The twelve rulers of the Tribunal came to Perseus without weapons.
Grand Archon Yuan Shi and Chief Justice Situ Ming led them onto the base camp. Behind them, crews drilled Tie’s paired anchors while medics changed bandages in the open triage ward.
Yuan Shi knelt. “Our stop-work order helped cause this. Take our citadels, our authority, and our lives if they will buy you more time.”
Austin told him to stand. “I need your systems, not another execution.”
Situ Ming looked up. “What systems?”
“Your citadels can sense pressure across every sector. Your old control gates reach places our equipment can’t. Open them to inspection. Let my crews see how they work.”
The two rulers exchanged a frightened look. Those systems had been secret for ten million years. Whoever controlled them could direct the Tribunal’s remaining power.
Tian Luo stepped out from behind Yuan Shi. He had spent the night aboard the central citadel, trying to erase the Perseus failure report.
