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‘Then let me catch you up. Since then, Kei’Lano added a few more provisions to that agreement. One of them was an SOS clause which he shared with the security council, now the Free Dunia Council - which is why I know about it. If Dunia ever needed Eden II’s aid, they would be obliged to help us in whatever way they had in their means. We’ve never pushed for it because we’ve never needed to. Until now, should we choose to.’
‘Interesting,’ Selene said. ‘But what do they have that would even come close to helping us out?’
Rina smiled. ‘I’ve got the intel. While you’ve been flitting across the System on social justice and foreign diplomacy jaunts, some of us have been doing the heavy-duty lifting regarding our planet’s security.’
‘Remember all those times you’ve bragged about things I don’t care about? Yeah, this is one of them,’ Selene snarked back to her friend.
Rina shook her head in mock annoyance. ‘Hang tight, woman. I’m going somewhere with this. I’m a member of the Security slash Free Dunia Council, remember?’ she said. ‘Which means I get daily intelligence briefings on any defence-related manufacturing, critical technologies, unusual deployments and clandestine activity across the entire Pegasi system.’
‘I knew that,’ Selene quipped.
‘Did you also know the briefings include Eden II?’ Rina asked with a gleam in her eye.
‘Naturally,’ Selene crabbed. ‘Seriously, get on with it!’
Rina gave her friend a mock salute. ‘As you wish, Your Excellency. The briefings have shown that since your father’s intervention, Eden II has built and amassed a considerable armada, including support craft, patrol ships, fighter corvettes, corvettes, bombers and carriers. All of them are multi-mission with FTL capability. In terms of fleet power, they’ve grown more quickly than any other entity in the Pegasi system. And all because of one entity on the rock. The Sable Group.’
Selene cocked an eyebrow. ‘The Sable Group? But don’t they manufacture luxury flyers and racing pinnaces?’
‘They do. But they have a major side hustle. In weapons, armed ships and tech.’
‘Why have I never heard of this aspect to them before?’
‘Because they want it that way. From what I understand, they’re quiet. Keep to themselves. They’re like ghosts, wraiths. Shadows. They rarely, if ever, talk about their business. I hear while there’s a Ruling Council on Eden II, it’s The Sable Group who truly runs the rock. No one can set foot inside its spaceport unless one of them has OK’d it. And if a ship tries to land elsewhere on Eden II without their approval, it is tossed across the moon’s desert in a vexing pile of rubble. They’re truly lethal players in business and firepower. They just don’t advertise it. I like their style. As someone said, a true badass never needs to announce it, and the scariest men I’ve met are most times the most humble.’
Selene raised an eyebrow. ‘Colour me surprised. And what have they been doing with all this capability?’
‘Making money and hiring out and selling their ships for profit. Eden II is the number one destination for private armed ships, gear, armour and trained militia in all of Pegasi and beyond. You can buy your own little army for a coup if you can afford it.’
Selene’s brow wrinkled with worry. ‘What stops them from using all that firepower then against us?’
Rina shook her head. ‘That was one of the key stipulations that your father built into the contract with Eden II. They can’t use any of their capabilities against Dunia lest the pact between us fall apart. And, so far, they’ve been loyal to us. I don’t believe they would do anything to harm our understanding so far, given how much they depend on us for our resources.’
‘Won’t giving us help break the agreement not to use their weapons against Dunia?’
‘Ideally, they won’t be harming us. Instead, we’ll be paying them to aid us against an illegal takeover by rogue agents, namely Massimo Makori. Plus, they had a great relationship with your father. That might be enough to sway them.’
Selene looked up at the silver moon. ‘I can’t wrap my head around it,’ she said. ‘All this time flying in and out of Dunia on missions to Rhesus, Galicia and Alloria, I hardly gave a second thought to Eden II when we whizzed by. They seemed so small. Insignificant.’
‘They may still be small, but I think they pack a mighty punch,’ Rina stated dryly.
Selene nodded slowly. ‘So you’re saying we feel out The Sable Group and see whether they’ll help?’
Rina nodded. ‘It’s not like we have many other options.’
‘True,’ Selene said morosely. ‘How do we even begin to reach out to them?’
‘I can send a secure, tight beam using a cipher that your father already shared with Eden II,’ Rina said. ‘They’ll respond if they’re as smart or, better still, honourable as I’ve heard they can be. And especially if they want to keep to their contract. We should hear from them soon enough. What do you think?’
Selene considered the idea and then spoke slowly. ‘Perhaps, maybe.’
‘In any case, I don’t imagine Massimo Makori is honouring any of our agreed exports to Eden II, especially xentium, so there’s a definite reason for them to hear us out,’ Rina added.
Selene reached out her hand to grab her friend’s arm as a thought came to her. ‘I might even have another bargaining chip up our sleeve if push comes to shove.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Harlow,’ was all Selene proffered.
