A week later, Sarah had traveled to Zah'Aharon to attend the first regional governor conference with the empresses. She had left Ayonar yesterday and slept in her home in the Dark Temple. The Temple Complex hadn't changed at all since she left and she hadn't expected it to. High up in the temple, Sarah sat down at the ruling council's table with the other governors. Looking around, she saw Governor Hannah Dabo of Imperial Region South-West, Governor Adam Franklin of Imperial Region South-East and Governor John Agresto of Imperial Region East. Notably, the governor of Imperial Region Center, Bejamin Alzinov, was nowhere to be seen. The other governors were chatting with each other, only briefly interrupted by their staff relaying messages. Sarah, however, sat in her seat silently. She had been in here many times, which couldn't be said for most of the others. It was her home and she didn't need permission to sit down. Sarah was dressed in traditional Knights of the Empire attire, a tunic, trousers and boots, while the others were wearing suits.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClSm2wcc3G
"Governor Tanas, how nice to meet you." Sarah was startled but managed to hide it. "Benjamin Alzinov, governor of IRC."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1WjO4pNrn
"My pleasure, governor," Sarah said, awkwardly turned in her seat. She shook his hand and acknowledged him with a smile. Where he had suddenly come from, Sarah had no idea. It was now nine a.m. and the meeting was due to begin. For another five minutes, Empress Therana didn't join the party, but a Dark Guard called for everyone's attention.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHFufDPZes
"Excuse me, honoured governors. Her Imperial majesty, Empress Therana, would like all of you to be ensured that she will join you momentarily. Please take your seats as the empress wishes to get straight to the point. Beverages and snacks are available to you at the push of a button. Thank you."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriUYNR6FsT
The other governors all looked like they wanted to trump each other in looking the most loyal and dutiful, at which Sarah could only chuckle. Her aunt had been like a second - or third, depending on the count, mother to her and she knew by heart that this posturing would never work on Therana. On Sarah's adoptive mother Sam, perhaps. She had always had a weakness for people groveling before her. The door slid open and Therana entered, prompting expectant stares from the other governors. Sarah had no idea what they had been led to believe, but she was certain they hadn't been taught to look like a fool. In any case, all governors were handpicked by Therana and had met her before, so their competence was - for the moment - without question. Therana walked around the table and sat down in her, larger, chair.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtJCbNGupp
"Welcome, governors. I apologize for the slight delay. Urgent matters of state, you'll understand."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdyMW1kNNX
The pro forma leader of the governors, Benjamin Alzinov, said, "Thank you for welcoming us here in the Dark Temple, empress. We hope you are satisfied with our reports."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsKL60uL7H
"Indeed. Let's get right to it. Long-term changes of significance aren't visible yet, but I am pleased by your short-term quick fixes. Except for one." She looked at Sarah. "I feel that I underestimated the situation in Imperial Region North and that I did not do right by you, sending you there without more help."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGokPLK7U7O
"Oh no, empress. I am confident that we will soon have the pirates at the throat. Last week's operation took an unexpected turn, but nevertheless, one of their most important bases was destroyed - if not by us. But that leads me to a concern greater than the pirates. The unknown attacker."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZBLZEjUd7
"Ah yes, the mysterious ship that damaged the Fearless so easily and yet was not identified. You suspect the URS and naturally, it seems obvious, but I'm missing the reason for this specific operation."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPu4TFq17C
"I'm afraid I don't know. It was a well-timed attack with a FTL-interrupting weapon, followed by a strong bombardment which the Fearless just barely managed to resist. The Reformist Party has made their opinion on the empire clear every week since they won the election, sometimes even twice a week, for good measure I suppose. Our intelligence agencies have been disappointing so far, but I think that this mystery's solution telegraphs itself to us free of charge."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJfJrLZ9Hm
"I would agree if the attack taken place near the border, but it took place on the opposite side of the empire. There is no known base of the URS in deep space there. To get there without inevitably being picked up by our perimeter and sensor net, they would have to fly around all of known space just to get there at the right time to pick of a single dreadnought of a small anti-piracy operation. While I do not have a better explanation than you, I do think this is far-fetched. First of all, they would have to have an informant somewhere in the military or intelligence agencies. Quite possible, even very probable. But they also would have had to give the suspected URS ship enough notice for it to make the long journey in time. If my math skills do not fail me, it would have been a very narrow window of time. Perhaps too narrow. The calculation display the ideal situation."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4tvn9ArGs
"The only other explanation would be aliens. We know there are some civilizations a ways from us, but they are too far away too have an interest in our piracy problem. In the same vein, they would have had even more notice and a really fast drive, just to meddle with our internal politics. I can't consider this a credible theory," Sarah said. The other governors were listening intently, none betraying any thoughts they may have had. Occasionally, they checked something in their tablets.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFKmVKP2xh
"I agree. The URS theory remains the most likely of the far-fetched and the impossible."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3PR2Qp1Lw
Sarah nodded. It truly was an unsolvable mystery - for now.
