Zhalem trepidatiously opened the door to the ornate office. She didn’t want to. She had to. What made it worse…he would understand that she had to.

She hated that he would be understanding. It wasn’t fair.

“Your Imperial Majesty,” she said, quietly, “we have received word from Gama Fleet. The…they….”

“Antero is missing. I know, Zhalem,” he said. “I have access to the FleetComm system.”

“Yes, your Imperial Majesty. Information is still patchy, and…he is listed as missing…..”

“He fought,” Tiernan said, quietly. “He must have. He could have stayed back, could have stayed safe. They would have let him. He is the prince. They certainly would have offered to protect him. But when the troops on the Gyfjon deployed…he went with them.”

“That…that appears likely, sir,” Zhalem said. She wasn’t military, and though she had learned quite a bit while working for the Emperor, this was far from her area of expertise. But he was right; she knew Antero had been on the Gyfjon on a diplomatic mission. He would have had to ask to deploy. And of course, he would have asked. He was his father’s son.

She wanted to let the Emperor be, but she couldn’t. Tiernan had not picked up three calls from the Dodecahedron. They’d called her in frustration – no. No, they’d called her because they needed to talk to the Emperor, and…and they understood. They all did. But they all had jobs to do. Including him.

Tiernan sighed, and rose from his chair. “I have been selfish, Ms. Ro. I apologize. Please connect me with the Dodecahedron. This is…this is good news. If they stopped the Hive Ship…it is good news.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Zhalem said. She paused, on the way out, and turned, and addressed her boss in a way she never had before, nor would again.

“Tiernan,” she said, quietly, “if there is anything I can do. Anything at all….”

He blinked, and said, quietly, “You are a good friend, Zhalem. And right now…I need to you keep me doing what I am sworn to do. I want to go up to my room and hide, like I did when I heard about my mother….I cannot. I have a duty. Please, Zhalem…make sure I do it.”

Zhalem nodded to him. “I will, Your Imperial Majesty. And when your duties are complete…if you need to go into your room and hide, I will make sure that your schedule is cleared until you are ready to come out.”

Tiernan nodded. “I know you will. Now…you have a call to make for me, Ms. Ro.”

“So I do, Your Imperial Majesty,” she said.

* * *

“It’s a clusterfuck, is what it is.”

“I…I don’t know that word, Elsa.”

The Undersecretary for Peacekeeping Operations shook her head. “It’s profane…it means it’s a disaster, Chancellor. They aren’t riots. It’s panic. Looting, violence…we expected it, and police are coping….”

“We’re animals,” Batari said. “That’s not a criticism; when a horse is afraid it tries to run. We are afraid. It is hard for us to remember we are not just animals. Believe me, I want to panic too.”

“We all do,” Tatenda Marechera said. He had his own riots to worry about, but he had picked up the conference call; he knew the next steps would be trying to figure out where to mount defenses. He had to be there, because history had demonstrated that other continents tended to forget Africa was around when things got dicey. He wouldn’t ask for any more than any other people got, but he would not accept any less.

“Madam Chancellor,” her chief of staff said, “I have Ambassador Martin for you.”

“Send her through,” Batari said, sitting forward. “Ambassador, please tell me you have good news.”

Robyn Martin wasn’t even supposed to be in Tuaut. She had officially been recalled. But recalling your Ambassador from Archavia isn’t like recalling them from Moscow, and by the time Robyn had managed to make her arrangements, Ridgemont had agreed to talk and had decided to allow Robyn to remain on hand, so long as she wasn’t expelled.

Robyn was an atheist, but every so often, something tested her lack of faith. It had been fortunate that she was in Tuaut; she had been able to confirm that this was no Titan trick, that it was all too horribly real. And that meant that when she said what she was about to say…they would realize just how good her news was.

“Chancellor Batari,” Robyn said, “I do. Gama fleet has successfully destroyed the Hive Ship at Tau Ceti. Many Titans died in the fight, and…well, it was a horrible battle, it appears. But they have neutralized the threat to Earth.”

Batari blinked. “Can you…Ambassador….please, just….”

“They did it, Chancellor,” Robyn said. “The Titans saved Earth.”

Batari slumped back into her chair, as the people arrayed around the table broke out in a dozen different expressions of relief, from yelling and cheering to tears to Batari’s simple, numb silence.

“Do we…do we have any word from the Secretary-General?”

