"Alright then, it's decided. Everything is clear with the Elvinians. I feel like we could also use those gigantic mathematicians. They should be directed toward reinforcing scientific groups, especially those working in the field of studying space and fast travel. So, call the Elvinian and Gygosian representatives here into separate rooms for private conversations. I'll talk with the rest of the diplomats now. I will not demand that they throw their species into the furnace of interstellar war, I will simply put a choice before them. They can help my state, which will cause their race to get a royal reward of money, resources, technology and seats in the future senate, or even new planets for them to settle. They can also stay aside in the forthcoming squabble, then no one will touch them. But if any of the races try to aid the Empire or the Grand Duchy, I swear that I will make their entire species extinct!"
* * *
It's very rare that I dream, and I never ever have nightmares. Perhaps, it is evidence of my age and life experience, which has made it practically impossible for anything to scare me. But maybe, my psionics were protecting their ruler's dreams very effectively and chasing off negative visions and emotions. So, when I saw an old lady in a black robe with a hood thrown down over her face and a staff in her bony hands, I wasn't scared at all, more curious.
I really wanted to look under her hood and see her face. In the end, it was my dream, so I made the rules! No sooner said than done, a gust of wind shot up suddenly and threw back the hood, revealing a wrinkled face, a nearly bald head with very thin gray hair and white eyes that could hardly see a thing.
"Greetings, Krista!" I said, immediately recognizing the galaxy's strongest Truth Seeker. I couldn’t imagine why she’d be in my dream, but still I bowed politely to the powerful lady.
"For some reason, you aren't afraid of me at all..." she groaned out in dismay instead of greeting me, and I heard distinct notes of disappointment in her voice.
I smiled happily at the very strongest of the Emperor's psionics and explained:
"You've got the right outfit, so if you had jagged scythe in your hands instead of a staff, you could have actually scared me."
But Krista obviously didn't get my joke. And it really was an obvious mistake on my part. In Perimeter Defense, death was never depicted as a hooded figure with a scythe. In this world, it took the form of a glowing, semi-transparent winged spirit normally of a purple or blue color. At any rate, I moved past it and continued talking:
"I'm not afraid of any Truth Seekers, even one so powerful as you. This is my territory, where billions of people and Iseyek adore me, so you are very limited in your abilities. What is more, your calling is as a teacher and advisor, not an assassin and, in case of danger, Miya and Florianna would come instantly to my aid."
"That is all true, Georg," the old lady said, easily agreeing and sitting down on a carved wood chair with creak. Where it had appeared from, I could not say.
I also decided I wanted one and was not even remotely surprised when a second chair appeared next to me, an exact copy of the first. Krista nodded in approval:
"Good boy, Georg, you're a quick learner. You have undoubtable psionic inclinations, and if you'd been born a woman, you could have become a Truth Seeker with time. But know this for the future: there isn't a single Truth Seeker capable of harming a person who has absolutely no faith in the psionic's abilities and is fully confident in their own power. It's too bad August still hasn't figured that out..."
I didn't ask anything. Krista explained the last part all on her own:
"Every strong Truth Seeker can sense the coming of her death. And now, I can sense mine, as well as that of my master. I have no reason to feel pity. I've lived a very long life and have no fear of death. My time is at an end, and I must now make way for a new cohort. But August cannot understand that and make peace with the inevitable. The Emperor is lurching about like a wild animal in a cage, won't trust anyone and is prepared to annihilate anyone just to draw out his days. And now, he ordered me to use my psionic abilities to appear in your dream and kill you. I cannot defy my master's will, which is why I came. But I won't even try to kill you. I have neither the strength nor the desire..."
"Could I interest you in a glass of wine? I won't make it too strong." I offered. Krista was very well inclined to my suggestion.
A moment later, a table with a bottle and glasses appeared before us, and immediately thereafter came a dish of fruits. I poured some wine and Krista raised her glass.
"To the future of humanity!" I said, making a toast, and the old lady sipped the wine.
"I wonder, Georg, what do you think that future will look like?"
