Chapter 470 - Far Future Ch. 180 – Ah, the Price of Nobility (1/2)
I was hustled to the Castle politely but firmly, and they didn't really bother to speak to me anymore. I just put the Seal away, smiled politely back, and got sent to where I wanted to go.
They had muttered into their comlinks and sent word ahead, but I wasn't worried. I was very sure that both the Dukes Twilight would be gathered by the time I got there.
I was escorted with a bare minimum of politeness up to the offices of the Duke Coronal. I noted the differences in the richness of the ornamentation, money spent on ego-stroking adornments that were replaced on Janus by memoriums of those who had fallen in service of the Emperor. These were more about the glorious achievements and victories of the Coronals, mindswords swinging. I noted sapphire dominated the color hues...
The office of the Duke Coronal was quite plush, with real leather, gold-veined ornamental stone, not a hint of dust, and ornaments of rare Energized metals emitting subtle melanges of light in two spectrums. The secretary was male, and looking down his aquiline nose at everyone as we arrived. He had the air and posture of the noble-born, meaning he was probably an insufferable twit.
”This is the reprobate who dared misuse our Order's funds?” he sniffed, his vowels rolling in the most arrogant manner he could.
Chalice dropped down into my hand, and ignited in a flash of gold.
Five Stars burned on her blade, two Suns rotated, and she began to drone in a manner that shook the bones of everyone around me.
My escort scattered instantly as I kept walking forwards.
”The Dukes Twilight can wait to see me until we address your rudeness on the dueling grounds,” I hissed sharply enough to cut paper, my hair fluttering behind me in my own auburn-hued custom cloak.
His sneering expression became almost laughable panic as he counted the five Stars and realized he was dealing with a post-Ten. Oh, and an incoming Intimidate check at 50+. I would be amazed if this twat could handle a 25.
His sense of self-preservation reached up, dragged away his sneer, and replaced it with fawning subservience. ”M-my apologies, my Lady! I did not realize I was dealing with a senior!” Whole beads of sweat were suddenly across his forehead, and his knees were shaking visibly as I Glared At Him. ”Who...who shall I say has come to call upon the Dukes Twilight?”
”Colonel Sama Rantha, under Twilight Seal.” I reached in to my vest pocket, popped out the Seal, and displayed it for him as his eyes almost bulged out.
HAH, the bastards behind me hadn't told him about the Twilight Seal. I guessed he was a popular fellow. Grym caught the shadow of their smirks, which might have gotten a little bit wider when I gave them a thumbs-up behind my back.
”Y-yes, right away.” He looked pointedly at the desk, and a diode lit up. Obviously we were under observation. ”P-Please enter, Colonel Rantha!” The wooden doors, which I was sure from some extinct species of hardwood halfway across the galaxy (Marbled Stonewood from Corpusti III, I was informed by Emma, a Natural Sculptor) opened silently to admit me.
I gave the jerk a long last Withering Glare, and he melted back into his chair before I pulled Chalice back up into my arm, the golden soulblade snapping away, and I skated along an inch above the plush carpet within.
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The doors closed silently behind me. The twat gasped loudly in relief, and my escort also flinched as they were released from my presence.
”Emperor. We were going to start a fight with her?” hissed Dame Towagers, staring at the closed doors.
”The fight would have ended before we could start it,” murmured Inquistor Coffins, his eyes dark enough to do credit to his name. ”A five-star mindblade. I've only ever seen three in my life.” His eyes flickered. ”Her name isn't in any database we have, which is impossible for anyone with five Stars. Where did she come from?”
”If the Dukes want us to know, we'll know,” Towagers replied, and tilted her head as a voice spoke to her there. ”We can go.”
The Inquisitor didn't question her, and they and their Strikers left the office and the secretary who hadn't quite managed to hold onto his piss.
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Three men stood to greet me as I came into the spacious corner office with a magnificent high view of the core of the city behind it. Mentat Tower, the Crownspire of the government, the lesser Spires dropping away in size as they increased in distance from the Central Spire of Kolosti Prime. A thousand miles of skyways wound between them even from here, and multiple levels of airborne flightways complimented all of them.
We wouldn't mention the sprawling, shadowed darkness of the lower city's countless Downspire bloks and the Underspires who never saw the sun... Kolosti Prime was in excess of five billion souls, so it could eat a couple Janus Prime's...
The Coronal Duke was a shorter man, with dark hair, a trim mustache, hard eyes, and the body language of a chip on his shoulder. He moved with deft precision and projected an air of command and authority... with the underlying impression to me that he was afraid people wouldn't notice him if he didn't. He definitely didn't like the fact that he had to look up to a woman, I could tell... and he probably really enjoyed ordering around people taller than him, like his twat of a secretary.
The Umbran Duke was tall, sallow, and moved in a lazy manner, but his eyes were working and scheming with every breath he took. He looked like he wanted to peer inside my head and find out everything I was thinking, and was only holding himself back somewhat after seeing my display outside.
The third man was Marquis de Krov, smiling and happy to see me, a finely carved wooden box in his hands.
”Your Graces.” I glided up, felt them twitch at my presence, ignored it as I executed a perfect bow, and finished it off with a somewhat more casual salute. ”I am Colonel Sama Rantha of Janus Prime's Planetary Guard, here under Twilight Seal. A pleasure to meet you both. If I may?” I held out the Seal, and its display winked up again.