Heir to the Emperor, Senator of Denon
Location: Sovereign Frigate enroute to At-Avexxian
The sleek observation lounge of the starship stretched before the gathered guests like a suspended jewel box, its curved crystasteel walls offering an unbroken panorama of the planet's upper spires drifting past in slow, majestic rotation. The vessel hung in geosynchronous orbit above the glittering planetary cityscape of new white with black windows absorbing the clear skies and sunlight, golden aurodium trimming to the buildings and green as plants were being cultivated on the world as public transports had filters and scrubbers while they ran for the air aand pollution, far enough from the atmosphere that the perpetual twilight of the ecumenopolis resolved into crisp geometric patterns: kilometer-high towers clad in mirror-bright materia, rivers of traffic lanes pulsing with multicolored navigation lights, and the faint auroral shimmer. Inside, the air carried the faint, clean tang of oxygen laced with the subtle metallic bite of high-grade environmental systems never quite sterile, but deliberately neutral, as though the ship itself were breathing with careful restraint.
Ayumi stood at the forward curve of the deck, where the crystasteel dipped lowest and the view felt most vertiginous. At six-foot-two she dominated the space without effort, her lithe frame balanced with the easy precision of someone who had spent years moving between gravity wells and zero-g corridors. Her skin, smooth copper-bronze with that persistent sun-warmed glow, seemed to drink in the shifting hues from outside: cool blues from the orbital shadow, sudden flares of gold whenever a reflected sunbeam struck the hull and spilled across her. Long silken hair in deep dark honey woven through with finer threads of pure aurodium hung straight to her waist, swaying only faintly with the ship's minute station-keeping adjustments. When she turned her head to address the group, the strands caught the overhead glowpanels and shimmered like liquid sunlight poured over dark amber. Denon had continued on with thanks to
Melanie Sato
and even
Rojuhr Pouihl
as cantankerous as he could be. The boarded were pleased with the last session and she had eaten crow returning to them but she had also given them the means to much more profits which they had liked.
Her eyes held the room's attention even before her voice did. Deep honey irises flecked with molten amber shifted subtly with every change in light: darkening to near-black in the shadowed corners near the bulkheads, warming to bright gold wherever a direct beam from the external floods touched her face. They moved with quiet precision taking in the senators' guarded postures, the calm stillness, the handful of corporate aides clutching datapads like talismans yet betrayed nothing of the assessment behind them. A small pale scar notched the skin just below her full lower lip; it appeared only when her mouth curved into the faintest welcoming smile, a private punctuation mark on an otherwise composed expression.
Verity Stuyveris
had been briefed on the progress and her rebuilding stations. the Sunwire preforming better then they had expected with the ships and vehicles as well as special projects... a benefit in her opinion to what could be accomplished through Denon's unending competency.
Dominique Vexx
was always encouraging if tempering so she didn't go too overboard.
The dress she wore seemed engineered as much for the environment as for elegance. Seamless metallic fabric pale silver-white with an undertone of liquid pearl molded to her body like poured mercury, catching and fracturing every stray sliver of light into soft prismatic ripples. The high mandarin collar rose smoothly around her throat, framing the long column of her neck without constriction. Sleeveless, the garment left her toned arms bare save for the wide electrum-aurodium bands that encircled each upper arm in three sharp, diagonal wraps elegant restraints that evoked both ceremonial armor and high-fashion restraint. The bands gleamed with a warmer alloy tone than the dress itself, their edges precise enough to catch light in thin, razor-bright lines whenever she gestured. From collar to hem the fabric followed every contour: the subtle flare of her ribs, the taut plane of her abdomen, the curve of hip and thigh, before tapering into a fitted skirt that ended a hand's-breadth above the knee. The material moved with her never clinging too tightly, never loose rippling faintly as though a breath of wind moved beneath the surface even in the ship's perfect climate control.
One bronzed hand rested on the low, polished obsidian table that curved along the forward wall, fingers relaxed yet deliberate as she looked over a few more details using her interface as much as the datapad. It allowed her to do a lot more but it was also showing the improvements that had gone into the implant packages they were offering workers to help augment their health. The omnibus of bills and reforms that she had put forward with Denons distract directors were going over well. Beyond the crystasteel, a transport shuttle drifted past at respectful distance, its running lights painting momentary streaks of white across Ayumi's profile. She did not flinch or glance away; her posture remained open, shoulders squared without tension, spine straight in a way that spoke of old habit rather than conscious performance. She had the information about the Veils Shroud as they had been working on it and deploying it at the edges of the system. While on the planet the reports of what they had been working on with the deployment of the DPH-SW had proven effective. Their waters were self cleaning and nullified their weight and strain so they could have waterways and oceans across the hundreds of levels.
