The fog rolled in across the city for the fourth day of the East Pacific Trade Conference. There had been no official political meetings during the first three days, they had been intentionally set aside for people to meet, get used to the location, and focus on the much larger and livelier part of the Conference, the company trade show. Companies big and small from across the East Pacific had been invited to make connections and display their wares in an effort to foster trade and spur economic and technological development among the movers and shakers of the free market.
Now, on day four, Representative Ramirez found herself at the top of one of the City’s fine hotels at the quite reasonable time of 9:45 alongside the mayor of San Francisco in position to great the officials from many of their close neighbors (and a few further away) as they arrived for the first of what would likely be several discussions.
The room behind them had been specifically chosen and rented for this purpose, though it was originally designed and more typically used as a business conference room. What recommended it, however, besides it’s useful size (12-16 people) and modern equipment, was its view. Three of its walls were entirely clear, giving an almost unobstructed view of the ocean, the bay and greenery of the northern peninsula.
Jennifer Ramirez looked up and instinctively pulled down on the bottom of her suit jacket as she heard the elevator ring its arrival to the floor with what she could only assume was the first of the delegates.

