Meral Voss arrives from the command station, a middle-aged woman in a patched charcoal utility coat, carrying a sealed optical slate inside a transparent isolation sleeve. Nikayo remains beside the Instrument Bench while Liyanu stands near the quarantined junction.
Meral Voss
This notice came through the legitimate internal channel. I kept the slate physically isolated from command and navigation before bringing it here.
The slate displays a valid authentication chain and Amber Wing’s own equipment signature. Its recorded route, however, does not pass through the maintenance feed, diagnostic junction, or the unassigned handoff.
Nikayo
The notice claims Amber Wing issued the later corrections itself. That contradicts the access model we just verified, but the authentication is genuine.
Meral Voss
It demands immediate custody of the preserved route records, Iven Rusk’s telemetry, and the quarantined junction trace. Nahuli is holding command authority while I deliver this.
Meral keeps the sleeve closed and does not advance it toward the Bench. Behind the sealed panel, the maintenance load remains passive; the preserved evidence stays under Liyanu’s medical and quarantine boundaries.
Nikayo
The signature proves the notice was authenticated, not that its transmission path was authorized. We need to decide what can be acknowledged without surrendering the evidence.
✓ Quest Accepted
Contain the custody demand without surrendering the preserved evidence
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether the authenticated custody notice is authorized
Liyanu's turn“Why would we care about what the humans want? They are not our superiors.”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +2)
Liyanu
Why would we care what the humans want? They are not our superiors. Amber Wing’s evidence stays with us, not in their custody.
Liyanu keeps her voice level and her stance beside the quarantined junction. Independent Verification separates the authentic signature from the unsupported demand, while her will holds against the pressure to defer to human authority.
Meral Voss
That is a defensible position. The notice authenticates its source, but it does not establish superiority over Amber Wing or authority over your medical boundaries.
Meral lowers the isolation sleeve without opening it. Nikayo marks the custody demand as rejected, preserving the route records, Iven Rusk’s telemetry, and the junction trace aboard Amber Wing.
Nikayo
I will record the refusal as a crew boundary, not a failure to cooperate. We can acknowledge receipt without transferring anything.
Meral Voss
Understood. I will report that Amber Wing retains its evidence and command authority. No custody transfer will occur.
The sealed notice remains outside the Bench and every control path. Nahuli receives the refusal through the internal channel, while the preserved records stay quarantined under Amber Wing’s independent authority.
Quest Complete
LiyanuContain the custody demand without surrendering the preserved evidence