Note: Chapters 19-23 are being posted together.
“Is everyone going to assume I’m a walking, talking cock on legs?” Ethan asked, annoyed.
Ulijaa looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and a forked tongue slithered out of her mouth questioningly.
“As you can see, Ulijaa, Ethan is the true Sovereign and ruler,” Sai said with a smile. “There’s no grand plot here. I’m overseeing the transfer of power, which will take much longer than the Union expected. Multiple tencycles, from the looks of this mess.”
Heafi’s expression tightened but she said nothing.
Ulijaa’s hands rose to her face and she fiddled with her fingers in a curious manner. Her eyes bore into Ethan. Given the veil that covered one half of her face, he found her gaze disconcerting.
“Lady Ulijaa—” Heafi eventually said.
“You don’t need to chide me, little Fi,” Ulijaa said, causing Heafi to go red in the face. “I’m simply processing what may have caused the Union to finally appoint a Sovereign. A human of all races. It’s impossible for them to have risen to even the status of Union membership within fifty cycles. Our new ruler doesn’t even have the sort of background or connections that the most… dubious appointments had previously.”
“Don’t call me that name,” Heafi mumbled, staring at the floor. “I’m not a child anymore.”
“Everyone’s a child to me.”
“Even me?” A grin split Sai’s face in two.
“No. I’m not so arrogant as to talk down to a Vaelix who could have known my mother.” Ulijaa’s gaze turned to Sai. “All the more reason to be so confused about the situation.”
After a few more moments, she slithered to the front of the three thrones, and gestured for Heafi to sit. Ethan spotted a pair of bodyguards bearing Ulijaa’s house emblem, including another Jiin. They hovered uncomfortably behind the Hounds.
Ulijaa gave Ethan a half-bow, which was as much as she reasonably could given the nature of her lower half. “My apologies, Sovereign. I am Lady Ulijaa of House Zaal. We are responsible for commercial logistics within the Association. Postal services, parcels, ensuring all manner of mineral or foodstuff gets where it needs to be, and even private correspondence if it takes on a physical form. This has been our vocation since my kind uncoiled itself from gravitational limits. House Zaal was once <Uncoiled Logistics>, and we formed part of the Association’s original venture into the Rim.”
“That’s a hell of a history,” he said. “So you’re the beating heart of the Association then?”
“A curious assumption.” She raised her head and looked at him expressionlessly.
“Is it? The Association’s business is in mining. It can’t make money if it doesn’t ship its goods. If the workers aren’t fed on time, they can’t mine, which requires shipping the food. The people want luxuries, and for all the futuristic wonders I’ve discovered since leaving my backwater of a homeworld, physical goods still win out over the virtual. I’m more surprised that you’ve remained in control of something so vital for so long.”
A deep, sibilant chuckle escaped Ulijaa, before she covered her mouth with a laced handkerchief and schooled her expression. “It is precisely because it is so vital that nobody wants it. We are the middlewoman of every major business within the Association, and are squeezed for every penny so that others may construct glorious estates and palaces with their embezzled funds. But we are good at it, well-connected, and nobody else wants the role.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’re practically living in poverty,” Sai droned.
Ulijaa smiled. “Absolutely. It has been interesting meeting you Sovereign, but I must—”
“Wait, that’s it?” Ethan leaned back in surprise. “I refuse to believe you came here just to say ‘hi, I’m old and my family is important’ then leave. Especially with that introduction.”
“I was mistaken, Sovereign. Now—”
“No, Ethan is correct. Out with it, Ulijaa,” Sai said. “I’m trying to move quickly. I don’t want to receive cryptic messages and have to waste valuable time chasing you down to get the truth.”
Silence. Ulijaa pulled herself up to her full height, or as high as she could with her snake tail still coiled on the ground, and stood taller than even Kiels.
“I don’t understand your game, Executor,” Ulijaa said. “Your name was known to me long before the Union locked us down. If the Union is sending an Executor with a record as unblemished as yours, it means they’re taking the matter seriously. But nothing else adds up.”
“Because I’m a man?” Ethan asked, more than a touch sardonically. “As I said when you walked in, is everyone going to assume I’m some dumbass beast who can only think of sex?”
