Four hours had passed since they fled. Four hours since the Imperium's boarding pods had slammed against the hull. Four hours since Maya vanished. The Peregrine hummed at a frequency The Hearth never achieved. A low, structural thrum vibrated through the deck plates and into the soles of Lin's boots. At The Hearth, silence had been engineered; a curated absence of noise, the hum of scrubbers and recyclers working in perfect, predictable harmony. It was the sound of safety. Here, in the deep v...

Four hours had passed since they fled. Four hours since the Imperium's boarding pods had slammed against the hull. Four hours since Maya vanished. The Peregrine hummed at a frequency The Hearth never achieved. A low, structural thrum vibrated through the deck plates and into the soles of Lin's boots. At The Hearth, silence had been engineered; a curated absence of noise, the hum of scrubbers and recyclers working in perfect, predictable harmony. It was the sound of safety. Here, in the deep v...