"Georg, pour me out a bit of whatever you're drinking," asked the one-hundred-twenty-year-old woman, who looked no older than forty.
I filled a glass and handed it to her.
"To the memory of your brother and his family!" The Orange House Head toasted and slowly but surely drained her glass. "Oof. That's some strong shit!"
Tears began welling up in Duchess Silva's eyes. Katerina and I waited patiently for our guest to catch her breath and chase the overly strong beverage with some juice.
"Why did you not make use of the chance to leave yet, your Highness?" Katerina asked.
The old lady chuckled:
"Because there was no reason to flee. I spoke with my fleet commander Nicole ton Savoia and asked her our chances of victory."
The Duchess turned on her palmtop computer and allowed us to hear the Perimeter Sector Eight Fleet Commander's answer:
"Duchess, even with equal fleet compositions, Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky would win, and he has ten times the ships we do. But the main thing is that half of my officers would refuse to fight against the hero of the Alien wars, and would even join his side right now if given the chance. Crown Prince Georg promised not to touch my ships in Tesse, and he always keeps his word. So I gave an order to the starships to simply stay and wait. I, meanwhile, have been invited to spend a few days in Crown Princess Likanna's palace on Tesse-III, and I intend on going."
"Yes, my daughter decided to enjoy the palace and yacht with her friends, including Nicole ton Savoia. The Crown Princesses' vacations will be ending soon. They'll have to go to the Throne World in a few days. So, let them have fun and relax as long as they can. I also gave some leave to Bionica, Valian ton Corsa, and my bodyguard Phobos, who is also with them."
"Don't you think that somewhat... unusual, Crown Prince Georg? There's a war going on, yet an Orange House fleet commander is going out for a fun weekend with some Unatari officers?!"
"No more unusual than the fact that the Orange House Head is drinking brandy with the ruler of Unatari and his officers," I countered with a smile, pouring her another glass.
Duchess Silva turned the glass in her hand and said:
"Alright, Georg, I'll be as direct as possible. It seems to me that the time has come to end this strange war my forbearer started between the Orange House and Unatari. As of yet, not a single shot has been fired in this war, and my Great House has already lost Sector Nine, and will be losing Sector Eight once and for all in a few days. Is that not so?"
"Almost. You should also add the fact that the largest Sector Seven fleet is under the command of my twin sister Crown Princess Violetta, and the Perimeter Sector Seven fleet was largely funded by me personally, and is thus very loyal to me."
"All the more so, then. Crown Prince Georg, I would like to hear your conditions for ending this conflict."
Katerina and I exchanged glances, and my advisor answered in my stead:
"The Orange House gives Unatari all Perimeter Sector Eight systems. After that, we will sign a peace treaty. Immediately after the peace treaty is signed, Duchess Silva royl George ton Mesfelle is to join the Unatari State, and will retain the title of Duchess and ownership of the Ulia system."
The Orange House Head spent quite some time in thought, then asked me what would become of Sector Seven. I shrugged my shoulders and answered, looking at the threatening black clouds that appeared in the flying palace’s path on the horizon:
"When I was a child, I promised my sister Violetta that I would make her Duchess of the Orange House. The time has come to fulfill that promise. What my sister does with that title and territory is up to her. She may choose to join the Purple House or Unatari. She may also choose to remain independent. All of that would be within her rights..."
"Attractive conditions. To be honest, I was expecting less after the military and political walloping you gave us. Alright, I agree."
The Orange House offers the Unatari State a peace treaty on the following terms: The Orange House shall cede the Asti, Rea, Bren, Ulia, Nessi, Docks, Tesse, Orange House, Himora, and Klesto systems to Unatari.
In the already familiar menu, I choose the option "Agree," and instantly received a bedsheet-length list of messages:
The Orange House has lost sovereignty over the Tesse system
The Unatari State has gained sovereignty over the Tesse system
The Orange House has lost sovereignty over the Orange House Capital system
The Unatari State has gained sovereignty over the Orange House Capital system
The Orange House has lost sovereignty over the Nessi system
The Unatari State has gained sovereignty over the Nessi system
The Orange House has lost sovereignty over the Ulia system
The Unatari State has gained sovereignty over the Ulia system
...
