She shrugged internally. The Emperor gave everyone gifts, and it was up to each person to use them as best they could. Chetta had talked a heretical witch into saving one of the Imperium’s most vital planets; she figured that gave her some leeway in other matters.

‘In that case,’ she continued, ‘in the interests of renewing the good relationship between our houses, I would like to extend to you an opportunity.’

Sen Uru’s eyebrows twitched in a hastily suppressed frown. He was instantly suspicious, and with good reason.

‘Lord Xudine is dead,’ Ngiri said soberly. ‘I cannot be certain that his successor, whomever that may be, will be willing to honour the contract I have with the house.’

‘Oh, come now,’ Sen Uru said. ‘I’m certain that no honourable house would–’

‘Lord Dukarr,’ Ngiri interrupted him gently, ‘House Xudine’s honour is… not perhaps as clear as that of some others. They have been in the wilderness awhile, now. Lord Kennevario was a good and noble man, and I had high hopes that he could have led them back to grand things. Sadly, he was killed before he could do so, by the very same man who took your son’s life.’

Sen Uru nodded sadly. He was genuinely affected by Ban Uru’s death, Chetta could tell; it hadn’t simply been a smokescreen for an assault on her house. The man’s genuine love for his children was one of his few redeeming features.

‘Lady Brobantis and I have discussed this matter,’ Ngiri continued, ‘and although we have recently, as you are aware, found ourselves working alongside each other, we have decided that there are various matters that would prevent us from making this relationship an official one.’

‘My house has certain pre-existing agreements which would preclude such an arrangement,’ Chetta put in.

‘And there are other considerations as well,’ Ngiri said coolly. Sen Uru’s eyes flickered between them as they stood a little way apart, not looking at each other. Their body language screamed of polite but deep disagreement.

Which was, of course, exactly the point.

‘You… your Letter of Marque refers to the Ixaniad Sector, is that correct?’ Sen Uru asked in a conversational tone.

Ngiri nodded. ‘Indeed.’

‘A most interesting area, I’ve always thought,’ Sen Uru remarked. Chetta could imagine his thought processes: clearly, there was some deep personal disagreement between Lady Brobantis and Lady Vass; each wished to avoid a working relationship, but to maintain face they had to find a good reason for it. A proposal to House Dukarr would look like Brobantis being magnanimous, yet would also allow Vass to attach herself to a prominent, stable house, thereby allowing face to be saved whilst benefitting both parties. The question would be whether Sen Uru felt that allying himself with a rogue trader with influence in the Ixaniad Sector would be worth further deepening the debt his house owed to Brobantis.

It looked like he did.