Elara had just finished reassembling a small mana pistol when her door slid open without warning
But fast enough that the pressure shift rattled the loose casing on her worktable.
Her weapon was in her hand before she registered who stood in the doorway.
“Ironbelly.”
He filled the frame.
Bare chest still dusted with salt from Shor’kai’s wind. Trousers. No boots. No armor.
Which meant this wasn’t ceremony.
This was urgency.
“Pack,” he said.
No preamble. No explanation.
Elara rose slowly, pistol still angled toward the deck.
“Good evening to you too, Captain.”
His eyes didn't flick to the weapon.
This was new. He never entered her quarters unannounced.
Not once since she’d come aboard. He didn't even come down the crew quarters. He believed there should always be a place away from leadership where the lowest man could bitch and complain.
She set the pistol down deliberately.
“What’s burning?”
“House Voss.”
The air changed. Not dramatically. Not visibly. But something tightened behind her eyes.
“That’s not good,” she said quietly.
“No.”
She reached for her jacket.
“What do you know?”
“Probe. Shor’kai surf. Five thousand sister nodes.”
She paused mid-zip.
“Five thousand. Active.”
Her jaw set.
“Telemetry?”
“Unknown. Null spike tagged. Passed upstream.”
Ben.
Of course it was Ben.
She finished pulling the jacket on.
“They transmit?”
“Unknown. Impact severed uplink. Could have been others.”
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Her mind was already running ahead.
Nobility Compact clearance. Parallel intelligence channels. Corporate verification sweeps.
She moved to her locker and began selecting equipment without looking at him.
“You’re not waiting.”
“No.”
“Ashfall.”
“Yes.”
The word dropped like a stone into still water.
Danger surrounded Ben already.
Real danger.
Imminent.
She slung a go bag over her shoulder.
“You want me to find out how much they know.”
“Yes.”
“Through Compact channels or SoulCorp?”
“Both.”
She almost smiled.
“You’re asking for the impossible.”
“I'm asking for you.”
That landed harder than he intended. She looked at him then. Really looked. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t panicked. He was preparing for war.
“How long do I have?” she asked.
“Leaving as soon as we're loaded.”
“That’s not long.”
“It’s what we’ve got.”
She clipped a blade to her belt.
“Karn?”
“Stays. Too high profile.”
She figured.
“He won’t like that.”
“He’ll live.”
“And if I don’t?”
Ironbelly didn’t hesitate.
“You will.”
No bravado. Just certainty.
She studied him a moment longer.
“Transport?”
“Tarka. He owes me. Tramp freighter. Shielded. Magitech retrofits. Unremarkable. Sending a few crates with you.”
“That’s optimistic.”
“It’ll do. Don't blow it up. Rather not buy it.”
She sealed her pack.
“Rules of engagement?”
“Your choice. Just get it done.”
He pivoted toward the exit.
"Elara."
Her movement halted.
"Should they find you—"
"I'll vanish. I have nothing on me that can connect to you," she said, extending a data wafer. "Dead drop if that happens."
Their eyes locked for a moment and he nodded. Then left without another word.
Elara exhaled slowly. Five thousand probes. House Voss.
Ben glowing like a flare in the dark.
She opened her comm.
“Karn. Meet me in cargo bay. Now.”
***
Ironbelly moved through the Ember with long, deliberate strides.
Crew cleared instinctively. They knew when to get the hell out of his way.
He didn’t slow.
Ember’s voice followed him.
“Captain, probability of House Voss initiating formal Compact inquiry within thirty day cycles is 62%.”
“Not enough time.”
“No.”
“And the probability they deploy countermeasures?”
A fractional pause.
“Much higher.”
He increased his pace.
***
Karn stood beside a crate of stasis fields when Elara arrived.
He saw the pack. His expression didn’t change.
“You’re leaving.”
“Yes.”
“For what?”
“Information. House Voss is involved now.”
His eyes flicked toward the corridor she’d come from.
“Captain’s idea?”
“Yes.”
“And I’m not coming.”
It wasn’t a question.
“No.”
The word landed flat between them.
“I'm your partner.”
“Not for this.”
His jaw tightened.
“If House Voss moves openly,” she continued, “he’ll need you on Ashfall. Ben will need you.”
A shot to his gut would've hurt less. He knew she was right. He hated it anyway.
“I left with you to stand at your side,” he said quietly.
“And now, I’m asking you to stand somewhere else.”
Silence stretched as he stepped closer.
“House Voss doesn’t miss.”
“I know.”
“You expect me to stay here while you walk into the lion's den alone.”
“Yes.”
A muscle in his jaw flexed.
“Why?”
She met his gaze.
“Because if this is what I think it is, Karn… it’s not just about Ben.”
He waited.
“It’s about everyone.”
Something in his expression shifted
Not softer. Just heavier.
“Come back to me.” It wasn't a question.
“I intend to.”
She moved past him toward the exit hatch.
He didn't follow.
***
A small black shape stirred beneath the cargo rack's shadow.
House Voss held no meaning.
Nor did this Compact.
Only one word mattered to it.
Benjamin.
That, and the woman who sought to shield him.
The air carried Elara's scent—rich with resolve.
Alone.
Leaving.
Danger.
The small mass contracted tighter.
Then flowed silently into an open crate.
***
Tarka’s freighter looked exactly like what it was: forgettable.
Scuffed hull. Mismatched plating. Retrofit magitech conduits along the spine.
Elara didn’t look back at the Ember as the ramp sealed behind her.
Ironbelly watched from the bridge vidscreen.
Bare pads on cold metal.
The freighter’s engines flared and took off.
The wind from Shor’kai continued to howl beyond the cliffs.
Ironbelly watched the ion trail of the freighter fade.
Ironbelly tapped the ship wide channel.
“We have a deadline. Anyone not on board once we're loaded up gets left behind.”
