[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"He isn’t breathing on the comms anymore, Alistair. Tell me the signal is just suppressed by the salt spray. Tell me the Monroe fleet hasn’t lost its Commander. If you tell me he’s gone, I’m going to stop holding back the static. Do you understand me? I will let the silver take everything."

Sofia’s voice didn't shake. It was worse than that. It was a flat, hollow resonance that made the glass panels of the tactical bridge frost over. She stood encased in the neural harness, her body suspended by glowing silver filaments that pulsed like raw nerves. The mercury in her eyes had ceased to flow;...