At the top of the stairs, Kris was once again surprised by what she saw. The actual audience room was big, but not that big. The area inside the twisting screens wasn’t much larger than the library at Nuu House. The floor was a rare blue marble streaked with onyx and silver. On a dais, approachable by six steep steps, was a large throne of delicately carved coral that was a soft pink.
On the throne sat a young Iteeche, maybe half as tall as a full grown one.
RON, YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOUR EMPEROR WAS A KID.
JUST ANOTHER THING YOU FORGOT TO ASK ME. NOW, PLEASE BE QUIET. I’VE GOT TO DO MY PART IN THIS RITUAL PRECISELY AND CORRECTLY.
With that, Ron went to join the two Iteeche already kowtowing to the throne.
There were three rugs laid out directly in front of the throne. Two were occupied. However, Ron skipped that one and went to bow behind and to the left of an Iteeche in robes that shimmered with every color of the rainbow. His shimmered and sparkled the same as Ron’s. The one on the other side also wore every color, but his were in darker hues and did not shimmer.
Strange how both can be so colorful, but one seems bright and cheery, the other dour and dull. I hope that tells me something, Kris thought.
Ron went down on all eights, now using the elbows that got him as low as he could go. Then, in a loud voice, he announced Kris as her King’s emissary.
“Oh, Most Worshipful One, please allow me to bring before you, for your pleasure, Her Royal Highness, Princess Kristine of the United Society, Chosen Royal Battle Fleet Commander of the mighty war clan Longknife, Hammerer of the Evil That Strikes from the Dark Deep who comes as Emissary and Speaker for Humanity.”
On that, Kris stepped forward onto the rug beside the two kowtowing Iteeche and bowed herself low at the waist until she was parallel to the floor. She held the bow for about as long as her back would let her, then stood tall.
“Your Imperial Majesty, I greet you in the name of His Royal Majesty, King Raymond, Slayer of Planets, who is sovereign to over one hundred and seventy-three human planets. I am instructed to convey to you his warmest affection and my credentials.”
KRIS, SOMETHING IN MY STORAGE JUST POPPED OPEN. I KNOW WHAT’S IN YOUR PAPERS NOW.
DO I NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
THERE’S NO BIG SURPRISE PAST WHAT WE’VE ALREADY FIGURED OUT, BUT THERE’S A HOLOGRAPH OF THE KING SPEAKING, AND I DON’T YET KNOW WHAT HE’S GOING TO SAY.
LET’S HOLD OFF ON IT FOR A MOMENT.
The kowtowing Iteeche in the shadier colors said, without looking up. “His Most Worshipfulness will deign to accept your papers of accreditation to His Presence.”
From behind one of the screens, an Iteeche stepped. Nude, his pale skin was covered with swirls and spirals of every possible color. Eyes downcast, he walked forward. Kowtowed as lowly as the others to the Emperor, he then rose to approach Jack. There again, he kowtowed to the elaborately carved wooden box with Kris’s papers.
Jack answered his kowtow with a bow from the waist that only went down halfway.
GOOD CALCULATION, JACK.
I HOPE IT DOESN’T GET US KILLED.
The Iteeche rose and accepted the box from Jack, then turned and made his way back to the darker advisor. There he kowtowed again, making a perfect right angle with the advisor and slid the box in front of him.
Done, the nude Iteeche stood and backed out of the Imperial Presence. Only when he was gone did the advisor open the box. This required him to raise his head and use a pair of his hands. Kris waited while he read from a piece of parchment that was covered with two columns of writing. One side was Standard in beautiful calligraphy. The other side was also in a lovely script. It was the first time Kris had ever seen High Iteeche written.
The advisor read from the parchment in a high sing-song voice. Nelly translated for Kris. The opening was what Kris had already said. Then they got into new territory.
“My emissary is empowered to speak for not only me but those who have also allied themselves with me in this historic endeavor to bring our two peoples together in peace, harmony and prosperity. She has my full faith and trust. What she signs her name to will be accepted within human space as if it were mine. So I say, so let it be.”
KRIS, THAT HOLOGRAPH REALLY WANTS OUT NOW.
Kris sighed. LET’S SEE WHAT GRAMPA HAS TO SAY.
She bowed again to the Emperor. “Your Most Imperial Sovereign, I also bear a message from His Royal Majesty. May I play it before you?”
“This is not proper and fit, Your Most Worshipful One,” the dark advisor said, now back to a full kowtow.
The Iteeche in the shiny raiment, the one Kris took for Ron’s chooser, cleared his throat before speaking. “Oh, Most Worshipful One, we all know that Raymond Longknife, Slayer of Worlds, Hammer of Iteeche and Maker of Peace, is a wily human who is more likely to piss on propriety than walk its path. If such a human has managed to slip his own personal message past all that has been thrown in its way to keep it from your eyes, certainly we can entertain them, even if they are as laughably improper as a late chosen clown.”
There was a long pause after that. The advisors stayed face down and said not a word, nor did their deity speak. Kris found herself wishing she had four eyes so she could keep an eye on each one of them. The two advisors stayed splayed out on the floor. The Emperor on his throne sat still as a statue. Kris thought of his youth and doubted any human teenager could possibly have pulled that statue gig off.
Despite all this, somehow, communication must have taken place.
“Let us gaze upon this message from one who slew so many of our warriors,” the subdued Iteeche advisor finally said.
NELLY.
ON IT, KRIS.
Grampa Ray, King Raymond the First to most, appeared in front of Kris. His image looked solid, almost as if he were here. He wore the uniform of a grand admiral with more fruit salad, sashes, and orders than it looked possible to pin onto a uniform.
He faced the Emperor and said, “I come before your Imperial Majesty with great joy in my heart for what you have chosen to do for our two peoples,” he said, bowing from the waist just as deeply as Kris had. He held the bow a bit shorter than she had, she was proud to see.
Nailed that one.
“I believe that you can count on my young emissary to assure that propriety is respected among my merchant class in their dealings with yours. If they get out of hand, I won’t mind if you have to lop a few heads off,” sounded like pure Ray.
“While I suspect that you have ulterior motives for opening your Empire to we humans, still I think that future history will record that we have chosen well for both ourselves and those Iteeche you chose from the primal waters and we humans call our posterity.”
The King paused, then turned around as looked Kris directly in the eye.
HOW’D YOU MANAGE THAT, NELLY?
I’M BUSY.
“I trust my young great-granddaughter to balance both her jobs. I’m confident that she can do both the job I sent her here to do and any task you may ask of her. A trillion or more of those space raiders are dead at her hands. I trust she can resolve any duty that you place upon her shoulders.”
Ray’s image actually seemed to smile fondly at Kris. Then he turned back to the Emperor. “She’s yours to command, Your Imperial Majesty.”
With that, his image faded away, leaving Kris with one huge question. What has he gotten me into this time?