I arrived near the structure on the second layer they were calling the Arx-9 base.
Even before getting close, I could tell this place was different.
The security density around it was noticeably higher than anywhere else on the second layer. Patrol routes were far higher in number than other places. More importantly, a spatial shield wrapped around the entire structure, thin but extremely precise. It wasn't flashy or aggressive, but it was sophisticated.
This was the first place I had seen on both the second and third layers that bothered to isolate itself from space entirely.
That alone told me enough.
I didn't rush in. I let my perception slide along the edges of the shield first, feeling the way space bent and folded to reject unauthorized entry. Whoever designed this knew exactly what they were protecting.
Then I pushed my perception through.
