Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Warp Chain

Driftfox bucked through warp haze. Crates pinned me to deck. Jax's hands flew over controls—too precise now. Eyes locked forward. "Command vector locked, handler. Dyson swarm ETA three cycles."Handler. That word stuck wrong. Rational Thomas clawed up. Fix this. She's reading signals crossed. Dark side pressed down. Let it ride. Chain tightens.Implant buzzed. [Seq 0: 2%. Protocol chain: 3 links active. Stability holding 0%.]"Jax. Status on Vance." Voice came out split—mine calm, his edged. Deck plates groaned under shifting mass.She didn't turn. "Airlock secure. Subject saluted directive. Awaiting extraction orders." Console beeped. External ping hit. Dominion patrol signature.Vance thought I sent the plasma shot as code. Jax read my truce plea as command lockdown. Ship lurched—warp stabilizer whined low."Negative extraction. He's—" Dark cut in. "...secured per protocol."Jax nodded sharp. "Understood. Containment enforced." Airlock cycled shut. Vance's muffled voice leaked: "Handler standing by!"Patrol signal strengthened. Driftfox shuddered. Jax adjusted course fraction. "Evasion pattern alpha. Command signature spoofed."Spoofed? My words twisted into false transponders. Rational me pushed: "Abort evasion. Hail them direct." Dark leaked: "...test their response parameters.""Response test initiated." Jax punched transmit. Open channel crackled.Dominion voice boomed: "Unidentified corvette. Transmit clearance or power down."Jax straight-backed. "This is Driftfox, handler vessel. Void protocol active. Clearance: Emperor's chain." My mixed signal fed straight to broadcast.Silence stretched. Then: "Handler confirmed. Void chain priority one. Escort forming."Driftfox dropped warp. Three Dominion cutters materialized—sleek killers flanking us tight. Jax saluted the viewport. "Escort acquired. Throne approach clear."[Seq 0: 4%. Chain links: 7. New protocol: Escort convergence.]Gun weighed heavy in holster. Widowmaker hummed faint. Implant whispered fragments. Targets in range. No. Not yet.Empress signal layered over patrol band: [Handler chain verified. Dyson core access granted. Throne alignment begins.]Jax glanced back first time. Eyes burned certain. "Commander. Orders for escort integration?"Dark certainty flooded veins. Rational Thomas drowned quiet. Chain unbreakable now. Pull the links.