Chapter 43

On landing we were greeted in person by Aramissa, who seemed delighted to see us.

“No Turil?” Amanda asked as Aramissa and various guards led us through a flowered tunnel towards a low, if impressive looking, building.

“He’s dealing with the idiots who thought they could snub you at the border,” Aramissa replied.

“It did seem to be an incredibly petty and obvious move to make.”

“It was. My brother was not best pleased either. But it appeared they believed in their own aggrandisement and they thought that the Hegemon would be secretly pleased and they’d simply receive a verbal reprimand of some sort.”

“Really?”

“They truly live in a bubble of past privilege, so yes, really.”

“Good job I don’t take things like that seriously,” Amanda chuckled.

“For which Nild is quite grateful,” Aramissa smiled as she led us into the building.

It was to be a private audience, meaning the only attendees were the Hegemon, his wife, Supreme Oramiral Hassat (Nild’s father-in-law), his wife and a few of Nild’s security council, along with Aramissa and our aide, Tempus.

“Welcome to the Starlit Hegemony, Princess Amanda,” Nild greeted Amanda formally, though skipped a few titles.

“It is truly a pleasure to be here, Hegemon Nild,” Amanda replied warmly.

“Let us dispense with the formal titles. Allow me to introduce my family and friends,” Nild smiled. “My wife Lisumi, her father Hassat, his wife Calti, my sister Aramissa, Security Counsellors Yit, Hirk, Menl and Kli,” Nild finished, ignoring the bodyguards and various aides.

“Honoured,” they all murmured.

“Thank you. This is my intended, the artist Dayyev, Retainers Verlig and Haelee and Healer Torric,” Amanda replied.

“Honoured,” we all, except Amanda, replied in turn, giving the half bow as we would to any high-ranking Imperial subject.

“Good! That’s out of the way. Please, relax and enjoy the breakfast buffet and mingle. This is an informal get-together so ignore protocols and the like,” Nild enjoined us with a broad smile before going down to personally greet Amanda and getting a hug from her which surprised him but he accepted happily.

I was approached by Lisumi and greeted cordially as she enquired about my work and looked delighted when I offered to sketch her. She was clearly younger than Nild by a number of years, though did appear to have a good grasp of what was going on policy-wise within the Hegemony.

“So, what’s your actual title, Lisumi?” I asked as it hadn’t been covered by any briefing.

“Wife,” she giggled. “On formal occasions it’s Wife of the Hegemon.”

“Really? All those fancy titles they strew themselves with, yet they come up with just that?”

“I know, but I’m the first wife of a Hegemon to actually have a public presence. Nor did I have a title before Nild protected my family during the previous Hegemon’s idiocy.”

“Ah, I see,” I nodded with a wry smile. “I’m surprised the court haven’t tried to curry favour by permitting you one?”

“They did. Nild turned them down at my request saying the title Wife means more to him than any vacuous titles they could come up with.”

“Plus, the titles only serve to confuse,” I chuckled.

“Very much so. They bear no relation to any system of ranking and merely serve to obscure what power the title holder actually may ... or may not, have,” she nodded. “Though a few are more understandable if you know the context, such as ‘Voice of Truth’,” she added, then gasped in delight when she saw the sketch.

“You caught her looks wonderfully, Dayyev,” Supreme Oramiral Hassat informed me as he came over.

“Thank you, Ser,” I replied as Hassat was older and I wasn’t sure whether or not I should use his actual name.

“Would you sketch my wife and I as well?”

“Of course, Ser,” I nodded as Lisumi went off to join Nild, who was chatting to Amanda.

Hassat’s wife was named Calti and she bore a striking resemblance to Lisumi, if more mature. She was also quite well informed about events within the Hegemony, as I found out as we chatted while I sketched her and husband.

“I’m glad you reported that oaf Pholis to Aramissa,” she commented. “Hassat has been trying to oust him for years but his sponsors always managed to just avoid it, keeping him in place within the High Orimality.”

“I suspect he ... and his sponsors, thought that we would simply wait until he decided to show up,” I chuckled.

“Yes, you Imperials are known to be polite in circumstances that would annoy the likes of others,” she smiled.

“Politeness costs nothing,” I agreed. “However, the Hegemony knew we were coming and there was simply no excuse to keep Amanda waiting.”

“We did know. The arrival of the Gloriana had been flagged up since the Empire contacted the Hegemon to agree to the visit and ceremony,” Hassat explained. “Yet still they decided to play stupid games with a valued Ally.”

“I’m pretty sure now they regret that,” I chuckled. “No doubt though there will be other subtle snubs, if more cautiously applied.”

“Yes. These people do not learn lessons and still believe themselves to be lords of creation,” Hassat nodded. “It will all be done by proxies however; they will keep a safe distance now.”

