Diplomatic Considerations 3
From space, the world rather optimistically named 'Eternal Garden' looked pleasant enough. The humans on this world didn't have the technology to start ruining their world with pollution and industrial runoff yet. Maybe they never would with this planet, since it was an agricultural world. However from what I'd learned from Nacinde that wasn't likely; the Imperium would eventually demand more in taxes, exhausting the land and forcing the local farmers to poison their land with artificial fertilizers to keep up with the Imperium's requirements.
Space above the world was clear: Captain Calima had timed our arrival well. There shouldn't be any more Imperial ships in orbit for the next month, and Governor Delkor had ordered what few spacecraft the planet possessed grounded. I was a bit surprised he'd asked us to meet him on the planet instead of a more clandestine meeting in space, but perhaps he was no longer as worried about secrecy. Or he just felt more secure in his home territory.
I turned to Trix'll and was about to ask if she sensed anything when she spoke. "Everything seems fine, I haven't sensed anything." She shot a playful smirk my way. "That's what you were about to ask, right? I don't even need to check any possible futures to guess that. And to answer your other questions, I am free for dinner and I haven't tried that position, but I'm sure you could convince me to experiment if you turned on the charm."
Nacinde shot an annoyed look Trix'll's way. "Let's focus on the mission. We need our psyker to have her mind on looking out for threats, not joking around."
"Or at least keep it quiet until I'm out of earshot," Cy'trya added from the pilot's seat. "I don't need to hear someone who taught me mental exercises back when I was a little kid go on about how she's down to—"
Rathnait pointedly cleared her throat. "Perhaps we could
try to set something of a professional example for our dear Cy'trya on her first officially sanctioned mission? As opposed to behaving like a bunch of oversexed harpies?"
"Isha's grace,
please," Cy'trya groaned dramatically, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the shuttle's controls. "It's bad enough having to put up with my moms. Hanging out with the officers was supposed to be my chance to get away from being forced to listen to old people flirting."
Rathnait's hand tightened on her pad and she let out an offended huff. "I am only a hundred and twenty years older than you, and still very much in the prime of my life. Hardly
old."
I was also tempted to point out that I hadn't been flirting with anyone—and that two hundred and three was hardly 'old'—but it would probably be best to just move the conversation past that remark. Just like it was best to ignore Trix'll's muttered remarks about how her problem was that she was the opposite of oversexed. "Rathnait's right, let's focus on the mission."
"It's too late," Cy'trya sighed and shook her head. "You've already ruined it. I'll never be able to look at any of you the same way again. All these years I thought you were a bunch of hardened experienced killers who prepared for every mission by ... I don't know, asking Khaine to bless you with his bloody hands or bragging about how many bad guys you would kill. Now I find out you're actually like
this."
"Sorry for shattering the illusion," Nacinde answered with a dry smile. "Now that you're one of the adults, you've figured out that none of us were actually as cool or smart as you thought we were, and most of us barely have any idea what we're doing and are just making it up as we go and trying not to make a mess of things."
"Speak for yourself." Trix'll shot a playful smirk our way. "You still think I'm cool and smart, don't you Cy'trya? You even said I was your favorite back when I taught you how to use the psychic interface on craftworld-built vehicles."
Cy'trya grinned back at her. "Okay, fair, but bringing up stuff you taught me to do when I was a little kid just reminds me that you're
old now. But okay, you're still Cool Aunt Trix'll—just don't flirt with anyone else in front of me or I might have to rethink that."
I felt Rathnait open up a private link to myself and Nacinde. "Wait,
she's the cool aunt?" Rathnait let out an indignant huff. "We must swear a pact to right this grave injustice: we must cast Trix'll down from her unearned throne so that I can claim my rightfully deserved place of honor.
Honestly, 'Cool Aunt Trix'll.' I've been with Captain Calima since before Cy'trya was even born and helped babysit her whenever her mothers were busy or needed a break, so surely
I deserve to be..."
I sighed and mentally tuned out the rest of her grumbling. Nacinde sent a faint grin my way and rolled her eyes, and I smiled back in a moment of shared understanding and pain. I was already certain Rathnait would spend most of the rest of the flight to the planet talking our ears off.
