Kaine spent forty-seven days in isolation before the stranger arrived.
Not one of the delegates. Not anyone from the seventeen liberated star systems. Someone entirely different. A consciousness that entered the space where the Dead Zone had been with authority that suggested ownership of the void itself.
"Interesting," the stranger said, examining the region where the predator had died. "Very interesting. Clean kill. Efficient. Singular consciousness technique applied with remarkable precision for someone so young."
Kaine felt the stranger's presence like ice water. This wasn't gratitude or celebration or demands for help. This was assessment. Clinical. Professional. The way one weapon might evaluate another weapon's work.
"Who are you?" Kaine asked, not emerging from her isolation but allowing minimal contact.