Ulijaa’s eyes narrowed. “I have more than enough experience to understand men, as well as people in general. My mother was the only founder to side with Toress Bershlagger when she seized complete control of the Association. I became the house head after my mother was assassinated in a failed coup a hundred cycles later. I personally found and killed the house heads responsible, tearing their limbs off one-by-one with my own tail. The Sovereign rewarded my loyalty with a man from her own harem. While his breeding days are long over, he remains my closest confidant.” A smirk rose to her face. “So, yes, I understand that men think of more than sex.”
Something about the way she spoke bothered Ethan. It was subtly different to others, but he couldn’t quite place it.
Moving on, he said, “Then I’m assuming it’s something personal?”
“No. It’s because I don’t know you at all, and with everything in motion there’s every chance you’ll be dead within a week.”
Heafi hissed, and Junim squawked, their wings flapping from the side. For the first time, Ethan noticed one of the twins was carrying a small ceramic container now.
Sai rubbed the bridge of her nose, her ears leaning forward. “That’s why I’m here. Or do you doubt my ability?”
“No. But you’ve surely already realized what’s afoot,” Ulijaa said. “That’s why I assumed this to be a plot. If the fools here won’t accept and work with their new Sovereign, then it gives the Union every excuse to sweep aside the agreement and dismantle the Association. It only exists because the Union allows it. What better way to justify a Union takeover than a direct assault on an Executor?”
Sai remained unmoving, while Ethan blinked several times in surprise. Even Heafi stared at the Vaelix in shock.
“I can’t deny that the Union might do that, but if I call in a Union fleet, I’d prefer it to be to assure Ethan’s rule, not to obliterate seven hundred cycles of history,” Sai said. “House Zaal have always been loyal to the Sovereign. Will you help us?”
Ulijaa looked between Ethan and Sai, then shrugged. “My loyalty was never in question. Should anything occur, we will provide what aid we can. But we operate logistics and our margins are thin. Going out on a limb to actively support you…” She met Ethan’s gaze.
“How about if I’m alive in a week, you help me just like your mother helped Toress Bershlager?” he offered.
A deep laugh escaped Ulijaa. “Quite the boast and a bold request.” She lowered her head and gave another half-bow. “The Rim needs boldness, Sovereign. Handle your immediate issues, and you’ll have a deal. If I may offer a hint… There have been erratic shipments in the city’s underbelly, including through the foldgate. Less shipping than usual goes through us, thanks to this nasty schism within the Association, but the recent rise is suspicious.”
“I have a feeling I know who’s responsible,” Ethan said bitterly.
Ulijaa’s eyebrows shot up. “Then perhaps you have a reason to be so bold. Maybe you weren’t a random choice by the Union after all.” She glanced at Sai, who remained impassive. “I bid you pleasant and safe rest until we next meet, Sovereign, Executor.”
The noble left.
Kiels leaned against the side of Ethan’s throne and let out an explosive sigh. For some reason, Lati showed little response. Her fingers ran along her cybernetic arms as she stared into space while biting her lip.
“I wish I could say how that went, but I don’t have the slightest clue,” Ethan said.
“Is it a human thing to judge everything by how well it went?” Kiels asked. “Sometimes things just are.”
“That’s very zen.”
Her brain visibly short-circuited, presumably as the word “zen” didn’t translate neatly.
“We can judge this encounter, I believe,” Yany said, staring at Sai in concern. “Mistress?”
The Vaelix in question leaned her head on one palm and stared after the departed snakewoman, who had long since left her view. Junim stood in her gaze but showed little discomfort from the apparent interest of a Union executor.
“Mistress?” Yany repeated, stressing the word.
Sai blinked a few times. “Hmm? I don’t think Ethan will get lucky with Ulijaa, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I wasn’t, but thank you for your amazing insight,” he drawled. “Something wrong?”
“I’m simply…” She sighed and stood, stretching her limbs in a way that drew his eyes to her ample curves. “Heafi, is there a secure place we can talk? There’s only so much we can do here, given it’s public.” Her gaze ran over the House Orlov soldiers lurking behind the Hounds.
Heafi shook her head. “I’m unwilling to vouch for anywhere else in the headquarters at the moment. There are no recording devices here, and I’m doubtful anyone had a chance to plant them on such short notice. It doesn’t appear they expected us to address them at all.”
“You’re saying there aren’t any secure conference rooms here?” Ethan asked.