* * *
It was almost a relief when we finally got to the planet. At the very least, it forced everyone to get their mind back on task instead of letting ourselves get distracted.
The governor's palace stood out from the surrounding farmland like a massive, overdesigned blight upon the landscape. In typical human fashion, the building was far too large for what was supposed to be a single-family dwelling and covered in far too much fake gold and a grossly excessive number of decorative skulls. Why did humans feel the need to erect such ugly buildings when the world they lived on was already beautiful?
Our shuttles landed in a massive open courtyard. The governor had clearly been hard at work preparing for us, there were several large tables loaded down with local cuisine and the walls were covered in large banners displaying his house's heraldry. Evidently he wanted to make a show of receiving us. I wasn't impressed, but it was at least a good sign of how the meeting would probably go. If he wanted to make a grand public display it would probably be peaceful. Unless all the banners were actually just there to provide hiding places for hidden sharpshooters.
The governor himself was waiting to meet us when the shuttle opened. Or at least, a man I presumed was the governor. There was a bit more grey in his dark hair and short beard than I'd seen in the images from the last meeting, but a decade was enough time for humans to visibly age. He was wearing the same black uniform covered in entirely too many medals and ornaments for a man who spent his days supervising indentured farmers. He politely nodded as though greeting an equal and smiled, though the expression didn't reach his cold eyes. "I recognize Ladies Nacinde and Rathnait from your previous visit. Which of you lovely visions is Lady Iranni?"
"I am." I stepped forward, and the human extended his hand towards me. I reluctantly offered my own in turn per the usual human custom, but quickly drew it back when he started to dip his lips towards it. I was already going to want to clean my armor after this visit, but that was no excuse to let him dirty it even more.
"Smart," Trix'll privately sent to me. "Just having his eyes on me is making my skin crawl."
Governor Delkor's smile slipped for a second when I pulled my hand away, but he wasted no time putting it back in place. "A pleasure. I look forward to a friendly and productive meeting and trade exchange. It's so refreshing that we can finally have proper diplomatic dealings with one another. I've always had an immense respect for your people, and now that Lord Guilliman has officially opened relations with your leader Lady Yvraine, we can have a civilized conversation as befits enlightened beings." He threw a pointed look at the entourage behind him. "Such a pity some of my fellow nobles have struggled to grasp the way Imperium continues to grow and evolve."
There were so many things wrong with that statement I didn't know where to start. Yvraine certainly wasn't any sort of leader to us—even the few Ynnari aboard the ship like Fanya Tal answered to Captain Calima alone. Any deal she might have struck with Guilliman only applied to them, and considering the decentralized nature of the Imperium I wouldn't trust any other human to abide by the terms of their deal.
"He's putting on a show for his subordinates," Nacinde informed me. "If I had to guess, he's using our presence to tie himself to Guilliman. Imperial nobles love to scheme amongst themselves, and if he can create an impression that he's acting on Guilliman's orders or following his policies, it makes his position more secure. If they think he has Guilliman's favor he's basically untouchable."
"Isn't he supposed to be the human emperor's son? I doubt he's ever heard of this backwater world." Cy'trya pointed out.
"It's all about appearances," Nacinde answered. "Delkor's using us to shore up his own position and try to make himself look more legitimate. Small surprise."
1d100: (39) vs 40 (40 Fellowship + 0 Charm) = Success, No Degrees
I turned my attention back to the human governor and made my best effort to be diplomatic, clearing my throat and forcing a smile onto my face. "Thank you for welcoming us so warmly, and for the hospitality you have shown us. We look forward to a pleasant and profitable stay, and will endeavor to be gracious guests."
"I look forward to it." He waved a young human woman who seemed to be on the verge of adulthood forward. She plastered a smile onto her face that even I could tell was painfully forced, and dropped into a formal curtsey. "This is Lady Adra, my fiancee."
