The shuttle craft settled on an opening between two buildings while a light cruiser floated overhead. One was an L shaped building which was a combined showroom and office complex. The other was a small auditorium normally used for displays or performances. While it was closer to the main gate then Dennus would have liked, it had a nice large area for landing shuttle craft and the buildings on the other side of the main gate were high enough to cover the landing area but low enough to be covered by his security detail without an excessive use of troopers. The high wall surrounding the grounds also provided some protection.

Satisfied that it was the best that could be arranged, he surveyed the area from close orbit in light cruiser he had appropriated. While he would have liked to be on the ground close to the Ladies, he knew that his proper place was at a command post. In space, he would have stayed in the command battleship, but he needed to be closer. So the light cruiser it was. The rest of the quad was close by.

It was almost seven standard days since the first contact with Leves. While there had been several more exchanges, there had at first been little advance on a face-to-face meeting but slowly the deadlock had been broken.

During the negotiations, Dennus took the opportunity to meet with General Major Licciinus, the Commanding Officer of the division which had been detailed to supply the landing brigade. Included in the meeting were Admiral De Johnston and Vice Admiral Hojo. Dennus knew that both had experience in such missions and wanted their input as well as keeping them fully appraised of the mission status. He also knew that General Licciinus, disapproved of the degree of authority Dennus had. While not exactly disputing Dennus’s authority, it took a sharply worded remark from Admiral De Johnston to remove all doubt.

Suspicious from the very beginning, Dennus wanted to place into the buildings that he had selected monitoring devices in every one the rooms and access ways that they could see. However he was uncertain how this could be accomplished. During the meeting with the selected division officers, Dennus discovered that an enterprising junior officer, a Major in the division’s recon force had been practising a stealth recon mission with his team. Insisting on meeting the officer the senior officers questioned the major closely on all aspects of such an operation. Getting all the answers he needed, Dennus gave provisional approval. He made it clear that final approval would need to be obtained before the mission was ordered. When the general commanding the division made a comment about delays, Admiral De Johnston asked him that, if something went wrong, did he wanted to take on the responsibility of apologising to the Ladies of the Circle in person? All objections were then withdrawn. After further observations and scans were made, the mission to install the monitoring devices was duly carried out.

This had elicited crucial information because the building had undergone routine maintenance and there was underground access that had not been discovered. It was with shock that they watched on one of their monitoring units, a worker appear from a hole in the floor of the office complex.

It was with some reluctance and only after he had spoken again to the Ladies and the two Admirals, that Dennus had approved a second stealth recon mission by the same special force of the Legion. Like the first mission, this took two nerve racking full periods but was successful and monitoring devices were placed in all tunnels leading to both the auditorium and the adjacent office complex. This last had been selected as the ground command post.

On agreement finally being obtained for the face-to-face talks to proceed, Dennus insisted on sending forces to secure the site. When this was protested by Leves, an invitation for joint security was made by Commissioner Flores. This was reluctantly accepted by Leves and the local police were placed on notice. The size of the force and the equipment deployed was met with astonishment by the police and the council. Leves protested, but was met with the same refusal to compromise as the Ladies had encountered on their first meeting with General Major Dennus.

A full brigade was landed with four battalions on the ground and a fifth in the air. Included were several members of the Black Guard, while each battalion had one company on rotation in powered armour at all times. The other two brigades of the division were on standby and prepositioned in battleships close by. The second division of the corps was also on standby, in its planetoid. The rest of the troopers in the covering force were at second degree of readiness. The Ti Lepus police were intimidated, but tried not to show it and the local military were also subdued. The professional attitude of the Legion troopers helped.

So on the agreed date and time, the Ambassadors landed at the fairgrounds. The Ti Lepus delegation was not present yet, but scanner operators told Dennus that they were on the way.

The close protection detail had formed up, and proceeded to make certain that all was ready for the Ambassadors. Dennus watched as Lieutenant Colonel Etic Gunnly exited in dress uniform, then turned and saluted as the Ladies exited their shuttle and, in orderly fashion proceeded in single file to the conference room. Commissioner Flores brought up the rear.

“I am sure that Captain Thompson is feeling happier now.” Major Rickard Dule observed to the General.