“Is it really an insult or a snub if the recipient does not recognise it though?” I mused.

“You may have a point,” Calti smiled. “It’s all very well for them to congratulate themselves, but a true insult needs to be recognised as such by both parties.”

“Indeed so,” I nodded and handed over the sketch.

“Masterful!” Hassat breathed out softly as he and Calti gazed at it.

“Thank you. It was my pleasure.”

After the audience Nild offered to show us around his palace and the grounds, which we accepted with delight. Unlike the Royal Palace on Lassos with its natural features, the grounds of the Hegemonial Palace were very structured. It was laid out in discrete sub-gardens; each having been themed to an individual planet within the Hegemony. Hence there were often wildly varying styles as you moved from one section to another, along with fountains and statues etc.

“We sold all of the ones made from precious metals and jewels,” Nild informed us as we strolled with him and the rest of the party through the various areas. “Helped pay off our debts to the Regnat Alliance.”

“I’m told that you sold off all your palaces during that time, other than the smallest?” I enquired.

“I did. Technically I only have three now, this one, Aramissa’s home and the one which houses my brother in isolation.”

“So he’s still alive?”

“Yes, though I’m told he is not popular amongst those who are in charge over him,” Nild replied with a grim smile.

“Still thinks he’s the rightful Hegemon and you’re a usurper?” Amanda asked.

“Pretty much it, though as he’s in isolation, he can’t spew that poison to anyone who would listen ... mostly the fools still inhabiting the court.”

“And not even a majority of them, Sire,” Yit, a member of his security council, added.

“Are they the group who tried to snub me?” Amanda enquired.

“Yes. They hold their positions by birth, so all I can do is make sure they aren’t in positions of actual power, merely assumed influence,” Nild explained.

“Mother usually finds positions on obscure worlds for her fools, though she does keep a few she needs to keep an eye on close at hand.”

“I’m surprised you have such groups,” Nild replied looking puzzled. “She’s always struck me as being very pragmatic.”

“She is to an extent, but whilst you can sack a Bureaucrat for incompetence, it’s very much harder to rid yourself of an inconvenient Noble.”

“Particularly if you don’t want to get a reputation as a tyrant,” I added.

“So, are your Nobles planning treason?” Nild asked.

“I’m sure they’d like to, but mostly they are obstructionists and if unsupervised or unmonitored will seek to create their own small empires, always to the detriment of the people they have control over,” Amanda explained.

“Ah, yes,” Nild nodded. “We definitely have a good few of those.”

“More than a few,” Aramissa chuckled. “But we are slowly but surely getting rid of them and removing their hands from various levers of power. You helped with that, Amanda, by helping us rid ourselves of Junior Oramiral Pholis who, though only a lesser Oramiral, still was loyal only to his sponsors, not the Hegemony.”

“Evidence is coming to light that he deliberately allowed smuggling of luxury goods to certain families to avoid the sumptuary taxes,” Nild added.

“No doubt they’re the ones also against the free trade accords I’m here to sign,” Amanda chuckled.

“Very much so. They are losing their monopolies on certain goods and hence both power and its concomitant wealth.”

“Doubt it will bankrupt them, Sire,” councillor Hirk added.

“Probably not, but it might cause them to attempt something openly foolish,” Nild nodded.

“We can always hope so, brother,” Aramissa replied with a cheery smile.

We were then shown to our suite of rooms within the palace to enable us to relax before a meeting with the full Hegemonial Court later that evening. Trusha, Liono and Larre naturally checked for various listening and monitoring devices, but found nothing, which both surprised and pleased them.

“I don’t know why,” Amanda chuckled when informed. “It’s not like mum does that either.”

“The Empire is very honourable and Lassos is quite isolated, Amanda,” Trusha replied. “The Hegemony has a chequered past and the palace here is undoubtably monitored by rogue elements in their Court.”

“I get your reasoning, but I rather suspect Nild would be most upset if he found any.”

“His bodyguards ensure he and his family are unmonitored, the rest is handled by the palace staff and security.”

“Well, it’s nice to know we can talk freely.”

“In here, yes, otherwise use caution, particularly outside any main areas of use,” Trusha cautioned.

“Hmm, very well,” Amanda nodded. “Please ensure everyone is checked for monitoring devices after the meeting this evening. I rather expect there will be some sort of effort to get at us ... assuming naturally that they are interested in what we have to say.”

“They’d naturally be interested in dissent or blackmail material,” Trusha shrugged.

“Considering their notions of superiority, that would appear odd, other than confirming their own prejudices,” I countered.

“It might not be all of them thinking that way. Nild’s opposition may actually have some who are smart enough to realise the value of information on someone.”