“Now, Lord Mantil, I find that you have ended up in my … area of control. Naturally, it is not through any fault of your own, but your mission was in Pakistan, and mine in the United States. I am sure you will return to your own lands soon, but I am sure you will also agree that while you are here I have a certain right to … express my opinions on your actions.” She let that hang out there for a bit.

Shahim was quite sure that she did not have that right, or anything like it. “Your majesty, while my undying allegiance to my king, and his treaties with your father, make me ever your willing servant, I feel it my duty to point out that, by the purview of every emperor and trading family that signed the Treaty of Conquest, we are all equals while on this mission.” He stood firm and did not bow again, in the hopes that this would reinforce his message.

“Lord Mantil,” she smiled demurely, itself quite a disturbing sight for anyone that knew her, “I do not mean to rewrite the sacred decrees of my father and his fellow rulers. I merely mean to offer … an opinion on your enterprise here. I would never dream of imposing my will or that of my family upon you. We are, as you say, equals, for the length of this mission, and when this copy of my personality is reunited with my royal self on Mobilius years from now, I would not dream of holding any of your actions here against you, or your family.”

To call the threat veiled would be a profound insult to veils. Lord Mantil of Hamprect nodded to the woman in front of him. He was painfully aware that he was, as of now, not speaking with a fellow Agent, but with the beloved and conniving daughter of the most powerful man on his world.

“So, Lord Mantil, as I was saying, I came here to discuss the mission at hand, and your actions as they affect my mission here in my target country. You see, my lord, I have decided that we have an opportunity, an opportunity to accomplish something. Your arrival here allows us some freedoms that the AI and our fellow Council members were too scared to pursue when it was most pressing.” She paused, but not long enough to invite a response. This was a diatribe, not a conversation.

“But,” she sighed and smiled beatifically, “better late than never. Lord Mantil, as expected we have encountered precious little resistance since our arrival here. And no one’s actions have shown how weak the humans are to greater effect than your attack on one of their leaders. One day I will no doubt do the same to the leadership of this country, but till then I have to work within their pathetic society’s laws.”