"My brother and sister. Ana and Sebastian. I know they're safe but I haven't spoken to them since before Hewes grabbedthem. I'd like to... I need to talk to them. To know they're really okay."
"Of course." Ako made a note on a datapad that materialized in his hand. "I'll arrange a holo-call within the next few days. They're currently on Earth running your grandfather's ranch and from what I understand, they're doing well."
The relief that washed through me was so intense it made my eyes sting.
"Thank you."
"It's the least we can do." Ako set the datapad aside. "Now. Persico's warning."
The warmth in the room evaporated.
Ahrick leaned forward slightly. "He said Hewes wasn't the Prime's greatest enemy. That there are forces moving in the shadows."
"He did." Ako's expression had gone cold. Professional. "We've been investigating. Following every lead, every connection Hewes had."
"And?" I asked.
"What we found was disturbing." Ako's jaw tightened. "Hewes wasn't working alone. He'd embedded himself into several royal families across multiple systems. Minor houses, mostly. Fourth and fifth sons. Princes with ambition but no path to real power."
"How?" Ahrick asked.
"By offering them what they wanted most. Human slaves." The words tasted like poison in the air between us. "Hewes understood that humans are... exotic to certain segments of nobility. Rare. Forbidden by Alliance law, which only makes them more desirable to those with twisted appetites."
My stomach turned. "He was trafficking humans to royalty."
"Yes. And in exchange, these royals gave him protection. Resources. Information. Hewes became powerful not through his own strength, but by making himself indispensable to those who could shield him from Alliance justice." Ako's eyes were hard.
I remembered that from the briefing before I'd gone to Palaydium. A prince had intercepted Hewes prison transport in exchange for... something.
"We investigated the Romvesian prince who aided Hewes escape thoroughly," Ako continued as though he'd read my mind. "Prince Zabron. Fourth in line for the throne, which means he has status but no real power. And he's exactly what he appears to be—a spoiled, deviant brat with more money than sense."
"Deviant how?" Ahrick's voice had gone flat.
"He has... tastes. For human females, specifically. Violent tastes." Ako's disgust was evident. "Hewes promised him access to human slaves in exchange for the escape route. Credits changed hands as well, but the real payment was the promise of victims."
Ice ran down my spine.
"Is he still—"
"He's been dealt with," Ako said quietly. "Quietly. He's been sent to a remote estate on the edge of Romvesian space under constant surveillance and will remain there for the foreseeable future."
"That's not enough," I said before I could stop myself.
Ako's gaze met mine. "No. It's not. But it's what politics allows. His family is powerful. We can't move against him openly without causing an incident that could destabilize the entire sector."
"So he gets away with it."
"He gets contained. Neutralized. It's not justice, but it's what we have." Ako's expression was grim. "Welcome to Alliance politics, Merrilee. Sometimes the best we can do is make sure the monsters can't hurt anyone else."
"So if it's not the prince," Ahrick said, "then who is Persico warning us about?"
"We don't know." Ako's frustration was evident. "We've analyzed every piece of intelligence Persico sent over the past decade. Cross-referenced it with current threat assessments. There are always dangers—pirate cartels, rogue factions, political extremists. But nothing that rises to the level of what Persico was suggesting."
"Maybe he was wrong," I said.
"Persico doesn't make mistakes like that." Ahrick's voice was certain. "He's been embedded on Palaydium for decades. If he says there's a threat, there's a threat."
"I agree," Ako said. "Which is why we're maintaining heightened alert status across all Alliance territories. Increasing intelligence gathering. Watching for any signs of coordinated activity."
