Chapter Eighty-Seven - Tippy-Tap Sanctuary

Ivil was in the sanctuary provided by her captain's quarters, alone except for Sonic Spectre who stood at attention a step and a half away from the door.

She was carrying herself with all of the poise and dignity afforded to her by being the Empress of Mars.

That is to say... Ivil squealed and did a tippy-tap dance in the middle of her room. "I did it! I did it! We kissed, Sonic Spectre! Lips on lips! We traded saliva!"

"Very well done, ma'am."

"Oh! The look in her eyes! I bet she wanted more. I want more. Should I go back and give her more? Wait, no, that's too much too fast. Can't come on too quickly. I should respect her and give her space. Unless she doesn't want respect? No, I think she'd appreciate that."

"I'm sure she would, ma'am."

Ivil squealed a little more. She felt like what she imagined a school girl would on discovering her first crush. She could dance from here to Mars and back. She could crush a solar system with her glee alone. It was all she could do to contain herself and not light up this part of the Jovian system like fireworks going off at a festival.

She felt lighter. She was lighter. In fact, things were starting to float around the ship in general until she put a stop to that.

"Sonic!" Ivil snapped.

"Yes?"

"I believe I am in love and I don't know what to do about it," Ivil said. "When I wanted things previously, I'd merely burn, kill, and destroy my way to having what I wanted, but this is far more complex than that."

"I imagine it is," Sonic replied. "But I think you're doing... well, so far, in restraining yourself. I imagine that this will reflect well in the eyes of the women interested in you in return."

Ivil considered it, then nodded. "You're right, of course. The secret is all but out now. I don't need to make as much of an effort to disguise myself, and yet if I allow myself to just go wild I'll destroy what trust I've built so far. They believe me to be the sexy, hot, all-powerful Empress of Mars who has a cool head and who is confident and powerful and attractive. All things which I am."

"Of course."

"But which will be blemished if I can't control myself and continue to be... more human around them." She nodded. She'd known this already, of course, but it was good to put into words. "Thank you, Sonic Spectre. You've been exceptionally useful to me. I'll be certain to reward you for your assistance."

The Tech Maid of Mars bowed. "It is both my duty and my pleasure, your Majesty."

"Of course," Ivil replied, repeating the maid's platitude back to her. "Obviously, if you tell anyone about my last outburst in a way that reflects poorly upon me, I will invent a new kind of suffering. Something so wretched and vile that the universe itself will recoil at its creation, then I will subject you to it for literal and metaphorical eternities."

Sonic bowed a little lower. "I would never."

Ivil eyed her for a moment, then ambled over to her bed and sat down. She crossed her legs one over the other and leaned against the air. "Now, I'm quite excited, obviously and for good reason, about my current relationship growth, but that doesn't mean that I'm not cognizant of the greater... let's call it political issue at hand."

"You mentioned to Pepper that you wished to get in touch with the Emperor of Jupiter?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, but now I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble," Ivil said. "He's... very annoying to deal with. Perhaps the only person whom I can't bully into doing as I wish. He's not more powerful than I in most respects, but a battle between us would last weeks at the least and might well leave the Jovian system as something of a mess."

"I believe it would be in everyone's best interest if you didn't fight him, yes," Sonic replied.

"Exactly." Ivil uncrossed her legs then leaned to the side. "What kind of asset do we have at our disposal for this?"

"There is a Tech Maid cruiser nearby," Sonic replied. "It would come to the call, if you asked it to."

"Hmm, I suppose. That could be a small threat. So many core-welders in one small ship. I suppose I could call in the Martian Navy as well."

"All of it, ma'am?" Sonic asked.

"Well, they could leave some ships behind for defence," Ivil demurred. "Ah, but no. This is a situation that's in the hands of the League of Free Moons..." Ivil sat up straighter.

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"Ma'am?" Sonic asked at the sudden motion.

