“So what is your assessment, Praetor-Imperator?” the Floor Leader asked. “And do I need to pay the Emperor a visit?”

“As to the latter…you probably should reach out to him, yes,” Vanser said. “As to the former…Madam Floor Leader, do you want my official answer, or the unofficial one?”

Loona smiled tightly. “Both.”

Vanser briefly looked behind the Floor Leader, out over late-afternoon Tuaut, before looking back to her. “Officially, this is an ongoing investigation into possible seditious activity, and while I am notifying you as per protocol, I must be careful not to draw any inferences at this time. Unofficially…Madam Floor Leader, we’re still looking at data carefully. We don’t want to jump to conclusions. But…well, when you’ve been an imperator as long as I have, you have a sense of when something’s off. Something’s off here. I’m not ready to say that this is a series of assassinations…but gorram, I can’t think of a better explanation. We can’t rule out coincidence yet, but if it isn’t a coincidence….”

“Pane, this may be your area of expertise,” Jonto Cethje said, “but if these are assassinations…how? Do we have anything in military possession that could do this?”

“No. It’s both prohibited by law, and it’s not being done in contravention of the law,” Segdi said. “If the Imperators Corps engages in take-out actions, they’re not subtle. In general, when the Imperators Corps takes a grey action, the military protocol is to use obvious lethal force. It should register as a murder; it is almost always done to rattle hardened criminals or terrorists. And unless Praetor-Imperator Nix is freelancing, nothing’s not officially crossed my desk for my unofficial approval in three years.”

Vanser nodded. “I assure you, Madam Minister, we take no grey actions, nor have we ever – and if we were ever to do so, of course we would notify you and request permission, but of course, we won’t.”

Segdi nodded; Nix was by-the-book, especially when he wasn’t going by the book.

“Vanser,” Loona said, “we’ve known each other a long time. I don’t want to jeopardize your investigation, but at some point, if there’s enough smoke….”

“That’s why I wanted to make sure you had my unofficial position, Madam Floor Leader,” Vanser said. “I’m asking you to keep this close for now, but I wanted you and your government to be able to prepare.”

Loona nodded. “The next question, I suppose, is if you believe that this is being orchestrated by the House of Aljansen, and how today’s announcement fits into it.”

“That, I don’t know,” Vanser said. “Our informant overheard a conversation, and their recounting of it certainly makes it sound as if Lady Aljansen was aware of the assassinations. It’s not definitive, of course….”

“This informant…who are they?” asked Segdi.

“I can’t divulge that yet, not without potentially putting them at risk. But they are credible.”

“Jonto, what help can the Ministry of Justice give the Imperators Corps here?” Loona asked.

“We’ll seek a ‘Jonese Alfa’ warrant to look for fiscal and travel data potentially connecting these incidents. That will unlock civilian resources for you. It casts a wide net, but you should be able to narrow it. And I’ll prepare a directive to the Imperial Peacekeepers to assist, though I’ll wait to file it until your say-so.”

“Thank you, Minister Cethje. I will say, though…we need to be discreet. The Empress felt that given the plan of Ms. Aljansen, it will benefit her position if the Empire comes in with a heavy hand. Allow her to appear to be fending off Imperial interference in Jotunn maters.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Cethje said. “Jotnarherath is a province of the Empire.”

“An autonomous province,” Loona said. “One with a long history of recalcitrance. I suspect the Empress is right, if their goal is to push for a nationalistic wave, the Empire arresting a claimant to the throne will go down poorly…unless we have overwhelming evidence. So Praetor-Imperator Nix, please get overwhelming evidence.”

Vanser chuckled ruefully. “Madam Floor Leader, I do wish it was that simple.”

Loona smiled, and nodded. “As do I.”

Vanser left, along with Segdi; Jonto remained behind, and a young staffer entered the Floor Leader’s office.

“Mr. Harleibsen, thank you for joining us,” Loona said. “Please, have a seat.”

Auvu Harleibsen bowed slightly, before taking a chair. “Thank you, Madam Floor Leader,” the young man said. “The chief tells me that you wanted to talk about Kullervo’s daughter.”

“I do,” Loona said. “I’m mainly interested in whether you think this has a chance of working for her.”

Harlieb scratched at his goatee, and nodded. “It depends on what she wants. If it’s the throne…no, probably not. I’m not saying there isn’t any threat to the Dronung – there is always a good 25 percent of Jotnarherath that wants to secede at some level. And there is another five-to-ten percent that don’t love that Rajenlif is married to the Emperor, they think it pulls her away from Naesavarna, and – I mean, it does, I suppose. That’s enough that they could find a way to get to a narrow majority in the Jotnardiggi over the next decade or so, if everything fell together just right, maybe – but it wouldn’t be easy. My guess, though, is that they’re just looking to stir up trouble; Luviisa Aljansen has a reputation for being a traditionalist. She’s probably looking to win concessions, maybe some more power for the Council of Ten.”

