---Secret---

---Viig's perspective---

"Morning, fancypants(!)" I smirk as I catch up to the giant woman in shiny, silky clothes, heading in the same direction as me.

Khr'kowan swivels the head to look down at me and twists the flesh over the right eye with the patch on it to say "Yes… well, I know it isn't another [media] access day, like the opening was, but I thought it would be best to make an effort for our second day of work too… Someone has to(!)"

"Hey! I made an effort!" I protest "Don't I get credit for even being awake so early?!"

"Awake so early and going to work in your nightclothes, it seems(!)" she quips.

I smugly narrow the eyes up at her and answer "'The Twigg do not attach the same cultural associations or values to clothing as do the Vrakhand. Attempts by either species to hold the other to [their] own species['] standards are misguided and unhelpful.'(!)" quoting Jae.

She chuckles "I believe I prefer your old tack of simply telling me to do lewd and implausible things to myself when I make observations not to your liking over this new strategy you've begun employing recently, Representative(!)"

"No reason I can't do both(!) Why limit myself(?)" I joke before frowning and looking around "Where're the other Vrakhand, Representative? Are you the only one who's working today?"

She waves a 'no' and says "Certainly not! It's simply that when multiple Vrakhand work in concert (as we will be doing at the embassy) their arrival must correspond to their rank. As [Empress] and ambassador, I must arrive first. The others will be along shortly."

"What… every day?!" I ask, horrified "You've got to make sure you're the first one there every time you go?!"

"Quite." she smirks "What about your retinue? Am I to presume from your reaction that the reason none of them are with you is not the same as it is for me?"

I wave her off "None of them'll be up yet, they'll be in when they are."

"In that case, why are you awake?" she says, curiously.

"Jaylah had to go somewhere earlier and I couldn't get back down after the alarm. Figured I might as well go in and get things started." I shrug.

"I'm… sorry? Why was Ms. Chevalier sleeping in the Twigg's quarters?"

"She wasn't." I say "I was sleeping where she sleeps."

"Why were you there?" she asks, stupidly.

"We're fucking." I answer, simply.

In the top-side of the eye, I see the six eyes on the face go wide for a moment before going normal again as she very obviously squashes the immediate reaction to say "Oh… I'm pleased for you, Representative." instead.

The face on me crinkles in confusion as the guts twist in suspicion.

I look up and over at her to ask "You're not going to tell me you think it's disgusting because we're different species? Because we're both girls? Because we've not done the whole 'promise to only fuck eachother until one of us dies' thing?"

"No, Representative. No I'm not."

"Why not?" I demand.

"Do you want me to tell you it's disgusting, Representative?" she deflects.

"No, but you not is unlike you enough that it's blowing alarm horns in the mind so answer the question, big girl(!)" I say, wryly narrowing the eyes.

The giant woman sighs and hesitates before carefully saying "…I… may… once have reacted as you suggest… but, I believe, now… such a reaction would no longer be demonstrative of my true feelings on such matters… That is all…"

Unconvinced, I press "Oh yeah? What changed?"

She flops the rigid arms around for a few moments before coming up with "You know, Representative… Since we left our homeworld… seeing the [galaxy]… seeing the many ways that people are, act and think… it's been… it's been eyeopening… That's all! I'm… trying to be more openminded."

"Hmmm, I'm getting the sense that's not the full story, Khr'kowan… Couldn't be you'd be worried about being a hypocrite, could it(?)" I provoke, waiting for the reaction of disgust that will prove she was full of shit about being tolerant now.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Unbelievably, it doesn't come, she just keeps walking across the ODR grounds beside me, the face betraying nothing at all.

The guts feel like I've been dropped off a cliff as I realise "By. the. SPIRITS, Khr'kowan! You are, aren't you!!!" a grin breaking over the fangs.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she lies, quietly.

"Yes, you do! You know exactly what I'm-"

"Oh, look. Isn't that your ladylove approaching just there?" she distracts, raising a hand to point in the direction of the gates.

Just as she said, Jaylah is coming this way with seven of those short, stocky, dark grey furred species.

The same ones the representative for tried to get me and Khr'kowan to screw eachother over in Parliament and then attacked Ndum when we got in anyway.

The one in front is dressed almost as fancy as the one next to me!

The ones behind her are all in armour.

Jaylah's bodylanguage is relaxed.

She has the back to them and isn't constantly looking over the shoulder or turning the shining eye back into the skull to try to look at them through the head.

Khr'kowan just made a huge gamble that I'd both understand and respect that we shouldn't be airing out secrets in earshot of enemies.

