Arkani Meio, Prime minister to the empire of Jurai, was worried. This
could be seen in his walk down the corridor. It was steadily
increasing in speed, and his whole body radiated tension. You could
have played his nerves like a harp.

The reason for this was the imminent meeting of the President of the
Federated Earth Colonies and the present Emperor, Azuza the XXVIIth.

He had to get there first, to aid in the trade negotiations. And
ensure that the current Emperor wasn't wearing his underwear on his
head. It was only the other day that he had issued a royal
proclamation- or at _would_ have, if certain people hadn't been on
the ball- that there was an urgent need to develop a new type of
frog, as the present model was hopelessly outdated. There had also
been the incident in which he'd blown up a Jacuzzi, insisting that
the bubbles were caused by invisible assassins trying to kill him
with toxic flatulence. They had, thankfully, persuaded him that
holding court in the nude was not a good idea.

A flustered servant ran up to him. "Sir! They're IN!"

With a strangled scream, Meio broke the sound barrier.

"Presenting his majesty, Emperor Azuza the Twenty-Seventh!"

Meio kept sprinting.

The visiting dignitaries bowed.

Meio, stopped just outside the doors, recovered his breath, and
entered quietly, just in time to hear the Emperor's first words.

"I live in a big house. Do you live in a big house?"

Now, make of that what you will.