"Braker's Corporation controls sixty percent of military AI contracts." Thomas activated a holographic display that materialized above our table. There in full 3D glory were corporate structures, government contracts, and financial networks that spanned multiple star systems, there were even trade routes marked out. It was a vast network, almost like a spider web.

"Forty-five percent of advanced manufacturing, and has embedded assets in seven Coalition defense committees."

I leaned forward and studied the interconnected lines of Brakers territories and trade routes. The scope was staggering. They had far more assets than I'd ever imagined.

"They've been building toward monopoly status for decades," Catherine continued. "The only thing that kept them in check was technological competition from smaller firms and periodic government oversight."

"Until they began to harvest people's minds from corpses," Dr. Chen said, his face contorting. "That gave them advantages no legitimate research could match."

"The Academy massacre wasn't an isolated incident," Thomas continued.

"Wait, what?" I held up my hand

"Massacre?" Lev asked, his face pale.

Mac's parents traded glances. "You don't know?"

"Seems there are a lot of things I don't know."

"Mom?"

"There were sixty-four deaths reported at Razors the night you all vanished."

"Sixty-four?"

"Students?"

"Students and staff."

"I need to know who… who did they…"

Lev put his hand on mine. "Breathe."

I tried; I really did. "Lia?"

"Pulling it up from the database now, they buried it."

"They fucking would."

"Our intelligence suggests they've eliminated seventeen training facilities over the past decade. Conservative estimates put the death toll at over two thousand students, all killed for their neural patterns."

I studied the holographic display, recognizing some of the subsidiary companies and government connections. "How much of this is public knowledge?"

"Almost none," Thomas replied. "Official records show Braker as a diversified technology corporation with standard government contracts. The neural harvesting, the consciousness theft, the systematic elimination of competitors—all classified intelligence."

"Which is why Admiral Kuba's recent actions were so significant," Catherine added. "He successfully exposed General Torven before the harvesting operation at your Academy could be completed. Torven and seventeen other Braker operatives have been taken into custody."

"What about Chezek?" I asked, though I suspected I already knew the answer.

Thomas's lips thinned. "Chezek escaped during the raids. Our latest intelligence shows he's now operating directly from Braker Corporate Headquarters as a senior asset acquisition specialist. He's not a conflicted operative—he's fully corporate."

The pieces clicked into place. "That's why he contacted us. Not to help, but to offer us a choice: voluntary surrender or forcible extraction."

"Exactly," Catherine confirmed. "Braker Corporation has moved beyond covert operations to open corporate warfare. They're confident enough in their embedded government assets to operate without fear of prosecution."

Mac's face had gone pale as he processed the true scale of what they were up against. "This is bigger than just revenge for the Academy."

"Which is why you can't move against them directly," I realized. "If you exposed Braker, it would reveal your intelligence sources and methods."

"Exactly." Catherine closed her eyes for just a second, exhaling. "But a private corporation like Frost Enterprises discovering evidence through legitimate business operations? That's different."

Lev almost tipped his chair over as he leaned in. "You want us to gather evidence while building competitive advantages."

"We want you to succeed," Catherine corrected. "The evidence gathering is simply a beneficial side effect of legitimate business growth that just happens to threaten the Brakers monopoly."

"It's slightly more important than that," Thomas added, "you need to understand what you're really fighting. This isn't corporate espionage or competitive rivalry. Braker Corporation has weaponized the conscious mind itself. They're not just stealing technology—they're essentially stealing—souls."

"And they're operating with near-impunity," Catherine waved her hand at the holomap. "847 systems are under their jurisdiction through subsidiary contracts and embedded assets. They've essentially created a shadow government within the Coalition structure itself."

"Whatever you're talking about is getting everyone worked up," Sorrel said through open comms.

"Maybe we should avoid the specifics?" I asked.

"No, we need to get this worked out," Mac replied. "We don't have much time."

"It's their scale that now makes them vulnerable," Thomas said, manipulating the holographic display to show several long corporate structure charts. "Braker Corporation is its own enemy now; they've grown too large. They're too visible and too dependent on government contracts. They've made enemies of every competitor they've crushed and every official they've failed to corrupt."

