Liyzo looked up at the huge gate in front of him. It wasn’t as massive as the Palace’s, but still quite sizeable. A strange, black and yellow symbol hung on top of it.

  When he had lost his job at the Star Palace due to his carelessness, he had doubted whether he would be able to find employment again. After all, someone who used to be employed by the royal family only to then be let go wasn’t exactly something that sparked a lot of trust. And it was also something most nobles simply didn’t want to have associated with their name. He was able to get by thanks to his somewhat decent savings but if he was honest, he had been in quite a panic, trying to find something for himself.

  And then, for some reason, someone employed him again. And not because he had asked them, no; they specifically wanted him. Why? He didn’t know, the message hadn’t specified that. All he knew was a clan with a name he had never heard of wanted him and… well, he wasn’t exactly in a position to be picky.

  A servant opened the door. Liyzo showed the message inviting him, and after quickly confirming his identity, he was let in. The servant guided him through a wide entrance hall where a couple of craftsmen were currently working on some sort of abstract statue. A closer look made him realize that it was the same symbol as was above the gate.

  “May I ask what that is?” He inquired the servant.

  “The human equivalent of a line crest, if I understood it correctly. Now come, Lord Iyngari must already be waiting for you.”

  Human? What was that? Also, Iyngari? The clan name on his invite didn’t start with “Iyng”. What was going on here?

  Lord Iyngari turned out to be a still somewhat young, though older than Liyzo, Vanaery who was currently overseeing another construction work, this time of a large electrical device. He noticed them once they got closer, causing the servant to step aside.

  “Are you the mechanic they hired?”

  “Yes, Milord,” Liyzo answered quickly, assuming this was the correct answer from context clues.

  “How many ships have you worked on?”

  “I have mainly maintained shuttles, Milord, but larger ships were occasionally also part of my duties. The models include-”

  “Doesn’t matter, the important part is that you’re familiar with gravity generators.”

  “I have worked on some,” Lyizo affirmed. “I don’t know the exact science behind it though, Milord.”

  “You don’t need to, what matters is whether you can maintain one.”

  “Then yes, I am familiar with the current standard models.”

  Lord Iyngari gestured for him to enter the room.

  “This is a modified version, but the core elements are the same. So take notes, you’ll be the one manning it once Lady Nadine moves in.”

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Liyzo’s head perked up. Nadine? THAT was a name he knew.

  “The modifications are all unique so far, so I needed to improvise in certain parts,” Lord Iyngari explained. “The main issue is that this one is meant to create a far stronger gravity than any other we’ve ever built.”

  “I-isn’t that dangerous, Milord?”

  “Depends what you mean by that. To you, yeah, be near it while it’s active and it will kill you. On a large scale, no, that’s not how artificial gravity works.”

  Liyzo nodded along, though his worry didn’t really go away. Something the Engineer seemed to notice as he made an annoyed sound.

  “Listen, artificial gravity is not like natural gravity. If it were, any ship approaching would fling our planet out of orbit. If we’re being completely exact, artificial gravity isn’t gravity at all, it just locally emulates the effects of gravity.”

  “I see. Thank you for the explanation, Milord.”

  “Sure. Here, give me your datapad, I’ll send you all the technical details. Familiarize yourself with it, I’ll have you called once we start the first test run.”

  With that, Liyzo was unceremoniously pushed out of the doorway, where the servant from earlier awaited him.

  “This, as well as the mansions shuttle, will be your main responsibility,” he explained. “You will also be part of the crew for Lady Nadine’s ship should she use it. Naturally, you will train in simulations and attend a teaching session by the manufacturer beforehand, I will show you the schedule later.”

  “Um, just so I understand this correctly, all of this… belongs to Lady Nadine, right?”

  The servant - Liyzo realized he hadn’t told him his name yet - looked at him, the question clearly pointless in his eyes.

  “Yes,” he then simply said. “Now, please follow me, I shall show you the kitchen where you can get your meals and your quarters.”

  Liyzo did as asked, but the reality of the situation only slowly set in. Nadine, the alien noblewoman he had met in the Star Palace, the very person he had failed, wanted him to work for her? Not only that, he wasn’t even being interviewed, his employment was treated like a forgone conclusion! Sure, it wasn’t like he was in any position to refuse, but still!

  When he was shown the kitchen, he was surprised to see a familiar face: Kabbut, the head chef of the Star Palace, seemed to be instructing two other cooks.

  “It’s a bit early for lastmeal, but it’s already prepared. You may take yours with you, then I’ll show you where you will sleep.”

  About to grab the box, Liyzo noticed a wide bowl with water, and in it swam… were those tikro? What was cattle feed doing in a noble kitchen? That wasn't for the staff meals, right?

  A few days passed until Nadine arrived. Liyzo hadn’t learned that she was given the estate as a reward until literally the day of the ceremony. It was a good thing then that he wasn’t part of the lineup that would present the gift to her, embarrassing himself in front of Hohmiy’s nobility was the last thing he needed right now.

  Later that day, the final test run of the gravity generator went by without issues, though seeing Nadine withstand the lethal gravity was unnerving. Lord Iyngari then left, insisting that he would immediately be called should anything unusual happen with the device, as well as once again monologing about the potential dangers he needed to look out for. Still, Liyzo listened dutifully. He didn’t know why he was given this chance, but he wouldn’t waste it.

  Once all had calmed down, he went to the kitchen to get today's firstmeal. The staff there was in quite the turmoil, apparently the princess would visit for lastmeal this evening. Liyzo was glad that this didn’t concern him. He was about to grab his plate when he noticed something. Nadine? Why would a noble ever enter the kitchen… was she cooking?! By herself?!

  Well, she wasn’t entirely alone as both Kabbut and one of the mansion’s cooks were watching. Was she teaching them? Getting curious himself, Liyzo stepped a bit closer. Apparently, whatever the alien noblewoman was making was just done. She carefully picked it up, holding it only with her fingertips. It was a light-brown disc that didn’t really look like anything remarkable. Nadine blew at it a few times before taking a bite. For a few tiggs, she chewed in silence. Then, clear liquid began to flow out of her eyes.

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