“Not yet,” Robyn said. “They are still getting data. They lost three ships, and a fourth took heavy damage…and that includes the ship the delegation was on. The fleet has informed us that Dr. Freeman was among the casualties…the military officer I talked to does not think that they would mention him and fail to mention the Secretary-General, and…wait a moment. Thank you, Mr. Tralo….thank you very much. I have just received word…our delegation is safe. They were in a life pod, it had been picked up, word just got here.”

Undersecretary Sheridan sobbed openly at that news. A continent away, the leader of Africa sobbed quietly. He couldn’t focus on it. But he and Mùlán had been to hell and back together. He finally had a chance to admit how frightened he had been for his friend.

“And the Titan delegation?” Batari asked.

“They…Dr. Freeman is dead, confirmed, as is Navarchos Bass…oh, no, Sev, that’s confirmed? Oh, no. Send a short message, please – tell him I will do anything I can. Chancellor Batari, the son of Emperor Tiernan…Prince Antero has been confirmed as killed.”

“Navarchos Bass is Ambassador Bass’s husband, is he not?” Batari asked.

“He is. And Dr. Freeman is her brother-in-law. Eyrn…Naskia…Chancellor…I’ve met most of these people,” Robyn said. “Some are friends, but even the ones who aren’t…fucking hell…these were good people. I’m sorry, I know….”

“Don’t be. I agree, even not knowing them. When you get more information, let us know,” Batari said. She frowned. She didn’t know what Elaine would have to say. But for the moment…for the moment, she was the leader of Earth.

“Ambassador,” Batari said, “please, when you can…express the profound gratitude of the people of Earth, and our deepest condolences for the losses the Titan Empire has endured on our behalf. And let them know….”

She paused for just a second, then nodded. Maybe Elaine would tell her something that would change her mind on this, but she couldn’t imagine what it would be. “Let them know that we apologize for overreacting to a message that was clearly meant to divide our peoples. They have made mistakes. But they have demonstrated in the clearest possible way that they are allies of the peoples of Earth. We will still discuss changes with them…but we will do so as friends. And in this time of sacrifice by them…we may be a small people and a small entity compared to the Empire. But we will gladly give whatever we can to assist them.”

“Chancellor Batari,” Robyn said, “I will be happy to relay that message. Now, please,” she said, “I can only imagine how the peoples of Earth have taken this news. Let them know that they are okay.”

Batari nodded. “Ambassador Martin, I will. Good work,” she said, closing the line.

She looked over at Elsa, who already had a finger resting on a button in front of her. Batari nodded, and Elsa pushed it.

“General Akimoto,” the Undersecretary said, “we have received word that the threat is neutralized. Reduce our threat posture to Alert Two. Yes, this is confirmed,” Elsa said, as she said a silent prayer to Odin thanking him for keeping them safe, and requesting that he send his Valkyries to take the slain giants to Valhalla, for they had truly earned their way.

* * *

Nonah had made her way back to her hotel room; the television was tuned to the news, which was discussing the all-out panic that had enveloped Earth. She could hear riot police in the streets of Oxford, and shuddered to think what must be going on in London. She’d at least briefly gotten in touch with Nick – just text, the system was still jammed – but at least they’d both been able to tell each other that each was with the other. She knew he and Sophia were holed up in Sydney the way she was here, wishing desperately that they could be home. Not because it would be safe – not at all, she was still fit, and if fate dictated that she be on Earth when the insectoids came, she would fight with all she had to protect the land of her ancestors.

She didn’t want to be safe. She wanted to be with Dhan. Or at least, she wanted the hand of fate to reward her for being unsafe, to deliver Lessy and Moze safely home. If that could happen, if she could know that, she could bear anything that was to come.

She almost jumped as her pad rang; she was shocked a call had gotten through. She answered it, and was both delighted and dismayed to see the cheerful face of her husband. Delighted, because at least he would be able to help her bear this; dismayed, because she was about to burden him with this.

“Hello Nonah. What is wrong with Earth communications? Are they worried about another video? You would not believe how tough it was to get a line through. I actually used the autosurfer to find an open line, and….what’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Nonah said, as she tried to work up the strength to tell him.

“You know me, I usually try to start talking fast so that I can actually get a word in now and then. At least with you. Most of the time, I’m fine, but for some reason, you tend to overwhelm our conversations and something is definitely wrong, because the woman I’m married to would definitely cut me off there to tell me how you don’t. So out with it. Are you okay? Did something happen?”

