F or the next thirty minutes, Kris listened as the poor cringing kid declaimed a long list of names and honors that he must have memorized. The Iteeche clearly was a kid. His voice regularly broke as he struggled to remember the litany.
More evidence of his youth was in the robes he wore. They were balanced on the knife’s edge of white and green. A counselor entered the training with his robes equally white and green. Then, as he progressed and demonstrated his skills and prowess, he'd bend more toward the white or the green. Kris still wasn't sure what the two colors represented, but her best hunch was that green represented the political advisors and white the spiritual ones. Spiritual, however, was still a large question mark. The Iteeche seemed to have no concept of a divinity, but rather seemed somehow in touch with destiny, the universe, and their ancestors.
This stumped even the Magnificent Nelly, but it only proved to Kris that these folks were aliens and that should be defined as not normal for we humans.
If a counselor was promoted to the ranks of Imperial Advisor, they switched robes to the multi-colored, shimmering robes that Ron and his eight associates wore. It was interesting that they did not stand behind Ron, but stood at one of his many elbows.
Clearly, someone had seen to it that Ron had several associates of equal rank and power.
So, Kris listened for a few minutes to the poor kid in white and green as he announced the Emperor with all his titles and claims, as well as a major portion of his ancestry.
NELLY, IS THIS KID TELLING US ANYTHING WE DON'T ALREADY KNOW?
SORRY, KRIS, BUT NO. THIS IS JUST THE PRO FORMA WAY OF DOING INTRODUCTIONS AT COURT.
NELLY, WOULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME ONLY WHAT I NEED TO KNOW. ALSO, IF THE KIDS SEEMS TO GO OFF SCRIPT, LET ME KNOW.
NO PROBLEM, KRIS, HE'S STILL INTRODUCING THE EMPEROR, WHO, AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, ISN'T HERE.
Kris again had to squelch a smile. She'd never had Nelly come across quite so droll on Nelly Net.
A few minutes later, Nelly reported that the poor kid was now introducing Ron's chooser, Roth, also not present. The herald went on introducing the chiefs of eight more clans or major families within a clan. As he spoke on, in the high Iteeche language of the Imperial Court, Kris began to realize that this wasn't going to be a simple meet and greet, grip and grin, as she usually had with Ron.
Ruth and Johnnie would not be using Ron for a merry-go-round today.
NELLY, TELL THE KIDS WE'RE GOING TO MISS LUNCH WITH THEM. SORRY, BUT TODAY'S A WORK DAY.
I'VE PASSED THAT ALONG TO THE CHIEF NANNY.
The herald droned on, now introducing Ron. He was followed by two names familiar to Kris, Freddy and Shorty. She'd had dealings with them. The last six were strangers to her, but at least three of them came from clans whose gun cars she had disabled in order to bring the supply convoy in with a minimum of damage. All appeared to be young and freshly caught Imperial Advisors, Kris dredged her mind for what Grampa and Gramma Trouble had said about negotiations with the Iteeche? Say the right thing the wrong way and you could be handed your head.
Literally.
NELLY, ARE YOU UP ON YOUR HIGH COURT ITEECHE?
I'M REVIEWING EVERYTHING I HAVE AND ADDING THE PRESENT DATA DUMP. SO FAR, NO PHRASE HAS SURPRISED ME. KRIS, I THINK I CAN TRANSLATE YOUR USUAL LAZY STANDARD INTO PERFECT HIGH COURT ITEECHE. I'M JUST AS CONCERNED AS YOU. AFTER ALL, IF SOMEONE TAKES ONE OF THOSE MEAT CLEAVERS TO YOUR NECK, THEY'RE LIKELY TO CUT ME IN HALF, TOO.
I'D CALL THAT A GOOD JOKE, NELLY, BUT I SUSPECT YOU MEANT IT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS.
IF YOU HUMANS SAY SOMETHING THAT IS BOTH A JOKE AND TOTALLY AND DEADLY SERIOUS, ISN'T THAT THE HEIGHTH OF HUMOR?
VERY GOOD, NELLY.
JACK, WOULD YOU CARE TO INTRODUCE ME, OR SHOULD WE CALL UP MEGAN AND HAVE HER DO THE HONORS?
I THINK MEGAN WOULD BE BEST.
MEGAN?
RIGHT BEHIND YOU, ADMIRAL, and a Navy lieutenant marched forward through the ranks of massed battalions to join the line of human officers behind Kris.
YOU KNOW THE DRILL. WATCH THE ANGLE OF YOUR BOW AND DELIVER MY INTRODUCTION STANDING TALL AT ATTENTION.
UNDERSTOOD, ADMIRAL. I SUSPECT THAT LILY AND NELLY WILL ANNOUNCE YOU AND GIVE ME THE WORDS A SECOND AFTER THEY PRONOUNCE THEM.
