Lev didn't know what to expect, bar a miracle. Four hours after Talia's fleet docked, Ring-14 had become unrecognizable. What began as a research station now resembled a military installation preparing for siege. He stood in the expanded command center, watching tactical displays that showed defensive positions, patrol routes, and resource allocation across a facility that had tripled in operational capacity.

RING-14 SITUATION SIGMA

Value

Grid Integrity

93 % Δ+5 % / 15 min (Target 98 %)

Fusion Output

Core-1 97 % Core-2 96 %

Life-Support

243 % load (Fail @ 280 %)

Pop / Capacity

289 / 1,050 (incoming +263 %)

External Threat

3 × Braker C-Raiders ETA 4 h 12 m

"I can take you down," Talia said at his side.

"I'd be worried to disturb them. Just look at them..."

"They're professionals," she smiled at him. "You know that, you worked with almost everyone down there."

The comms beeped, and he looked at it.

"Slug" proudly displayed on screen.

When it continued to ping, Talia nudged him. "You going to answer that?"

Lev swallowed, but he hit the answer.

An older face greeted him than the one he remembered. "Chief," Cmdr Havelock said. "Silent Thunder and Iron Covenant defensive grid installation is complete."

DEFENSE GRID Δ-LOG

Value

Silent Thunder

Grid nodes 100 % Weapons sync

Iron Covenant

Point-def 100 % Power handshake

Ring-14 Core

87 % → 94 % in next 40 min

Risk-of-Breach

11 % (drops to 7 % @ ≥95 %)

"Outstanding work, as always."

The older man grinned. "The man standing before me is someone I might not know, but the calculation in those eyes I'd never forget." He looked at Talia, then back at Lev. "Requesting a tactical meeting in the CIC, Sir."

"I guess you don't need to be going to them," Talia said.

"What?" Lev asked. "Who?"

"Well," Slug said. "We might have some of the best ships in the quadrant, but this station is something else to manage. We have some ideas."

Lev raised an eyebrow. "Core team only, and—"

"Chefs on it."

Lev glanced at Nyx, "You got this?"

"In my sleep," he replied. "I have the CIC, Chief."

Lev walked out with Talia beside him.

Moments later, he was standing in the CIC briefing room and then he was checking the kitchenette in the back.

Not checking it, pacing it.

"You don't need to be nervous," Talia said.

"I left them," he replied.

"For good reason." She went to put a hand on his arm, but he pulled back. "What matters is you are here now.

Two people walked in with trays stacked with food. The younger woman let out a squeak on seeing him, but the second stepped forward.

"Master Chef of the Silent Thunder," she introduced herself. This is my second, Era Tolsa."

"Good to meet you both," Lev said. "Smells amazing."

"Will be with you in about twenty minutes," she said and waved him off.

Lev stepped back into the briefing room to many faces. Faces he knew, but just like Cmdr Havelock, they were much older.

He stood looking over all ten of them. Not saying a word.

Cmdr Quinn "Cipher" Voss still had those restless gray eyes, though now they carried a haunted edge that hadn't been there during their Bakari Station days.

Capt Grant "Slug" Havelock moved with a pronounced limp, heavier than in his coil-gun days, new scars crossing his weathered face.

Capt Thandi "Florence" Nkomo maintained her surgeon's elegant posture. However, stress lines around her eyes spoke of too many impossible decisions.

Cmdr Inez "Bulwark" Morales remained mountain-like in presence, his hair now completely gray with a fresh scar running from temple to jaw and lastly, Capt Rowan "Argon" Keating's auburn hair now sported silver streaks.

The faces blurred. "I don't know--" He stumbled forward and held his hand out. "Do I shake or salute?"

Cmdr Havelock was the one who stepped forward. He took his hand, then embraced him in one powerful clasp. "There's no protocol here, Sylvk… Chief. But fuck me man, it's good to have you back."

Lev turned to the room, and the others were quick to follow Slug's example.

"We've been waiting for this," Cmdr Zora "Jackal" Petrovic said, holding him tighter than ever. Her lemon shampoo still a firm favorite.

"You have one hell of a tactical operation here," Slug said. "This has been planned since you left, right?"

Lev shook his head. "Not at all, we bought it earlier, but this is less than a day in the making."

"You've not put this together in less than a day," Zora said.

"I didn't," Lev replied and moved to the table, harnessing the 3D imaging and bringing up the Rings' full display for them. "A friend did."

"I'd like to meet your friend," Slug said.

"You will in time if you're sticking around."

"I can't see us going anywhere now, we just made Cali and half this sector take note."

"There hasn't been a military move in positioning like this since..." Slug trailed off.

"Since we were here the first time?"

"What is going on?" Cmdr Morales asked.

