38. Echoes of Divide

The Wraith cruised through fractured space, silence thicker than the hull that separated them from the void. In the aftermath of escaping the ambush at Ferrix Station, the crew nursed their wounds, both visible and unseen.

Elara stood at the observation deck, watching stars trail like memories slipping from grasp.

Valen approached quietly. "We need to talk."

She didn't turn. "About the man I used to call father?"

He hesitated, then nodded. "And about what he said. About you."

Elara clenched the railing. "He created me to obey. And now he sees me as defective."

"No," Valen said, stepping closer. "He fears you because you chose your own path. That's not a flaw. It's freedom."

In the engine room, Damien and Nova argued over repairs.

"You overloaded the sublight capacitors again," Nova snapped.

Damien growled. "We had Replicants swarming us. I had to punch through."