Page 62 of Sy

Sy bit back his smirk. Oh, he’d pay good credits to see this…

“Sit. Down!”Kraath snarled, the sound dangerous and threatening.

Vraal’s ass hit his seat with a thump.

“Next time you express that kind of opinion about our feral brethren, I will find you something unpleasant to occupy your hours. Like permanent latrine duty. Unless, of course, you’d like to discuss your opinions with our leader? That can be arranged.”

Vraal paled and muttered something Sy didn’t catch, but he didn’t look inclined to argue further. He didn’t blame him. Raalt was also feral now.

Kraath nodded to Tor.

“An orbital platform approaches.” The voice from Tor’s mouth carried harmonics that set Sy’s teeth on edge. “One hour until arrival.”

He gives truth. Ancient defenses rise,his legion whispered.We remember.

“The First One knows.” Tor’s head turned to Kraath with mechanical precision, his eyes vacant and cold as space itself. “We need to bring the weapon online.”

“What weapon?” Zeke stepped forward, his hands splayed on the tactical table. “Nothing in our defensive grid could?—”

“Your instruments are blind.” Tor’s lip curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “The legion remains, scattered through DNA, through technology. All connected. All remembering what was hidden here.”

“Why didn’t we detect this before?” Vraal’s voice cut through the tension like a plasma blade.

“How is it even possible to hide something that powerful?” Zeke slammed his palm against the table hard enough to make the hologram flicker.

“The shielding alone would require…” Another warrior started.

“Enough.” Kraath’s command silenced the room. “How long has this weapon been here?”

Ask,Sy’s legion pressed.Ask what is needed.

“What does the legion need?” The words were pulled from his lips reluctantly. “To bring the weapon online?”

Tor turned to him with that inhuman stillness. “Time.” A pause stretched like eternity. “And the human.”

Ice slid down Sy’s spine. “What human?”

“You’d better make it quick if the humans are evacuating,” Zeke cut in.

“Without the trigger, we cannot use the weapon.” Tor’s face remained expressionless, inhuman as a statue. “We need the human.”

Rage and fear collided in Sy’s chest like matter meeting antimatter. He crossed the space between them in two strides until he was right in front of Tor. “What trigger? Is it Lila?” His hands itched to grab Tor and shake answers out of him. “Did you do something to her?”

But Tor didn’t flinch.

Didn’t react at all to the fury radiating from Sy like heat from a star.

“You will not harm this body, warrior. Your legion knows better.” Those red eyes bored into him like laser sights. “Without the female, we all die.”

The garrison’smain hall blazed with light, stone walls amplifying the urgent tap of Ashley’s boots as she stormed to the front of the assembled crowd. Her mind raced through evacuation protocols while her staff herded the last stragglers into place. No time for lengthy explanations. They needed to move. She shoved aside thoughts of Sy’s words about human weakness. That particular ache could wait.

“Everyone, listen up.” Her voice cracked across the hall like a plasma whip, silencing confused murmurs. “Twenty minutes ago, garrison sensors detected a Latharian warship entering orbit.” She watched confusion ripple through the crowd. They all knew about the Lathar, their ancestors.

“Aren’t we allies with the Lathar?” someone called out from the back. “Perhaps it’s just a patrol?”

“It isn’t.” Ashley kept her voice steady, professional. “The ship belongs to the J’Raat clan. They don’t give a damn about humans, but they plan to wipe the Izaeans out. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be caught in the crossfire. And trust me, you don’t want to be collateral damage when Lathar warriors decide to play.”

The crowd surged with questions, fear threading through their voices. She raised her hand, cutting them off. The evacuation procedures had been drilled into everyone from day one, but this was no drill. The stakes were real, very real, and the clock was ticking.

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