A peace treaty has been signed between the Unatari State and the Orange House.
The Head of the Orange House, Duchess Silva royl George ton Mesfelle has resigned.
ATTENTION! The new head of the Orange House will be Duchess Violetta royl Inoky ton Mesfelle (77.8% of votes)
Trial in the Emperor's Court
What an amazing morning! After many weeks spent in space, you start to value such simple joys as a blue sky over your head, a light, pleasant breeze and an eye-pleasing green lawn. I was sitting in a recliner near a wide-open window eating breakfast with my cousin Katerina. Our mood was marvelous, just like the weather. Bionica had just informed me that a message had come in from Crown Prince Demyen royl Amelius ton Lavaelle, commander of the Green House armada locked up in the Forepost-31 system. He finally wanted to discuss the terms of his fleet's capitulation.
We were only waiting for Marian Sabati. Holding the negotiations over long distance without her, given the corner we had Crown Prince Demyen backed into, would be reckless. The problem was that the Green House's strongest Truth Seeker, Baroness Veronica ton Taki was on his flagship, the battleship Immortal Gladiator. Not so terribly long ago, she was considered the third strongest psionic in the Empire, but she had recently lost that position to Miya.
"Your Majesty, incoming call from the Damir system, it's the Orange House Head, Duchess Violetta royl Inoky ton Mesfelle. Shall I put her through?"
I gave my permission, and my twin sister Violetta came on screen in the official robes of the Orange House Head, wearing the ducal crown over her chestnut hair.
"Congratulations, sister! Your life’s dream has come true!" I said merrily, but was not met with understanding.
"Georg, you can congratulate me later, after you've returned the Orange House's rightful territory to me, by which I mean Perimeter Sectors Eight and Nine. Until now, I had been waiting for you to do it without me having to remind you, but two days have already passed, and you don't seem to be in much of a rush."
Katerina and I exchanged surprised glances, after which I answered Violetta:
"You seem to be confused, sister. We agreed on the following: I help you move up the Orange House line of succession, and you give me financial support. Both you and I have completed our parts of the deal. You helped me at a difficult time, and I made you Duchess. Fair is fair."
"You call that fair?!" Violetta flew off the handle. "All that's left of the Orange House is a pitiful stump. There were once thousands of aristocrats in line to the throne, and now there are less than two hundred. Not even one planet with a population higher than one billion people remains. I want a proper Great House, not this mere parody! I want to live in the historic Orange House Capital, not on the outskirts of a duchy!"
At the end of her speech, Violetta was already screaming from the overflowing emotions in her voice. I then answered all her reproaches in the opposite way, as constrainedly and calmly as possible:
"Sister, you and I had no agreement on the number of systems the Orange House should contain, nor which systems they would be. Also, there's no way I can give you the former capital of the 'oranges,' as I have alrea
dy promised it to my son Georg, and I never break my promises."
"Ha! Look at how you uphold them! You robbed me blind, and still have the gall to brag of your nobility. Believe you me, I will not be leaving this so lightly, Georg! I will be making an official complaint to the Emperor!"
The screen turned off, but my ears were still ringing for a few seconds from Violetta's screaming. There was no trace remaining of my formerly good mood. Especially after Katerina, who abruptly grew gloomy herself, said thoughtfully:
"I can't possibly believe that such an experienced player of political games as Crown Princess Violetta royl Inoky would now act spontaneously or be counting on any other end to your conversation. No, she clearly purposely provoked you to refuse so she could create a scandal at some point in the future. It's very hard for me to believe that your sister has been sitting with her hands folded for two days. She has probably been horse trading with her neighbors, the Green and Purple Houses, to see which of them would give her more for Perimeter Sector Seven."
ATTENTION! The Orange House has ceased to exist.