“I will be happier when this is all over.” Dennus responded.

The Ladies of the Circle all were wearing long dresses each of a different colour and of a different cut. Over the dresses they wore short light open, jackets with short sleeves. Each jacket was of a different, but complementary, colour. On their feet they wore sandals. They wore no raincoats although it was raining, yet none were wet when they arrived at the entrance to the auditorium, however Lieutenant Colonel Gunnly and Commissioner Flores were both rather damp.

“Look at the patrol,” breathed Major Dule. “They are not immune!”

Indeed the police escort supplied by the Council had gone from a rather bored and lounging posture to a rigid ‘at attention’ stance, eyes glued to the procession. Hands flashed up in salute as the Ladies passed and Gunnly followed, answering the salute.

“They are now inside, General,” Captain Feli Duaris, in the ground command post, confirmed to Dennus.

“Good.”

“Leves and two other members of Council arriving.” There was a pause. “The vehicles are clear, all were scanned as they enter.”

“Confirmed. I see them,” Dennus turned to Dule, “Now I really wish I was still a Colonel.”

“Well sir, it is all up to the Ladies now.” Major Dule responded.

“So long as the men down there don’t relax.”

Both Admiral De Johnston and Vice Admiral Hojo were also in the light cruiser for this, the first of hopefully more meetings. Admiral Johnston spoke, “General Licciinus won’t let them relax, especially now he has met the ladies in person. He is a good man and he understands your position better now, that’s why I recommended that he be down there.”

Dennus nodded in reply then spoke to Major Houser, “Look, Major Houser, they are going to be getting out now, tell me who each one is if you can.”

“Ok General.” Houser sat down to watch the screen with a laser light pointer. The first ground transporter drove up and a man got out. “That is Dirkus Prizzker, he has the Transportation Ministry. I never had any dealings with him, only his subordinates”

There was a pause, then the next vehicle arrived. “That’s Leves! As Chief Minister he should be in the last car!”

“Are you sure?” asked Admiral De Johnston.

The last car arrived and the occupant got out. “Oh yes, now let’s see here.” The tension was palpable. “Getting out. Oh, all the gods!” Major Houser sat back with a stunned expression.

“You know him?” Dennus probed.

“I have met him!” Major Houser got up and walked around the room. The others, including the ship’s captain, all stared at this unusual display of emotion.

“Who is he?” Dennus pressed.

“Councillor Trem De Markus, Rentap Dressiler’s friend.”

The three senior officers exchanged looks then watched the three representatives of Ti Lepus in silence. The three spoke briefly together, turned, and with Markus in the lead, walked through the auditoriums main doors into the meeting area.

*********

It was not a large room, designed as it was a single medium sized display room or for a set of three or four small displays. There was a small stage, but that was not used. Dennus and the Ambassadors had arranged for a large table, courtesy of the Empire, to be positioned so that neither side faced or had their back to the door. Oriented roughly north and south, there were several chairs on each side with several more behind.

There were several patrolmen on Ti Lepus side with both the Black Guard and troopers of the Legion on the Ambassadors’ side. The Ambassadors rose as the three members of the Council entered. With a wave, Lady Dana gestured the three men to their seats.

“Thank you for meeting with us Councillor Trem De Markus, Chief Councillor Leja Leves and Councillor Dirkus Prizzker, we are happy that you agreed to meet with us. Before you, you see Lady Andrea, Lady Lisa, Lady Savanna, Lady Lakeisha and Lady Jasmine.” She indicated each one in turn. “I am Lady Dana.” Behind the Ladies sat Lieutenant Colonel Gunnly and Commissioner Flores.

The three men took their seats, their faces showing surprise that the Ladies knew who each of them were. Recovering, Markus spoke first, “I know that we are only here because of subtle threats if we did not agree to meet.”

“Of course, that is precisely why you are here. You would not come otherwise,” Lady Andrea answered.

“You became concerned over the possible consequences, did you not?” Lady Lisa spoke in her turn.

Before any of the three men could reply, Lady Lakeisha spoke in her lilting voice, “After all, you believe in honesty do you not?”

“Is it not one of the prime tenets of your culture?” Lady Savanna put in.

