The room was crowded and noisy. Music played in the background, but the volume was too loud and people had to shout to be heard. Small bots floated all around, delivering orders and grabbing empty glasses. A scent of burned sugar lingered in the air.

Zax scrunched up his face as he approached the buffet and looked at the rich assortment of food on display.

“Is it not to your liking?” asked a woman’s voice.

He glanced to his right and saw Udhi Moran stopping next to him, a slight smile on her wrinkled face.

“The food looks fine. But I do wish the music wasn’t so loud. I can’t even hear myself thinking. It’s unnerving.”

“Have you considered that might be the point?”

Zax blinked. Frowned. Vadesh was sneaky, but what could he possibly gain from annoying his guests?

The woman laughed as she lightly touched his arm.

“You should see your face. I’m jesting, senator! Think nothing of it. Gulen told me the device was broken. It will only play very loud or not at all.”

“Oh.” Zax grumbled. “Perhaps not at all would be best.”

He turned to the table, grabbed a triangular plate, and selected some items from the trays.

“I wanted to compliment you, by the way.”

“What about?” he asked distractedly.

“Why, your idea of using gateways to evacuate the threatened planets, of course! That was brilliant thinking.”

He shrugged as he pointed over his shoulder at the crowd. “I’m sure half of them had already thought of it, but were either too afraid to voice it or hoping no one else would.”

“Then you came and blew their house of cards down.”

Zax could hear the amusement in her tone. He eyed her with curiosity.

“I take it you don’t own a gateway yourself?”

It was her turn to shrug. “If I did, I’d happily surrender it to the authorities.”

A bot buzzed around their heads, and Zax shooed it away. He stepped back from the table and bit into a cracker.

“You know, you intrigue me, senator.”

He glanced at her again. “How so?”

“New members tend to keep a low profile for some time. Not only are you not doing that, but you are putting yourself in the line of fire.” Seeing his quirked brow, she smiled. “Figuratively speaking, of course. The suggestion you made will not gain you any friends, but you knew it wouldn’t and made it anyway.”

“I’ve always been more concerned about people’s lives than about hurting someone’s feelings, senator Moran.”

“Please, call me Udhi.”

“Then you must call me Zax.” She beamed at him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to speak to our host.”

She nodded. “Of course, Zax.”

He stepped away, diving into the crowd. It did not take him long to find the oversized man. He was laughing loudly at something someone had said. A woman and two men stood next to him.

Zax approached. When Vadesh spotted him, his smile widened.

“Aha! Our hero of the day!”

“You honor me,” said Zax with some humor.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“I do, I do! Come. Join us. We were just talking about how enraged Thelmen was. It’s the reddest I ever remember seeing him. Of course, he has the most to lose—”

“To lose?”

“Well, yes,” chipped in a younger man. “He owns more gateways than anyone else. Two-thirds of them are commercial ventures, you see, so your proposal is bound to affect his income.”

Vadesh laughed as he clapped the other on the back, hard enough that it made him stumble and knock over his glass. Half its contents spilled over the dress of the woman across from him. She howled and jumped back, looking down.

“Raffik! Look what you’ve done, you clumsy idiot!”

The host’s laughter grew louder as the young man started babbling out apologies. The woman turned and marched out, Raffik in her wake, waving his hands wildly in front of him.

Zax popped a cracker into his mouth as he quietly watched them leave. His attention was drawn back to Vadesh when the large man grabbed his arm.

“Iden! Have you met Thoolan Corash?” He pointed at the one man who remained. “He is one of your greatest fans!”

The other shifted uncomfortably. “Ah. No. I mean, yes, but... I wouldn’t put it quite like that.”

Zax looked at the slim and sweating man with some distaste.

“Nonsense! Weren’t you telling me just now how much you admired our friend’s ability to turn the tables at the senate?”

“Uhm. That was you, actually.”

“It was?” Vadesh blinked. Laughed. “So it was! Ha!” He tapped Zax’s shoulder. “Guess I’m your greatest fan, then. Imagine that!”

