All That Glitters Ch. 43

"Yes, unfortunately, while the Landstradt is not in session Saturday and Sunday, there will be many of the members who will come to tea this afternoon, which means we have to prepare things for the day," Aurelia informed him. "However, I hope we can do this again tonight?"

"Why wait that long?" Raymond asked. "We have to shower to prepare for the day, do we not?"

Aurelia smiled shyly, as Raymond slipped out from under the sheet, pulling her along. Aurelia felt bashful about him seeing her naked in the sunlight, which suddenly seemed strange to her as he had seen her naked in the lights of her bedroom. Somehow, the sunlight just made it all the more obvious. However, while she was somewhat shy of showing off her body to him, she did like the look of him in the morning light.

Raymond guided her to the bathroom and the large shower, turning it on and setting a temperature that he hoped wouldn't be too unpleasant for her, while Aurelia shyly sat on the toilette. When she finished, he pulled her in with him and let both of them soak under the warm water for a bit.

Raymond asked her which soap she preferred and used that to lather her body, his hands roaming pleasantly all over her from head to toe. Aurelia revelled in the feeling of his gentle hands soaping her up. Raymond then pulled her into his body and rubbed himself against her, setting up giggles from the young woman.

Aurelia returned the motions, rubbing the lather into both of them, her hands wandering equally extensively over his body. She eventually found his burgeoning tumescence, the actions of her hands swiftly bringing him to full erection.

Raymond picked her up and lowered her until the crown of his cock touched her entrance. Aurelia shuddered in pleasure as the head of his marvelous muscle slid into her sore but welcoming pussy. She trapped her lower lip in her teeth as he slid deeper until she bottomed out against his groin. Her teeth let go of her lip as she opened her mouth in a deep moan.

She marvelled at the strength of the man as he slowly lifted and lowered her along the length of his rigid muscle. Her soreness was soon forgotten as another feeling started to creep into her body.

Raymond kept up the actions for some time until he felt her clutch to him tightly. Her inner muscles hugged his prick, massaging him until he could no longer hold back and he came deep within her.

Aurelia felt the flood of heat within her and sighed at the feeling, her body welcoming the feelings she was enjoying. The pair clung to each other for several minutes, kissing gently until Raymond's shrinking appendage slipped out of her. She felt the flood of his sperm leaving her body though she still felt the knot of warmth deep inside of her.

They finished washing each other and were surprised by a blushing Jirani and Kodani, who were holding large, warm towels for them. The attendants smiled as they helped the couple dry off.

"I brought some of your clothes in for you," Kodani told Raymond as they moved into the bedroom, pointing to a jumpsuit on the bed. As Jirani helped Aurelia choose a gown for the day, Kodani asked shyly; "Do you need help dressing?"

"I wonder why everyone always asks me that," Raymond rumbled teasingly. "I think I can manage on my own."

Kodani blushed as she watched Raymond slip on his tight boxers, hiding his masculinity from them. The jumpsuit was next. He pulled on soft deck shoes and turned to face the three women, who looked a little disappointed to see him dressed. He barked a laugh at the expressions on their faces.

"You will see me again tonight, if Lady Adenomere allows me to attend her again?" Raymond asked.

Aurelia said nothing, just blushed and dipped her eyes. Raymond gave the ladies a small bow and left the apartment by a side door, so as not to compromise Aurelia any further. He knew that Jirani and Kodani had the best interest of Aurelia in mind, but not all in the household would.

Tea Party, Adenomere Estate, Planet Adenomere, The Adenomere System

Korman and the household slaves set up the garden for the Saturday afternoon tea party under Aurelia's watchful gaze. They were expecting over one hundred guests, including the two Toolend and the two Harradi.

Aurelia had assigned Allen, with her private aircar, to shuttle the Harradi around to the different holdings which had requested their assistance. The Harradi were accompanied by Junelliya and Kim to ensure their safety. Once the Masters saw who was getting out of the vehicle with the Harradi, the mixed feelings they were showing against the Harradi shifted significantly. They suddenly became much more polite remembering the power that Junelliya had displayed earlier in the week, and the skill of Kim with her swords they had witnessed in vids since her previous visit to the Alliance.