Lev studied the faces around the table. People who'd followed him through the worst of the underground wars. Who'd trusted his tactical instincts when everything else failed. They deserved the truth, even if it sounded impossible.

"Long term," Lev manipulated the holographic display to show Cali's system, "We're about to become the fulcrum that tips the balance against the Brakers Corporation."

The display shifted, highlighting ship movements and resource flows. "Short-term, we have three objectives. First: get Ring-14 defensible before a certain Captain arrives to try and steal her brother back. Second: get the brother's ship operational and mobile. Third: take said ship out into the dark to back up the owner of the station."

"So, Tee was right, you and Rob are going against Brakers?"

"Where is Rob?" Cipher asked.

"With the owner of the station," Lev replied. He paused. "And... Full disclosure, we have Kerry Hinada with us."

"Wait, what?" Cipher asked. "You have the daughter of one of the big five with you..."

"Not just that..." Lev tapped the comms. "Nyx, would you step inside for a moment?"

"Of course, Chief."

When the AI entered the room, it fell deathly silent.

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Not a word from anyone.

Then Talia spoke. "I suspected you were the ones on the run from Sol, after the attack on Razors. I never in a million years believed you'd ever have a Braker's AI with you."

The room erupted into chaos, and everyone was arguing with each other.

Lev stood and uttered two words. "Last-light," he neither shouted them nor spoke after it.

The room stilled once more.

Nyx cocked his head to one side. "I understand now Chief." He touched the table. "Last-Light," he announced, and an image spun in the center of the room.

The hologram showed a man in EVA gear, helmet off, quiet eyes that missed nothing. Nyx's voice carried none of its usual synthetic precision. Somehow it was warmer, and much more human.

"Alex Hidaba. 22. His call-sign was Last-Light. Alex earned that name at Cali Orbital Shipyard 910 when a mine collapsed, trapping three junior men sixty feet below ground. Alex tethered his suit floods to the bulkhead and held the torch steady while he cut a breach patch." Nyx paused, letting the image rotate slowly. "All three got out. The yard's night manager logged it as 'Hidaba's last light,' and the name stuck."

The room remained silent, but Lev could see recognition on every face. They all remembered that story, remembered the man behind it.

"He was the tech who refused to kill the cabin lights during evacuations, even when blackout doctrine said darkness was safer. His words…"

"His words," Lev carried on. "'If someone's still breathing out there, the last thing they should see is proof we haven't quit on em.'"

The hologram shifted, showing Alex at a damage control station, tools in hand.

Nyx looked at him, and Lev nodded. "Alex died during a routine patrol. Micro-meteor cluster sliced his umbilical—no alarms, just a soft-loss telemetry drop that nobody saw for six minutes. But the flight-cam showed something. Even as his suit vented, even as space took him, Alex reached down to reorient the patrol beacon. Still keeping the light straight. Still thinking about the next person who came to find him would need to find their way home."

The hologram faded, but Nyx's words hung in the air. He looked around the room at the assembled commanders. "You all worked with him. You all knew what Last-Light meant. Never quit on someone who's still breathing." He gestured toward the tactical displays as it morphed back to Ring-14. "That's what we're doing here. Holding the light for Peyton, for Derek, for everyone who's still fighting."

The AI's eyes flickered slightly. "I understand, Chief. The unspoken words, the person you are because of him. He would have approved of what you're doing here."

"He always said the best welding happened when good people worked together under pressure." Talia added.

"Then let Ring-14 be known to everyone as that light in the dark."

As if on cue, the deck beneath them rumbled. "I have work to do," Nyx said and bowed low. "We now have full power."

"The engineers have the fusion cores online?"

"Both, yes."

Talia stepped in front of him. "Then light her up for us, please. I want to see her in full glory?"

Lev smiled at him. "You have the floor, Nyx, you are as much a part of this as we are."

"I can show you," The image from several outside drone sources traded places for Alex's form. It showed clearly that Ring-14 had three wedges lit.

"Cores are building," he said. "Are you ready?"

"Do it," Lev said, and he watched Nyx's eye twitch.

RING-14 FUSION IGNITION

Value

Wedges Lit

3 / 10 → 10 / 10 (Δ+7 in 28 s)

Core Draw

1.8 GW → 4.2 GW

Visible Lumen

12.4 × 10⁹ (sector-wide)

When the whole ring was lit, Nyx smiled and said. "And she shines bright," the station lights all went out, and then on again.

Morse code ·-·· ·- ··· - ·-·· ·· --. ···· -

(Last Light)

"Everyone on Cali will know," Lev said.

"Peyton asked." Nyx was the one who bowed low then. "Now we have delivered. Frost Enterprises is firmly on the map, Chief."