“There should be… As Steward, I have complete access to security here, but that only makes me more doubtful. The records I searched for earlier were… not there. We should assume the HQ is compromised. Speaking of which…”
She tapped away on her tablet while striding over to the soldiers by the side. Junim flanked her.
“All Association security forces are to return to their existing duties,” Heafi said, speaking to the soldiers. “If you’re assigned to VIP Protection Services, you’ll be re-assigned. The Sovereign has brought his own security force and will be administered to by the military until his Scepter is fully established. Dismissed!”
The ranks of Orlov soldiers snapped to attention and saluted, albeit less crisply than the Association marines Ethan was used to. Then they filed out of the hall.
That meant only Ethan and those he trusted remained.
“Is there any way to ensure we’re not being eavesdropped on?” he asked. “Like you did when we first met?”
Sai snorted. “That was on a tiny space station above a backwater planet, where nobody expected us. But we can take measures. Heafi and I came to an agreement about combining our abilities. Fortunately, I’m used to operating around nullifiers so long as she doesn’t try to disable me, even if I’d prefer not to.”
He looked pointedly at Yany, who smiled back.
“Yany doesn’t count,” Sai added.
“Right. Then back to our lovely snake noble? What’s got you so bothered?”
Sai flopped back on her seat and stared out over the empty stands. “My grasp on the issues wracking the Rim is weak. I had expected resistance to Union involvement, given we cut the Rim off for fifty cycles and weren’t the friendliest over the past two administrations. But Ulijaa and House Zaal are old and well-connected, even within the Union. That she suspected I was here to destroy the Association entirely…”
“I didn’t expect that,” Heafi said quietly. “We exist because the Union never wanted to bother with the Rim.”
“Haven’t times changed?” Ethan asked. “The Yinil and Taer are closer to the Rim than ever, Mortami is potentially working with them, and it seems that the union were interfering with the position of Sovereign constantly.”
“The Association was never expected to the largest megacorp in the galaxy,” Sai said. “At its peak, it rivaled the largest minor powers in strength, such as the Luchi. That’s why the Union expected it to survive fifty cycles or more of being cut off.”
“You underestimated corruption, huh?”
Yany nodded. “Indeed we did. The problem with corruption is that those conducting it won’t stop, even when the game is clearly over. The investment houses relied on extremely high exports to the Union to support their embezzlement and fraud. Once those stopped, they had to either cut back their lifestyles or allow the Association to fail.”
Ethan looked around himself. He recalled the glorious state of the city. The wealthy partners of the Association wanted for nothing, Heafi talked of his extensive estates, and Junim had arranged for a greeting including a dedicated harem and some diva he’d never heard of.
Then he remembered how little interstellar traffic there had been compared to what there should be, as well as the low number of powerful warships. Sai had said the Association once had battleships—not battlecruisers, but the titanic city-sized vessels that could match entire fleets.
“The house of cards came crumbling down,” he said. “If the Union knew how much money the Association was making and using to fund the exorbitant lifestyle of a tiny few, would that change matters?”
“Fifty cycles ago? Absolutely,” Sai said, causing Heafi to gasp. “Both the Taer Empire and Yinil Republics are expanding because they need resources and wealth. They would have leaped on any chance to renegotiate the deal with the Association. Now?” Her eyes narrowed. “The Rim faces the same problems that dissuaded the Union in the first place. It’s a basket case, too distant for easy investment, and requires extensive time dedicated to it for support. Ulijaa’s wrong to assume anyone would try to seize it outright.”
“If Mortami promised to handle those problems, they’d receive support from others, wouldn’t they?” Ethan held a knuckle to his lips and stifled a grin. “Hell, we could do the same, couldn’t we? Nobody wants to seriously invest here, but they want the returns. Once we convince others that Mortami’s success isn’t a fait accompli, we can negotiate directly with the powers of the Union, can’t we? Gain leverage of our own and aid in stabilizing the Association.”
The others stared at him, while a smile stretched across Sai’s face.
“<Fait accompli.> That’s a nice phrase, even translated,” Sai purred. “I really did underestimate you, Ethan. Although I should have guessed somebody who became a privateer despite coming from a backwater had some smarts to back it up.”
“Thanks.” He found himself saying that sarcastically far too much. “What did you make of Ulijaa otherwise?”
