The comms burst alive again, cold and familiar. In the narrow junction, Onyx Soldier is boxed in by vibrating bulkheads, pooled water, and a ceiling panel hanging loose above him.
The Handler
You have the drive. Good. Now listen carefully.
The Handler
That is not payment cargo. It is the key package. Activation codes for a strike force built from enhanced assets.
The Handler
Hand it over, and you live. Keep it, and every faction on this ship comes for you.
The words click into place against every betrayal, every ambush. This was never a retrieval. It was a launch.
Far off, metal tears again. The junction shudders harder, and water slaps at Onyx Soldier’s boots as the ship groans around him.
✓ Quest Accepted
Decide the fate of the data drive
“I keep it”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +1)
Onyx Soldier
He keeps the drive. The package stays in his grip.
Onyx Soldier folds the data drive tighter against his palm and does not answer. The comms line crackles with his silence.
The Handler
You are choosing a very short future.
Water jumps as the deck bucks again, and a drip from the loose panel lands hot on the drive casing. The junction lights flicker, then recover.
A thin smear of blood marks his knuckles where the metal edge caught him, and the pain sharpens the hold in his hand.
Whisper
Left spur. Now. I timed the gap, but you do not get a second one.
The route ahead shivers in and out of red light, while the comm channel waits for a choice.
Quest Complete
Decide the fate of the data drive
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Fair→Good