Yesterday, Griff's Rest had been a decently-sized, prosperous village. Not large enough to be called a town, but large enough for a variety of specialized trades. There had been a famine a few years ago, but the years since then had been good to it. The village had grown again.

It had also had a small temple, but one that had fallen into disrepair a while ago. The area wasn't very religious, despite the proximity to the western nations and even Esemen, and the founding of the Empire had only intensified this. But the temple had still stood, until the village had decided to repurpose it. A group of former adventurers had settled here, and brought not just money, but interest in a new faith. Or rather a very old one. They'd been convinced by a few other men who'd fancied themselves preachers, having spent some time in the capital. At their head had been a former official from Cera's court — even if he'd only had a minor post in the new ministry of the interior dealing with census records — who had tried to find and collect every scrap of information he could on religion before the Cataclysm.

It had turned out to be their undoing, Max mused as he watched Dan pick his way over a charred wood beam. At least he couldn't think of a different reason the village had been chosen as a target. There was little street left in this spot, and he was glad he wasn't there personally; the impression of smoke, charred bodies and filth from the other drone's senses was bad enough. Dan seemed focused, but he knew that he had paid careful attention to the impromptu briefing.

"And the village simply adopted this faith?" he asked quietly.

The man who was mostly limping at Dan's side hesitated. He was the only one of the adventurer group who had survived. He didn't seem to have processed all of his fellows' deaths yet. Instead, he seemed a bit dazed. He hadn't suffered a head wound, though, just a broken arm and scratches on his torso and legs.

"I think some folks liked the idea of a god who didn't demand sacrifices," he said distantly. "He'd already done all of that, right?"

Max grimaced, wondering what kind of scripture or whatever else they had mangled for that bit.

"There's always atheism," Dan said drily, but his tone was still gentle enough.

The ex-adventurer shook his head. "No. If a creator is out there, why should we not acknowledge Him?"

Dan hummed. "Well, I'm not here to debate religion," he said. "But you said this chapel was first built weeks ago?"

The man nodded. "About two months or so, I reckon."

Dan sighed. Max could tell they were thinking the same thing. That was enough time for word to spread, and for the Brotherhood of Violets to pick this place as a target. Although that implied that they might have already planned something and simply chosen this as a good example to make, rather than genuinely coming up with this … idiocy just because some village converted to another religion.

He left Dan to the awkward conversation and instead focused more on the village itself. There were enough drones around that getting several viewpoints was trivial. He supposed some of the buildings might be saved, though Mia would know better. The temple especially. Maybe they would turn it back to its original purpose? Assuming the village was rebuilt and resettled.

Some of its inhabitants had survived, of course. They had managed to hide in underground hidey-holes the raiders hadn't found — and managed not to die of smoke inhalation — or they had run, made it out of the village and scattered in the countryside. The drones Ada had put to the task were still collecting the last of these people, escorting them to the outpost that had quickly been raised outside the village. Far enough away they would hopefully be spared some reminders, but allowed to visit under supervision if they wanted. The bodies had almost been cleared by now, too.

The raiders had not been stupid enough to bring any identifying documents, but Max had confirmed with several people that a few of them had been identified as part of the Brotherhood of Violets. More of them would hopefully be identified soon. They also carried some coins minted in the Western Confederation, although that was still not uncommon in the border region, so it was not a 'smoking gun'.

He briefly turned his attention away from the village, and back to his surroundings. The command center of the Star Guard was quiet around him, despite several of his siblings also being there. Most were clearly immersed deeply in the psychic link on their own. He gave them a wan smile before turning away.

His Mother's presence in the psychic link currently loomed large. She was angry, a quiet fury he had felt before, but which was still subtly different each time. If he asked her, he knew Regina would admit a part of it was her Hive Queen side, angry at any intrusion into her territory. He didn't think there was much of a distinction these days, though. They were hardly two separate entities or anything.