The Harradi were thorough and efficient. Testing the soil, noting which crops were planted, noting the labour force or lack of it, the water supply and many other factors before moving on to the next holding. They managed to get through thirty holdings in the morning alone.

They returned to the estate in time for the afternoon tea. Junelliya and Kim went to their apartment to change, while the Harradi entered The Trine and swiftly changed into more appropriate attire.

The guests started arriving soon after. They enjoyed the culinary fair that Riley provided (she had taught the estate cooks how to make fine canapes and other treats), with teas, coffees, iced deserts, and other fare. The main event, however, was being able to interact with the two sets of aliens and the Union reps.

The guests were surprised when the Harradi told them they had looked at over thirty holdings and had discovered several trends for soil, water, elements, and labour issues for the local area. That pleased those who were there.

Raymond started to get nervous near the end of the party.

Junelliya finally brought out her Luttrell and began to play. As she picked up the instrument, Ikekia took note and called out "Yeah! Mommy play!" clapping her pudgy hands. That brought smiles mostly from the female guests.

"I will begin with an Anuuran lullaby," Junelliya said. As soon as the notes of the song started, Ikekia rebelled.

"No! Ikeki not sleepy!" she said, again bringing smiles from the ladies.

"No, but Zarry is," Junelliya told the child. Ikekia looked over at her sister and reached out to pet her head, in much the same manner that she pet the Cats.

"Kay, Ikeki lissen," the child said, this time bringing smiles and giggles from most of the guests.

Junelliya began to play the lullaby, a beautiful song that thrilled the audience to hear. They could feel the heartfelt tenderness of the song, a song from a mother to her child. Many of the ladies glanced over to see Zarrenia nodding off in the Nanny's arms.

When Junelliya finished the song, she started in on the Pod-Drran 'The Song of Life'. While very few of the guests had ever heard the song before, all were amazed when Junelliya put her empathy into the song, showing the affection of a new mother for new life. It touched the heart of every lady in the audience and even a few of the men. Aurelia herself was not immune as she unintentionally rubbed her belly.

Junelliya played a few more songs, then set the Luttrell in its holder and picked up Ikekia from Hanalei. "Mommy play good," the little girl said and gave her a wet kiss on the cheek.

After that, it was time to send the guests home. Every guest that came by Hanalei with Ikekia had to pay the toll of a hug for the little girl. None minded paying that toll.

As she was holding the sleeping Zarrenia, the guests quietly gave thanks to Junelliya for her music, not wanting to wake the child.

They thanked the Toolend, the Harradi, the Union Ambassador, and gushed their praises to Aurelia as they left.

"What do you think?" Raymond asked the Toolend after the party.

"Most of the guests came here with sceptical hearts," Tougrate told him. "However, they were swayed by the Harradi comments on the local land conditions and they found that we (the aliens and the Union reps) are nice people. They will go back and tell their contemporaries the same."

"That's what I am afraid of," Raymond mused.

"Raymond?" Ambs. Flynet asked.

"Those who oppose us were getting more and more desperate as this week went along. They lost many of the senior Houses males, due principally to their own stupidity, and they were forced to concede the actions of many of their contemporaries in the episode of 'The Barn'," Raymond explained his thinking.

"They will want to act soon if they want to keep things the way they are. Desperate people will do desperate things. We need to be prepared for that," Raymond finished.

Ambs. Flynet nodded. "Tomorrow's strategy session with Liana will be interesting," he intoned.

Later that evening, Raymond snuck back into Aurelia's apartments. He spent the night and slipped out early in the morning, so as not to compromise Aurelia.

Aurelia was sad to see him go, knowing that this would be the last time they would be together. She hoped that their activities would bear fruit.

Landstradt HQ, Adenomere City, Planet Adenomere, The Adenomere System

The mood in the Landstradt was noticeably different the following Monday being much lighter than the previous week.

As soon as the Chair opened the session, the Alliance stalwarts tried to get the Landstradt to throw out their commitments to the Union and to the Greater Community. They were denied their petition by a huge margin. Raymond was now openly worried.

Many of the issues that Ambs. Flynet brought forth the previous week were discussed openly, with an obvious intent to consider them if not an open intent to implement them. The day seemed to go completely for the Union.

