Dove shifts beside me. She knows about the escrow—we fought about it, reconciled over it, and she’s accepted it as the strategic move it is. But hearing me deploy it as a weapon in front of the people who’ve been hunting her for years is different from knowing it exists in theory.
“Captain Foxton’s outstanding balance—the portion that was legitimately owed before Blackstar inflated it with fraudulent fees and compounding interest—has been secured in a neutral OOPS escrow account. Seventy-three thousand credits, filed and verified. The debt cannot be classified as delinquent while the investigation is active. You cannot claim default. You cannot enforce seizure.”
Niz’kor’s mandibles click. Twice. Processing.
“And the personnel detention clause?” He asks it quietly, directed at me. Testing.
“Was issued by a magistrate who will be under investigation within forty-eight hours once the Commerce Authority raid begins.” I hold his gaze. “Any actions taken under that authorization will be scrutinized and reversed. Attempt to enforce it, and you add kidnapping charges to your organization’s already considerable legal difficulties.”
Behind me, Dove’s hand brushes my lower back. Brief. Fierce. I feel the contact through my shirt like a brand.
Niz’kor studies me. Then Dove. Then the PDC inspectors with their data pads recording everything. Then Keth’vora, who hasn’t offered a professional opinion because Vaxillans communicate through subsonic frequencies that humanoid species can’t detect without equipment.
“This isn’t over,” he says.
“You’re correct. The investigation is ongoing.” I don’t step aside. Don’t retract my claws. “Though I’d note that your employer’s difficulties may extend beyond the Commerce Authority. I understand Salvage and Retrieval Solutions has been acquiring distressed debt portfolios from organizations exactly like Blackstar. If the STI investigation reveals connections between SRS’s client acquisition pipeline and Blackstar’s predatory lending practices...” I let the implication hang. “Well. Director Jurixia’s legal team is presumably already aware of the exposure.”
Niz’kor’s posture shifts—subtle, controlled, but I read the recalculation. SRS. The corporate predator behind smaller predators. The organization that contracts out the dirty work and keeps its own hands clean.
“I recommend your organization retain competent counsel,” I finish. “Now. Leave my station.”
The retreat is orderly. Niz’kor leads—professional to the end, mandibles folded flat, not rushing. Keth’vora follows in eerie silence, his echolocation clicks fading as he passes through theairlock. Dreth’maal is last, his bone crest still flushed dark with stress.
The external platform door seals behind them.
Through the viewport, the Blackstar vessel’s engines flare. It lifts, pivots, and accelerates away with more urgency than a voluntary departure requires.
“Pickles,” I say. “Track their vector until they’re out of sensor range.”
“Already tracking. Their trajectory suggests a return to the Veridian Station corridor. I am also monitoring their communication frequencies. They have already transmitted a coded burst to an SRS relay node. I have intercepted, logged, and forwarded a copy to Inspector Luzrak.”
“Can you do that legally?”
“I can do it. Whether it is legal is a question for entities who concern themselves with such distinctions. I am a preserved vegetable. I have no standing in court.”
Dove makes a choked sound that might be a laugh.
I look at her—at the AI she rebuilt from salvaged military wreckage, the AI who just dismantled three professional enforcers with six hundred twelve slides and a tone of voice—and my chest aches with a pride I don’t have a Lividian word for. Pride in something that isn’t mine but belongs to the person who is.
“Your AI,” I say quietly, “is extraordinary.”
Her eyes soften. “Yeah. He is.”
“I neither confirm nor deny being extraordinary,” Pickles says. “However, I note that the Inspector’s earlier assessment of my evidence compilation as the most thorough prosecution brief from a non-legal entity is now a matter of official record. I intend to reference it frequently.”
Patel approaches. Her expression is unreadable in the way that senior bureaucrats perfect over decades.
“Specialist Storm.”
“Inspector.”
“For the record, your station’s security protocols appear to function effectively under pressure.” She pauses. “I’ll note in my report that the facility demonstrated capacity for multi-threat response during our review.”
“I appreciate that.”
“My preliminary assessment is favorable. Pending final documentation—which appears to be remarkably thorough—I’m prepared to recommend approval for expansion.” She glances at Dove. “Which would include authorization for additional personnel.”
Omarion steps forward, unable to contain himself any longer. “This is innovative work, Specialist Storm. The atmospheric processing alone—we’ll recommend expansion. Your facility could serve as a model for the sector.”
