Ingrates, Every One Of Them
11 Jun 2021User319792
I looked away, immediately, without breaking from attention. I could feel the goose pimples on my arms and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Two seconds into the conversation, and I was fighting off the tickle in my stomach and the slight curl forming in the corners of my mouth. I glanced over at Coral who, standing at attention across from me with the man in the black suit at our side, briefly met my gaze before turning her head slightly away. I could see her arms stiffen and the corners of her mouth curling upward slightly. The man in the black suit looked at each of us, briefly, with a look that was both stern and amused. "You look as lovely as ever, Ms. Nain." I looked at Coral's mag boots before glancing at the Imperial diplomat and curtsying. I looked over at Coral again and she tensed up further, trembling in a rhythm. The man in the black suit looked at me again, still puzzled- still stern. He looked at the Imperial diplomat and turned his head slightly to the side, without breaking eye contact.
"Sir, we've looked over your findings and we'd like to thank you for your hard work. We have our own people attempting to cross-reference the information you've provided, and it is of great interest to us. As you know, any threat to the sovereignty of The Emperor is met with extreme and deliberate care and The Emperor takes great pains to ensure the safety of the Empire and her people." The man in the black suit seemed to swell with pride, his chest slightly expanding as the Imperial diplomat continued.
"Princess Aisling's previous associations," I squinted hard at the diplomat at the mention of The Empress' name, "are well-known to The Emperor." The diplomat looked in my direction, and my gaze shifted quickly to Coral's boots again, losing the hardness they'd had earlier. He appeared not to notice and I could see Coral's leg bend slightly as her body remained tense.
"Ms. Nain's work on your investigation has been extensive and her work is well-deserving of her rank in the Imperial Navy." The man in the black suit looked over at me with a beaming smile, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder before looking back at the diplomat. "We will continue looking into the matter, and your information collection efforts on the various Marlinist factions is being analyzed as we speak. Likewise, your information collection activities on Jupiter Division will be analyzed with," he paused, looking hard at the man in the black suit, "extreme and deliberate care." The man in the black suit gave me another gentle squeeze on the shoulder.
"In light of your work, we have decided to honor Ms. Nain with the offer for continued advancement in the Imperial Navy from within Achenar, in appreciation for Ms. Nain's work on behalf of the Empire, and as a personal honor bestowed upon Ms. Nain for her work on behalf of the Imperial family." Coral immediately lowered her chin to her neck and her shoulder's slumped. Her stomach tensed and her breath caught before she relaxed, again. The man in the black suit continued to beam at me, looking back and forth from me to the diplomat.
"However, with regard to your request, Sir, as you know, the inner workings of the Empire are in constant motion. There are a number of moving parts that must be coordinated with impeccable care and timing in order to ensure the continued advancement of The Emperor's vision. Likewise, as you are also surely aware of, Sir, there is always something going on when it comes to the inner workings and intergalactic relations of the Empire; it is simply the case that those things which are occurring are not something 'We' here in the Empire have any need for you to know of." The man in the black suit's smile faded.
"Please understand, Sir," the Imperial diplomat extended his hands toward the man in the black suit and the tone of his voice warmed noticeably," your work and the work of Ms. Nain is greatly appreciated and, should 'We' determine a need to do so, we will inform you directly of any further requests. Otherwise, any discussion of the matter will be made known to you as with everyone else: via The Emperor's official disclosures to the GALNET press corps." The man in the black suit looked discouraged, but he mustered a weak smile as the Imperial diplomat enclosed his hand in both of his Imperial claws. The diplomat released the hand of the man in the black suit, thanking him again, before looking directly at me with a look a satisfaction. His eyes were calm, and his mouth showed the faintest hint of a smile. I glanced at Coral quickly and her body remained tense, still slightly trembling in a rhythm.
"Ms. Nain, you're always welcome to continue with the work of the Empire and 'We' truly hope you understand the nature of the honor bestowed upon you." I glanced at the man in the black suit, who looked away with the slightest smile on his lips. With that, the man in the black suit thanked the Imperial diplomat, who then excused himself and turned around sharply, striding across Ovid's quarterdeck and down the lift onto the landing pad before disappearing from view.
As soon as the Ovid's lift closed, Coral dropped to her knees and rolled onto her side with an explosion of laughter. I squinted at her and tried to step on her head with my mag boot but she immediately rolled into a crouch and punched me in the back of my knee and I keeled over, losing my balance for a short moment before regaining it. I told her to shut her stupid face and the man in the black suit stepped between us.
"What's going on with you two?" Coral, still crouched, continued laughing with her fists balled up in my direction. The man in the black suit looked in my direction and I looked away from them both, feeling indignant. I tried not to laugh at the thought of how this all played out. It was sort of funny, in its own way. The man in the black suit looked back at Coral and waved his arm in my direction.
"Coral, what is it?"
"That's the guy!" she screamed at the man in the black suit, exploding with another round of guffaws. I tried to maneuver my way around the man in the black suit to kick in her the face but she rolled into another crouch, with her fists still balled in my direction, laughing the whole of the way through the move. She was a sprightly one, which I didn't expect. The man in the black suit placed himself between me and Coral again and looked hard in my direction.
"Cadence, stop that!" He looked back at Coral, "What guy?"
"The," she could barely get a word out as she continued laughing, "the guy." The man in the black suit squinted his eyes in confusion before a wave of realization hit him. His eyes lit up and he immediately started laughing before looking at me and laughing even harder. He bent over at the waist and put both his hands on his knees, gasping for breath between laughs and I squinted hard at them both before walking away, hearing their laughter continue through the closed door of Ovid's captain's quarters.