Nothing happened without Liam.
That was the conclusion Mezos disliked most.
For six days, they repeated the palace survey under different conditions. New drones crossed the guarded perimeter. Power sources changed. Relays were replaced with isolated units that had never touched the imperial network. They varied frequencies, shielding, sensor loads, and even the amount of ether carried by the machines themselves.
Felix's palace remained irritatingly cooperative.
The entrance opened.
Interior systems activated.
The drones returned intact.
No signal followed them back.
Mezos stood over the operations console, one hand braced against its edge as he reviewed the latest run. His brace was gone now, though his fingers still stiffened after prolonged use. He wore dark field trousers and a fitted black jacket, already equipped with the local recorders Severin had approved.
"Same route," he said. "Thirty-eight minutes inside. Nothing."
