Chapter Four

Planning a Trip

Nellie woke up face down on the table in her cafe.

“Oh, that’s not great,” Nellie cracked her stiff neck as she blinked the sleep from her eyes, trying to remember what she had been doing before she fell asleep.

While she was figuring it out the various sub-processes her mind had been running reported what they had done while the conscious part of her slept.

It was something she was slowly getting used to since the upgrade to her brain.

The Throne had allowed her to basically attempt to take over the functions Lucy had been doing when she left, but some of the habits she picked up in there were proving to be challenging to break.

She no longer had trouble staying present in her body, but Nellie frequently spun thoughts off into separate run times unless she was very careful. It made remembering what you had been doing an uphill battle if you fell asleep because the answer was several different things at once.

Some HyperDrive would undoubtedly help, so she shuffled behind the counter and stepped over a sleeping Weasel to make a quick morning cup.

Looking out the shop windows as she waited for it to brew, Nellie saw the man drag was mostly dark, which meant it was somewhere in the third shift. That was good as it made it unlikely anyone had seen their Queen drooling on the table in the corner when they got a late cuppa.

Memories slotted into place as she sipped the steaming liquid.

Right, the diplomacy thing.

Mentally reaching out to the network, Nellie brought up the details she had been working on as she sat back with her feet up on the table.

The Sagacity.

The problem she kept having was trying not to think of it as some overgrown university. Despite the focus on learning and knowledge, it was actually closer to a religious autocracy in makeup. The religion just happened to be knowledge—or rather, Knowledge. Definitely a capital K on that one. She flicked up the copy of their message and winced at the flowery language.

For the attention of the senior governmental official in the Nanite Imperium,

Dear Sir or Madam, or designation of choice,

As Senior Lecturer of the Sagacity Learning Spiral Benediction, I have the absolute honor of inviting you to attend our vaulted bastion of Knowledge at your earliest opportunity.

Whence this meeting commences, we can discuss establishing formal relations between the most noble and venerable Sagacity and your society. I feel it is incumbent on me to encourage that this happen with utmost alacrity so that any tensions caused by the recent unpleasantness between yourselves and the Imperial Line be resolved.

While these actions did not directly involve the Sagacity itself, a wise individual can not deny that it happened within the borders of our claimed orbital alignments and that the fallout of these actions did inconvenience many of our citizens.

Let us not allow unfortunate beginnings to herald poor outcomes and acrimonious relations. Rather, let wiser heads and calmer attitudes breed understanding, the exchange of much Knowledge, and pleasant feelings of warmth and mutual acceptance.

Yours in felicitation,

Senior Lecturer Buddin (Gold Rank)

“Ostie, I hope they don’t talk like that in person,” Nellie grumbled, somehow sure they did. Or, at least, Senior Lecturer Buddin would insist they did during the meeting. If so, they were likely to be unimpressed with her own way of speaking.

It was tempting, given the fact it was not addressed directly to ‘The Queen of the Nanite Imperium,’ to push this off onto Salem to deal with, but that was out of the question.

She mentally translated it to remove the bullshit and other pretenses, adding her translation to the end of the message.

Dear Noisy Neighbour

We need to talk, and there is no way we are going to walk into the lion’s den to get eaten. So, you are going to have to come here, okay?

You and the Line had a set-to in our system, and now we had better get on good terms before you have another enemy to worry about. Since you are the wildly aggressive bastards, we are willing to chat and get friendly but don’t take the piss.

We may look like a bunch of university/priest types, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get leary.

So, pop over now, and no one has to worry about fleets invading their system any time soon.

It’s a win/win, get me?

Buddin - isn’t my title impressive?

The translation made her chuckle a little, and she finished her cup of HyperDrive to enjoy the happy feelings for a while. Once she was done, Nellie started to figure out the logistics involved in the first-ever diplomatic mission from the Nanite Imperium.

Moreover, this would count as a Royal Visit as well.

That would complicate things, especially if they wanted to do formal dinners and things. Looking at the message again, Nellie just knew they would.

She pulled up Crush’s report on the visit to the Sagacity and sighed at how little he had actually written about the place. To summarize, he found them stuffy, uptight, and a little creepy. It seemed like Berenice had been more involved while there, and Nellie checked to see if the energetic Merchant was likely to rise soon. To her surprise, Berenice was already up, and her comm line was a solid green.

Nellie sent a quick message, and the merchant called back immediately.

“Queen Nellie, how can I help you?” Berenice asked, bright-eyed despite the ungodly hour.

“It looks like I will have to visit Sagacity soon. Can you give me your impressions of them?” Nellie asked.