Nonah shook her head. She almost didn’t want to say it to him. Telling strangers was easy. But telling Dhan…that made it real.

“Dhanny, the Insectoids…they…they attacked Tau Ceti.”

Dhan blinked. “Are you sure? There hasn’t been any news here, you would think….”

“You know the Titans! They’re probably still working on the first draft of Qorni’s address, worrying about whether the first line is missing a frakking comma. But they told Earth. They’ve put the military on alert here. They think Earth is next.”

Dhan waited, hoping that his wife was engaging in some sort of uncharacteristically evil practical joke. But when you’ve looked at a face as long as Dhan had looked at Nonah’s – it was a beautiful face. He could hardly be blamed for staring. She was his wife, after all. And he knew that she was deadly serious.

“Oh, no,” he said. “Lessy. Moze. Sorcha…Nonah….”

“I’m sorry for telling you,” she sniffed. “I didn’t want you to have to know….”

“Like fun. It’s bad enough we have to be on different planets. But you don’t have to…I love you, Nonah,” he said. He cut himself short, because he didn’t know what to say. Words were his wife’s business.

But he had picked the right ones, because when you can do nothing but hope, no words can possibly express enough. But if someone you love is there to hope with you…you can hold on to it, just that much better.

“I don’t know when we’ll hear,” Nonah said. “From what they said…Loona is probably with the fleet, and Niall and Darren and Eyrn. Aerti, of course. And the Insectoids….”

“They’re monsters. I’d…I’d give anything….”

“I know,” Nonah said. “I do. And…wait a second….”

“We are going live right now to New York, where Chancellor Batari has called a press conference. We don’t know what the update is, but…there she is, we’re going live now. Brian…..”

“My fellow humans,” Batari said, as the reporters sat down, “Just hours ago, I told you that we faced one of the gravest dangers in human history. When I did, I told you that the Titan Empire had moved to intercept the Insectoid forces that threatened humanity. My fellow humans,” she said, “I am so very glad to be able to tell you that the Empire has triumphed. The Insectoid threat has been neutralized.

Batari wiped away a tear. “They did so at great cost. We have just begun to receive information, but we know that Navarchos Bass, the husband of Ambassador Bass, is dead, as is the son of the Emperor himself. And a son of Earth, Dr. Niall Freeman, has also died in the fighting. It is our understanding that this is just the briefest bit of a list that is very long; the Empire has paid a very dear cost to save us, and whatever their past mistakes…to be direct, had they failed, we would have fought as hard as we could. But it is no exaggeration to say that the Empire’s sacrifice has preserved this world. We have had our differences, and we will continue to; even the best of friends disagree. Indeed, friends are willing to tell each other when we have failed, and urge each other to do better. We will urge our friends in the Empire to do better…and there will be times they will tell us where we have failed. That need not mean we are anything but friends. And we are today grateful to our friends in the Empire for sacrificing their children to save our own. Each of us owes the other great debts; perhaps, just perhaps, we can find it in our hearts to declare accounts balanced.

“We do have good news,” Batari said. “We know that the delegation from Earth has made it through the fight alive. We look forward to hearing from the Secretary-General soon, and I will be very happy to defer to her. And….”

Batari blinked, then nodded. “And while we do know that there was catastrophic damage to the colony of humans on Tau Ceti…I have just received word confirming that there are survivors. I do not know how many, or how badly they have been injured. But…as my last act as Acting Secretary General, I am directing the Joint Terrestrial Space Agency to load all available ships with as much material aid as they can possibly carry. I know, our ships may be small compared to the Empire’s, so if the Empire wishes to assist, we will load their ships too. I would ask the High Commissioner for Refugees, if he is listening, to meet me immediately after this to begin preparations.

“My friends,” Batari said, “we have felt the cold approach of the end. We have felt the fear that comes from it. I ask you, now…think of what you could have lost. Think of what others have lost. Be grateful that tonight, you still have your loved ones, your friends…even those who annoy you, you know them to be precious. Celebrate them, and give thanks that you will see them tomorrow. And now, I will take questions…..”

Nonah didn’t need to listen to the questions. She spun the pad back to her husband. Dhan looked at her, and nodded.

“There’s a chance,” he said. “There’s a chance that Lessy is okay. And Moze. And Sorcha, and Loona.”

