Tal Roggle opened the gate to the royal gardens and went inside. The flowering plants were at peak blooming. The tapestry of all of the most beautiful flora in the elven sector blossoming in one place was so mesmerizing that even Roggle found himself slowing down to take it all in. He ascended the steps of the terrace and walked under a large rotunda covered in vined flowers. He passed by a large fountain with a large statue of Queen Tarissa that seemed to stare at him with a stern but contemplative look. On the other side of the fountain were the sacharoo trees where the princess was picking them and putting them in baskets. Zorthia noticed him walk in and put down the knife she was using to remove the outer layers of the sacharoo and removed the straw hat she was wearing to bring him straight into an embrace.

"This was the only real place that we could get some privacy" she told him. "It's gorgeous, isn't it?" she asked looking around at the all the plants on the lower side of the terraces.

"The loveliest place in the galaxy, truly" Roggle said back to her.

"So what's on your mind?" she asked not wasting any time getting down to business.

"I need to know that you have got my back. I have had some minor… setbacks and I know that Grand Admiral Gall is starting to micromanage what I am doing-"

"What sort of setbacks?" Zorthia interrupted. In that moment Roggle's entire plan of broaching the subject softly was going to be blown up and he would need to get right down to the bad news.

"An expeditionary force we sent to Zenithala to find the human settlement was ambushed by reptilian forces. The gray Baycorf was with them and he apparently escaped capture."

"Is that a big problem?" Zorthia asked taking a bite from one of the sacharoos.

"Golmad is livid. He has apparently convinced the grand admiral that I have made a very costly mistake."

"Well, have you? He is a pretty dangerous gray isn't he?" Zorthia asked finishing the last piece of fruit that she started to eat.

"I am not concerned about Baycorf. He is likely stuck on that world until the reptiles capture him. And Golmad was supposed to disable his fancy bionic gadgets."

"It was a stroke of luck that allowed him to be captured and frozen in the first place. How sure are you that your approach is working?"

"Our raids have all but destroyed the rebel armaments, and I am confident that we may have found the location of one of the most important rogue human encampment."

"Are you sure?" Zorthia asked continuing to pick sacharoos and shelling them with her knife.

"Yes. Several of the captured rebels we have interrogated have mentioned secret hideouts on that world, as has Baycorf. When we sent our team down there they detected some subtle but very bizarre space-time disturbances, not like any that would come from an SPG an artificial gravity well."

"So what do you need me to do?"

"Gall is eventually going to have me reassigned or demoted before long. I just know it. I need to know that I have your full support and that you will stick up for me so that I can do what we agreed needs to be done in outworld." Zorthia placed a shelled fruit into her basket and turned to look at him.

"I trust you to do the right thing. I will ensure that you will remain in command, at least for a while. I cannot give you too much room for error and risk losing the trust of the admirals of the armada. We must at least locate this so-called OSC before we can declare victory."

"That will do." Roggle said. Zorthia said nothing, continuing to go about her work.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Roggle asked noticing her lack of assuredness.

"The outworld and rebel forces rallying at Umbramontis…you could not get them to leave?"

"If they don't want their colonists evacuated, I'm sure not going to try and force them out. If they're foolish enough to try and fight Turraski's forces, it will work to our advantage. You don't keep the humans in check by trying to make them like you. They're going to have to learn this lesson the hard way like a belligerent adolescent that thinks he needs no parents. That is what the grand admiral and many on the armada high command don't grasp."

"I suppose you're going to want me to deploy an elven commando unit to Zenithala?"

"Yes. And please assign Yuler to it as well. I can never find that elf when I need him and he answers directly to you, does he not?"

"I will talk with him" Zorthia said softly. "I hope that you know – no, that we know – what we're doing."

"We will be fine. We just need to be resolute and not falter."

"All right, so what is it you came to tell me" Zorthia inquired. Tal just gave her a blank look on her face, trying to seem innocent.

"Tal, I know that you didn't go through the trouble to come here just to make sure I'm supporting you or to just visit for a few paltry minutes. You have something you're dithering on telling me, so just go ahead and spill it" she said with an annoyed inflection in her voice. "And if you don't tell me, you know I'm going to nag you that there's apparently something big on your mind that you don't want to share with me." At first Tal gave her a blank look as if not knowing what she was talking about, but after a moment took a deep breath.

"There's a rumor that some of the admirals of Avistra's fiefdom have been trying to feel out all the other admirals in the armada council about their confidence in your leadership." Zorthia stood for just a few seconds, staring straight ahead of her.

"We're not going to worry about that for now" she said softly with no hint of alarm. "We knew this was going to come during the first difficult stretch. I'm not the first princess or Queen to deal with this issue and won't be the last. If we do our job well there is nothing to worry about."

"So just to be clear, I have your support, then?"

"Yes" Zorthia said reassuringly. "I have confidence in you." She put one arm on his should and one behind his head and pulled them together for a kiss.