Chapter 88: A Precarious Arrival
The final preparations were nearing completion when a presence stirred in the estate's outer halls. A figure, cloaked in the deep blue of the Confederacy's diplomatic corps, approached the grand entryway. Orion turned as the chamber doors parted, revealing a messenger bearing the insignia of the Imperial Envoy of the Dominion.
The room hushed.
With a practiced bow, the messenger extended a sealed data crystal. "A communique, direct from the Dominion's high command. It is addressed to the Heir of House Reyes."
Orion accepted the crystal, feeling the weight of unspoken consequences settle upon his palm. Whatever this message contained, it was not a mere courtesy. The Dominion did nothing without purpose.
His mother, Valeria Zey'ran Reyes, studied the exchange with keen eyes, though a hint of concern flickered in her expression. She reached out, placing a warm hand on Orion's shoulder, a silent reassurance.
Breaking the seal, Orion activated the crystal. Holographic script unfurled in the air before him, lines of elegantly coded Dominion dialect resolving into something unmistakably formal.
**To Orion of House Reyes,**
**In recognition of this momentous occasion, the Imperial Court of the Dominion extends its highest regards. By decree of Her Highness, Princess Aurelia of House Velstrane, shall be dispatched as an envoy to bear witness to your ascension. May this serve as a step toward dialogue, as the future is not written in blood alone.**
Orion narrowed his eyes.
So, the princess herself was coming.
He had heard of Aurelia Velstrane before. A noble idealist. A dreamer who, despite her lineage, clung to the notion that peace between the Confederacy and the Dominion was possible. That centuries of conflict, of war waged in the shadows and on the fringes of known space, could be resolved through words rather than action.