The rest of the four hour long conference touched on every topic imagineable, but because Therana had already read most of what she had to know beforehand, the discussion mostly limited itself to questions and clarifications. Therana was happy that Governor Hannah Dabo had managed to kick into motion a series of procurement projects for the Citizen's Police Services in Imperial Region South-West and that she had convinced the government of Estellar to expand the infrastructure of the ever-growing community there to future-proof it. Even after 70 years, Estellar only had a population of 3.2 million. Its growth was steady, but slow, while other Imperial planets had long reached or even exceeded the ten billion population threshold. More and better infrastructure would attract companies, which hopefully would cause many settlers in search of a more frontier-like life to move there. In essence it was no different from any other Imperial population center, the difference being that most of the planet was still uninhabited. Nonetheless they had internet, supermarkets, electronics stores and the prototype of their own pop culture industry. The development of new population centers was heavily subsidized by the empire, sometimes to the displeasure of the planets. Local politicians cared about local issues, not a new colony that could be a few hundred lightyears away.
After the conference, Therana invited Sarah to her apartment for a private conversation. Sarah accepted, but asked Therana to expect her in ten minutes because she had to go to her own apartment first. At home, she looked through the large window over the skyline of Zah'City. Once the city had been called 'Zah'Aharon City", but over the course of a few hundred years, the name had been shortened by its inhabitants, who were tired of spelling it out every time. Klendana was a much smaller city, even though Ayonar had three billion inhabitants of her own and wasn't lacking in sprawling metropolises. Nothing compared to the more than ten billion people of Zah'Aharon. No Imperial planet was more populous, but despite Sarah's undying love for the Imperial capital, Shiva had the most interesting geography. Its largest continent vaguely resembled a fedora and featured many rugged mountain ranges and massive rivers and waterfalls. Snapping out of her interstellar sightseeing tour, she went to the bathroom to freshen up before going to Aunt Therana's and Uncle Edwin's apartment.
