Valtair was half the way on the path to ascending back to the Queen Charlotte and I was already talking with Yutan.

"When I'll report back that Tau moved an entire legion undetected, the problem will escalate. The Orthodox Empire will have to give us answers"

Yet another problem to manage. Not the most urgent, in my opinion. "Yeah, it will be a huge diplomatic crisis, but it's something distant in time, we have to worry about nearer events"

"What are you talking about?"

"You have to tell me Hiraku's plan. I know we are just his forefront. What have he in mind about the system?"

Yutan froze, stopping breathing. I was in front of the wall formed by the honor and the discipline of a Teculpa officer, something stronger than steel. He didn't answer, thinking silence would be enough to protect his secrets.

"Yutan, we both know Hiraku will not wait for the decision of the Emperor. Are you sure he will not need our support?"

"What kind of support?" Yutan became suddenly angry "We're stuck here with that wreckage! There's no possibility we could be of any help for the prefect! It's better if you forget about him!"

I was thinking about some way to calm him down, when Cassandra shouted from behind "Something is coming out from the Sot'Quan!"

All the displays of the Queen Charlotte showed nearly one hundreds contacts blinking in the space. They were all exiting from the belly of the colony ship, heading to us.

"Where is the captain?"

"She still needs something like ten minutes, sir"

"Our first priority is having captain and her crewmen back here, Cassandra. Keep an eye on them. I'll try to buy some time"

They were all around us, surrounding our little fleet. Rafkin interceptors, not the most deadly ships in the galaxy, but still dangerous when coming in swarm, with the support of a colony ship. They could just... devour us, but obviously their advent was just a show of force. Balthor's call appeared on the communication system in the same moment the interceptors were ready to shoot.

"You betrayed us" he started. A challenging start.

"Please explain, commander Balthor, what are you talking about? I'm still a diplomat from the Human Senate, came here for rescue purpose. You shouldn't act like that"

There was no possibility of video connection, but just considering the voice of the Rafkin, I could figure him as the wounded, tired man I saw during the meeting. Just a bit angrier. "We detected your infiltration. Your men are still coming back from the theft. I could shoot them with no effort."

"But you will not" I hoped so "because they're under my protection. And the protection of the Teculpa-Ryon, the clan that owns the ships you're targeting. Are you in position to declare war to both of us?"

"I..." a long, deep breath "have to stop you"

"Because that is what Teculpa Tau asked you. To lie to me and to keep me here. They left you here, wounded, a lot of your people dead. Why are you still following their orders?"

"Because we have the same enemy"

"The marauders?"

Balthor bit his tongue. It's usually easy to overcome Rafkin at diplomacy game... well, it's easy for me. They're too direct to play for very long. "You lied about all the situation, I know it. The fact that the Teculpa are still in contact with you is a little piece of the real picture you hid from me. The marauders didn't shoot the torpedo that damaged your ship, right?"

"I have to stop you, I said"

"Prefect Hiraku from the Teculpa Ryon clan, herald of the True Emperor, already knows about the siege and the Teculpa Tau legion. Why stopping us?"

"Prepare to die"

That didn't make any sense. Obviously hacking the Sot'Quan upset the Rafkin, obviously they needed to neutralize us, but a massacre? That wasn't Rafkin strategy and that wasn't Tau strategy too. It was something more... desperate... wider.

Just before Rafkin interceptors start to fire I understood. It wasn't a game complicated as I feared, the problem was I was looking at it from the wrong side. Once I saw the whole picture, I saw also a way to save us all.

"Shoot us and the Sot'Quan will sink" I stated.

"You're desperate, Callus. We can be damaged but what can your little ship do to us? You'll be wiped out in less than a second"

That was the moment to do a good all-in and ask all the players to show their cards. Only the truth could save us all. "The heereen shot you, Balthor, I know. And they're still out there. This is the reason you're stuck here. But if you touch me they'll come to finish you"