"Did you enjoy the mock battle, your Excellency?"

High Priest Isbal looked up to the woman who had asked the question. Her name was Kykla, a diplomat of their world, and one of his most trusted retainers. Despite the apparent age difference, she was not only taller but also a few years older than him. And unlike Isbal, who was considered quite old, she still had a lot of years ahead of her. That simply was how things were on the planet Eroas. The Tystrie's females, few in number as they were, carried the fate of their kind on their shoulders, and the faithful revered them highly for it.

The two of them, escorted by a handful of arena guards, left the grandstand and were on the way to their shuttle.

"Hm, how would you evaluate their performance?" he asked, giving the question back to her.

"Oh, well, one could see that their training... if compared to previous..."

They entered the shuttle and the door closed behind them. Now the two were alone, and after making sure the guards could no longer hear them, she dropped the formal tone.

"By the Goddess, that was unwatchable!"

She punched their destination into the console and then dropped into her seat across from the high priest.

"Agreed. If you look at our soldiers, it is hard to believe that the Tystrie once played a major role in the longest war in the alliance's history. Those guys couldn't hold their own for a month, let alone a year."

He leaned back in his seat.

"And the worst thing is, we can't even blame them. We don't have the funds to train them properly, the equipment is lacking, and we only have a handful of warfare-capable ships left. There was a time when we were considered the most valuable planet in the alliance, you know. But that was before our time, back when there was still titanium in our mountains."

"Your Excellency, the current council is not to blame. The fault lies with our predecessors for mining out the planet and deciding to not think about consequences they would not live to see. They may have received the Goddess's punishment for it, but that doesn't change our situation. Too bad none of the uninhabitable planets that we could claim mining rights to have anything worth the effort."

Isbal sighed.

"Well, not everyone can be as lucky as the Krsnelv when it comes to treasures of the soil. Let's just hope I can strike a bargain with their ambassador regarding the trade agreement."

"Um, well, about that," Kykla answered slightly fidgeting, "I wanted to inform the council once we are back at the temple, you see... we received a message from the Krsnelv this morning, saying their ambassador won't come. They are no longer interested in the treaty."

The high priest couldn't even get angry anymore, he was just tired.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"But why? Did they get a more favorable agreement with someone else?"

"Possible, they didn't give a reason."

As he looked out of the window, he saw the shuttle approach the temple.

"That means your visit to Hohmiy will be even more important. We are already struggling, and I will not go down in history as the one under whose rule our planet fell into poverty!"

"I swear by the Goddess that I will do what is in my power. But Princess Silgvani is formidable, so I can't make any promises."

He groaned.

"We were way too dependent on mining. We don't even have the agriculture to sustain our own population if the trade dies down. Why do the Vanaery have a planet that is almost completely habitable, while we can only use a small fraction of ours?!"

Granted, that was their own fault. For the longest time, their population was small enough that their world's resources were sufficient. But once they became space-faring, once they joined the alliance and suddenly everyone wanted their titanium, their entire economy focused on mining. They became rich, amassed a large fleet, their population rapidly grew, and they simply imported what they couldn't produce themself. A lifestyle that now demanded its price. The planet Eroas was mined dry.

"I don't care what you have to do, but come home with SOMETHING!" he demanded as they entered the temple through the backdoor and headed for his office. He would've loved to head straight for his bedroom, but unfortunately, he had still much to do.

Their economic situation was quite dire, and with their population at its current level, it was impossible for them to solve the issue on their own. But they also couldn't just ask for help. If any other member of the alliance learned of their desperation, they would literally have the Tystrie in the palm of their hand.

A new trade agreement would buy them time, maybe enough to find a more permanent solution. And Kykla was their best hope to achieve that. Not only did she have a lot of experience thanks to her hard work and longer lifespan, but her family also seemed to have earned the Goddess's favor more than any other. He could only pray that their deity would smile upon her once more.

"Things would be so much easier if I could instead talk with the Queen or King," Kykla stated as she closed the door behind her.

Hearing that, the high priest had to chuckle. It was almost a nostalgic memory at this point.

"What was it that Queen Mirvani asked you when you first met her?"

"Whether my tail was more of a third arm or a third leg," she answered almost laughing. "Those two were the worst. You just needed to let them talk enough, sooner or later they would say something you could claim to be an insult, and voilà, your position in the negotiation drastically improved. But ever since that brat took over..."

Isbal sighed in agreement. A few years ago, their daughter suddenly took charge of all foreign politics. People from outside weren't even allowed to see the King and the Queen anymore, only she would go to other planets and welcome visitors. From the outside, it had almost looked like she had usurped her parents. In fact, the Tigora had even claimed exactly that and refused to recognize her legitimacy. A mistake no other race in the alliance repeated. Because that was the only time the king and queen had actually TAKEN insult in something. Ironically, it was the princess's efforts that prevented a catastrophe back then.

"If she at least wasn't the heir. Her naive brother would be a much better ruler. Well, not better for them of course, but for us. If he was the prime candidate, we would just need to endure a few years."

The high priest looked at his attendant.

"That... is true, I guess, but that's purely hypothetical. With all she has done for her world, there is no way she won't succeed to the throne, even if she had not been the prime candidate from the start. And she is not just suddenly gonna disappear."

"Who knows? Maybe the Goddess favors us this time. After all, WE are her people, not the Vanaery. The future may surprise us. Either way, if you excuse me, I have to prepare for my departure."