The Vanguard shifted beneath them, its immense body turning inside the chasm with a low, reverent roar. Red ether flashed through the intake, violent and raw, then broke into blue along the outer ring before refining into white. The interference field rose again, this time curling around Noah with less precision than it had around Mezos, as if the machine had immediately recognized a more unruly patient.
Noah inhaled and his shoulders loosened at once.
"Oh," he said.
Liam narrowed his eyes. "Do not make it weird."
"I'm trying not to."
"You are failing visibly."
Noah tipped his head back despite himself, laughter catching low in his throat as the ether sank through his skin. The owl brooch at his chest flashed a sharp red, then stuttered, confused by the Vanguard's rhythm. For a moment, the restriction tried to clamp down on his channels.
The turbine answered. The bridge trembled. The brooch dimmed.
Noah's grin went bright and almost feral. "Gods, that is good."
