"If one of the planets was a terraforming attempt we wouldn't know," Solae was quick to point out, not just to Yarue, but also to Rosaria, Rene, Dasin, and herself. "Failures are proprietary records kept by the companies that facilitated the endeavor, and whose technology was utilized. By Stellar Empire law they are required to provide basic information, such as the exact location and ultimate outcome of the attempt, for the imperial galactic database. As a duchess I would be able to access the network if we were somewhere with an embassy, communications center, or archive, but... as you can imagine, none of those are here." She plopped herself down in a chair and rubbed her temples to encourage herself to think more clearly. Even if the Kalderi had been willing to host a governmental building for the humans on the surface of their world, she did not think the upper echelon of the nobility would be quite so willing to trust the aliens. The peace treaty forged so long ago did not establish them as allies that were privy to the secrets of one another. It would take much, much more than a trading outpost and exchange of artwork on the fringes of their respective territories before either side was willing to place all their proverbial cards on the table.

"Are we going to this HK-421?" Yarue asked, casting a glance to his fellow Syshin, who appeared equally concerned. Neither of them had fostered quite as much of an adventurous spirit as their benefactors, and found their leaps of faith, their courage, and their dogged pursuit of the truth to be equal amounts refreshing and perplexing.

Solae nodded. "Once we're there we'll be able to survey to determine which planet can sustain life and perform a more intensive scan for signs of human life. If there is a settlement I doubt it very large," she mused thoughtfully. The more 'rural' stretches of the universe tended to be one of the two extremes of society: incredibly homogeneous, treating outliers with contempt and derision, with a fascist leader, or one step away from anarchy, each individual instilling themselves with their own sovereignty, too suspicious to form anything resembling a community. Bouradine would not have taken risks with the first because a Kalderi would not be accepted, to put it lightly, and the second was quite rare. Nonetheless, settlements thrived where they were least expected. The empire had absorbed nations that existed for centuries outside their reach, that had flourished without their intervention, who had naturally been formed by members of their species that had ventured out during the early days of colonization and lost contact- or purposefully broke it.

"Do you think it was really a kidnapping?" Rosaria asked. "Why would a merchant kidnap a girl? It doesn't make sense," she said with her lips pressed together in a thin line. It occurred to the linguist she had not yet divulged the theory to anyone except Rene. When she fell into lockstep with her fiance it was easy to forget that the rest of her 'crew' were not unconsciously synchronized.

"Slavery does not make sense," Dasin defensively, bristling slightly. While Rosaria had been born free, her time in captivity had not been on the same scale of oppression as the Syshin; she was being groomed to rule them, and they were being forced to obey, their days filled with being threatened, beaten, or subject to a wide variety of cruel assault. They had been robbed of their culture, torn from their twin partners, stripped of clothing, and made to perform acts that some chose death over. His comment hung heavily in the air in a moment.

"No, I think Bel'sian went along with Bouradine because either she was fleeing her own kin or she is smitten with him. Abduction seems unlikely in these specific circumstances," she shrugged. "But if she was taken for the purposes of enslavement," she continued, turning towards Yarue and Dasin to make eye contact with both, "or if she's changed her mind about leaving, we will bring her back. I stand by my promise to the two of you when I made my offer on Zatis. I won't let a single Kalderi fall prey to mistreatment, nor will I look away if I see any Syshin abused. One of the perks of my new station is I am equipped to do more about it than as a marquise. If we bring peace to the Eastern Cross, I intend to slowly institute reform, beginning on New Concordia. I can't free the Syshin in captivity without the blessing of Empress, but I can declare that every new Syshin born in the Eastern Cross is free." It was a radical preposition but technically possible. Stellar law had a loophole when it came to the subjugated race. If Solae were to specifically designate future Syshin as exclusively free, and forbid them from being enslaved, then it would force an uncomfortable discussion.

"Mia, hail the Kalderi and advise them of our imminent departure. We don't want to collide with another ship that is about to land," she clarified. "Yarue, would you like to pilot our take off? This will be one of the easiest places to practice," the diplomat pointed out. Locations without cleared areas, proper equipment, and preparation were more inherently more difficult. If she wanted to ensure she had a competent co-pilot, she needed to have him eased into the role, and that meant seizing an appropriate opportunity.

"I... will try," Yarue reluctantly agreed. She knew from her interactions with him that his hesitation was not the result of a lack of enthusiasm but a fear that he would disappoint.

"Mia, let the Kalderi know Yarue will be handling the take off," she said with a smile.

"Are you all right?" Rosaria inquired as she furrowed her eyebrows together.

"I am just a little tired," Solae replied dismissively, though it was a headache that posed a larger problem. Delightful as her date had been, and the ball the evening prior, she felt exhausted, every waking moment consumed with knowing she was responsible for a large swath of the empire, solving a murder that she had made no real progress on, steering emancipation of a subjugated race, and brokering better relations with another. She enjoyed her nighttime trysts with Rene, but she was dead on her feet when it meant she didn't have as many hours of sleep as she required. "You can do this," she reassured.