Chapter 382 - So It Begins

Notes :

Finished writing the chapter to Whiskey's stream. It worked strangely well, surprisingly enough.

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter ! I really liked writing this one, especially the end.

Chapter 382

Red Sands Desert, Archduchy of Rebirth

City of Rebirth, Ducal Manor

The ducal manor may not strictly need to be used as a keep anymore, nor would it have any appreciable amount of combat power compared to Alexandra's mesa fortress, but it still had the plentiful positions from which to observe the surrounding city, and the fortifications that protected it.

Allya stood on one such position, one foot on a turntable that would have served as an artillery emplacement, had it become necessary, and the other on the embrasure between the battlement's crenalations. She must strike quite the figure from afar, which was kind of the point, as the gigantic dragon swooped over the walls, and landed on one of the few unoccupied mesas that remained.

"I am Melekantor, elder wyrm and delegate of the clans of the Far Reach. I come here upon the invitation of the archduchess of Rebirth, lady Allya Nouvelle-Aurore."

The dragon's voice was definitely masculine, and it boomed in the strange way that only something amplified by magic could, somehow sounding imposing without being ear splittingly loud or muddled by its own acoustics and echoes.

Allya cleared her throat, and activated her communicator. The city's PA system sprang to life, and she could see the dragon's shock as the town he had addressed so dramatically spoke back to him.

"I welcome you, Melekantor, to Rebirth. It is a pleasure to have you join us." If there had been any hope of keeping the summit a semi secret until it opened, it was gone now. Though, to be fair, you would have to be a pretty thorough idiot to miss everything that had happened so far. "Though I am afraid there is no possibility for accomodating your form in the current halls, we can build you a pavillion."

The dragon stared at the city for a bit, and finally his eyes settled on Allya, as he gave her what was the equivalent of a grin.

Allya had to stop herself from shuddering. Last time she'd seen it, she lost half her limbs and ended up being made a Knight-Valiant of the Eris Empire.

"That will not be necessary." His voice was much softer. Uh. Had he been reading off of a script earlier? "I have come prepared. I will simply require plentiful coffee and a spot to rest." He lowered himself on the mesa, disconcertingly looking like some kind of catlizard preparing to loaf, and not an essence engorged beast the size of a capital ship. "The other delegates and I will join you momentarily."

There was a kind of basket upon his back, though it was more like a fortified strongpoint. Allya could see tiny figures descending from it. Most were climbing down a set of rope ladders, but a few floated with the help of magic, and one of them just stepped off and plummetted to the ground, rising a small cloud of dust as they hit it, before walking off like nothing had happened.

Oh boy.

"Of course. I will meet you at the bottom of the mesa." She turned away, shutting down the communicator as she glanced at Nira, who looked like she was trying very hard not to let her jaw drop. It looked like her allies hadn't warned her about what they were sending. "You were right, it is hard to outshine them."

She patted the poor ambassador on the shoulder as she stepped past the neonite, before going down the stairs.

She had delegates to greet, and a summit to open.

*****

"Interesting." Said Alexandra as she watched Allya escort the Far Reach's delegation to the manor. Specifically, she was looking at the well dressed and soft spoken man who had introduced himself as Melekantor. "Dragons can have avatars too?"

"Not in the same way dungeon cores do." Said Emilia. "They're more...like remote controlled golems. Closer to your ambassadors really. Just much more advanced."

"Mmmhhh. I see what you mean." It was like the androids Arcadia had her pilot. Smart, given the limitations of a dragon's form. "Seraph?"

The AI's golem turned towards the dungeon core.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Do a comms scan. I doubt it'll come in useful, but I'd like to know how he's remote controlling that thing."

"Understood. I would like to notify you that high admiral Ghost has completed the construction of the observatory, and the first batch of data is being compiled."

Alexandra waved it off.

"Later. It can wait for after the opening of the summit. I promised Allya my support and attention, and she shall have them."

