Arbitrium
ShortStory 5,078 words Recommended by 3 award/anthology sources
Vashti is a pathogenic diplomat—an ambassador to the world of viruses, whom she communicates with through a machine that can translate their chemical signals into images, tastes, smells, sounds, and memories. She begins a negotiation between the US Government and a diplomatic contingent from Arenavirus, a virus which has just begun spreading a deadly mutation in Florida.
Content warnings 2
deathillness-and-pandemic
Quasar links out; the story lives on Tor.com, where the author gets the click.