The elevator did indeed lead them out into the city, only one floor below their destination, and there was a tall escalator between the floors only a few blocks away. Max and the General could make that in a minute or less, so instead of trying the various fast travel methods today, they just went for a jog in their flamboyant outfits.

Compared to the subdued look that Max usually went for, General Tennant had gone all in on the Reaver fashion when he had stopped being an officer for an Empire that no longer existed. He had paired black and gray serpent-skin pants with black cowboy boots and a mint green silk shirt with no buttons, held closed only by the fact that it was tucked into his pants at the bottom.

Gold chains dangled across his chest, and a knee-length Kepler Officer’s trenchcoat in regulation black synth leather completed the look.

On the scale of one to “Most gaudy Planetary Governor that Max had ever seen,” General Tennant looked more like the bookie at an illegal gambling establishment on a Reaver-run space station than a planetary Governor.

“We need to work on your fashion sense.” Max laughed as they jogged through the city toward the escalator.

“I don’t know about that. I think it’s a hit with the ladies my age. You young folk do your thing, and I will go after the ladies a century older.” The General laughed, gesturing to the nearly business-suit ensemble that Max had picked to go for breakfast.

“Honestly, I rarely pick these myself. If I need to impress someone, Nico sets out clothes for me, and I only alter the options when she goes overboard and picks me out a cape or something.” He laughed.

“So, you are still close then, despite her renovations?”

That topic hadn’t come up, as they had been talking about the past and various innovations all evening, so the deeper personal connections hadn’t made it into the conversation so far.

“Closer than ever. Her system has been letting her adjust her body, as she showed you when you first arrived. But you likely didn’t notice that she’s even soft again. That’s the Kepler Military’s Non-Newtonian shell, altered by her System Functions to have exactly the texture and feel that she wants it to at any given point in time.

If you didn’t know that she was a Cyborg, I think that a lot of people would miss it at this point since she has changed herself so far from what we understand the word to mean. Most of the improvement comes from meeting the Hunters. They use Biomechanical armour and Mecha, and Nico has incorporated a lot of their tech into herself as she went.

I don’t know or understand all the changes, so you will have to go to her or the design team to get the deeper details, but I will say that she can do a wonderful impression of an organic human already, in every way imaginable.”

The General laughed and gestured to the side. This is our spot. We’re a few minutes early, so let’s get a table. Good thing they’re nearly empty at this time, or we could have been out of luck.

The staff gave them a warm greeting as they approached. Everyone knew the General, as he had organized their colonization effort and brought them here to a much better situation than they had ever dreamed of. Colonists usually had to bring everything from zero, but in the eyes of the colonists, it was the General’s connections that had snagged them a fully built and amazing city with a built-in tourism industry and all the latest, greatest gadgets.

They were even getting so far ahead of the curve that the Alliance visitors called the amenities in the Villas “Rustic” and not primitive, like going to a deliberately minimalist resort, which had the essentials, but stripped out the little luxuries of home to encourage you to enjoy nature.

“Did we get any big complaints yesterday? Or pick up on anything that we should really invest in importing?” The General asked their host, all business for a moment before the Envoys showed up.

“Nothing too major. There was some confusion about the in-room amenities, as they were all made for humanoid species, and the specialized versions some species use aren’t available. That’s just tourists that haven’t been out in the rest of the Alliance yet to get used to the standardized models.

The Valkia guests did complain a little about the lack of what is called a Feather Fluff in the room, as it’s not something they pack, and apparently, it’s usually built into the shower. They didn’t speak of it to the staff, but I heard them talking about it.”

“Good work. It’s the little things that we don’t know about that will need to be imported to make it perfect for guests. I am guessing it’s like the air dry mode on the shower, but if it’s a brand name, it might have a specific process everyone is used to.” The General agreed.

“For how many?”

“At least twenty-five. Assuming that none of them have brought additional guests that didn’t arrive with us. Can you make space?” Max answered.

“Of course, the restaurant is fairly large. But at this hour, only the sous chef is on duty, so I can’t guarantee the presence or personal touch of the boss.” The host answered.

“That’s fine. We’re just gathered for breakfast, not a formal event. And there they are.” Max told him, indicating the large group walking down the street with their eyes glued to the incoming rain storm through the outer windows of the spire.

“This way. I will bring the rest to you.”

As soon as they took their seats, the General looked up what a Feather Fluff was and determined that it was an air dryer with a protective mist for Valkia and other flying species feathers that gave them a short-term waterproofing, as well as a long-lasting scent. There was nothing quite like it in human technology, just a basic fluff dry to get their feathers safely dry.

“So, it’s like they’re showering without conditioner. I get it now. I will order a number of them since it looks like they are modular and can be integrated into the existing drying functions.” The General said, showing Max what the term meant and that it was indeed a trademarked brand name product with its own exclusive line of sprays.

“Sometimes, you can’t go full local, I guess. I am sure there will be more over the next few weeks that we just don’t know about yet. Running a whole planet, even if it’s just got one city on it so far, isn’t going to be an easy task.” Max replied with a smile.

“Just wait. I am going to put these cities all over the bloody planet, and we will be the largest tourist trap for supernatural phenomenon fans in the known universe.” Tennant replied, then stood to greet their guests.

“Envoys, I hope you found your way here without issues. We are about to see our first thunderstorm here, and I think it will be quite the sight. But first, let’s eat.”