Their apartment was on level 76 and used up almost half the storey. The other half was the apartment of Sam and Katharina. Sarah rang the doorbell and Therana opened immediately. She must have stood closeby.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3MzgOAznt
"Hi, come in," Therana said.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzPSLIs3NU
"Thanks. Do you mind if I raid your fridge?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZzJBilIwK
"Not at all."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dnFt27FeW
Sarah went to the fridge in the kitchen and picked the first lemonade bottle she saw.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQ0LfW0hRl
"So, what did you want to talk about?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQLC8h3noh
"The URS. I didn't want to discuss it openly in front of the governors. This is a family matter."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRt4by88GJa
Therana beckoned her to follow her into the living room and they sat down on the couch.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJCzwTnFHt
"So you know more?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgj1VXlRVJ
Therana adjusted her tunic as she cleared her throat.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfAqHspDk7
"Not about the mysterious attacker, but about the Reformist Party. We think we will soon have solid proof of heir collusion with pirates not just on their territory, but on ours as well."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlskaPeuJbT
"Are they the supplier?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeE6ov4KGa
"We think that it's not the URS, just the party itself. I wonder if they have infiltrated us already. The intelligence agencies don't know much. Everything is shrouded in mystery nowadays."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzvpFFyK9m
"We need to gain back the technological edge. We're living in a time where good intelligence is harder to come by than ever."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpgyQcQDmM
"Funding for black projects is high, but it's difficult to crack the URS' newest encryption standard."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQ8jVxvqUP
Sarah looked away for a second. "I feel like we're in great danger. The URS is superior to us in almost every area. The Reformist Party will continue to sow discontent, especially in the north, and I believe they will get bolder soon."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzwlbSyrQk
"They don't have the might to come in rolling straight to victory. We still have some assets on our side: The Zephalans," said Therana.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUDIQKCmOt
"The Zephalans? We defeated them before and now they don't have their ships anymore."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoM50ymlC8F
"But we have enough of their technology reverse-engineered. With Zephalan help, we would be able to significantly boost our capabilities."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwsOOedvLk
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "They have captured Zephalan tech, too."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7a4WchuZQ
"But not nearly as much and they do not have one ship that compares to our Black Dawn."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSL52u0L4U
Sarah sighed. "There are trying times in front of us. I feel there's something in the dark which we can't see yet. Something dangerous."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iwJg03Hy1
"You've felt something?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp0PyTAGNZ
Sarah stood up and began pacing through the room.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96RI3KYhk2
"I might be imagining it. I can't see the future any more than you can."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6nW5bs2bX
Therana also stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the midday sun shining on the city and reflecting between the waves of the ocean to form a scintillating ballet.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEi1fARfsz
"No. I think you might be right."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTr6Cezsvzp
She stopped for a moment, then said, "Are you staying for the wedding?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtP0fTJxlpM
"Yeah, haven't they told you?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWwtVKqzDe
"I can't remember the list anymore. So many people."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepAmwsYoIR
"Johanna is gonna love it," said Sarah, remembering her own royal wedding. The ceremony, the huge crowd in the Temple Complex. She had hated it, spent months trying to get a more private ceremony, but her mother had convinced her that the public must get its pictures. The only good thing of that day was the wedding kiss and the night. The rest was a publicity stunt she could have easily forgone. But Johanna, Sarah's sister, loved crowds and the attention her fans and the paparazzi gave her. For her, it would be wild.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVw2YdShH7B
"Yeah. I've gotten old. Back in my day, I wanted to strangle everyone who added a name to the guestlist or invited the press, now I'm pushing for it myself."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7FwDdefuk
"If you throw yourself off the temple, there are bound to be some hot pictures."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TPTKf9OB6
Therana laughed. "You're crazy."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXVksKHcm4
"Resourceful."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmsUwO59Z0
"Ruthless," said Therana.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9CobJfJDM
"Efficient."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvr87FVnEL
"Well anyway, back to topic." Therana turned to Sarah. "I do not want war. I do not tolerate war. I know that I have not always managed to keep us on course, but it's not just my fault. You are my hand in the north. Eliminate piracy, then stabilize the situation further and slowly turn your attention towards the Tletans. Their archenemy, the Draoll, might drool over a chance to attack as soon as they sniff even a hint of it."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWYxzYqRNi
"Naturally. Should I seek a meeting with King Orkona?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqnG8h6Nbu
"No. I will meet him myself when the time is right. Concentrate on your region and keep the politicians in a cooperative mood."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mLcXYk870
"Alright."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdlOdWJyKX
As Sarah regarded her aunt, the absolute ruler of the Second Empire, with ist massive population of more than 120 billion people, she saw no more than a 50 year old woman who despite her young and fresh appearance was tired and overworked. Magic prolonged life by slowing the aging process. Therana looked no more than 35. But Sarah could see right through it. The rings below her aunt's eyes carefully hidden with makeup, her gaze cold and steady. Her copper red hair fastidious as ever, but burdened by the weight on her shoulders. Sarah felt exactly the same. There was nothing her aunt hated more than uncertainty and yet, uncertainty was what the world was made of.
