The hum of the ship's engines was steady, winding down as it approached its mooring. After Farlight, the thunderous skies and scorched surface of Pyrosia outside the hangar doors almost felt reassuring.

“Nice and easy,” Leonye murmured, glancing back at Siliko and Selune, the journey back had been spent mostly in silence, though his wits seemed mostly restored. With the vessel fully docked, the trio took a moment to collect themselves as the outer hatch opened automatically, the acrid scent of Pyrosia’s sulphuric atmosphere filling the shuttle. Leonye stepped out first, seemingly desperate to escape the confines of the craft but paused at the top of the ramp. The hellscape before him, framed by the towering doors of the hanger that had slowly begun to close felt oddly welcoming after the chaos they had just left behind.

He took a deep breath, the sulphur-laden air stinging his lungs but grounding him all the same. “Never thought I’d be glad to smell this again,” he muttered, thinking back to the exotic smells of the market at Farlight, a small, relieved chuckle escaping his lips. Selune, following close behind, shot him a wry smile, her expression laced with support for him as well as relief at being on more familiar ground.

The ramp lowered slowly with a soft thud against the metal floor of the landing pad, caked in ash and dust blown in by the ship. Their comrades appeared almost immediately, hurrying out to greet them. Cedrik was at the forefront, a mix of relief and concern upon his face. “Welcome back! You were quicker than expected, what happened out there? Siliko?” Cedrik pondered, noting the missing companion.

Selune shook her head, “We’re all fine, we got what we needed but I think Leonye, nay, all of us could do with a stiff drink. Hey Siliko, get out here!”

Siliko, popped out from behind the door, ever the deflector he grinned as he joined the group, hands resting triumphantly on his hips. “Worried about me eh? No fear, nothing a Dareblade couldn’t handle,” he quipped, though his unsteady gaze betrayed a hint of tension still simmering beneath the surface of the trio. 

As the initial flurry of questions died down, the trio exchanged glances, silently agreeing now was not the time to delve too deeply into recent events. Leonye shrugged off his tension like a cape, donning a wry smile. “Let’s just say Farlight was… eventful,” he remarked, lifting a leg to brush some ash from his boot. “But we’re back, and we’ve got what we need so let’s focus on what we can control. The Wardbreaker - how’s she holding up?”

Cedrik nodded, turning to Theron who was standing a little further back, caked in grease and scorch marks. “She took a beating during our entry. You could do with giving her a once-over but we got her into the main bay of the Wonder, she’ll fly, eventually and the worst of the systems are patched up for now.”

Selunes eyes widened in alarm noticing now the severity of Theron’s many burns and grazes, rushing forward, already reaching for her med-kit, “By the divines what happened to you!”  

Theron was taken aback, stammering as Selune began to tend to his injuries, “I’m not an engineer, some…repairs were a little tricker than I thought they would be.” 

“He couldn’t tell a plasma wrench from a hammer….” Elowen piped up, a sarcastic twinge in her voice. “Perhaps let's get you all some tea and we can update each other on what has transpired in the few days you’ve been gone.” 

Leonye gave a half-smile at Elowen, but his gaze shifted to Theron, bemusement mingling with his usual pragmatism. “Tea sounds good.But first, let’s make sure Selune can patch you up properly, Theron. I’ll have a look at the Wardbreaker after, see what I can do to get her flight-ready.” 

Selune, still fussing over Theron, gave a firm nod. “You’ll live,” she said, her tone condescending. “But let’s not test your luck any further, alright? From what I’ve already seen, that engine is a deathtrap.” 

Theron chuckled softly. “You sound like my mother.”

“Then I’m in good company,” Selone retorted, finishing tending to Theron's wounds with a flourish. 

With everyone now more or less settled back into the comfort of familiar faces, the group began to amble their way towards the control room. It had changed a fair amount since last the Farlight crew laid eyes on it. The central consoles were now devoid of clutter with a ramshackle seating area arranged with chairs nearby. 

“Oh, you’ve redecorated,” Siliko remarked, “I don’t like it.” 

Elowen rolled her eyes with a smile. “Oh because the place looked so lovely when you were the sole resident. Just bringing a little order to the chaos.” 