"Understood."

Emilia cleared her throat.

"We should probably plan some downtime afterwards. Maybe at the beach again."

"We just had a vacation there."

"I mean for us. And Allya and Pyn. We've all been under enormous pressure."

Alexandra smirked.

"Are you sure it's not just an excuse to get us into bikinis and do a double date again?"

The vampire had to the good grace to blush.

"Maybe. But can you argue that we don't need it?"

"No. We do. Do you not fear an ambush though?"

"Who says I'll be the one getting ambushed? You plotted that jacuzzi one with Allya. Let's see what we both can cook up for our dear friends...It's the least we can do, given the burden we placed upon their shoulders, don't you think?"

Alexandra grinned.

"Sure. Let's see what we can do."

*****

"Allya Nouvelle-Aurore, Archduchess of Rebirth!" Shouted the guard as she entered the room, and everyone rose from their seats.

Allya usually wasn't one to stand on formality, and she really disliked all the ceremonial bowing and scraping.

But there was a time and a place for everything. And as much as she hated to admit it, all this stuff had come to be for a reason. Well, one other than inflating egos at least.

"Thank you." She said to the assembled delegates, all set around a gigantic circular table, festooned with audio and holographic systems, so that no matter where you sat, it felt like the others were just a few strides away. "Please, take your seats, and let us begin."

There was nothing but the ruffle of clothes as everyone sat down. Allya waited for them all to be down, before taking her own seat.

"Before we begin, allow me a few words." Said the archduchess, before quirking her lips up into a smile. "Don't worry, it won't be a long speech."

Chuckles swept the room, before dying down as she leaned forward, her elbows on the table and her hands joined before her face.

"Today is exceptional. For the first time in a thousand years, most of the continent is standing here, assembled in conclave. It has been an era since we have left our prejudices, our hatred and our feuds behind to talk. No matter what happens today or for the rest of this summit, this is still an achievement that will make history and we should all be rightly proud of."

There was a sea of bobbing heads, and she had to hold back a smile. She was being utterly sincere, but laying the groundwork that just participating was something that would shine brightly upon them and their people to begin with was the first step. Just that would get them to thinking of this summit as an achievement of their own, something they could take ownership of, and not something they were forced to do by military, political and economical pressure.

"So. Let the summit begin. We are here to discuss the future of the Elkis Republic and to make peace in the south of our continent. Does anybody have any opening remarks?"

Malcom raised his hand, and Allya gestured towards him.

"The chair recognizes the delegate of the New Republic."

The major rose.

"Thank you, lady Nouvelle-Aurore. My fellow delegates, I came here with very specific instructions, following an offer made by general Amelia, that prompted the very creation of this summit." The fact that they all leaned forward to listen was a good sign. Maybe security on this offer had held after all. "I have been instructed to offer the loyalty and fealty of the New Republic to Rebirth, now and forever, from this day onward until the stars go out."

There was a chorus of gasps, but there were more sighs of resignation. Security had held, but clearly they were no one's fool, and had realized what was coming.

Some looked suspicious, and were already whispering to each other.

The royal magistrate raised his hand, and everyone stopped talking.

"The chair recognizes the delegate from the Asarian Kingdom."

They all stared as the man stood up.

"Thank you, lady Nouvelle-Aurore, and you, delegate. It is refreshing to see such candor. I will endeavor to do likewise."

Allya could feel the tension ratcheting up. She knew this was it. The Kingdom couldn't just go against her, but their majesties were going to squeeze her for all that she was worth, and-

"I have also been instructed to offer the loyalty, fealty and vasselage of the Asarian Kingdom to Rebirth, as well as that of their majesties, and through them all those who kneel before the Asarian throne."

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed.

Well, shit.

*****

Cassissa stared at the screen in shock, as murmurrs filled the operations center.

When she had been shown into the room the first time, she'd been floored. She'd known, intellectually, that her sister considered what Allya was doing important.