“Certainly! In fact, I can do you one better. I’ll come to tell you in person and bring a native with me.” Berenice smiled, already standing up.

“No need to wake someone up,” Nellie assured her. “We can always do this later.”

“Oh, it’s fine; he’s here already going over plans with me,” Berenice said quickly. “You in the cafe, or your office, or...?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“The cafe,” Nellie said. Was it bad that people assumed she was in the cafe rather than her office?

“Be there in five!” Berenice cut the line.

Nellie made a couple more cups of coffee and got herself a refill while she was at it. By the time she was done, Berenice was knocking loudly on the door.

Nellie winced. Technically, this was a business area, but people were still likely to be sleeping nearby. She reached out and unlocked the door with a nanite tendril while she walked back to the table with the cups on a tray.

“Good Evening!” Berenice chirped as she stepped into the building, a hollow-eyed man trailing behind her. He looked awful. “Oh, why is it so dark in here?”

“It’s third shift,” Nellie said, speaking quietly to hint that Berenice should do the same.

“Already?” Berenice asked. “Time sure flies, doesn’t it?”

She plopped herself down at the table, her companion grabbing the cup of HyperDrive like a drowning man grabs a life raft.

“There certainly never seems to be enough of it,” Nellie admitted.

“Would you mind if I grabbed a biscuit? I think I forgot to have dinner again,” Berenice stage whispered to Nellie.

“Sure,” Nellie waved, and the Merchant headed for the counter.

“She never sleeps,” the man said tiredly. “Never sleeps. Never stops.”

Nellie wasn’t even sure he was talking to her, his eyes never leaving the HyperDrive as he clutched it in his hands.

“It’s the nanites,” Nellie explained. “They allow us to stay awake much longer than people without them.”

“It is?” the man gasped. “I thought she was just…”

“Yeah,” Nellie smirked. “She kind of is; the nanites just kind of extend her a little bit.”

“I see you met Bryant,” Berenice said as she came and sat back down. “He grew up in the Sagacity.”

“Excellent,” Nellie clapped her hands together. “Would you mind looking over their message and then telling me a bit about what to expect there?”

Bryant nodded mutely, and she flicked the message onto her datapad before handing it over to him. He read it over, wincing at several points.

“That bad, huh?” Nellie asked.

“The senior members of the Sagacity have their own ways,” Bryant explained. “In their terms, this would be considered an enraged rant.” He read on. “Your translation appears to be about spot on, however.”

“I figured,” Nellie nodded.

“You should show this to the administrator so she can take it to one of the Queens,” Bryant said seriously. “It is important.”

Nellie and Berenice stared at him for a moment.

“What?” Bryant asked. “I know I’m new to the Imperium, but this is serious.”

“No, no,” Berenice laughed. “Bryant, this is the Queen.” She gestured to Nellie.

Bryant’s eyes widened, and he dropped from his chair and pressed his head to the floor.

“I offer my apologies, Your Highness. I meant no offense! Please, forgive my ignorance!” Bryant wailed. “I beg you, spare my life!”

“What the actual fuck?” Berenice dragged him off the floor. “You are embarrassing me!”

“Mister Bryant, is it?” Nellie asked.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Bryant tried to get back to the floor, but he was struggling against Berenice, who had nanite levels of strength. She held him up with one hand as he struggled.

“Mister Bryant, please relax,” Nellie said, trying to smile as kindly as possible. “I do not ask my people to beg and bow before me.”

“Right, we are meeting in a coffee shop. That should have been a clue, Bryant!” Berenice rolled her eyes and placed him back in his chair.

“Are you sure, Your Highness?” Bryant asked.

“Yes, I am sure,” Nellie rubbed the back of her neck. She didn’t have a stiff neck, thanks to the nanites, but her mind still insisted it should be stiff after falling asleep on the table. “I take it you don’t have nanites, given how exhausted you are?”

“No, Your Highness,” Bryant hesitated. “I am currently unsure about the—”

Nellie waved the comment aside.

“He’s a bit squeamish.” Berenice said quickly, “But he’s a born Merchant.”

“Good, we need more of them,” Nellie said. “Let’s get him an implant at least, and make sure you let him sleep occasionally?”

“Ha-ha, yeah. Oops?” Berenice blushed.

Bryant and Berenice both spoke at length about the Sagacity, explaining a lot about the place, and it quickly became clear it was a bit of a complicated setup.

She was going to need an advisor.

“I think you two might need to come along on this trip,” Nellie said when they took a moment to get themselves a couple more refills. “I’m going to need to adapt on the fly, and having someone there onsite will make it a lot easier.”

