He broke off as the door behind her opened. Thalias turned to see a middle-aged man stride into the office. Pinned high on his yellow outerwrap robe was the sunrise crest of a Mitth family syndic. “I see I’m not too late,” he commented. “Mitth’ali’astov, I presume?”

“Yes,” Thalias said, frowning. “And you?”

“Syndic Mitth’urf’ianico,” the man identified himself, his eyes shifting to the officer. “I understand the young lady is trying to secure a place aboard the Springhawk?”

“She is, Syndic,” the officer said, his eyes narrowing a bit more. “You’ll excuse me, but this is a matter for the fleet, not the Aristocra.”

“Not if she’s going aboard as a Mitth family observer,” Thurfian countered.

The officer shook his head. “Her datawork isn’t in order for that.”

“Someone in the family delayed the processing,” Thalias added.

“I see,” Thurfian said. “And there’s nothing that can be done?”

“There’s an opening for the sky-walker’s caregiver,” Thalias said. “We were just starting to talk about that.”

“Perfect,” Thurfian said, brightening. “What still needs to be done to make that happen?”

“It’s not that easy,” the officer said.

“Of course it is,” Thurfian said. “The position’s open, and the Mitth family still has the right of observation.”

“The approvals haven’t been completed.”

“I’m completing them now,” Thurfian said.

The officer shook his head. “With all due respect, Syndic—”

“With all due respect to you,” Thurfian interrupted. He drew himself up—

And suddenly Thalias had a sense of the true power the Syndicure wielded. It stretched far past their political authority, carrying the full weight of Chiss history. “The Ascendancy lies under threat of attack,” Thurfian said, his voice low and dark. “The Defense Force and Expansionary Fleet need to stand at full readiness. Every ship that requires a sky-walker needs to have one, and a sky-walker cannot go aboard without a caregiver. The Springhawk leaves Naporar in four hours for combat. We don’t have time—you don’t have time—to dither around.”

He took a deep breath, and it seemed to Thalias that his stance and manner softened a bit. “Now. You have here a caregiver who’s ready, willing, and able to serve. You have her family’s authorization to be aboard. Surely you can find a way to provide the Springhawk the resources it needs for the task that lies ahead.”

For a moment he and the officer remained silent, their eyes locked. The rivalry between the fleet and the Aristocra…