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.“I now wish to see the war room.The rest of the matters can wait.”The Varnar looked shocked.They’d expected her to inspect everything from hospitals and spaceports, leaving the war room until last.But Neola was young enough to be impatient – and besides, she wasn't particularly interested in local facilities.If the Varnar wanted spaceports or hospitals, they could build them for themselves.The empire wasn't interested in their local affairs.She smiled to herself as the Varnar recovered, then led her into a secure passageway – her bodyguards inspected it minutely before they allowed her to enter – and down towards the war room.Her implants reported hundreds of security scans before they passed through the last set of hatches and stepped into the chamber.“Now,” Neola said, once the bowing and scraping had died away.“Tell me about the war.”***Sally had been lucky to get tickets for the reception ceremony.The Varnar had wanted to showcase their connections with the Tokomak, but even so she’d had to pay well over the odds just to obtain a pair of tickets.No one had even seen a Tokomak for centuries, certainly not one who would be taking command of the war.Indeed, the bookies – it had amused her to discover that the Galactics like gambling – had already started revising the odds of a Varnar victory in light of the Tokomak involvement.But it wouldn't be a Varnar victory, Sally thought, as the shuttle slowly descended to the landing pad.The Tokomak would have won the day.She gritted her teeth as the Viceroy came into view.The Tokomak were a tall, inhumanly thin race, with light yellow skin and large eyes.She – Sally’s implants identified the alien as female – was surrounded by alien attendants, each one brain-burned to be totally loyal to its mistress.Beside her, the Varnar looked small, almost child-like.They bowed and scraped in front of the Tokomak as if a single word from her could destroy them, which it probably could.The battle squadron that had escorted the Tokomak Viceroy to Varnar would have no trouble reducing the planet to rubble, on her command.It was quite possible the local defences would refuse to fire on their ships until it was already too late.If it’s possible at all, Sally thought.The Tokomak could easily have hidden backdoors in the planetary defence systems they sold the Varnar.She smiled at the thought, then sighed as the Viceroy was flattered endlessly by the Varnar leadership.No human really understood how the Varnar governed themselves – it was a form of communist democracy, she’d been told – but it was clear they were doing all, but kissing and licking the Tokomak’s feet.And perhaps they would, if they thought it was necessary.They knew they were losing the war.The ceremony finally came to an end, allowing the crowds to leave the giant stadium and retreat back to their normal lives.No one would have been permitted to leave ahead of time, Sally knew, no matter how long the ceremony took.The Tokomak might have seen it as an insult.They were, according to the files, a deeply formal race, with a love of ceremony that left even the most hidebound human government in the dirt.The idea of even a minor race shunning them would have seemed inconceivable.She saved her recordings in her implant, then started to walk back towards the office.As always, the alien crowds both fascinated and oppressed her, pressing in around her as she walked.The Galactics didn't really have any concept of personal space, at least in the multiracial areas.In their own private sections, the rules tended to be different, more focused around the needs of one species.Unless, of course, the Tokomak were involved.They tended to disregard the rights of every other species when the shit hit the fan.Or just when they wanted to make a point.“Sally,” Mr.Ando said, when she walked into the darkened office.“You have a visitor.”Sally blinked.She wasn't very sociable on Varnar, if only because there were few people interested in socialising with a human.The handful of humans living permanently on the planet had little to do with her
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