Three weeks completely vanished into the heavy, salt-laden fog of the international waters. The Rust Citadel remained an isolated iron graveyard, completely detached from the chaotic fallout currently tearing the global underworld apart. In the freezing, reinforced executive boardroom on the administration deck, time moved at a slow, healing crawl. The adrenaline that had propelled them through the catastrophic destruction of the Vanguard Tower and the brutal survival run had entirely faded, replaced by the profound, quiet intimacy of recovery. Chloe stood by the small, thick glass porthole, watching the dark ocean churn against the rusted pilings far below. The heavy metal blast shutters were finally open, allowing the weak, gray morning light to filter into the room. She was no longer wearing the ruined, bloodstained silk and tactical armor. The smuggler captain had procured clean, thick wool sweaters and dark cargo pants from the black market bazaar on the lower decks. The dark
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