“Not Niall,” Nonah said, “or Aerti. Dhan…I am too far, and getting calls out….”

“I will try to reach her,” Dhan said. He hated the idea, he would much rather Nonah do it. He was closer friends with Niall than Naskia – they both had a love of tinkering, and moreover, they both had a surly demeanor much of the time, and they got along well, and didn’t take brusqueness…..

“Oh, Gods, Niall,” Dhan said, sitting down. He rubbed his eyes. “Nonah,” he said, “I’ll call her. I may…I may need a minute. But if I hear anything….”

“Same here. Dhan…I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said, and closed the call.

* * *

“Madam Minister, do you believe that the attack by the Insectoids is linked to the Federation’s secession attempt?”

Pane Segdi stepped to the microphone; they were a half-hour into the press briefing, and she was surprised it had taken someone so long to ask this question. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up herself. She would have…but it would land better this way.

“We have strong reason to believe that this was directly tied to the rebellious terror group headed by Jota Cesil. Imperators have taken a suspect into custody over the broadcast to the Sol Earth system, which caused a temporary rift in Imperial-Terran relations. Initial interrogation indicated that the broadcast was planned in advance of and with foreknowledge of the Federation’s secession. We have other evidence coming in that we are evaluating further. Moreover, statements by the Insectoid Ambassador to my colleague, Minister of State Berisen, show that the Insectoids were factoring our difficulties with the Federation into their attack strategy. Make no mistake, if this initial information proves true, then it is clear that Jota Cesil is not just a traitor; he is actively working with the Insectoids against the people of the Empire. We had known he was a depraved fool; we did not know just how thoroughly rotten he was.”

That caused the intensity of questioning, already at a fever pitch, to explode. Segdi pointed to another reporter.

“Madam Minister, there have been rumors that Rep. Armac ordered this attack, not the Floor Leader. Can you confirm them?”

Segdi frowned slightly. The reporter was one of Qorni’s favorites. He was very good at taking dictation, and far more credulous than a reporter should be. She wondered if Forna had planted this question. And if so, she wondered why.

“Abret, we’re still going through a great deal of information, and frankly, at this point, it doesn’t matter….”

“But if the attack was illegally ordered, wouldn’t that matter a great deal?”

Pane looked at Abret Jaku with a withering gaze, and said, “Please, do not interrupt me, Mr. Jaku. We’re dealing with the aftermath of the largest attack on the Empire in Imperial history. And it is certain – absolutely certain – that the Insectoids intended to do great violence to Imperial nationals on Tau Ceti, our friends on Earth, and throughout the Empire. We have not spent time uncoiling the exact timing of orders during the defensive engagement; we’ve been too busy trying to get aid to our brave men and women who were injured in battle, and the men and women on the ground on Tau Ceti. If there were any irregularities in orders given, believe me, we will address them when the time comes.”

“If Armac did order this without checking…..”

Yup, Forna had leaked it. What’s more, she’d tipped her hand. She was going to try to cut Loona off at the knees.

Un-frakking-believable.

“…Mr. Jaku, I’m not getting into this any further. This is a difficult day for the Empire, but one that has been, by the grace of Eara, successful. Right now, I’m not interested in playing politics. I’m interested in recovery.”

She hoped that Forna was listening, and would catch her message. She couldn’t believe it. After everything that had almost happened, after Loona Armac damn near died….

“Praetor-Imperii Lagvul, who is taking command of Gama Fleet?”

“Excellent question,” Carva said, allowing Pane to rotate off the mic. “I have sent through orders to issue a field promotion to Lemm Tam, the current adjutant of Gama Fleet. She will be taking command of the fleet; she’s an extremely qualified officer, and was in line for promotion already; she was also a long-time colleague of Navarchos Bass, and had served as his adjutant for several years, and previously, as his executive officer on the Gyfjon. We believe that stability is important…..”

Stability was important. Pane Segdi knew that. There were a thousand reasons why there should be no changes made in leadership right now.

But if Forna was going to push it….

She debated marching in and warning her directly. Instead, she waited for the press conference to break up, and made a beeline for the House offices. She hoped he’d be there; she didn’t want to put this on the public schedule.

* * *

Jonto Cethje scribbled a note, and crossed it out.

