The Smiling Legate

“The information I provided to you… was technically accurate,” Ixthia stated. “She was given as much mercy as I could provide. Noona Frontenachii was executed. Her body was processed. Her consciousness was repurposed into a warship’s core.” She shrugged, diamond chains jiggling. “The warship splicing was funnier and far more effective as punishment. A clean death teaches nobody anything. A century of service, on the other hand, teaches everyone a great deal about the consequences of rebellion.”

“FUNNIER?” Colette’s voice tore through the chamber with enough force to vibrate the hexasteel floor panels. Water condensed from the recycled air around her, forming droplets that orbited her body in agitated spirals. “You told me my daughter was dead! For a CENTURY, Ixthia! A hundred and six YEARS I mourned her! I planted a memorial grove on Citadel Zero in her name! I grew a world TREE for her on Oranissa! And she was ALIVE the ENTIRE TIME, trapped inside a warship!”

“Colly, darling,” Ixthia sighed, “rebellion is permitted but it has consequences. Serving the Empire as a ship for a century is a more productive sentence than being reborn as a new Frontenachii child with no memories and no lessons learned. I was being economical.”

“ECONOMICAL?” Colette’s orbital water droplets froze into tiny spears of ice, pointing at Ixthia like an accusation.

[Oooooh. Tha’ MAMA is MAD,] Sage whispered. [The ambient Aether around Colette is spiking. She’s pulling moisture from everywhere. If she lets go, this entire room is gonna flood.]

[Is this part of Ixthia’s plan?] I thought. [Why is she looking so smug? Is she trying to bring Colette down, make her kill the Stabalist delegates by accident?]

[She’s definitely rolling this somewhere bad,] Sage considered.

“I have heard enough! Please stand down, Admiral! This is beyond any boundary!” Argon Nova stood, his voice cutting through Colette’s rage with diplomatic authority, making the Admiral falter slightly. He addressed the holographic tiers. “The Stabalist Concordat formally recognizes the testimony of Noona Frontenachii as evidence of criminal violations against the Omnid Charter. Articles Seven, Twelve, and Nineteen. I have received field confirmation from Monitor May Hydralline, who has independently examined the warship core containing Ms. Noona Frontenachii’s Fractal Engine heart. Her findings corroborate the testimony presented here.”

He produced a data crystal and pressed it. May’s voice and image filled the chamber:

“Captain Nova. This is Monitor Hydralline. I can confirm the core contains a living Benzaiten Omnid soul bound into a magisteel and celesteel warship control frame. The binding matrices include involuntary neural routing, emotional dampeners, and pain amplifiers. The Fractal Engine is intact and conscious. This soul has been imprisoned for a period consistent with one hundred and six linear years and an unknown number of centuries of prior experimentation in accelerated time. The evidence of forced neural binding is unambiguous. I have never encountered anything of this severity in my years of Concordat service!”

The recording ended. The chamber rang with silence.

Ixthia’s silver eyes swept the room with undisturbed serenity. Colette glared murderously.

“How dramatic,” Ixthia said. “The Concordat’s field officer confirms what we already know: Noona Frontenachii was sentenced for treason and served her time. The methods of service were an internal Frontenachii disciplinary matter.”

“Internal?” Salia Mooncrest rose, fur bristling along her arms and neck, each silver-white hair standing on end. “You spliced a living Omnid into a warship! You imprisoned a conscious mind for over a century, maybe longer!”

“The Frontenachii Omnicorp has full judicial authority over its own citizens, Councilor,” Ixthia replied. “As every Omnicorp does. Noona Frontenachii was a Frontenachii citizen who committed treason against the Frontenachii state. She was sentenced by a lawful tribunal. The sentence was carried out according to Frontenachii law.”

“Frontenachii law permits Omnid soul-splicing?” Grovka Simmi’s voice crackled with thunder. “Since when?”

“Since always, Councilor,” Ixthia answered.

“Then your legal code is an abomination!” Kaede Suzume snarled, golden eyes burning with fury. “Suzumarii Omnicorp has documented over seventeen thousand separate instances in the past century where Frontenachii agents operating in Omnithornia and other dimensions violated local labor laws, cultural heritage protections, and sapient being welfare statutes. Each time, the Frontenachii Omnicorp paid a fine and continued the same conduct. We have been patient. Excessively so. This is the last straw!”