RIGHT, MEG. SEVERAL OF THE ITEECHE ARE WEARING COMPUTERS. THEY'LL KNOW IF YOU DON'T SAY WHAT THE COMPUTERS SAY YOU SAID.
DON'T WORRY, ADMIRAL, I'LL GET THIS RIGHT.
Ten minutes later, the Iteeche finished his introductions and managed to back up into the mass of advisors while not rising above a ninety degree bow in Kris's direction.
NELLY, THAT WAS A LONG, DRAWN OUT YACKETY YACK. LET'S DO THE SAME. SINCE I'M THE ENVOY OF KING RAYMOND, START WITH HIM AND DON'T STOP UNTIL YOU'VE INTRODUCED ALL MY HUMAN STAFF AS WELL AS ADMIRAL TONG AND ULAN. IF THEY CAN TALK CLOSE TO AN HOUR, SO CAN WE.
I'LL START WORKING WITH EACH OF THEM, KRIS, TO GET THE MOST BACKGROUND ON THEIR FAMILY AND ACHIEVEMENTS AS I CAN.
Again, Kris suppressed a grin. It would be interesting to hear how Grampa and Gramma Trouble got introduced. As their great-granddaughter she knew what the histories said. She wondered if what they had to say would be a bit different.
Megan had marched to stand two meters forward, and the same distance off to Kris's right. She came to a smart halt, snapped to attention with clicking heels, gave a smart salute, then bowed. She went down about forty-five degrees before coming back up again.
Kris tried to measure the response among the Iteeche to Megan's bow, but they had locked down their few facial muscles and showed no reaction.
Megan began by announcing that she was Aide-de-Camp to Grand Admiral, Her Royal Highness Kristine Longknife. Then she launched into a long list of honors and accolades to "King Raymond, Hammerer of the Iteeche." That tied up a good five minutes. Introducing Kris took longer, her being both a chosen of King Raymond, and therefore Her Royal Highness. She then went on to list Kris's many hats: First Emissary from the Humans to the Imperial Iteeche Court, Hammerer of the Vicious Alien Raiders, Admiral Commanding the First Human Battlecruiser Fleet, and Lord Protector of the Peace and Unity of the Greenfeld Empire. Only after exhausting all her human honors, did Megan begin on her Iteeche accomplishments. She was Imperial Admiral of the First Order of Steel, Commander of the Combined Fleets of the Iteeche Empire as well as Victor in the Glorious Battle of the Imperial Guard System and Conqueror of the Rebel Planets Zargoth, Artiecca, as well as Glorious Golden Eel 3 and 4.
It was almost enough to make a girl blush. Any other girl, but not a Longknife.
Kris listened to her introduction without either a bow or a salute. She waited, eyes fixed on Ron.
I TAKE IT THAT YOU EXPECT US TO BOW, Ron said on Nelly Net.
YES, was all Kris said in reply.
When Megan finished Kris's intro, Ron did indeed lead both the Imperial Advisors at his elbow as well as all the white and green behind him into a bow. It was a full ninety-degree bow. Kris would have expected a bit of groveling, but since she refused to kowtow, she couldn't expect any from them.
Kris merely saluted before the Iteeche came out of their bows.
With Kris taken care of, Megan began to introduce Jack. Kris discovered that he came from a family that had been among the first on Wardhaven. She then went on to him having saved Kris's life. Megan only mentioned the single save, but Kris knew the list was long and hard earned. He was also a Battler of the Vicious Alien Raider and had commanded troops in the destruction of six base ships and their horde of accompanying warships. He was also in command of the troops that landed and conquered four rebel planets and had assured the minimum loss of Iteeche life and property.
Kris wondered how that claim to fame would go over among the Iteeche. They showed no response, but Kris was glad Megan got that fact out on the table. If the Iteeche wanted to resolve this mess they were in with minimum loss of life and destruction of planetary infrastructure, she wanted them to know she had not been charging around like a bull in a china shop.
General Trouble came next. Kris stood as hardened stone when her grandpa was named Strong Right Arm of King Raymond and Hammerer of Iteeche, the Rock of Port Elgin and the Conqueror of the Gold Planet and the Capital of the Golden Satrap.
Across from Kris, there was consternation among the young Iteeche, both the eight councilors and the green and whites. Did the snake handlers, axe men and even the regular troops flinch? The councilors looked as if they were meeting a ghost. Or maybe it was more like they were meeting the bogeyman their nurses had used to scare them with. A bogeyman, that as adults, they no longer believed in.
It took them a moment to regain their poker faces after that. Did even Ron flinch a little bit. He'd met Grampa Trouble before, hadn't he?
Brigadier General Ruth Trouble was announced as the Protector of Captured Iteeche on several planets as well as Scholar Who Gave the Iteeche Language to the Humans. There was a lot of furtive glances exchanged among the eight young Imperial Advisors. It was clear they were unprepared to come face to face with legends.
