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replicator in the kitchen and handed Jance her uniform. The next item to appear was for Jorga, and he handed it to her as well. After handing Janet her new outfit, Ben grabbed his own and followed the women to the bedrooms to change.
    Eight minutes later, they were on their way to the base to welcome the leader of the Empire to Earth. Ben was nervous, but had control of it. "Jance, can you tell me what you know of the Emperor? What kind of being is he?"
    "His Majesty Hjoolous is very young by Hyclarion standards. As such, he will be about the same height as you. However, mature adult members of his race are much taller. They are physically strong beings, but usually gentle by nature. Hjoolous is known for impulsiveness, but will listen to reason in most cases. Based on his past history, he is a fair minded ruler, not taken to the greed or insanity that his father suffered from." Jance replied as she fidgeted and readjusted her uniform.
    "What is the correct form of address we should use?" Jorga asked.
    "Your Majesty, or Lord Emperor are the most common, although I am told in private he prefers to forgo titles since he finds them to be redundant, but that is more rumor than truth," Jance replied. "I've never actually met him either. I've seen him on vids and the like, but I've never seen him in person, even from a distance. He is not very popular with the court since he is more concerned about the people than the corporations his father encouraged. Hjoolous feels that should be more of an Empire than a Consortium and that belief is not very popular."
    "I don't imagine it is, especially from the big corporations and business concerns. However, without the people, the Corporations would have no customers," Ben replied.
    "Yeah, well, the largest mega-corporation in the Empire belongs to the Emperor, although it is controlled and run by his family. They are none too pleased with some of his decrees, either, according to the news agencies." She shrugged as they arrived at the base. "I'm just a peace officer, I know even less about business than I do about the Emperor himself."
     

Chapter Three
     
    Terran Marine Base Alpha
    26 Apr. 10266 CE (AD)
    Sector 34871 - Great Inland Sea
    Earth, Sol system
     
     
    When Ben and his group arrived at the base, it was a scene of ordered chaos. The hanger had been completely cleared of all craft, and soldiers were running around all over the place on differing errands. Over by the door to the Command Center hallway, Ben saw Gail standing with a group of about fifteen men dressed in smart looking formal uniforms. He headed in that direction.
    When he got closer, the whole group came to attention but Gail was the only one to salute. Ben returned the salute. "Looking good, Gail. How are the preparations going?"
    "Pretty good actually. We should be ready by the time he gets here. Commander Halst, Ranger Hyroan simply didn't have time to get back up here and get changed. He is returning and will change and join you as soon as he is able. The rest of your team should be here any minute," Gail replied.
    "Thank you General, this event has taken all of us by surprise." Jance replied. "We didn't even have formal uniforms for this until your Prime had them made for us."
    "Well, we all do what we can for our fellow citizens," Gail replied smiling. "Sir," she said turning back to Ben. "Mother was able to get a layout of the craft being sent down, we worked up a formation that should be at least presentable." Gail explained and brought up a holograph of the hanger and showed him where everyone should stand after the craft landed. During landing, the Hanger would have to be clear of all but the landing personnel. Once the powerful engines were shut down, the honor guard, Ben, and his party would quickly move into position to welcome the Emperor.
    Finally, she brought up an image of the Emperor taken from the DataNet. "Ben, I thought you might like to know what the Hyclarion’s actually look like. Other than