The colony moved carefully that morning. Miners kept to the tunnels, gardeners worked the hydro beds, voices low. Word of the beacon spread in murmurs, not accusations. No one said it was my fault.
I found Mara in the infirmary. She looked me over with practiced efficiency. “You look better.”
“Thanks.” I glanced toward the corridor. “Any news?”
“Not yet.” She shook her head. “But they’ll come back. Rygnar doesn’t send people out without a plan to bring them home.”
“You trust him.”
“I do.” A faint smile touched her mouth. “We all do. He keeps the walls breathing.”
I studied her. “Why did you follow him here?”
Her gaze drifted past me, toward the dim hallway. “Because when the war ended, everyone talked about punishment. Victory. He talked about planting gardens.”
She met my eyes again. “That seemed worth following.”
That explained more than anything else.
By midday, the scouts returned.
A convoy had been spotted in the southern pass—two trucks, armed, no colors. Raiders. They’d found the old trade road.
Veklan called the colony to order in the central hall. “We seal the outer approaches and divert the stream tunnels. If they follow the wrong echo, they’ll circle the range for days.”
“They’ll find the old mining road,” Mara said. “If they do, it leads straight to the vent gate.”
Rygnar stepped forward. “I’ll take a team to collapse it.”
Veklan hesitated. “It’s unstable. You could be trapped.”
“Then better me than the colony.”
No one argued.
He turned to me. “Stay with Mara. Help prepare the infirmary.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No.” Too quick. Too final. “If they reach the pass, you’ll be safer here.”
“That’s not safety. That’s waiting.”
His expression shifted, just slightly. “Then wait for me. Once more.”
He reached out, brushing his fingers along my cheek—small, private.
“I’ll return before dark.”
I nodded, though something in my chest tightened at the promise.
After he left, the colony felt different. Quieter. Heavier.
I worked with Mara in the infirmary—bandages, med-gel, ration packs. Anything we might need if things went wrong. My hands moved automatically, but my attention stayed fixed on the corridor.
Every sound made me look up.
Evening came with a low rumble beyond the ridge. When the outer lamps flickered, I told myself it was the weather.
