"Excuse me." A woman wearing a dull hood gently tapped on the shoulder of a gate guard, causing him to seize up in a panic. "May I enter?"

"Huh!? What?! Where did you-!?"

"I would think it in your best interests to remain alert while on duty." The woman did not appear to have hostile intentions, but the fact that she had managed to sneak up on him prompted a greatly increased level of alarm on his behalf. She had approached from the front, which only terrified him further.

"Who are you?!"

"A maid."

"A maid?" The guard could not possibly believe that to be the truth. How could a maid do something like that? She had to be a spy of some sort, someone who could avoid drawing attention while blatantly in the sight of others. Considering the fact that she had not snuck past him like she could have, it could only mean that she was not hostile.

In other words she was a spy working for the palace, and she had returned to give a report.

"Uh, er, right along." He didn't want to get involved in anything, and he was supremely embarrassed by how he had been approached, so he just let her through. 

"Thank you."

- - - - -

"Such concludes my liege's message." The Emperor sat lazily on his throne as he listened to man speaking before him. The messenger, an envoy from one of the many lords that ruled lone planets across the galaxy, stood tall in the face of an empire's head of state, the ruler of a great many planets and all the power they represented. This was not how most would imagine this to go. 

Naturally such a messenger would be expected to show deference to the emperor. Even if it was only a lowered head, someone of lesser status needed to demonstrate they recognized the difference in their positions. The fact he had elected to maintain eye contact throughout his message in front of a fairly sizable audience spoke volumes to the real message that was being sent by his lord, a message that would normally get the messenger executed.

This was an act of defiance of a lord against the emperor, but it was the messenger who was actually committing the crime. By law, any subject of the emperor found to be acting in open, blatant, and unrestrained defiance of the emperor without just cause was to be beheaded. However the messenger wasn't a subject of the emperor, at least he wasn't anymore. As of that closing statement of his, both he and his lord were no longer subjects of the Bulsarzian Empire, they had issued a formal declaration of secession. 

"I see. I formally recognize your lord's independence in following with the empire's guiding principles. In following with tradition, we shall enact and enforce a five year truce with your domain, starting this very moment. None of my vassals may attack you during that time."

The Emperor watched indifferently as the messenger's eyes widened in relief, his body shrinking a little bit as the fear of death left his body. He had been putting on a strong front, a convincing one, but it was clear that he did not want to die. If the emperor had to guess, this man was not in his lord's good graces, sent here because his permanent absence would not be a hindrance.

"I shall have one of my servants compensate you and your lord for the time you have spent here, the taxes you would have paid. I wish you and your lord the best of luck in your future." The Emperor nodded, his way of dismissing the person before him. 

A practiced motion, the administrator at the opening to the floor waved in the next person. Hoods, cloaks, veils, and other such articles of clothing that concealed the exact identity of the addresser were not uncommon. Many wished to keep their identities a secret when revealing sensitive information about their domain or keep appeals to the crown under wraps. Rivalries and feuds ran rampant in a decentralized system like the Bulsarzian Empire, so while it was generally considered to be the height of impropriety to use information revealed to the emperor against them it wasn't exactly uncommon.

This specific person, unassuming though she may have been, caused the emperor to raise a brow.

"Should the information you have for me be allowed to reach the ears of the public?"

This was a liberty the Emperor did not often make use of, clearing the room of those wishing to make their appeals in order to conceal information key to the empire's security. There were a great many categories this information could fall under, militant threats both foreign and domestic, developing catastrophes, the death of an influential noble, or even just reports on the status of the Sanctum. There were limitless possibilities, but it was up to the Emperor to make the call.

The hooded figure shook her head. 

"Very well. I will have to ask the ladies and gentlemen of the empire to evacuate the audience chamber for the time being. It is unfortunate, but the secrecy of this matter takes precedence over the right of the nobility to hear the voice of their peers, and for that I apologize. I will try to deal with this matter as quickly as possible, but should the matter require I personally act then the session may have to come to a close for today. Trust that you will be informed once it becomes apparent that I will have to do so."

Almost in unison, the crowd in the stands stood up and bowed. Slowly as to not create a ruckus, they filtered out of the doors on either side of the room. Just as the Emperor respected their right to make appeals to him, they respected his right to remove them from the room to ensure the empire's security. They each had their jobs, and it was in their best interests to make sure they performed them without hindrances.