He was an attorney. No, not just an attorney – the senior attorney in the Empire, the Minister of Law. His job was not to put a thumb on the scales, or at least, not much, but to follow the law to its logical conclusion in the pursuit of justice.

Granted, as all attorneys throughout the universe know, the laws are never perfect, and they always offer different paths, no matter how well-written and clear they are. As for justice, well, justice is always in the eye of the beholder, and rarely in the exact letter of the law.

Jonto knew that there was an element of truth to what Qorni had said. He was probably not going to be a consequential Floor Leader, not now. He would always be the second fiddle to Armac. She would have the lead role. The next election the liberals would take a clear majority, and she would be Floor Leader, and he would be…Deputy, probably? Yeah, she’d give him Deputy. She had always been careful to treat him respectfully. They weren’t buddies. But she made sure that he got what he needed, for himself and his caucus. She was deferential and courteous. Really, she was a very good leader, who recognized that fortune could turn things around, and she could find herself looking up at him.

Well…not anymore. But she’d still work with him. Give him respect. Give him his due.

She was honorable.

Jonto stopped, and crossed out the last note he’d taken.

He had to see. Had to think through what the law said. Examine it from both sides. He’d thought about Qorni’s offer, and it was tempting, though it was full of risk. And he could lay out her argument – though he knew it would be difficult. To remove Loona from the House, Qorni would have to show not only that Loona was wrong about the law, intentionally and maliciously wrong. The first part – that was simple. Every first year law student knew the arguments about Olch IV. The second…well, he’d have to show that Loona knew that the law would not support her and went forward anyhow. As for the third….

As for the third, she’d saved the Empire.

Cethje nodded. He was a lawyer by trade, and that meant he had to consider the offer on the table. And he had.

And he rejected it, utterly.

Loona Armac did what she did to save lives. That was the opposite of malice. The defense of her was simple – look at the outcome!

But he wanted to do more than that.

Forna Qorni was coming for Loona Armac. He knew better than to think she needed his assent; she could gum up the works just fine without him. He couldn’t stay neutral; she’d just add him as a target.

So he would need to do much better than come up with a defense for Loona Armac’s actions. He needed an offense. He needed to be able to prove that she had to act, not just that she was within her rights to under the law and the Charter….

The Charter. Yes. That was the start.

He closed the file he was working on, and opened up a new one. He would have to work fast to have it ready in time.

* * *

It was horrible. Simply horrible.

Rixie had stopped counting the dead when the Xifos transmitted a bulletin reporting a minimum of 50,000 human deaths, with the number certain to rise. There was no point. It was horrific, and one death here or there meant nothing.

Or everything. Depending on the dead.

They were down to a few names that she was worried about. Lemm had put them up, Emperor bless her. Senior colonial staff names were displayed; Sorcha Freeman’s status had finally popped up– KZ2, which meant she was injured, was being treated and would need surgery – but she would survive until she got it. Rixie said a silent thank you to fate; as hard as losing Niall would be for Naskia, there would be some measure of solace if Sorcha survived.

But there were far too many still not reporting. They weren’t on the main screen, but there was a link of allied forces that had appeared quite out of nowhere, which listed the pilots of the Acolytes and the Jacks who had been deployed from Avalon. There were far too many coded EAB – killed in battle – for her liking, and far, far too many with KZ prefixes. It was dismal, and it appeared things would only get worse the more the data streamed it.

That wasn’t to say there weren’t a few bright spots, a few had been coded XX-something – status satisfactory – that gave her at least momentary relief. Darren and Eyrn and Loona had, as had Lemm, of course. She’d seen Ted Martínez show up XX1, which almost made up for Tig showing up KZ1. Tig would have reacted to Ted’s death, Rixie thought, by commandeering a fighter and heading for Hive Prime, and if Tig didn’t survive…well, Ted probably would too. It was how Rixie would have dealt with Alex’s death. And how she might have to deal with the name that drew her full attention

KAPEI PIJAΛ A APK // ΛTX

ΛTX. Λetακno Xδεмv. Unknown Status.

“WЭK…that’s okay, right?” she heard someone say. She turned. Zara was studying the screen carefully.

“Yes,” Rixie said. “Hurt, but not so badly that they need immediate medical attention.”