Across her lower back concealed for the moment beneath the dress's flawless drape lay the tattoo that few in this room had ever seen: crimson-and-black runes interwoven with thorn-sharp spirals, all radiating from a jagged, glyph at the center. A reminder of her and Vespera's father... his ambition and older things. The ink seemed to pulse faintly in low light, though whether that was optical trick or something deeper remained. She straightened slightly, the motion sending a fresh cascade of highlights across the metallic dress ripples of silver chasing gold chasing silver again as though the garment were reflecting not just the ship's interior but the starfield beyond. The gathered people shifted in their seats: a director of the resource farms adjusted his collar, a covert member of the twin suns fingers stilled on the string of her lyre, an aide's stylus paused mid-note. Ayumi let the silence stretch one measured heartbeat longer, allowing the view outside to do half her work. Then her voice smooth, measured, carrying the faintest trace of a smile and goof humor cut through the quiet. "Ladies and gentlemen," she said, amber-flecked eyes sweeping the room once more, "thank you for joining me aboard this vessel. What you see beyond these walls is Denon as it appears thanks to many of you, vast and still full of possibility."
She gave a smaller look though and there was the chance for plenty of others to come. She would have sent an invitation to several senators and others. "Tonight we will tour the newest developments Denon has prepared innovations designed to serve not just itself, but every world that is within the Republic. If you will follow me to the forward conference chamber, we can begin." She turned with fluid grace, the dress refracting light in a final shimmer as she moved toward the iris hatch at the far end of the lounge. Behind her, the city-planet continued its slow rotation, indifferent and eternal, while the small group rose to follow the woman who walked as though she carried both its future and its shadows in equal measure. She was going through as the displays were showing a number of their Tourism and Recruitments Ads. The displays being able to show off other products as many of their skilled Lightwire slicers were being loaned out to planets on a lease program. Skilled and trained negotiators for business dealing that could be used. "We have been busy, with many of the reforms we promised, our peoples retention and quality of life as improved, new equipment, new attitudes and new healthcare. The boards took some convincing but they have seen the light and with the resource bill coming to pass we have been developing a few things to hopefully impress the chancellor."
Feng Huang
Eharl Sarn
Fervos Kej
The sleek observation lounge of the starship stretched before the gathered guests like a suspended jewel box, its curved crystasteel walls offering an unbroken panorama of the planet's upper spires drifting past in slow, majestic rotation. The vessel hung in geosynchronous orbit above the glittering planetary cityscape of new white with black windows absorbing the clear skies and sunlight, golden aurodium trimming to the buildings and green as plants were being cultivated on the world as public transports had filters and scrubbers while they ran for the air aand pollution, far enough from the atmosphere that the perpetual twilight of the ecumenopolis resolved into crisp geometric patterns: kilometer-high towers clad in mirror-bright materia, rivers of traffic lanes pulsing with multicolored navigation lights, and the faint auroral shimmer. Inside, the air carried the faint, clean tang of oxygen laced with the subtle metallic bite of high-grade environmental systems never quite sterile, but deliberately neutral, as though the ship itself were breathing with careful restraint.
Ayumi stood at the forward curve of the deck, where the crystasteel dipped lowest and the view felt most vertiginous. At six-foot-two she dominated the space without effort, her lithe frame balanced with the easy precision of someone who had spent years moving between gravity wells and zero-g corridors. Her skin, smooth copper-bronze with that persistent sun-warmed glow, seemed to drink in the shifting hues from outside: cool blues from the orbital shadow, sudden flares of gold whenever a reflected sunbeam struck the hull and spilled across her. Long silken hair in deep dark honey woven through with finer threads of pure aurodium hung straight to her waist, swaying only faintly with the ship's minute station-keeping adjustments. When she turned her head to address the group, the strands caught the overhead glowpanels and shimmered like liquid sunlight poured over dark amber. Denon had continued on with thanks to
Melanie Sato
and even
Rojuhr Pouihl
as cantankerous as he could be. The boarded were pleased with the last session and she had eaten crow returning to them but she had also given them the means to much more profits which they had liked. Her eyes held the room's attention even before her voice did. Deep honey irises flecked with molten amber shifted subtly with every change in light: darkening to near-black in the shadowed corners near the bulkheads, warming to bright gold wherever a direct beam from the external floods touched her face. They moved with quiet precision taking in the senators' guarded postures, the calm stillness, the handful of corporate aides clutching datapads like talismans yet betrayed nothing of the assessment behind them. A small pale scar notched the skin just below her full lower lip; it appeared only when her mouth curved into the faintest welcoming smile, a private punctuation mark on an otherwise composed expression.
