It was the city without a map. The positions of structures that comprised it, unanchored by ground or land, rolled in a state of constant flux around the curves in space created by gravity. Only the Spodéc Bilr Arocr (Imperial Capital Transport Office) had a grasp of their positions at any given moment, yet the next moment they would be somewhere else entirely anyway. That was why the city was called the Birautec Cnaigena (Turbulent Capital).
Another of its names was the Sath Nocher (Root of the Dragon’s Heads), for the Gaftnochec on the crest of the Empire was also a metaphor for the Empire. The eight monarchies and the bill (routes) ran through them were often likened to the eight heads of the nochec (dragon). And no other place could be said to be where those heads were joined.
Yet another of the city’s monikers was the decidedly more straightforward Birautec Gasauder (Capital of Eight Gates). There were multiple star systems with more than one gate , but only one with as many as eight in human-inhabited space. In the distant past, a millennium ago by the city’s time, eight closed gates once scattered across the vast reaches of space were borne here by colossal starships, and summarily opened.
Further, it was dubbed the Gyrsauge Frybarer (Cradle of the Empire), for the greatest empire humankind had ever seen — an empire whose history would be tinged with blood and fire — traced its beginnings here.
It was through that ghastly history that they earned the name Daüatsariac (Those that Succumb Not). Many a time, the capital opened war with haughty arrogance, even in the face of likely defeat, and many a time, they watched the propelling flames of enemy ships as they sailed away. But in the end, those enemies didn’t undergo any infamous fall. Even the nations that made it all the way to invading the capital simply became the blood and bones of the empire, long-lived and triumphant.
Birautec Négr , another such sobriquet, meant “Capital of Love.” Opportunities for brushes with romance were few and far between for a race that spent their days aboard interstellar ships and in orbital estates , and who were thinly scattered across a whopping range. As such, it was customary to spend half of one’s life in this metropolis. In Lacmhacarh, open invitation banquets were always being held somewhere, and the Abh searched for a lover with whom the sparks reached supernova intensity.
Of course, more than a few simply referred to the city as Murrautec (Homespace). A majority of Abhs were the products of an explosive love triggered in the city. They were born here, scattered across the galaxy wide, and then one day returned.
The Turbulent Capital , and too, the Root of the Dragon’s Heads . The Capital of Eight Gates , and too, the Cradle of the Empire , and too, the Homespace of Those that Succumb Not . These all were Lacmhacarh, and Lacmhacarh was all these.
The name of the imperial capital ’s sun was Abliar. So too the city-ship their founding ancestors lived on, the surname of the emperor , and the star that illuminated their home were all called. When the group of people that birthed the Abh, (who could be called their indirect ancestors), lived off the land on their bow-shaped island chain, not yet having unraveled the secrets of the gene or the mysteries of the heavens above, the name of the sun goddess they worshiped, “Amaterasu,” shifted drastically over the ages, ending up as “Abliar.” This star system was therefore also known as the Dreuhynh Ablïarser (Abliar Countdom). Incidentally, the title of Dreuc Ablïarser (Count Abliar) was always held by the current emperor.
As for Abliar the sun, those who drew closer could view the globular “basket” encompassing it. The spaces punctuating its trihexagonal tiling mesh were large, but the mesh itself was made of thin fibers. “Thin,” that is, in comparison to the star itself; more precisely, the band-like structures spanned 500 üésdagh in width. The sides of the bands facing the sun were solar batteries, and the opposite sides contained countless linear accelerators which produced antimatter fuel without pause. It constituted the largest antimatter fuel factory in not just the Empire , but the known universe.
The imperial capital measured 300 saidagh in diameter, was shaped much like a sickle, and orbited at a distance of six saidagh from Abliar. The Rüé-Béïc (Imperial Palace), the Royal Palaces , the garich arocr (orbital estates in the capital) of grandees , the bach (joined residences) of gentry and imperial citizens , the débh (space gardens), the ilébh (shopping halls), the Star Forces facilities, the locrh (warship construction sites)... It was a gathering of these kinds of artificial planetoids, and more. Innumerable transport ships , as well as interstellar ships coming from flat space , soared through the city. Each facility possessed a measure of maneuverability, and avoided collision automatically.
The eight gates were evenly spaced in orbit 100 saidagh out from Lacmhacarh, each accompanying a lonidec hoca (orbital fort), and revolving in the opposite direction relative to the capital . Emerging now from one of those eight, the Saudec Ilicr (Ilich Gate), the communications ship the Aicrul carried Lafier and Jinto into the Abliar Countdom .
Communications ships were different from connecting vessels in that they were constructed more like small-scale cargo passenger ships . Since they were meant to carry guests and messengers in addition to information, the ship contained twelve rooms furnished with sanitary facilities, as well as a common room of modest size.
Jinto, who was busy doing absolutely nothing in the living room, took a peek into the common room, to find Lafier there, much to his surprise. She was rarely there. “Hey-ya, report finished yet?”
“Yep.” Lafier looked over her shoulder, pointing at the big screen in front. “What’s your impression of Lacmhacarh?”
The Homespace was there to see. It was the first time Jinto had laid eyes on such a cluster of lights. Splendorous and manifold of color, the array almost literally dazzled. With the ship and Lacmhacarh’s orbits coplanar with each other, it struck him as though he were viewing a galaxy from the side.
“It’s even more amazing than I was expecting.”
“I see!” said the royal princess , with a smile of unvarnished delight.
Jinto grabbed himself some coffee and took the seat beside her. Regarding his first impressions of Lacmhacarh, Jinto certainly hadn’t lied. Yet a different emotion entirely was currently taking up his heart. Loneliness.
He’d taken quite the detour, but here at last he’d reached the imperial capital from the Vorlash Countdom . And now his journey was drawing to a close. This meant goodbye. He and Lafier would part, and there was no guarantee they’d ever see each other again.
On top of that, Lafier had holed herself up saying she needed to write the report, spending time with him almost only during meals. The feeling wasn’t pleasant.
“Did the Manoüass (Commander) inform you?” asked Lafier.
“Of what?”
“We are proceeding toward the Imperial Palace .”
“What, directly?” Jinto was surprised.
“Yep. It appears Her Majesty the Empress wishes to speak of many things.”
“Speak to you, you mean.”
“Not just me. She wishes also to speak to you, it would seem.”
“Whoa nelly,” Jinto tensed. “You’re laying that on me like it’s no big deal. Though I guess to you, she’s your grandma.”
“A year has passed since last I met Her Majesty.”
“Yeah? Must be tons you wanna talk to her about, then.”
“There is much to discuss, yes, but Her Majesty must be busy with all of her duties. In case you’ve forgotten, the Empire is currently at war.”
“I know, I know. Heard anything about how the war’s shaping up?”
“No, I’m out of the loop as well.” She leaned her head in. “Worried?”
“‘Course I am. Have you forgotten where my home planet is?”
Not far from the field of battle lay the Countdom of Hyde , whose residents continued to call Jinto “heir to the traitor.” The Ilich Monarchy was shaped like a ring, so contact wouldn’t be severed immediately, but if it ever got annexed like the Sfagnoff Marquessate did, well, even just thinking about it chilled the nerves. The people of his homeland would probably be far more amenable to an occupying army than the terrestrial citizens of Sfagnoff were. He kept picturing, despite himself, what sort of treatment his father, the Count of Hyde , might receive at their hands. Though they hadn’t met in years, and they’d never been very close, he was still his one and only blood relative.