The wind keens above the broken antenna ribs, but the hatch below stays hushed. Mara keeps one hand on the rim, half in the dust, half in the dark.
Mara Vey
If we drop now, there is no backing out. I need to know, Shifter, are you truly ready to see what the Inquisitorius left behind?
The map glow trembles across the open seam, then steadies. Mara does not push, she waits, shoulders tight under her civilian coat.
Shifter
The hatch drops into a service shaft, narrow and vertical.
Below them, the silence feels engineered, sealed tight against the storm above. Dust drifts in the opening like ash in low gravity.
Mara Vey
I am not asking for courage. I am asking for honesty. If you want me at your side, say so, and I will go in with you.
Mara eases her grip on the hatch edge, leaving space for his answer. The dark waits, patient and open.