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Savvine stared into her brew, steam curling into the dimmed amber lights above them. ‘True. It burns that he has the final say, no matter how many die for him to keep his harem, yacht, andkokostreams afloat.’

‘Did he threaten you?’

‘Naam. My family. My position. You know how it goes. The question is why. What’s the reason behind this recent switch to wanting to work with Signet? Does he want in on the illegal shit they’re pawning?’

Abby’s face darkened. ‘You want me to start pulling private logs from Signet channels, confirm what I found earlier?’

‘Not yet,’ Savvine murmured. ‘But soon.’

She ate fast and drained the last of herkaffeinewith a scowl, lips pressed tight.

Her soul still troubled, she pushed up from the counter and strode out to finish her afternoon shift.

Hours later, she found herself weaving through the polished halls of the officers’ quadrant, boots tapping a steady rhythm until she reached her parents’ suite.

She knocked once before slipping in, hoping for a quick drink and a chance to charm her way into scoring an impromptu dinner.

If Gaya Bianchi were in the kitchen, there would be a good chance the universe’s finest pasta would be simmering on the stove.

Her mother greeted her with a knowing look, a cheek kiss, and a goblet of red wine in hand, as if she sensed her mood.

‘Here,’ she said with a raise of an acerbic brow. ‘You need it, seems you’ve been dancing with demons.’

Savvine accepted Gaya’s libation and took a slow sip, sighing as warmth bloomed on her tongue.

‘The Côte?’ she asked, with a half smile.

Her mother nodded. ‘Tis bliss in a glass, a pinot noir that’s spell work in liquid form. Handcrafted from de-stemmed fruit, cold-soaked, wild-fermented, and aged to velvet smoothness in seasoned oak barrels.’

Savvine slumped into a lounge chair that hugged her. ‘Always the wine connoisseurs, you two.Sante.’

Her father, gaze penetrating, still in his engineer’s jacket, eyed her from the window seat, his silhouette framed by the stars.

‘You met with Eugene?’ he asked.

She nodded. ‘He’s paranoid. Or worse, he’s pretending not to be. He wants me to play nice with Signet. With Roman.’

Her father rubbed a hand down his jaw, his expression unreadable. ‘You contemplating fighting him?’

‘I’m planning to expose Signet if I find proof that they are selling weapons to the Lombardis. I’ll even take it to the Syndicate. Or the holo-nets.’

Enrico’s face tightened. He leaned forward, lowering his voice even though his suite had some of the highest privacy protocols on theEterna.

‘Savvine, you need to be careful. This ship has ears, from its hallway to its vent shafts. Helena, especially, who’s another level of nasty. If she finds out you’re going behind her or Eugene’s back -.’

His voice trailed off, the meaning and implication clear.

She sliced her eyes to him, lips tightening. ‘I just want a leader who gives a damn.’

‘I know,’ he murmured. ‘But you must also survive long enough to make a difference.’

Her mother sat beside her and took her hand.

‘You’ll stir up a hornet’s nest, no doubt,’ she murmured. ‘Just make your moves carefully and don’t let them trap you first.’

After a delightful chili butter and roasted garlicNodi Marinipasta, the rest ofThe Côteand cautious words with her parents, Savvine made her way to the command deck.

The corridors were calmer now, the night shift cycling in, the ship’s hum gentler, almost sleepy beneath her boots.