Azari felt that her thoughts were starting to get confused:
- Warriors?! It was your soldiers who broke into our ship!
- They didn't break-in, but came to ensure your safety," he said. - You had a frigate full of mercenaries and prohibited weapons, and a criminally insane person calling himself a representative of some kind of Systems Alliance, who managed to threaten both the whole civilization friendly to the Council and the Council itself! In the person of its representatives, that is, your very beautiful face.
- Insane?! - Azari has fallen out of it, grasping at a single common sense.
- Look for yourself - and with a generous gesture, he opened a window with a video recording.
In the video, Cayden Alenko, a representative of the Alliance, was growling indistinctly and beating his head against the wall of the cabin.
Azari choked on air.
- Although it is worth admitting, there were rational things in his delirium. About cooperation with the Council on an equal footing with others, for example. About contracts and agreements. About the fact that there can only be one mankind in space, and it is time to make it truly unified... It is a pity that it is not capable of negotiations. But we are. Agree and come, Celestia. Only today I had a wonderful liquor in my bar - a coffee liquor, such as you like - literally purring Humans.
Azari has shaken.
- Are you not kidding?
- What jokes can be made? - He insulted himself and reached out for the screen somewhere. - Here, look for yourself. - He really had the same bottle in his hands as she remembered.
- No, I didn't mean...
- You will come, you will come," he said, anxiously bringing his face closer to the screen. - Do you want us to deliver to you at your best? We now have boats that will bring you here as comfortably as your yacht. Not only that, with an honorary escort... An escort, I mean, an escort! There are such boys, m! - Humans kissed the tips of his fingers. - And what kind of clothes do they have...
Azari, against her will, looked at the exo-frames' deadly fighters. Yes, having watched them for a few minutes, she already doubted that she could cope with them one "deformation". A well-coordinated and experienced team - against such forces and skills of an inexperienced biotech may not be enough.
- No, no, I don't want to bother you at all, - she hurried to answer. - My ship is quite capable of getting there on its own, thank you.
- Ah, I understand. Do ladies need to powder their spouts? - Leaving khomo. - Then I guess I'll send our boys home so I don't bother you. And you will calm down, please, the commander of the allies, because it seems to him bad. And I am waiting for you with impatience! - He shouted in the closing window.
The exoframes of the khomo landing party turned around in half a second and came out of the yacht cabin with a friendly column. Celeste sighed and switched to another window.
- Eddrin Osalus," the brave tourist reported. - I hear you, Madam Representative.
- Where is Commander Augustus? - Azari confusedly asked.
- He is on the bridge.
- Switch me to him! - Celeste commanded.
- Madam Representative, answer one question - the admiral looked good, but the impression was spoiled by a nervously shaking crease on the throat. - What is going on here?!
- This is a misunderstanding, Commander," she replied sincerely.
- I knew it," he exhaled.
- I'm canceling the alarm, Commander, but I'd feel better if you'd stay temporarily in orbit on this planet. The whole squadron. Unless, of course, you are free.
- I'm completely free until Friday," the tourist agreed. - That is, three days of the Citadel we can stay here.
- Fine, Commander. - She was relieved to exhale.
Behind his back, a Turanian suddenly shouted:
- The target is pre-light, active, speed 0.5, range three hundred, presumably a frigate! Can't be identified by the base...
- What the... - the tourist turned to the control map.
- ...Presumably a khomo. - has finished stunnedly speaking, and Azari has willy-nilly distracted on a flare before it.
Brightened, indeed, the ship khomo. Already characteristic two bagels of inhabited compartments, but not along the ship, and across. Smaller size than the previous one. And exactly the same opportunity to use the effect of mass - the ship is smooth and very fast, not slower than the Azari frigates under the effect of mass, slowed down and hovered nearby.