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a sash denoting rank or station, they usually don't wear clothes. His Majesty will not require a respirator for our atmosphere." The being she displayed was very human-like in appearance, however, he was covered in fur. Like the mythical Sasquatch from before The Fall, they were large, muscular beings. Gail also put an image of Ben beside that of the Emperor and a fully mature Hyclarion for comparison. Just as Jance had told him, the Emperor was about the same height as Ben, however, the other image was over a foot taller and very powerfully built.
    "No jokes about the Emperor having no clothes; got it. Anything else?" Ben asked. ”No, the rest is pretty much as you'd expect. Just be respectful. As far as I can tell, most Hyclarion are pretty forgiving in the protocol department. As long as it's clear you’re trying to be respectful and polite, you can't go wrong."
    "Excellent, thanks. Mother?" Ben asked. "Could you please find out the dietary requirements of the Hyclarion in general, and the Emperor in particular? We will also have to find suitable quarters for him and his retinue."
    "I have already gotten the Hyclarion dietary requirements Prime, however, providing quarters suitable for the Emperor is proving a challenge. The closest area we have is the Command Pod Atrium level."
    Ben was thoughtful for a moment. "Can you use that area and still permit access to the transit area?"
    "I would have to have my remotes build temporary walls over the entrances, but I could modify the area. It would still be smaller than what he is used to, but I think it would suffice," Mother replied.
    "Please begin recording, Mother," Ben asked.
    "Recording."
    "Citizens, I am temporarily closing off the Command Pod Atrium. Until further notice, please use the park levels in our sister pods. I'm sorry about the inconvenience folks, but we have a visiting VIP and our Atrium is the closest thing we have that we can use as suitable quarters. We will all still have access to the transit areas and, other than the temporary loss of the Atrium, you should not be impacted in any other way. Thank you," Ben finished and smiled. "End recording. Please play that for our people and begin modifying the atrium level as needed."
    "Thank you Prime Council. I'm sure His Majesty will appreciate the gesture," Jance replied.
    "I just hope it's large enough for the Hyclarion that are coming. One park I can take over without too much grumbling, but if I had to take over another, I think someone would have issues," Ben said, sighing.
    "Prime Council, the ship carrying the Emperor has landed in the water and is on the way down. It will arrive in four minutes," Mother said.
    Ben nodded. "Gail, you heard the lady, let's clear the hanger."
    Gail nodded and began giving orders to her people. As she did, she motioned everyone to enter the hallway hatch they were standing near. As soon as the hatch closed behind them, Jance's communicator chirped at her.
    "Halst here," she replied.
    "Commander, we're showing an increased interest in your area by the Duke's on-planet forces. Currently, the planetary traffic authority reports an asteroid strike in your area. Several armed skippers are being sent to the area to investigate," a voice told her.
    Ben shook his head. "Before the fall, we did get several meteor strikes a day; most of them so small no one even knew they had hit the planet. However, ones large enough to be seen always got people's attention, but even they usually burned up in the atmosphere. I'd be suspicious of this report; why would traffic control take an interest in something so trivial?"
    Jance nodded. "Did you get that, Sir?"
    "Indeed I did, Commander. Intelligence agrees with him. If you need assistance, let us know, but keep in mind that such a move would focus the Duke's attention on you," the voice replied.
    "Understood, Commissioner. The man that spoke earlier is the leader of these people, Ben Bedouin. His title is Prime Council," Jance replied.
    "It is a