Page 317 of Reaper Said Mine

Valez says, “And what does the Combine receive?”

I look at him for a long moment.

He begins to sweat.

“You receive surviving corporate infrastructure, continued lawful trade under neutral tariff schedules, and the chance to let someone else stand trial before public anger consumes your entire board.”

His mouth opens, closes, then opens again. “That is extortion.”

Ursa says, “No, it’s accountability with a calendar.”

Bellamy whispers, “I’m stealing that.”

The negotiation lasts eleven hours.

No one enjoys it.

That, more than any speech, convinces me it may be useful.

They argue over patrol boundaries, tribunal seats, tariff enforcement, refugee protections, inspection rights, station sovereignty, emergency medical access, and whether Reaper defensive forces may pursue hostile vessels beyond marked civilian corridors. I give ground where ground saves lives. I refuse where refusal protects independence. Theryki fights with elegant precision. Gant fights like a soldier forced to learn law overnight and resenting every syllable. Valez fights like a man trying to keep a collapsing ceiling from crushing only his side of the room.

Ursa never stops moving.

She sends documents, corrects claims, exposes evasions, and quietly ruins anyone foolish enough to lie where she can hear it. At one point, an Alliance counsel claims their intervention framework never authorized protective seizure of transit points. Ursa opens the leaked draft, highlights the relevant clause, and asks whether the counsel would prefer to withdraw the statement or repeat it for the public archive. The counsel withdraws it.

Skahar leans toward me afterward. “Marry that woman before someone more intelligent tries.”

“She is my jalshagar.”

“Not a legal filing.”

“Are you offering to plan a ceremony?”

“I would rather fight naked in vacuum.”

“Then stop giving advice.”

“Never.”

Near the end, when everyone is hoarse and the tea has gone cold, the final language appears above the table.

The Guyver Neutrality Accord.

The name is Ursa’s suggestion. It sounds cleaner than what I would have chosen, which was something along the lines of Stop Shooting Near Children or I Will Become Unpleasant. Apparently treaty names require restraint.

Theryki reads the final clause aloud. “All signatories acknowledge Guyver Station and its associated civilian corridors as a neutral protected territory under Reaper civil administration, subject to independent monitoring, open trade protocols, refugee protections, and mutual non-escalation commitments.”

Vice Admiral Gant adds, “Coalition and Alliance forces will withdraw from contested territory according to the attached phased schedule, verified by neutral observers and public route transparency.”

Valez looks as though every word costs him money. “The Helios Combine will suspend private security operations within the protected corridor and submit disputed incident records to tribunal review.”

Ursa’s voice enters softly. “And all parties accept that violations trigger immediate public disclosure of evidence archives relevant to the violator.”

Valez glares at her.

She smiles back.

I love her so fiercely in that moment that it nearly distracts me from history.