The cargo ramp slowly lowered, revealing the royal landing pad. I blinked at the strong sunlight, taking in the sights and smells.
Tel'te did not mention the landing pad was close to the sea, but the air smelled of salt so it couldn't be that far away.
Guards lined the sides of the platform, carrying weapons, their uniforms ornamental in blues and reds. I did not doubt their deadliness however.
The landing platform was on the end of a path, leading to a large white stone structure. A castle fortress. While it might not match any of the buildings on Coruscant in sheer size, it did match the size of the 'visible' part of the Jedi Temple.
Most impressive.
I heard somebody come up behind me and I looked back to find the entire crew starting to gather.
Cronac gave me a nod, the last one to join the group "The ship is secure, Captain. The controls are locked."
I nodded. "Very Well. Now, everyone on your best behavior. We are the guests of Royalty," before I started to make my way down the cargo ramp, unable to stop myself from stretching my wings.
Stepping off the ramp onto the hard landing pad I looked around, burring up my feathers before I relaxed again.
I may be very comfortable on board of a ship...well, more than on a planet at the very least. But I had been stuck in a small cargo bay for the last couple of weeks.
Three women were walking down the path towards the landing pad to meet us. I adjusted my carrying harness slightly, smoothing out my feathers somewhat before they reached us.
The old woman wearing a kind of golden gown was leading the small group, before they stopped in front of us, and she looked up at me. "Captain Atreus. Welcome to the Hapes Consortium. I am Tesika, the senior coordinator of the royal palace."
I nodded, raising my head fathers slightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you and to see this beautiful world."
She bowed slightly. "The Queen requests your presence, Captain. Accommodations will be found for your crew."
I nodded once more, looking back and down at my gathered crew. "I will rejoin you later. Remember what we discussed." I said before I followed this Tesika down the path towards the castle.
What we discussed was to keep their communicators on their persons at all times and to keep an eye out, to treat this place like Nar Shaddaa. I have heard and remembered to many nasty things about the political climate of the Hapes cluster.
"This way if you please, Captain" the old human said, motioning through the door before walking inside.
I followed her in through the gate, looking around, my feathers slightly flattened in worry. It was not being assassinated that worried me, The Force would warn me of any attempt.
No, what worried me was how I should act. Acting like if I was in the galaxy with the rest of The Travelers would not work. I had very little experience actually interacting with dustling royalty.
Treating them like morrigi women might also cause insult.
I looked around as I followed the old human through the nicely decorated hall, the floor a nice marble with slightly darker, but still light stone walls. Paintings, drapes, carpets and beautiful statues all around. Any of them could likely have paid for a new Star Shuttle on its own.
But mainly I was glad that the corridor was large enough for me to move comfortably.
We finally reached an even larger corridor that lead to a second gate of engraved silver that was flanked by a pair of guards. They both tensed up slightly when they spotted me, but neither moved and I felt no danger from them, just nervousness.
Tesika strode forward as the guards pulled the doors open. The throne room was massive. If there wasn't a roof, I could have landed my old ship in it with room to spare for a YT model or two.
There were several hundred people there, dressed in expensive looking clothing, most of them females but there were also some males among them. All of them human.
They were gathered to the sides of the room, a clear path from the massive doors up to a raised platform with an ornate white throne on top of it. Next to the throne a human female of medium age was standing in a brown robe. Jedi.
In the throne a familiar human female wearing a red silk dress was sitting, her red hair put up in a complicated hairstyle, a diadem with large jewels in it was sitting on her head.
Queen Ni'Korish.
Tesika strode forward. "Presenting Captain Atreus of the Morrigi" she said in a loud, clear voice, getting the attention of anyone that managed to miss a feather covered dragon the size of a large aircar entering the room.
I raised my wings, spreading them wide and high, my tail tip rising to the right and up, showing the plume of feathers at the end, as I spread my head feathers while I also raised my glamor to about medium strength, showing off all my purple and blue feathers to the best possible effect.
Screw all these dustlings.
I am Morrigi, one of the star-born. I will not demean myself to crawl in their dust.
I will act properly.
As the humans say...if they don't like it, they can suck it.