Lev looked to Talia, noting the tears streaming down her face. He moved across the small space to her and wrapped her in his arms. "For Alex."

"Not just for Alex," she sobbed. "For all of us."

Nyx coughed. "I really do have work to do, please excuse me."

They all dipped their heads to him, and then the screen flickered back to the plan at hand, highlighting ship movements and resource flows.

"Before we talk tactics," Cipher said, pulling up data on his tablet.

"You good?" Lev asked Talia.

She nodded and wiped her tears away. "Yes, we've got shit to plan."

Together they turned back to the table.

"Well," Cipher said. "You need to understand what we're really up against. We've been tracking Braker Corporation's movements in Cali's system for the past eighteen months. They've been consolidating hard—absorbed fourteen independent operations, shut down nineteen research facilities, and eliminated eleven competitor networks."

"More than comfortable," he added, highlighting recent activity on the display. "They've established permanent security stations at seven key transit points. No independent ship moves without their knowledge."

That meant Ring-14's movement would not have gone unnoticed at all.

"And the pirate situation?" Lev asked.

Slug's expression darkened. "Worse than you'd think. They've got at least four pirate captains on the payroll, running protection rackets and eliminating 'problems.'"

"It's systematic," Bulwark explained. "Independent operations get hit by 'pirates,' then Braker Corporation swoops in with security contracts and buyout offers. Those who refuse get hit harder until they fold."

Florence pulled up medical data. "We've been tracking unusual patient transfers, too. Braker Corporation has been quietly moving high-value medical cases to secure facilities. Advanced consciousness work, neural integration research, genetic modification projects."

"They're building something," Argon said quietly.

BRAKER OPS – CALI THEATRE

Value

Assets Absorbed

14 independent ops

Sec Stations

7 transit chokepoints

Pirate Captains

4 on contract

VIP Transfer

Dominique Braker T-21 days

Intel Prog

Neural-Cascade R&D

"All that medical research, the security consolidation, the systematic elimination of competition."

"That's not even the interesting part," Florence continued. "Your Captain Crai took on a VIP medical transport three weeks ago. Emergency pickup from Braker Corporation's executive tier."

"Who?" Lev asked.

"Dominique Braker himself," Slug said. "The old man had some kind of neural event. The word is he needed immediate medical assistance—the kind only Dr. Hinada could provide."

"I met a younger Dominique Braker," Lev said, and paused. "Guessing there's a couple of them."

"Yes, the elder, the grandfather, and one of his great-grandsons."

Bulwark nodded. "That explains why Crai's working directly with Braker Corporation now instead of just taking their contracts. She's got leverage."

"What kind of leverage?" Lev pressed.

Argon activated her own display. "According to our intelligence network, Dominique Braker's condition is deteriorating. Whatever Dr. Hinada did bought him time, but not a cure. Crai's the only one who knows exactly what medical protocols were used."

"So she's not just a hired gun anymore," Talia observed. "She's holding the life of Braker Corporation's founder in her hands."

"Now," Lev said, "let's talk about our immediate problem. Captain Crai is after Derek. Her brother." He paused. "But that's what we need to solve first."

"This is Captain Crai," Zora said and pulled up several files for her. "She's always looked out for Derek, till he finally pushed her away and went off looking for better work. He ended up on the Manta-S several years ago. It was a thriving small business."

"Till it wasn't," Lev said.

"Exactly, and family business," Slug observed. "Always messy."

Lev studied the data flowing across the displays. "Which means dealing with Crai isn't just about Derek or defending Ring-14. If we can turn her, we potentially destabilize Braker Corporation's entire power structure here in Cali."

"It's still a big ask." Talia said.

"Let's be clear," Lev said. "I have three objectives. First: get Ring-14 defensible before Captain Crai arrives. Check. Second: get the Manta-S operational and mobile." Lev looked to his readouts. "We're almost there, another couple of hours. Third: establish this station as a secure base that can operate independently."

"Independently?" Talia asked.

"I'll be leaving Nyx, Dr. Chen and you in charge."

"Me," she physically moved back. "Lev..."

"You, and the people in this room are the only ones' I'd trust with my life. You're it. The backbone of the Ring."

"I'm not ready for that."

"You are," Slug said. "You've held us together over the years this is child's play with Nyx around."

"Tee, you in?"

She nodded. "No backing down now. We lit the sky up for every single person out there looking."

"Good. I'm planning to take support where it's needed most." Lev expanded the display to show routes beyond Cali's system. "There's someone out there fighting Braker Corporation directly—someone who's been doing it alone with limited resources. He's going to need backup, and soon."

"Who?" Slug asked.

"The man behind Frosts. Peyton Tachim."

