Youri woke to silence. For several seconds he didn't move. He stared upward while his mind slowly caught up with his body. Then the memory came rushing back — the Hound, the Trident, the burning plasma tail piercing NOIR's cockpit, and the last thing he remembered, the smell of smoke and the taste of blood before the darkness swallowed him. He blinked slowly and raised his hand. To his surprise it moved easily. He flexed his fingers and turned his arm a little, as though testing whether it really belonged to him. No pain. Only stiffness. The doctors had clearly done more than simply treat him — or his body had done what it always did.
But as soon as his feet touched the floor, the aftermath hit him all at once. Not as pain. As something heavier. The weight of memory. The faces of pilots who had died in that battle. The Terrian ships the Hound had torn apart. The beam carving its way through the battlefield. He lowered his head slowly and pressed a hand over his face. He let out a long breath.
That was when the door slid open, and Leonora came in. She walked slowly toward him with her posture composed but her eyes studying him carefully, as though making sure he was really awake. He looked up, and for a moment neither of them spoke. Then she reached the bed and sat quietly on its edge.
Youri broke the silence first, more softly than usual. "You're mad I sent you back to Central Command… aren't you?"
She looked at him for a second, and then a faint smile appeared. "Yes. And no." He tilted his head slightly. "But what's really bothering me right now is something else."
He frowned. "What is it?"
She took a slow breath. "We've been summoned to a session of the Consul."
He leaned back. "Already?"
She nodded, and her voice grew more serious. "It's about the incident. While you were fighting the Hound, the intruders got past the Catacomb's defense grid and landed on one of its nodes. From what we've gathered so far, it still isn't clear exactly what they took. But something was removed from the node's inner systems."
Youri's face darkened. "And the Consul thinks—"
"That they were after the Catacomb itself," she finished.
He ran a hand slowly through his hair. "If someone understands how the Catacomb works, they could get past the planet's defenses."
"Or prepare for an invasion."
The room fell quiet. Youri leaned forward and pressed his palm against his forehead. "And it had to happen while I was in charge."
Leonora leaned in at once and took his face gently in both her hands, making him look at her. "This is not your fault," she said firmly. "It was a deliberate attack."
He studied her eyes. "Planned."
"Yes. And most likely an inside job."
He reached up and touched her hand lightly. "Then I suppose we just have to find whoever did it."
For a brief moment she didn't answer, and something in her expression changed. A hesitation. "You need to recover first," she said quickly. "We'll deal with that later."
Youri noticed the shift at once. But he didn't press her. Not yet.
Another week passed, and his recovery stunned the medical staff. Injuries that should have taken months to heal disappeared within days, and by the end of the week he had been cleared to travel — which meant there was no avoiding the Consul. The session would be held in Fansilia, and like every ship entering Terria, theirs would come down through the corridor at Batuzane. On the day they left, Youri and Leonora boarded a diplomatic transport for the planet. The journey was quiet. Too quiet. For most of it, Leonora sat watching the stars through the window, and she seemed distant, until finally he spoke. "What's with that look you've had lately?"
She didn't answer at once. Then she turned to him. "I think we should take a break from our royal duties. For a while."
He frowned slightly. "Is this because of the incident?"
She looked at him steadily. "Why isn't that reason enough?"
He leaned back in his seat. "I've survived worse."
Her eyes sharpened. "Barely."
He sighed. "That's the job."
"That job almost killed you."
The tension between them suddenly thickened, and he straightened. "And what do you expect us to do? Just walk away?"
She crossed her arms. "Yes."
He stared at her. "You can't be serious."
"I'm completely serious."
"We have responsibilities."
"And we also have a life," she shot back.
He shook his head. "You're talking about abandoning everything you've worked for."
"I'm talking about surviving long enough to enjoy it!" Her voice rose before she forced herself to calm down, and for several seconds neither of them spoke.
Finally he sighed again. "You're scared."
She didn't deny it. "Yes." The honesty in her voice caught him off guard. "I almost watched you die," she said quietly. "And if that had happened…" She didn't finish.
He leaned toward her. "We can't run from this."
She looked away toward the window again. "I'm not asking you to run."
"Then what are you asking?"
Her voice fell almost to a whisper. "Just… stop fighting for a while."
He watched her carefully, and then he nodded slowly. "We'll talk about it after the Consul." She didn't look convinced. But she didn't argue any further.
Hours later, their transport landed at Batuzane, and a familiar figure was waiting for them on the platform. Roland. The moment he saw them come down the ramp, his face lit up. "Finally! I haven't seen you two in months!" He rushed forward, and Leonora barely had time to react before he wrapped her in a tight hug. "I missed you!"
She laughed softly in spite of herself. "Roland—"
Then he turned and pulled Youri into a hug as well. "And you!"
Youri smiled faintly. "Good to see you too."
But as Roland stepped back, he noticed something, and his cheerful expression faltered a little. To the people of Batuzane, the incident above the planet had been kept quiet; most of them believed it had been nothing more than another border skirmish. Only a few knew the truth — and Roland could see the weight of it written plainly on both their faces. He didn't ask. Instead he gestured toward the waiting car with forced enthusiasm. "Well. Looks like the Consul's waiting."
Youri and Leonora exchanged a brief glance. The meeting ahead of them would decide more than they knew. And neither of them understood yet that the events above Terria had only been the beginning.