He started to drone his way through more introductions of the rest of his entourage, but I only paid half a mind to it because Rathnait immediately started talking through the link. "Wait a minute. I'm not the best with mon'keigh faces and recognizing them after years of aging, but I could swear that's—"
"It is," Nacinde confirmed, and I spotted one of her hands slowly clenching into a fist. "His niece has grown up, it would seem."
"And unless Nacinde messed up the translation she's been sending us, he intends to marry her?" Trix'll's eyes narrowed. "I know mon'keigh don't have the highest standards, this has to be too disgusting for even them to put up with."
"It's hardly unusual among the nobility of Imperium worlds," Nacinde answered coolly. "Dynastic politics practically encourages it. Delkor inherited the governorship from his brother, her father. Once she's of age she could try to stake a claim for the post, and any noble family she marries into would back her up. Delkor
could try marrying her off to a loyal vassal family, but considering what a backstabbing snake the man is, I can't imagine he'd trust any of them enough to hand them someone else with a legitimate claim to his throne. Marrying her solves that problem, and ensures his descendants have no rival claimants."
"And genetic damage from inbreeding." I could hear the open restrained contempt in Trix'll's voice. "I'd almost respect the mon'keigh more if he was just trying to murder her instead. Either option is horrible and depraved, but..." She trailed off, and when her voice returned it was suddenly much more subdued. "Wait. Delkor wasn't the governor when we first met him, and he's been pointing us toward his political rivals to advance his own agenda. Don't tell me..."
"It's quite possible that we did," Rathnait confirmed, her voice carefully neutral. "I'd have to check my records against the Imperium's to know for certain, but a planetary governor's yacht would have been a rich prize, and we always knew we were being used as catspaws to kill his rivals in ways that couldn't be tied back to him. Calima isn't in the habit of slaughtering humans when they're unarmed or after they surrender, but if the governor tried to fight us or if any of the drukhari crew were dealing with Thirst at the time..."
"And even if we left the governor alive in a savior pod or hiding in a blasted and disabled ship, it would've been simple for Delkor to arrange for his death once we killed all his guards and any potential witnesses." I could hear a worrying undercurrent of anger in Nacinde's voice. "But does it matter? What's important is asking ourselves whether we're going to—"
I quickly muted the link as Delkor wrapped up introducing the last of his followers. I didn't particularly care about the names of the officials responsible for calculating grain shipments or the head of the local astropathic choir. However, now that he'd finished introducing the people from his retinue, he would expect me to do the same for my companions.
"I'm Commander Iranni Heavenseeker, Captain Calima's representative." We didn't use the sort of strict rank system the Imperium used on their ships, so I'd just picked a high rank that was below that of captain to serve as an approximation. "You've already met our Quartermaster Rathnait, and our security chief Nacinde. This is Trix'll Tuathatellayen, our ship's seer."
I couldn't help smiling to myself as I prepared for a bit of an extra flourish Trix'll had suggested I add. "And this..." I paused for dramatic effect. "... is Grymloq."
I sent a quick command to Cy'trya, and she opened the shuttle to let my carnosaur stride out of shuttlecraft. Once he was out and standing at his full height, Grymloq let out a single mighty roar, sending all the humans hastily scrambling backward in a panic.
Or rather, most of them. Adra stood her ground, her eyes wide and sparkling as her forced smile changed to a delighted grin that made her whole face light up. "Emperor above, is that a
carnosaur?! I've only ever read about them, I never thought I'd get to see one in person! They're even more majestic than I imagined! Can I pet him?" She took two steps towards Grymloq before one of our guards stepped into her path, not pointing a weapon at her or making an overt threat but making it clear she shouldn't come closer.
Governor Delkor cleared his throat and hastily straightened his uniform, trying to regain any dignity he'd lost while scrambling back from Grymloq. I could see the irritation in his eyes, but he quickly hid it behind an indulgent smile at his niece-fiancé. "If I might ask you to indulge the whims of my future wife?"
