Tia wished she didn't have to be here, that someone else could have done this. Unfortunately, everyone of sufficiently high rank in the Empire was either far away or very busy. Not that she wasn't busy. But Janis and Tim were leading armies, Max was overseeing their security and currently traveling to several military bases, and Mia was still in the north to see about the railway lines. And she was probably best suited to this.

So Tia smiled, trying to focus on her mild curiosity and pleasure as she looked at the people she was now welcoming to the Empire. The dwarves were certainly attention-grabbing. She hadn't seen members of their species often enough to get used to how they almost looked like they were made of rock. These dwarves all wore short sleeves, too, and sometimes shorts, though they were clearly made of high-quality materials.

She would have expected their fighters to just join the army, but of course it couldn't be that simple. They'd need a lot of work in regard to coordination and integration — but also, when an ally sent troops to help you fight a war, there had to be a certain degree of ceremony, apparently.

"Be welcome in the Central European Empire," she said, inclining her head. "I am Tia of the Starlit Hive. We are very pleased to see you, and we appreciate your prompt response to our call."

"Your Imperial Highness, we are only doing as honor demands and following the stipulations of our treaty," the leader, a paladin called Itirka-ne, said. He bowed, looking no less graceful than a courtier in Cera.

"Nonetheless," she replied, shaking her head slightly. "I hope you will enjoy our hospitality for now, please let us know if there is anything else you need. I trust your fighters are adequately provided for?"

She wasn't speaking to all of the dwarves' fighters, of course. They weren't exactly a large nation, but that would have still been beyond impractical. Instead, a delegation she presumed contained their leaders was here, while their actual troops formed a sort of camp behind them, having marched up the roads. They were already deep in the Hivekind-controlled part of the Empire, currently, while Tia was greeting the delegation in front of the gates to the Hive's base. They'd be moving north from here. Probably in part on flying drones, getting their strongest or most crucial fighters to the action quicker. They still had to sort out those kind of details, which was also part of why she was here.

"More than adequately," the leader assured her, before he smiled slightly. "Personally, I am looking forward to sampling the Empire's cuisine directly. I am sure we have much to look forward to. Am I to assume that we will stay here for now?"

"There is a small welcoming banquet arranged inside, where you will also have the chance to speak with more of our officials and officers," she informed him. "You are all cordially invited. By the way, how should I address you? I am not aware what titles or names you might prefer, and I'd rather not cause offense."

"My current title is closest to Commander, you might as well call me that, Princess Tia," the dwarf replied with a nod. "And it is common to shorten our names, so like your brother did, please call me Tirka."

Tia smiled and nodded and turned to the other dwarves with him, inviting them to introduce themselves. They were riding close to the first speaker on their own tamed mounts and clearly not bodyguards, but probably their officers. For her own part, she was accompanied by several members of the Star Guard as well as a few officers and officials from the foreign office, who'd kept themselves in the background so far. They were probably there because a princess should have an entourage for diplomatic activity rather than to do much work right now.

Introductions and welcome finished, they went into the town. It was a bit of a weird mix between a normal town and a Hive base by now, she supposed. Though they were keeping only to the outer areas and the underground parts were entirely off-limits. There were more humans here than there used to be, even if it was still mostly Hivekind. If this base hadn't been so strategically placed, she would have preferred to greet the dwarves outside Forest's Haunt. Of course, they also might send some of them further west than that, which was part of what they needed to discuss.

Tirka clearly hadn't lied, he seemed to enjoy the food. Tia spoke with him and the other dwarven leaders at length during the meal. It was easy to tell who was in charge; namely mostly Tirka and a few others led by Itemil, who Dan had also mentioned. Maybe being the ones to broker the alliance with the Empire had granted them high status, or maybe they'd just gotten lucky. Tia admittedly didn't care too much about their internal politics.

After the meal, they went to a conference room to discuss some of those details. Regina even watched through the psychic link.

"We are ready to go where we might do the most good," Tirka said after a few initial pleasantries. "I admit we do not understand the strategic situation as well as the Empire. We will help where needed, to ensure our victory."

"Your enthusiasm is appreciated," Tia replied diplomatically. I think I'm actually developing some ability in diplomatic language, she mused. The horror.

"Let's not mince words, Your Highness," Tirka said, regarding her steadily. "This is not just your typical war between two countries. There is more at stake. If you lose, we will certainly be dragged down with you. And we would rather the Empire wins, regardless. Therefore, it behooves us to do what we can do to ensure that victory, doesn't it?"

"True, and a very forward-thinking approach," she replied, inclining her head in a gesture of respect. Tia was being honest, she really did appreciate their remarkably practical and clear-sighted attitude.