Edmund was still with her. He seemed slightly anxious, which was probably understandable considering his entry into their Hive had been marked by such a disaster. Janis was with them, reassuring him, from the feeling of her mind in the link.

Max glanced around, making sure they were all on task, and checked on all the major assignments of the Star Guard again, before he made his way out of the door and went to join them. This small security command center was located close to the royal apartments and private conference rooms, so he only had to walk a few meters.

Edmund almost flinched when he entered the room, and his slightly wide-eyed gaze told Max he was getting used to the sensation in the psychic link, to sensing their presence and knowing when someone approached. Max supposed it was more keen and detailed than whatever he had got just from his psychic senses before.

"So, we're all safe?" Janis asked drily. She was sprawled on a sofa and patted the cushion next to her invitingly.

Max walked closer, sitting down in an armchair beside it and looking at Edmund, who was still perched in another chair. "As safe as can be," he reported. Not that she had really asked for a report, but he figured he might as well. He suspected she was actually a bit concerned. "Mia has reached her target without incident and there are enough soldiers deployed there, on alert now, that I doubt anything would get through. Tia is still in the excavation site with Galatea and the others. Tim is in Prekan, but the Esemen have not advanced yet. There's no one else who should be in danger."

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He noted that June wasn't here. She'd been spending a lot of time with her remaining family or withdrawn in her own rooms lately. That wasn't surprising, and if it wasn't just Kiara or Florance trying to wrap her in wool, he hoped she would come to terms with what happened in peace.

"Good," Regina said. She sounded half-absent, and was probably still looking in the psychic link.

Max glanced at Edmund again, hesitating for a moment before he said what was on his mind. "If you are up to it, Edmund, maybe you could go on your first mission for the Hive? A psychic would probably be useful out there. There are no survivors from the raiders, so we can't interrogate them, but it could at least be good to check if there might not be ones who hid and escaped."

Regina frowned, her eyes focusing squarely on them. "I have checked. Even if it's not close, I would have noticed anyone who did not have some kind of help in hiding from psychic senses."

Max nodded. If she disagreed with his suggestion, then that was that.

"That said, it might not be a bad idea," Regina continued, turning to Edmund. "What do you think? Of course, you've done tasks for me before, so this would hardly be your first mission, but having the psychic link now should help."

Edmund inclined his head. "If that is your wish, my Empress, of course I'll go." He paused briefly. "Or my Queen?"

"Either would work," she told him. "And you can call me Regina when it's just us. That's what I tell the drones too, they just don't always do it."

He nodded, his brows furrowed. "Of course, thank you."

"And no, it doesn't mean you're adopted," Regina added, probably guessing or sensing where his mind went. "I'm sure we'll clarify that to the public. Of course the other members of the Hive are my children, but well, the situation is different with humans — or anyone else — joining it."

Max knew Regina and Janis still considered themselves sisters, even if Janis was legally her daughter; they were almost deliberately stubborn about that. She'd certainly been part of the Hive for a while before that adoption.

"I understand," Edmund hastily assured her. "It would be quite politically unwise to let me or any later additions to the Hive claim anything like that."

More like a political nightmare, Max mused. Currently, people did not seem too interested in trying to petition for the honor of joining the Hive, if they even knew it was a possibility. Probably because the cost of it being their minds' inviolability (or at least privacy) seemed too high. But if they gained royal status along with it, a lot of people would suddenly care less about that. And that didn't even consider the succession or chains of command.

"Good," Janis said. "To get back on topic, Max, you haven't seen any signs of another attack or a second prong to a trap?"

He shook his head. "No, this seems to be what it appears to be. There have been watchers, though. More tamed beasts in the western skies and above the border. They could have been posted because they knew what would happen, or just in response to the activity, though, we can't know for sure."

"If no one in the Western Confederation knew what would happen I'll eat my hat," Regina muttered.