"Where is the Emperor located?" she asked.

"Of Jupiter? Generally, he resides in a station in Ganymede's orbit," Sonic said. "It's a relatively large station, built out of the crust of one of Jupiter's smallest moons and relocated into Ganymede's orbit some ten years ago."

"And where is the League of Free Moons based out of?"

"Ganymede," Sonic Spectre said. "Did you realize something, ma'am?"

"I think so," she said. Ivil nodded, then adjusted her outfit before making for the door. "We're heading to Ganymede."

"Now, ma'am?"

"Well, within the next few hours. Contact Pepper, let her know. If you happen to encounter Twenty-Six or Pixie, let them know as well. I'll let Aurora know myself."

Sonic curtsied, tugging her skirts up from the inside with hidden arms while her more humanoid hands folded themselves over her waist. "As you say, ma'am. I'll inform the crew of our imminent departure."

"Thank you," Ivil said before slipping out of the room. Now she just had to find Aurora. Which was easy, seeing as how she had several cores keeping track of the woman and could pin-point her location to the millimetre.

Ivil navigated her way across the corridor and to the door into Aurora's room. She knocked.

"Yes?" Aurora asked.

Ivil took that as permission to open the door and step in. "Forgive the intrusion," she said as she tried to make the fact that she was breathing in the scent of Aurora less obvious.

"Evelyn," Aurora said. She was dressed down a little, in sweatpants and a loose shirt. She was fully covered, and yet it still somehow seemed deeply intimate when Aurora wasn't dressed formally. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes," Ivil said. "We'll be departing in a few."

"Departing?" Aurora asked. "I thought we had time."

"Very little. And perhaps less than I'd thought," Ivil said.

"So, to Uranus?"

Ivil shook her head. "To Ganymede."

Aurora was far from stupid. She put two and two together in less time than it would take some to blink stupidly. "The Emperor or the League?" she asked.

"The Emperor," Ivil said. "I should say hello while I'm so close to his throne. And in any case, he'll want to know about the Emperor of Earth's idiotic plan. He's at much greater risk. Or would be. The Emperor of Earth could use this power up to finally overtake the Emperor of Jupiter, and a decisive fight between the two could end in the Emperor of Earth tipping the balance all the way to his side."

"Ah," Aurora said. She frowned, then reached over for a tablet, only to put it back down. "Would he assist you?"

"The Emperor of Jupiter? Doubtful. He's fat and lazy," Ivil said with an unconcerned shrug.

"You would say that," Aurora said. "Well, if we're going to Ganymede, I'll have to insist on stopping at the League headquarters. I would have to go there at some point."

"I might not be able to escort you," Ivil said.

"I can handle myself," Aurora said. "Perhaps not against someone of your calibre, but... I'm not defenceless. I can hire help."

Ivil perked an eyebrow at that. "There's a cruiser of the Tech Maids of Mars here. I suspect that if you asked kindly, they'd gladly provide an escort."

"They're affiliated with Mars."

"Barely," Ivil replied. "And isn't Phobos the same?"

Aurora pursed her lips cutely, then puffed her cheeks out. "Okay, fine," she said. "Miss Pendergast has been quite kind and professional, and I hope that the rest of her... religious order is similarly kind and professional."

"You know, that's not her actual name, I don't think," Ivil said.

Aurora's expression went flat. "Do we want to start talking about fake names, Miss E. Ville?"

"A discussion for later, perhaps," Ivil acknowledged.

"That's what I thought," Aurora said with a small, self-satisfied nod.

"I really want to kiss you," Ivil admitted.

Aurora blinked, and suddenly her smugness was replaced by flushing and a fair bit of confusion. Ivil enjoyed the sudden change immensely.

"Y-yes, well, we have a lot of politically sensitive work to do. Now shoo, I need to get changed."

"Later, then," Ivil replied with a grin.

She did another tippy-tap dance in the privacy of the corridor.

***