Under the circumstances, I was inclined to let the poor girl have this. Especially since it would probably make the rest of the humans a bit less nervous around Grymloq. There was a fine line between impressing them and intimidating them. "Grymloq, be nice to the people here. We're negotiating with them, and the governor's niece wants to pet you." He already knew not to eat anyone unless I told him otherwise, so the words were as much for the benefit of the mon'keigh as him. It didn't really matter whether I spoke to him in Gothic or a more civilized language since the real communication was through our mental link.
Grymloq cocked his head to the side and looked down at Adra. His next question was something entirely expected.
Will there be food? Me Grymloq smell food!
I waved the guard aside, and Adra quickly walked over to the carnosaur to pet his massive jaw. "Oh ... oh wow. He's so big. And warm." Grymloq let out a happy snort, making the lady's dress blow back as if it had gotten caught in a breeze. Adra let out a delighted giggle and continued petting him. "Is he hungry? I don't think we have enough food for him here, or if we do the rest of us will go hungry. I could have the kitchen staff get something out of our meat locker and set it up in the gardens."
Me Grymloq like her.
I rolled my eyes and shifted to Aeldari to answer him. "I'm not letting you run off with some human girl to do who knows what just because she said she wants to feed you."
But there is food!
"I can keep an eye on them," Cy'trya volunteered, stepping out of the shuttle. "You don't need me for the negotiations, and anything's better than sitting in the cockpit being bored for however long it takes for you to work out a trade deal." She grinned and reached up to scratch one of Grymloq's favorite spots. "Besides, I'm one of his favorite people."
She brings food and gives pets. Grymloq agreed.
If Me Grymloq go with them, there will be food and even more
pets!
I wasn't sure about sending Grymloq out of my sight on a human planet, but it wasn't like a single unarmed human would be much of a threat to him. Unless Delkor had a lot of guards hidden in ambush somewhere, Grymloq should be perfectly safe, and having him wandering the grounds would probably help with smelling out any trouble. Plus letting Adra spoil Grymloq a little would probably be the diplomatic thing to do—not to mention I'd have to put up with the big baby pouting if I denied him potential food.
Still, I could take a few precautions. I quickly opened a private link to Trix'll. "Have you sensed anything out of the ordinary?"
Trix'll Warpcraft: 1d100: (71) vs 80 (Willpower 50 + Warpcraft 30) = Success, No Degrees
"I'm not seeing anything particularly dangerous," Trix'll answered me. "Though trying to spot future threats before they come up is hardly an exact science even if you have a fully trained farseer on hand. Especially when there are mon'keigh involved—you never know when one of them might decide to do something stupid. I don't
think there's an ambush waiting for us or anything, if that's what you're worried about."
I heard a note of concern enter her voice. "Though I
am picking up something psychic I haven't quite nailed down yet. It's not strong; if I had to guess there's probably a weak psyker somewhere among the palace staff. Maybe someone they're trying to be sneaky with, or it could just be a latent psyker who hasn't awoken their powers yet. I'm almost completely certain it's not a threat—even if it's a battle psyker trying to be subtle I can handle them, but I don't like dealing with unknown factors."
"I see." I didn't love the sound of that. It was vague enough that I couldn't take action, but I couldn't exactly ignore it either.
* * *
[ ] Let Cy'trya and Adra Pamper Grymloq
There are no concrete threats, and even Trix'll seems fairly certain that the bit of psychic residue she detected is nothing to be concerned about. Plus letting Adra play with my carnosaur will be a good look diplomatically, and she could probably use something nice given the troubles hanging over her head.
- [ ] Send Trix'll with them
If there's potential psychic trouble, Trix'll should be close to Grymloq and the captain's daughter. Plus a little adult supervision might be prudent.
- [ ] Keep Trix'll close by
Grymloq and Cy'trya are more than capable of handling themselves, and if there's some kind of psychic threat it's more likely to target the diplomatic party than what the humans will think is just a large exotic pet.
[ ] Keep Everyone Nearby
I'm not letting Grymloq and the captain's daughter out of my sight while we're on a human world, especially if there's an unknown psyker threat nearby. If Adra wants to pet and feed Grymloq, she can do it where I can keep an eye on them. There might be a little diplomatic fallout, but Delkor doesn't seem like the type to put sentiment over profit.
