After the first Red Kingdom land grab, the Black Emperor was ready for more. Jake watched him make a public declaration that the region beyond the mountain range that he had just taken over would also like to be part of the Black Empire. He demanded that the Red Emperor conduct a formal poll of the populace. He required Black Kingdom observers to verify the legitimacy of the poll. Of course, this did nothing but infuriate the Red Emperor further. The Red Empire began a very public military buildup in the region. The newscasts were filled each night with scenes of Red Kingdom troops in their notable red colored uniforms and candy-stripped tails horns.
Jake, Ming, Jang, and Riojme all had discussions regarding the Black Emperor’s plans and whether they constituted a threat to their safety. Jang requested advice from the Aye. The Aye’s response was that they shouldn’t worry at all and continue observing and reporting back what was happening. Jake was comforted in knowing that if anything went terribly wrong, they could simply be teleported back to the space station. The Aye had a chamber already set up with the correct atmospheric mix so that they wouldn’t have problems with decompression.
The Aye’s response also made it very clear that they were not to interfere with the events taking place and that they were to remain entirely neutral in the planet’s political affairs. Jake was not comfortable with that. His advice to the Black Emperor seemed to have made things better but he didn’t tell anyone what he had done.
Jake also found out something disturbing about using the orbs for teleportation. He had asked Ming if the chamber was already set up, wouldn’t it be more convenient to return to the space station for a while. Ming explained that using the orbs for space or time travel caused trace damage to the quantum fabric of whatever was transported. The trace damage was especially harmfu to living matter. It was much like an x-ray: a few in a lifetime wouldn’t hurt you but doing it very often would be very hazardous to your health.
Jake was again invited to the arena for another event with the Emperor and the rest of his human friends. His concern about witnessing another bloody spectacle was unfounded. It was a dancing/skin pattern display like what Riojme had already seen. Jake found it quite boring, but he did it anyway to be polite in consideration for the Emperor’s hospitality. After it was over, the Emperor went out and personally thanked all the performers. Two of the performers had recently defected from the Red Kingdom and the Emperor gave them special accolades.