". . . so, Satie, how has Merndil been? He is not in danger, is he?" The Emperor did not worry about the various ministers present throughout the room. They were loyal beyond recrimination, competent commoners with a somewhat higher than average level of split personally selected by the emperor from his domain to serve him. The compensation for their loyalty being a generous salary and the promise that their progeny will receive formal recognition from the imperial family as part of the nobility should they prove sufficiently powerful. To go even further the emperor would act as a matchmaker, arranging marriages between those fresh noble children and the children of other families - ensuring that the ministers' posterity would retain their status was a key part of ensuring their loyalty.

"The Crown Prince is well." After pulling back her hood, Satie curtsied. Normally this was not the proper level of deference a maid owed an emperor when interacting in a proper forum such as this. Even kneeling would be pushing it, prostration only being viewed as acceptable because there was nothing greater. However Satie was not a normal maid, nor was she his maid.

Given the contract between her family and the Imperial family, there was actually no need for her to display deference in any form. That right was reserved to her liege, Crown Prince Merndil. That contract was by far the strangest of any the Empire made. On one hand, it could be viewed as a contract of absolute servitude. On the other, it could be viewed as a contract of absolute equality. 

Their race, their culture, was an odd one. They did not use names in the traditional sense. There was no string of titles or dynastic names attached to the name they went by, only a single sound. In their case, '-ie'. Satie, Domnie, Almie, Vurnie, Cabcavie - just a few of their family that the Emperor knew. They did not follow the house head rules either, there were no dynasties or houses. In fact calling them a 'family' was only a formality for the sake of others, the term they used was 'herd'. 

From birth, each and every child of the Emperor is assigned a child from the herd born at roughly the same time. Male children would be assigned females and females assigned males, servants for life that would only be replaced upon their death. It was not impossible for two or more of the herd to be assigned to a single person, the Emperor himself had five, but until they were needed they would not be provided. The pair would meet on occasion as they grew up in order to become associated with each other, but they would not be united until the age of twelve. Before that time, they are to be taken care of by the servant of their father. 

"Wonderful. I won't say that I fear for him, he has already lasted this long without issue, but as a father I cannot help but worry."

Aside from the servants assigned to an individual, the people of the herd were to be treated as equal regardless of actual status. This stipulation even applied to the Emperor, and he followed it dutifully. He made a habit of speaking to each and every member of the herd as if they were friends or close acquaintances.

"As every father should."

She did not treat him with as much familiarity, but it was not a violation of their contract. The interaction between individuals of the herd was formal, unless they were family. She dropped all mentions of status, which was all he could ask for.

"Mm. Now, what is it that my son sent you here to tell me?"

- - - - -

"That concludes the information milord requested me to relay to you." Another slight curtsy, she was following the etiquette of the audience chamber.

"Taking action on his own, is he?" The Emperor scratched his chin. "Very well, I won't act against him. Should this incident escalate, I will do what I can, but it won't be much. Perhaps a talk with his father about proper etiquette will bring the problem to its conclusion . . . no. He is an adult now. I would have to address him directly."

It would be improper for the Emperor to resort to backchannels to admonish someone's behavior. He could make comments in passing, but never a direct call to action. Doing so in relation to an incident with foreign powers was even worse. 

"Satie, if it wouldn't be too much of a bother, could you tell me more about these acquaintances of Merndil? The Terrans? I want to know if I should be telling him off before he gets too close to them."

"Hm?"

"They might be taking advantage of him, of me."

"No. That isn't something Lady Diana would do." Satie shook her head. "She may make requests and ask questions, but she never does so without offering something in return. They have a healthy relationship."

"How can you be so confident?"

"Because milord is pleased with her. He routinely comments on her competence and wit in comparison to others."

"Could she not just be flattering him?"

"Her words do not come across as flattery."

"And what of seduction?"

"She has made it abundantly clear on multiple occasions that she will accept no other man than Donovan."

"Has she?"

"Yes. I recall she even went so far as to disparage milord for bringing the subject up."

The Emperor tapped his fingers on the armrest of his throne. He could trust Satie to be telling the truth, but he could not completely trust her judgement. It didn't really matter either way though. If she was trying to seduce him, great. He wished her the best of luck. It would save everybody the headache of finding him a suitable Empress. The search had thus far proven to be fruitless, Merndil not showing an interest in any of the arranged candidates.

"Disparage him? Was he finally insulted?"

"I would say scolded."

"Scolded?!" The Emperor almost choked. Merndil? Scolded? How much would he have given up to see that? He loved his son, but even he had never been given a reason to scold him. He was just too well behaved! "How did he react? Was he indignant? Ashamed?"

Part of this was a desire for entertainment. Part of it was a need to see how he reacted to an unexpected adverse situation. 

"I would say . . . flustered? It was only for a moment, but he appeared to have difficulty getting a word out. I believe he hadn't expected her reaction."

