Ethan guided the mech upward, the machine's frame groaning faintly as it climbed. This time, he didn't rush. When Shatterstar reached the Diamond Layer, he paused, eyes narrowing. Blackie and the others, watching through the comm link, had no idea what he was planning until a thin, precise beam lanced out from the mech's arm. The laser cut cleanly into the glittering wall of stone, shaving out neat one-meter blocks of raw adamant.
Each block slid into the mech's bay with a dull thud. Ethan's grin stretched so wide it hurt.
"I'm rich," he muttered, almost breathless. "Rich beyond measure. The Star of Africa, the Cullinan—they're pocket change compared to this."
Any single chunk of what he pulled out would eclipse the greatest diamonds on Earth. This trip to Umbral Star wasn't just a mission anymore; it was fortune incarnate. With this much wealth, the Steele Consortium would kneel before him.