“They seem to have a fair amount of power,” Jonto opined.

“Sort of? One of the problems with Jotnar law is that unlike the Empire, we don’t have a written charter. Everything is based on custom and precedent, and over sixteen hundred years someone’s tried almost everything at some point somewhere along the line, and so you can always point to some weird situation in 914 MA as proving you’re right. Usually, everyone has more sense than this, that’s why nothing like this has happened for over two hundred years, there are the rules, and the precedents, but most important are norms, the basic agreements that hold things together. This blows those up. The ability to adjudicate succession among the noble Jotnar families is the only legal power the Council of Ten has, but something like this can backfire pretty badly; wouldn’t be shocked to see the House of Aljansen go to a cadet line at some point because of it.”

“The Kuthi has said she has the votes to reject this,” Loona said, as the doors to the office opened. “Doesn’t that end it?”

“Well, yeah…but no. The Jotnardiggi can always change its mind. That’s probably what the goal is – give them a chance to win support in the Jotnardiggi over the next decade, so they’re in position when Rajenlif dies. Basically, if the council takes action, it opens the door, but….”

“Excuse me, boss,” Inna Lektas said, walking double-time across the office, “but Ganas just published something you need to see.”

“I’m not sure I ever need to see anything in Ganas,” Loona said. “Can we wait until Mr. Harliebsen’s briefing is complete?”

“This ties directly to it,” Inna said. “And before you ask, I’ve already reached out to her to try to confirm, and I’m going to ask Ammer to as well, but….”

Inna handed Loona the pad. Loona sighed as she skimmed the article; she really didn’t want to know what garbage Eras Kameo was on about, and who cared if there was another heir that….

Her eyes went wide, then wider, and then practically bugged out of her skull.

“You have got to be frakking kidding me,” she muttered. “How do they…Inna, this is a ridiculous hit job, right?”

“It…is very detailed if it is,” Inna said.

Loona set her pad down, and said, “Okay. Mr. Harliebsen, I’m going to have a lot more questions for you in about twenty minutes. Please stay close. Inna? Can you get me Pryvani?”

Inna nodded. “Yeah, good point,” she said. “I’m on it.”

* * *

Pryvani had just set down her own pad in shock when it began to buzz.

There were very few people that Pryvani would not ignore if she wanted to. Loona Armac would rarely be one of them, but she was still tempted to let the call go to messaging; she had a fair amount to digest. It occurred to her, however, that Loona was probably calling about the same thing she needed to digest.

She answered, and forced a smile. “Hello, Inna darling. How is Ammer?”

“He’s doing very well, thank you, Lady Tarsuss. I was calling for the Floor Leader. Do you have a moment?”

“For Loona, I have two,” Pryvani said. “And do remind Ammer that I am demanding he come to dinner next time he is on Avalon, and if it makes him feel better I will give him an itemized bill for his and your half of the meal.”

Inna grinned. “You know Ammer.”

“I do. His incorruptibility is one of his best traits,” Pryvani said.

“It really is,” Inna agreed. “Please stand by, I’m transferring you now.”

* * *

“So you don’t seem too down for someone who just lost the Jotunn throne.”

Vallero laughed, and snuggled into the man lying next to her. “Well, this helped me take my mind off it, Musti. And from what mom said…they’re hoping it’s temporary. The heir that they’re moving into position doesn’t want the job, and I can’t blame her. If it goes right, they’ll keep this up long enough to calm everything down, and then she’ll announce she really doesn’t want to be Dronung and frankly, it should be me. At least, that’s the plan, and from what I know of her she’s gonna stick with it.”

“Who is it? Do you know her?”

“I do a bit – Rhionne and mom both know her better, but I’ve met her enough to get a sense of her. As for who it is, I can’t tell you, they’re worried that Aljansen will take a shot at her. That’s not a joke – they think assassination might be on the table, and better to keep it quiet.”

“You think I’m gonna go tell Momp Lystar?” Musti Nanidias said, with a lopsided grin.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t tell anyone, but that doesn’t mean I can tell you. It’s….”

“Princess, I get it,” Musti said. “I reckon that the Emperor can’t even tell the Empress everything.”

“At this point, he can, but if he had something he had to keep close, mom wouldn’t pry. It’s…well, it’s part of the job,” Vallero said.

“So your uncle has two illegitimate kids then. That’s gotta be fun discussions with your aunt.”

“Aunt Tellervo always knew, according to mom. I guess my uncle, before I was born, he was an addict, and kind of a fool, and mom gave him what Pierce calls a ‘come-to-Jesus’ meeting, basically told him he had to pull it together or she was cutting him off. And so he pulled it together. Made a pretty good wreck of things before that, though.”

