The vessel touched down at 0900 hours.
There was no fanfare. No crowd. No banners. The hangar was cleared of all non-essential personnel. Only the core team was present. Me, Ezra, Yuki, Liora, Damon, and Varen. Kael stood beside Varen. He looked eager. His hands were clasped behind his back, but his fingers were tapping against his wrist. A nervous tic.
The hatch opened with a hiss of depressurization. A cloud of vapor escaped the hull. It smelled of ozone and salt.
Ash walked down the ramp. He wore his flight suit. It was too big for him, but he had rolled up the sleeves. He carried a data case in one hand. It was metallic. Sealed. Biometric lock.
He didn't run. He didn't smile. He walked with the same measured pace as Varen's engineers.
I stepped forward to meet him. I stopped three
