Kuati Palace

*SHHEEEEUUuuuuu*

The low altitude transport came to a quick halt, nearly causing my face to smack into the driver's seat in front of me. Fortunately, Galen wasn't here. If he was, I would have never heard the end of it.

Glancing out of the transport, I noticed a small entourage walking out onto the landing pad to welcome me. I only knew one of the people here.

As I stepped out of the transport with Sheema, a familiar voice welcomed me. "Soryn! It has not been long but it is always a pleasure to see you."

I smiled and held out my hand to shake his. "General Kroos, how are you, my friend?"

He grasped my forearm with his hand and I returned the gesture. "I've seen better days, boy." He then glanced back towards the rest of the group. "Catching up must wait for another time. I believe some introductions are in order."

I nodded, sweeping my vision over the crowd. "Indeed they are."

The entire group that welcomed Sheema and I was about 20 people. I didn't care to count the actual number because only a fraction of them were actually relevant.

First was, of course, Timo. As a friend, he'd be one of the two keys I'd use to break down the door that laid before me.

Then there was the guild member that I had yet to meet. I received a short briefing from Sheema on my way over. I had to admit, she was damn good at her job.

Thinking of that, I leaned into her ear and whispered. "Let's talk after this. I have a proposal."

She didn't respond but I could imagine what was going through her head. Hopefully it was nothing bad.

Timo smiled and gestured towards the left most man I was inspecting. "This is Senator Karim Purkis of House Purkis."

The man stepped forwards and offered me his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Padawan Brenko."

I smiled warmly and shook his head. "The pleasure is all mine.

Aside from the two allies, there were three others whose stances were unknown at this time. The man whose hand I had just shaken was someone who looked like a politician through and through. His dark skin was characteristic of the residents of this planet. He wore white robes that split down the middle at his waist. Over his right shoulder was a silver shoulder piece that had three ropes hanging down his torso and then extending over his shoulder. Atop his head was a white head dress that honestly looked like an icecream cone with the bottom cut off.

Timo then gestured to the woman on the right. "This is Dina Andrim of House Andrim."

She offered her hand and I gently grasped it from the bottom as was the etiquette I had seen on TV when greeting a noblewoman. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Madame Andrim."

Dina covered her mouth with her free hand and giggled. "Hoho, Samira, I like this one."

My eyes widened in slight shock for just a moment before I replaced my shock with the formerly stoic expression. I then released her hand and pulled away, maintaining my smile and nodding at her. "You flatter me, Madame."

Timo cut in. "Let's stay on track, Soryn. Lastly, we have Kuat of Kuat, Samira Kuat of House Kuat."

Holy shit that was a lot of "Kuat" in one sentence. So what the fuck is her name? Kuat? Kuat of Kuat of Kuat of House Kuat? What the hell, man.

Snapping out of that, I noticed she was offering me her hand. I decided to sow a little bit of drama to spice things up. I gently took her hand in the same way I did Dina. However, this time, I planted a gentle kiss onto the top of her hand as I bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, my lady."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Dina's expression twisting as Samira glanced over at her with a smug look. It appeared that I had hit a sore spot. Even if I was planning my own funeral here, what's a funeral without a bit of fun? You can't spell the word without it anyways.

As soon as I rose from my bow and released her hand, I felt a gentle punch on my right shoulder. "Quite bold. Youngsters these days, am I right?"

Everyone chuckled as Timo seemingly broke the awkwardness I had created. Samira then spoke. "Let us head inside. A feast has been prepared to celebrate our victory over the Empire."

I gently smiled as I glanced at the last relevant individual that I had yet to meet. He had slicked back black hair that was exactly the same as Timo's except for the good general being blonde. Their uniform was almost the exact same as well, with my fellow guildmate having one less star numbering three. This signified his rank as Lieutenant General. I could only presume that he was being groomed to take Timo's position as General after his eminent promotion.

His blue eyes fluttered as he appeared to notice my gaze. This man had some impressive instincts as I realized that I was doing more than just casually observing him. He nodded, the sharp jawline on his face cutting through the air.

There was only one word in my mind as I observed him. Strong. This man could easily wipe the floor with me and I was confident that he might even be able to put up a fight against my master. He must have had some kind of fighting experience on Earth. Military? MMA?

Regardless, I gave up on this train of thought as I found myself enamored by the lavish decor of the Kuati palace. This was money. Not just any money, but ancient money. Despite being the young maverick in terms of galactic shipyards, they had become the biggest through their aggressive and domineering business practices. While this might be frowned upon by some, the results were undeniable.

There were grand statues accented with gold, magnificent portraits painted with elegance, and high pile carpeting that made it feel as if I was walking on clouds. The carpet made me want to remove my boots and feel the soft fibers between my toes.

I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't even realize that my guildmate had approached me. "Guild Owner…"

Glancing over at him, I smiled. "Forgive me, we haven't met."

He nodded, continuing to speak in a soft voice. "I am Elder Tyrus Lockheed."

I nodded. "Good to know, Tyrus. I see that you have taken my place at Timo's side?"

Tyrus chuckled slightly and nodded. "Ah, yes. He told me about you. Several times he has complained how the Jedi Order snatched you up."

I giggled and stole a glance at Timo. He was carefully conversing with Senator Karim while the two women were quietly talking with each other. I could tell that I was the topic of conversation as Dina kept sneaking looks at me.

Turning my attention back to Tyrus, I scanned him up and down once again. "So what am I in for?"

Tyrus sighed. "Grand Elder Paolo has been harassing me ever since comms were restored. I didn't even know we had a Grand Elder."

I shrugged. "He has the qualifications. Regardless, what is our approach angle? I'm still not fully clear as to why I'm here. Making friends is the obvious answer but I'm sure there is more to it."

Tyrus nodded. "Well, the first order of business is, well, business."

I tilted my head slightly. "Business?"

Tyrus nodded again, smiling a bit. "We are to commission a fleet."