Samantha pulled her terminal from her belt with her free hand.
Her eyes swept over the incoming priority messages. A coded data burst from Team Gamma was flashing across her screen—a frantic, compressed packet bearing Xander's personal signature.
[SAMANTHA: REROUTE KEYSTONE TELEMETRY VIA SECTOR FIVE RELAY IMMEDIATELY. WE NEED DUAL-NODE SYNC AT THE CROWN TERMINAL OR WE LOSE THE TRIAL.]
Cassius peered over her shoulder, his thick dreadlocks swaying.
"Are you insane? If we reroute the Keystone to the Citadel, every team between here and the central plaza will see our data path. They'll know exactly where the artifact's verification anchor is!"
"If we don't reroute it," Samantha said, her voice dropping into a flat, absolute register, "Xander fails at the door, Lucian takes the Citadel, and our entire second-place standing evaporates. We aren't just defending a box, Cassius. We're keeping the board alive."