That night, the strategy session with Liana was heated, with plenty of discussion of 'what if' scenarios. They needed to be ready for the next few days, only they weren't.

************

The next morning, as the Chair was opening the session, Jaar Adenomere walked into the Landstradt.

"Master Adenomere, why are you here and not in prison?" the Chair demanded.

"I am here because fellow patriots freed me and others," Jaar proclaimed.

Just then, several people that the Landstradt recognized as people awaiting trials for their actions from the previous week, stepped out from the wings and seized Master Grovern, hauling him down from his place on the Chair.

"Who freed you?" Grovern demanded.

"I did," Kevin Lindelle shouted, gleefully. "I and other patriots like Master Ronald Linge, Master Donald Kittering, Master Brendon Soulange of House Soulange, and other patriots!"

Jaar took the Chair's seat.

"I now proclaim the Landstradt in session," he thundered. "Not the new Landstradt, but the Landstradt as it was. We, the patriots of the Alliance, call an end to the changes that have been forced on us by the actions of the Union. We have seized the prisoners, the Union Ambassador, the four Aliens. We claim the ship, PV The Trine, as a prize ship and will break it apart to learn its secrets.

"Do not move, Lady Junelliya! We are aware of your powers. We have placed explosives against the hull of your ship. Enough to kill all on board, including your children if you use your powers against us!" Jaar laughed a cruel laugh as he looked around the Landstradt.

"Oh, you have just made a serious mistake," Kim spoke, brining attention to her.

"What? Do not worry, little Kim, we will deal with you as well. We will place you in the circle outside of this building and allow anyone who wants a chance at you to send their champions to fight you. Your life will end this day!" Jaar crowed.

The members of the Landstradt were looking around. Most of the new people were armed. The guards were either siding with them or had been arrested. It looked like the changes they wanted had been reversed.

A woman rose in the bleachers. "Cease this immediately!" she shouted. Kevin Lindelle, I ask you to rethink what you are doing. You are in breach of a dozen Landstradt regulations and are committing an act of treason against the Alliance!"

"Don't talk to me about treason, wife!" Lindelle shouted back. "These people, the members of the Landstradt, are ready to lay down and expose their throats and bellies to the Union wolves! I will not let that happen to my Alliance!"

"You are not thinking one moment of the Alliance, Kevin Lindelle!" his wife called out. "This is all for you, not the Alliance! I ask you once more to stand down and stop this lunacy!"

"Not a chance!" Kevin shouted back.

"Then you leave me no choice, I and the senior members of House Lindelle will not support you in your actions. We renounce you as a member of House Lindelle. You are on your own!" his wife shouted and sat down.

"You cannot do that to me! I am the Patriarch of House Lindelle..." Lindelle began but was cut off by Jaar Adenomere.

"Enough!" Jaar shouted bellowed from the Chair. "Are there any others who wish to distance themselves from the actions of these patriots?" Jaar demanded. "I will go down the list of people here. I will not ask Lady Adenomere, however," Jaar sneered.

Aurelia rose. "There might have been a time when I supported you, Jaar Adenomere, until you and Marius attempted to have me assassinated three times, until I discovered the extent of your depravity with slaves. One does not support a coward or a mass murderer, Jaar." She sat down without waiting for a response.

"That's all right, Aurelia," Marius mused. "We will have our honeymoon week, then I will break your pretty little neck!"

Jaar continued down the list of names, getting refusals for most of the families of the Great Houses.

Gloria Worsley stood and supported her husband. "We are an old family, not of the first ships, but not long after. There is only the two of us now. Though I do not agree with my husband in this, I must, as a dutiful wife, support his actions."

"Thank-you for your candor, Lady Worsley. You and your House will be richly rewarded when we re-establish the old Alliance," Jaar said.

"I do not want a reward, Jaar Adenomere, I do not want to be left behind when my husband, and all of you, are executed. I wish to be with him..."

Jaar bristled at the thought but said nothing.

Then the Comms Tech called out.

"Chair, there is a communique from Adenomere Station! There are ships coming into orbit!" he shouted.

"What do you mean ships?" Jaar snarled.

"Union warships, Chair!" the Tech said. He put the input from Adenomere Station on the main monitor. It showed the scan of local space with over a hundred ships in orbit, all marked with Union tags, with more and more ships coming into orbit nearly every second.