Vallero was quiet for a while, before saying, “Musti…are you sure you don’t want kids someday?”

“Very,” Musti said. “Look, I know that I’m sleeping with the heir apparent, I should be trying to win you over and then pass on my frakking bloodline or something, but I don’t give a frak about any of that. If you have a kid…look, I spent most of my teen years fighting. I’m not saying I’m still that way, but I know that if I had a kid – well, they’d probably take after me some.”

“That wouldn’t be a bad thing, you know,” Vallero said.

“You didn’t know me when I was seventeen. Nah, I…I don’t think I’d be a great dad. Dads are supposed to be patient. I’m not patient. You know that as well as anyone. If I was gonna be anything, I’d like to be an uncle – play with the kids, give ‘em back when they’re a pain – but not a dad. Why?”

“You know, the biggest issue with me dating or marrying right now would be me having a child,” Vallero said. “It would both clarify and complicate succession. For a variety of reasons, it’s probably best that I’m succeeded by Kaleva. He’s married to a Jotnar, and given what’s happening there, if I do end up on the throne, it would help smooth over the transition. If I had a child….I wouldn’t have to have them succeed me. But it would still mean I would have to pass over them to give it to Kaleva, and until I announced it, well….”

Vallero sighed. “I don’t need to have a child, and I really don’t want a child. And because of everything, it’s better that I don’t. But…I want to be sure you don’t.”

“Why does that matter?” Musti asked.

“Because I want you to marry me,” Vallero said.

Musti was momentarily shocked into silence. “I…Vallero, I….”

“You can say no,” she said, not looking at him. “I know why you would. You probably should. But I am going to need to leave Walak very soon, and if I do not at least tell you that I love you, and want you to be my consort…I will always regret it.”

“I don’t want to be Emperor,” Musti said, quietly.

“Yeah, I know,” Vallero sighed.

“But I would love to be your husband, if you would have me,” he added. “And if I have to be Emperor for that to happen…then I will do it. But…is this official? We haven’t been dating for long.”

“It doesn’t have to be official until we want it to be,” Vallero said, finally turning to face her lover. “But you…you would…you would want it to be?”

Musti smiled. “I’m not sure how your father is going to react to having a Federation shaka-kicker around, but….”

“My father accepted a human as my sister’s husband. I think he can accept a Federationer. Especially a former White Knight.”

Vallero’s pad buzzed; she sighed, and picked it up, and looked at the news report that had been forwarded to her.

“Oh, this just keeps getting better,” she sighed.

* * *

In a brewleaf café in the sleepy town of Kolbsgaal, on the sleepier world of Hvita, one young man practically shoved his pad into the face of another. As this was as much excitement as had been seen there in several days, a few of the patrons actually looked up to see what was going on.

“You see, Kaija? You see? This is what I’m talking about.”

Kaija didn’t hide his annoyance at the interruption. “Vwof, Hanesh, this can’t wait until I’m done messaging Waja? We almost have our plans together for when she comes home on break.”

Hanesh, as usual, didn’t pay his friend’s dismissiveness much attention. “Look, I keep telling you these hybrids are taking over. Now they’re trying to steal the Carba Throne!”

Kaija sighed, messaged Waja, Sorry, be right back, Hanesh is being Hanesh, and sighed again. “I thought you said Lady Aljansen’s daughter was trying to take over the Carba Throne.”

“It’s her daughter-in-law. Don’t you pay attention to the news?” Hanesh retorted.

“No, I have a girlfriend. You should try it. Or a boyfriend. Or both! Whatever can distract you. So Aljansen’s daughter-in-law is a hybrid?”

Hanesh shook his head. “No, her daughter-in-law is Kullervo’s daughter. The Dronung confirmed it. But they’re not letting her take the throne.”

“So they’re gonna stick with Vallero? Well that makes sense. This whole thing was silly,” Kaija said. “My mom messaged me all upset about it, it’s ridiculous. I mean, the Jotnardiggi runs things anyhow, the Dronung is like a mascot. And I know you’re always saying that they could make Rhionne’s kid Jofur or something, but if they were gonna do that, she wouldn’t have declined the crown.”

“Look, we’re way beyond that. Turns out Kullervo has two illegitimate daughters.”

“What? Where are you getting that?” asked an eavesdropping man a table over.

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” his wife said. “He was a looker when he was young, and everyone knew he liked to drink. Surprised it isn’t more, really.”

“It’s in Ganas,” Hanesh said.

“Oh, Ganas?” the café’s owner griped. “Why didn’t you just say you heard it from a passing drunk? I might believe it then.”

“Thank you!” Kaija said. “I keep trying to tell him!”

“Look, this story comes from someone at the meeting of the ten families. They say that the eldest child was given to the Hoplites,” Hanesh said. “They say it’s Rixie Carey. She’s married to that human Senator.”

