“So you don’t have any objections to the meeting place, correct?” asked Lafier.
“Uh-huh. It may be a facility of the landworld administration, but it’s the closest thing to a neutral zone in my whole countdom.”
“I don’t have an opinion regarding the meeting place. But this...” Yestesh tracked the strings of characters on the screen embedded in the desk with his eyes. Just that moment, the landworld administration had sent a message detailing their conditions for giving sovereignty to the Empire, and the Investigator was processing them as he read.
Finally, after devouring the missive, Yestesh raised his head. “Do you intend to accept these terms?”
“Do you have any objections to that?” asked Jint, out of courtesy.
“Well, this is a matter between the landworld administration and the system’s Lord, so I can’t interpose. But I must tell you, it’s an exceptional case among exceptional cases,” he said, a tad pompously.
“I thought as much. Is it viable in the eyes of the law?”
“It should be. One of my subordinates is a specialist in that area; if you so desire, shall I have the terms scrutinized?”
“Please, by all means.”
“And if the terms are, in fact, legally valid, you will accept them?”
“I plan to, yes,” replied Jint.
“Not to overstep my bounds yet again, sir, but I don’t think that’s very wise. Isn’t this a tad weak-kneed of you?”
“It might be, but I believe it to be the best way.”
“I see...” Yestesh looked unconvinced, to say the least, but he sent the file to his legal specialist. “Now, allow me to make a suggestion to you as an official of the Empire.”
“Suggest away.”
“It would behoove you to add one more provision to the text.” Yestesh proceeded to explain how the landworld administration’s sovereignty should be limited to just the landworld of Martinh. It was de rigueur among the Empire’s territory-nations for the administrative domains of landworld administrations not to extend past their respective planets’ atmospheres. As such, in the star systems like the Archduchy of Laitpanh with three inhabited planets, each planet had its own landworld administration for a total of three in the system. In general, space, the stars, and uninhabited planets belonged to the Abh — that was the Empire’s fundamental policy.
“Far be it from me to thrust my nose into the finances of the House of Hyde, but if you do not make it clear that priority over the resources outside the landworld belongs to the Lord, it could hamper the operations of various imperial institutions, to say nothing of the Star Forces.”
“I understand. Let’s work out a draft,” said Jint, but there was no need. The phraseology was all boilerplate stuff pulled from a collection of legal ordinances. The specialist finished looking it all over within the space of about an hour. The Empire did not forbid any of the landworld administration’s proposals. The text was altered with a single amendment, and then sent back to the landworld administration as the final response of the House of Hyde.
The attack on the Forr Da Antohbeeta must have been effective, for the government of Hyde proved amenable to the added stipulation. With this, a meeting was no longer necessary, yet Jint wanted to go through with it anyway, for no other reason than to meet his family.
“Jint. You’ve gotten so big.”
“And you got older, Till.” Jint shifted his gaze on his other surrogate parent. “You haven’t changed at all, though, Lina.”
“When did you become such a flatterer?” she smiled.
“Since I was born. You never noticed?”
“I suppose.”
The place they were currently at was slated to become a worship chapel once the base became fully operational. As of now, however, it was all but empty. No cross, no pulpit, no pews. The stained glass images depicting religious icons and mysteries were all that hinted at the building’s future. Jint had his doubts the place would ever actually play host to hymns or homilies.
The system government arranged for a table and chairs for them.
“Let me introduce my companion,” said Jint, pointing at her. “This is a royal princess of the Empire by the name of Ablïarsec Néïc Dubreuscr Bœrh Parhynr Fïac Lamhirr.”
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance,” said Lafier in Martinese. She said it fluidly, but that was the extent of the Martinese she knew.
Till and Lina were visibly surprised. Till recovered from his surprise faster. He clumsily bowed his head and said: “We welcome you to our sector, Your Highness.”
“I give you my gratitude,” she nodded.
“You really did move up in the world, huh, Jint,” said Till, impressed.
Jint nodded in reply, and left it at that.
“Please kiss Her Highness’s hand!” called out a sudden voice.
“What the?” exclaimed Jint.
“It’s the press,” Till grinned, abashed. “There’s no way they wouldn’t want to cover such a historic moment.”
“Isn’t this kind of a breach of our agreement, Till?” Jint protested. “It’s supposed to be us only: the President of the Hyde Star System, the Count of Hyde, and his companion.”
“I know. They’re not here at the base. All the equipment is remote-controlled.”
“I mean, be that as it may...”
“Please, Mr. President, you’ve gotta,” said a reporter, their tone of voice decidedly on the fresh side.
“Never mind. Just understand that Abh ladies don’t go around giving people their hands to kiss,” said Jint. The Royal Princess would hardly be elated to press part of her body against the lips of people she’d just met.
“Okay.” Till crossed his arms toward the ceiling.
“May we ask you to cooperate?” pressed the voice.
“How rude,” said Lafier. She wasn’t using the simplified version on her wristgear, but rather a specialized translation device mounted to her ear. She couldn’t speak Martinese, but she could understand it perfectly.
“Her Highness stated that you’re being rude!” shouted Till.
“Wow,” said Jint. “I guess the Abliar reputation for unholy wrath made it all the way out here.”
“You idiot. That has nothing to do with this.”
“Now then, let’s get the work over with. There’s no need for pomp and circumstance between us two,” said Till, taking out a sheet of paperwork. Unlike the Abh, the Martinese couldn’t give up their love of paper.