The hum of the ship filtered through Tamiyo’s entire body as she sat cross-legged on the floor of The Ghost of Mandachor. Raine had learned enough that she could fly solo, so Tamiyo was preparing to accompany the team on a mission. She sat straight, running internal diagnostics on the new neural link they had installed. It would be their first time trying it in the field, so she wanted to make sure it worked right. A sharp twitch sparked behind her right eye.

  She winced, then blinked it off.

  Elias leaned against the wall nearby, watching her with a half-amused squint. “Were you trying to wink at me? You’re supposed to fully close your eye for that.”

  “Just a minor fluctuation,” she muttered. “Probably a grounding error in the cortex anchor.”

  His demeanor flipped more serious. “Oh, everything alright?”

  She didn’t look up. “I think so.”

  Another flicker.

  Elias moved to sit behind her and look at the link, syncing his tablet up to the connection plugged into the base of her skull. Inelius glanced over. “First field test is still a risk, maybe Elias should tag along. If anything in that link starts frizzing out, we’ll need him nearby ASAP.”

  Everyone looked up at her. Veolo, stretched out along a bench with one leg draped over the side, opened one eye. Soren looked up from checking his gear. Violet cocked an eyebrow in concern.

  Riza was still as a statue, and more than silent. Her presence almost drank sound as she stared at Elias. “It’s the Conservatory. Been a hot minute since you tangled with them.”

  “Hey,” he smiled at her. “I’m pretty sure they’re still swapping horror stories about the hell you and I raised last time they saw us together. Plus, Tamiyo needs to be positioned away from the frontline to keep her line of sight. I’ll stick with her, stay out of the line of fire, and keep her safe while I monitor the relay.”

  There was a pause while everyone weighed the options.

  Riza let out a small sigh.

  “I’m not the one who likes to nuke towers,” Elias added, winking at her.

  She rolled her eyes as she failed to hide a grin.

  Aurania stood near the main holo-table, arms folded. “Tamiyo, have you ever been in a firefight before?”

  Tamiyo shook her head. Not that she’d be shooting anyone herself, she just had to keep eyes on everything.

  “See?” Elias said. “If she ends up freezing, she’ll need someone to cover her.” He glanced at her. “No one would blame you for freezing, combat is scary.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Aurania said. After a moment more of thought, she looked at Riza.

  The legend almost snarled. “Your call, Boss. I can’t be objective when it comes to him.”

  Aurania looked back at the group with a hard expression. “Elias comes.”

  He finished tweaking the neural link and moved over to sit with Riza, smiling from ear to ear as he geared up. Everyone was in good spirits. The progress towards saving Nox and the hope of finding more answers on Piria was a huge morale booster.

  The Ghost of Mandachor descended toward the surface in a slow glide. The planet stretched out below in a shimmering pale basin, like a cracked mirror dusted in bone-white salt. Unlike the jagged canyons and scorched ridges of Philos, this region was deceptively calm. Wind whipped thin lines across the flats, carving shallow patterns that looked almost too symmetrical to be natural. The landing struts hissed as they touched down. A distant ridge loomed to the west, barely breaking the monotony of the horizon.

  Tamiyo glanced through the viewport and exhaled. “Doesn’t look so bad.”

  “Honestly a little boring compared to the last planet,” Amalia chirped.

  As Soren breached the starboard hatch, Tamiyo popped up to the cockpit and said, “Good landing! Take care of her while I’m gone!”

  Raine turned and gave a thumbs up with a big smile. “Go on, have fun with your fancy link thingy.”

  Tamiyo laughed and said, “Will do,” then followed the team down the ramp. The salt crust crunched beneath her boots, light and powdery. The air was dry, sharp, and strangely still. It reminded her of a hospital somehow. Sterile, empty, and waiting.

  From their landing site, they could see the remains of the research lab in the distance, tucked against a low ridge. The building’s structure had weathered the millennia surprisingly well. Tarnished metal plating, a collapsed antenna, and a cracked solar panel array were the only real signs of damage she could spot. She didn’t see any signs of movement.

