The Boundary Patrol member who called himself Ash stood at the entrance to the chamber like a cold metal statue. Two pale blue lights on his helmet calmly swept across the group, revealing no emotion. Three silver-gray spheres hovered outside the entrance behind him. They had not followed him in, but the blue light on their surfaces remained steady, clearly maintaining some sort of alert or support mode.
The atmosphere inside the chamber did not ease after his introduction. Instead, it grew even heavier. Flame Calamity's hand rested on the handle of the energy battle-axe at his waist, while Stoneforce shifted slightly to shield the still-weakened Night Owl and Xuan behind him. Shadowweave's figure had almost completely blended into the shadows along the cabin wall, his presence faint and elusive.
Neji stood before the control console, facing Ash across the distance.
"What does the Boundary Patrol handle?" Neji asked directly, his tone calm.
"Monitoring, isolation, and purification of Source Devouring contamination zones; elimination of out-of-control Source-Energy Aberrations; maintenance of basic order within the Ash Drift Zone and surrounding quadrants." Ash's answer was stiff, as though he were reciting regulations. "The area you entered falls within the heavily monitored Burial Pit project zone. Any unauthorized approach or contact may trigger unpredictable contamination-spread risks."
"We did not enter intentionally. It was an accident," Neji said. "As you can see, we have already paid a price. Now, we need to know how to leave this starfield and return to a region we know."
"The route of departure depends on the coordinates of the region you 'know.' Provide the coordinates, and I can compare them and identify the nearest safe jump point or shipping lane." Ash's voice remained level. "But before that, the Purifying Source construct you are carrying must be addressed."
His helmet