His face bore a dismal expression, didn’t even show a smile upon seeing her; he looked haggard. Tanja had been sitting on one of her office terraces with a group of her military advisers, where they had a magnificent view of the harbor with its floating buildings and heavy boat traffic. Seated around an outdoor table, they were discussing planetary defenses, including the six new ships placed in orbit. She looked forward to returning to Theser soon, to have a dinner with Sia Frankov and thank her for helping to make the new hub secure. Tanja also had patrols in the air and defenses on the ground, not to mention the shadow-Xayans, who had promised to defend Candela with their telemancy. She felt much safer—but the expression on Walfor’s face changed all that. With shaking hands, he poured himself a glass of water from a pitcher on the table. Though he had rushed here, he now seemed reluctant to say what was on his mind. Finally, he put down the glass. “Theser has been wiped out.
