The ship docked at Veridian Crossing. Owen's CE had stabilized at 308. Tier 5, two stars. Not impressive by cosmic standards, but enough to notice the difference in how the station's ambient energy pressed against his skin.
Gorvax led him through a different section of the ring. Not the market. Not the docking bays. A corridor that sloped downward, its walls stained with something that wasn't rust. The air grew thicker. Heavier.
"Where are we going?"
"..."
The corridor opened into a cavernous chamber. A teleportation gate hummed at its center; a vertical ring of crackling violet light, its surface was rippling like disturbed water. Then Gorvax stepped through without hesitation and reluctantly Owen followed.
The transition was instant and disorienting. One moment, the sterile metal of Veridian Crossing. The next, rough stone, damp air, the distant sound of cheering.