The dwarves of the mountains might not be very numerous, but they were clearly close allies worth having.

"In either case, you don't need to fear being put on the front line to die in droves," she continued. "We're aware that your people's levels and unique skills are better used with more care. Although there is a concern that lacking integration with the Imperial military would be a problem."

"Appreciated. Though we did undertake quite a few joint operations in the mountains," he noted.

"While that is certainly useful, the circumstances are different, and those were not operating within the constraints of a large field army," one of the officers interjected. "Unifying the chain of command alone could lead to issues."

"So," Tia continued, tapping a finger on one of the maps lying on the conference table, "some people have suggested keeping your force mostly intact and posting it in one location instead of trying to mingle it with our army. The area north of the mountains seems like the best bet, covering parts of the Great Forest and the western approach to the Empire. It won't be too far from your home. Although I'm not sure the terrain is suitable?"

Itemil frowned. "We're not unfamiliar with forests, though I don't have any experience with the depth of the Great Forest," he admitted. "But what about the elves? Wouldn't they be perfectly suited to securing that flank?"

Tia suppressed a grimace. The elves were dragging their feet. She'd spoken with the others, and from what she could guess, the elves were sympathetic to the Empire — but they didn't really want to join the war and send their soldiers to die for it. There were whispers and complaints about ingratitude from some of the other drones. Tia wasn't really sure how to feel about it, personally.

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"The elves probably don't want to risk their shiny eyes for humans and demihumans," one of the other dwarves snorted when she didn't reply right away.

"They're their allies," Tirka said sharply. "They signed an alliance treaty, didn't they?"

Well, sort of. Tia made an effort to smooth out her face. "I am confident the elves will join our war effort and prove their worth," she said. "It's simply taking a little time. Their political process, you know. And the Western Confederation has sent and sponsored agitators and populists fanning discontent in Ariedel."

"Well, they are elves, of course they're taking some time," Itemil said, in a light tone that showed he was joking. He sounded almost fond, actually. "But I'm sure they'll step up when it counts."

Tia glanced at the map again. Ariedel might still be a bit uncertain for now … but if the Western Confederation sent an army to their doorstep, that would change in a hurry. She was sure of that.

"You have a point, though; with the Elvish Free State positioned there, securing the Great Forest is a much smaller task," she said. "The reaches beyond it are still worth some attention, though. It would also be a good base for further operations in that direction — either west or northeast. It would be a good spot for reinforcements sent toward the Esemen border if we need troops there."

They nodded, watching her attentively.

"Our thoughts tend to letting your forces stay largely intact to hold that area and potentially strike out further against our enemies or move to support Imperial forces. However, leaving it at that would waste some of your potential. We would also send some of your best fighters, the high-level individuals and those with applicable skills, to join the Imperial army. Integrating them should be easier than a large number of regular troops. They could join special forces parties. In return, you would, of course, also get some Imperial troops. Drones especially, to help with coordination and to integrate you into our web, so to speak, as well as to cover for your frankly lacking air capability."

Only lacking in comparison, perhaps, the dwarves were actually good for a traditional army, but things had changed and they didn't have any flying drones.

"What about artillery?" Tirka said. By the sudden sharpening of the expressions from Itemil and the others, she could tell that was an important point for them. Go figure.

"We will send some, as well as soldiers to instruct you in how to use them," she assured them. "However, most of our heavy artillery is reserved for the front lines, so it will mostly be older pieces."

Itemil didn't look happy about that, but Tirka nodded, looking unbothered. "I understand," he said. "I agree to that plan, provided we discuss the details further."

"Thank you," Tia replied. "There will be time for meetings with our military command, and you may want to send representatives to the capital. Empress Regina would be glad to welcome them. She would be coming to greet you if she was not occupied with the bustle of moving the court, and with the war."

"Completely understandable," he replied. "Princess Tia, I have heard you are the mastermind behind the Empire's 'reimagining in steel', as I've heard it called? The adoption of Ancient technology, I understand?"

"I have made some contributions, but I can hardly claim credit for everything we've accomplished," Tia replied with a slight smile. She was still pleased at the acknowledgment, and well, she hadn't heard that one before but it was nicely poetic.

"It is fascinating," he said, returning a broader smile. "I am especially interested in these railways. The mind boggles at how you even manage to acquire all the steel that must be necessary for something like that? I know doing it in the mountains must have many challenges, but I would still like to see more of it, if you'd allow it."

"Of course," Tia replied. She'd ask Regina, but spreading their technology was one of their ultimate goals, and the dwarves were their allies. "There is a facility not too far from here, it should be almost on the way," she remembered. "We could take a detour if you would like?"

It would also get them out of the Hive base faster, she supposed.