“She’s too experienced to throw herself in with us when a coup is in the making. Otherwise, you did well. Although there was some dumb luck in it. She has a thing for males, it seems, and not in a sexual way. Everyone has their predilections, I suppose. Perhaps I should gain some.”
“The hint she gave us is something we should act on,” Kiels said. “A few of the Hounds can—”
“No,” Yany interrupted. “As Ethan implied, this problem is related to Mortami. Their agents will have an updated Union database, including profiles on all active personnel. That means they’ll recognize all soldiers. Anyone who investigates will need to obscure their face and identity, or not be registered with the Union.”
“Lati, in other words,” Ethan said.
The dragongirl in question sprang to life and stared at him. “Eh? What am I being nominated for?”
“Pregnancy,” Sai snapped. “If you’re going to be marshal, try not to drift off in important discussions.”
“If I’m going to triple in size, then I don’t think it matters how much attention I pay.” Lati crossed her arms. “So? What the hell is going on?”
Ethan frowned, bothered by how little attention she’d paid. “We need somebody to investigate a smuggling operation within the city, which is probably connected to Mortami. But I think we can talk about that later, after you get some rest. We get some rest.”
Lati opened her mouth to argue, before closing it and nodding. “Sure. Not sure I can help with stealth when Mortami knows exactly who I am.”
“You can make up a story about how you want to betray Ethan now you know how much money is involved,” Kiels said. “Play into the stereotype of Yinil corruption and greed.”
“Easier than laying an egg, at least. Ethan, will you buy me my own space yacht?” Lati asked him, grinning.
“How many eggs will you lay for me?” he asked, completely straight faced.
“None.”
“Then no.”
“Damn. Now I have to betray you.”
Sai covered her face with her own tail. “I see acting was never on your resume. We’ll come up with a cover story later. But Ethan is right. Our palace is ready—”
“Ethan’s palace,” Heafi corrected.
“Yes, yes.” The Vaelix rolled her eyes. “It’s ready and cleared of listening devices and cameras placed in bedrooms at suspicious angles. I don’t think we uncovered a dastardly plot against us, as much as a voyeur ring.”
“You didn’t leave them in place for your own enjoyment, did you?” Ethan asked.
Sai glared at him, while Yany covered her mouth.
“Yany, do not laugh,” Sai ground out.
“Yes, Mistress.” Yany was clearly laughing.
Junim insisted on leading them to the roof. At some point they’d acquired a coffee, prepared exactly the way Ethan preferred them. They’d been busy tapping Heafi and the Association crew for details on him, he assumed.
“Do we get drinks?” Lati asked.
“There are beverages on the shuttle,” Junimi said primly.
“But we did acquire a specially prepared wrap for you, Sovereign,” Junima said, holding up the small heatproof ceramic container she’d been carrying for some time.
“Admiral Poi informed us that you have a preference for spicy food, which is also a specialty of Hirami cuisine,” the two said together, sticking their chests out as they walked. “The wrap contains special peppers and fragrant herbs from our personal garden, the freshest <tomatoes,> and a slow-roasted mix of meats marinated in a secret hot sauce and cooked in genuine lard. It’s an honor to have a Sovereign who can enjoy the fruits of House Tai’s delicacies.”
Ethan had to admit their description made his mouth water. It sounded a lot like a burrito, although he wondered what fruit translated to tomato.
“I’ve never had Hirami food,” he admitted. “Whenever I saw it, it tended to be heavily plant-based or, uh… insect-based.” He paused. “The meat isn’t—”
Darkness flashed across Junim’s faces, before they sniffed. “We are the heads of the most noble House Tai. Farmed insects are an extremely common food among our people, but we are not common Hirami. It’s an assortment of highly marbled meats that Taer, Hotum, and even Vaelix eat. We raise the animals ourselves where possible to ensure the Sovereign never wants for the highest quality meat and produce, even in dire times.”
Damn. He had underestimated what Junim and their house stood for. They weren’t glorified butlers, but a corporation dedicated to serving his every need, including supplying the food.
How the hell had he ended up here?
“I really want to try the wrap now,” he said.
“Sure it won’t burn your tongue off,” Sai said. “Hirami have deeply inhibited taste receptors for most spicy food.”
His mind raced. “Wait, is this like how Lati drinks enough caffeine in her coffee to kill me?”
