“I make Vivic Fire Braziers in massive quantity and sell them for a pittance of their true value, just so they can help clean the world of Dark Mana,” I went on calmly to those watching me in some disbelief now, only a slight edge of pride in my voice at my own work, that of someone knowing they had done the Right Thing.

“I have made peaceful contact with multiple Beast Emperors, and actually earned their recognition, giving Humanity at least a modicum of respect and some insight into a society that the governments of the world spend a great deal of time trying not to acknowledge and even raising our animosity towards.

“In return, I have been targeted by assassination attempts by both the Black Curia and the Synod, often with attacks that have slaughtered thousands of civilians as they attempted to kill me, usually in the middle of a pitched littoral fight. One is a force that wants the Netherworld to emerge on our world, and the other is the force that incited the entire worldwide war with the Aquatics in the first place, just to drive more of Humanity to pray at their feet.” Murmurs arose and heads nodded behind me at the ‘lifelong foes’ finding a common enemy... in me!

“I have helped establish dozens of Communities abroad that are no longer subject to the whims of bandits, greedy local officials, corrupt militaries, or entitled Families that would keep them as slaves and shackled thralls; Communities who are not drains on the power and defenses of Humanity, but contributors to it!

“I gave away the Floodbreaker Ritual, a spell I could have sold for literally billions of dollars, because it can literally save Human civilization from annihilation.

“This nation, and any nation I have worked for, has not truly compensated me for the work I have done on their behalf. I am fully aware of the value of what I do and have done, and the ‘pricey wages’ of the Redshore Marines that I work with are scarcely a fraction of the benefits I have brought in return.”

I let all of that hang out there as I stared at them, and most of them could only squirm. Rep. DeWyrm just nodded encouragingly to me.

“I am not a fool. I am not here to slave away for the world so that other people might profit from my deeds and mock me for enriching them. I am fully aware of the value of what I do, and if I chose to make the profit from it that others howl about when they cannot take advantage of me... that is my right, the same as it is theirs to try to do so.

“Now, Congressionals, if you would care to enlighten the rest of us as to the great and worthy deeds over the last few years of the Sages who are backing you all and complaining the loudest, perhaps the world will be able to see who should be trusted in this matter. Deeds, or Words?”

I stared at them all, and so did very interested Beast Emperors from beyond their Tokens. By their standards, I had done an exemplary service as a representative of my Tribe, simply doing what Beasts should be doing in defense of their people. The Sages and their Families or Great Families were often merely leeches in the eyes of most of the Emperors, but since they had the strength... well enough, it just made Humanity look more like fools to them.

I wondered how apeshit they would go if they knew a High Emperor of the Beast Realm was now the Senior Counsel and mentor to the circle of Emperors I worked with, and that I basically worked out of an extraplanetary demiplane that existed outside their governmental confines, yet bordered absolutely the whole world as we wished.

Mmmm. Yes, national security concerns up the wazoo...

“Shall I sum up this meeting now, Congressionals?” I asked them, and received hesitant nods in return. “Very well. From a functional standpoint, you simply cannot do what you want to do, which is leash me to the American Government and its Council of Sages. Thunderbird Emperor will not permit it.

“From a realistic standpoint, your paranoid pessimists can whine and complain all they like, but they’ve been living under threat of Thunderbird’s ire for centuries, and nothing has changed on His Imperial Majesty’s end. So, literally nothing is going to change, and they are gibbering hot air.

“From a moral and ethical standpoint, my deeds, not my words, have proven that I know what to do with the power of being a Sage, and I have done so unstintingly. That such use of power is not subject to the demands of others who want to control it is irrelevant, as you only need compare my actions to those who are so controlled to realize why it is completely unnecessary.

“From an economic standpoint, you cannot afford to pay me to do what I do. Doubtless that is another reason why some wish to control me, as I set the bar of compensation far, far too low for their liking. For the good of this nation and the world, it is better to let me do as I have done in the past, rather than cater to the good of a rare privileged few who care only for benefits for themselves and their Families.

“This is one of the rare instances in your political lives where you can gaff off those who sponsor and support you in order to do the right thing, simply because you don’t have the slightest choice in the matter, anyway. Kindly and repeatedly remind their proud and arrogant souls that Thunderbird Emperor has already made His decision on this matter, and if they wish to defy Him about it, they should have their wills brought up to date and stay a good distance away from any other Humans, as when He snuffs them it will likely not be as restrained and controlled as such matters happened today.”

There it was, the schadenfreude in their eyes as they digested that what I said was the absolute truth. Even a bought politician would chafe and desire to be out from the thumb of their controllers, and this was indeed a time where the matter was completely beyond them, it didn’t matter how hard their backers pushed.

They were going to be able to tell their backers to go fuck themselves politely, and that would be that!

-------

There were a lot of reporters wanting to question me, take pictures, and get quotes as I walked out of the meeting. Just a touch of Sage Aura forced them back and away from my path, with the more aggressive falling right to their knees. The questions stopped, the cameras came down when only one of them could capture my image, and I headed outside.