The introduction of Major General Bruce and Colonel Nightingale continued apace with both of them being credited with participating in the destruction of six base ships and wolf packs of the Vicious Alien Raiders.
Colonels Jacques and Amanda were introduced as scholars who had helped the Alwa and the cat planet adjust their economies to modernization and merging with the human economies. They were also lauded as the scholars who had affirmed that the Alien Raiders had initially come from a single planet.
Kris began to realize what Megan was doing here. While the Iteeche herald had introduced the Imperial Advisors based on their genealogy and claims to fame of their choosers, Kris's team was being introduced by their accomplishments. Grampa and Gramma Trouble might have a long list of achievements that rang solid in Iteeche history, but all of those who stood with Kris had major accomplishments.
Even Admiral Tong, when it came time for his introduction, could lay claim to have commanded the rear guard at the Glorious Defense of the Imperial Guard System as well as during the massive space battle above Artiecca. Kris was a bit surprised at the number of rebel ships his wing captured, but only a bit. She had, after all, dispatched the rear guard to chase down the running rebels.
Last to be introduced was Ambassador Kawaguchi. He was praised as a wise giver of laws, defender of justice, and maker of trade agreements among the humans and Iteeche. Considering the Iteeche attitude toward traders, that last might not be worth much, but Megan finished up with "Protector of Her Royal Highness Kristine Longknife in her time of need and shadow of death."
Not a bad listing for a lawyer defending Kris in a capital case.
When all this had been said, Megan fell silent. She saluted, bowed, then did a smart about face and marched to stand in the line with Kris's other advisors.
For a long moment, only the dripping of beads of sweat among the troops and dignitaries made any sound.
Finally, Kris saluted Ron and his team. "Would you care for refreshments in my quarters?"
"That would please us very much."
"If it will please you, I can provide refreshments to your men in the Navy Annex which houses the staff for the Combined Fleet's headquarters."
"That would be proper and good," Ron agreed.
Kris gave Admiral Ulan his orders to dismiss the troops and allow them all two beers. "If you don't think there will be a problem, you can have the human Marines join the Iteeche Marines for the beer party. Oh, Ron, would you mind if we put those snakes in a secure lock down? I really don't want to risk them wandering off."
"Only a Longknife would make such a request, but yes, since this is your palace, I think we can accommodate you."
"General Bruce," Kris said, "do you have anyone on your staff that could see to that secure locker?"
"I have a colonel with a great computer," General Bruce replied. "If he has any problem, I can jog over here fast."
"Fine. Now, if you will hold the troops while we retire," Kris ordered.
The troops stood in place while the nine young Imperial Advisors joined Kris and her nine staffers as they marched for the elevator up the castle. Rising high into the sky, they could watch the troopers from both space-faring species break up and make their way toward the Navy Annex.
Shorty, the tall Iteeche Imperial Advisor turned his eyes, all four of them, from the soldiers on the ground to the view that the clear Smart MetalTM of the elevator allowed him.
"This is a spectacular view," he said.
Then they passed through the transparent, Smart MetalTM armored overhead that Nelly had slapped on the palace courtyard.
"You really did that when we came under attack?" he asked Kris.
"My computer, Nelly, did that with no instruction from me. She also guided the lasers that sliced and diced the incoming rockets. Nelly, did you backtrack the line of flight to where they were coming from?"
"Yes, Kris," and the elevator kind of swirled around the castle as it rose up. Now they had a much better view of the Imperial palace. Not too far from it, you could make out fire and smoke.
"Someone was launching them from a small building across the moat from the Imperial Palace. I used low power lasers when I struck at them. What you are looking at is the fire and flame from the burning rocket fuel and exploded warheads. I doubt there will be much evidence for anyone to look at when the fire burns itself out.”
"Nelly, could you give us a closer look at that fire site?"
Immediately, the glass of the elevator turned into a screen and zoomed in to the burning building. It was totally wrecked and burning fiercely. Around it, there were several fire trucks with Iteeche firemen standing around. They had their hoses out, but were not trying to put out the fire.
"Why are they not putting out the fire?" Ambassador Kawaguchi asked.
None of the Iteeche ventured an answer.
"Maybe someone wants to make sure that any bit of evidence is indeed consumed by the fire," General Trouble said, dryly.
"That may or may not be true," Ron finally said. "Fire stations operate by subscription. If the owners of that building did not pay their annual bill, the fire station will not fight a fire there."
"So, they're just standing around watching it burn?" Kris asked.
"They are there," Ron said, "to assure that the fire does not spread to the surrounding buildings whose owners have paid for their services."
"Could you verify that that is indeed the fact?" Kris asked.
"I can try," Ron answered, and raised his commlink to his lips and began to snap out an order in rapid Iteeche.
They rose the rest of the way up the castle in silence.