Megamisama City: Dock Ward
"We come to the heart of the city now. This is dock ward, over to your left is Megamisama Drydock Complex, still a premier industrial facility, as much as one in four Kagomine warships were laid in here. To your right is dock street, with residential and industrial buildings.""How come you're lying to your own people?" "We're not lying to our own people, we're giving them a bracket, and letting draw incorrect conclusions, whereas, as a treaty authority commissioned inspector, if I lied to you, I could expect a lenghty jail sojourn." "Why bother?" "Do we really want someone to think by bombing just two drydocks, they'd affect our capability to make warships? No we most certainly do not." "Just two?" "Well, three. But we haven't built a ship from Innu Yards in two years." "And you'll be able to build ships at Tonspier." "Please use the classification name, Tannhauser." "Shouldn't we only use these names then?" "All right, all right. Arcadia, Paprika, Arrabiata and Tannhauser will all be able to build warships, by year's end." "And Arcadia is in this city?" "It is, it is my workplace, you visited me there." "Oh, yeah, the cavernous one. I saw berths for four constellations." "That is sealed to the treaty, we are building them for treaty members." "Oh. OH." Her homeland of New Etrusca had been the first to promise funds for the new class of ships. It would be brisk business as well, at least ten nations had pledged enough for twenty of the flycarriers. "You are a great spy, you know." "What?" "Letting me find out things I can only report in a way that makes you look good, diligent and following your obligations to the treaty, by the book." "I'm a terrible spy, someone else set all these up that you could only be impressed by them." "I'd love to meet them, one day." "You most certainly already have." "What?" "I know who set up these operations, and no, that information isn't required for disclosure by the treaty. They're plenty good."
"Welcome, guests, to Tranquility, can I be your Sun'ga?" "You are most kind, but I am only discharging today, on this last day of my trip under the aegis of Treaty Authority, my duties to meet and validate observance of Kitten-Ra rituals in Kagomei, I have been told the Kitten-Ra dwells within." "I have the honour to be the Kitten-Ra for Kagomei, I am Linnaeus Van Pelt, Lanungmei of Saphirdom, Feyd Soshitan, Ryder Kannagael Lucair of Ferrare, Baron of Welf, Baron of Sottofumo-Tagliare." "I am honoured. I am Clara Marcela Johnson Jackson Beckina Serena Gisele Xanda, with Treaty Authority for the Treaty of Lai Dang." "I was there, you must know this." "There?" "I was there, in Lai Dang, with my betters, who signed the treaty. I helped negotiate it. In fact, I wanted to meet the enforcers of the treaty, so I suggested you meet with the Kitten-Ra to verify enforcement of the tradition." "I wasn't aware, just how high are you?" "I have risen, when the treaty was signed, I was CI-06 Assistant Auxiliary Vice-Undersecretary of state for Megamisama Internal Affairs." "And now?" "I am CI-08 Vice-undersecretary of state, for Jade Technology." "What you are, Zim, is underdressed." That was a very tense Shibué, his wife, but at present, also head of the entire state department's security details. "What?" "Your peacock medal, when it came it came with extra merits of rank, you're Undersecretary of State, for Classification, now." "What?" "I'm told the Bameimeito and Netamei are en-route via skycutter to discuss any concerns you might have." "Amarat's en-route?" "Someone's idea of a cute joke." "And the Netamei? I know of him, but I don't know him." "If you'll excuse us a moment?" They drew away from Clara. "What the Gehran?" "You're moving on up, my Herevallin..." "I'm not used to people being re-routed for me!" "I know this, and a whole prince too... But better get used to it. You and your sister, undersecretaries both, get to call the shots now." "What, she doesn't outrank me?" "She's senior to you, but you have the same rank, she got it earlier, is all. I'm told you can only be an undersecretary for classification, there's no 'lesser rank' that'll let you have it." "What the hell is an undersec for class? I mean it sounds even worse abridged." "Under for Classi, as the cool kids say it, means you are on-call, now and forevermore, my love. For anything that involves sensitive, classified material that needs urgent handling, you alternate as first-second-third week with the Netamei, and with your aunt, as Nameihomei, and are expected to be briefed accordingly." "Honour me sideways, honour me sideways like a raunchy demon." Linni was wearing like a sailor, Shibué had never seen him so rattled. "That's WAY above my paygrade!" "Err, no, not anymore." Shibué was purring, she had to vet him for this promotion, but she also knew senior civil servant pay grades. He'd been earning maybe ten per cent more than her, until recently... At least strictly at state. Now he'd be earning triple. Suddenly, that house on dock street wouldn't invite random corruption investigation checks... "What are you saying?" "Honey-bunny, you are being paid closer to what you're worth, I wouldn't rock the boat about that..." "I wasn't really measuring my worth on my pay, dear, that way lies madness..." "Well, you'd be less mad, after this promotion, I think." "What? Just how much more money?" "Hmm, you can pay all of Robyn's food bills now I think." The Royal Visitor's appetite was famous as it was immense. "Wow, that much huh?" Linni's sense of humour was dry at the best of times, lately it'd been downright arid. Shibué thought it was... responsible for an uptick of marital activity in their couple. No, she would not take questions at this time. "You liked that." "Honey, Robyn's gonna eat us out of a home, no matter what I make." "Hmm, honey, I've seen what you can expect for gross... I think she's going to have to work at it." "What, really?" "You've been on corruption 'where the hell is the money coming from' lists, ever since I've heard of you, this new promotion? You're finally way out of it." "How way out?" "Your mortgage payment is actually less than one third your gross salary, for the first time since I've seen the numbers, anyways." "But I've been paying..." "Look, the corruption rules only care about Kagomine income." "I've got plenty of that? I'm a shareholder of DaDaDaVeeVeeVee Holdings." "But that's dividend income, it's not considered 'reliable' according to the rules. I don't make the rules, despite the fact that DaDaDaVeeVeeVee has outperformed every market known in Arnd. By about a factor of two." "Your brother in law is pretty good." "What? That's all Lunqui?" "Not all, but enough, what isn't him is Uncle Amarat the first." "Your mother's bro? What about Amarat the second?" "He's building up... He's hardly shaking things up, but he's not doing anything stupid, either." "And Lunqui's job is making his job easier, I take it?" "Exactly, teaching him what he doesn't know, which is shriking." "Honey-bunny?" "Yes dear?" "We have a guest, but I'd really like to celebrate your promotion, do you get what I'm saying?" "I have, unfortunately, offered to be her Sun'ga, until she refutes that privilege, I am bound to it, my love." "Do we know anything about her?" "She's been seen a lot with Mariwolfe and Leviathan." "How often?" "Amarat told me he was sure she was their miptun."
Type
Ward
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