Solara HQ did not announce containment.
It prepared for it.
The corridors leading to the main gate were lined with troopers—quiet, disciplined, newly equipped. Their plasma bolt rifles were modified from older stock, barrels threaded with electric filaments that hummed faintly even at rest. A post-Khelos precaution. Too late to prevent what had already happened, but early enough to shape what came next.
Nina walked stiffly beside Thane, her tablet tucked under one arm, irritation etched into every step.
"You have a pierced thigh," she said flatly, eyes never leaving his gait. "And a head injury that never received full rest after the Temple. You should not be walking."
Thane smiled through the pain. It was not convincing.
"Jax needs me," he said. "HQ needs me. And as long as Solara still recognizes me, I'll stand where I'm needed."
Nina stopped walking.
"If you keep pushing like this," she said, voice dropping to clinical calm, "you will die."
Thane chuckled softly.
"I'd rather die on my feet than in a medical bed, Doc."
She scoffed, sharp and humorless, and started walking again.
They reached the gate.
Two troopers stood ready beside the massive doors, each holding a pair of red-glowing cuffs. Not restraints meant for humans. Their light wasn't bright—it was precise, pulsing in controlled rhythm, tuned to a very specific frequency.
Thane frowned.
"Soldier," he said as the doors began to part, "what's going on?"
The doors opened fully.
And the answer walked out.
Allium emerged first, hands unbound—for now—his posture calm, deliberate. Weaver walked just off his shoulder, eyes sharp and alert, threads dormant but ready beneath the surface. Cassidy followed, jaw tight, wrapped hand flexing unconsciously. Jax came next, expression locked into command even as tension bled through the cracks. Sable moved with professional focus, already assessing the situation. Hawk brought up the rear, brow furrowed, still visibly trying to reconcile procedure with intent.
Cassidy and Weaver exchanged a look.
Not fear.
Recognition.
This wasn't right.
Hawk stepped toward the troopers. "There's a containment unit prepared in the lower levels. Confirm."
One trooper nodded. "Authorization granted by King Vex. Subject name unspecified."
Jax faltered for half a breath.
Sable noticed.
She said nothing.
Allium approached slowly. Even trained soldiers shifted their weight as he drew closer—not stepping back, but preparing to. Old instincts, hard to erase.
Allium raised his arms.
Hawk gave the order evenly. "Cuffs, exactly to modeled frequency. If an overload signature spikes, release the counter pulse immediately. Understood?"
Allium nodded once.
The cuffs closed around his wrists with a soft, resonant click.
Cassidy leaned in, eyes narrowing. She studied the glow, the modulation pattern, the way the light bent slightly against Allium's skin.
"…What?" she said. "Who made these?"
"Central design teams," Hawk replied. "Refined from previous incident data."
His gaze shifted briefly to Sable.
"You're with me," he added. "Containment oversight."
Sable nodded without comment.
The rest of the group moved to follow.
Hawk raised a hand.
"No visitation until stabilization protocols are complete."
Nina stepped forward immediately. "What? Why is he being contained?"
Jax caught her shoulder—not forcefully, but firmly.
"I'll explain later," he said. "Please. Trust me."
Nina shook her head. "No. I won't."
She turned to Allium. "You should know—"
Allium turned despite the troopers' gentle pressure to keep him facing forward.
Nina swallowed.
"Rose was released today," she said. "With restrictions. I was going to surprise you."
For a moment, something warm broke through Allium's composure.
"Good," he said quietly. "That's… that's really good. Thank you, Doctor."
Weaver leaned in. "I'll tell her what's happening," he promised. "And I'll make sure she visits. I won't let this stay quiet."
Allium nodded.
They moved again.
Cassidy exhaled sharply as the doors closed behind them. "I don't like this. I really don't like this. We've got a Seraphim loose, another one messing with a settlement, and now this—and there's sand in my socks."
Jax stared at her.
"I will resolve this," he said. "Even if I have to take it directly to Vex."
Weaver hesitated, then turned away. "I'll check on Rose."
He paused near Thane and Nina.
"Good luck."
Then he disappeared into the inner corridors.
Thane stared after the closing doors. "Why is he being detained? Did he hurt someone?"
Nina folded her arms. "I'm not leaving until I know why one of my patients is being treated like a weapon."
Jax rubbed his face once, exhausted.
"Allium engaged an unknown target," he said. "Against standing orders. He was defending us—but it still violated Vex's directive."
Thane frowned. "That blip… that was a—"
"A Seraphim," Nina finished. "Did he kill it?"
"No," Jax said. "It ran."
Cassidy nodded. "Fled. And it felt… afraid."
Nina blinked. "A Seraphim afraid?"
She shook her head slowly. "That doesn't fit anything we know."
Cassidy added, quieter now, "Its signature matched part of Rose's energy."
Nina stared at her.
"That's too much," she said finally. "I'm needed at Sunslope. Let's move."
She turned sharply and walked. Troopers followed.
Thane limped after her.
The gate sealed behind them with a heavy finality.
Cassidy and Jax remained.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Cassidy broke the silence.
"When do you think," she asked softly, "we'll have peace?"
Jax didn't look at her.
"Cass," he said, "I don't even know what that word means anymore. Every victory costs too much. Hawk doesn't understand that."
Cassidy nodded slowly.
"Yeah," she said. "He doesn't."
She straightened. "We need a pact."
Jax frowned. "A what?"
"No secrets," she said. "No hoping things don't blow up later. If something happens—we talk. Just us."
She waved vaguely. "Not Hawk. Not Sable. Let them frolic in the sand and call it oversight."
Jax snorted despite himself.
"Fine," he said.
He offered his hand.
Cassidy slapped it aside and bumped his fist instead.
Jax opened his mouth—
Then sighed.
A pact was formed.
Not official.
Not sanctioned.
But real.
And necessary.