“So let us continue in honesty and plain speech,” Lady Jasmine said. “After all, this is your planet.” She smiled and motioned across the table. The Ladies fell silent and waited.

The three men exchanged stunned looks and Markus coughed. Watching from his post, Dennus noted that Markus looked strained.

Recovering and tapping at his comm unit, Markus looked at the Ladies sitting across from him.

“As Minister for Trade, I have been asked to speak to you and I have agreed to do so. You asked for honesty and stressed it. So I shall be honest.” Markus paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. “We no longer wish to be a part of your empire.” Again Markus paused. “This situation has been coming to a head for a long time, a very long time.” He stopped for a fraction, but the Ladies remained silent. “I could catalogue the many reasons we find you objectionable, but such an effort would be tedious.”

Before he could continue Lady Dana interrupted in her calm modulated voice. “No, please, list a few. We would find it … interesting.”

Surprised, such interruptions were against the normal protocol for such a meeting, Markus stared. He realised suddenly that although they were women, they were not the same women he was accustomed to. They were different.

“Very well, Ambassador, I shall. There is the case of the planet Guessen, attacked by your legion and destroyed.” He paused waiting to see if the Ladies interrupted. As none did, he continued, “There is also the case of the planet known as AJ4. It rebelled and was pacified by again by your Legion, at a cost of over half of the population. They were killed by a parasite attack. As well ...” Markus went on for some time cataloguing various examples of atrocities that the Legion had committed. He described how the Empire had made a planet into a slave nation, dependent on the Empire for necessities and was the cause of mysterious illnesses. This included Ti Lepus, as well as other planets. There were various other complaints citing attacks against various planets and acts of forcing other planets, against their will, to join the Empire. The suggestion was also made that the Empires fleet acted as pirates on occasion, attacking cargo and passenger vessels, afterwards accusing innocent merchants for their depravations. He ended with direct complaints that Ti Lepus had against the Empire.

“These examples pale in comparison against those crimes committed against Ti Lepus itself. We have become slaves to the Empire, and our children have been forced to fight against their families and our planet. Taken from their families and made to become killing machines. Their brains wiped clear of memories to the extent that they could not recognise their families. Thus torn from their homes, they become lost to us forever, a running sore that plagues our world and our psyche. We want our children to grow up loved by the parents and secure in our life here on Ti Lepus.” Markus stopped, sat for a fraction, and then concluded. “This is our statement of intent.”

The Ambassadors sat still for a fraction, then stirred. Lady Dana sat forward. “Thank you Minister Markus. Do your fellow representatives intend to make any statement at this time?”

Markus shook his head, “No, not at this time.”

“Very well.” Lady Dana sat back in her chair.

With a smile, Lady Andrea sat forward. “It is well that you used the word ‘intent,’ Minister Markus, as ‘fact’ would have been, shall we say, misleading.” She smiled. “Would you like me to refute your allegations one by one or would a simple statement that you have been seriously mislead be in order?” There was silence from the other side of the table.

“Very well, I shall refute certain points. But do not think that because I do not refer to a point raised, that it is conceded. Time is short, the Master’s patience grows thin and we must be practical in our use of time. First you talked about a planet called ‘Guessen’. There is not such planet and there never was such a planet. No such planet has ever existed. If you have been assured that it was destroyed, then someone has lied to you.”

This brought an explosion of anger from the representatives of Ti Lepus.

“You mean that we lied?” shouted Leves

“That is a terrible assertion,” voiced Prizzker.

Markus remained silent, staring across the table.

“May I continue?” Lady Andrea asked politely.

The men subsided.

“If you were listening, I made no such statement. I said ‘someone has lied to you,’ not that you had lied,” Lady Andrea continued calmly. “Now the planet AJ4, it suffered from a terrible plague that was unrecognised and surfaced only after an extended incubation. The Empire is currently assisting the survivors in their recovery. There was no rebellion and no military action has taken place on the planet or in the system or indeed in that galaxy.”

After dealing with some of the other allegations, Lady Andrea turned to the allegations made by Markus in regard to Ti Lepus itself.

