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The investigator sat across from me. She wore a black uniform and hat, with a sky-blue trim. She looked pristine, as though she’d never touched a speck of dirt in her life, which was curious since dirt is exactly what she was looking for. She placed a small computer on the desk in front of me, which I found interesting; why didn’t she just use her holo-gauntlet?

I knew the answer. This way, I couldn’t read whatever she was typing. She hadn’t broken eye contact. But I did.

Silver light beamed in from the glass wall to my right. The moons were full, and the Toru nebula was in the sky tonight, glowing a striking purple. I took a deep breath in, and exhaled.

I turned to the investigator. “I appreciate you coming all this way, investigator; I am honoured. But I don’t think I’ll be of much help.” I cleared my throat.

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She smiled at me. “No need to be so modest, your highness. There’s a reason I came to you, specifically. You have knowledge and experience that no one else has.”

I shuffled in my seat. “Perhaps I should have someone bring us some refreshments?”

“I’m fine, thank you. I’d just like you to start from the beginning. This doesn’t need to be a long process.”

I glanced at the time on my holo-gauntlet.

“So, you’d like me to start from the beginning… of the Duhrnan incident?”

She shook her head. “We’re not interested in Duhrnan. We’re more interested in the Brotherhood’s role in all of this.”

“Well,” I said, “I’m not sure where to begin…”

“Anywhere that feels natural. We can go from there.”

“Alright,” I said. I nodded slowly, but my mind raced back in time. There really was only one place the story could begin.