The war was over. With Rendain shoved into the Void, everyone could breathe a little easier. Varelsi swarms were easier to take care of without the Jennerit Commander in charge, and that meant the Valkyrie could finally take some time for herself. A strange thing, given she'd been looking for this day for ages. One would think she'd be fueled by this turn of events and help to finally drive the final nail into the coffin that would keep the Varelsi out of their lives forever.

But no, she was choosing now of all times to seek a vacation. A break from it all before she herself broke. Drawn too tight and she would soon snap, and that's not what her Rogues needed. What they needed was their leader at their best, and she couldn't give them that if her mind was constantly flooded with worries and concerns as to what was on the other side.

Shayne's trip into Dark Space proved that there were still buildings, planets, the remnants of civilization before they'd been darkened. She only had to cross her fingers that there were people too... her parents in particular. She just needed someone else to take her, someone with the right disposition and deep enough pockets to keep quiet about the whole thing. The last thing she needed was the entire Detritus Ring learning that they were without their Valkyrie.

Steady, girl. You're gonna be alright.

It became a mantra as Reyna strolled towards the solitary ship at the far side of her Chunk. The docks this far out were completely empty, usually reserved for emergency ships carrying deliveries or restocking for another fight. But with Solus saved, many of their captains had returned to their usual lines of work: black market shipping, transport ships, smuggling, to name a few. She had no qualms against them leaving. After all, everyone was going to have to return to their normal way of life eventually. It was just occurring sooner for some than others.

"The Blind Shark" was written across the side of the ship in neat, silvery letters. A fitting name for a ship with a captain who played no favourites with those he devoured and destroyed. She was at the top of his list too, though he'd never been bold enough to cross her on his own. Smart. And that made him even more dangerous.

What it lacked in size, it more than made up for in appearance. It was the polar opposite of her Favour: black, immaculate, and with all the working parts to take it to Dark Space and back without any issues. It was only a matter of what she would have to pay in exchange.

Each step up the plank was excruciatingly heavy, each begging for her to stay, whispering into her ear that this was a mistake. To turn back and forget this idle venture. There would be other, easier ways of discovering the truth. But being the Valkyrie had never been easy, and she'd waiting long enough. It was about time she started being selfish for a chance and looking for herself.

The scent of sweet spices greeted her once she was inside, the interior resembling less like a ship and more of a bazaar. It was covered in extravagant accessories, trophies, richly dyed fabrics, and more knick knacks than anyone could ask for. Reyna once dreamed of having such luxuries, surrounding herself with the spoils of her work and all the riches that she could afford, but a different calling in life had made her resort to the simple.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the man she'd come here to see, his form sprawled across his large chair, a now-care attitude written across his posture. Smirking lips held onto the end of a long pipe, a trail of scented smoke eking out of its end. His sudden presence stopped her in her tracks, stole her thoughts, and left her feeling absolutely and completely... naked. She had no control here in his domain.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't my favourite Queen of the Ring..." The main quirked a smile at the Valkyrie as twin plumes of smoke sprayed from his nostrils.
"Come. Sit." He beckoned to the velvet grey chair across from him, removing the pipe only long enough to tap some ashes out of the end into an ash tray. She was the last person he'd expected to see aboard his ship, or asking him for help. The message he'd received had been encoded so deeply, he'd had no way of tracing it back to the source. So discovering that it was the Valkyrie who had sought him out was surprising, but also definitely worthwhile. Oh, how far he could reach into her pockets...

Reyna stared back at the almost-silver eyes as she took a seat, feeling completely out of place. Which was unusual for someone of her standing who tried to accommodate herself to those around her. Worry fluttered behind her ribs and tensed her grip against the arms of the chair. Worry that was well-founded, given their past.

Siali was a man who had challenged her once before, eager to take the Ring for himself and turn it into a den of sin for anyone who was daring enough to enter. She'd been the only one to stand in his way and kill his dream, turning the asteroid belt into a safe haven, a place of safety for those who couldn't fight. She'd thought by demonstrating how much good she could do, Siali would have come to his senses and seen the bigger picture. Instead, he'd held onto an Aplian-sized grudge and sought to thwart her at every turn. But the people of the Ring knew better, had seen the good she was capable of, and there was nothing he could do to turn them to his cause. He'd lost his chances of making it big and lining his pockets.

"So what can I do for you today, cherie?" The tilt of his head and the subtle toss of his hair over his shoulder parched her throat, and Reyna found it hard to swallow. No one knew where she was, and that meant no backup if things went south. Without her crew and being on someone else's ship, she was more than a sitting duck since she had nothing to hold over Siali's head. Keeping to himself had kept her blackmail folder on him quite empty.

"I need you to take me out there. To Dark Space."

Smoke billowed out with a cough of surprise. The great Valkyrie, coming to him for help and leaving behind her Ring to venture into the unknown... That was telling: she was desperate, and he was the only one who could supply her with the answer she sought.

He could tell her no and watch her crumple before him, hold it over her head like some veritable carrot constantly out of her reach. That would be satisfying enough, to see her reduced to an emotional wreck. Or he could say yes. That would mean weeks together in each other's presence, to learn what she kept so close to her chest and use it for later. There were only a choice few who knew her secrets, and if discovering those would topple her reign, then he wasn't against going to such lengths.

Not to mention if something were to... happen, the Ring would be left defenceless, her people would run rampant with no one holding everything down. It would be chaos... and he could be there to catch the pieces and put them back together against in an arrangement more suitable to his liking.

He smiled at the thought, and Reyna felt her blood instantly turn cold.

"Siali..." she warned, her gaze narrowing with deep-rooted suspicion. His lack of alliances and loyalty made him a wild card, one not even she could trust on her bad days. But her desperation won out and kept her rooted to her seat.

"Don't bend the rules of the game, cherie. You know how this works." As he took another draw from his pipe and righted himself in his chair, he leaned closer, his smile fading. His nostrils flared with his grimace, and he blew a stream fo the spiced smoke into her face. "You can't have everything."

Reyna waved it away, returning a challenging stare of her own. There was no way she was going to let this man take everything she had worked for in transforming the Ring and turn it into a money-making venture to line his own pockets.

"Neither can you." She dared to reach across the space between them and pluck the pipe from his fingers. She wiped the mouthpiece across the thigh of her jeans, and took a long draw of the burning drug. "This'll kill you eventually, and when it does-"

"When is a long time, cherie. A lot can happen before then." He leaned back in his chair, his languid attitude returning, and watched as the crushed leaves went to work on her. Her pupil was already constricting into fine points despite the dim overhead lighting.

Reyna found it difficult to focus with everything before her wrapped in sharpened outlines and details. Everything seemed more stark, crisp. The image of Siali before her got up and walked away, beckoning for her to follow. Then she was getting up... yet not at the same time. It was as if she'd been disconnected from her body and was watching it leave. Panic struck her as she tried to figure out how to call it back.

Siali started to count backwards from eight, until...

Reyna winced at the sudden headache, the scene before her returning to normal. The hallucination had been more than disorienting, and she had to hug herself to ensure all of her was still there. Thankfully, the headache was gone within a second or two.

"The headaches become more bearable. Can't say the same for you, though. Maybe... we should do something about that." He stood with a wave of his hand, and headed towards the bridge.

Reyna snatched off her eyepatch and crumpled it in her fist until her knuckled turned white.

You can't have everything.

"Let's just get this over with, 'cherie.'" Reyna tested the steadiness of her legs before following, muttered a quick prayer under her breath, and followed.