Shera did not keep us waiting.
Once the last Feran ships finished stabilizing the region around the destroyed rift, his voice came through the comm channel, calm and even.
"We will be returning to Feradros," he said. "Our headquarters world. I'll transmit the coordinates shortly. Please follow our lead."
A pause, then a faint shift in tone.
"You are guests. You'll be received accordingly."
The coordinates appeared on Aurora's console a second later, layered with authorization markers and transit lanes that immediately stood out as dense and restrictive.
Aurora studied them, then glanced at me. "No open jumps allowed," she said. "Every vector is controlled."
Shera's ship pulled ahead. We didn't jump immediately. Instead, both fleets cruised forward through open void, maintaining formation while distance stretched behind us in a slow burn.
It felt intentional. A transition rather than an escape.
