My throat tightens. “You didn’t have to?—”
“I did,” he cuts in.
I stare at him, unable to look away.
“I was stabilizing Gur,” he continues, jaw flexing. “Ceasefires, medical stations, penalties for collateral. And then that ping hit and the city stopped existing for a second.”
My heart does something stupid.
“Lonari—”
He shakes his head slightly, as if refusing sentiment. “I bought a cruiser with tribute money. Hired outsiders. Broke orbit. Cut relays. Did what soldiers wouldn’t.”
I swallow. “That sounds… insane.”
He bares his teeth. “It is.”
I try to speak, but my throat closes and my eyes sting again, and I hate it because I’m not supposed to need anyone.
So I do what I always do when emotion gets too close: I pivot to anger.
“You know,” I say, voice rough, “if you die because of me, I’m going to be so pissed.”
Lonari’s eyes flicker. “If I die because of you, I deserve it.”
“Wrong answer,” I snap, then immediately regret snapping because it pulls at my wound and I hiss. “Ow—damn it.”
Lonari’s hand finally lands on my shoulder—gentle but solid. The touch is warm through the thin hospital fabric. Grounding.
“Breathe,” he says, low.
I breathe.
The door hisses open and Renn steps in, face tight, eyes alert. He looks like he hasn’t slept in a week and might never again.
“Boss,” he says, then glances at me. “She awake.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “Unfortunately.”
Renn’s mouth twitches. “Good. We got updates.”
Lonari’s posture sharpens. “Talk.”
Renn holds up his compad. “Morazin is secured in containment bay three. Full restraints. Biometric locks. Two guards inside, four outside. No comm access.”
“Any attempts?” Lonari asks.
“Two,” Renn says. “One spoofed security request, one bribery offer through a civilian node. We shut both down.”
Lonari nods once. “Good.”
Renn continues, voice lowering. “Alliance emergency comms pinged our broadcast. IHC too. They’re both… circling.”
“Let them circle,” Lonari says.
Renn hesitates. “Also—there’s chatter about Jordan’s stream. It’s everywhere now. Civilian channels, entertainment packets, even some corporate nodes. Baragon exchanges are halting. People are panicking.”
I close my eyes for a second. “Good.”