"Oh." He should have expected it, but 'flustered' was definitely the way Merndil would have responded. "So you find them to be trustworthy?"

"Yes."

"Then I am glad he has found himself allies he can trust." The Emperor looked down on her for a few seconds, letting his disappointment dissipate. "Before you go, I have to ask. Has Merndil . . ?"

Satie shook her head.

"Ah, a shame." His son was still a virgin. As with everything, there were problems associated with that, namely that the successor to the throne would shift to the third prince should he die, however there was still plenty of time. His son would have to uphold his end of the contract at some point. "Do feel free to return to his side. Just tell him I said hello."

"As you wish." Satie curtsied once more before heading back, the Emperor gently smiling as she went. That smile immediately faded into a frown once the door was closed.

"Brahn."

"Yes my lord?" A voice from the behind the throne responded to his call.

"What do you make of the situation? Of your son?"

". . . it saddens me to say it, but this confirms what we had suspected."

"The Vrie?" The silence spoke more than words. "Haaaaaaa, fuck."

"My thoughts exactly."

The Emperor and his Prime Minister remained silent for a while, both thinking, both wondering where everything had gone wrong.

"Do you think my son has also been compromised?"

"The third prince? The Great Csillacra would sooner wither. Given how and where he was raised, the Vrie would not have been able to influence him. They are simply sending people to play into his nature, an arrogant, prideful, and vain aristocrat who views himself to be the center of the galaxy."

"And your son?"

"I refuse to believe he is knowingly in cahoots with them. He is loyal to the royal family, he just idolizes the wrong aspects."

"So who manipulated him? Was it his teacher?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. At this point I don't think its possible to figure that out, we are simply starting too late. Any individual who would have actively shown signs of relation to the Vrie will be hiding them now, at least if they were in contact with my son."

"What of the other nobles?"

"We would have to figure out who was manipulated, who is a collaborator, and who is acting according to their nature."

"It sounds like a nightmare."

"It has been."

"I'm sure my orders not to arrest saboteurs unless they do something in the open has made it rough."

"To a degree, but the espionage ministers seem to agree that it was the correct course of action. Alerting them to the fact we know they're up to something would only push them to better cover their tracks. I won't lie to you, their network is massive, far larger than we had initially anticipated."

"That's a relief, I suppose. It means I have competent subordinates."

"Competent subordinates would not have allowed this to happen in the first place."

"Oh put it to rest Brahn! You and I both know that nobody was expecting this. The Vrie have done nothing but parade around with sword and spear for hundreds, thousands, of years. Had Everin not died we never would have gotten a clue!"

"I apologize."

"It wasn't your fault, Brahn. It was an assassination, not an accident."

"I should have been able to stop it."

"The fault for that incident lays squarely on the shoulders of house Eraora, and I get the impression they will not let something similar happen in the future. If I had to bet, they already know the exact person who did it. They are only waiting for me to give the order."

"They have information we do not?"

"Its possible they are already on the inside. Even if that is the case, I will not ask them to reveal their knowledge."

". . . yes. Yes that would be for the best. They are best suited to dealing with these matters. Should a pressing threat be identified, they will handle it."

More silence as the two thought on the matter of House Eraora. If they so desired, the Bulsarzian Empire could fall within a night, every single noble of importance assassinated in a synchronized manner. The only thing that stopped them was that they did not desire that outcome. The Empire gave them a purpose, an objective, a challenge. Without the Empire their skills and knowledge would go to waste.

"Once they are certain they have found everything they need to dismantle the Vrie's network, they will act. I trust them to do that much."

"Should I contact Lady Linarin? Just to make sure?"

"There is no need for that. Any contact I need to make with them can be done through Linalee."

"She is old enough?"

"No, but she is due to attend the academy next year. Eraora has no power in the Sanctum, so it would appear they are making contact with her now."

"Ah, I see. She will not be returning until she has finished her five years, correct? I can imagine that her grandfather and uncle would want her to get familiar with her heritage before then."

"I suppose, though it would appear they only plan to teach her how to protect herself from poisons and such. Trauma from her mother, no doubt." The Emperor recalled the death of his first wife and the autopsy that had been performed on her to determine the cause. It was fortunate that most believe Eraora to be nothing but a fairy tale, otherwise they never would have caught on in the first place. "I want you to investigate the Terrans."

"Pardon?"

"The Terrans. My son's new friends. I understand from Satie's report that they are new on the galactic stage, but I still get this itchy feeling whenever I think about them. I want to keep tabs on them."

"You are putting even more on my plate?"

"This is not the time for jokes, Brahn."

"Yes my lord."