When Tibrana informed Minister Darge about the diagnosis, he was not surprised.
The only thing that provoked a reaction was the news that she only had a month or two to live.
-Since that's the case, I see no reason to prolong the inevitable.
The minister said.
-Of course, just give me a moment.
Tibrana said and left, returning a few moments later dressed in the clothes she requested from Andrew, as her priestess dress and all the accessories would need to be returned to the minister.
She also didn't inform Darge about the cryo-sleep she would be entering soon, not wanting to give the Federation any excuse to cause trouble for the Empire.
When she heard that the cryo-sleep could keep her alive for years, giving her a chance to wait for a treatment, she understood that her value to the federation was non-existent, since they never even offered her this possibility.
In the end, it was not that hard to build a cryogenic module.
On the other hand, Andrew didn't ask for anything while trying to save her life, even though she had offended him in the past.
So she used this chance to save herself not only by surviving but also by leaving the Federation once and for all.
-Everything is in here, minister, please apologize to the Emperor and the Jiar people for me.
She handed him a box containing all her previous possessions.
From this moment on, Tibrana was no longer a fiancée of the Jiar emperor, nor was she a high priestess of their world.
From now on, she was a nobody, a defective clone that was about to die.
Darge opened the box and inspected all the items inside, making sure that nothing was missing or damaged.
-I shall relay your apologies.
The minister said once he was done with he inspection.
-I hope that the remainder of your life will bring you peace and that your time on Earth will satisfy your curiosity.
He added, not even bothering to use honorifics anymore when addressing her.
With these words, he took the box and boarded a shuttle that was waiting to bring him back to his ship, where he was going to await the return no the diplomat.
-That went better than I imagined.
Tibrana jumped in fright, hearing Andrew's voice behind her.
-Can you not scare me to death?
She shouted, holding her chest while her heart was pounding like a war drum.
-Sorry about that, it was not my intention to scare you.
He apologized.
-But to be honest, I expected a scene similar to what happened with Runir and Tarina.
-Well, I'm not being exiled exactly, so there is no need for it.
In their eyes, they are simply getting rid of a problem by dumping me here.
-Why didn't you tell him about the cryo-sleep?
Andrew asked.
-Because this showed me just how much the federation or the Jiar Empire values me, which is not at all.
They might not be able to buy a cryogenic module, but they can build one as easily as you can, and I'm certain that at least some of the medics who were trying to fix my problem came up with the same solution.
But just as you once said to me.
No one will give a damn about a clone, especially a damaged one.
Before she knew it, her eyes were filled with tears, and a moment later she was crying her heart out.
All the grief and pain of losing everything she ever knew came out like a flood, and there was no stopping it once the floodgates were opened.
Seeing her state, Andrew hugged her, allowing her to cry out all her pain in his arms.
He didn't speak, since nothing he could say would help, but his presence alone was more than enough for her.
That was exactly what she needed right now, a shoulder to cry on.
They stood like that for a few minutes before Tibrana became quiet and her body went limp.
This startled Andrew, but after checking her pulse and seeing her steady breath, he figured out that she was simply sleeping.
With no better idea, he carried her to the Med-bay and left her with Iliana, explaining what had happened.
He left her with the doctor and went to see how the meeting between the diplomats was going.
Not planning to barge into the meeting, he simply took a look through the surveillance cameras.
Tarina's mother looked like an older and more mature version of her daughter; however, she had an aura of authority around her that was hard to ignore.
The same aura that the diplomat was slowly developing as well.
It was evident at a glance that the meeting was anything but calm, and the tension was high.
After saying something Andrew could not hear through the microphones, the supreme diplomat stomped out of the conference room, visibly furious, while Tarina seemed happy about that.
Andrew contacted her soon after, asking how it went.
-Oh, come on, like you didn't see and hear everything already.
She scowled at him as she was certain he was observing the whole meeting.
The last thing she wanted was to recount this meeting, which was unpleasant to say the least.
-I didn't, I just got back after dealing with Tibrana's situation, and all I saw was your mother leaving in anger just now.
Andrew explained immediately, seeing that she was in a foul mood after that meeting.
-The gist of it is that Tibrana managed to convince the council to allow me and Runir to go back as her servants, which is laughable, considering our positions in the empire.
Additionally, the federation wanted me and Runir to also become instructors for their diplomatic and military academies, while at the same time, they proposed an alliance to the empire on the condition that the empire would join their federation as a sixth star nation.
The cherry on top is that they wanted us to steal as much technology from the empire as possible before we returned, like it was a done deal.
And that is only the official diplomatic part.
On a personal note, my mother has already found me a partner, and Runir's family did the same for her, and both of them are the worst possible choices.
My mother left in anger when she could not convince me to accept any of her demands.
Tarina shook her head with disappointment.
-Honestly, I have no clue how I could have ever considered the federation's diplomatic approach as the best one possible, and how I could have ever believed that I mattered in my family at all.
She sighed.
-This was all you knew, so it's not surprising, considering that you had nothing to compare it with.
Andrew answered, not even bothering to say anything about her family, considering he had enough issues with his own.
-True, but even now I'm feeling inadequate to the role of the head diplomat of the empire, even after all the studying I've been doing.
You need to find me a diplomat from your world to mentor me and my team.
She confessed.
-You are doing great and will get better with time, as for the diplomat from Earth, I'll see what I can do.
-Thank you, now if that's all, I have another meeting in a moment.
She smiled and ended the call.