The journey north was a silent, grim procession through a world holding its breath. The sky itself felt like a lid, pressing down after the demonstration of orbital power.
They moved in a single, heavily modified armored vehicle, leaving the wounded warehouse behind under the watch of a skeleton crew led by Fey and Aya. The core combat team—Julian, Celestia, Zoe, Emma, Veronica, Clarissa, and the ever-present Specter—was all that remained for this desperate diplomatic raid.
The vehicle, insulated with ore-scrambling plates, pushed through the increasing static of the dead zone. The world outside faded into the monochrome gloom and eerie lichen-glow Seth's people had described. Finally, the comms died entirely. They were in the blind.
