he was a servant of the community not the other way round. Settlers were encouraged to participate in all important decision making, the council’s role seen as one of discernment rather than enforcement. It took time to reach consensus and Mac had to admit he sometimes wished majority rule prevailed, but the community had been run this way since its foundation and so far the system had proved successful.
Mac indicated th
