Morning came quietly.
In a small briefing room tucked deep within the Intelligence Wing, Shadow stood beside Renn Varos, a holo-map of Noctyrr Prime hovering between them.
Shadow broke the silence first.
"We could bring Nightcoil."
He hesitated, then added, "He's new, but this would be a good experience for him."
Renn studied the map for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah. That can work."
He tapped the console again. Two new profiles appeared.
"I'll give you two more. Kess Rhyden and Marlin Vex."
Shadow's eyes flicked to the names.
"They've got four to six years in the Nightcrew. Night Warden rank." Renn continued.
"Urban shadow combat, demon tracking, silent neutralization, they're experts. You'll be fine."
Moments later, the four assembled.
Nightcoil stood a little straighter than usual, quiet in a way that was new for him.
Renn turned to face them.
"Here's the mission."
He didn't sugarcoat it.
"You're going back to Noctyrr Prime. Your objective is to locate and extract Elias Korrin, missing Imperial Auditor."
A file opened on the holo-screen.
"She knows trade routes, shipping lanes, corporate tax verification, and anti-money laundering audits. On paper, she's boring. In reality, she's a walking confession."
Renn's gaze hardened.
"This is a quiet op. No flags. No noise. You'll be issued civilian clothing and fake IDs. Once you're planetside, you're on your own."
He stepped back.
"Good luck."
The armored mini-van, disguised for urban transport, rolled smoothly onto Noctyrr Prime's surface. Neon light reflected off its matte panels as traffic flowed around them.
They hadn't even cleared the landing zone before private security approached.
"IDs."
Kess shot Shadow a sharp look.
Don't.
Shadow ignored it.
He handed over the fake credentials.
The guard scanned them, eyes narrowing as he began asking questions: where they were from, how long they planned to stay, who they worked for.
Shadow answered calmly. Smoothly. For all of them.
The scanner beeped.
The guard handed the IDs back and stepped aside.
"Move along."
The van pulled away.
The moment they were out of sight, Kess turned on Shadow.
"Why would you do that?"
Shadow kept his eyes forward.
"We couldn't risk a fight."
Kess shook his head.
"Yeah, but now we're logged somewhere."
Marlin cut in before it escalated.
"We comply, or we draw attention. I'd rather be on a list than in a firefight."
Shadow exhaled.
"What's done is done. We move forward."
He glanced toward the back.
"And you two are making Nightcoil nervous."
For the first time since joining the Nightcrew,
Nightcoil didn't have anything to say.
The van disappeared into the city.
And Noctyrr Prime closed in around them.