“The mission logs. The real ones. I stripped the encryption before the pod went dark.” He pressed the chip into her palm. “Promise me you’ll get this to Fleet Command. Not the Guard. Command . The people who don’t wear black.”
Jin’s smile softened. “Then you can go, Sundog. One last time.”
Elara stayed until the whine stopped. Then she took the chip, sealed Jin’s pod, and walked back to the Vindicator . Ccg 8.1.4
“Why didn’t you signal? We were in-system for a week after the battle.”
Her first officer arrived in ninety seconds, still wiping synth-grease from his knuckles. “What’s got your wires crossed, Captain?” “The mission logs
Elara felt the tears come, hot and silent. She didn’t wipe them away.
The letters glowed amber on the slate’s cracked screen. No context. No sender ID. Just the code. “Promise me you’ll get this to Fleet Command
Jin reached into a pouch on his harness with his remaining hand. He pulled out a data chip, no bigger than her thumbnail.