Fort_Master_Gustav
Two Irri had a heated debate, standing in front of the three-dimensional hologram of the star map.
One of them was dressed (or, to be more precise, equipped) as it befits a wealthy and skilful voidkinght, probably a leader of an entire Irri fleet. His well-polished armour dimly shone and glimmered with intricate engravements; at the same time, an observant viewer would notice thin tubes, masterfully hidden beneath the decorations- those were the part of a complex ventilation system meant to disperse the vaporized coolant from armour's reactor. Knight's left shoulder and part of his neck were covered by a beautiful asymmetric pauldron with a flamboyant heraldic shield on its front. This tiny insignia, made of enamel and colourful gems, bristled with barely visible sensor arrays and hosted actual protection of the knight- a sophisticated gravitational shielding device, artfully placed inside the pauldron and hidden from unwanted viewers.
Knight raised his hand in the heat of debate, visibly disagreeing with his companion; his armoured gauntlet, decorated with opulent rings, after the closer inspection turned out to be thoughtfully reinforced for good old hand to hand combat- and, most importantly, it had multiple neuroports on the palm; a sure sign of starfighter pilot or heavy weapons operator.
This person was not a rich dandy in ceremonial armour who never saw combat and wore his war gear like a costume;
Neither it was an upstart army officer, who betrayed his oath to the Holy Empress during the turmoil and took by force both his equipment and the false title. This knight was a nobleman of the rare breed- a decorated veteran, a proud bearer of his House' banner and an ambitious leader with a hungry spark in his predatory eyes. His archaic manners and beliefs were ridiculed by nouveau rich merchants and greedy mercenaries, who shamelessly misappropriated their shiny new titles; many considered him to be a dangerous, narrow-minded fool, though that was not exactly true.
And second figure, the younger brother of the knight, was a diametral opposite to his sibling. Dressed with taste, he managed to look noble without showcasing excessive wealth; he also had no armour on him, which was a rarity among Irri noblemen of his status. His hands, seemingly without any effort, were constantly running along the surface of some intricate device, producing a quiet melodic tune as he spoke to his older brother.
Suddenly these two were joined by the third figure; a human- and to be more precise, an old hunched over lady in an almost nonsensical black dress. She slowly approached young noblemen, instantly making them stop their discussion and turn towards her.
-My lords...
An old lady nodded to the Irri knights.
-My calculations were correct; we are getting closer. I have injected the augur with appropriate Substances and Salts, and now we should expect the fruit of our hard work to soon be in your possession.
-Good.
Irri knight abruptly nodded in response to the old lady's words, reaching his hand to the hologram of the map.
-The results of your work are beyond impressive, madam Bishop. House Vuyol will make sure to generously compensate for your efforts and material expenses.
-It's a pleasure to assist you, my lord. You can order your men to enter the system; hopefully, my predictions will be confirmed in a matter of hours.
An old woman insincerely smiled and hastily turned around
An Irri ship has entered the system, quickly starting the standard scanning procedure. It remains here for now, silently waiting for something.