Back aboard the Rhytil'Vox, High Regent Tal'Karr smiled grimly as he watched the movements of Lena's fleet on his monitors. The time had come to make their move. The Rhytil would offer Lena a deal—one that, in his mind, was too tempting for her to refuse."We will make her an offer she cannot refuse," Tal'Karr said to K'lahn, his voice laced with cold confidence. "If she accepts, we gain the core and its power. If she refuses… well, we have contingencies. The war will be ours, regardless of the outcome."K'lahn bowed slightly. "What of the alliance's resistance? Will they accept the terms?"Tal'Karr's lips curled into a thin smile. "They will, or they won't. The galaxy is not ready for the war we'll bring. But it will bend to our will, in time."The Rhytil had always understood one truth: power was a game, and they had the pieces. But Lena… she was the wild card. The one they couldn't predict. And that made her all the more dangerous.