The ramp of the Triarch closed slowly behind Leon. He stood at it for a moment, his hand holding the collar of his hoodie, and gave a short exhale.
'Their safety is in your hands.'
Hei Yung's words had felt like a standard statement when he first heard them. Now, sitting down in the pilot seat and watching the three officials, through the narrowing gap, their hands raised in a farewell that carried no guarantee of reunion, the words became something else entirely.
He turned forward.
The cockpit waited, dark and patient.
He flipped the master power switch. The flight-core activator followed, and the cockpit came alive in layers of blue light, each system announcing itself in sequence. He engaged the navigation HUB, thumbed the thruster ignition stud, and set the stability-assist to active. The canopy seal turned green. He moved the mode selector to Pursuit Standby, released the brake clamp, and pushed the lift thrusters online.
