The channel cuts.
For a moment, I sit staring at the blank interface, my reflection ghosting across it like a specter, and I feel the old war’s ache shift into something sharper.
I open the tribunal petition system and file the request immediately, citing relevance to the blackout and override chain integrity.
Request:Witness testimony — Draev Korr, former Vakutan communications officer.
Relevance:Confirmation of external authorization anomaly during blackout window; preservation of comm integrity evidence.
I submit.
The petition seals with a chime.
Within minutes, a response arrives—not from Thane, but from Drax.
High Arbiter Directive:Evidence vault breach inquiry regarding secondary file corruption has been administratively closed. Tribunal will not expand inquiry scope pending diplomatic review.
I stare at the words until anger becomes heat behind my eyes.
Administratively closed.
They didn’t solve it. They buried it with a stamp.
Pellorin appears on my terminal shortly after, his face tight.
“They closed the breach investigation,” he says without preamble. “They’re trying to keep the lid on.”
“They’re trying to suffocate the truth,” I reply.
Pellorin exhales sharply. “And you just requested Draev Korr’s testimony. That’s a powder keg.”
“Good,” I say. “We need fire.”
Before Pellorin can respond, another incoming call request flashes—Coalition envoy channel. The identifier belongs to Sohl again, because of course it does; the man haunts this case like a diplomat-shaped curse.
I accept.
Sohl appears, expression carefully neutral, voice smooth. “Commander Varos. I hear you’re escalating.”
“I hear you’re still pretending truth is optional,” I reply.
Sohl’s smile tightens. “I am warning you. Publicly accusing League command—naming admirals, subpoenaing directives—will fracture the ceasefire. The League will interpret it as hostile revisionism. Defensive mobilization will follow. Fleets will shift positions. One misread maneuver and the guns wake up.”
“And the civilians stay dead either way,” I answer, my voice cold.
Sohl’s expression hardens. “Civilian grief does not grant you strategic authority.”
I lean forward slightly, letting my frustration sharpen into clarity. “Strategic authority is what moved them into that corridor. That’s the problem.”
Sohl’s eyes narrow. “Withdraw your subpoena request.”
“No.”
His jaw tightens. “Withdraw it, or the Coalition will be forced to distance itself from your claims.”
“You already distanced yourselves when you let the reconciliation process confiscate logs,” I snap, and the words taste like betrayal. “You’ve been distancing since the day you decided my silence was useful.”
Sohl’s smile vanishes. “Careful.”