“I do?” Lati asked.
“It’d kill me too,” Kiels said. “We’re more sensitive to caffeine. Honestly, I want to see Ethan eat this. The Hirami don’t serve their spicy food to other races because it’s like pure pain.”
He stroked his chin. “That would describe a lot of hot sauces on Earth, so it doesn’t really deter me. A friend gave me a bottle of hot sauce that was around half as hot as pure capsaicin. A tiny drop of the stuff would make a dish as hot as what I was being served a week ago. It took me about a cycle to work through it.”
Kiels practically shook at hearing about that death-inducing hot sauce.
Sai stared at him suspiciously. “I wish I could read your mind and determine how much truth is in that statement.”
“You did not see him eat the Yinil dish without even reacting, Mistress,” Yany muttered.
Junim appeared to glow. It was the only true emotion they’d shown since he’d met them.
Once on the shuttle, his twin attendants ensured he was seated before unveiling their “wrap.” It looked like a cross between a gyro and a burrito, with a thin tortilla-like exterior that was almost translucent, but it had an open end. A cornucopia of colors spilled out—vibrant red meat sliced into ribbons, blue and green herbs, peppers from the entire spectrum of the rainbow, and plenty of thick, brown fat.
“This looks and smells fucking amazing,” he said.
Then he took a bite and he was instantly reminded of that time in university when a friend had secretly slathered his sandwich with an absurdly spicy hot sauce. For the first time in years, he felt genuine heat in his food.
Ethan nearly breathed fire. “Holy shit.”
Junim held their breath, their eyes wide as they worried they’d served him a lethal dose of food.
Kiels grinned, then her face fell when he took another bite. “Oh, come on!” she wailed.
“It’s really fucking hot,” he said, feeling the heat spread to his face. “But it’s great. Haven’t eaten anything like this since I left home, even if it tastes nothing like it.”
Describing the taste was hard, but the herbs managed to overpower the immense heat. That was probably the point. They were fragrant, potent, and reminded him of South-East Asian cuisine.
“Wow. You’re sweating,” Lati said. “It really must be hot. I kinda want to try it, but I’m pretty sure I’d be on the floor after a bite.”
Sai stared at him in disbelief. After a moment, Yany patted her mistress on the shoulder.
“I thought the peacekeepers were confused when they described humans as having masochistic food rituals,” Sai said. “I’ve seen the full biology of humans. That thing is at least ten times hotter for you than it is for the birds that made it for you. Maybe fifty times!”
“I did say it was hot,” he said, still working through it. “I like spicy food, though.”
He’d probably regret this as it made its way out the other end. It definitely competed with some of the hottest stuff he’d eaten. To some extent, he only plowed through it out of a deep sense of nostalgia.
Guess he missed Earth a little more than he’d been willing to admit. A shame he hadn’t had a chance to pick up any hot sauces while back there.
“We’re glad we could please your taste buds, Sovereign,” Junim said, satisfied they hadn’t poisoned him. “Next time—”
“Make it a touch less spicy?” he asked. “At least if you want to serve this to me regularly.”
“A touch… Yes, we can do that. This was the hottest we had available, so we served it based on Admiral Poi’s comments., but the marinade is adjustable.” They nodded repeatedly. “If Earth has food spicier than this, we would be keen to hear about it. Perhaps we could improve our family’s blends with further secrets.”
He glanced at Sai, who shrugged. “I’ll see what I can do.”
If the Faecrim could destroy the environment with a plant, he doubted there’d be heavy restrictions on getting his hands on some chili plants. Especially as the Union had pillaged Earth for interesting plants. The Hirami in the Union might already be growing their own chilis based on Earth’s varieties.
The shuttles made their way across the city. Over the next several minutes, the skyscrapers and towers dwindled in size and density. They began to approach the sprawling estates on the edges, although many towers surrounded them. He noticed a surprising lack of advertising on their exteriors, at least on the upper sections. When he looked down, the lower portions of the towers glowed with neon signs and digital ads, including more than a few adult products.
They approached what he initially thought to be an expansive garden in the middle of the city. The closer they got, the more obvious it became that this was another estate. It stood on an elevated mound of stone. A towering bronze fence decorated the perimeter, while an active forcefield acted as the real barrier. There was even a damn moat, as hilarious as the idea was in this city, and he spotted fish in it.
