Royal

The discussion more or less ended there. After a few more points were made along the same lines as Naera’s initial statement, consensus was reached. If someone was required to join, they would be kept as distant as possible unless they both wanted to get more involved and actively sought agreement from the existing women. If Dustin had to fuck other people, that was just politics, but they’d minimize how much it impacted what they all shared. He wasn’t exactly happy about it, given the wonderful multi-partner relationship he’d built up since leaving Earth, but equally at least he now had a path forward if the situation demanded it.

With the Tho’unn, Emely had been able to give him more information at least, details he turned over in his head as they rode a winding route through the city in a anti-gravity, open topped vehicle designed to look rather like an antique horse-drawn carriage, only without the horses. The entire city was like that, Dustin had found - victorian-esque in design, and utterly, needlessly ostentatious.

The emperor of the Tho’unn was a traditionalist apparently, even by his people’s standards. Equally, their ambassadorial consorts had never been required to have a relationship with the ambassadors they were assigned to. Often it had been used as a way to ‘get rid’ of people who would otherwise cause succession issues for the crown. Dustin had blanched at that, at the idea of being paired up with royalty - until his many-tailed lover had softly reminded him of her own regal connections.

He mused on that as they turned onto yet another endless avenue lined with gilded statues of past rulers. The Tho’unn did seem proud of their history - the massed ranks of emperors and empresses were everywhere in the city - but his thoughts came back to Emely. She didn’t seem royal. Leaving aside the fact that the eager little minx had gotten if anything even more conniving about getting ordered around since becoming pregnant, she was so dedicated to him that it was easy to forget her family.

Glancing out once more as statues made way for elegantly sculpted trees on the final approach to the palace, Dustin could only hope that any future royalty - Tho’unn or otherwise - that might join his mission would be as amenable as the woman sat gently preening her tails opposite him.

“Husband?” Meli’s voice cut through his reverie, his wife gesturing at the entrance to the palace compound ahead of them. “We appear to have a welcome party.”

As he glanced up, Emely craned her neck around to look, before settling back into her seat. “That’s… good,” she said after a moment’s deliberation. “The first group meeting us at the gate shows respect. It’s a good start.”

What followed might have been a good start, but it was also four of the dullest hours of Dustin’s life. Endless groups of officials who needed their hands shaken and their work ethic praised in accordance with the appropriate level of their station had filled his day. The barons who had met them at the gate hadn’t been too bad - but after the fifth group of archdukes, Dustin was almost ready to scream.

“How many more of these dignitaries are there?” he whispered to Emely as they were led into yet another extravagantly decorated ballroom. It seemed safe enough to ask - the only other figure present was a man dressed far more casually than the others. Some kind of butler, Dustin guessed.

His fox girl stiffening as she stared at the room’s occupant clued him in, just before an urbane voice answered him. “About another two to four hours worth, ambassador - at least, if I let every distant cousin speak with you before you get to meet me, which is why I took this shortcut. We do still have to keep up tradition, but I think we can have a little chat first before you lose what remains of your sanity by dealing with the palace nobles. Would you care for some tea?”

Emperor Theodisus Reh’unn XVII was a tall man, with black hair that was fading to a statesman-like grey across his scalp. His body was patchy - black and white skin in a pattern that on a human might have been something like vitiligo, but in the case of the Tho’unn rather put Dustin in mind of a dairy cow. Not least because of the large ears and immaculately maintained horns that crowded his greying hair.

The four of them were seated on low sofas in a panelled room not far from where he had met them, while a maid who’s ginger complexion and long hair reminded Dustin of highland cattle served them tea. She too had the horns, although in her case they were closer to small stubs than the elegant prongs of the emperor.

“So, as I was saying ambassador…” the emperor paused, setting down his cup “…you did us a favour with your work on the other worlds. I’d been monitoring the situation on Thif, but I’d never have dreamed - and more importantly, my spymaster would never have dreamed - that it could be any kind of hostile sabotage against our people. For that at least, you have our thanks.”

Dustin nodded politely. “Don’t mention it. Stopping the Durathisian coup is our mission, more or less. Well, that and dealing with the Fractals.”

The emperor sighed and leaned back in his seat. “Ahh, yes. The famous Fractals. Troublesome creatures. I understand you have one on your ship? A rogue, separated from the hive I would guess, given the fact that she is reportedly friendly and hasn’t tried to consume your hull yet.”

Meli and Emely stared at the emperor as Dustin’s mouth dropped open. Theodisus waved a hand languidly. “Relax. This room is soundproofed, and my spymaster is usually very good at her work. Aren’t you, Ariane?” At his words, the maid dipped into a curtsy - and Dustin’s eyes were drawn to two flashes of silver from a pair of very sharp looking hairpins holding back her toffee-coloured curls.

“Not a maid then,” Dustin said at last, before nodding to the emperor. “As you say, Defia is a rogue. She was abandoned by her people for arguing against destroying life, and has grown since. I’d like to know how you figured it out though.”

The emperor sat forward, steepling his hands. “Do you have some kind of herbivorous animal on your homeworld that is grown for it’s milk and meat? You must excuse me, I do not have time to read every bit of information on off-worlders.” At Dustin’s hesitant nod, Theodisus grinned. “Well, so do many species. And apparently, my kind usually reminds them of those docile herbivores. For that reason, they often think of us as less informed, less alert than we are. They also assume us to be pure plant-eaters, which is just insulting; our ancestors did not domesticate the giant ground-squirrels for nothing. We are omnivores, and we are far smarter than people think.”

Chuckling at Dustin’s expression, the emperor continued. “In any case - a hooded figure, dark as night, that matches nothing in our records and you regularly take with you on missions concerning Fractal technology? It does not take a great logistician to put two and two together. So. My original inquiry was to see how you reacted; when I raised a similar matter a short time ago via a remote link with the Durathisian envoy after they told me they were leaving our space due to ‘galactic instability’, they flat out denied they had any Fractal technology.”

At that, the otherwise quiet Ariane gave a snort. Theodisus’s eyes flickered over to her, before returning to Dustin. “Given my spies have already reported to me all sorts of interesting things about the emotionless grey bastards, I found that hard to believe. Your arrival - and actions since entering our space - have only confirmed my concerns. So, before we finish our tea and I leave you to return to doing the formal passage to my throne, let me reassure you ambassador - you will have our peoples as an ally in the days to come. At least, once I have persuaded parliament to back you as well.”

The Tho’unn glanced up at the ceiling for a moment, then back down at Dustin. “That said… you have already tamed a fearsome opponent in the form of a rogue Fractal. And, I understand, you also persuaded a Vex’ess to delay before impregnating her? If my information is not in error, I will have a new challenge for you when you are formally brought before us.”