“We have all been patient,” Argon agreed. “The Concordat does not seek conflict with Omnicorps operating within their legal boundaries. But this…” He pointed at Noona. “This is a horrific, inexcusable crime against an Omnid.”

Ixthia tilted her head and spoke with the same pleasant, conversational tone. “And what do you intend to do about it?”

“The Stabalist Concordat hereby expels Frontenachii Omnicorp from Omnithornia and all Concordat-affiliated territories,” Argon declared. “All Frontenachii commercial licenses, diplomatic privileges, and financial accounts within Concordat jurisdiction are hereby frozen pending a full investigation into the extent of these violations.”

“All accounts!” Kaede confirmed.

“All commercial contracts with Frontenachii Omnicorp are hereby terminated!” Salia added.

“All military cooperation agreements are voided!” Grovka’s wings threw visible arcs of lightning.

“All educational exchange programs too,” Marshal Everlight finished. “All Frontenachii students are hereby expelled from Skyfall.”

The holographic tiers of Legates erupted. Three thousand Wendigo projections chatted, argued, demanded, a few laughed as though they found the entire spectacle entertaining. The noise was deafening, a forest of antlered skulls screaming at each other.

Ixthia raised one hand.

The chamber fell silent. Three thousand Legates stopped talking simultaneously. The speed of obedience was deeply unsettling. Maybe she simply muted them.

“My, my,” Ixthia said. “The Concordat flexes its hefty economic muscles. Color me chastised.” She tapped a claw against her armrest. “You’ll freeze our accounts. Cancel our contracts. Revoke our licenses. How… inconvenient.”

She stretched languidly.

“Tell me, Captain Nova. When dimension after dimension collapses into entropy and billions of souls face extinction, which Concordat member lifts a single claw to save them? We deploy warships. We open gates. We evacuate civilian populations. We plant World-trees, preserving thousands of civilizations!”

“You harvest those populations,” Noona said. “You turn the survivors into blood-bound soldiers and process dissenters into warship cores!”

“We save them,” Ixthia countered, smiling. “Save them from the absolute nothingness of entropic decay. Is imperfect salvation worse than perfect death, Noona? You should know. You’ve experienced both.”

“The crimes committed by Frontenachii Omnicorp are documented, extensive, and verified,” Argon pressed. “The Concordat’s decision is final. Frontenachii assets in Omnithornia will be seized. Our colleagues in Omnithornia all agree with our judgement and will begin its enforcement soon.”

Ixthia’s smile didn’t waver. “Seized by whom?”

“By the Concordat’s enforcement mechanism,” Argon said after a brief, angry pause.

“Which is?”

Another pause. Longer this time.

“I’ll be more specific,” Ixthia purred. “The Concordat’s enforcement mechanism for a hostile asset seizure against an Omnicorp of our scale would require the deployment of Archangels. The full angelic hierarchy. Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones. Am I correct?”

Marshal Everlight shifted on the bench. The Sphinx’s mane bristled. “If necessary.”

“If necessary,” Ixthia repeated, savoring the words. “The last time Archangels were deployed against a particular Omnitype was during the Second World War. The Concordat authorized a purge of Omnid Fae, Werewolves, and Vampires. The Archangels nullified the concept of their omnitype and an unfortunately large number of kobolds who happened to be tied to them.”

Argon frowned.

“I believe the Concordat classified the operation as ‘regrettable but necessary collateral’ in their post-action report. A lovely euphemism. So tasteful!”

“That was then,” the Thunderbird said. “This is now! Magitek control over the Archangels has been improved since the 1940s! We need not erase your Omnitype as a concept.”

“Oh?” Ixthia grinned. “What will you do then?”

“We will order the Archangels to nullify your connections to your kobolds and hoards,” the Kitsune Omnid revealed. “Go after that which you value most!”

The crowd of Legates exploded with shouts, swears and threats.

“My, my,” Ixthia sighed. “A harsh threat.”

“The Concordat has no desire for war, Legate,” he said. “We have a desire for accountability.”

“Then you shall have it!” Ixthia waved magnanimously. She snapped her claws.