  Aurania brought the group to a halt just before the descent path curved downward toward the site. “Riza, overwatch.” They’d done this a hundred times or more. If anything even sneezed at the group, the sniper would see it.

  Riza nodded and peeled off, climbing toward an overlooking outcrop.

  The rest moved in.

  Inside, the lab was dim and lifeless. Dried dust covered half-collapsed workstations, cracked glass, and faded markings. Tamiyo recognized the chaotic scribblings on the walls from her translation work with Soren.

  She and Elias moved toward the central console, and she quickly got it operational. Light bloomed through the cracked holo-projection, flickering but stable. The system was older than anything she'd worked with before, but the translation database she had built worked wonders.

  “Alright we’re in,” she said. “Extracting data now. We’ll have to decrypt this one too before we can get anything useful.”

  Aurania nodded. “Good, get it quickly and let’s get out of here.” She stood near the main entrance, close enough to cover the team but far enough to intercept any threat coming through the primary doorway. Her posture was relaxed, but her eyes kept scanning all around.

  Elias was crouched beside Tamiyo, tablet balanced on one knee, glancing between her neural output and the lab’s flickering display. He was calm and collected, like this was just another day.

  Inelius had positioned himself near a collapsed terminal on the room’s north side, half-hidden behind broken shelving. Violet leaned against a wall opposite the main console, and Veolo was slowly pacing along the right flank of the chamber while Soren paced the left.

  Amalia had taken up a spot near the back exit, rifle slung low and fingers absently drumming against her thigh. Her stance was casual like usual, but her eyes were sharp, flicking between the door and Tamiyo every few seconds. She was always lighthearted, but she didn’t let it keep her from being prepared.

  “Extraction at 60 percent,” Tamiyo said.

  Time stretched, filled only by the soft buzz of the holo-display and the distant groan of aged metal battling wind.

  Riza’s voice crackled through comms. “Conservatory dropship inbound, coming in quiet. ETA forty-five seconds. Engage?”

  Everyone froze.

  Aurania hesitated, then finally said, “No. We’re close. They don’t know we’re here, we finish this and get out clean.”

  Tamiyo swallowed. Her palms were sweating inside her gloves. The relay pinged again, 70 percent. So close.

  Several minutes passed as anxiety grew thick.

  90 percent.

  And then something shifted in the signal. The data stream cut off with a high-pitched whine only she could hear.

  “Chingada madre,” she spat.

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  Soren looked over with an amused expression. “Was that Spanish?”

  She let a frustrated noise out, half laugh, half scoff. “Yeah, I’ve been studying more about Earth since I met you.” She stood and looked at Aurania. “They severed the fuckin’ stream.”

  Aurania looked back at her, head tilted to the side. “Welp, should’ve had you shoot them Riza.” She turned to the door that led deeper into the facility. “Form up, safeties off. Let’s go get some.”

  Although nervous about the impending fight, Tamiyo couldn’t help but osmose the group’s excited energy. Soren moved up near Amalia, and a second later, Veolo joined them, almost bouncing with anticipation. The group formed up, Tamiyo and Elias at the rear, and progressed through the door.

  Soren took point, rifle shouldered and eyes scanning every intersection as they moved through the fractured corridors. Veolo stayed just behind him, one hand on his back for coordination and her rifle in the other, barrel to the ceiling. The hallway ahead opened into a long chamber where structural support beams had buckled and sagged with age. Despite the decay, the room was still operational, lights flickered low overhead, and fresh scuffs marred the floor.

  They weren’t alone.

  Tamiyo had never seen Conservatory soldiers before, but she recognized the aesthetic all the same. Heavy white ballistic armor built for durability, not stealth. There was a clear emphasis on both intimidation and resilience, each one looked like a mini-tank on legs. Their faces were completely enclosed in their helmets, and the chest plate also showed signs of advanced cybernetic augmentations. Thick plating ran along their arms and legs with ballistic mesh where they needed to bend. Inside their gauntlets, Tamiyo spied small cords for some unknown purpose.