"Do we know him?" Zora asked.

"No, just a guy in the wrong place at the right time."

"He must be something if you and Rob are standing by him."

"He's family," Lev said.

"No stronger bond than brothers born in arms," Cipher said. "Why do you think we're all here now?"

Lev dipped his head and swallowed. "He's out there now on a job no one else would take for the insurance."

"He took the job out to Kepler Station?" Zora asked. "It's the only one I know of that's such high priority from Lynx Transport."

Lev nodded again. They didn't know his true identity, Kessler was his surname back then. Lev, well he'd always been Hidaba, even when he went back to the academy. He wouldn't take any other name.

"Damn, he really does need backup. That system is rumored to be even heavier under Braker influence than here, and more than a few pirates."

"So he is outnumbered, outgunned, and operating without support." Lev's expression hardened. "That changes now."

"We'll escort," Cipher said.

"As will we," Slug confirmed.

"Thank you, I will take you up on that."

The food arrived, carried by the chef crew of Silent Thunder. As they arranged the meal, Lev continued his briefing.

"Now, back to Captain Crai. Phase one. Receive her fleet peacefully. Let her think she's in control while we assess her true intentions."

"Phase two?" Cipher asked.

"Demonstrate our capabilities. Show her the medical facilities, the defensive systems, the coordinated fleet operations. Make it clear that attacking us would be costly."

"And phase three?" Slug prompted.

"Offer her something better than Braker Corporation can provide. Medical treatment for her crew, upgrade services, legitimate contracts that pay better than piracy."

Argon frowned. "You think she'll accept?"

"Pirates follow profit and survival. If we can offer both, along with the chance to strike back at corporate control..." Lev shrugged. "It's worth the gamble."

"And if she refuses?" Bulwark asked.

"Then we show her why that was a mistake." Lev's voice carried the edge he knew they remembered. "But I don't think it'll come to that. Captain Crai didn't build a successful pirate operation by making stupid decisions."

"Tactical assessment?" Bulwark asked, focusing on immediate concerns.

"For the Crai situation: three ships, approximately 200 personnel, standard pirate configuration. Against our five ships, 289 personnel, military-grade equipment, and defensive positions." Lev smiled grimly. "She's walking into a trap, but she doesn't know it yet."

"But that's just the opening move," Cipher observed.

"Right. Once we've dealt with Crai—whether through negotiation or demonstration of force—we move to phase two." Lev manipulated the display to show deployment patterns. "I take the Manta-S plus support vessels to rendezvous with Peyton. Ring-14 remains operational as our secure base."

"How much support?" Slug asked.

"That depends on what we can spare after securing the station. But at minimum: the Manta-S, medical support, and enough firepower to make a real difference." Lev met each commander's gaze. "Look what we've built here in less than a day. We're not underground fighters anymore. We're a legitimate force."

"What about the timeline? Even if we convince her, Braker Corporation will respond."

"They will," Cipher confirmed, bringing up response pattern analysis. "But their reaction time has been getting slower. The old man's condition is affecting decision-making at the top. Middle management is afraid to act without direct authorization."

"That gives us an advantage," Slug noted. "But only if we can neutralize Crai's leverage over them."

"You think she'd give up her hold over Dominique Braker?" Florence asked.

"If we can prove Derek is safer with us than with her, maybe," Bulwark said. "But family protection instincts run deep."

Argon leaned back in her chair. "The question is whether Derek wants to be rescued. If he's committed to this path, forcing him back to his sister might just drive him to take even bigger risks."

"What do you mean?" Lev asked.

"Sometimes the best way to protect family is to let them make their own choices and make sure they have proper support," Florence suggested. "If we can demonstrate that Derek is safer and more effective working with us than he would be hiding with pirates..."

"That might be the one argument that could turn her," Cipher concluded.

"That's a hell of a gamble," Slug said quietly.

"It's the only gamble worth making." Lev met each of their gazes in turn. "We spent three years in the underground proving that coordinated independent forces could stand against corporate control. This is the same fight, larger scale, but now we have the resources to actually win."

"And if this Peyton doesn't need our help?" Argon asked.

"He does. Trust me on that." Lev's expression hardened. "And when word spreads that we're actively supporting resistance operations, every suppressed network will realize they're not alone."

The commanders exchanged glances, years of shared experience allowing silent communication. Finally, Slug nodded.

"Alright, Chief. You've got our attention. What do you need from us?"

Lev felt something settle in his chest, the strength of trusted allies. "I need you to turn Ring-14 into something that can't be ignored, can't be intimidated, and can't be easily destroyed. I need you to help me build an empire."

"Just like old times," Bulwark said with a grin.

"Just like old times," Lev confirmed.

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