I just shrugged my shoulders ambiguously, because I didn't really have a firm grasp myself.
"You're the Truth Seeker here, not me. You should know. I can say one thing for certain: I will do everything in my power to fight back the hordes of Aliens from the systems they captured, and humanity will be unified one way or another."
"One way or another?" the old lady asked, mimicking me. "All I see for now is that you are planning to stir up some chaos in the Imperial Core by inspiring doubt in the power of August royl Akad. And though there is now relative parity between the Empire and the Grand Duchy, after your actions, the balance will be thrown brutishly in the enemy’s favor. The chaos that follows that will allow the Antagonists to capture the Throne World relatively quickly..."
"That isn't at all certain! The Antagonists have plenty of their own problems. My sister, co-ruler of the Grand Duchy Violetta, using her desire to get revenge on my mother's killers as a basis, has begun a witch-hunt against the Lavaelle family. As far as I know, all over the Grand Duchy, they are arresting the ruling heights of the former Green House and all their allies, among whom are quite a few highly placed military figures. What's more, not today, but tomorrow, five star systems will be leaving the Grand Duchy for the Unatari State, because they're cut off from the main territory by the destroyed warp beacon in the Khell system. My diplomats are actively working on it, and progress in negotiations with the local leaders has been made. But if I think the Grand Duchy is starting to manage their internal chaos, believe you me, I have plenty more methods of throwing problems their way."
Krista finished her wine in a couple small sips, praised its complex flavor and set the glass aside.
"I'll admit, August and I seriously underestimated you, Georg. Right up until today, the Emperor thought you could only act straightforwardly, counting exclusively on your fleet leading abilities and brute force. But you are trickier than that. You turned the main figures on the political arena against one another, yet managed to basically avoid any open conflict yourself. You declared yourself heir to the Antagonists, and also a pretender to the Imperial throne, and now you're just waiting for the most opportune moment to take those things from your enemies, who are tied up in war. You think you've got everything under control, and the situation is going your way. But don't think you're the smartest of all, Georg. You're also being manipulated, and have been for a long time, to great effect."
"And who is manipulating me? Have you got any proof of that?" I asked untrustingly and Krista lowered her eyes to the floor.
"Georg, I'm not here to demand answers and explanations, I'm just here to suggest you think about one strange fact. During the joint mental attack of Truth Seekers on the second Alien Queen, she unexpectedly tried to speak with us. The Alien superconscience clearly recognized Miya and asked her just one question: 'Why?' Instead of answering that question, your wife instantly broke the psionic link and attacked my group, taking advantage of the concentrated force of her students. It was an unexpected strike. It took me great effort just to protect myself. I wasn't even able to save a few of my oldest friends... Ever since then, I've been wracking my brains over what her goal was, and what secret binds her and the Aliens?"
I understood that the Truth Seeker couldn't lie flagrantly, because doing so would mean being deprived of her psionic abilities. But what i
f, for a psionic, who already sees her death soon, losing abilities wouldn't be such a serious sacrifice, and the ability to cause a split in the enemy camp's leadership fully justified it? So, I answered quite neutrally:
"That isn't the way my wife told it..."
"I don't doubt that, Crown Prince. But you think here: it cannot be that those who sit in the Throne World are harebrained idiots, who also have such worthless military advisors that, during a serious conflict with the Grand Duchy, they would begin a second war and immediately call back a thousand starships from the front to guard the border with Unatari, right? Now, I realize that the conflict was a consequence of Miya's desire to hide her contact with the Aliens. But then, we perceived the attack on the Emperor's psionics as a declaration of war and were expecting a speedy invasion of Unatari ships into the Imperial Core."
I stayed silent. The things Krista was saying were very logical, explaining a lot of strange aspects of Imperial politics and truly giving rise to doubts in my soul. The old lady, meanwhile, continued her speech:
"Georg, there is another strange episode I suggest you think over. In all that tangle, someone killed Milena, Truth Seeker to your daughter, Crown Princess Likanna. But neither I nor my allies attacked the girl, I am completely sure of that. We had no reason to. But nevertheless, the girl died. Think for yourself: who could have profited from her death?"
