The heat shimmered across the horizon as the transport shuttle descended near the freshly fenced perimeter. Beyond it stretched untouched land—flat, vast, and waiting.
The new team lead stepped out, eyes scanning the terrain with practiced calculation. He clutched a field tablet loaded with topo maps and potential layout plans. The drone towers were already coming online, and rows of surveillance sensors blinked quietly from temporary mounts.
Moments later, a rugged transport rolled up. Kael climbed out, brushing dust from his boots.
"You made it," Kael said, extending a hand. "Welcome to Sector Delta. This is where we build Arkbound Space."
The team lead took his hand, looking around with a raised brow. "It's… quiet. Clean slate."
Kael gestured around. "We've got hundreds of acres bought out here. No urban sprawl, no civilian clutter. Utilities are coming in from the southern corridor. We're setting up command, data centers, living quarters, hangars, and if you've got special needs—labs, simulation bays, you name it."
The team lead smirked. "And you want me to pick the location for HQ?"
"Not just pick it," Kael said. "Own it. Design it. Raen wants this to be your domain."
There was a long pause.
"And the ship?" the team lead asked.
Kael nodded slightly. "It's already being built at the old Arkbound bunker. Six NEAR bots just installed the first enhanced reactors. Starship skeleton's going up. You'll be heading there soon—but today, your job is to decide where it all leads back to."
The team lead looked across the terrain once more, eyes narrowing with rising anticipation.
Then he tapped his comm.
"Raen, it's me. The site's clean. Strategic. I know exactly where to place HQ."
Raen's voice came through. "Good. Because once that building goes up, we're not just launching ships—we're launching Arkbound into the stars."