Association soldiers bearing military insignia patrolled both the inside and outside of the fence, while servants bearing the emblem of House Tai busied themselves in the garden. The servants trimmed the extensive arrangement of trees and plants, manicured the grass and sandstone walkways, and removed weeds and struggling plants.
A four-story mansion stood in the center of the estate, shaped like an “H” with a dome-topped bulge in the center. The shuttle landed in the courtyard behind the building, alongside others already parked here.
Fiona and the marines walked out to meet them as they disembarked. At least Ethan knew they’d come to the right place.
“I’m not sure if this is bigger or smaller than I expected,” Ethan said.
“It’s not your grandest estate,” Heafi admitted. “But it’s well located, newer than many, has extensive defenses, and even an underground bunker.”
“Records indicate it’s not connected to the military subway network,” Yany noted.
“I viewed that as a positive for the primary palace.”
“A good decision,” Sai admitted. “You did a better job here than I expected.”
Heafi huffed and stuck her chest out, but a smile crept onto her face as she looked at Ethan.
“It’s easily the nicest place I’ve ever stayed,” he said. “And if it’s secure, then it’s secure. I’d like to confirm that from Fiona, and then have Kiels and Lati go over it.”
“Will do.” Kiels looked at Lati, who nodded as well. “Might be a good chance for us to have a talk with our dazed princess here.”
“Don’t ‘princess’ me,” Lati said. “I can help you review security. We’ll need to see what we’re getting from Poi, as I’d feel more secure with our marines until we have a better sense of the military down here.”
“Oh good, you’re down from the clouds.”
Lati stuck her tongue out.
Despite that, Kiels nudged Ethan with her elbow. He met her gaze and nodded.
Something had happened and he needed to speak with Lati. He hoped it was her anxieties playing up, and not something worse.
Fiona reached them and saluted Ethan. “Sovereign, we’ve combed over the palace. The entire estate will need more time and work, so I advise against holding any important discussions outside until then. This courtyard has been cleared, however.”
“Thank you, Fiona,” he said. “What exactly did you find?”
“Cameras in all of the bedrooms, plus a number of listening devices in sitting rooms, under tables, in bathrooms, and other places private discussions may take place. A combined transmitter and receiver was found as well,” she said. “The cameras and some listening devices operated entirely locally, and contained footage of… liaisons that nobles had undertaken here, as well as some indiscreet servants and at least one pair of soldiers.”
Kiels snorted.
“That means the rest of the bugs transmitted what they heard outside. Can we trace it?” Ethan asked.
Heafi nodded. “I’m doing what I can, but we need to be subtle. At least one of the major houses on the Interim Board is working against us and they may take action if they knew we’re on to them.”
“Which rules out House Orlov,” he mused. “They’re a patsy or low-level player. No way they’d be so obvious if they were responsible.”
“Or just stupid,” Sai said. “Don’t underestimate the danger posed by a cocktail of arrogance and idiocy.”
Yany stared at Fiona, her eyes narrowing each passing second.
Suspecting something was wrong, Ethan began to dismiss Fiona. “Thank you, Adjutant. You may—”
“Hold on,” Yany interrupted. “Fiona, you aren’t in any Union databases. Even the ones only Mistress and other executors can access.”
Fiona merely bowed. “That is correct. Adjutants in the Drol are assigned directly to nobility, not to vessels or units. You’ll find that none of the adjutants in my squadron are Union personnel, unless they were separately assigned.”
“It’s a practice I’ve never agreed with,” Sai said. “But the Luchi nobility get fussy over the idea their personal servants may owe fealty to the Union.”
Yany nodded. “I’ve noticed it before, but disregarded it. It’s useful to us now.”
Ethan’s eyes widened. “You want to send Fiona on the infiltration mission with Lati? Wouldn’t that make them an odd pair?”
“A greedy Yinil mercenary who has realized how much she stands to make if she crosses her boss, and a slave Luchi keen to earn her freedom and get vengeance?” Yany’s lips quirked upward. “They would be a perfect duo.”
“I have limited experience with spying and infiltration, as we are trained on it,” Fiona said, shifting uncomfortably. “If the Sovereign wishes me to aid his Marshal, I will obey.”
“How good are you in a fight?” Lati asked.