“Respectfully,” Bryant blanched. “I suspect I would be arrested if I returned.”

“I’m straight up banned,” Berenice beamed, clearly proud of the fact.

“Then you can stay on the ship and advise me from there,” Nellie said. “Sorry, but as Bryant said, this is important.”

“What if they attempt to board the ship?” Bryant asked.

Nellie and Berenice looked at each other and then laughed.

“I am missing something again?” Bryant guessed.

“It’s the Queen going,” Berenice said cheerfully. “She’ll have to take the flagship.”

“And?” Bryant asked.

“The Harbinger,” Nellie explained. “That is my flagship.”

Bryant gaped, eyes wide for a long moment before he began to giggle.

“Okay, mister,” Berenice smirked. “Time to get you some sleep.”

She practically dragged him out of his seat as Nellie settled back into her chair.

Right, she had advisors on the Sagacity.

Next.

“The Royal Guard will have to accompany you,” Remy said flatly. “And nothing less than a full complement of Centrums.”

“I think some Nameless and Greys would be a good idea as well,” Salem added.

“You too, Salem?” Nellie asked.

“The nameless have learned a lot from Leah,” Remy said with a nasty smile. “If someone tries to assassinate you, they will make sure they don’t escape.”

“And the Nameless will scare the shit out of any opportunistic idiots,” Salem added.

“The massive royal guards won't?” Nellie laughed. They existed to protect her and Lucy, and they still looked intimidating to Nellie. Each one was near enough twice the height of most people and heavily armed.

“They look like machines,” Remy said with a shrug. “The Nameless are much more visceral a threat.”

“Anything else?” Nellie joked. “Should I take the HiveShip too?”

“That would be overkill,” Remy said seriously. “Nothing can threaten the Harbinger as it is.”

“Should we send a Marshall?” Salem wondered.

“They’ve already met all of the senior Marshalls,” Remy shook his head. “Better to keep their cover intact in case they need it at a later date.”

“What about Edwards?” Salem asked. “Or Leah?”

“Leah is a no,” Remy said with certainty. “She is a princess, and it would make her too tempting a target, for all that they would fail.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Edwards, however, might be a smart choice.”

“Why?” Nellie asked.

“He’s nice, and people like him,” Salem said. “Everyone likes him.”

“Everyone,” Remy shook his head. “I’ve been up and down the records, examined scans, and even looked at his mental mapping. I still can’t find anything unusual in him. As crazy as it sounds, he just seems to be likable.”

“You’ve studied him?” Nellie asked her Chief of Security.

“Extensively,” Remy nodded. “If we could recreate whatever it is that makes him so agreeable, we would be able to create the greatest spies in the universe!” He grinned as he imagined it for a moment.

“Okay, moving swiftly on,” Nellie said, trying to ignore the last part of the conversation entirely. “Won’t Paren mind?”

“He is a member of the Imperium,” Salem said dryly. “He does not get excused duty so he can be with this girlfriend.”

“Well?” Nellie asked the air.

“Yeah, yeah.” Paren’s voice came from the speakers. “I am capable of understanding he has a job to do, you know.”

“Just once, I would like to have a conversation where she wasn’t listening!” Remy snapped. His left eye twitched slightly. “Just once!”

“You have had loads of conversations where I didn’t listen!” Paren replied tartly. “Loads.”

“But I never know which ones are private!” Remy yelled at a speaker. “I am the Chief of Security, for the spark’s sake!”

“Dunno what to tell you, Remy,” Paren said, sounding distracted. “Get better at your job, I guess?”

“Paren!” Nellie snapped.

“Fine, sorry, Remy.” Paren sighed. “I will stop if you want.”

“Really?” Remy asked.

“Nope!” Paren laughed, and the line clicked closed.

Nellie quickly pushed talking to Paren about her behaviour much higher up her own priority list. It now sat right under the Sagacity visit.

“If you will excuse me, Ma’am,” Remy said tensely. “I am going to go and upgrade our internal security again.”

“Our security is excellent, Remy,” Nellie said seriously. “And my daughter will NOT be listening in on you in the future.” She glared at the nearest camera feed until she felt Paren’s presence fade from it.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Remy said with a deep bow before he left the room.

“Think that will work?” Salem asked Nellie when they were alone.

“If it doesn’t, I’ll have to deal with it when I come back, which would really piss me off,” Nellie said seriously.

“Any idea what to do about… things?” Salem asked.

“None at all,” Nellie said with a shrug. “But that is next week's problem. This week, I’m going to visit the Sagacity and try very hard not to start a war.”