She just hadn't realized how important.

A summit this important couldn't be held behind closed doors. Not wholly. It was too important, too monumental. Every delegation had their own scribe taking minutes of the meeting, and several were broadcasting it back home.

Including the Empire's observer.

And on the other side of that transmission was a hive of analysts, in an operations center littered with screens, crystal tablets and in which the princess felt wholly out of place.

"Interesting." Said the operations director. She was a strange, strange woman. Or rather, elf. Cassissa had received training and briefings in case she found herself called up to an important position in the government or, Gods forbid, take the throne, but she had never been informed that the Empire had an entire intelligence department dedicated to diplomacy. One that ran its operations like it was black ops.

Which...they might be, actually.

All she knew was that her sister had asked that she brief the director. Who, in turn, had more or less coopted her for live feedback.

"Opinions?" Called out the director, and a steady stream of assessments came from different corners of the room, with text transcriptions of them showing up on the half dozen screens facing her. Amazingly, the elf managed to take it all in at once. Perhaps the text helped keep sense of it.

All the analysts were agreeing. This was choreographed, a move calculated to build momentum and make the others sign up.

"She didn't plan for this."

The director raised her hand, and everyone went quiet as she looked at Cassissa.

She was in a guest seat, safely away from any console or anything important, save for the director herself.

"What did you say?"

"She didn't plan this out. Allya. This wasn't her. I know her. I know her really well." She shook her head. "I can read her like a book. This took her short. By surprise."

The director met Cassissa's eyes, and the princess had to stop herself from swallowing nervously.

She had to remember that the Empire hadn't endured as long as it had solely by the strength of its armies.

It had endured by the force of its diplomacy. Especially in this day and age, with the various branches of the military, from the skyfleet to the gendarmerie, stretched so thin covering all the Protectorates. Hell, even when it had begun. The First Empress hadn't unified the duchies that would become the Imperial Core through force.

That director probably wielded more power than most ministers.

"...Interesting." Said the director, before pointing a finger out at the room. "Let's follow that thread people. Reset your assumptions. What if this wasn't planned? What's the Kingdom aiming to do with this?"

The room once again filled with noise as analysts spoke with each other and began sending in data.

The director looked at the stream of text as she took in the sounds, and Cassissa wondered if it was a natural talent, or some kind of artifical enhancement.

"I agree with seven." She finally said. "The throne is making a play for Allya's good graces. Why?"

Cassissa didn't need further prompting.

"Allya is loyal to the point of fanaticism." If she wasn't, Cassissa would be very, very dead. "She's done right by everyone who has joined her so far, and been especially generous to those who did of their own volition, like the duke of Sarth and, by extension, his duchy. They might have seen the writing of the wall and decided to bet on her generosity rather than attempt to nickel and dime her."

"A risky proposition."

"Half the continent is littered with the bodies of those who went against her."

The analysts were almost openly staring at this point. Clearly no one spoke to the director like that. Ever.

Well, Cassissa hadn't asked to be there.

The director glanced at her, then slowly nodded.

"Very well. It looks like they are taking a break to reconvene later, to let everyone digest this. I want contingency scenarios and modifications on our most likely prediction by the time they get back together."

The analysts leapt into action, and Cassissa moved to stand up and leave, only to feel a hand on her shoulder.

She looked over. There was nothing there, and the Director was staring at her.

Mage hand? Maybe?

"You're coming with me, your highness. I have need of your expertise to redesign our primary scenarios."

"My sister told me I only had a limited time out of my quarters."

"Your sister will change that."

"I have no doubt she will. But I don't work for you."

A laminated security card and lanyard rose from the director's desk, as if given a life of their own, and flew towards the princess, who caught it mid-flight, her adventurer reflexes kicking in.

Her own face was staring back at her from the card.

"You do now. Welcome to the Agency, your highness. Your office is the third door on the right."