“Captain va Karr.” Tanaca inclined his head, the gesture precise and calculated. “Lady Emma. How delightful that you’ve accepted my invitation.”
Invitation. That was one word for the heavily armed escort that had met them at the docking bay, the “request” that had carried the weight of a command.
Beside her, Doren’s posture screamed tension despite his casual stance. His tail moved in short, controlled sweeps of barely contained irritation.
“Senior Advisor Tanaca.” Doren’s voice was silk over steel. “I don’t recall having a choice.”
“There’s always a choice, Captain. And you did request this meeting.” Tanaca gestured towards a seating area arranged before an ornate desk. “Please, sit. I’ve heard fascinating reports about your recent activities, and I’m eager to discuss them.”
Emma adjusted Ari in her arms. The baby was awake but quiet, her dark eyes tracking the luminescent orbs with curiosity rather than fear. She seemed utterly unbothered by the grandeur surrounding them, more interested in the dancing lights than the political maneuvering about to unfold.
At least one of us isn’t terrified.
They sat. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable—plush fabric over some kind of adaptive cushioning that molded to her body. Tanaca settled behind his desk with the fluid grace of someone who’d spent decades perfecting the art of appearing relaxed while remaining completely in control.
He was Elginar, like Athtar, but where Athtar was an axe, Tanaca was a stiletto, lean and controlled. High cheekbones, pale blue eyes that missed nothing, and silver-white hair. His robes were plain dark fabric with subtle embroidery, but somehow that simplicity made him more intimidating rather than less.
“I’ll dispense with pleasantries.” Tanaca steepled his fingers. “You asked for my assistance. Why?”
“I understand that you are aware of the threat represented by the Grorn,” Doren said, his voice carefully neutral.
“Indeed. Which is why I am also aware that you’ve been visiting Precursor waystations. Activating technology that has been dormant for twelve millennia. And you’ve been doing so with a child that our intelligence services have confirmed is Aurelian.”
Doren’s expression didn’t change, but she felt his leg press against hers under the table. A warning.
“Your intelligence services are well-informed,” he said carefully.
“They’re adequate.” Tanaca’s gaze shifted to Ari, and something flickered in those pale eyes—not hunger exactly, but a kind of intense interest that made her arms tighten reflexively. “The Aurelians were believed extinct. Yet here sits a child who proves that belief wrong.”
“She’s not a curiosity to be studied,” she snapped, and both males turned to look at her—Doren with surprise that quickly shifted to approval, and Tanaca with an expression she couldn’t read.
“Of course not,” Tanaca said smoothly. “She’s far more valuable than that.”
“She’s a child.”
“She’s a Key.” Tanaca leaned forward slightly. “One of the Seven. The Silver Key, specifically—the species that activates Precursor technology. Do you have any idea what that means, Lady Emma? What doors she could open? What secrets she could unlock?”
“I know what it means to the Grorn.” Emma’s voice stayed steady despite the fear coiling in her stomach. “They want to dissect her. Study her organs. Find out what makes her special so they can replicate it or destroy it.”
“The Grorn are barbarians.” Tanaca waved a dismissive hand. “The Kaisarian Empire has no such intentions.”
“Then what are your intentions?”
Silence stretched between them. Ari made a soft cooing sound, reaching towards one of the floating light orbs, and the tension in the room shifted ever so slightly.
Tanaca’s smile returned, and this time it seemed almost genuine.
“Protection,” he said. “Knowledge. Cooperation. The Empire has resources that a lone smuggler—however talented—cannot hope to match. Military ships. Diplomatic immunity. Research facilities staffed by the finest scholars in known space.” He spread his hands. “I’m offering you an alliance, Captain va Karr. Not slavery. Partnership.”
Doren laughed, and it wasn’t a pleasant sound.
“Partnership. Right. And what does the Empire want in return for all this generosity?”
“Information.” Tanaca’s eyes sharpened. “You’ve discovered something. The waystations, the artifacts, the star maps—you’re building towards something, and I want to know what it is.”
“Opening the Vault.”
She watched Tanaca’s reaction carefully. A slight widening of the eyes, quickly controlled.
