Asher didn't rush to the docks.
He already had what he needed.
The ship marked in the soul network would not leave quietly. It couldn't. Too much weight. Too many hidden systems.
Asher moved through the city as morning traffic picked up. Dock workers shouted. Chains rattled. Ships prepared to depart.
He blended in and watched.
Then he saw it.
A medium-sized cargo ship, old hull, recently reinforced. No flag. No visible trade mark. Guards stood watch, but they weren't port guards.
Private.
"That's the one," Asher said.
He waited until the ship began loading its final crates. When the last crate went in, Asher moved.
He didn't approach from the dock.
He went into the water.
Cold didn't bother him.
He swam under the hull and climbed silently onto the rear platform, slipping aboard unnoticed.
Inside, the ship was quiet. Too quiet.
Asher moved through narrow corridors until he reached the central hold.
Crates lined the walls.
Soul containers.
But fewer than expected.
