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I pulled another file forward. “Initial compatibility moderate.”

“Later increased.”

“When?”

He checked the timestamp. “After transfer.”

“Of the woman?”

“The warrior.”

“Exactly.”

I tapped the screen harder than necessary. “So changes don’t all move in one direction.”

Veyr went still. That was the piece. If someone were simply trying to make humans less compatible, the numbers would always drop. They didn’t.

Some rose. Some fell. Some disappeared. Some were reassigned to different warriors entirely.

“This isn’t suppression,” I said.

“Not only suppression.”

I looked at him.

He had reached the same place I had.

My pulse quickened.

Not fear. Something else. The satisfaction of finally seeing the shape of a problem.

“Someone is steering outcomes.”

Veyr’s expression changed slightly. He did not like that sentence. I didn’t either. But once I said it, I couldn’t unsee it.

“Say it another way,” he said.

I frowned. “What?”

“State the theory without assuming motive.”

That was annoyingly reasonable.

I took a breath. “Fine.” I looked at the columns again. “Someone may be altering compatibility and fertility information so certain pairings become more likely and others less likely.”

Veyr stayed silent.

I continued. “Certain warriors could appear more compatible than they originally were.”

“Yes.”

“Others less.”

“Yes.”

“Human women could be redirected.”

His jaw hardened. “Or delayed.”