"We dont want to match their military power," Catherine added. "What we want is to turn this vulnerability against them. All large corporations are slow to adapt and are often bound by bureaucracy. They're also vulnerable to public exposure. Our plan is to build a coalition of their enemies while you establish legitimate competition."

"I'll grab the whiskey," Lev said.

"Good idea," Thomas agreed. He manipulated the holographic display, and I moved in closer to focus on the shipping routes and transportation networks. "Lynx Corporation has been building a network of discreet clients who require specialized transport services. Research stations, independent colonies, anyone who needs equipment or materials that standard corporations won't handle."

"Like Dr. Martinez on Kepler Station," I added thoughtfully.

"Precisely. She's been trying to get neural interface hardware and bio-adaptive processors for eight months. The major shipping companies claim the route is too dangerous, but really they're following Braker guidelines about restricting advanced medical technology."

Mac straightened. "Braker controls some huge shipping routes, though, right?"

"Sadly, yes, through several subsidiary contracts and more than a few exclusive partnerships," Catherine confirmed. "They can't legally stop competitors from shipping advanced technology, but they can make it so expensive through regulatory capture and market manipulation that most competitors bail before they collapse."

"It's systematic monopolization disguised as market efficiency," Thomas said and flicked the screens away. "They eliminate their competition via any means necessary, tack on debts people can't pay back, buying up contracts again with bonded crews who can't pay off debts. They control huge supply chains through embedded assets, and worst of all, they are maintaining government support through strategic corruption. It's the perfect corporate ticking machine."

"Which makes it the perfect target," I said, understanding dawning. "Because perfect machines are brittle. They break when you remove key components."

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"Exactly," Catherine smiled. "We're not trying to destroy Braker Corporation overnight. We're trying to crack their monopoly, expose their crimes, and build viable alternatives. Let their own corruption and overconfidence destroy them."

Lev returned just in time with a tray of glasses and a bottle of whiskey. I picked the bottle up and poured myself a shot first, downing it.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded and handed him back the bottle. "Not really a drinker, but…"

"This is a lot to take in," Catherine said.

The shift from wine to harder alcohol seemed appropriate given the escalating stakes, and I welcomed a good measure even if it didn't have much taste.

Thomas swirled his glass around before drinking some. "The question is whether you're prepared for the reality of what this means," he met Mac's eyes dead on. "Braker Corporation doesn't just eliminate, they murder business competitors. They eliminate any threat to their corporate structure. Personal threats are worse, if they can't get to you, they'll go after anyone who knew you, knows you, or can be bought to betray you."

"I know," Mac replied quietly.

"They already tried to kill us once," I said. "The difference now is we understand what we're really fighting, and over time I hope we'll have the resources to fight ba—."

"Captain," Lia interrupted. "I have urgent information."

All conversation stopped.

"Lia?"

"You know I have several programs that help me monitor comms traffic."

"Yes, I know," she was really flustered.

"Well, I detected something concerning about our intended destination.

"What kind of concerning?" we all asked.

"Kepler Station ceased all transmissions forty-seven minutes ago. Their final communication was fragmented—partial distress signal mentioning 'containment breach' before complete communications blackout."

The room went silent except for the station's life support hum. The implications hit everyone simultaneously—our first mission had just become a potential rescue operation.

"Well," Thomas said grimly, studying the tactical implications. "It appears your first mission just became significantly more complicated."

Catherine activated her military-grade δ-Wave array—the kind that didn't wait for public lattice windows. "Priority ONI channel, encrypted burst to Admiral Kuba."

"Private lattice access confirmed," the device announced. "Unlimited bandwidth for ninety seconds."

"Admiral Kuba, ONI-11817, Kepler compromised. Faulkner on-route to intercept. Will keep you in the loop. Mission Tricon now on fasttrack."

One moment of silence, then a deep voice.

"Catherine, you have my full backing. Whatever it takes. We lost Simitar and Fairs End. Pulling back to recoup. Admiral out."

We all heard it.

"They lost the Simitar?" Lev asked, his voice cracking.

