Vaelix pulled back enough to meet my eyes. He was listening. Not commenting, not advising. Just present.
"They'll offer sanctuary. Somewhere that looks like mercy but functions like a cage." The pieces were clicking into place now, clearand cold. "And they're betting I'll take it because I'm running out of options."
"Will you?"
I considered the question seriously. The closed doors, the coordinated refusals, the careful construction of a situation where accepting help would mean accepting surveillance, control, leverage. They'd built this trap with precision, counting on desperation to do what force could not.
"I'll take it," I said. "But not the way they expect."
Vaelix's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes; recognition, perhaps. "You're going to let them think they've won."
"I'm going to let them think I'm desperate enough to be controlled." I pulled away from him slowly, reaching for my clothing, my mind already shifting to the next steps. "They've built their trap based on assumptions about what I'll do when I'm cornered. They're not wrong about the cornering. But they're wrong about what comes next."
I dressed efficiently, my mind already forming the plan. Whoever made the first offer, and someone would, now that all the legitimate doors had closed, would reveal themselves by the terms they proposed.
Which meant I needed to make the first move. Reach out to Voss directly. Accept whatever poisoned apple he extended, and make sure I was the one controlling when and how I bit into it.
Vaelix watched me shift without interruption. He didn't warn me about the risks I already knew. Didn't caution me against the course I'd already chosen. He simply observed, steady and silent, and when I finally turned back to him, fully dressed and fully focused, there was something in his expression that looked almost like admiration.
"I see the board now," I said.
I unlocked the door and stepped back into the corridor. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I knew what Voss was going to offer, Iknew what he was going to say, and I knew exactly how to use his plans to bring his empire down.
Chapter 16
The bridge doors slid open, and I walked straight to the command console. Torvyn jerked his head up when he realized I was standing over him. Lyrin looked up from his station, equally surprised. I pushed a sense of calm through the tether as I put my hand on Torvyn's arm.
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course."
"Then I need you to bring Kaedren to the bridge. I need all of you at your stations when I make this call."
"What call?" Lyrin asked.
"This is where the trust part comes in. Do you trust me?"
Both men nodded. The bridge doors opened, and Vaelix walked through, heading straight to the sensor station.
"I trust you too," he said.
I turned to Torvyn. "Get Kaedren up here, in uniform."
Torvyn left the bridge. I turned to the rest of the crew and clapped my hands.
"Unless you are senior staff, you are dismissed."
Nobody moved.
I turned to Lyrin. "You heard what I said, right? My voice is working?"
He nodded.
"Good." I turned back to the crew. "Everybody out. Now."
They stood and exited without another word.
"Are you ready?" I asked Vaelix.