  She counted ten adversaries in nearly identical armor, each carrying rifles that looked more advanced than what their team held. An eleventh enemy wore sleeker, more advanced armor, and had a large handgun holstered on his thigh. He had the same white aesthetic with black accents, but just the way he carried himself told her he was in charge.

  Everyone took cover as they trained rifles on the Conservatory soldiers. But a moment later, the leader turned and faced them. He knew they were there. He didn’t order any of his men to take cover. Instead, he lifted a palm towards them and calmly said, “We don’t need to fight. I’m sure none of us want casualties today.”

  Tamiyo’s heart was pounding, it was one of the most tense situations she’d ever been in.

  No one moved for a few seconds.

  “Orders?” Soren asked.

  She held a moment more, then quietly said, “Tamiyo, if this goes sideways, send in the Rods of God.”

  “Copy, Boss,” Tamiyo said.

  “Soren, Veolo—forward,” Aurania said. She advanced with them while everyone else held position.

  Elias guided Tamiyo up away from everyone, seeking solace in a far corner with a good view of everyone in the room. She activated the targeting overlay, and her vision adjusted. Faint silhouettes of the enemy team highlighted, transmitting everyone’s position to Riza. Anyone Tamiyo had eyes on, Riza could zero in on through solid walls from 1,000 or more yards away, color coded for friendly or foe.

  As Soren, Veolo, and Aurania approached, two of the Conservatory soldiers moved forward to put themselves between their leader. Soren and Veolo did the same for Aurania. Everyone kept their rifles at a neutral position as they approached, but the tension was thick enough to swim through.

  “I am known as Sable,” The lead figure said. “And you—” he pointed toward Soren, “—are not what I expected.”

  Soren said nothing.

  Sable’s tone stayed calm. “I saw you move on Philos. Cutting across that ridge. Not many humans move like that. Most things don’t either.”

  The way he said it, Tamiyo recognized the tone all too well. This human didn’t even see the lacravida as people, or Inelius, or her for that matter.

  “I wasn’t aware I left an impression,” Soren said flatly.

  “You did.” Sable let the silence linger. “That wasn’t training. That was augmentation.”

  No one answered.

  He took a few steps forward. Then he looked around at Soren’s allies, palms facing up, casual and assessing. Tamiyo got an uneasy feeling at the way his gaze lingered on her a moment longer than the others.

  “Why do you surround yourself with these disgusting creatures?” Sable said casually, as if asking why the sky was blue. “You are human, a very fine specimen of human at that. Wouldn’t you rather be among your own kind?”

  Soren didn’t even hesitate. “I already am.” His voice was dripping with venom.

  “You invited us to speak as if you think you have the upper hand,” Aurania spoke up. “You seem an intelligent… creature, Mr. Sable.”

  The man stared back, but didn’t answer.

  “I would caution you against fighting us,” Aurania said. “We’re protected by the Ghost of Proxinara, I’m sure you’ve heard of her.”

  That caught his attention. “Riza Emberfell?”

  “One and the same,” Aurania said.

  Sable was quiet for a moment.

  Then one of his soldiers spoke up, the one standing in between him and Veolo. “I think they’re bluffing, sir. Emberfell is not one of the creatures present in the room.”

  Tamiyo heard Aurania chuckle.

  “All I hear is a bunch of big talk from a bi-pedal milk cow,” the soldier said.

  Veolo made a tch sound, then spat, “And all I hear is a bunch of whining from a bi-pedal bitch.”

  The air cracked.

  The soldier made a move, fast and aggressive—

  But Veolo had already planted her back leg, and she drove all her weight behind her hoof, slamming it straight into his chest. The impact was brutal—the man flew backward, smashing into a support column with a metallic crunch that shook the dust from the ceiling.

  Everything happened at once.

  Aurania opened fire with her massive handgun. Soren put himself between Veolo and the enemies. They both returned fire as all three moved back towards allies.

  “Light em up,” Tamiyo said.

  A moment later, a hole exploded in the wall and a red-highlighted target met the business end of Riza’s cannon. His body slammed down into the concrete floor.

  Sable moved much quicker than the others. He tried closing in on Veolo and Aurania, but Soren put himself in the middle.

