Sera found Tohu waiting near the outer recovery line.
He was studying a live map of the fog routes like he owned the chase.
That put teeth in her jaw.
"You crossed my command line again," she said.
Tohu didn't look up. "Your command line lost them. I am not going to wait while you pretend the hunt is yours alone."
"They broke from my coverage. That does not make them yours."
"One of them carries residual from my early work. That makes him my problem." Tohu turned finally. "You held that group as leverage. Then you lost them. Now you want me to be polite while scavengers come along? No."
Sera moved closer. "You abandoned that design. You left it. You do not get to reappear because the leftovers are convenient."
"I left a finished assignment. I did not leave you a free claim on my residue." His voice was unchanged. "You should have told me the moment you pulled them out. You stored them and moved them and tried to deal from cover. That was your choice. This is my choice."
