"By the way, don't return this box to me until you've washed it thoroughly."
Holak's expression twisted with irritation. "Your loss. If I copied my exquisite body scent and sold it as a perfume, I'd have a retirement project that prints money forever; an endless river of wealth!" He waved dismissively, as if brushing the idea aside. "Anyway, how exactly am I supposed to build an empire for you? I'm not the administrative type, not a planner, not a bureaucrat, you know that perfectly well…"
"I know." Robin waved him off calmly. "That's not what I need from you. I want you to contact Prime Minister Kristan, explain that you now possess this artifact, and have him prepare a full list of the planets that must be moved into Nihari's orbit, along with their new coordinates, routes, and stabilization data. Move all of them. Every single one. That's... How you build my empire for me."
"All of them?" Holak's brows knotted tightly, his face hardening with disbelief.