Catherine looked to him. "You know her?"

There were only a few times I'd ever seen him stumble. This time he went for the whiskey himself.

"You knew someone on her?" Catherine asked.

"Some of the friends I made here, on Cali, yes. They moved on to better pastures." He laughed. "Better… to end up as slag in some war, we shouldn't even be fighting?"

It was the way he looked at her. "I'm sorry," she put a hand on his. "We've all lost to the front line."

"How much of a head start do you think Braker has?" I asked turning them both back to me.

"If Dr. Martinez is in trouble," Mac said. "And they get there first..."

I finished. "We can't let that happen."

"Whatever you're working on, we need to do it faster, right."

"We need to leave now," Mac said.

"We'll move faster, like the Admiral said. Whatever it takes." Thomas and Catherine exchanged a look.

"This does change your mission parameters," Thomas said. "From routine transport to high-risk emergency response."

"And it proves our point about Braker's methods," Catherine added darkly. "They don't just compete for contracts—they eliminate research that threatens their monopoly. If Dr. Martinez was close to a breakthrough in consciousness transfer technology..."

"They'd kill her and steal her work," I concluded. "Just like they did to the Academy students."

"Are you prepared for that level of complexity?" Catherine asked, her eyes moving between each of us. "Because once you leave for Kepler Station, there's no guarantee you'll be coming back."

***

Catherine knew how to pick her words, yet Mac was the one who surprised me. "We're ready," he said. "As a team, we're ready."

"Lia," I asked. "Anything?"

"Nothing, Captain," she replied. "Kepler station is still dark."

"How fast can we get out there?" I asked, looking at Mac.

"With no actual plan?"

"With no plan," I replied.

"We can lock the new payload in the next four hours," Lia said. "Would you—"

"Yes, get that cargo onboard as fast as you can."

"So we are leaving now?" Lev asked.

I shook my head at him. "You have to stay."

"What? Why?"

"Captain Crai will come in twenty-four hours for her brother. You are the best man for the job of keeping her at bay."

"The ship?"

"Do as much as you can, call in whoever you need. Use the funds to make the Ring fully operational."

"Fully operational?"

"I'm trusting you to get Frosts firmly on the map." I looked to Catherine. "Whatever it takes, right?"

She nodded. "Work with Lev while we're out in the dark."

"We will," she confirmed. "I'll bring him up to speed.

"There will be no hiding if I start moving things that large." Lev said.

"You'll be fine," I replied. "You know where to start?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Seriously?"

"Nyx can stay with you also, Lia, and he can help coordinate anything you need."

"You want the Brakers AI with me?" There was a shadow of doubt across his features, but then he nodded. "I'll get it done."

"He'll need significant other investors," Thomas said.

"A hundred and fifty million isn't enough?" Mac gawped.

"With that money, I can secure some of what we need already. But, what we need most is going to be security and weapons, that will take a lot more capital."

"We'll find it for you," Thomas said.

"You know anyone?"

"Talia," Lev said without hesitation.

"Then hire them in," I replied and stood. I wobbled. "That wine was great, but... shouldn't have had the whiskey."

Mac produced a small vial. "I don't like to use it, but I feel you'd benefit from flushing it out of your system." He slipped out a pill each, and we downed them with water.

"Get us back to our ship," I said to him.

"Yes, Captain."

"You can drop us off on the way, there's a station we can meet one of our transports at," Thomas said. "Moving now is paramount if they're still alive out there."

"I hope they are," I said.

"Wei," I said through comms.

"Yes, Peyton," he replied, clearly busy with something. "Lev will be back with Nyx for you. But we need Sorrel, now."

"She's on her way, we've been listening."

"You'll be fine, Lev is top of his field."

"I know, doesn't stop me from worrying, we're only just setting up and we have grade A pirated on us."

"I trust you both," I said. "Bring it home."

"Will do," he replied, and then cut the comms.

We all left together, while Mac and Thomas piloted the skiff, Catherine and Lev started to pull together a plan. That hour was not wasted.

