Nori shot him a piercing look. “You mentioned you came here as soon as you heard Earth was Infused, and you’ve also told us you’ve been up here for about five months. But the Tec infusion process started six months ago, presumably when the freighters first arrived. That means you made it here barely a month after the Calamity had started. You also mentioned that it took you some time to prepare for the journey here.” She gave him a pointed look. “Putting it all together, it seems like you knew what was going down pretty early on, maybe even in advance. So … how did you learn about Earth’s situation so quickly? You said you were told that humans had spaceflight capabilities, that implies someone knew us, studied us in advance. I want to know who that was.”

Alzigo shrunk back in his seat. “Oh, that.”

“Yes, that.”

“I might have … exaggerated when I said I was told of your situation,” he said, lowering his head.

Bulco crossed his arms over his chest. “I think we would all like a straight answer.”

Lana fidgeted in her seat but didn’t intervene.

Alzigo sighed. “Alright, I’ll tell you. As I mentioned before, my brother is the family’s favorite sibling. I’ve always lived in his shadow. I’d just finished delivering a shipment to another space station and sat down to relax at one of the bars when I overheard a couple of Inthidlon pilots. They were discussing a ‘mission’ on a planet that was going to be Infused. That drew my attention. As I told you, newly Infused planets have significant economic value, and at the time, it didn’t occur to me they might have meant they were going to actively infuse it. I simply saw this as an opportunity to improve my family standing.

“One of the pilots was worried about the natives' planetary defenses systems, but the other assured him that though your species have spaceflight capabilities you pose no threat. After that, I guess they noticed my interest because they stopped talking and left.” Alzigo’s two jaws sagged a bit before he continued. “I realized that I’d stumbled on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You know the rest. I used up all my savings and connections to purchase this station and launch it here.”

Nori stared hard at him. “What was his name?”

“Whose?”

“The one who hired those pilots.”

“I do not know, they didn’t mention a name. Why is this important?”

Nori started answering, but Bulco beat her to it. The Engineer leaned in, his face hardened. “We want to know the name of the asshole who brought on the Calamity. We have a score to settle. In blood.”