“Long-range sensors just picked up movement,” the tactical officer says, his voice tightening slightly. “Multiple signatures. Formation pattern.”
I’m on my feet before he finishes.
“Project it,” I order.
The display shifts instantly, the clean lines of financial data replaced by a wide-field sensor map, and the moment the signatures resolve, I feel something colder settle into place.
Not random.
Not scattered.
Organized.
“Combine fleet,” the officer confirms, unnecessary but automatic. “At least a vanguard group. More signatures trailing behind the initial wave.”
Vihl exhales slowly, his gaze locking onto the projection. “Well,” he mutters, “that didn’t take long.”
“They’re early,” I say, my mind already moving through possibilities, recalculating timelines that just collapsed.
“They’re prepared,” he corrects. “That payment wasn’t just about settling debt. It was positioning.”
“For what?” one of the crew asks, tension creeping into his voice.
“For this,” Vihl answers, gesturing toward the display.
I study the formation, the spacing, the vector of approach, and none of it suggests hesitation.
“They’re not here to negotiate,” I say.
“No,” Vihl agrees quietly. “They’re here because you just gave them a reason.”
I don’t respond to that, because the implication is obvious, and acknowledging it doesn’t change the situation.
“Estimated time to engagement?” I ask.
“Outer edge contact in six hours,” the tactical officer replies. “Full fleet convergence unknown.”
The hum of the ship feels louder now, heavier, like it’s responding to the shift in priority without being told.
Vihl steps closer again, his voice lower but no less intense.
“This is it,” he says. “This is the line. You fix it now, or we deal with this at full scale.”
“And how do you propose I fix it?” I ask.
He looks at me like the answer should be obvious.
“You return her,” he says.
The words hang there, simple and direct.
Clean.
Logical.
Necessary.
I hold his gaze, letting the weight of that settle fully before I answer, because this is the moment where everything branches.
