Аннотация: Предыстория появления Принцессы и некоторых других персонажей Дендоф. Интриги и предательства, верность и любовь в антураже космических исполинов, бороздящих просторы вселенной. Нет, русских попаданцев ТУДА не будет. И да, главные герои произведения будут превозмогать, и нет, не превозмогут -_-
26/10/2003 - 10/11/2003
Baron was nervous the whole morning. He changed three smart clothes complaining he was afraid of the barbarians who lived in food producing sectors. He dressed in additional body armour and changed his common gun to the one from the last weapon generation - with armour-piercing bullets and enlarged magazine. If I didn't know he was connected to Gunshet clan, I would miss that he also changed his absent finger on the left hand to a homing missile.
His mockery to keep additional weapon from me made me nervous too. My future would depend on the target of his missile. I hate such situations because my loyalty indoctrination slows down my reactions when activated. If he wanted to aim at somebody outside the Royal family, he would give me notice of it to avoid my possible intervention. What I am thinking of! Those guys of noble gene lines consider others to be incapable of interfering with their plans. It was better to let him act, as he wanted.
On the other hand (and this possibility had activated my loyalty indoctrination) he could try to shoot at princess Teona. And it was very likely that it was true, because the princess was the single representative of Saiyat clan in our delegation. Well, if he tried to shoot princess, I would surprise him for sure.
At last the major-domo informed us by intercom that the ceremony was beginning, and we left baron's apartments. When a massive metal door had opened, I heard a distant buzz of a crowd of people. I switched on the sound amplifier on my helmet and activated the danger detection subsystem in my computer. Come what may!
The size of the ceremony hall was shocking. I used to think only the Royal sector can venture oneself to maintain such huge non-utility premises. The oceans of light effusing from the ceiling, the only level of spectators, high oxygen concentration in the air - everything showed the extreme wealth of the sector.
We were swaggering through a special walk gorgeously ornamented and lifted over the spectators' heads. The overall impression was like we were floating in foam consisting of people's faces. The protective shield made the scene blurred and added halos to each bright thing. Sector citizens who greeted us below were dressed in their best clothes. I could discern small rainbow stars appearing around diamonds on women's jewellery.
From time to time small bright-coloured currents of smoke whirled up to the ceiling. The main sources of them were children sitting on parent's shoulders, while I also saw rich men suspiciously similarly dressed evenly assigned to the hall, who were launching smoke in princess' colours. That smoke highlighted the richness of the sector. Any sector's ruler could buy smoke launchers to greet visitors from the Central Bridge, but children playing with them just for fun were extremely unusual for food-producing sector. Despite the illusion that smoke currents were very simple, smoke launchers were high-tech product and were covered by export restrictions in some sectors.
Anyway, princess guards were ready for this situation. I could see on my helmet"s displays two of them destroying the nearest currents by ultrasonic rifles. Twice the internal structure of current being destroyed seemed to me hostile, but guards were not worried about it, so I returned to my own duty. By the way, export restrictions for smoke launchers were based, among other reasons, on the possibility of using the smokers as a weapon or spy instrument.
Unlike princess guards I didn't isolate my armour from the local atmosphere. It was my own solution based on attempt to reach balance between protection from possible pheromone or narcotic attack and preservation of ability to smell using my own organs of sense. I am not sure I would have ventured to do it if I had been alone. A strong wave of smells felt upon us from the crowd of people. I could easily mark out perfumes, alcohol and light narcotics smells from the people below, which were covered by heavy cloud of flower perfume sprinkled around. There was a very light smell, which I could not recognise for a long time. I was about to give the alarm when I understood it was the smell of gene-modified green algae, the main source of protein.
Blah - blah - blah...
Besides, I enjoyed the atmosphere in the hall. People seemed to watch a theatrical show or a concert, not frightening political act, which would change their lives. They were excited without any sense of hidden trembling. I couldn't believe that but they were happy, where as witnesses of such a kind of events always looked like sacrificial lambs. I was sure behaviour in the sector would be eliminated in the nearest future, when the influence of the Command Post would be supported by energy distribution line control, but there and then I enjoyed the feeling of freedom.
* * *
Our delegation was in the middle of our way, when the sector's leader procession appeared in their side gate. The screams of the crowd became louder; the leader went on smiling, refraining from saluting to his people. The etiquette was obeyed - their route was ascending as if they were going to god's place, while we were descending to mortals. Also, we would reach the meeting place first, therefore the sector leader would arrive as a petitioner.
Princess guards changed their positions, decreasing the distance to the princess. As a result, one of them covered the princess from baron's sight.