The message’s arrival made me shudder, but Katerina perceived it as a matter of course. My cousin read into the news she saw, and commented out loud for me:
"I guess the Purple House offered more. Oh well. I can understand where Duke Takuro royl Andor is coming from. For centuries, the Purple House has been considered the most modest in size among all the Great Imperial Houses. The 'purples' used to only have two Perimeter Sectors: Five and Six, giving them the least inhabitable planets of the Great Houses. For the ability to increase the size of their territory by one and a half times in one go, Duke Takuro made your sister second in line to the Purple House throne, right after his oldest son. Beyond that, he appointed Crown Princess Violetta royl Inoky ton Mesfelle Minister of External Affairs. I'm afraid, Georg, that the times of good relations between the Unatari State and the Purple House are behind us..."
Standing change. Purple House (Empire) opinion of the Unatari State has worsened.
Present Purple House (Empire) faction opinion of the Unatari State: +4 (ambivalent)
Katerina must have had second sight, as she had just predicted this very event. I chuckled bitterly, and my second cousin said:
"I'm afraid that this is only the beginning, Georg. Now, at every opportunity, your sister will lower her faction relationship with you until there is a total diplomatic break, or even open war..."
My cousin abruptly went silent as an officer came into the room. He gave a salute and reported:
"Your Majesty, we've just received an order from the Emperor's secretariat for Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle to make immediately for the Throne World. The message is code red: maximum importance."
"I wonder what my opponents are accusing me of this time?" I marveled thoughtfully, not understanding what was going on. "And who is leveling these accusations? The Green House? But we're at war. The Lavaelle family can hardly be called a neutral party. It can't be Violetta, right? She wouldn't have had time, and what she has, demanding territory from me on the basis of childhood promises, isn't exactly enough to build a rigorous case."
"No matter who our opponent is, I'll be going with you, Georg!" Katerina stood up decisively. "You need my support."
"Crown Prince, I sense a serious danger. As much for your Highness personally as for everyone going with you to the Throne World. I am sure it is a trap. There will be no way back from the Throne World for you, and all witnesses have already been condemned to death. I'm simply shaking from the serious disaster I foresee."
Florianna's warning sounded very frightening. I told my cousin what the Truth Seeker had said, and Katerina sat back in the chair again and stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"What is the point of setting a trap for you, and also killing the witnesses of your meeting with the Emperor? There must be a reason of overarching importance for such actions, but I don't see it. Sure, the Throne World may not be happy with some of your actions, but not to such a point that they would forget tradition and hospitality, attacking a ruler loyal to the Empire. There's something we're not seeing, Georg. And we need to understand what it is exactly. Perhaps a very strong Truth Seeker could tell us. Where is Marian Sabati?"
"The last time I saw her was in the palace the day before yesterday at approximately the same time the guests were leaving the funeral. Maybe she took crystals and is sleeping. She's definitely not on the flying island, though. Our guards have already checked all the rooms."
Just then, Popori de Cacha appeared from invisibility before me and, training both of his mobile eyes on me, reported:
"Crown Prince Georg, I've just received information from the Ulia star system that five hours ago, Marian Sabati passed through border control and left Unatari State borders. There was no order to hold her, and our border guards let the Truth Seeker through into the Imperial Core."
What?! Katerina and I exchanged glances. Marian Sabati, who was wanted for murdering the Head of the Orange House, had gone to a system where she would be immediately arrested? But why?! And, mainly, what had made her leave? It can't have been about Verena's accusation that she stole twenty-five billion from the Orange House treasury, right? I am reminded that Marian Sabati gave me eight of that. She must have kept the rest for herself. Was she afraid I'd ask for the rest of the money? That could hardly be...
"She is bringing Unatari secrets to the Throne World!" Katerina's face lit up in realization. "That's it! Our military and scientific developments, present military strength, the two Quasars and other ships currently under construction at secret docks, the hidden Mammoth, the real state of affairs in our economy, the location of the Queen, our agreements with the Swarm... Marian Sabati thinks she will receive amnesty by giving this information to the Throne World!"
