Night fell quietly over the Galactic Navel base, the artificial lights dimming to a cool bluish hue as the outer perimeter went into reduced power mode.
Inside his assigned quarters, Nova sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes half-closed, his fingers lightly tapping the comm-device built into the back of his wrist.
A faint glow appeared on his palm as he connected to Nyx's signal.
"Nyx. Scan the signal environment. Tell me if it's secure to talk."
He whispered.
There was no response for a full minute. Then two.
Nova waited in silence, feeling the rhythm of the energy flow around his room—nothing unnatural yet, just the soft thrum of aether-powered circuits.
Then, her voice came through, cool and clear.
[Give me thirty seconds.]
He nodded. Another half-minute passed. A quiet pulse flickered over his communicator, then—
[All clear. I've overridden the signal lines around your quarters. You've got a thirty-minute window. No one's listening.]
Nyx said.