A middle-aged man at a nearby table looked up. “So wait, they’re saying Rixie Carey is Kullervo’s daughter? Do you know what this means!?”

“Yeah,” Hanesh said. “She has a daughter who’s a hybrid. And that’s why….”

“Who cares about that? You don’t follow Tol-Bot, do you? The rumors always seemed to come down to her being Iron Maiden. You’re telling me the next Dronung could be Iron Maiden? That’s incredible! I remember watching the 2102 final as a kid, I was a big fan of The Philosopher, but when she went out, my parents switched over to backing the Maiden, because everyone knew she was Jotnar, and….”

“Look, what part of ‘she has a hybrid daughter’ don’t you get?” Hanesh fairly shouted. “We’re giving the throne over to a half-breed, and none of you care?”

There was a long silence; after a moment, though, an older woman said, “I will admit, I’m not sure about them. I mean…you remember that one, who was able to break a table leg with her bare hands? Always scared me a bit. They’re so strong! It’s not natural.”

“Exactly. And they’re everywhere. And now the Dronung is going to pull strings so a hybrid is in the line of succession.”

“Nah,” the middle-aged Tol-Bot fan said, “she’s pulling strings to stick it to Aud Aljansen for trying to steal the throne. Can’t blame her for that, I’d do the same. And it’s not like Rixie Carey is some fool or traitor; I mean, she bears the Sword of Savarna.”

“I can’t believe we’re all talking about something from Ganas,” the café owner said. “Even if they’re accidentally right and it is this Carey lady, so what? Who cares who the Dronung is? It’s not like the Dronung tucks me in at night and reads me a story.”

“All I know is that I don’t want to be a second-class citizen in Jotnarherath,” Hanesh grumbled.

“You’re not, you vwofas fool,” Kaija said. “There are like two, three dozen hybrids total, right? They aren’t coming to put you in the Imperial Dungeon anytime soon. And as I’ve told you the last dozen times you’ve gone off on this, I don’t care if someday I have a hybrid boss or a hybrid Dronung or a hybrid Kuthi. My cousin married a Ler and they’d both cut off an arm to be able to have a kid together. I say if a human and a Jotunn can get married and have kids, good for them, and if all the hybrids are really that strong, then awesome, because in twenty years knadlegr is gonna be really fun to watch.”

Hanesh rolled his eyes, and looked over at the older woman. She was the mother of a friend; he’d have to remember to talk to her later. He knew that Kaija was probably a lost cause. Most of them probably were. But then, when he was a boy, humans being people was a silly idea; silly ideas have a way of becoming mainstream, if people are determined enough.

* * *

“Madam Floor Leader,” Pryvani said, “if I were to confirm this, I’d be violating the trust of two friends. I can’t do that. Not even for you.”

“Senator Tarsuss,” Loona said, “that denial was all but a confirmation.”

“I certainly can’t tell you how to interpret it,” Pryvani said.

Loona smiled. “Of course not. Well, while you can’t confirm anything, can we at least discuss, hypothetically, what this all means?”

“If there was another heir out there, then this would be a canny move by Rajenlif,” Pryvani said. “I don’t know if you’ve looked into Jotnar succession rules, but they make the rules of the 79 look simple and straightforward by comparison. If there was another heir that Rajenlif trusted, then simply allowing them to serve as successor, at least until things calmed down and she could definitively end it, would end the challenge, and more important, end the reason for the challenge.”

Loona leaned back in her chair. “So that’s why this is in Ganas. It’s about humans. Frak me.”

“I do not know if you have had the opportunity to speak with the Emperor, Empress, or Praetor-Imperator Nix, but if not….”

“I spoke with Vanser,” Loona said. “He didn’t get into motive, but then, they’re still trying to verify that this is a real threat.”

“It is a real threat,” Pryvani said. “There was always going to be a backlash. Shame on me for thinking it would wait a few years.”

Loona appeared thoughtful. “The government is going to take what actions it needs to take. But…maybe the secret successor to the throne is Rixie, and maybe it isn’t, except we both know that it is. If people are being killed to make this happen….”

For a split-second, just a split second, Loona saw something she had never seen from Pryvani. For that brief moment, Pryvani’s mask slipped, and Loona could see that the head of the House of Tarsuss was terrified for her friend.

The emotion was justified. Proper, even. But seeing it from a woman who had never shown the slightest bit of doubt…it hit Loona harder than any other person’s screaming, sobbing breakdown would have.

And then Pryvani’s mask snapped back into place, and she said, calmly, and reassuringly, “I will take whatever steps I can to help her, and I know Rajenlif will, too, but there is nobody in this universe more capable of defending herself than Rixie Carey. Given a thousand assassins against her, I would bet on Rixie, and I would win.”

Loona couldn’t help feeling that the statement was designed to reassure Pryvani as much as it was meant to reassure her.