“As to your planet, I see that the import and export of goods accounts for a minor part of the economy of Ti Lepus. To become slaves to the Empire, you would have to be dependent on the Empire for the necessities of life. Actually quite the contrary has incurred. In fact, you do quite well in trade with those planets you trade with. Also, what forces did we have in the system before the current crisis? One space station with minimal defensive weapons, incapable of movement. Now turning to the allegation of your youth being forced to fight for the Legion or the fleet. I have to simply say that such a statement is absurd. There is no one from Ti Lepus serving in the Empire’s forces and no one ever has. Not even under an assumed name.”

She paused to allow that to sink in.

“The allegations that the children of Ti Lepus have been taken from their homes, their memories tampered with and thus lost to their families are equally absurd. The Empire does not trade in children. Nor does it use mind control. There are no such things happening that are condoned by the Empire. If such things were happening and we find out about them, we, and you would know about it because the Empire’s forces would react, violently. The Master does not tolerate such things.”

After another pause, Lady Andrea finished. “You want your children to grow up loved? That is a desire of us all.” After she finished. There was silence which extended for a considerable fraction. The three representatives of Ti Lepus grew uneasy under the steady gaze of the Ambassadors.

On board his cruiser, General Major Dennus had grown tense again but there was little that he could do about it. So he watched and, as did all listening did, waited for any response. An exception was General Licciinus, who was making a personal check on the security dispositions. Satisfied for the time being, after speaking to the Brigadier commanding the brigade, he returned to the ground command post.

Chief Councillor Leja Leves finally broke the silence. “Perhaps you are aware of the death of Li Glwen, who had been my secretary for many years. She was murdered by her sister, Ardine Makapet, who took her own life. I lay these deaths at the feet of the Empire and your Dark Lord.” He sat back in his chair, looking down at the table, rather than across the table.

There was a moment of silence, then Lady Lisa, the athletic brunette that the Head Steward first encountered on the Dark Lord’s return, leant forward. “We feel for your loss. It can never be repaired or undone. It was born of matters between the two sisters and Li Glwen was warned by her sister in the form customary to your planet.” At this Leves head jerked up. “Therefore we must reject any part in her death. The Empire has no fault in this regrettable passing.”

“You obviously knew about this. You must have had knowledge, otherwise how could you have known all this. I had no knowledge of any death pledge. My anger at your Empire is redoubled and the culpability of the Empire is confirmed.” Leves slammed his hand down on the table, his face red with his anger. The other two men with him, stared at Leves, shocked by his open display of emotion.

Calmly, Lady Savanna, a slim, tall brown haired woman, answered. “We had no prior knowledge. That is denied us. We feel for you in your loss, but that changes nothing, if you need someone to blame, the answer lies with those who Li Glwen supported and by their actions caused the death of her niece. That was what she was warned about by Ardine Makapet and by her inaction, brought about the fate that befell her. It is a tragedy, but the Empire is blameless. Seek rather those who murdered Rentap Dressiler and his family, along with Lorena Makapet. They are the true culprits.” After a brief fraction, she continued, “As for saying that you didn’t know, why would you so try to mislead us? You knew full well, Li Glwen told you that she had been warned by her sister in proper form. Do not deny this.”

*********

At this statement Leja Leves, who sat visibly fuming in his chair had to restrain himself from flinching. If they knew this, he thought, what else did they know, he wondered. Relaxing slightly he knew that the mere knowledge of a vow of unbreakable resolve was not a crime of any kind. But the thought remained and continued to worry him.

*********

Markus coughed, then sat up straight. “Perhaps a break at this time would be appropriate.”

Standing Lady Dana smiled. “Certainly, Councillor De Markus, a room has been set aside for your use with the proper refreshments. Shall we say, a half period?”

“Certainly, I would like to be reassured that we can talk privately?”

At Lady Dana’s motion, Lieutenant Colonel Gunnly stood. “On behalf of General Major Dennus, I can assure you that there have been no listening or recording devices installed in the room set aside for you. In the interest of full disclosure of information, the room and everything brought into it has been thoroughly scanned. However, the food, all of which is local has not been checked, inspected or touched in any way by us.”

Marcus nodded, standing. Leves glowered while Prizzker showed no emotion at all. With a word, the senior patrolman present, who was Loci ion Dempster, escorted the three men to their private room. The rest of the patrol followed them.