Tanera blushed under the knowing gazes of the ladies in the command center as Andrew introduced her as his imperial consort a few hours later.
This title, however, immediately incited the empress's rage, as from their perspective it looked like their man had just broken a promise he had sworn to them.
-Don't bite my head off, it was her idea, and there are many reasons for this.
The emperor said before the ladies erupted on him.
-Is that true?
Aelita asked the shocked elf, who never expected her new sisters to get so angry over it.
-Yes, and as he said, there are many reasons for it.
The merchant confirmed I'll remain a consort forever.
With that, the ladies calmed down a lot, but they still didn't like it.
-Why don't you all discuss this matter, while I'll go to the Cerberus station.
Andrew wisely used work as an escape route and left the command center before they could stop him.
Luckily, he didn't need to use a ship to go to the AI station, as it already had a star gate, and all he needed to do was go through it.
-Welcome, boss.
The AI greeted him the moment he appeared from the device.
-Hi, what's the status on the sleeping people and your young lady?
Andrew asked immediately.
-They are still sleeping, but were already removed from cryo sleep, and should be up and about soon.
The AI answered.
-Do you have any idea what their reaction could be when they hear that you joined the Empire?
The emperor asked, wondering about the people who were technically his subjects, but had no say in the matter till now.
-I ran simulations on this, but the results were inconclusive.
In most of them, the sleeping ones were either afraid or immediately got angry, and the conclusions also differed greatly, ranging from their return to cryo sleep to their desire to be released and relocated to any star nation founded by their respective species.
There are simply too many variables in this situation to get a definitive result.
Cerberus said apologetically.
-It is what it is; let's see what they will do in reality.
Andrew sighed.
Truth be told, he could not send these aliens to their people, since he had no idea if there even were any star nations founded by their species, and as much as he would prefer to keep them in the empire, he would not oppose if they wanted to leave or go back to cryo sleep.
-How could you surrender to anyone without my permission?
The young lady asked Cerberus in a furious voice once she heard of the situation and got over her initial fear of seeing an alien on board her station.
She looked like a young human if you overlooked her blood-red skin and the fact that instead of hair, she had colorful feathers on her head and a few other parts of her body.
-My lady, the situation was dire back then, so in accordance with your orders, I made the best decision at that time.
Additionally, I cooperated with the emperor a few times before joining his territory; he always kept his part of the deal, and even after joining the empire, our deal remained intact.
Not to mention that it was very beneficial for all of us, and got the station to what it is now.
-And what was that deal exactly?
The young alien woman asked, not any less angry than before.
-I needed some resources from this system, and your station needed an upgrade before anyone blew it to bits.
Andrew answered this time.
-No matter how good the Cerberus is at hacking and venting ships, it was already becoming hard to do even before we entered the Battle-verse, and right now, it would be hard to find anyone who would not send at least a couple of destroyers when conquering a system, making it impossible.
He added, explaining another reason for the AI's decision to join his territory.
-Alright, since that's the case, then could you at least tell me what you intend to do with us?
The girl asked after taking a moment to control her anger.
-At the moment, there are some options you can choose from, since I don't want to force any of you to do anything.
The first option is to join the empire and work for me as station and system masters.
The second one is to go back to cryo sleep.
The next option is to wait until we find a star nation founded by your species, at which time I could send you there.
The last one is for me to provide you with a cargo ship filled with module parts and drones so you can go and try to find a suitable place to restart your own territory, but that option is not recommended.
Or if you have any better ideas, I'm all ears.
Andrew presented the options.
The female alien thought about it for a bit, and no matter how she looked at it, there were no better options available, and she very much doubted that the emperor would allow her to just separate from the empire with her system.
Not that this was a good option, since without the rest of the empire, she would have a hard time surviving, especially since there would be no merchants visiting her small territory.
-If that's the case, then let's assume that I'd work for you.
What's in it for me?
She finally asked.
-What would you want?
Andrew answered with his own question.
-In my whole empire, if there is anything you require, all you need to do is send a request.
The same goes for any job you'd wish to take on.
Whether a station master or a captain in the fleet, or a medic, or an engineer.
If you are trained in any field, then you can start immediately, and if you are not, but want the job, then you simply need to learn; there are more than enough education capsules available.
The girl's jaw dropped to the floor.
-You mean that someone like me could become a starship captain?
She asked with disbelief.
-What do you mean, someone like you?
Andrew asked, surprised at her words.
Only then did both of them realize that she had never even introduced herself.
-I'm sorry for the late introduction.
My name is Meginari from the Anero clan, and I'm a Grianitian of the lowest tier.
She introduced herself.
-What do you mean by the lowest tier?
Andrew asked, surprised at her introduction.
-On my planet, wealth and birth decided one's fate.
I was born into the lowest tier, so I had minimal education and had to fight for any opportunity I could to survive and maybe get promoted to a higher tier.
-I understand.
Andrew said calmly, cutting her off.
He could imagine how her world worked.
-Well, this is not your world, and here you are not of the lowest tier.
Also, as I said, if you lack training or education, then it will be provided, and the same is true for all of you, so you might want to stop pretending to sleep.
The emperor said rising his voice a bit so that all the aliens could hear him loud and clear.