Finally a large ship appeared near the station and opened a channel on the guard net.

"This is the NS Dewfall, Capt. Henadi Noor commanding. We are the flag ship of this fleet, with Commodore Liana Dostier in command." the voice of Capt. Noor said.

A face came up on the monitor. "This is Commodore Liana Dostier, commanding this fleet. I have 500 ships in orbit around Planet Adenomere, all warships. We plan to blockade the planet until such time as our people are released, unharmed!

"I demand the immediate release of the Union representatives with diplomatic immunity and the arrest of those who threatened them, the innocent crew and passengers of The Trine, the integrity of the Landstradt, and the negotiations between the Alliance with the Union," she snarled.

"What are you going to do now, Chair?" Kim asked sweetly. "Like I said, you have made a serious mistake," Kim stated. "Now you have a decision to make and you have no resources but the people who supported you here in this Landstradt, your so called Patriots," she finished with disdain in her voice.

Jaar looked around the room in confusion. His claim to the Chair was now in jeopardy and he knew it. The guards who had initially been placed under arrest, moved to take into custody those who had arrested them. People in the Landstradt pulled their long knives and moved in on the so called 'Patriots'. They were swiftly subdued.

Master Grovern approached the seat of the Chair and bodily threw Jaar from it.

"Members of the Landstradt, I have allowed myself to be overthrown and have placed all of you at risk when I had pledged the security of this building. Do you still wish me to retain the position of Chair?" he asked.

A resounding "AYE!" sounded from the floor and a humbled Martin Grovern sat again in the Chair's seat to a round of applause from the floor.

"Members of the Landstradt, all those who stood with Jaar Adenomere and his clique are hereby under arrest under the constitution of the Landstradt. They have committed high treason against the Alliance while in the Landstradt. Do you agree?" the Chair asked.

Once more a resounding "AYE!" came from the floor.

The Chair rose and turned to the monitor. "Commodore Dostier, the Alliance conveys a vote of thanks and your ships for the quick response that you have made to the threat posed to the Alliance by the so called Patriots now under arrest. We now ask, humbly, that you take your ships elsewhere as soon as practical," the Chair said, bowing to the image on the screen.

"Chair, the Union will abide by your request," Liana said. "However, we hold the right to intervene again if our people are threatened by the actions of the Landstradt or the Alliance."

"This is understood, Commodore. With such a number of ships, the Alliance could not prevail against you. You could simply demand what you wish of us. Why haven't you?" the Chair asked.

"Chair, unlike the Alliance, we do not force our will on others. We will act to protect our people and the Union when forced to do so. We hope the Alliance will take note of this and act in a similar manner.

"However, do not think for a moment that we will not hesitate to return in numbers if you again force our hand," Liana stated and cut the link.

Adenomere Station was again in control of the conversation and they noted that many of the ships were jumping out of orbit. Not long after, a quarter of the ships were left, along with the flagship the Dewfall. These ships were listed as older ships required to wait for their Marilon generators to recharge.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Landstradt, you have just had a taste of some of the abilities of the Union Navy's capabilities," Ambs. Flynet stated. "Five hundred ships jumped into orbit likely on the imagery of this Landstradt being hijacked by the so-called Patriots. Three-quarters of those ships are the newer models capable of multiple jumps and quick turn-arounds. They jumped in to suppress a threat, and then jumped out when that threat ended.

"We could blockade this planet with those five hundred ships or come with the intent of war against the Alliance with the same force. Yet we came for one purpose, to protect those with ambassadorial immunity and to protect the innocent on board The Trine. We did not impose any demands on you but that protection.

"The Union has proved its point, ladies and gentlemen. Now, what will you do?" the ambassador asked, turned and left the building with the other Union reps in tow. They had a short wait while The Trine was cleared of explosives, then entered The Trine and left the area in the direction of the Adenomere Estates.

The Chair stood. "We have a lot to discuss this morning," was all he said. Now that the so called patriots had been placed under arrest, the discussion was much less acrimonious.

Adenomere Estate, Planet Adenomere, Adenomere System

Aurelia arrived back at her estate late in the afternoon.

"How did things go?" Junelliya asked an exhausted but jubilant Aurelia.