The Depth of Terms

The rain beat a steady rhythm against the armored glass of the sea-station, overlooking the fractured waters of the Azure Passage—the world’s most vital maritime trade route, now choked with the rusting husks of warships. For nineteen years, the Kalaan Arch-Republic and the Vestra Dominion had bled each other dry across these volcanic chains.

Across the obsidian table sat High Commissioner Vance of Vestra, leaning back with a smug, weary grin. Opposite him was Envoy Malek of Kalaan, stoic and posture-perfect. Despite two decades of brutal attrition, formal diplomatic protocol had never broken down between the two island powers.