The cargo hold seals with a dull thunk, and the bay outside starts its slow depressurization hiss. Inside, the ship feels smaller, warmer, almost safe. Almost.
Nahuli spreads the salvaged gear across a crate lid, toolbelt unfastened, repair kit open. Ranuko crouches near the private drive cradle, feathers fluffed from fatigue, while Serafina leans against a bulkhead and watches the readouts flicker.
Ranuko
We kept it alive. That counts for something.
Serafina
For today, that is enough. Tomorrow is where the bill shows up.
Ranuko gives a small, tired huff and taps the drive casing with one claw. Serafina’s mouth twitches at the corner, not quite a smile, but close enough to matter.
Ranuko
I keep thinking the route stayed alive because someone wanted it to. Not abandoned. Maintained.
Serafina
That makes it better and worse. Better, because it means the path exists. Worse, because someone may still care who uses it.
The hold settles into a quiet hum. The drive sits in its cradle like contraband that has learned to breathe. For a few seconds, nobody reaches for a wrench or a terminal.
✓ Quest Accepted
Stabilize the ship’s drive core
“Why is serafina on our ship?”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled +2)
Nahuli breaks the quiet with a question, and Serafina straightens from the bulkhead like she has been expecting it.
Serafina
Because I knew where the route bit into station maintenance. That made me useful, and useful people get invited aboard.
Serafina
I was not hired to be friendly. I was hired to read the wreckage and keep you from stepping on the expensive parts.
Ranuko
She also brought the only clean relay trace we had. That earned her a seat at the table.
Serafina gives Ranuko a quick look, then turns it back on Nahuli, dry but not defensive.
Serafina
I am here because the route is alive, and alive things have owners. I wanted to know whose hands were on it before they noticed ours.
Before anyone can answer, the cradle shudders. A sharp buzz runs through the hold, and the drive lights stutter from amber to red.
Ranuko swears under his breath and lunges for the cradle controls while Serafina pushes off the bulkhead, all three of them snapping into repair mode as the core dips again.