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[center]The Technocracy of Tezzarice[/center]
 
[right]10:00, 5th of January, 1900[/right]
 
“Grand Inventor, if I may have a moment of your time. I know you are extremely busy but we have a message from the lands of Volanth.” The pudgy man who entered the small throne room, one mostly filled by books and sketches of designs, seemed to jiggle as he tiptoed through to the man who sat in the middle of the floor. The Grand Inventor wasn’t quite what everyone imagined, though those who saw him at work would know full well that the man in kingly dressed is not the same as the one before them for he was disheveled, unshaven, and certainly had missed a few meals and more than a few hours of sleep.
	“Hmm? Yes, what is it Frond,” He replied to the man with a voice which was certainly lacking in any formality and even more so by referring to a Councilman elected by the Trade Guild by such a nickname.
“I told you to call me Councilman Frondin. You really must work on your formality sir, a single slip up and the emissaries from other nations could mistake you for a simpleton or worse, a fool.”
	“I would doubt any man would dare raise such a word to a man of my level,” the Grand Inventor said plainly as he scribbled down a design and put it in a pile next to him.
“Yes, yes. I know Grand Inventor. Anyway, it seems that the Emperor of Volanth will host a ‘World Fair’ in a month and we are invited to display our inventions. Of course, I will accept their offer but I must ask. Will your invention be done by then?” The man fidgeted around, look at the rough designs and piles of research which had accumulated around his Lord.
	“I am… unsure Frond. By theory, it should work and be ready by the time the Fair arrives but that is only if the Engineers can make it properly and my research is flawless. A hot air balloon is child’s play to what I am doing. This must be able to lift a lot more to be useful to us. Even more work must be done for it to not seem like we wasted our time. First it must lift off the ground alone, then it must lift off the ground with people. Even I can’t predict whether it will work.” 
Frond had been stunned, it was the first and perhaps only time he had heard any Grand Inventor admit that their invention may not work, let alone admit that the years worth of research done for it had been for nothing. Yet, he knew this was how the Grand Inventor had become popular with the Flyer’s Guild. He had no sense of pride in his works, even knowing how smart he was, and yet he always worked hard to make sure he didn’t fail. Whatever Harold Ulius was working on would surely succeed if he put his mind to it.
“Very well, I will send a message that it may be ready by then but that we cannot promise anything. We also must discuss the representative to talk about the-”
	“Send Amellia, my Son, and that old codger, oh what was his name? Oh! Yes, send Tallion. He could use some time out of his workshop with all those planes he has been building and he’ll be needed to discuss the construction and working of the railway.”
“Very well sir. That’ll be all,” the Councilman said as he closed the doors to the throne room and walked away. His Grand Inventor truly lacked any tact when in private conversations yet seemed to be a master of political games when he was dealing with others. Such a strange man.
 
 
[right] Location: The Grand City of Heliun, easternmost border of Tezzar.[/right]
 
‘Dear Amellia,
 
	I hope you are doing well this day, what with having such a boring post and simply overlooking the training regime of our soldiers. A message from the Grand Inventor: You, Bernhardt, and Maester Tallion are to head to the conference that Volanth is hosting in two weeks in order to discuss the railway. Please keep Tallion in line, you know how that man has grown senile in his years.
 
[right]At your service,          
Councilman Severis Frondin.[/right]
 
The woman sighed and pushed her chair away from the desk, shaking her head at the message and the idea of having to go to such a mundane meeting. She was the one best equipped to meet them, but why did she have to take Bernhardt? The gall of the Grand Inventor had only grown since he took his position a year ago, continuously finding a reason for his son to get close to her. She had put aside his advances, after all it was impure to be involved with another officer, but she couldn’t put aside the fact that Bernhardt certainly was charming.
	Either way, the Commander of the entire Army of Tezzar couldn’t waste time while she was away. She called in Commander Helios, a man she looked up to for his way of leading his forces though he had started to grow tired of the War Guild and had begun to talk more about retirement. “Commander, I called you here to address you about something of the utmost importance. It seems that the Grand Inventor is sending me, Bernhardt, and Maester Tallion to meet with the Empire and discuss the railway. During that time away, I will entrust you to lead the forces here in Heliun and maintain the status of our troops. You will not disappoint me, correct?”
It didn’t feel right to her, talking down to a man she respected so much, but it was how she must address a soldier who was beneath her in rank. The man’s response was as expected. “I will not Grand Commander. Disappointing you would put dishonor and my family, something my sons could never bear as they look for a position such as the one I hold now.” He gave a bow to her and left, knowing full well that the conversation was over at that she had said what was needed, his duties now were to begin work on assuming the temporary position.
	“How low of us to have to go to a meeting with such a foolish nation. The things we do to protect our people and our technology is amazing.”