The group chuckled, each of them taking a makeshift seat as Cedrik prepared piping tea for all. The mood lightened as the group took a moment to enjoy the brief respite, the gradual sharing of updates on the Wardbreaker and Endless Wonder bringing both optimistic hope and concern in equal measure. Eventually, the conversation turned to what had happened on Farlight.

Elowen took a sip from her cup, setting it down and leaning forward slightly in her chair looking towards Leonye. “Alright, time is ticking away from us. Catch us up on what happened at Farlight. The short version.”

Leonye took a breath, sharing a glance with Selune and Siliko before starting. “We got the supplies we needed and ran into Siliko’s former employer, Zalen, and made a hasty departure, that about sums it up.” 

Narrowing her eyes, Elowen shifted her attention to Selune, “Anything to add?” She turned to Siliko before continuing, “You weren’t spotted were you?”

Selune sighed, setting down her cup, “I don’t believe so. Siliko wasn’t with us when we encountered Zalen so they shouldn’t suspect too much, though I doubt our hasty departure went entirely unnoticed. Though as Siliko mentioned before our departure, if he is after the Entropy Resonator, Zalen is definitely not the type to be allowed such an artefact, heaven knows what he could do with it. Also…” Selune paused, looking at Leonye who had begun to busy himself tinkering with an already fully functional terminal.

“Also?” Cedrik interjected, eyebrow raised.

Leonye looked up from the terminal he was tinkering with, a shadow crossing his face as he took a deep breath. “Zalen…he took a rather intense interest in me. Called me his potential ‘pet’. In fact his very interest in our people as servants was… Unsettling to say the least.”

The room fell silent for a moment before being interrupted by an overly jovial Siliko. “Well, at least now we know what to offer if we ever need to negotiate with him.”

“Siliko!” Selune snapped, her voice punctuated with shock and disgust. 

Siliko raised his hands defensively, the smirk still lingering on his lips despite the sharpness in Selune’s tone. “Kidding, I’m kidding,” he said sheepishly. “No one’s selling Leonye’s services - unless we’re really desperate.”

Leonye shot him a look that was equal parts irritation and exhaustion. “You know Siliko, I appreciate the offer but given your contractual support of our mission and personal experience I will leave that area of expertise to you.”

Siliko pouted, shaking his head as Elowen drew his attention with a side-eyed glare, leaning back in her chair she addressed the group pensively. “Still, Zalen, or in fact anyone taking an interest in any of us could complicate things. We'll need to have our guard up.”

“He didn’t seem like the type to just ‘lose touch’, a Kromas and Illadrian is bound to have peaked his curiosity regardless of our tale.” Leonye mused, crouching down to place a few parts into a tool bag, “I don’t fancy an encounter with those escort drones of his either.”

As Leonye scooped up the strap of the bag and slipped it onto his shoulder, the fabric brushed lightly against his neck, soft, but firm. For a split second, the sensation was harmless but then, almost like instinct, his mind jolted back to Farlight.

His breath hitched. The grip of the strap against his skin was no longer just a strap. Zalen’s touch. Cold, invasive. He could feel the shade of Zalen’s hand tracing down his chest, a mocking whisper in his ear.

“I would delight in tearing you apart…Piece. By. piece…”

Icy shivers travelled down his spine. His pulse quickened, chest tightened, the room around him began to blur. The coolness of the facility fated, replaced by an eerie chill creeping across his skin. The distant hum of the consoles and chittering of his colleagues dulled to a low buzz in his ears, as if the world was slipping further away. For a moment, he was back in that market, looking upwards from his crouch, trapped under the weight of Zalen’s gaze, world closing in as the Kromas’s violet eyes broke into his very soul.

Leonye blinked rapidly, trying to shake the vision away. His grip on the tool bag strap tightened as he fought to steady his breathing. Fear and anger flashed in his mind as the confusion lingered, twisting his insides.

Get a grip, Leon, he told himself. Focus.

Snapping himself free Leonye straightened up, forcing his gaze back to the group, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something inside him had been disturbed in a way he couldn't quite grasp. As his attention zoned back in his ears were met with Elowens assertive tones.

