Arlen looked up, jaw tight. "You pinged a restricted law vehicle. That narrows the list of idiots brave enough to do that."
The voice ignored the insult. "Your passenger is the real reason you're here."
Xavier tilted his head slightly. "You could've just said hello."
There was a pause, long enough to feel deliberate. Then the lights shifted, illuminating a section of the wall where a hologram flickered to life. It wasn't a face. It was a schematic—old mining tunnels, highlighted paths branching outward like veins.
Xavier stepped closer to the projection. "So you found it," he said. "Or you followed someone who did."
Another pause. Shorter this time. "You're ahead of schedule," the voice said. "Which means you're already involved deeper than I expected."
Then stop talking around it," Xavier replied. "What do you want?"
The hologram shifted again, zooming in on a junction point buried beneath Helior Prime's foundation. A place marked inactive.