I look back up at her and hiss "This isn't over, Khr'kowan! I'm gonna find out what's up if I have to strangle it out of you(!)"

"You're welcome to try, Viig…" she says in a normal speaking voice, smug enough that I don't like it.

Jaylah gets near and tips the cool hat to Khr'kowan, greeting "Yer Majesty…" then to me "…Viig." with a grin and a wink of the natural eye.

I grin back, baring all the fangs in a display I'm pleased to see the armoured Battan reacting uncomfortably at.

I turn around and walk backwards after the last of them has passed by, unfortunately not able to get a look at the arse as she goes since there's a line of Battan shoulders in the way… Fuckers!

I settle for getting a good look at the shoulders and the back of the head in the cool hat.

I reassure myself that I'll get to see more tonight and turn left into the Graom-Wakhkortan Embassy.

It's just little at the moment but the ODR've said that when we need it bigger, they can do that for us quite easily.

As we enter through the doors, on the right I see a line of Terrans and gardenworlders all standing in a neat, orderly line beside the door there and dressed in what I assume is sleek, fancy-formal clothing from the planets they come from.

They bow and do other gestures of similar respect as Khr'kowan approaches.

"I thank you all for the day of work you are about to render." she acknowledges before opening and striding through the door to the Vrakhand half of the embassy, followed by a perfectly neat line of people behind her.

'I'm gonna make you tell me the secret, Khr'kowan!' I think as I watch her disappear.

Then I turn to the people gathered by the Twigg door, dressed in [hoodies], [tracksuits] and similar, lounging around in the cushy chairs in the entrance hall.

"Who's ready to start?" I raise the voice to ask.

"Weeeeeey…" comes a muted but generally appreciative cheer from all of them.

---Walath's perspective---

I stand in the lift, riding to the top of the giant skypiercer on the compound in the Parliament District of Citadel that I've been fantasising about getting to enter since I was a teenager!

The knights that I couldn't convince to let me come alone stand around me.

Looming over us at the door is the first Terran I've ever actually met in the flesh (not counting those I've played games with in full dive, none of whom know I'm a Battan, let alone a Battan princess!)

She has medium brown skin and a missing eye, replaced with a bionic.

Her hair is short on the sides but long on top and swoops downward on her right, beneath the brim of her wide hat.

She leans against the lift's wall with the absolutely unshakeable ease of someone who knows she could kill everyone in the room without even trying too hard!

My heart is absolutely pounding in my chest beneath my ribplate!

Gods, gods, gods, gods gods gods godsgodsGODS!

I'm not ready! I'm not READY!!!

I thought I was but, now I'm here…!

I'm going to make a fool of myself, I just know it!

They're going to be talking about very serious diplomatic stuff and I'm going to interrupt them by asking for their thoughts on the season finale of Trapped in Another World with My Cute Younger Sister Who Can Transform into a Sword or something stupid like that, I just know it!!!

OK, calm down WalWal!

Breeeathe!

You're here because you're at least more qualified than your Terraphobic aunt, now aren't you!

You can't really do worse than her!

The lift comes to a stop and the Terran announces "This here's us…" with the kind of effortless cool that there is simply no learning!

She swaggers out of the doors as they open and strides down the hall.

She comes to a stop in front of a (considering we're on the top floor of a skypiercer) rather modest looking door and turns to address my knights "Yer princess can go in but y'all'll need ta wait out here with me."

"Absolutely not, Terran!" snarls the Knight Commander "Where she goes, we go! It is our duty to lay down our lives for Her Highness if that is what is required of us and we can't do that from out here!!!"

"Stand down, Garrad." I say, gently, bringing my claws to the front of his armour "Do as the lady says and stand guard out here with her."

The man turns his face to me, hurt and confused "But… Your Highness… The wound your aunt inflicted on that man's face… They would be within their rights to-"

"No, they wouldn't, Garrad." I correct "If they kill me for the injury the Representative sustained at my aunt's claws, it would make them criminals under their own laws even if it wouldn't under ours… It is Terran law that applies on this compound, not Citadel law and certainly not Battan law."

"Eeeeyup… I reckon that's about the size of it(!)" confirms the woman who guided us here.

Clearly unhappy, Garrad backs up a few paces and stands at attention against the window with the other five falling in at his side.

I give a nod of silent thanks and turn back to the woman to request "Please grant me entry, my lady."

She gives a mirthful puff through her nose and taps her holopad against the panel by the door.

It opens revealing a dwelling just as modest behind it.

"Hoss! Got yer 9 o'clock here!" she announces into the space.

"Send her in, Jaylah." answers a voice I recognise.

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