"Only someone who wants to do harm to my daughter Likanna," I suggested, my teeth now clenched.
"That's exactly right. And there's one more thing you should think over. Georg, the first time I saw Miya on the doorstep of my school in the Throne World, she was a young girl who looked to be sixteen or eighteen, and possessed an undoubtable gift for Truth Seeking. Even then, she already had the ability to create impenetrable defense against mind reading. It's been one hundred and fifty years since then, but your wife hasn't changed one bit. It takes Miya just a few minutes to rejuvenate herself back into the very same young and innocent-looking girl I first saw. And, as it were, while she was studying, several students died, and conflicts flared up between instructors. Three teachers committed suicide... Even the Dark Mother took part in the study of the tragic events. No connection between the murders was detected then, as was no ill intent, but the Truth Seeker school was closed down all the same. No one thought twice about Miya, though. An underclassman of little importance, she was too young and weak. But for a while now, I've been thinking — how old was Miya really at that time? What if she just seemed weak and young, but really was an experienced agent, embedding herself and successfully fulfilling a secret mission to destroy the psionic school and thus weaken the Empire?"
I didn't answer at all, and Krista didn't ask me to say anything in my wife's defense. The old lady clearly wanted to say her fill and, at the same time, muddy the waters in her opponent's ranks. The Truth Seeker sighed heavily:
"Ugh, I'd like to talk with you longer, Georg, but I have to say farewell. I can sense that you'll be awoken soon. You don't have to believe me, that's your right, but still think about what I’ve told you. And my advice to you is to quickly find a new Truth Seeker for Crown Princess Likanna to replace the late Milena. It wouldn't hurt to protect your two other older daughters as well. Just don't choose one of the young girls Miya is training — her adepts are already fanatically loyal to the Red Queen. They will act as her eyes, ears and deadly hands. I hope you understand that such a Truth Seeker will certainly not protect your daughter and, if anything, will aggravate the threat. Astra, though, doesn't need her own Truth Seeker. Just keep the beauty near you, and her sister Florianna will protect you both. But I would still advise your favorite to carry a weapon, like a blade or a miniature laser pistol she can hide in her clothing."
The last piece of advice was so useless that I couldn't even hold back a chuckle. There were a plethora of the most experienced and reliable bodyguards surrounding me day and night, so I was sure I could manage without my favorite, of all people. And also, imagining Astra with a weapon in her hands was just as hard as imagining a ballerina with a set of plumbing tools, or a kangaroo in felt boots and a G-string. And it was with that image in mind and a smile on my face that I was awoken.
* * *
My cousin Katerina was in my bunk, shaking me by the shoulder, trying to wake me up quickly. From my very first glance at her rumpled hair and robe, hurriedly thrown on top of her pajamas, it became clear that my advisor herself had just jumped out of bed and hurried to me with a report.
"Georg, I have two pieces of urgent news. The first is that Duke Amelius royl Mast ton Lavaelle is on hold waiting to talk. He requests an audience with you and, what's more, says he wishes to discuss the capitulation of his fleet and Unatari State citizenship for him and his people."
"What?!" All remnants of sleep instantly flew out of my head. "Put him through! Actually, no. Wait! First tell me what the second piece of news is."
"Our cloaked frigates studying the Alien controlled systems of the former Red House have detected a large enemy fleet in the Oolaa system, Perimeter Sector Fifteen. They have more than five thousand Alien ships and another Queen!!!"
There it was, the third and I very much hoped last Alien fleet in human space! It was vitally important that we destroy it at any cost. But then the Alien problem would disappear! The only other Aliens in human space were scattered groups of three to seven Alien ships in Sectors Fifteen and Fourteen. They could be caught later, just as we would also clear all the planets the Aliens captured one after the next. The most important thing now was not to let the Queen and her armada go!
