The stars stretched like silver fire as the Ark drifted free of Halver's Reach. Its alien hull shimmered faintly against the void, serving as a silent warning to anyone watching. This was no ordinary ship.
Kael Ardyn stood at the command deck's viewport, hands clasped behind his back. The Overseer's words echoed in his mind: Fire burns brightest just before it consumes. He wasn't sure if she meant the Ark, Lyra, or both.
Behind him, Lyra adjusted the glowing glyphs of the Ark's interface. Her movements were slow and careful, yet her face showed strain. Kael studied her, caught between awe and fear.
"You don't have to push yourself," he said softly.
She glanced up, her eyes shadowed but steady. "The Ark listens better when I'm awake."
"That doesn't mean you should wear yourself out to keep it calm."
Lyra's lips curved slightly. "You sound like someone who cares."
Kael let the silence stretch, feeling tension in his chest. He did care—more than he could express. But he wasn't ready to say those words yet.
Before he could reply, Rhea's voice came from the side. "I hate to interrupt, lovebirds, but we have bigger problems."
Kael turned. Rhea leaned against the console, tossing a data chip between her hands. "Jorik's intel checks out. If you want proof about your brother, we'll find it on Veylos."
Veylos was no jewel of the stars. It was a scar—an empty world of jagged cliffs and endless dust storms. The surface was a wasteland, but beneath it lay sprawling tunnels, carved into cities by smugglers, mercenaries, and anyone with nowhere else to go.
As the Ark entered orbit, Kael's stomach knotted. This was a place where survival was a gamble, where trust was dangerous ground. Perfect for whispers about a man like the Ghost Admiral.
Rhea whistled as she scanned the surface. "Still smells like home. Veylos hasn't changed a bit."
"You've been here before?" Lyra asked cautiously.
Rhea smirked. "Once or twice. Always left before someone decided to shoot me in the back."
Kael shot her a sharp look. "And you're sure your contacts will talk?"
"Talk?" Rhea said, sliding a blaster into her holster. "No. But if we pay or threaten right, they'll sing."
They descended into the main warren through a rusted docking spire. The air smelled of oil and ozone, the tunnels lined with neon signs flickering in half-dead languages. Vendors peddled weapons, drugs, and stolen tech while mercenaries eyed Kael's crew with hidden interest.
Lyra stayed close to Kael, her eyes wide at the chaos. "This place feels… wrong."
Kael nodded. "Because it is."
Rhea led them through the crowd, weaving between stalls until they reached a dim cantina carved into the stone. The air was thick with smoke and the stench of cheap liquor. A dozen sets of eyes followed them as they entered.
At the back, a wiry man sat hunched over a table, scars crisscrossing his face. Rhea approached with a grin that didn't reach her eyes.
"Kaelen Vesk," she purred. "Still breathing, I see."
The man looked up, sneered, and spat on the floor. "Rhea. Didn't think I'd see your treacherous hide again."
Kael tensed, but Rhea slid into the seat across from him as if she owned the place. "Relax, Vesk. I'm not here to settle old debts. I'm here for information."
Vesk's eyes flicked to Kael, then to Lyra, then back to Rhea. "You're walking with strange company."
"Company that pays," Rhea said smoothly. She slid a small pouch onto the table. The faint clink of cred chips rang through the smoke. "We're looking for the Ghost Admiral."
The cantina grew silent. Even the music from the broken speakers faltered.
Vesk's face paled. "You don't say that name here."
Kael leaned forward, his voice low but firm. "Say it. And tell me where to find him."
Vesk hesitated, then finished his drink. "Rumors say he passed through Veylos a month ago. Recruiting. Building something bigger than the Council admits."
Lyra's eyes widened. "Recruiting for what?"
Vesk's gaze darted to her, then away. "Doesn't matter. You don't want to follow that trail."
Kael slammed his hand onto the table, rattling the cups. "I didn't ask if I wanted to. I asked where he went."
Vesk swallowed hard. "Out past the Shattered Belt. A mining colony turned fortress. They say he's building a fleet there."
Before Kael could press further, the cantina door crashed open. Half a dozen armed mercenaries marched in, weapons raised.
"Council bounty says alive," their leader barked. "But dead works too."
Kael cursed, reaching for his blaster. The cantina erupted into chaos.
Lyra ducked behind a table while Kael fired over her head as plasma bolts flew through the air. Rhea flipped a table, rolling into cover with a grin. "Ah, Veylos hospitality. Never disappoints!"
Kael dropped two mercs with clean shots, but the leader was armored, moving steadily through the storm. He aimed a heavy rifle straight at Lyra.
"Kael!" she cried.
Time slowed. Kael surged forward, tackling her to the ground as the bolt seared overhead. He rolled, braced, and fired—three shots to the chestplate. The leader staggered, snarling, before Rhea finished him with a shot to the visor.
Silence fell, broken only by the hiss of smoke.
Vesk was gone.
They staggered back to the Ark, battered but alive. Lyra sat in the medbay, her arm grazed by a plasma bolt, her face pale but defiant.
"You could've been killed," Kael muttered, his voice sharp with fear.
Lyra's eyes softened. "So could you. But you didn't let me fall."
Kael's chest tightened. He wanted to shout, to tell her she couldn't keep risking herself like this. But the words tangled in his throat, twisting into something else.
Instead, he reached for her hand, his voice low. "I meant what I said, Lyra. Whatever happens with Taren, whatever comes next, I won't lose you."
Her fingers curled around his, trembling but firm. "Then don't."
A Shadow on the Horizon
Later, Kael stood at the viewport, watching Veylos shrink into the void. His thoughts churned like storm winds.
Taren. Alive. Recruiting. Building a fleet. If the rumors were true, then the Ghost Admiral wasn't just a shadow in the Council's war machine—he was a rising storm.
Rhea joined him, arms folded, her expression unreadable. "Vesk wasn't lying. I've heard whispers too. If your brother's out there, he's not just surviving. He's winning."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Then I'll find him. And I'll learn the truth—whatever it is."
Rhea studied him for a long moment, then smirked faintly. "Just make sure it doesn't break you, Captain. Because if it does…" She let her thought trail off, eyes glinting.
Kael didn't answer. His gaze stayed fixed on the stars, where somewhere out there, his brother was waiting.
Alive. Dangerous. And closer than ever.