“...agreed. Our primary mission now is to try and secure the resonator before Zalen can get his hands on it, he might have his own plans but a device like that, if it even does exist, could threaten Illadria, especially in Kromas hands. Leonye, when you’re ready, you and Cedrik take a look at the Wardbreaker and see what’s salvageable meanwhile we will keep Theron far away from any machinery and get the supplies you brought loaded onto the Endless Wonder and install any parts we can. And after that..” 

Elowen cast a glance towards the towering bulk of the Endless Wonder visible beyond the control room’s window. “...we can get that beauty flying.” Her gaze shifted back to the group, her tone sharpening slightly. “But first, our primary mission now is to secure the resonator before Zalen can get his hands on it.”

Leonye, still steadying himself from his flashback, glanced up, his brow furrowed. “Our mission is to gather intelligence and eliminate threats if needed. But is chasing one Kromas over a potentially mythical relic really worth our limited resources?” He looked over to Selune for reassurance but was surprised to be met with her looking pensive. “Selune?”

Selune looked up, as if she had just returned from a shocking vision too. “I…Think Zalen might be someone we can't afford to ignore, chasing a myth or not.”

“Elaborate?”

“Something he said about his drones, mentioning that he made them himself…” Selune trailed off, glancing around at the group, who all looked equally puzzled by her musings. “Well, as you all know, there was a coup on my planet—when the Mirok family took over and... redefined our culture. They reshaped Kromas society entirely, turning manual labour and research into something beneath us - almost sacrilegious. Remaining a healer, like I did, would have been considered heresy.”

She paused, her voice hardening. “My point is, if Zalen really did create those drones himself, then he is a rebellious soul, with the drive and intellect to defy those cultural restraints. If he has no regard for what could happen to him should the family find out, then imagine what he could do with the resonator. In his hands, it would be devastating.”

“That doesn’t make things any better,” Theron muttered, leaning forward with a frown forming on his brow. “The fact that particular individual seems to have a…fetish for Illadrians only complicates things. It’s not just the potential in the ancient artefact, it's who he might target with it. We know nothing about his motivations but you don't start chasing legends without a reason.”

Leonye shifted uneasily, clearly not thrilled with being a potential target of Zalen’s obsessions. Theron sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We’ve got to try and get to it first, and with any luck Illadria will have communications restored soon and can weigh in.” 

There was a brief, heavy pause. The weight of their mission had suddenly become more tangible, if uncertain. A passing adversary was no longer just a vague threat on the horizon; their obsession had made them a danger they could no longer afford to ignore.

Selune stood, breaking the silence, her tone decisive. “Then we don't waste time. We start with the preparations. Leonye, Cedrik, check on the Wardbreaker. Theron, you stay with me so I can make sure you don't injure yourself and become a bigger problem. Elowen, lets double check the supplies from Farlight and see what we can do about installing them but we can leave anything too technical to the boys”

Elowen raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at her lips. “I say, Miss Selune. Didn't know you had such fire in you.” Gathering up a datapad from the table, her brow furrowed. “It’s a long shot but we should check any databases we have access to and see what we can find about the resonator, if anything.”

Stretching lazily, Siliko stood before casting a wink at Leonye. “I’ll be on guard duty then. If anyone decides to come poking around. I’ll make sure they leave empty-handed. Or you know, just dont leave at all.”

Selune gave him a stern look. “Oh no you don't, you’re with us too, we’ll need help loading the supplies.”

Siliko sighed dramatically, giving a half-hearted shrug. “You know, it's a shame to waste my talents on hauling crates when I could be out there…playing with the enemy.”

Elowen chuckled, watching Siliko strut before turning back to her datapad. “Just don’t strain yourself,” she teased.

Pushing himself up Cedrik also rose, glancing at Leonye. “Come on, let's get to work while this lot plays. I'm not keen on staying still now that there is a known threat.” 

Leonye nodded, adjusting his toolbag carefully before turning away from the group. “See you all soon, don't let Theron get too badly hurt.” 

Splitting off the groups made their way towards their tasks with fervour. One group back towards the Kromas shuttle to deal with the supplies, while Leonye and Cedrik moved towards the Endless Wonder and the Wardbreaker held within.