"And that isn't all she's bringing," I said, growing vexed. "There's also our plans for internal politics, which will definitely not be liked by the Blue and Green Great Houses, our secret agreements with the androids, the secret of the Mechanoids, the secret of how Duchess Inessa royl George died, and..."
Here my hair began to stand on end in horror. Marian Sabati knew the secret of my having taken Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle's place! That would mean it was all over! I couldn't refuse a visit to the Emperor, and the first check by the Dark Mother, knowing exactly what to ask and search for... I stood up, belabored, and scanned the room with a mad, unseeing gaze.
"Cousin, I need some time to be alone and think on the difficult situation that has arisen. For now, you call the yacht Queen of Sin from Unatari and send all three Crown Princesses to Tesse-III so they can get ready to fly to the Throne World."
I went into one of the rooms inside the chic palace, turned off the huge data screen on the wall and the surveillance system, and turned window transparency down to zero. I turned to the bodyguards who had accompanied me there and ordered them all, even the Chameleons, Phobos and Rosss to leave the room and wait for me in the next room over. The door had barely closed behind the last bodyguard when I went into the corner and turned around in order to have the whole room in my field of view. I had long wanted to see how exactly this happened.
"Miya, I need you now!"
One moment passed, and a group of people and Chameleons materialized in the room looking as if they had always been there. My spouse, in a long bright-crimson dress instantly got her bearings and turned to meet my gaze with no hesitation. In that short moment, her duo of Chameleon bodyguards had already managed to entirely camouflage themselves.
"Ayna, drop your weapon, everything is fine." Only after Miya saying that sentence did I realize that the huge figure in heavy assault armor, partially blurred by the force field surrounding her, was my spouse's servant.
Ayna clicked the safety of her infantry resonator on, put the terrifying short-range weapon into her belt holster, and turned off her force field. Only then did I notice a little dark-haired girl at the armored amazon's feet, clinging tight
ly to a plush donkey.
"Deia, this is your daddy," Miya said, introducing me. "Go to him, daughter."
In my spouse's voice, when she spoke to our daughter, I could hear notes of tenderness and warmth. But the little Crown Princess shook her head in fear anyway, ran to her mother and buried her face in her dress. Miya could only smile guiltily, then opened her arms and embraced our daughter. I also smiled in embarrassment, not knowing how to react to the situation.
"Alright then, we can leave the sentimental stuff for later. Let's talk business," my spouse stated in a totally different, cold and metallic voice. "So... the Throne World has gone on the attack. It was very good, Georg, that you realized you should call me before the meeting with the Emperor. As far as I understand, Marian Sabati has already fled?"
"She left two days ago," I confirmed, trying not to show my surprise at Miya's acumen. "Though I still don't understand why she wanted to, or how Marian Sabati is hoping to avoid arrest and severe punishment."
"She doesn’t plan on avoiding arrest. In fact, at the first possible opportunity, she will give herself up to the Imperial authorities, at which point she will be brought to the Throne World safe and sound. And there's nothing to punish her for then; she was merely carrying out an order form her true master. Yes, Georg, Marian Sabati was never Duke Avalle royl Anjer's Truth Seeker. Her real master was..."
"The Emperor!" I blurted out in a stroke of genius.
Miya gave a few soft claps, congratulating me on my intuition.
"That's right! Few know the truth about that, just a close circle of the strongest Truth Seekers. Even Duke Avalle himself didn't suspect his psionic was truly serving another. Marian Sabati is the second or maybe even third strongest of the Emperor's Truth Seekers. How many psionics the Emperor actually has can only be guessed. Lots. The admiration that August receives from hundreds of billions of Imperial citizens, is more than enough to nourish several strong Truth Seekers and dozens of weaker ones. During the recent battle with the Queen, Krista, who is formally considered a servant of Duchess Ovella of the Blue House, brought forty Truth Seekers with the Dark Mother at the head. And they were all working on the same wavelength. The fact that they all must have been serving one master I only realized after myself working Flora, my own protégée."
New Contract (Perimeter Defense Book #3) Page 34