With the introductions out of the way, Princess Sara released the tension in her shoulders and took a sip of water. James continued, "I am not easily offended; I have done this type of thing countless times before. I am usually on a new planet for a month or two before handing over to a permanent team so miscommunication can happen all the time. Please do not worry." James sat back and smiled.

"Thank you James, that is most reassuring. There is just one more thing we need to talk about, then we can join the others." Princess Sara pressed a small button on her wrist device.

The same waiter reappeared almost instantly in the doorway, "Ma'am." Behind him were two heavily armed guards. They did not wear the formal silver and gold armour as before, but a more functional black padded armour under casual suits.

"James, cough Ambassador, this is Msizi. He will be your personal assistant while you are with us. He will attend to anything you need including fetching me if I am required. The two gentlemen behind him are your personal security escort and will be with you at all times whenever you leave this suite. They will take you almost anywhere you want to go." Sara explained. "While we don't expect any security issues, they are for your protection. It would not be good if you get lost on the station and hurt yourself."

"Thank you, I promise I won't be too much trouble for you," James smiled.

"Yes Sir," they replied.

"Now, shall we go meet the rest of the team?" asked the Princess indicating to the door.

Once again everyone fell silent when Princess Sara walked into the room. "Any updates?" she politely asked.

A young woman wearing a casual blue business suit walked over and handed Sara some notes and messages. "Thank you, Elle. James, this is Elle my personal assistant. You may speak freely in front of her and if I am unavailable she will pass along any messages. Both Elle and Msizi are in constant contact."

"Hello Elle, it is good to meet you," James said giving a little bow.

"Thank you, Sir," Elle replied returning a bow then leaving for her duties.

James made his way over to the small group of people he recognised, Xilquin's team. They were stood around a small table strewn with papers and empty drink cups, they looked tired. As James approached they all turned to face him, smiles on their faces and giving a deep bow. "Ambassador Wallace, James. It is a great honour to have you here and see you in person after all this time. We welcome you to Beldor."

Shaking each of their hands in turn, "Thank you Jafar, how are you? Boril, hello! How are you and your wife? And Fula, great to see you again." They all engaged in welcomes and small take for a few moments. In a more serious tone, "I am deeply saddened to hear of Xilquin's accident and wish him a quick recovery, I am hoping to visit him if I can. How is he, do you know?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"We all saw him yesterday," replied Fula. "He is still in a coma, but the doctors are hopeful he'll pull through."

"That is good news I suppose. How are you all doing, I understand you are all very busy at the moment?"

"Yes," Boril started. "Not only do we have to pick up the pieces from Xilquin, but we also have to bring a whole host of new people up to speed too," he said looking around the room. "It's a big undertaking, he spent more time with you than everyone else..."

"I'm a little jealous," interjected Fula with a smile.

"...and knew more of the little details that you would mention in your throwaway comments during your long talks."

"Ah yes, I do tend to do that, don't I," James said sheepishly. "I think of you all equally as friends. No jealously needed," he smiled back at Fula. "Well I am here now and I can lend a hand in any way I can, just let me know what you need of me. I have mentioned to the Princess that I am usually here for a month or two, however with all the issues, I can easily extend it to as long as required, or until you get sick of me!" he laughed.

* * *

After a couple of hours of introductions and small-talk to the rest of the room, James was shown to a bedroom where he could take a shower and freshen up. Princess Sara had mentioned that there will be a station tour tomorrow, so to just relax for the rest of the evening.

Clothes and other belongings had been taken from his shuttle and Msizi was just finishing unpacking and putting away his belongings into wardrobes and drawers. "Thank you Msizi, is there any chance I could get some food please, I have not eaten all day," sighed James sitting down on soft chair. I am going to take a quick shower and freshen up.

"Certainly Sir, is there anything in particular you would like to eat?"

"Whatever the local speciality is will be fine, thank you. I like to try new dishes on each planet I visit."

"Right away Sir." replied Msizi and promptly left the room with a small bow.

While James had some time to himself, he sent a status update to the to the Galactic Council informing them of the change of local ambassador and the requirement of pushing the timeline back, saying that he may be staying here a bit longer than expected. With that done he got undressed and stepped into the shower.

Returning to the bedroom mostly dry and with a towel around his waist, James laid on the bed to relax for a few minutes. He must have drifted off as a knock on the door woke him with a start. "Come in!"

Msizi entered the room with a fully laden cart and pushed it to the middle of the room. "Your food, Sir. I brought you a small selection, please enjoy." With a slight nod he left just a quickly.

Getting up from the bed, James could see that the cart held four metal dome covers, a selection of condiments, some plates, cutlery and two bottles of wine. There was an array of wonderful smells coming from each cover. Lifting each in turn James saw a dish that looked a lot like an old English fish and chips, another dome held what looked a like a traditional Bengali beef curry. The third was definitely a local dish, ribbons of red pasta in a bright-blue sauce. The last dome revealed a dish that was found in every society on every planet in the known galaxy. Meatballs. A small pyramid stack of them covered in what looked like melted cheese. Interesting.

Grabbing a plate and fork, James picked bits from one dish and parts from another until he had a multicoloured assortment of food. He sat down next to a small side table and started eating. He didn't realise how hungry he was, he had barely sat down for a minute when he went back for more.

With most of the food and a full bottle of wine gone, James was finally full. Realising that he was still dressed in only a towel, he threw on some night clothes and laid on the bed, promptly falling asleep.

...