Verity Stuyveris
had been briefed on the progress and her rebuilding stations. the Sunwire preforming better then they had expected with the ships and vehicles as well as special projects... a benefit in her opinion to what could be accomplished through Denon's unending competency.
Dominique Vexx
was always encouraging if tempering so she didn't go too overboard. The dress she wore seemed engineered as much for the environment as for elegance. Seamless metallic fabric pale silver-white with an undertone of liquid pearl molded to her body like poured mercury, catching and fracturing every stray sliver of light into soft prismatic ripples. The high mandarin collar rose smoothly around her throat, framing the long column of her neck without constriction. Sleeveless, the garment left her toned arms bare save for the wide electrum-aurodium bands that encircled each upper arm in three sharp, diagonal wraps elegant restraints that evoked both ceremonial armor and high-fashion restraint. The bands gleamed with a warmer alloy tone than the dress itself, their edges precise enough to catch light in thin, razor-bright lines whenever she gestured. From collar to hem the fabric followed every contour: the subtle flare of her ribs, the taut plane of her abdomen, the curve of hip and thigh, before tapering into a fitted skirt that ended a hand's-breadth above the knee. The material moved with her never clinging too tightly, never loose rippling faintly as though a breath of wind moved beneath the surface even in the ship's perfect climate control.
One bronzed hand rested on the low, polished obsidian table that curved along the forward wall, fingers relaxed yet deliberate as she looked over a few more details using her interface as much as the datapad. It allowed her to do a lot more but it was also showing the improvements that had gone into the implant packages they were offering workers to help augment their health. The omnibus of bills and reforms that she had put forward with Denons distract directors were going over well. Beyond the crystasteel, a transport shuttle drifted past at respectful distance, its running lights painting momentary streaks of white across Ayumi's profile. She did not flinch or glance away; her posture remained open, shoulders squared without tension, spine straight in a way that spoke of old habit rather than conscious performance. She had the information about the Veils Shroud as they had been working on it and deploying it at the edges of the system. While on the planet the reports of what they had been working on with the deployment of the DPH-SW had proven effective. Their waters were self cleaning and nullified their weight and strain so they could have waterways and oceans across the hundreds of levels.
Across her lower back concealed for the moment beneath the dress's flawless drape lay the tattoo that few in this room had ever seen: crimson-and-black runes interwoven with thorn-sharp spirals, all radiating from a jagged, glyph at the center. A reminder of her and Vespera's father... his ambition and older things. The ink seemed to pulse faintly in low light, though whether that was optical trick or something deeper remained. She straightened slightly, the motion sending a fresh cascade of highlights across the metallic dress ripples of silver chasing gold chasing silver again as though the garment were reflecting not just the ship's interior but the starfield beyond. The gathered people shifted in their seats: a director of the resource farms adjusted his collar, a covert member of the twin suns fingers stilled on the string of her lyre, an aide's stylus paused mid-note. Ayumi let the silence stretch one measured heartbeat longer, allowing the view outside to do half her work. Then her voice smooth, measured, carrying the faintest trace of a smile and goof humor cut through the quiet. "Ladies and gentlemen," she said, amber-flecked eyes sweeping the room once more, "thank you for joining me aboard this vessel. What you see beyond these walls is Denon as it appears thanks to many of you, vast and still full of possibility."
She gave a smaller look though and there was the chance for plenty of others to come. She would have sent an invitation to several senators and others. "Tonight we will tour the newest developments Denon has prepared innovations designed to serve not just itself, but every world that is within the Republic. If you will follow me to the forward conference chamber, we can begin." She turned with fluid grace, the dress refracting light in a final shimmer as she moved toward the iris hatch at the far end of the lounge. Behind her, the city-planet continued its slow rotation, indifferent and eternal, while the small group rose to follow the woman who walked as though she carried both its future and its shadows in equal measure. She was going through as the displays were showing a number of their Tourism and Recruitments Ads. The displays being able to show off other products as many of their skilled Lightwire slicers were being loaned out to planets on a lease program. Skilled and trained negotiators for business dealing that could be used. "We have been busy, with many of the reforms we promised, our peoples retention and quality of life as improved, new equipment, new attitudes and new healthcare. The boards took some convincing but they have seen the light and with the resource bill coming to pass we have been developing a few things to hopefully impress the chancellor."
Feng Huang
Eharl Sarn
Fervos Kej