The ship touched down at Eclipse headquarters just as evening was settling over the city. The main doors opened with a hiss of equalizing pressure, and the team filed out onto the landing pad in various states of exhaustion. Some of the recruits were limping. Chen had a makeshift bandage wrapped around his forearm. Valencia's scanner was cracked down the middle but still somehow functional.
But they were all alive. All moving under their own power. And judging by the way they kept stealing glances at Noah, all of them were reevaluating exactly what kind of organization they'd joined.
Sam was waiting at the base of the ramp, his tablet already displaying preliminary mission reports from Sophie's field updates. He looked up as they descended, his expression shifting from professional interest to genuine surprise as he took in their condition.
"You look like you fought a war," Sam observed.