“Sergeant Blake!” The middle-aged officer, white lips still visible on his cheek, straightened up at my call. I held out a card to him. “You might wish to have your superiors contact Coralost and arrange for an upgraded Interdiction over the government buildings.”

A shimmery Portal opened in front of me as he took the card, tipping his hat... and this time, the alarms didn’t even go off, as if they couldn’t realize my egress was there. I stepped on through, and it closed behind me as they all watched.

It was Thunderbird’s territory, I didn’t have to be polite. I could come and go anywhere in North America that I desired to, and with the permission of the relevant Emperors, anywhere in the world!

---

My business attire swirled away, skirt and blouse traded for my far more comfortable magos attire.

There was a massive huffing, balanced by a great plume of a blowhole venting in amusement. White Death Wolf Emperor was resting on the edge of a hundreds-foot thick shelf of ice over there, while a great open hole in said ice was occupied by the massive form of Leviathan Emperor, floating next to the rising Northern Spindle Pyramid at the near edge of it.

“HUMANS,” summed up White Death Wolf Emperor succinctly, his blue eyes glittering. “ALWAYS THE CLEVEREST AND MOST FOOLISH OF MONKEYS.”

“Don’t forget the greed, Your Imperial Majesty!” I reminded him calmly.

Rising and falling beats of whalesong shook the ice as Leviathan Emperor chuckled. Truly, Humans had far more complex and crazy social interactions than any other Tribe of Beasts. The insane infighting, especially over the most obvious and simple choices, thoroughly amused the Emperors.

-YOU HAVE A REQUEST FROM THE SEA DRAGONS,- Leviathan Emperor /informed me mentally. -AN EMPEROR WISHES TO MEET WITH YOU AGAIN.-

I blinked, reviewing how many Sea Dragons I’d actually met, and only finding the one instance outside fighting against the damn bastards alongside the Whales. “Did they mention why they wanted to meet with this one, Your Imperial Majesty?” I asked respectfully. What did Sea Dragons want with me?

Other than to be made into some goddamn awesome stew, that is. I could still taste it over a month later!

“THEY WISH MORE OF THE UNWHITE FIRE,” White Death Wolf Emperor grinned toothily, appreciating the utter irony of the situation. Vivus had started the slaughter in the depths in the first place!

I had raised a column of stone from the bottom of the ocean just to build this Pyramid. Leviathan Emperor had bid me broaden it, make it more stable, put shelves on it for things to grow... and absolutely festoon it with Vivic Eternal Fires of basically area temperature during those times I couldn’t work on either Pyramid.

The efficacy of the Braziers and stuff had made the rounds of the True and Low Emperors long before I’d started doing anything in Antarctica, and I’d delivered thousands of them to Emperors all over the world who’d requested them by now, even ones blatantly hostile to Humanity or otherwise supremely disinterested in us.

Heck, Old Mountain Emperor dozed with a score of them around Him now...

Expressly part of that action was the fact that such things were acquired through asking Thunderbird Emperor, and so they were a favor from Him, not a favor from me, which was far more palatable to the Emperors. Owing a Human just felt strange to most of them.

They’d probably contacted Leviathan Emperor as the most convenient being they knew who had some contact with Humans to do so, not wanting to lower themselves.

“This has been cleared through Thunderbird Emperor?” I asked narrowly. I naturally wasn’t going to do such a thing without His permission, and Thunderbird loathed the Sea Dragons at least as much as Leviathan did.

The long low blaaat of whalesong was the equal of a deep belly laugh from Leviathan. “THUNDERBIRD WASHED HIS TALONS OF IT. HE SAID SOMETHING LIKE ‘SHE CAN TRADE WITH THE DRAGONS AS SHE WISHES’.” White Death Wolf’s fanged smile was even bigger.

Oh. Oh, ho!

This wasn’t going to be favor-trading between Emperors. He’d basically told them to take a flying leap and negotiate with me personally, and I could TRADE with them.

That was Emperor-speak for ‘Punish them in some outrageous Human way if you can, little monkey.’

“Leviathan Emperor, this one is most curious about something. She is unfamiliar with all the great and wonderful things the seas may offer Humans in bountiful trade, and is wondering if Leviathan Emperor might know of some suitable items she might inquire of the Sea Dragons in... trade, such as it is,” I asked brightly.

The long, low blaaaaaatt sounded even longer this time and White Death Wolf’s tongue actually came out, dripping liquid oxygen that misted as it fell. “THE SEAS HAVE MANY THINGS NOT SEEN BY GREEDY HUMAN EYES. THIS WILL NOT CAUSE TROUBLE FOR THEM, NO, NO,” the ancient Wolf murmured fatalistically.

-I IMAGINE SUCH KNOWLEDGE WOULD BE VALUABLE IN... TRADE,- the greatest of Whales /mentioned, His mental voice rich with irony.

“Coincidentally, this one believes that might be true!” I chirped in answer, heading for the Spindle now. Both of them were here, so it was time to get to work. “Perhaps some things the Sea Dragons would never dare to allow the Whales or Wolves might be something of passing value?”

A great tail of crystalline fur beat on the frozen ice, and whalesong drummed long and rolling through the waters as I got to work. Leviathan Emperor began to pspeak while I did so...