On my ramp.
Unbound.
One warrior steps forward from the line. His armor bears the crimson markings of Clan Threx.
“You return under accusation,” he says, voice carrying easily through the bay. “And bring prey with you.”
“She is not prey,” I reply evenly.
The warrior’s gaze slides over Elara with undisguised skepticism. “She is Alliance.”
“She is witness.”
“To what?” he demands.
“To fabrication.”
A low growl passes through several warriors nearby.
“You expect us to accept human testimony?” another voice calls from the back.
“I expect you to hear it,” I answer, raising my voice slightly so it carries across the bay.
The Threx warrior steps closer, towering slightly, spurs angled outward in deliberate display. “You return from neutral space under sanction and declare a human ally. That reads as weakness.”
“It reads as strategy,” I counter.
A ripple of derisive sound follows.
Elara steps forward without waiting for invitation.
“You want to know what reads as weakness?” she says, her voice clear and sharp despite the hostile air. “Being manipulated by a forged narrative.”
Several warriors shift, surprised at her tone.
“You address us boldly for someone without spurs,” the Threx warrior says.
“I don’t need spurs to read metadata,” she shoots back.
I almost smile.
“What metadata?” another warrior demands.
“The kind that proves your leader was framed,” she says.
Murmurs intensify.
“Silence,” I command, letting authority harden my tone.
The bay quiets.
“She stands as diplomatic witness under my protection,” I declare. “Any harm to her is harm to Clan Ardyn.”
That lands.
Hard.
The Threx warrior’s eyes narrow. “You stake clan honor on a human.”