  He grabbed Soren’s rifle and controlled the barrel to avoid being hit.

  Soren let go.

  For a moment, the two brawled hand-to-hand. Soren was much larger and stronger, but Sable moved with lightning-fast reflexes.

  After several traded blows, he grabbed Soren’s wrist. His advanced armor glowed as something charged in the gauntlets. Electricity coursed into Soren, pulling a low, grunting scream from him. Bolts danced out from his armor as the strong current looked for somewhere to go.

  Then Sable delivered a powerful open palm to Soren’s chest that had some sort of repulsor tech behind it. Clad in armor, Soren was well over 800 pounds, but he still flew backwards over ten feet before landing on his back and skidding up against a wall.

  He didn’t get back up.

  Gunfire erupted all over the chamber. Violet, Amalia, and Inelius laid down suppressive fire to cover Veolo and Aurania’s retreat. The Conservatory soldiers answered with disciplined bursts, moving in tight angles and trying to box them in.

  Tamiyo ducked low as sparks sprayed above her from a shot that clipped the corner of her cover. Her HUD flickered with rapidly shifting outlines, enemies repositioning, one of them ducking behind a console, another trying to flank through debris.

  BOOM.

  A massive round tore through the wall just past the far-right pillar. One of the Conservatory soldiers vanished from Tamiyo’s overlay, a red signature blinking out as his body slammed sideways like a ragdoll.

  Riza was dialed in.

  Tamiyo grinned.

  With Veolo safe, Aurania now advanced mid-field. She was surprisingly agile, spinning her massive axe up from the floor and carving toward an enemy. He tried to block with his rifle, but it didn’t matter. The blade split the rifle and body clean.

  She kept moving. Two steps, pivot, drive. She was a rampaging wall of momentum, shouting something Tamiyo couldn’t hear over the noise.

  The building shook again as another body vanished.

  Riza was hunting.

  Tamiyo pivoted to make sure Riza maintained visual—

  And the neural feed stuttered.

  Her vision warped, outlines jittered, and a low whine buzzed through the back of her skull like a tuning fork pressed to bone. “Shit,” she hissed, fingers flying to adjust the relay.

  Elias dropped to a crouch beside her and quickly tapped through his tablet. “Link’s overheating. Feedback loop in the targeting buffer. Hang on—”

  He reached over and physically jostled one of the spinal nodes just enough to reseat it.

  Her vision cleared. Tamiyo blinked as the data refreshed, solid and sharp again.

  “There we go,” Elias smiled as a fresh red outline locked into her HUD. “Come on. Let’s show those SERC bastards what you’re capable of.”

  Tamiyo gave a quick nod, the smallest smile tugging at her mouth.

  She looked back to the field, and for a moment, she couldn’t find Aurania. Tamiyo turned and caught a glimpse of motion to the left. Aurania had circled wide and somehow gotten behind several of the soldiers. One never saw it coming. Seven-feet-eight-inches of angry lacravida drove the axe down like thunder.

  The man split in half at the waist. The torso collapsed in a spray of sparks and blood, legs folding where they stood.

  Tamiyo’s stomach twisted at the sight, but she forced her focus back up—

  Where is Sable?

  She scanned her overlay. She couldn’t find him. She had no line of sight.

  Her pulse skyrocketed. Did he flee? Slip away in the chaos?

  Tamiyo froze.

  Sable emerged from the pillar to her left.

  Everything moved in slow motion.

  His palm reached toward her face. She saw all of the conduits along the palm of his glove. She saw electrical conduits already charging. She was terrified, but he was too fast for her to dodge.

  She thought of Soren, hoping he was able to get back up. She thought of the friends she had made over the past few months. How they had grown into family. She thought of Walter. The moment dragged on for an eternity.

  Elias’ arm shot in front of her face.

  Tamiyo's past was filled with trauma. Some of it had started to heal. Much more still lay blocked out and suppressed. But the way Elias screamed—

  The way his body jerked.

  She felt something tear in her soul.

  And she didn't think she'd ever be able to forget that.