Well, at least she actually could, unlike most people who said that. But Max didn't point that out. "Probably," he agreed instead. "These attackers clearly didn't act on their own, but exactly who knew what isn't obvious, either."

He could tell they were thinking the same thing again. Those who had done this might genuinely have just wanted to … purge the heretics, or something. They were zealots. Who know what they were capable of. But the Brotherhood's leadership had to be more than just zealots — they'd had some success, with recruiting and probably politics among the orders, so they couldn't just be idiots. This was not just random violence.

"We need to decide what to do now," Janis said. She paused, then turned to Edmund. "Do you want to leave?"

Max could sense the man was a bit taken aback at her bluntness, but he agreed. "I'd like to get ready to travel to the village."

Regina nodded permission. "Let us know if there are any issues. I'll keep an eye out, as well."

They waited until he had left. Max raised an eyebrow slightly at Janis, who only shrugged. They didn't need to say anything more. He didn't distrust Edmund, but he also couldn't be sure how good he was at keeping secrets; and he probably shouldn't be told about the Empire's highest-level plans right away, either, it would be a bit much pressure for his first day.

"We need to secure all evidence first, I suppose," Regina said. "We have witnesses who can place some of the dead raiders with the Brotherhood group who tried to gain entry in that prior incident. That makes their affiliation very clear. They even gave us identification papers back then, so we also know they were from the Western Confederation. At least most of them, we'd have to check the details. We'll need statements from Ada, Dan and the others. Probably Mia, since she was watching over the psychic link, and her being a princess will lend it some additional weight."

"I'll make arrangements to collect testimony from the non-Hive soldiers who were there, too," Max said. He would need to have those soldiers deployed to the site to view the bodies and confirm their recognition. It should be easily doable.

If this incident meant what he suspected it meant, it would be best if they had the most extensive documentation they could gather.

"Good," Janis said. "So we will have proof that we were attacked by the Brotherhood of Violets." She paused briefly. "Many people would say it is an act of war and thus cause to declare war. Isn't it?"

Regina hummed. "I'm sure that's what some people were planning for," she muttered. Her tone was even, almost light, but he could still sense the anger she felt underneath it.

"Does that mean the Empire won't declare war?" Max asked.

Regina stood up and started pacing up and down for a few meters.

"We will send demands to the Western Confederation," she finally said. "These people are guilty of many, serious crimes and the Brotherhood of Violets as a whole, or rather their leadership, is very likely complicit. Thus, they must be extradited to us to face trial and to let justice be done."

Janis leaned deeper into her couch, tapping her fingers on the armrest. Max considered the deployment of their troops, and where he could assign more Star Guard. Which of his siblings would need extra protection.

"And if they don't?" No one needed to spell out that it was likely this demand would be refused.

If it's not and they concede, all the better, I guess, he thought. It will at least be a victory for the Empire. But they had been trying to push the Empire into declaring war for a while now. He didn't think the circumstances were really unfavorable enough for them to stop now.

"Then I'll give them what they want and make them choke on it," Regina said quietly. Her tone was cold, but he could feel the burning heat in her mind, anger hardening into determination.

Max smiled, and didn't bother to hide his own feelings, echoing hers, shifting until they were in sync. It was an almost giddy feeling, except still too grounded for that.

Janis smiled, showing teeth. He wondered for a moment if the incisors were a little longer than normal for humans, and how had he not noticed it before?

"We will be with you every step of the way, Regina," she promised.

Max didn't say the same thing, because he didn't need to. He let the sensation of his mind in the psychic link speak for him. He knew all the other drones would feel the same.

"It will be war, then," Regina continued softly.

"War may be brutal, bloody and vicious, but some things are worth it," Max said, sensing that was what she needed to hear right now. "We will make the world better for the generations after us. Better lives, without being held in stasis, without having to follow these gods."

"Yes." Regina smiled slightly, her eyes glinting. "And who else is going to give the gods the reckoning they so richly deserve?"

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