"Very much so," Tirka replied, his smile widening.

As expected, her Queen had no issues with it. The meeting wound down quickly and they met again on the next day to settle a few more issues, before leaving. Luckily, the facility she had in mind was not very far away. Tia still called a few flying drones to take Tirka, Itemil and a few of the other dwarves to it, while the rest of their army kept marching. They were remarkably quick. Probably using Skills and magic. And also, the mountains didn't leave people at low levels for long, so all of the soldiers they'd sent were quite strong and had high stats.

Tia was just glad that they'd secured the mountains well enough that the dwarves were capable of sending this high a portion of their strength. Those of them who had stayed behind would be hunkering down in their new settlements and forts, not resuming the expansion until the end of the war.

The base she brought her guests to was not far from Forest's Haunt, at the edge of the new 'industrial area' that had developed here. It was on the river, so materials could reach them, and also close to the Great Forest for the charcoal they needed. However, they mostly used coal in the furnaces by now. Or just magic. This one was mostly a steelworks, and while they didn't make many rails for the railway lines here — production had shifted — there were the remnants of rails that had been a test line for development, not used much now.

"This is astounding," Tirka breathed as he looked at the railway and the complex, which towered over them. Seemed he hadn't been lying about his interest.

"Can we see the furnace?" one of the others asked, who seemed less interested in the rails.

"Of course, though you won't see much."

Tia still showed them to the most convenient hot blast furnace, conscripting one of the workers to explain some basics of their operation. The young human man seemed nervous, but he did pretty well.

Tia herself didn't care too much. It was just a huge cylinder with some pipes and openings and stuff. Well, and connected to further processing. They made sure to use as much of the generated heat as possible. They'd improved a lot, even if it was far from perfect yet.

"How much magic is used?" Itemil asked after a moment, as the explanation finished. "Maybe to create those, fluxes was it?"

"Occasionally, we do use magic to Conjure the rarer elements or compounds, yes," she confirmed. "Besides that, our best and only reliable method for producing pure oxygen remains Conjuration. Luckily, it is not too difficult, since it is not a multi-element molecule and we have ways for dealing with gases. Using oxygen makes the process better and more efficient."

"I assume efficiency is important, given how much steel you produce," Tirka noted.

"Yes. We still need a lot of fuel, of course, but much less than we would with only contemporary methods."

"Do you ever just Conjure the steel directly?"

"Sometimes. Usually, by shaping it directly into what's needed. We try to avoid relying too much on it, but yes."

They had a few further questions, which Tia answered patiently. She got the feeling the warmth was making them uncomfortable, though, and they departed without her having to make too much of an issue of it.

"And how do you get finished rails to where they need to be?" Tirka asked once they were a bit further away.

Tia smiled. "With the railway, of course. We generally load them onto the carts and drive them to the end of the railway line, where it currently is, before bringing them back to be refilled. Much more efficient than other methods. And coordinating it is easy for the Hive. Depending on the area, we also ship some by boat to the closest station, of course."

She remained a bit frustrated by how slow their progress was. Of course, she knew it was silly. It had taken years, decades, for anything like a proper railway net even in the old world's history. They cheated a little with magic, but they also didn't have the same industrial base that the Europe of back then used to have.

The dwarves clearly didn't share her assessment. They looked quite impressed when she discussed the details and where they had already built railways.

"It still leaves this process largely unusable for the war, except for sending supplies closer to the front," Tirka noted finally.

"Of course," she agreed. "It would be different if we fought a defensive war in the Empire. Though I suppose rail lines are easy targets anyway. Still, war runs on logistics, doesn't it?"

Tirka smiled. "So I've heard. Would you happen to have any artillery to show us, perchance? I understand if it's not produced here."

"Not here, but close by," she said, trying not to sigh. Why not? Who knew tour guide was a promotion from princess?

But before they could continue their trip, she was interrupted by the psychic link. Tia froze, noting the clamor that had suddenly started.

"Excuse me," she said absently, trying to focus on what had many of her siblings suddenly agitated.

It was Madris. She was back?

And heavily injured. Actually … in a coma?

Tia stood and stared, trying not to distract people but to still find someone who knew what was going on. Finally, Max contacted her and Mia, giving them a quick brief on the situation. Mostly, it was just a look at Galatea, who carried a clearly unmoving dark elf. She'd just appeared in Cera. Oh, and Iseis was with them?

Well, damnit.

Tia tried to resist the urge to do something unwise, distantly aware she still had guests staring at her. She still tried to reach out to Regina and offer some comfort.

Her first thought was probably uncharitable — I hope she makes it, Mother will be crushed if her teacher dies.

If Regina didn't fly right back to Cera personally, Tia would be surprised.

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