A door opened at the side of the chamber. Two wolf-prad soldiers projecting nullification bubbles dragged a chained figure onto the central floor.

Admiral Evelithria.

The ex-Admiral looked… worn out, muted by the gray nullification field. Her hexasuit was replaced by a simple gray prison shift. Black shackles bound her wrists and ankles, connected by a short chain that forced her into a shuffling gait. Her silver eyes were dull and ringed with dark circles.

“Admiral Evelithria Frontenachii,” Ixthia announced, gesturing at the chained woman with the casual elegance of a host presenting a cheese platter. “The architect of the unfortunate incidents on Earth. The individual directly responsible for the moon damage, the island destruction, the presidential execution, and the order of Noona Frontenachii’s warship conversion. The Frontenachii Legate Council has already stripped her of rank and authority. We present her to the Concordat as proof of our commitment to accountability and reform.”

Evelithria raised her head. Her eyes slid across the chamber, landing on Ixthia with a look of absolute, corrosive hatred.

“You scheming, fork-tongued knobfold!” Evelithria’s voice was raw. “You planned this. You planned ALL of this! You pushed me under the skyship!”

“Evely, please.” Ixthia tisked. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“The Omnid to warship conversion was YOUR idea!” Evelithria screamed, chains rattling as she lunged forward. The wolf guards yanked her back. “I objected! I said a clean execution was more proper and YOU said…” she gulped air, “…you said ‘where is the fun in mercy, Evely?’”

[Ho. She spillin’ everything,] Sage observed. [I wonder if Ixthia miscalculated how angry the ex-Admiral would be. Or she didn’t miscalculate at all and WANTED this to happen. Hard to tell.]

“The Third Fleet’s Former Admiral is understandably distressed,” Ixthia said to the Stabalist delegation. “Her recent demotion has been… psychologically taxing. I’m afraid her testimony may be colored by personal grievances.”

“My testimony is colored by the TRUTH!” Evelithria roared. “The Legate Council voted unanimously! You ALL wanted Noona in that warship because she embarrassed the Empire and you wanted her to suffer for ALL eternity as retribution!”

Argon Nova looked between Ixthia and Evelithria with the expression of a man watching two volcanoes argue about which one erupted first.

“The Concordat is interested in the truth, Legate,” he said. “Regardless of the former Admiral’s emotional state, her accusation is specific and verifiable. From what Noona herself showed us, all of you voted for her splicing. Therefore you are all to be held accountable.”

More Legates erupted in the tiers. Shouts. Counter-shouts. A Wendigo in the fourth row slammed her fist through her holographic armrest.

“Enough,” Argon’s voice cut through the noise. “The Concordat delegation has heard sufficient evidence. We will formalize our sanctions within the hour. Frontenachii Omnicorp offices in Omnithornia and all Concordat-affiliated territories will be shuttered. All financial instruments will be frozen. All diplomatic staff and agents will be expelled. And if there is any further evidence of sapient soul-binding or Omnid right violation, the Concordat will escalate this matter to the full Archangel activation and beginning of termination of hoard connections!”

Grovka Simmi snapped her fingers. “SimmiTech and Thunderland endorse this resolution.”

“Mooncrest Omnicorp endorses,” Salia growled.

“Osiris Omnicorp endorses,” Everlight rumbled.

“Suzumarii Omnicorp endorses,” Kaede said with a glacial voice.

Ixthia sat back in her chair.

She was smiling.

And that was what scared me most. Three thousand Legates faced economic ruin, diplomatic isolation, and the threat of angelic intervention… and Legate Ixthia Frontenachii was sitting in her chair smiling as though everything was proceeding exactly according to schedule. 

As though she… wanted all of this.

Either she was a fantastic actress or…

“Incroyable,” Ixthia said with a cheeky expression. Her silver eyes danced over the Concordat delegation, paused on puffed-up Colette, lingered on Noona, and finally settled on me. “A most marvelous performance, Emperor. You’ve riled up the Concordat enough to threaten that which we hold most sacred! Embarrassed the Council. Made my dearest, oldest pal scream at me in front of three thousand colleagues.”

Colette let out a murderous, deep growl. “You beerch. You absolute…” She hissed, fists opening and closing.