And now a Romantic Interlude

A little something completely different.

Happy Sunday yall, please enjoy some young-old love in bloom.

"You never answered my question, Princess," accused the chief of her heart, Arcturus, as the band reached the next resolution of tones and the pretty little sylph of a ginger-haired girl finished belting out the ending of a song called 'Non Je Ne regrette Rien.' "What's in it for Men to die for the Emperor of the Alfarcosmos?"

"Oh, that, you're not still mad about that, are you?" pouted Lizrael by way of an opening gambit as the next slow dance started, a jazzy yet polka-ish Southron-Bluegrass interpretation of a waltz.

"You made me break a promise, Lizzy, Selene, whatever your name is, a promise to your mother, all those ages ago, you and your tempting wiles," replied Arcturus, "It weighs heavily upon my ancestor's and now my own memories, for a Man's word is his law, but holding you, I also know why I was, why I am enthralled." Arcturus leaned in, and breathed in her scent again as they danced, clean woman-flesh and incense, starlight and maidenhead, the moon and moss on the trees.

"I am her, but reborn, and I shouldn't remember. We forget in the Halls of Mandos you know, before we Alfar-kind, we who are trapped in aeternal aeons of samsara, this never ending cycle of birth, suffering, and death are reborn, that's what the Halls are for, you wicked, naughty, clever boy, for forgetting. But how do you remember it? The soul of my Solus should have gone instead to the Courts of the Hidden King, where no Alfar can follow."

"There's souls and then there's souls and yet again, then there's souls my dear, so yes, Solus has recieved his judgement and just rewards from the hands of the King of Kings, but a part of him, even a part of his soul and memory, lives on in through the blood of his descendents."

"In you."

"In me."

"Well that is why you shall fight for my Father isn't it? I am yours and you are mine."

"That's why we will be married, even if I have to carry you off," corrected Arcturus gently but firmly, "and why on the night of our wedding I will ravish you so as to make up for twenty thousand years of missing you, and why I myself will fight and die for your Father, heart of my heart, but why should I let any of my own men follow me, why should this marriage be an alliance of states? What's in it for mine own people?"

Lizrael snorted, "Non-Aggression and Mutual-Defense with the Zindari Empire for starters, what else do you want?"

"The General-Staff and the Star-Lords are drooling over your technology. Seriously, Colonel Walker had to wipe General de Chevelier's chin when he saw the specs for your heavy repulsor tank."

Lizzy giggled as Archie shared the image in his mind's eye with her, then she replied, "Allies have access to purchase Imperial technics and hire the advice of Imperial experts in its use, at market rates of course."

"But what if we wanted to make them for ourselves?"

"It is rather rare for mere Allies to receive production licenses for first rate Imperial gear, but older generation, second line equipment licenses are possible."

"And if we wished to offer something more than alliance to the Emperor?"

"Why Arcturus? What exactly are you offering?"

"What if I bent my knees then?"

"In that case, as a vassal of his Immortal Eminence, your prosperity is his prosperity, your swords are his swords, and all things are possible, my Prince, all things. In fact we have a pressing need for additional ships and troops on the Mi-go'eld front, so much of what has your high command drooling could be expedited."

"In general terms, we are willing to proceed with negotiations on that basis, submission and service to the Emperor of Zindar in exchange for technological uplift and economic development, and, this is non-negotiable mind you, support of our claims on the territories of the former Solarian-Hegemony."

"The Empire is also prepared to begin negotiations along those lines. You will have to be willing to at least suspend actively pressing your own claims until such time as the Empire of Zindar has achieved her own against the Cosmic Supervision Council. And I have read enough of your files to realize how much of an ask that is. That is why we are willing to throw in a freebie to sweeten the pot."

"Oh?"

"Yes, we have already synthesized an inoculation and cure for Eden's Curse and are prepared to assist with other issues with incomplete plantery habitat engineering."

Arcturus flat out missed the next step in the dance as he realized that this Princess Lizrael, seemingly a giggling teenage girl, the reincarnation of his ancestor's lost love, the moon to his sun, had just casually offered to solve the single greatest social crisis of the Solarian-Hegemony-in-Exile as a throw away ‘bonus’.

"You Zindari are merciless in your friendship."

"Imagine how we treat our enemies, silly."