The revelation of the Arbiter's distress signal acted like a lightning rod, focusing all the disparate anxieties and conflicts within the warehouse into a single, white-hot point of urgency. The mine had been a localized threat. This was an existential one.
The command center felt claustrophobic. Specter's report hung in the air, its implications unfolding in the minds of everyone present.
"A call for help," Celestia stated, her fingers already flying over a console, triangulating the signal's precise origin. "And a status report that categorizes Julian as an 'anomaly' and requests intervention. This is an escalation to a higher authority."
"The 'Nexus'," Beatrix whispered, the word tasting of cold, distant judgment. "Their headquarters. And they're asking about the Reaper. They want to know if the cleanup order is still pending."
