Time: TC1853.01.20 (Dawn, First Bell)
Location: Imperial Palace – Emperor's Private Study, First District
The first bell of dawn hadn't finished echoing across the First District when Lord Darian Long's magnetic suspension vehicle passed through the Imperial Palace's outer gates.
Security cleared him with efficient precision—expected, given the pre-authorization from Emperor Tianrong himself. The guards' faces showed nothing, which was itself telling. They'd been briefed. Whatever this summons concerned, it was significant enough that the imperial household wanted absolute discretion.
Darian's fingers found the jade pendant at his throat—Forged in Battle, the Lóng family motto etched in characters his mother had chosen. The gesture was unconscious, a tell he'd never quite managed to eliminate despite decades of disciplined military training.
Disturbing evidence has come to light through an SIS investigation regarding your daughter and your wife.