Zax grunted as he ate the last cracker on his plate and looked around. Frowned.

“No bots?”

He could see some floating about, but all were some distance away.

The large man made a dismissive gesture. “I don’t need them here.”

“So what do I do with this? Throw it on the floor?”

Vadesh glanced at the offending plate. “Oh.” He clapped his hands and one of the small devices buzzed toward them. Metallic appendages reached out to grab the item, then it wheezed away just as quickly. Zax followed it with his eyes until it disappeared into the crowd.

“There! Calamity averted. Now, where were we?” Corash said something, but it was covered by the thundering music. “What was that?”

Zax turned and snapped. “Can’t you turn the damn din down already? Or do you expect us to exhaust ourselves by screaming our lungs out?”

“I’m sorry, senator,” Vadesh said apologetically, “but the system is broken. I’m afraid it cannot be helped.”

“Then just shut it down. I’m sure you could do that.”

“Yes, but it would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?” Zax stared at the large man, but before he could respond, Vadesh continued. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to thank you for your contributions to our hearings. You’ve only been here a short time, but you’ve proven quite valuable already. I foresee a brilliant future for you, my friend. I take it you are ambitious, yes?”

Zax squinted at the other senator. “Aren’t we all?”

Vadesh chuckled as he looked at Corash. “That’s a fascinating question, wouldn’t you say, Thoolan? Oh!” He turned to Zax again. “I haven’t told you yet, have I? But Thoolan here is a member of the Conclave. If anyone can answer that question, it likely would be him. So...” He turned a quizzical expression to the smaller man, who looked even more uncomfortable now.

“Well...”

The man took a long sip from his glass in a failed attempt to hide his hesitation. Zax took that time to re-evaluate him. The Conclave was no joke. Its members only answered to the Emperor himself. He would have to go through one of them to achieve his goal of joining the High Seat. This was an opportunity he couldn’t ignore.

“Ambition comes in all shapes and sizes,” muttered the man. “So, in that sense, yes, I suppose everyone has ambition. Though one’s definition of ambition might differ greatly from another’s.” He fell quiet then, his eyes drifting back to the liquid in his glass.

Zax wondered how such a man had managed to get into the Conclave. He seemed utterly unfit for the job.

“Well said!” Vadesh grinned. “And I’d further argue that ambition is essential in our line of work—regardless of your definition. Oh! Speaking of which, I have helped your cause by spreading the word to my colleagues offworld. Some are already cursing your name, all across the Imperium!” His grin widened. “Surely, fame can help feed your ambition, yes?”

Fame, too, came in all shapes and sizes, mused Zax. While it might serve him, he preferred anonymity to infamy.

The irony of that thought made him laugh.

Which startled the two men.

“What? What?” asked a confused Vadesh.

Zax made a dismissive gesture. “No matter. Random thoughts. Irrelevant. I thank you for your support, senator.”

“Oh! Oh ho! But it doesn’t stop there, my friend. I will donate all of my gateways to your cause, as well as my brother’s—whether he likes it or not.”

“That is generous of you.”

Not like you have a choice anyway, he thought to himself. Martial law would force everyone to comply, one way or another.

“Anything to help the war effort, of course.”

The little man next to Vadesh grumbled and Vadesh stared at him.

“What’s that you’re saying, Thoolan? We can’t hear you. Speak up!”

“I just wish they’d use the Drill and be done with it.”

Vadesh tensed.

“The Drill?” asked Zax. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t... Oh.” He glanced at Vadesh, then looked into his glass. “Never mind,” he muttered.

“I don’t understand.”

“Nonsense!” shouted a laughing Vadesh. “You understand quite well all that needs to be understood. Always. You are a brilliant man, my friend.” He placed his arm across Zax’s shoulders and pulled him away and toward the crowd. “In fact, I would love to hear about your plans for the future. Where do you see yourself a year from now?”

Zax had no intention of answering truthfully.

So he started weaving a story.