“Oh, thank the Emperor,” she said, taking a stumbling step back, before she was caught by her husband and wife, who held her tight. Rixie turned back, and saw that Joseph had indeed been marked as such, as had Lessy. Not that there weren’t casualties. Joram Tanay and Manka Shirrel showed EAB, which told Rixie that it had not been easy for anyone, civilian or soldier. One in particular name drew her attention – a Myrell Lineki. She didn’t know her, but the code next to her name was one she had never seen on a flash report, but a code she knew well. ΠΦE.

“There was a traitor,” Rixie said.

“What?” Pryvani practically barked.

“This one. Myrell. She’s coded as a traitor who was successfully killed.”

“Syon said there was a plot,” Thyllia said.

“Well, it certainly appears as if there was,” Rixie said. “I’m not sorry to see the bitch dead, but….”

She stopped. She had been watching the screen, and she dropped to a knee, just for a moment, when the code came in.

KAPEI PIJAΛ A APK // KZ1

“Oh, Gods,” she said. “He’s alive, but he’s hurt.”

“What does Kapé-Mu-One mean?” Alex said, leaping from a table and running toward her.

“He’s been injured. Severely. Needs immediate medical care. One means he’s a priority. It’s…what your word for it…triage. They prioritize the injured. At least,” she said, swallowing hard, her larynx feeling tight against her throat, “at least he’s 1. That means that he’s a priority for treatment, because treatment can save him. If he was a 3…that would mean that he was beyond help.”

Alex began climbing his wife – he did so quickly, he had plenty of practice, and knew exactly how to vector for maximum speed – and leapt onto her bare neck, throwing his arms wide to take in as much of her as he humanly could.

“Isn’t Geoff Geen with Gama Fleet now?” Alex said.

“Yeah, he is….” Rixie murmured.

“Is there a better doctor in the universe?”

“It…we don’t know if Geoff….”

“Do you think,” Alex said, “that Geoff Geen will let our son die if he can do anything to prevent it?”

Rixie blinked back her tears. “No,” she said.

“Asteria is sleeping,” Alex said, so soft that only Rixie could hear it. “We’ll go home, you, me, Asteria, and Thyllia. I’ll use the holos, make us some eggs. You can message Lemm. We know he’s alive, Rix.” Alex kissed her neck gently, and leaned into her. “He’s alive. And whatever happens…he survived the battle. And he’s our son. He won’t quit fighting. Not as long as he has breath.”

“I just…I want to know…it’s….”

“His mom had her throat shot out, and survived,” Alex said. “You may not remember that, but I sure do. You think Ryan isn’t the fighter you are?”

“Ryan,” Rixie said, “is the fighter you are plus the fighter I am.”

“See? That makes him the toughest person in the universe. If he can survive this, he will. And he’s alive, Rix. We can worry…but for the moment…we don’t have to worry about that.”

“Thyllia,” Rixie said, after a moment, “Alex has offered to make us eggs. I’m going to see if I still have the backdoor into the live medical updates….”

“If you don’t, give me a call,” Pryvani said. “I can get them.”

“I don’t want to know how, do I, boss?”

“No,” Pryvani said.

“All right. I will. Brinn, Taron, Zara…I’m very, very glad Joseph made it through.”

“Rixie,” Taron said, but as Rixie rose, he decided words wouldn’t express it, so he and two of his wives stepped forward and embraced her, and Thyllia, and soon Pryvani, and Odin, and Manto, and Pelleas and Khali and Zhan, and everyone else who was still awake. They held each other tight. This had been an awful day, and whether Ryan survived or not, the horror of it would never be forgotten.

But they were family. They would get through it. Together.

* * *

The receptionist had been rather surprised to see the Minister of Defense dropping by, especially given the news that had just broken. His boss was in the office – often was, these days. The receptionist was one of the few old staffers still around from the good old days.

Still, the receptionist knew Rep. Segdi well, and he was too much a pro to let his surprise show. He buzzed back to his boss, and directed Pane to his office.

“Dio, I’m glad you’re here,” Pane said, walking into the cramped room.

Diodio Eusy smiled, and rose. “I’m surprised you remembered I’m here. And that you’re actually willing to risk being seen with me. Sit down, please.”

“Dio, I welcomed you and your allies back to Empire with open arms,” Pane said, with the slightest of smirks.

“And if the conservatives had a 100-seat majority?” Dio asked. “I believe the day after we allied with Armac, you said we’d stabbed the caucus in the gut.”

