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“I found it!”

Dreven closed his eyes. Kesta laughed and withdrew her hand. Tavi emerged carrying an old collar inside a cracked storage tray. Sera followed him with an expression suggesting she had been trying to prevent him from dropping either the collar or himself.

The device looked nothing like Kesta’s wrist band. Its casing was heavier, designed for the neck, and much of the outer metal had been burned black. Tavi set it beside the glass dish.

“Courier collar. Three seasons ago.”

Kesta leaned closer. “Where did it come from?”

“A dead courier found near the northern cut. No camp mark. No transport record.”

Dreven’s expression sharpened. “I remember.”

Tavi pointed to a narrow cavity beneath the burned casing. “The visible hardware was tracking equipment. We assumed the rest had destroyed itself.”

Kesta brought the dish closer. The black crystal recovered from her band matched the shape of the cavity almost perfectly. Sera swore softly.

Dreven looked at Tavi. “The courier arrived three seasons ago.”

“Yes.”

“Before Kesta’s transport.”

“Yes.”

“Before Horan’s transmitter was serviced.”

Tavi’s face had gone pale. Kesta stared at the two devices. A human woman labeled H-PRIME had been dropped years ago. A courier carrying the same hidden memory architecture had died near Ash Camp three seasons ago. Horan’s implant contained a component manufactured within the last six months. The conspiracy was not a single transport. It was infrastructure. Someone had been coming to Kharon-Veil repeatedly. Kesta felt cold despite the heat of the infirmary.

“Can you read either crystal?”

Tavi looked toward her.

“With an imperial diagnostic bench, maybe.”

“The wreck field west of the outer ridge has a medical courier hull.”

Dreven’s eyes narrowed. “You noticed that during the gate expedition?”

“Before it.”

“Of course you did.”

She almost smiled. Almost.

“The standardized courier class carried diagnostic benches for field repairs. If the hull hasn't been stripped, we may be able to read the hidden layer.”

Dreven looked toward the storm-dark windows.

“Not tonight.”

Kesta expected the familiar resistance to rise.

Instead he continued, “Tomorrow we assess the weather, take Keth and a proper patrol, and determine whether the wreck is safe enough to enter.”

She studied him.

“What?”