Maura didn’t answer. But Vesper, even in cuffs, managed a weak smile over her shoulder.
He was standing in a meadow. A perfect, impossible meadow, right there on the grimy deck of Veridian Station. The sky was a soft lavender. A gentle stream burbled nearby. And Vesper Rhen was there, sitting on a blanket, patting the space beside her.
“Of course I’ll be back,” she said. “The glow always finds a way.” her glowing buttflap is a trap
She laughed again. Then she did a little pivot, and the glowing panel winked at him—full on, bright as a landing beacon. “Want a closer look?”
Vesper’s eyes went wide. “Wait. You’re supposed to—the light—it’s very calming—” Maura didn’t answer
And somewhere in the lower decks of Veridian Station, a new rumor began. A whispered tale about a replacement panel, hidden in a locked locker, guarded by a man who’d once touched the light and still dreamed of the lavender meadow.
What he actually said: “Yes. Absolutely.” A perfect, impossible meadow, right there on the
Vesper knelt beside his paralyzed form, carefully unclipped his stun-cuff from his belt, and patted him on the head. “Rule two, sweetheart. Everyone forgets rule two.”