“They've activated Orbital Canon Delta."
Raven's voice was ice. His eyes glowed faintly as he stared at the holomap, where a red beacon pulsed over Blackfang Keep's coordinates.
Amber sat up from the med cot, still pale, throat raw. “They're really doing it."
“They've given up on controlling us," he said. “They're going to erase us."
“Evacuation?"
“Already ordered," he replied. “But the ships are locked. Remote command."
Amber slid off the cot, ignoring the pain. “Show me the control frequency."
Raven turned. “Amber, your voice—"
“I don't need to speak," she said. “I just need to *resonate*."
—
Ten minutes later, Amber stood in the Keep's control tower, surrounded by panicked engineers and flickering red alerts. She pulled off the bandages around her throat, revealing the silver
