Cookie’s briefing ran its course, and the recording of Sean vs Pirate Cruiser rolled on the screen. Kosandion viewed this grand epic with the same dispassionate expression. His own private view of Kolinda was directed at a different section of the ocean. If he had been out on the balcony during the attack, he might have seen some flashes to his far right, but the void field ensured that he would’ve heard nothing.

On the screen Sean tore into the pirate vessel.

Kosandion’s eyebrows rose a millimeter.

The cruiser broke in half.

“Once Clan Nuan started digging, the pirates realized that their prince’s cover was about to be blown,” Sean said. “Since we cut off all communications between the candidates and the rest of the galaxy, they couldn’t warn him. They chose to attack the inn. Entering our solar system wasn’t an option, so they opted for Kolinda. If the inn functioned like a typical hotel full of VIPs and was equipped with a portal, as soon as the attack began, the guests would have been immediately evacuated. The pirate prince is a scumbag, but he isn’t stupid. The Muterzen crew counted on him putting two and two together and slipping away in the chaos.”

“Whoever fed them the intel about Gertrude Hunt does not understand how the inns operate,” I added.

Kosandion leaned back and studied both of us. “There is more?”

Yes, there was.

Sean put a small dark crystal onto the table in front of Kosandion. “Their log.”

Somehow, in the middle of all that killing, Sean had paused long enough to retrieve the cruiser’s log. It showed the entirety of their communications, every incoming and outgoing message, and all their maneuvering. I’d been thinking about it, and I was pretty sure that getting that log was the reason he’d launched himself at the spaceship in the first place.

“They moved into Kolinda’s orbit three Earth days ago and immediately started scanning the surface, looking for energy anomalies,” Sean said. “We maintain a protective shield over the terrace and the balcony. It gives off a slight energy signature. Since Kolinda isn’t inhabited by a sapient species and has no industry, we stood out like a sore thumb.”

“They knew the inn had a door here, on this planet,” Kosandion said.

“Not only that, but their vessel was ordered to Kolinda nine hours before the first spousal candidate entered the inn,” I said.

Kosandion’s mouth turned into a hard line.

The candidates and their delegations had no idea which inn they were going to until they arrived at Gertrude Hunt. The Dominion had insisted on secrecy.

“When that order was issued, only three people from the Dominion knew that Gertrude Hunt had a Kolinda door,” Sean said.