The Amber Wing hangs at the minefield's near edge, engines whispering against the dark. Lahani's projected navigation lanes narrow to threads between dormant warheads.
Lahani
A lane just opened. Not from motion, from a signal. Something on the warship is pinging the mines in sequence.
Across the engineering display, Ranuko's thermal readings climb. The shim holds, but the return estimate stays amber. Then a second data stream surfaces inside the military upgrade, hidden beneath the navigation protocol.
Ranuko
That handshake is authenticated with the Captain's old authority key. It is not a distress call. It is a docking command.
The command projects a safe corridor through the mines, ending at the derelict's powerless docking collar. Its final instruction is blunt: preserve the relay, deny return access.
Lahani
If we follow it, we can reach the warship. If the upgrade closes the corridor behind us, Amber Wing may be stranded on the far side.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish a viable return lane
“Find a good route past the hazards”
SUCCESS (Superb Piloting, rolled +1)
Nahuli threads the minefield data through the Amber Wing's navigation model, comparing each warhead's dormant sensor cone with the ship's turning radius.
The false openings vanish. One route remains, narrow but continuous, with enough clearance for the approach and a mirrored path back to open space.
Lahani
I have it. The return lane is real, and it stays clear past the docking collar.
Lahani transfers the route into the flight controls. Blue guidance lines fold around the minefield, marking the outbound path in both directions.
Ranuko
The relay accepts the route without altering the shim load. Whatever built this command expected a pilot to find the same answer.
A brief annotation appears beside the military handshake, an old crew mark: a curved stroke that resembles the Captain's amused appraisal of a difficult maneuver.
Lahani
The way back is secured. The warship's collar is ahead, powerless and waiting. Do we commit to the docking approach?
Quest Complete
Establish a viable return lane