Chapter 44. Fractures in the Code
The Wraith hurtled through hyperspace, engines whining like ghosts clawing at the walls of reality.
Nova tapped rapidly at her console in the cockpit, frustration growing with every passing second. "This system isn’t in any of the Republic star charts. It’s like someone tore a hole in the galaxy and buried it."
"That’s the point," Valen said, leaning over her shoulder. "Marrek Voss didn’t want to be found. He scrubbed his identity, faked his death, and sealed his records with Architect-grade encryption. He knew they’d come for him."
Elara stood behind them, arms crossed, her jaw tight. "And now we’re dragging him out of hiding."
Nova arched a brow. "You’re worried?"
"I’m... concerned," Elara replied. "Anyone smart enough to ghost the Architects is either a genius or mad. Maybe both."
Damien entered, tossing a data pad onto the console. "I’ve triangulated the drift signatures from the message packet we found. Cross-referenced it with deep-space mining logs. There’s one place it could’ve come from."
He brought up a hologram of a derelict system a shattered moon orbiting a dying star.
Valen squinted at it. "That’s Arkos Belt. Nothing but rogue asteroids and abandoned salvage posts."
"Exactly," Damien said. "Perfect place to disappear."
Elara nodded. "Then that’s where we’re going."