The Heart of Ajs An'hlj

The metal doors of the drop ship opened, revealing to him a beautiful, fantastical world: Ajs An'hlj. The landing station they were on overlooked a super city, a megatropolis. The city stretched out over the horizon in all directions. The buildings seemed to be as much a part of the planet's natural makeup as the trees and the plants, and the towers were so tall they truly scraped the sky. Both man and animal roamed this cyber-infused jungle, a coexistence between nature and technology that all the worlds in the known galaxy would be envious of.

He, and the rest of the Vrexellian delegates, were led to the palace that stood in the heart of the city. A giant, domed structure that had seemingly melded with the planet's flora. The guards leading them there were stoic and sure, the fires of loyalty and determination burning bright in their eyes. Spears in one hand, and hide shields in the other, the guards were all bare chested, exposing their muscular arms and torsos which, he thought, was surely done to intimidate, and a quick glance at his companions showed that it had worked.

These H'ljari people truly are something, he thought to himself.

They finally entered the palace, and instantly saw the Queen, sitting high upon her throne. She seemed young, yet there was wisdom in her eyes. Her confidence and reserve were enthralling and, dare he say, intimidating. Her cold gaze, coupled with the fact that her throne was so high up, certainly made him feel small.

Enough of that, he snapped, reprimanding himself. Fear is a luxury we cannot afford. Our mission is far too important.

***

She stared him down, unflinching, scanning his entirety. He seemed to recoil under the scrutiny, then quickly regained his composure.

"Greetings, and hail to you, Queen J'mari," he belted out, bowing in an exaggerated, almost mocking, way.

She was not amused.

"Greetings, traveler," she said, a grudging response.

"I am General DruSod of Nu Vrexell, and may I say, the Vrexellian Empire is grateful that you would grant us an audience," the man said. "The H'ljari are known as a notoriously reclusive people throughout the galaxy."

"For good reason," the Queen said. "These are troubling times, and it is difficult to know who we can trust. Now, did you travel all this way merely to update us on our reputation, General, or are there urgent matters to discuss?"

She met his gaze, he was clearly offended, but she didn't care. As far as she was concerned, the sooner they had concluded their business with the Vrexells, the better.

"Yes," DruSod finally said. "Let us proceed with the trade agreements."

Trade agreements. J'mari almost rolled her eyes at the words. These "trade agreements" were just a method of coercion the Vrexells used on other nations throughout the galaxy. They would pose as simple traders looking to share resources. Setting up outposts within these nations, they would then spread their influence throughout, while surreptitiously causing dissent, either by secretly funding and arming rebel groups or by spreading propaganda that turns the locals against their leaders. With the nations plunged into chaos, the Vrexells would be in the perfect position to take over, claiming to provide "structure and order" amidst the chaos. These nations would then find themselves assimilated into the larger Vrexellian Empire. The Vrexells were conquering without ever needing to fight. And the larger the Empire became, the easier their conquests were. Eschewing with espionage, they would simply intimidate the smaller nations into allying with them. No one was willing to go to war with what was now the largest empire in the galaxy.