That news had complete possession of my consciousness. I immediately demanded detailed information be sent to my terminal about the composition and number of the enemy fleet, and began to go through the fastest potential routes for the Unatari State Fleet to reach the Oolaa system. What was more, I even forgot about the Duke waiting to talk to me. Only the fact that Katerina was next to me, clearly waiting for something, returned me to reality, and I demanded to immediately be brought some clothing adequate to my status as a monarch in order not to conduct the conversation with the upper aristocrat in nothing but my underwear.
Finally, I told her that I was ready for the conversation with the high-born aristocrat. The screen lit up and... at that very second Duke Amelius royl Mast ton Lavaelle fell down on one knee and pressed his forehead to the floor.
"Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, I trust in Your Highness’s just nature and request that you hear me out! I swear by my honor as an aristocrat that neither I nor those near me have ever even thought anything untoward against your dear mother, Grand Duchess Elisa royl Mesfelle-Lavaelle and that we had nothing to do with her death. I am prepared to undergo a Truth Seeker check to prove my innocence..."
Not hiding my surprise, I exchanged glances with my advisor. Katerina was also in shock and just screwed her face up in disgust. Once the proud and majestic head of the Green House, it was now painful and disgusting to look at him. A pitiful bald old man scared to death, who had burned through all his majesty and was now begging for mercy...
"On your feet, Duke. At least have the pride to speak to me standing!"
My words were intended to help the old man get himself together, but had the opposite effect. Amelius royl Mast ton Lavaelle's spirits fell through the deck of his ship. Not getting up from his knees, he moaned out in pain and hissed out, barely audible:
"I beg mercy, if not for me, then at least for the members of my family... There are not so many of them left..."
Psh! A pitiful creature, he aroused nothing but scorn. All the same, it would have been stupid not to take advantage of the convenient opportunity to figure out all the details that weren't yet clear about the ruling heights of the Grand Duchy.
"Amelius, I need information on the Gold House Triumvirate and all the co-rulers of the Grand Duchy. Tell me their names and I promise to grant mercy to you and your relatives."
The old man, not standing from his knees, r
aised his head. Was it just me, or did I see on his face, beyond the distinct mask of fear, a shimmer of clear surprise?
"Of course, Crown Prince Georg, I'll tell you everything I know. During the celebration of her three hundred fiftieth birthday, the ruler of the Antagonists, Crown Princess Eleonora royl Akad offered power over the Gold House to her three closest relatives, the so-called Triumvirate. The first member of the Triumvirate is your late mother, the Grand Duchess Elisa royl Clement ton Mesfelle Lavaelle. The second is your sister the Grand Duchess Violetta royl Inoky ton Mesfelle Damir. And the third is... you, Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle."
The floor rocked under my feet. It cost me great effort to hold the unflappable expression on my face. Now that was something! My foreign policy advisor Katerina, who was standing inside the Duke's field of vision, even covered her mouth with her hand in order not to show her shock with a scream.
"Very strange, I don't remember ever meeting Eleonora," I said thoughtfully. "My memories of her birthday are full of holes, because during the celebration, I was strung out on crystals..."
A toothless explanation, but I couldn't think of anything my cousin would perceive as more truthful. I do not know if Katerina believed me or not, but the expression of horror slid off her face. Meanwhile, Duke Amelius continued:
"They say that your elder brother Roben royl Inoky ton Mesfelle was also offered to become a shadow ruler of the Antagonists, but that he categorically refused."
"Now that I believe completely!" I said, now somewhat calmer, and even finding the strength to laugh. "Roben had no interest in politics in any form. In fact, he tried to stay as far as possible from any conspiracies or potential dangers. But that's all in the past. I need information on the co-rulers of the Grand Duchy."
Duke Amelius finally stood to his feet and answered with a deep bow:
"There are still three co-rulers from what I know, but I only know the name of one: Grand Duchess Violetta royl Inoky ton Mesfelle Damir. I tried to come to an agreement with your sister so I could also be a co-ruler, but she refused. Your sister told me that all positions were taken, telling me you were one of them. I'm afraid that I cannot help Your Highness in this matter."
A Game With No Rules (Perimeter Defense Book #4) LitRPG Series Page 30