“My enhancements make me better than almost any clone soldier.”
“Good enough.” The dragongirl stepped up and patted the mousegirl on the top of her head. “Once we go over the plan, it sounds like it’ll be time to bust this city and Mortami’s plans wide open.”
Ethan held up his hands. “You’re rushing too much, Lati. We barely know what we’re looking for, so it’s not like you can rush off right this second.”
“Which you’d know if you were paying attention,” Sai said acidly.
Fiona gave Lati a sidelong glance but kept her expression neutral.
“Yeah, yeah.” Lati placed her hands behind her head and leaned backward, her wings flaring out. “We’ll do some research while enjoying your pleasure palace.”
“This is not the pleasure palace,” Junim said, reminding everyone they were here. “But if the Sovereign desires enjoyment—”
“I’ll be fine,” Ethan said quickly, before they could procure a new harem. “Although I’ll leave you to your duties and, uh, rectifying any shortcomings if you find them.”
That sounded like the sort of thing a ruler should ask of them. He really felt out of his depth here.
Heafi nodded. “Now that you know the Administrator’s preferences better, I’m sure you can make adjustments.”
“Of course!” the twins chirped. “There is much to be done and far too little time. Please enjoy the fruits of our labor, Sovereign, and our apologies once again for failing to meet your expectations upon your arrival.” They bowed.
He waved them off, and they finally left. The pair literally flew into the palace, no doubt eager to get rid of anything they didn’t want him to see.
As they began the jaunt toward the palace, which took longer than he expected, Heafi began fiddling with her tablet. Her expression showed growing concern. Yany kept glancing at her. Although the smaller unicorn did an excellent job of appearing unfussed, Ethan was learning how to read her.
Yany was annoyed at Heafi.
“Is something wrong, Heafi?” he asked.
“No, no, I’m—” Heafi began to say.
“It would be easier to manage things if I had more access to Association systems,” Yany interrupted, an undertone of frustration evident in her tone. “We’re extremely limited by the need to rely entirely on you at the moment.”
Heafi stiffened, and Ethan came to a stop.
“If I am incapable—” Heafi began to say, her voice bubbling with barely contained emotion.
“Stop,” Ethan snapped, and both unicorns looked at him. “Jesus Christ.”
“Still want to know who this JC guy is,” Lati mumbled.
“Not the time,” Fiona said.
Ethan nodded at Fiona and told Lati to shut up with his eyes. Then he turned back to the Faecrim unicorns. “Heafi, you’re doing fine. You got appointed to Steward, what, six or seven weeks ago? And have spent most of that time on a ship outside of the Association. But we do need to establish this Scepter thing everyone is talking about and ensure you’re not trying to manage literally everything by yourself. Especially with a coup about to erupt.”
Heafi inclined her head. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
“I was… too abrupt,” Yany said.
“Remember that you’re not speaking with me,” Sai said, stroking Yany’s hair. “It’s unlike you to act so comfortable with another that you forget politesse.”
Yany squirmed, unwilling to break free from Sai but uncomfortable with the public nature of the affection.
“With that said,” Ethan continued, causing Yany to relax as attention left her, “something’s happened, Heafi. What is it?”
Heafi bit her lip. “I didn’t want to unduly concern you with so much going on—”
“Heafi.”
“Mortami Extraction have been attempting to contact you directly since shortly after you spoke with the partners.” She bowed her head. “It’s a clear challenge, but also a message that they’re active on Rylamis. How else would they know to contact you right after you declared yourself as Sovereign here?”
“They’re trying to regain the face they lost after we blew through their stalling attempt,” Sai said. “It seems obvious now that Mortami wanted to delay us in order to cement their position here. Hence why nobody expected us to actually arrive when we did.”
“Perhaps,” Ethan said. “Is it just Histus again? Or was she called Anitar? I genuinely forget.”
“Anittilar,” Yany said. “Histus is effectively a title, not a name. The Hotum bake those into names as a way of… cementing social statuses.”
Made sense for a race that operated as a fake thearchy, with their richest and most powerful pretending to be goddesses.
“It’s not her,” Heafi said. “The signal origin and codes indicate its coming from Mortami’s corporate flagship, the converted mining super-barge ‘Essencecracker.’ It’s almost certainly a call from their CEO, Niura Mortami herself.”