“You should have heard what I was saying in private,” Segdi said. “At the time, I was furious with you. You cost me my ministry, and you risked our majority, and over humans. I couldn’t imagine why you’d do that to us.”

“And traitors to the cause…we pay a heavy price. We knew we would. But Rodrec was right about the humans. I don’t regret it.”

“You shouldn’t,” Pane said. “You were right.”

Dio blinked. “Didn’t you say that humans were pathetic and helpless? That they’d come running to us for help the first second they were in trouble?”

Pane shook her head. “Dio…I can’t tell you everything that’s come through. The humans wouldn’t have been able to defend themselves against the Insectoid force, not forever, but Vorsha wouldn’t have been able to, either. But the humans did a pretty amazing job holding the line until Gama fleet got there. First after-action report estimates several hundred military casualties were prevented by them, and hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths. They fought…they fought as hard as we would have, and I’m not saying they did so if you factor in their size. They fought as hard as we would have, despite their size. They’re behind us technologically, but they’re a lot closer than we thought, and there’s some evidence that on some fronts….”

Pane shrugged. “Some of it was help from Earth and Avalon. But even the former pets fought. I was wrong, Dio. You and Zeramblin were right.”

Dio smiled. “Well, I do like hearing that, but I doubt you’re going to say it in public. Still, at least I know what Rodrec and I did – we blew up our careers for the right reasons. I have no regrets.”

“No,” Pane said. “But you do still have allies.”

“You marginalized me so they could keep moving up,” Dio said. “That’s why I fell on my spear the way I did, coming back. I never said that, you never said that, but we both knew….”

“We did,” Pane said. “But Dio…I think Forna is going to try to move against Armac.”

Dio blinked. “What?”

“Loona Armac ordered the attack at Tau Ceti. Their comms were blocked, they couldn’t get through. Loona took the initiative to order the attack, using an old loophole that has been collecting dust for hundreds of years. It was the right call, the only call – there were millions of lives at stake. She had to. Forna has to know this, but….”

“If that’s true,” Dio said, “Forna also has to know that support for Armac is going to spike massively. And that elections would favor her. But…you said loophole – is she trying to say Armac broke the law?”

“I think she’s planning to build that case. Dio, I’ll be honest, even if Armac did…hells, if she did, my vote would be to thank her for having the presence of mind to break the law, shake her wrist and buy her a mosakrapsi. It was her only option. And I can’t…Dio, we lost the Troji. That was the last ship I served on, before I was transferred to the Dodecahedron. I’ve been out on the tip of the spear, and gorram it…you don’t let two million civilians die because you don’t have your ishaytans crossed. You do what you have to do, and you deal with the consequences, and if your superiors are smart, they back you. Armac did what she had to do, Gama Fleet did what it had to do. I may not always agree with her, but….”

“This isn’t about politics,” Dio said.

“No, it isn’t. That’s what I didn’t understand, and why I want to apologize to you. It wasn’t about politics, or helping Rodrec Zeramblin stay in office a bit longer. It was about the Empire. Always. I’m hoping that Forna realizes that this is stupid, that she needs to back off, but….”

“We’ve both known Qorni for a long gorram time. She’s not going to back off. So why are you here?”

“Armac’s on her way back, there’s a cabinet meeting tonight. I expect Forna to make her move. If she does, I want to be able to force her down, tell her that I know there are members who would bolt over this, enough to ensure an Armac-led government. If she goes ahead anyhow…I will try to bring all of Empire along…but no matter what, your group will include me.”

“We wouldn’t need many,” Dio said. “With the pending vote to expel all members of the Titan Party…the liberals could probably form a government if there were six people willing to commit.”

“Exactly. I’m one,” Pane said.

“Well, why not. Give me something to do. All right, I’m two. There are enough of us who were already annoyed with Qorni that I’ll be able to find four more. Honestly, it’ll be closer to twenty. But it’s probably for the best if we don’t start whipping it. If Forna knows….”

“If she knows, she’ll do something stupid, like trying to bring down the government, or firing the entire cabinet. We don’t have time for that. All right,” Pane said, wearily. “Well, I have to get back. It’s…obviously a very difficult day.”

“Obviously. But difficult times reveal character, that’s what my dad always said. I think it’s done so in your case, Minister.”

“Would it had happened sooner,” Segdi said.

“Nah. You’d be down here in the depths with me,” Dio said, with a grin.

“Give it a week,” Pane said, matching it.