***

Seeing the Faulkner gleam under Ring-14's docking lights, fresh polymer patches stark against the original plating-like scars on pale skin, was wonderous from here. Finally, we were heading into the deep dark.

<<Nervours,>> Lia said. <<Or excited?>>

<<Both,>> I replied.

<<Me too, but—>> she paused. <<I can't wait to sit beside you, for real.>>

<<Your core?>>

<<Yes, while I can run everything the Faulkner is blindfolded. I want to experience it with my hands.>>

That gave me a lot to think about. Two shuttles and cargo containers were already being moved across the dock as we strode toward her. "Are we good?" I asked. "Is there anything I need to do?"

"We're good," Sorrel replied. "They're ahead of schedule, processing us on a fast track."

"You mean cutting into profit?" Mac asked.

"Yes, I paid for faster production," she admitted. "We'll be clear to leave within an hour."

"Then how long till we can reach Kepler?"

"With dropping off at the halfway point, sixteen hours, then another sixteen hours and one space jump to Kepler station."

"We got enough fuel?" I asked. "With that slush in the tanks?"

Mac called up the ledger overlay, numbers materializing in amber before shifting to blood-red as the calculations completed.

"Outbound leg drains the day-tanks—₵120,000 gone in one roar," he announced, scrolling through the fuel projections. "Same fee again on the ride home, so ₵240,000 in torch-fuel before we see Cali again."

Lev whistled low. "And two jump shots at ₵550,000 a pop—₵1.1 million just to fold spacetime?"

"Add the fuel and nickel-and-dime port fees," Mac concluded, tapping the total with mock ceremony. "₵1,390,000 torched in thirty-two hours."

"Good thing Lynx is covering the bill," Sorrel observed, looking up from her med-scanner. "And dangling ten million profit."

Mac's grin was pure relief. "Finally, a job where the fuel bill doesn't make me weep."

<<Pure torch-slush loaded,>> Lia noted, with electronic satisfaction. <<260 tonnes aboard for return journey. At current consumption rates, it is sufficient for six additional courier operations.>>

"Translation," Mac said, "we can actually afford to fly like professionals instead of counting every gram of propellant."

"Don't get cocky," I warned, though I felt the same relief washing over me. "Ten million only comes if we complete the mission."

"And come back alive," Thomas added pragmatically, not looking up from his tactical slate.

"Let's get cracking then," Mac said and scooted on past us.

Less than an hour later, as Lia had said, we were ready for launch.

"Final systems check complete," Mac reported from the command chair. "All green across the board, though the atmospheric recyclers are still running hot from the recent repairs."

"No tracking devices, no surveillance equipment. The ship's clean." Lev reported in. "You're good to go."

<<Launch readiness confirmed." Lia confirmed. <<Estimated transit time to secure drop coordinates: fourteen hours, thirty-seven minutes.>>

"Fourteen hours we don't have," I muttered, watching through the viewport as Thomas and Catherine were helping Nyx with the tech they'd brought with them.

"Peyton, would you come down and help Thomas with the new relays?"

We glanced at each other, then at Mac. "Go," he said. "I've got everything up here. Departure will not be an issue."

"Shout if you do need us."

"I'll watch," Lia said. "I'm watching all of you."

"Sorrel, too?"

"She's making sure our cargo doesn't move when we jump."

"Good call."

I passed Catherine on our way to the lower decks. "It shouldn't be too hard to slide your relays with ours, right?"

"Just have to go into small spaces?" I asked.

"You're small enough," she replied and laughed.

We'd installed two of her relays before being called back to the CIC

"Departure clearance confirmed," Mac announced. "Cali control grants priority transit routing."

Neural Stability: 89% (+1%)

Cash on Hand: 150,000,000 credits (+150,000,000)

Public Trust: 0 (+15) Fleet: 2 hulls (1 operational)

New: Lynx Corporation partnership established

Mission: Kepler Station emergency response - Status unknown

Cargo Value: 50,000,000 credits (medical equipment)

Mission Payment: 10,000,000 credits (now hazard pay)

Threat Level: CORPORATE WAR - Braker Corporation (847 systems, 7 defense committees)

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