It did not take long for my summons to gather the information I needed.
Lyrate was the first to return. She landed lightly on the top floor of the tower where I was waiting. There was a faint crease between her brows, the kind she only wore when the situation was more complicated than it first appeared.
"This place isn't important on its own," she said without preamble. "But it's not meaningless either."
Knight arrived a moment later, shadows peeling off his body as he stepped forward. Ragnar followed, dragging one of the surviving traitors behind him like excess baggage. Aurora and the others fanned out nearby, already comparing notes in low voices.
I gestured for Lyrate to continue.
"This base," she said, "is a local node. One of many. It exists to move personnel, resources, and corrupted forces within a limited range. Nearby systems and rifts. Places like this." She glanced around the hollowed basin. "It's expendable."
